Runner blasts drivers parking on footpath – to go mountain biking; Cyclists react to viral forgetful road rage driver and his runaway car; Mark Cavendish spotted again… at the football? Paddy McGuinness gets an e-bike; New TT rules + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Not sure I would have had the decency to tell him his car was rolling away”: Cyclists react to viral forgetful road rage driver and his runaway car
This weekend’s viral sensation – you know who I mean, the ranty motorist with the questionable facial hair and the runaway car – has certainly got everyone talking on the ol’ internet.
Featured on road.cc on Saturday, the clip, posted by the Twitter account ‘Northfield cyclist’, has been viewed over nine million times (nine million!) and captures the motorist overtaking an indicating cyclist before an apparent blind bend.
The driver then takes offence to the cyclist’s subsequent gesticulation, and slams on the brakes before jumping out to confront him… all the while forgetting to put on his handbrake, causing the car to begin rolling towards the bend – a comedy of errors only curtailed by the cyclist’s swift intervention.
And what did the goateed driver do to thank the cyclist? He simply carried on with his expletive-laden rant, of course…
Though a sad indictment of some of the attitudes towards cyclists on the roads, it’s a cracking clip, and one which has sparked quite a few, let’s say interesting, comments:
So he stopped in the middle of the road to tell the cyclists he is delaying other cars https://t.co/4DW9gp4kjs pic.twitter.com/5qboNsit2U
— Public/Active Transport Victoria (@Llib7) January 14, 2023
I used to think this kind of people are a minority amongst motorists, now I think most of the drivers have a rotten attitude towards cyclists.
— T__Y__W (@Cyclingforbeans) January 15, 2023
Nor me, he should have been thanking the cyclist.
— Andrew Thornton (@montelle3) January 15, 2023
I wouldn’t have been so nice to tell him!
— Aaron (@arnoboko) January 14, 2023
Yet another tool on the road.
— The Quite Funny Man (@AlanKei79510923) January 14, 2023
In the comments section under our article, road.cc reader Pablo provided some local knowledge: “I hate that corner know it well. Always hated it because I’m worried about getting hit from behind when turning right.
“It’s really tricky because the junction is on a hairpin bend and you can’t see the oncoming traffic until the last moment and neither can the twats behind who are desperate to get past because you’ve slowed them down. It’s one of those junctions where you just hope to get past it as fast as possible.”
Of course, some were quick to leap to the road rage motorist’s defence:
I’m struggling to see the issue myself. Blue car was in the other lane, what more does he want?
— Nathaniel 🌻 (@nathanieloffer) January 14, 2023
The Clip in isolation indicates a bad cyclist, the driver was clearly rattled by something other than the arm gesture.
If the police acted on that I’d suggest the cyclist is an outspoken bully, odds are director of a construction firm or solicitor type— Francis Grace (@FrancisGrace18) January 15, 2023
Errr, okay…
Can cyclists do know wrong in other cyclists eyes? The cyclist clearly had done something wrong not shown in this small clip. Does every cyclist think they cannot be over took on a narrow road? Where are cars meant to go?
— *iSpy* (@iPoof) January 15, 2023
Finally, even Sandford’s parody police force got involved:
Following a review of the available footage, it appears that the cyclist gesticulates angrily towards the motorist
Followed up by some words by both parties which were unnecessary
Driver will receive a fine of £71.75
Cyclist will receive a fine of £800.85 https://t.co/eYaDB356Su— Sandford Police (@Sandford_Police) January 14, 2023
I wonder if the driver is friends with Rhonda Pickering?
Weekend roundup
If, like me, you spent the entire weekend rewatching a Peugeot roll gently down a hill, here’s what you may have missed on the rest of the site, including – wait for it – another Cav sighting(!):
> Mark Cavendish spotted with Astana Qazaqstan car at Alicante airport
> British YouTuber cycles 50km across Luxembourg… on a Barbie bike
> Is there a pothole crisis on Britain’s roads?
> Partially naked pensioners arrested for Tour Down Under protest
> Cyclist, 11, dragged from bike and scalp ripped off during pit bull attack
> Near Miss of the Day 845: Cyclist close passed… by driver with bike racks on their car
Mark Cavendish spotted again… at the football?
Now, I know the whole ‘Where’s Cav now?’ saga is beginning to wear thin these days – it feels like it’s been at least a decade since the Manx sprinter was dropped from Quick-Step’s Tour de France squad – and that the whole, protracted transfer saga (spoiler alert: he’s going to Astana) has descended into a weird Cycling Twitter version of an Agatha Christie novel…
> Mark Cavendish spotted with Astana Qazaqstan car at Alicante airport
But since we’re following the British champion’s every move, from grainy, inconclusive shots of someone who resembles Cav riding something that resembles a Wilier in Spain to the rather more conclusive images snapped at Alicante airport on Friday night, I thought I’d share another confidential document from the Cavendish files:
@OutOfCycling pic.twitter.com/FCNt6r6oza
— Aimé De Gendt (@AimeDeGendt) January 15, 2023
Date: Saturday 14 January 2023. Time: 4.15pm. Place: the Amex stadium, Brighton. Event: Liverpool getting trounced (again).
