Police hunt for e-bike artist drawing ‘explicit images’ on the pavement; How to get your bike, money and left shoe robbed; Jeremy Vine writes Spectator article claiming cycling is right-wing; Fair Fuel UK get a lesson in polling + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Jeremy Vine writes Spectator article claiming cycling is right-wing
Who is this absolute buffoon writing in the @spectator that cycling is right-wing? pic.twitter.com/GOcDkIOqyt
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) December 13, 2020
Jeremy Vine’s article in The Spectator certainly got people talking… The broadcaster and cycling activist wrote: “Cycling is right-wing. When you buy a bike you are throwing off the shackles of the state. No number plate, no insurance, no compulsory helmet.
“People think cycling is left-wing because a lot of left-wing people do it […] Cyclists are acting out of primal selfishness — we want to travel quickly and keep fit. If people cycled ‘to save the planet’, that would be left-wing. But in my experience most of us do it to save ourselves.”
A second article, written by Paul Burke, was published yesterday on the topic. However, unlike Vine, Burke who also claims to be a cyclist — is far less comfortable with ‘cycling being right-wing’.
Burke writes: “I’m mortally embarrassed by it. Cycling is the exclusive preserve of the very few and the very able. As for cycle lanes, which pander to a tiny and privileged elite at the expense of the vast majority, they’re undemocratic and wrong.
“This morning, as I sailed down a wide and empty cycle line, I again felt my rucksack weighing me down with guilt and shame at the sight of those poor people alongside me; squashed against their will into 50 per cent of the roads they paid for. Helpless, gridlocked and trapped by authoritarian policies which suggest that their time — their lives — aren’t as important as mine.
“I’ve often wondered who they are. Some might be teachers late for school or NHS workers trying to get home to sleep after an exhausting night shift. Sometimes I can see exactly who they are; firefighters, paramedics and delivery drivers prevented from carrying out vital, possibly life-saving work. But if you’re one of those right-wing cyclists, how much do you care? Isn’t shaving ten minutes off your journey time far more important?”
What do you think? Is cycling political? If it is, does it have to be classed as left-wing or right-wing?
Gold Sidi Shot 2
Sidi has launched these limited edition metal-shaded gold Shot 2 shoes for 2021. The legendary Italian brand said: “The slender structure of Shot 2 fits perfectly this semi-iridescent hue that has the power to make even the most grey winter days shine. A one-of-a-kind that cannot be missing in a cyclist’s collection.”
Diego Ulissi to take enforced break from racing to undergo cardiac tests
Diego Ulissi won two stages of the Giro d’Italia this year but has been forced to take a break from racing after doctors found an irregular heartbeat during a routine physical check up. The 31-year-old felt fine and had not been experiencing any issues but has been diagnosed with Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. As a precaution, the Italian will undergo a period of rest for several months while his condition is monitored.
Ulissi said: “I cannot hide the feeling of worry and anger. I’ve never had any sign of it, I’ve always felt good; Fortunately, the team’s medical staff were quick to act and discovered this abnormality. I will take a break now which I hope will be temporary, bearing in mind that the priority is health, because life does not end with cycling.
“I have just finished what has perhaps been my best season ever, with a consistent run of high level performances from January to October which also earned me the Top Ten in the UCI individual ranking. I was already beginning my preparation for 2021 with the desire to build on last years results. Now, however, I find myself facing this unexpected situation. I think my state of mind is understandable for everyone.”
In January, Ulissi began the 2020 season with three top-tens and second place overall at the Santos Tour Down Under, before finishing ninth at the UAE Tour. After racing resumed in August, he impressed on home roads, with an 8th place at Il Lombardia before claiming two stages of the Giro.
Fair Fuel UK given a lesson in polling data
THREAD: A thread on research and sampling, and how the media use data and polling.
I can safely say from a decade of working with media, it is *highly* unusual for a newspaper to so heavily reference a self-selecting and homemade survey and present it as the views of all people. pic.twitter.com/mRfriUxmzJ
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) December 13, 2020
This thread by Coventry bicycle mayor Adam Tranter is a comprehensive look at the Daily Mail’s use of the Fair Fuel UK survey. Last week, Cycling UK accused Fair Fuel UK of running a ‘how much do you hate cycling‘ survey. Tranter explains how an ethical survey should be run, without self-selecting samples, and with representative demographics. It’s well worth a read.
The work above took several weeks to assess and analyse by professionals, and we didn’t close the survey early so that we could give an exclusive to the Mail on Sunday to suit the timing of their agenda.
Compare what you’ve read here with what you’ve seen from FairFuelUK. pic.twitter.com/iXwMddUWJP
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) December 13, 2020
Your reaction to the Jeremy Vine article...
How to get your bike, money and left shoe stolen all at once
I’m all for a bike hack and most of these seem like a bit of innocent fun, who hasn’t considered sticking glow sticks to their spokes? But stashing a wad of notes inside your handlebars seems like a quick way to lose some money…
Using a Pringles tube as a bottle cage by cable tying your rear derailleur cable to the frame, instead of just buying a bottle cage was a personal favourite… I’ll leave the rest to the Facebook comments…
Fabian Werner said: “Great idea, don’t make your bike stand dirty, but run around with only one shoe.”
Ainslie Holland commented: “Ok one, you now only got one shoe. Two, now if you lose that bike, you lose all that money. Three, why not lock the bike up outside, or carry it inside, they are not that heavy. Four, that mirror thing will block your vision for the front, that’s not good, and should have put it on the bike itself. Honestly don’t try this stuff. Lots of these things are just not good ideas, and many are definitely dangerous.”
Road rage
After yesterday’s shenanigans at this junction, this happened today.
I completely accept that they had priority I was happy to slow to let them have it, but the verbal abuse was totally unwarranted and unprovoked. pic.twitter.com/w4jaquAUtg
— Robert W (@Chutzpah84) December 15, 2020
Cycling UK's Christmas Games night
Join our Christmas game show with star cycling guests next Friday at 7pm! ✨
Hosts @Anna_Glowinski and Lorraine Dixon are here to tell you about all the festive fun you can expect… 👇
Save the date: https://t.co/oKC9Fz2rjz pic.twitter.com/oEW7prKz3l
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) December 11, 2020
This Friday, Cycling UK are hosting a Christmas Games night with a festive online game show featuring some famous faces from the cycling world. Katie Archibald, Ned Boulting, Matt Stephens, Mani Arthur, Orla Chennaoui and Rebecca Charlton will be getting quizzed on their cycling knowledge with those watching at home able to join in too.
Hosted by Cycling UK’s Anna Glowinski and DJ and cyle leader Lorraine Dixon, the event will also showcase some of Cycling UK’s campaigns and projects. The event is completely free to watch and will be broadcast on Cycling UK’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Handful of Twitter users can sway council decisions, finds data analysis of LTN posts
Forbes published this article over the weekend which shows how a small number of individuals on Twitter can convince others and councils that their opinions are mainstream. Speaking to the website, social media analysis expert, Jimmy Tidey said: “Factions often present themselves simultaneously as an oppressed minority and the silent majority.
“The filter bubble phenomena makes users feel that every right-thinking person agrees with them, and factions can build self-reinforcing logic uninterrupted by interactions with people they disagree with.”
Using his own social media analytics tool LocalNets, Tidey collected data on LTN arguments. He found that 20 of the most engaged users were responsible for half of the total for and against activity about LTNs. The article also suggested that council’s are being persuaded into acting on LTN complaints based off some of these accounts’ posts.
“A small number of people can make a lot of noise,” Tidey continued. “Some Twitter users engage in long threads with up to 40 users tagged in, allowing them to generate huge numbers of connections. Many anti-LTN campaigners couch their concerns in terms of their right to drive, or authoritarian threats to their freedom of movement.”