Alright, the chances that the former world champion, with a generous dashing of grey hair for good measure, would rock up to the football dressed in some of his retro HTC gear is slim, but it’s been a long, long winter…
Let the plug see the socket: Paddy McGuinness gets an e-bike
Chris Hoy was quick to jump in the comments, telling the Top Gear presenter that he has “no excuses now to not come out on another ride with me!”
I’m not sure Paddy (or should that be Pad-e? I’ll get my coat) will be too buzzing about that offer, after the last time…
I could’ve sworn I saw him reach into his pocket and throw a handful of something onto the road in front of me… 🤔😂 https://t.co/wRtrvpbNoG
— Sir Chris Hoy (@chrishoy) July 23, 2020
Road racing’s back! Alex Manly sprints to GC lead at Tour Down Under
Now, I’m a massive cyclocross fan (have I made that clear on the live blog? Oh, I have…), but it feels good to have some road racing back on the telly, even if it is at an ungodly hour.
🧡: Santos Leaders Jersey: Alexandra Manly | Team Jayco – Alula#TourDownUnder@SantosLtd @ziptrakblinds @SingaporeAir @Interflora @SANTINI_SMS @UCI_cycling @UCI_WWT @GreenEDGEteam pic.twitter.com/Mt0bHRbAKc
— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 16, 2023
At the Tour Down Under, which kicked off in the early hours of Sunday morning, local hero Alex Manly stormed into the overall lead after winning today’s second stage in the Adelaide Hills.
As Trek-Segafredo’s Amanda Spratt, who had forged clear after an attack with 11km to go on Mount Lofty (which will serve as the finale for the men’s race this weekend), was eventually caught in the final 500 metres, the Jayco-AlUla rider surged into the last right-hand corner in Uraidla at the head of the depleted bunch.
Following that astute tactical move, Manly then proved she had more than enough on the slightly uphill finish to hold off EF Education’s Georgia Williams to take the stage win and the orange leader’s jersey.
Alex Manly from #SouthAustralia takes stage 2 of the women’s #TourDownUnder
More @7NewsAdelaide 6pm #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/csPSabGUZT
— John Casey (@JohnCasey2880) January 16, 2023
Manly inherited the jersey from Human Powered Health’s Polish sprinter Daria Pikulik, who came out on top in a hectic, crosswind-affected first stage into Aldinga.
The first race of the season ended in a bunch sprint and it was Daria Pikulik that took the win on the first stage at the #TourDownUnder
Watch the race highlights over on GCN+ 👉 https://t.co/8FSJcLLBw5 (some territory restrictions apply) pic.twitter.com/5Df4ivUp0v
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) January 15, 2023
Of course, while it’s all sunshine and sprints down in South Australia, there was still plenty of mudtastic cyclocross action going on at the weekend, as the national champs were decided across Europe.
Elite National Champ 🥹😍
No words, just extremely happy 😁🇬🇧
📸 @swpix_cycling pic.twitter.com/E1dE47LDVv
— Zoe Backstedt (@Backstedt_Zoe) January 15, 2023
On a heavy course in Milnthorpe yesterday, 18-year-old Zoe Bäckstedt blew everyone away to take her first elite British cyclocross title (the first of many, I predict), while Cameron Mason underlined his own impressive progress on the continent by taking a convincing win in the men’s race.
🇬🇧 National Champion 🥲🫶 pic.twitter.com/20juGSOJsd
— Cameron Mason (@camerooney_) January 15, 2023
Cycling world pays respects to Lieuwe Westra
Zaterdagmiddag is Lieuwe Westra (40) overleden. De voormalig wielrenner vocht de laatste jaren met zichzelf en verloor.
Rust zacht, Beest. pic.twitter.com/hsVgWZQQNJ
— Thomas Sijtsma (@ThomasSijtsma) January 15, 2023
The cycling world has paid tribute to Lieuwe Westra, the retired Dutch pro who died at the weekend aged 40 following a long battle with depression.
A strong time trialist and rouleur, Westra raced for Astana and Vacansoleil during his career, picking up stage wins at Paris-Nice, the Critérium du Dauphiné, and the Volta a Catalunya. In 2012, he finished second on GC, behind Bradley Wiggins, at Paris-Nice, and two years later helped guide Vincenzo Nibali to Tour de France victory for Astana.
In a post-retirement book, ‘The Beast’, Westra claimed that he faked injuries to gain access to banned substances through the use of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs). “If you wanted to ride with the top, you have to push the line,” he wrote.
Announcing Westra’s death on Sunday morning, the Dutchman’s biographer Thomas Sijtsma wrote: “Lieuwe Westra passed away on Saturday afternoon. The former cyclist fought with himself in recent years and lost. Rest in peace, beast.”
Former teammates Thomas De Gendt and Johnny Hoogerland were among the first to pay tribute to Westra on social media:
Lieuwe my friend. What happend all to you the last years. We are so terrible sad that your life ended allready today. Im very sorry that we could not help you more. Will never forget what you did for me when we were teammates.