Police hunt for e-bike artist drawing 'explicit images' on the pavement
‘A man has used an electric bike to draw explicit images on the ground in Perth City’ is not a sentence I expected to read this morning… Police in Australia seem concerned about this offender who has taken to drawing cocks on the street with an e-bike. It’s the grown up version of what kids do at school on the desk when the teacher isn’t looking however, Western Australia Police didn’t see the funny side, releasing a statement that said: “At approximately 4:50pm on Monday 30 November 2020 a man has caused damage to the ground on Murray Street in Perth.
“The man has appeared to spin the wheels of an electric bicycle in order to draw explicit images with the rubber from the tyres. This has resulted in multiple images drawn on to the ground. Police have released a CCTV image of two men who they believe may be able to assist them with their investigation.”
Social media has been as sympathetic to the police’s appeal as you might expect…Callum Mclachlan replied: “You’re never too old to draw ‘doodles’.”
Another commented: “Whilst I do not condone graffiti, I give him points for technique and ingenuity. An electric bike, very creative.”
And perhaps the best one, Allen Bell wrote: “When you order Banksy from Wish.”
This guy’s artwork is a good effort but it’s got nothing on Wanksy, the British pot hole vigilante, who graffitis pot holes with penis drawings so the council notice them…
Vintage bike auction underway...
The vintage bike auction that we shared with you yesterday is underway. This Raleigh sign went for £2,200, more than three times what was estimated. Among the interesting lots coming up at The John Maitland Archive of Motor Racing Photography & Library, Automobilia, Aeronautica & Historic Cycling sale is this Marriot & Cooper ‘Olympia’ Tandem Tricycle from around 1899. It has an estimate of £5,000-8,000.
Bullseye
Mario Cipollini is angry. Here he launches his water bottle (both bottles) at the race commissaire in the 2003 Ghent-Wevelgem. Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen were impressed by his accuracy. #cycling pic.twitter.com/vFUc6Uj4Y8
— Pro Cycling Memories (@ClipsCycling) December 15, 2020
Western Australia Police not having much luck catching their e-bike graffiti artist
It doesn’t seem like Western Australia Police are having much luck catching their pavement defacing e-bike artist…More helpful Facebook commenters have come forward to help the investigation. Chris Collier said: “I confess. It was me that did the electric bike burnout dicks. Throw the book at me.” Martin Willott has a new hero…. He posted: “Guy sounds like a legend to be honest.”
At least the police could rely on Reddit to aid their very serious inquiries into the man’s identity… Or not. Reciting that famous line, one person said: ‘Not all heroes wear capes, some wear suits and draw dicks’…
15 December 2020, 09:11
15 December 2020, 09:11
15 December 2020, 09:11
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Latest Comments
@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
35 thoughts on “Police hunt for e-bike artist drawing ‘explicit images’ on the pavement; How to get your bike, money and left shoe robbed; Jeremy Vine writes Spectator article claiming cycling is right-wing; Fair Fuel UK get a lesson in polling + more on the live blog”
It would be good if the
It would be good if the Australian police put as much effort into clamping down on dangerous driving around cyclists…
Jeremy is a tease.
Jeremy is a tease.
The cumulative heads of the Gammonati who read the Spectator to be outraged and have their prejudices confirmed will be in meltdown at the merest suggestion that the cyclists are part of their right-wing collective.
Do they now have to cycle to embrace their new brethren?
Do they have to now accept their beliefs about cyclists needing ‘road tax’, insurance and plates are null and void?
How will the realisation of becoming happier and healthier through cycling sit with what they see as their core strengths of perpetual outrage and seething hate?
Paul Burke: “Cycling is the
Paul Burke: “Cycling is the exclusive preserve of the very few and the very able.”
How does he explain the Netherlands then? People who are incapable of basic rational thought should not be given space in national magazines to express their idiotic thoughts.
I don’t think anything is
I don’t think anything is completely apolitical. As for cycling:
I think cycling is a fast, cheap and healthy way to get around which is why I want to be able to do it safely = right wing?
I think cycling is a fast, cheap and healthy way to get around which is why I want everyone to be able to do it safely = left wing?
Lots of political movements
Lots of political movements have claimed cycling as belonging to them
Right wingers as being about freedom
Left wingers as being about equality (e.g. the Clarion cycling clubs were explicitly socialist)
Greens, obviously
Most interesting is the long history of the early feminist and suffragette movement really embracing cycling as a key means in increasing women’s freedom, not least the geographical distances they could include in their lives.
Cycling can be right wing. And left wing. And everything else.
Exactly – it isn’t inherently
Exactly – it isn’t inherently left- or right-wing – it goes in cycles…
Nice bit of trolling by
Nice bit of trolling by Jeremy.
The other guy is a total melon though.
I like the Jeremy Vine
I like the Jeremy Vine article, it’s very clever.
I’ve always thought being ‘right wing’ was believing in a smaller state and more personal responsibility.
Cycling fits in with that but I’ve never considered it a right wing activity before.
I’ve heard similar sentiments
I’ve heard similar sentiments being said about renewalble energy as well. The idea of not relying on energy from other countrys being a right-wing idealism.
That being said, being left-wing myself, I think breathing is very left-wing
And there was me thinking
And there was me thinking that cycling was about being a practical way for me to get to work most days and to get out and enjoy some fresh air and exercise in the local countryside at the weekends. Not to mention a bit of social life with other like minded people.
What I like about cycling is that it is so inclusive. Round my way at weekends you see old, young, fit, overweight, men, women, racing bikes, shoppers, ebikes, kids on trailers, people riding 100Km and those happy to ride to the local cafe and back.
Didn’t realise I was manning the barricades for some sort of political revolution of whatever ideology. If there is a political spin then it has to be ensuring that local government are in a position to create the active travel infrastructure that is accesible to more people so that they can also enjoy the everyday benefits of cycling and the freedom that it brings.
It seems divisive to me to
It seems divisive to me to claim that cycling is either left or right wing – it’s just a cheap, effective, healthy way of getting from A-to-B. To classify it as a being of a political viewpoint is just projecting your own views onto it.
Is walking left-wing or right-wing? It’s a nonsense question.
Now, where politics does come into play is allocating space and money to the different activities such as walking, cycling and driving.
I cycle because I like the
I cycle because I like the feeling of going fast under my own steam, and I like the feel of a bike, the whirr of the drivetrain and the hum of the wheels. I can’t say I’ve ever given the ‘politics’ of it a thought.
The real beauty of cycling is how it is a very non-selfish pursuit. Just for example, the vehicles using a road make bothersome noise and pollution to everyone near it, whereas a cyclist bothers no-one, except possibly a motorist temporarily held up.
Taking Burke’s argument, it is not the cycle lane that is the problem, but the other drivers who are causing the congestion. Taking the same argument, someone walking through Hyde Park should feel guilty as that space could be used for more roads. And I can’t believe he doesn’t realise that he’s also paid for those roads, through his taxes. The question is why cyclists can’t use motorways, which they’ve paid for.
As the saying goes , you are
As the saying goes , you are not in traffic, you ARE traffic . There are people who have little or no choice but to travel in a car. As a cyclist I am doing them a favour by cycling, because i have to use the road but i am using much less of it and delaying no-one by any considerable amount compared to delays caused by multiple other vehicular traffic. I could take my car ( which i sometimes do) but there i am, 72 kg of white male in a car built to carry 5 people, taking up far too much road space. I recently looked at buying a second hand Renault Twizy, to reduce the space i use, but that could allow me collect my only child from whatever activity if weather bad – however the 2nd hand price of these vehicles is insane ( 6K + , i sh*t you not ) . Get the politicians to massively incentivize small 1 or 2 person electric city cars to get better efficencies on our roads, and more street legal e-bikes, and more cycle lanes, and everyone benefits , except Jeremy Clarkson – now that’s a WIN
Seagull2 wrote:
the “I can’t possibly cycle/ I must go by car / I’ve got no choice” gets hugely exaggerated, I think. Exaggerated and also used in all the what-aboutery. Too knackered to cycle after work – but somehow fine to drive a car, for example.