Find your rest above us 🖤🖤🖤 pic.twitter.com/JeVoogT3u7— Johnny Hoogerland (@zeeuwseleeuw) January 15, 2023
Some fights you can not win. I hope you find your rest now. Rest in peace Lieuwe.
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) January 15, 2023
So sad and difficult to read this news. Rest in peace Lieuwe. https://t.co/8AUM4XNVKo
— Koen de Kort (@koendekort) January 15, 2023
“Lieuwe my friend. What happened to you all the last years. We are so terribly sad that your life ended already today,” Hoogerland wrote.
“I’m very sorry that we could not help you more. Will never forget what you did for me when we were teammates. Find your rest above us.”
Road Rage Driver and the Runaway Car: Director’s Cut
This longer version of everyone’s favourite (or at least most recent) viral road rage clip – posted by Northfield cyclist this afternoon – should silence those conspiracy theorists adamant that something must have happened before the overtake to set the motorist into such a handbrake-forgetting frenzy:
@roadcc Here’s a longer version, nothing happened between us before, overtake was good, I was just a bit disappointed in the MGIF before the junction. Did think about not telling him about the rolling car but not fair to involve anyone else. pic.twitter.com/h0sU65NMGk
— Northfield cyclist (@Northfieldcycl1) January 16, 2023
Let the road.cc Recommends Awards commence!
The annual https://t.co/vVgfyt8IYK Recommends awards start today, covering bikes, components, accessories and clothing. First, check out the 10 best electric bikes that we reviewed in 2022 https://t.co/oN0FvU0GBV #cycling pic.twitter.com/rqCnFgXdcR
— road.cc (@roadcc) January 16, 2023
First up, it’s the turn of the best e-bikes of 2022…
> road.cc Recommends Bikes of the Year 2022/23: the best electric bikes
Days of the marginal draft are Ganna for good: UCI extends minimum follow car distance for time trials again
It’s bad news for Filippo Ganna, the Ineos Grenadiers, and other exponents of the not-at-all-obvious ‘marginal gain’ of stacking a team car with bikes and driving right behind your rider during a time trial, as the UCI has moved to extend even further the minimum distance permitted for following cars during the race of truth.
As we noted on the live blog after Ganna’s controversial win at last year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, the position and shape of team cars – aided by an unnecessary raft of bikes strapped to the roof – has become an all-important consideration for squads willing to push the limit during individual time trials.
This really needs to stop, on top of fact that car is likely too close to him anyway. Given calculations i’ve seen likely it gave him the win over Wout#Dauphine2022 pic.twitter.com/PRuyqTgY9G
— G Hofman (@letstalkcycling) June 9, 2022
Although we usually associate aerodynamics with the airflow over the cyclist from the front, effectively, teams can get a push effect by stacking the car in that rather incongruous way and following their rider at close proximity.
Back in November we reported that, along with a raft of other rule changes related to equipment and rider positions, the UCI had moved to counteract this aero benefit by stipulating that from 1 January all team drivers would be required to remain 15 metres behind their charges during races against the clock.
> UCI clamps down on narrow handlebars, pin-less number pockets and support car trickery
Now, following further consultation, the sport’s governing body has decided to increase this minimum distance even further to 25 metres – in order, the UCI says, to “ensure that the presence of vehicles does not have an effect on the performance of the cyclist”.
“Furthermore, the 25m distance aims to increase rider safety by providing the driver of the vehicle with longer reaction times in the case of an unexpected mishap or incident,” the UCI added in a statement released today.
Race convoy vehicles, such as TV motorbikes, photographers, and those belonging to commissaires, will still be permitted to drive closer to carry out their roles, but must stay out of the direct slipstream of a rider to mitigate any potential aero gains.
So, why 25 metres?
Well, the UCI said that according to a study carried out by the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, the presence of a car 10 metres behind a rider gives them an advantage of 0.05 seconds per kilometre at a speed of 46.8 km/h – equating to one second in a 20km time trial.
Increasing the distance to 15m and beyond, the study found, renders that advantage insignificant.
“This new rule aims to ensure that the results of time trials are not influenced by the proximity of the rider to the following vehicle and thus to guarantee the sporting fairness of the competition and increase rider safety,” says the UCI.
Sorry, Pippo.
Hi, Bini!
Biniam Girmay is not only several pundits’ choice for a big classics win in 2023 (and maybe a rainbow jersey in Glasgow, who knows?), he’s also the most popular man in Alicante right now:
Bini 👋 pic.twitter.com/ysiVQMXFlO
— Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (@IntermarcheCW) January 15, 2023
The drama continues: Cavendish spotted wearing Isle of Man jersey at Astana training camp
Spotted moments ago in Altea (Spain), where Astana are concentrating for a team camp:
– Mark Cavendish, wearing an Isle of Man jersey
– Cees Bol, with SEG Racing brandingOfficialisation of the transfer expected very soon
— Benoît Vittek (@bvittek) January 16, 2023
Could today finally – finally – be the day?
“Are we really in such fixed tribes that we can’t call out bad behaviour, whoever it is that is doing it?” road.cc readers react to mountain bike pavement parkers
So, what have people been saying in the comments about today’s mountain bike-enjoying pavement parkers?