You are indeed doing them a favour – e.g. one less competitor for a parking space – obviously no speed /road space benefits as you “hold up the traffic”.
I thought the Jeremy Vine
I thought the Jeremy Vine Spectator piece was a clever attempt with this particualr demographic to take their supposed laissez-faire, right-wing values and relate them to the individual freedom that cycling gives.
Scrodinger’s middle aged, middle class man – cycling his Storck, or in his white soft top BMW with I AM FUN as his personalised plate?
It’s a war on ducks out there
It’s a war on ducks out there. All these toucans, puffins, and pelicans all get dedicated infrastructure built for them, while the government is just trying to force ducks off the road!
Ha!
Ha!
mdavidford wrote:
Pluck them.
Duck didn’t have hi-viz or a
Duck didn’t have hi-viz or a helmet. It was asking for it.
that 5 minute hack thing is
that 5 minute hack thing is EPIC!!!
Epically BAD!!
Don’t you zip tie all those
Don’t you zip tie all those wires on your bike to the frame then?
Actually… Despite all the hilarity, I am a bit taken with the chain brush made of two old toothbrushes. Obv for a proper bike you’d be using Braun Oral B electronicals.
I tried the double toothbrush
I tried the double toothbrush thing, I was very disappointed, single toothbrush either side was much more useful.
I see that the cyclist
I see that the
cyclistAustralia’s most wanted is creating doodles so offensive that the Police are actively sharing images showing the offensive doodles in an attempt to catch the most hardened criminal. </facepalm>ChrisB200SX wrote:
Being Australia, they want to fine him for his lack of helmet.
How to get your bike, money
How to get your bike, money and left shoe stolen all at once
The funniest thing in the 5 minute hack vid was making your own water bottle cage, and putting the cable ties on top of the gear cables.
“Burke writes: “I’m mortally
“Burke writes: “I’m mortally embarrassed by it. Cycling is the exclusive preserve of the very few and the very able.”
No. Cycling is available to everyone with working arms and legs. Also known as the majority.
“This morning, as I sailed down a wide and empty cycle line, I again felt my rucksack weighing me down with guilt and shame at the sight of those poor people alongside me; squashed against their will into 50 per cent of the roads they paid for.”
Everyone paid for those roads. Even people who don’t drive. We haven’t had a “road tax” for nearly 100 years.
This guy is a burke by name, and nature, and his arguments are pathetic.
Jenova20 wrote:
Arms or legs, to be more accurate.
Though I also understand that
Though I also understand that the bicycle is also useable by people with less than 2 arms or legs.
ktache wrote:
Yeah, but i didn’t want to make it a large paragraph about specially adapted bicycles. My point is intact for the most part.
Not trying to pick holes mate
Not trying to pick holes mate, just trying to go the extra mile with the inclusiveness of cycling, I have seen people who have seem to have great difficulty wallking who are very capable of nipping about on tricycles.
ktache wrote:
No offence meant or taken. It’s hard to judge tone on the internet.
Cycling cannot be that right
Cycling cannot be that right wing and have both the Telegraph and the Mail so against it, and for the Guardian to be pretty much pro bicycle and cycling and to have a Bike Blog.
Under the normalisation of
Under the normalisation of the car, it is many people’s idea of “common sense” – to drive to the local shops in your Range Rover.
Many of these would happily
Many of these would happily fly to the corner shop if they had a private jet.
How about an e-scooter?
How about an e-scooter?
I’m by no means super-fit or trim, but with these dark nights, wfh in the day, I’m feeling terribly under-exercised and am glad to get a few hundred steps in with a walk down to the village shop.
Yet so many people jump in their cars expressly to avoid this. I don’t get it – I don’t think they’re flingingvthemsrlves around the gym.