Well, I’m glad you asked…
Geomannie 531: “I was recently car-doored whilst running on the pavement past a vehicle parked on the pavement. I wasn’t much hurt but the sheer entitlement of the driver to a) think it ok to park on the pavement and b) not consider that folk may be on the pavement shows the really poor state of driving culture.”
JustTryingToGetFromAtoB: “In fairness, the picture posted does appear to contain a dude with a bike. And the man on the Clapham omnibus would make the assumption that the dude arrived in one of the vehicles parked in a selfish manner.
“It does seem weird to entirely blame cyclists though. Every one of those parked like shit vehicles was parked by a motorist. Some of whom may occasionally ride a bike… and are probably a complete prick on two wheels as well.
“I live for the day when a d***head motorist deals with the ‘but there is nowhere to park’ by actually parking somewhere appropriate rather than deciding it is someone else’s problem.”
Patrick9-32: “Matt Jones rides at Woburn often in his YouTube videos and occasionally shows the area where he parks. It appears that the park has no parking facility at all. Considering its obvious popularity, you would think the local council would want to make it easier to safely access and sort out some kind of parking for it.”
IanMK: “There’s loads of parking nearby. Woburn Sands is less than a mile away. Plenty of parking on the other side of the main road in the direction of Aspley Heath (I recently used the church car park in Bow Brickhill at the back of the golf course). There’s even a huge “free” car park in Woburn about two miles away.
“The trouble is these morons have no idea how they would transport their bikes a couple of miles to the trails that they actually want to ride. That’s why I would not consider them to be cyclists.”
Aidan R: “I love how people are jumping on the runner with:
“a) Whataboutery; b) How do you know they’re cyclists (when he has local knowledge and presumably has run by then before); and, c) They’re drivers who are going to “exercise on a bike”.
“Are we really in such fixed tribes that we can’t call out bad behaviour, whoever it is that is doing it?”
“These people aren’t cyclists, they’re motorists who drive out for exercise on bikes”: Runner blasts drivers parking on footpath – to go mountain biking
We’re kicking things off on this cold, icy Monday morning with a live blog favourite to warm the cockles – pavement parking.
Poor and inconsiderate parking by motorists – whether it’s on cycle lanes or pavements – crops up with alarming regularity on the blog, it must be said.
> Cyclist leaves homemade parking tickets on cars parked in bike lane opposite school
In November we featured some of the most blatant bike lane blocking we’ve ever seen, while at the start of this very month, Dan alerted us to a veritable “forest” of bollards deemed necessary by Birmingham City Council to prevent dangerous parking outside a primary school.
So, naturally, our fingers stopped scrolling when we came across the following tweet, posted by runner Mark Atkinson, whose Sunday training session was interrupted by a half-mile-long line of cars blocking the footpath… so their owners can go mountain biking:
Can’t run on footpath as completely blocked for half mile by #cyclists parked up for a Sunday peddle. If only there was a way for people to use the bikes to travel to the destination. @Parklikeatwatuk pic.twitter.com/wQo5Xvl2br
— Mark Atkinson – Run Like Duck (@montythemole) January 15, 2023
More than a few Twitter users quickly questioned Atkinson’s sweeping claim that every parked car along the road belongs to a cyclist, though the photo was taken close to the popular Woburn mountain bike trails in Bedfordshire, which road.cc favourite VecchioJo reliably informs me has loads of cool jumps and other MTB goodies.
*pedal
And they’re *all* cyclists’ cars are they? 🤔
— Bernie 💙 Author | Speaker (@EnterpriseSBox) January 15, 2023
In any case, the rest of the responses seemed to be divided between those using the post as an excuse to ‘give those know-it-all cyclists a taste of their own medicine, innit’…
Imagine the fury and rage that lot would be in if they were cycling and a car was in their cycle lane.
— The Kiterarti (@the_kiterarti) January 15, 2023
@theJeremyVine Sometimes cyclists don’t help themselves. https://t.co/6aisMV5eeT
— Alex (Progressive Alliance) (@alexhrbfc) January 15, 2023
Bet half of them had go pro’s on their helmets for grassing on drivers https://t.co/hl90bwZBEw
— Bally clava (@NotJimbowe) January 15, 2023
There’s undoubtedly a few Jeremy Whine sycophants in this lot. Forever virtuous. https://t.co/BLQKbRPKUT
— No Tern Unstoned (@Matthijsvhoven) January 15, 2023
… While others questioned whether the pavement parkers should even be referred to as cyclists:
The footpath has been blocked by #drivers, even if one of them has got a bike.
— Hedgehog Cycling (@HedgehogCycling) January 15, 2023
Those people are not cyclists, just drivers doing exercise on a bike.
— Bernard B (@BernardBlokzyl) January 15, 2023
These people aren’t cyclists, they’re motorists who drive out for exercise on bikes. https://t.co/gPaQ7kwoWw
— Jon Burke FRSA 🌍 (@jonburkeUK) January 15, 2023
They are motorists. Also it’s pedal not peddle. Unless they were selllng stuff from their boots – ie “peddling goods”.
— Jill 🚴🏻♀️ (@mummyjilly) January 16, 2023
All cars. Driven and parked by drivers.
— Fastnbulbous (@markskinner64) January 15, 2023
<sees a row of parked cars>
“Bloody cyclists” 🤷 https://t.co/ruVNGLYGIz
— Mark Hill (@Hillarymark) January 16, 2023
> Near Miss of the Day 845: Cyclist close passed… by driver with bike racks on their car
Some, meanwhile, couldn’t fail to notice the other spot of ‘irony’ evident in Mark’s tweet:
As much as possible. If I could run at easy cycling pace (12mph+) I could run to even more.
— Mark Atkinson – Run Like Duck (@montythemole) January 15, 2023
Get plenty of runners on the cycle track where I live. Works both ways really. Why run on a cycle track when you can run anywhere else
— Brenderyn (@brendz76) January 16, 2023
Almost as much as my local park run…
— Jonathan Stone (@JonnyStone) January 15, 2023
I’ve never once seen a motorist park on the pavement or in a cycle lane so it’s obviously some other group parking there.
— Llama Lout (@LlamaLout) January 15, 2023
I see you’ve never been to a Parkrun.
I think they call them that because it looks like it’s a rule to drive there, park, then run.— billy (@CycleExmouth) January 16, 2023
16 January 2023, 09:49
16 January 2023, 09:49
And just when you were starting to think that the Cavendish transfer saga was dragging on…
Ex-British Cycling and Team Sky doctor Richard Freeman loses appeal against medical register ban
The High Court has rejected Freeman's appeal against the 2021 decision to strike him off the medical register
16 January 2023, 09:49
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Another really weird review from road.cc. They take a product, use it for something it wasn't designed for and then mark it down. I've just upgraded my Boost to the Boost 3 and I can say it does the jobs it is designed for very well. I use it on rides in daylight for Saturday group rides and occasional all day epics. I feel that cars are more likely to see me and the significantly brighter day flash and doubling of battery life are significant upgrades, especially for longer rides. It's also so light that there's really no downside to using it so safety wins. I also use it for short 30-min commuting. The easy of detachment and robustness of the light here are key and it's perfect for this use case. For longer rides that involve significant unlit or off-road, such as along a canal path, at night I use the Exposure Strada RB. Again, road.cc, right tool: right job. It's also great that Exposure use common mounts for all their lights. I change the Boost and RB between multiple bikes using the mount with a red pin and it takes seconds to move from bike to bike or to detach for charging. The table for setting brightness is something I tend to set only once. Then the single button is a boon.
Yes, I can't wait: a duff BMC frame with a crap oval BB, and carbon rims set up tubeless and without a pressure -relief hole so you can pressurise the cavity and which would likely (to complete the disaster waiting to happen) be hookless/ mini-hook and explode with no notice
About time they got more of them out of cars and onto bikes. Do their fitness levels some good.
I cannot tell if they relate to my report or someone else’s Yes, that's the point - the aim of the pseudo - database is to shut the punters up and deceive them about how little the police have done. They know the deception scheme has been successful when people report on here that they have achieved successful outcomes from most of their reports. They haven't.
Mayor Adams perverted a lot of laws, hence the fact that he is no longer Mayor. New York cyclists have had an ongoing problem with members of the ultra-orthodox Satmar Jewish community in Williamsburg. They don't like people in cycle shorts and skimpy tops cycling through the neighbourhood. They used their political influence to get a cycle lane removed from a local highway. There was talk of a naked bike ride through the area but I think wiser counsels prevailed.
This is disgusting. Cycling is for everyone; no-one should feel intimidated out of the hobby. The kind of "men" who think it's ok to harass women would think twice about doing it to a man. If we are going to persuade large numbers of motorists to become cyclists then the issue of harassment has to be addressed.
I've a memory the poster may be Edinburgh-adjacent (is that right?) - in which case it *may* be possible as the shared use paths (former railways) (plus a bit of more recent infra) can allow you to do this. Highly dependent on your journey though. That's not the case most places in NL. There you may be using motor-traffic-reduced and slowed *streets* there but most roads have alternatives. But here in the north-west I can cycle for several miles in a couple of directions using them. Of course if I needed to eg. go east-west in the south of the city it's back to more usual UK conditions...
According to the website as seen on my mobile this is an outstanding deal - the price in the box at the top by the weight etc. is showing as £0.00 ! (sorry due to site redesign I can't post a screenshot - besides I'm ignoring the price points which *are* quoted later in the article and am off to claim my free machine...)
Thanks for bringing that to our attention. Then ... it will be easy to see that in the casualty numbers, no? And (albeit this is looking a decade back) indeed you can *see* the truth! https://robertweetman.wordpress.com/2017/09/29/a-year-of-death-and-injury-2016/ Do you mean is "we are used to *looking for the cars*" (or even "looking with our ears" - which is real) and thus cyclists are often surprising? Or is it "cyclists are in or space, we know that motorists are only on the roads"? * But ... it is true that cyclists are a bit less visible and quieter than motorists. And it is true that some cyclists don't make efforts to be visible. And indeed some are too relaxed about cycling in accordance with the law. The latter points are not good ... but then the damage caused by cyclists in a collision is on average much less than a with a motor vehicle. And while people often think that motorists are more likely to be motivated to obey the law because of legal consequences (because eg. "They've got number plates") that it's debatable. Unlike cyclists motorists aren't going to be motivated to proceed carefully because of worries about being injured or killed in a collision with a pedestrian... * Excluding all those motorists who reach year kill more people on the footways than cyclists do altogether...
The cross checking is limited but I do have the matching data fields on my own records which correspond with the police's data fields: 'Offence Date', Offending Vehicle Type', 'Reporter' ('Cyclist' for me), 'Location Town or City', 'Primary Offence'. If that isn't replicated in the database for an incident I have reported it tells me something is wrong with the database. If I have reported an incident and there are several matching possibilities then, yes, I cannot tell if they relate to my report or someone else's.
55 thoughts on “Runner blasts drivers parking on footpath – to go mountain biking; Cyclists react to viral forgetful road rage driver and his runaway car; Mark Cavendish spotted again… at the football? Paddy McGuinness gets an e-bike; New TT rules + more on the live blog”
Matt Jones rides at Woburn
Matt Jones rides at Woburn often in his youtube videos and occasionally shows the area where he parks. It appears that the park has no parking facility at all. Considering its obvious popularity you would think the local council would want to make it easier to safely access and sort out some kind of parking for it.
Patrick9-32 wrote:
Seems like a business opportunity if someone owns some land around there
There is parking for about 10
There is parking for about 10 cars in the layby: https://www.google.com/maps/@52.0064772,-0.6438229,3a,75y,154.25h,78.06t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sTY_rc-zKlMdeozx05IA0TQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en
Looks like it is popular enough to require a lot more than that some days
Patrick9-32 wrote:
If I’ve got my geography correct sandy Lane car park is at the rear of the bike park.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/E37EHWUMQpBFNHkn7
Lots of parking along there. I think the guys parking on the road have just followed Google maps to the pin they use.
That looks right, I wonder
That looks right, I wonder how busy that car park was on the day the runner took the photo above?
There’s also the longslade
There’s also the longslade car park very near and the Bow Brickhill church car park. Worse case scenario Woburn (you can also grab a nice coffee at Flutes in Woburn or is just a roadie thing)
Longslade is usually full of
Longslade is usually full of horseboxes. I tend to avoid it. I wouldn’t park in Woburn and ride up the A5130, it’s not a nice road to cycle on.
Top of Sandy Lane is the best place to park, just make sure you get there using Church Road from Woburn Sands.
Don’t attempt to drive up it from the south, unless you are up for some 4×4 action and have a winch for when you get stuck!
hawkinspeter wrote:
Unfortunately, not. There’s loads of parking nearby. Woburn Sands is less than a mile away. Plenty of parking on the other side of the main road in the direction of Aspley Heath (I recently used the Church Car park in Bow Brickhill at the back of the golf course). There’s even a huge “free” car park in Woburn about 2 miles away. The trouble is these morons have no idea how they would transport their bikes a couple of miles to the trails that they actually want to ride. That’s why I would not consider them to be cyclists.
IanMK wrote:
Okay, what’s needed is some kind of park and ride system. Maybe copy the idea of “school buses” – have a responsible adult leading the group of would-be cyclists to their destination.
Maybe copy the idea of
Maybe copy the idea of “school buses”
https://upride.cc/incident/ua5013_kirkbylonsdalecoaches_closepass/
Are you sure?
When you refer to “these
When you refer to “these morons” and the people you don’t “consider to be cyclists”, are you specifically talking about the owners of the cars who have parked there to ride that park? Or are you referring in general to people who enjoy riding bikes in a different way to you?
Either way, the best thing about leaving the roadie community (whether you still ride road or not), is that you realize it’s only the stuck-up snobs in that community that could even care if others consider them to be cyclists. The rest of us just enjoy riding bikes.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Just opposite the trails is a derelict warehouse. It is absolutely crying out to be turned into a trail centre car park (photo). Could even have a coffee truck and a bike shop etc.
In the good old days you could park up on the verge. Then they got a bit annoyed with people slowing down to park, because it’s a busy road and it’s on a bend. So the landowner dug a gully and created a mound that stopped people parking there. The solution was to use the lay-by up the road as the default parking for the trails. They even made the path from that lay-by to the trail head a bit wider. But it’s 0.7km too far for some of these dirt jumpers. Mind you, they are sometimes lugging tools, spades, wheelbarrows etc. There’s been a lot of good work done by volunteers rebuilding the jumps after they were bulldozed some years ago… https://www.youtube.com/@KIINGOFSPADES
This story should be read
This story should be read alongside the comments on the latest NMOTD.
In fairness, the picture
In fairness, the picture posted does appear to contain a dude with a bike. And the man on the Clapham omnibus would make the assumption that the dude arrived in one of the vehicles parked in a selfish manner.
It does seem weird to entirely blame cyclists though. Every one of those parked like shit vehicles was parked by a motorist. Some of whom may occasionally ride a bike… and are probably a complete prick on two wheels as well.
I live for the day when a dickhead motorist deals with the ‘but there is nowhere to park’ by actually parking somewhere appropriate rather than deciding it is someone else’s problem.
And none of the parked
And none of the parked vehicles has a roof rack for bikes, when surely there would be some if they were all cyclists?
Look harder. At least one
Look harder. At least one does.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
I did, and you’re right. One out of how many? and impossible to tell if it was used to transport a bike.
Surely the real question is –
Surely the real question is – are HP and brooksby part of Brandalism ?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-64264251
hirsute wrote:
I wish – I’ve never been any good at art. I love the idea, though.
I’m currently concerned about the sudden reappearance of fauna in Bristol waterways: https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/local-news/dinosaur-spotted-river-avon-near-8033149
hawkinspeter wrote:
The spines along it’s – er – spine are a bit Ray Harryhausen, aren’t they?
Haven’t you heard of the
Haven’t you heard of the Sticklebackosaur? A sauropod which evolved small according to “insular dwarfism” and fed on food wrappings and plastic it collected using its spines.
A very old lifeform – from the age of internal-combustion motorvehicles!
brooksby wrote:
That’s just real-life imitating art
hirsute wrote:
Not me, guv 😉
Anent pavement parking, I was
Anent pavement parking, I was recently car-doored whilst running on the pavement past a vehicle parked on the pavement. I wasn’t much hurt but the sheer entitlement of the driver to a) think it ok to park on the pavement & b) not consider that folk may be on the pavement shows the really poor state of driving culture.
“director of construction
“director of construction firm or solicitor type”. Who else is curious to know why Francis Grace is so specific?
Ex husbands
Ex husbands / wives
I’ve learnt something new –
I’ve learnt something new – what 71.75 stands for.
It was 58008 when I was at school !
I love how people are jumping
I love how people are jumping on the runner with:
a) Whatabouttery;
b) How do you know they’re cyclists (when he has local knowledge and presumably has run by then before); and
c) They’re drivers who are going to “exercise on a bike”.
Are we really in such fixed tribes that we can’t call out bad behaviour, whoever it is that is doing it?
This! I got embroiled on
This! I got embroiled on certain aspect of that thread for saying this exactly.
One person went so far as to call him a “bigot”
Yes… mostly. This should
Yes… mostly. This should indeed just be a matter of “people have PLAC here – don’t do it, it’s selfish and dangerous”.
The “if only they could … ride to the ride” needs a bit more thought. Yes – so why haven’t they? Does it feel safe and convenient to get there? Is the car now the default if you have one (yes)? Is one of the things about having cars that we tend to travel further, more often, more “casually” (on a whim) (also yes)?
If we want to provide for this kind of “exercise and recreation” and we accept people driving to it is there adequate car parking and have we enforcement around selfish and careless parking?
EDIT detail from others suggests this might be “just followed Sat nav”?
chrisonatrike wrote:
A lot will have single speed dirt jump bikes with a slammed saddle. Not the sort of thing you would want to actually ride very far on. They probably push the bike from the car to the jumps!
Some even do things like wrap a bit of inner tube around the bottom bracket axle, to stop the pedals rotating freely. It helps keep the cranks straight when doing tricks.
I have seen hikers and dog walkers parking there, but it is mostly bikers. Not a well used pavement, but not fair to park on it like that. The road is really wide there, it shouldn’t be a problem to just park up to the kerb.
The thing I find funniest
The thing I find funniest about the twitter thread shown, is how many (presumably) motorists seem to think that a cyclist carrying a go-pro is always some sort of evil grassing sneak (see the article t’other day, where a go-pro is apparently just there as bait or something).
I wonder what these people think about dashcams in their cars, or how they justify them?
motorists seem to think that
motorists seem to think that a cyclist carrying a go-pro is always some sort of evil grassing sneak
That’s not the real problem! The real problem is that the police also think that- admittedly, that is said from my viewpoint in Lancashire
There’s a load of badly
There’s a load of badly parked cars, and the guy is having a go at “cyclists”.
Whatever else those people do, whether it’s lion-taming or scuba diving, it’s their behaviour as drivers that’s causing a problem.
If Paddy has to lift his bike
If Paddy has to lift his bike over a stile, then he’s on a footpath and has gone the wrong way!
People are so angry about
People are so angry about (Clevedon) road markings they performed the conga along it (Metro)
https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/16/people-are-so-angry-about-road-markings-they-danced-the-conga-along-it-18106984/
And all of the photos show people walking in the new ‘segregated’ cycle lane, which doesn’t bode well for the future…
…which will, I think, probably be the first time he’s ever approached other members of govt about something raised by his constituents
The Charity Commission is
The Charity Commission is investigating Jim Ratcliffe’s charity https://www.theguardian.com/news/2023/jan/16/watchdog-investigates-charity-set-up-by-uk-billionaire-jim-ratcliffe-over-16m-ski-clubhouse
Quote:
brooksby wrote:
Listen, it’s a charitable organisation, but it’s to help underprivileged children donate lots of money to Ratcliffe. Charity goes both ways, you know.
Well, he sounds like a very
Well, he sounds like a very generous man to me, if he’s giving all that away to underprivileged orphans, just to give them a break from sweeping his chimneys.
Road Rage Driver and the
Road Rage Driver and the Runaway Car: Director’s Cut
I wonder if we’ll get a Final Cut, and then a Final Super-duper Ultimate Cut covering everything the cyclist did that day (and with better special effects)? 😉
brooksby wrote:
Road Rage Driver and the Runaway Car II, III, IV and Return of…….etc.
well I hate to be the one
well I hate to be the one that points it out…but the first clip was on a helmet cam, the extended footage is fixed handlebar cam …
Don’t really understand why
Don’t really understand why this turned into “what is a cyclist” theology so fast. It’s just about obstruction and enforcement.
The Woburn Trails maps show no fewer than 6 car parks.
But the day pass for the Permissive Trails does not include parking, so I guess they don’t want to pay for it.
Personally, I expect I would be on the Bridleways, of which there seem to be plenty.
“conspiracy theorists”
“conspiracy theorists” gaslighting much there ?
its perfectly reasonable and valid to ask questions about what on earth happened before the edited clip we are seeing, that has resulted in someone driving a car, within 10 seconds of encountering you on a road is primed ready to leap out fists clenched just because you waved an arm around a bit.
in fact its so perfectly reasonable and valid, thats precisely why the police insist when you submit footage it covers a period of more than just the incident in question, something I thought the Road.cc how to submit footage guide covered only recently, but maybe I was mistaken.
I did wonder what went on
I did wonder what went on before as when I found out the road it was on and found it to be quite straight. I had guessed wrongly that there was not enough visibility.
Turns out the right turn is a tricky one, so that’s why he took an early position and signal.
The road comes out of a slow
The road comes out of a slow chicane, then is 30 near houses and changes to a 50, but you have to be driving aggressively to get up to 50 before the bend, and if there is oncoming traffic you really have to be driving slower due to the narrow lanes.
I was driving in Windsor on Saturday and had eased off slightly looking for a car park entrance, mainly because the car behind was tailgating in the 30mph limit. I signalled right and the car behind then overtook as I slowed for the entrance, so impatient motorists doing silly things is not restricted to cyclists. I would probably not have slowed down particularly before the turning without the tailgating.
Only someone who had not
Only someone who had not spent any time on a bike on british roads would think it at all unlikely that this level of anger could happen without the cyclist doing anything wrong.
I have had similar interactions because I have been turning left. That’s all. Just indicating, slowing down and then turning left. The words used by the old lady who was so incensed by my delaying her journey by 1.5 seconds that she decided to stop and delay her journey by further minutes would have made a sailor blush. (Mine in response were, of course, just as bad, I don’t claim to be a saint.)
I’ve spent many many hours
I’ve spent many many hours cycling on British roads and met all kinds of wacky and aggressive people & drivers who seem to live permanently within a hairs trigger of rage and fly off the handle for the slightest thing, but I’ve never met anyone who reacts for no reason.
Whether you think that reason is valid is an entirely separate conversation, but there is always a root cause.
In your example the lil old lady felt you held her up, that was the trigger the cause, in the example I shared when the clip was first posted, the driver no doubt felt the same and didnt like being called out for his s****y driving by a woman.
I’ve no doubt the heart of this drivers angst was ultimately they felt they were also held up, that the cyclist wasnt enabling them or other vehicles to overtake sooner, remember the drivers first words that his rage addled brain is no longer filtering were “what on earth is up with you”. That’s not what someone who is just overtaking you and then overeacts to your arm is going to say.
That’s what someone who is already triggered by you is going to say.
And that’s why the before footage is important as you can hopefully then see what that drivers tipping point was.
That bloke from the ‘rolling
That bloke from the ‘rolling car’ clip looks a bona fide swivel eyed loon.
Interesting article on risk
Interesting article on risk taking by motorists in today’s Guardian.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jan/17/motonormativity-britons-more-accepting-driving-related-risk
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
That’s surprising just how big an effect the car culture has on people. Just swapping words around and people’s attitudes change:
It’s almost as though people have been brainwashed by the numerous car adverts (they wouldn’t pay for them if they didn’t work).
Owd Big 'Ead wrote:
I don’t think there is any other sphere of life where deaths and serious injuries caused by serial illegality would be accepted in the way they are for driving.
When people are blasé about kids getting killed, then you know the mentality is fucked.
JustTryingToGetFromAtoB wrote
I remember the report of an American professor of philosophy who asked his students to imagine any good thing they liked, either for themselves or society, so they all did and it was granted by whatever god they worshipped. Then he told them that it came with a price, tens of thousands of mostly young people to be sacrificed to the god and hundreds of thousands being injured, and would they still want the good? Of course they all said no, whereupon he pointed out the absurdity of the motor vehicle.
I’m 3, Runner, Cyclist &
I’m 3, Runner, Cyclist & mountain biker & still find cars parking on pavements like that unthoughtfull & cheeky. If I see it I smash the wing mirror in, if crack it then tough.