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Cyclists and scooter riders targeted in speeding crackdown; Dura-Ace 12-speed leaked?; Ram chases Canadian cyclist off the road; Children traumatised by flooded ride; Your views on road rage; Clucking bikes; The best trophy in cycling + more live blog

It's Tuesday and Dan Alexander is in the saddle for another day on the live blog...
Tue, Mar 16, 2021 08:57
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Cyclists and scooter riders targeted in speeding crackdown; Dura-Ace 12-speed leaked?; Ram chases Canadian cyclist off the road; Children traumatised by flooded ride; Your views on road rage; Clucking bikes; The best trophy in cycling + more live blogPolice crack down on speeding cyclists in Melbourne with £900 fines (via Sunrise News)
16 March 2021, 12:41
More than 100 cyclists and scooter riders caught in crackdown on speeding in Melbourne

We shared the news on the blog a few weeks ago that cyclists in Melbourne face £900 fines if caught riding faster than the 10km/h speed limit on the Southbank Promenade. 3AW now reports that more than 100 cyclists, e-bike riders and scooter riders were caught speeding during the three-week crackdown.

A total of 45 people were charged for travelling at more than 23km/h, while 33 people were fined for not wearing a helmet. Nine people were fined for using unregistered scooters or skateboards.

Another seven people were caught using their phones while cycling or riding a scooter and more than 500 people received warnings...Cyclists who have been charged on summons can be prosecuted with a maximum penalty of $1652.20 (£900). This has been widely criticised with many people on social media saying it is ridiculous that the fine is double the state of Victoria's maximum penalty for speeding drivers.

However, Southbank Acting Senior Sergeant Brett Sidebottom disagrees: "We know the majority of people using the space are trying to do so safely, however there were a small amount of people blatantly doing the wrong thing who were penalised or now face charges to be heard at court," he said in a statement.

"Given the overwhelming and positive feedback we received as part of the operation we will continue to conduct regular patrols and activities in the area to ensure both pedestrians and cyclists remain safe."

16 March 2021, 17:45
16 March 2021, 16:57
More prime trident content
16 March 2021, 16:47
Did you spot Nopinz making its "official" WorldTour debut today?

Nopinz has joined with WorldTour newcomers Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux as its new aero time trial partner for skinsuits, gloves and overshoes. The Devon-based racewear brand says it's the first time a WorldTour team has chosen a specific racewear manufacturer for time trials.

The Belgian team will use Nopinz's aero socks, gloves and Pro-1 time trial suit which was developed with over 18 months of computer modelling, wind tunnel and track testing leading to their claim that it's "scientifically proven to be the world's fastest".

Nopinz founder, Blake Pond says it's exciting to see how far they've come to now being trusted by one of the sport's premier teams. "We couldn’t be more proud of our relationship with Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux. Our aero products have been used under the radar in and around the pro peloton for a few years now, delivering marginal gains and assisting riders to wins at the highest level.

"Now we’re involved as an official partner, it gives us the opportunity to come out of the shadows and show the world what our kit can do. Personally, I am excited by the prospect of seeing our logo on the World Tour stage and in the Tour de France. When I started Nopinz in 2014, I could only dream that would happen."

16 March 2021, 15:48
16 March 2021, 15:44
Ireland's new cycling star
16 March 2021, 15:26
Wout van Aert springs a surprise beating Filippo Ganna on final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico

Is Wout van Aert winning anything a surprise?Probably not, but the Belgian marked the end of the race with an upset of sorts, bagging another stage win to go with his opening day victory by beating heavy pre-stage favourite Filippo Ganna. That was the big story of the day, Ganna has looked imperious against the clock for over a year and was gunning for his ninth consecutive TT win.

Van Aert foiled that, so did Stefan Küng of FDJ, meaning Ganna had to settle for third. Van Aert's win wasn't enough to overhaul Tadej Pogačar's handsome advantage as the Slovenian wins the race by 1:03. Mikel Landa held on to his podium place too. 

All that's left is for Tadej to raise the greatest trophy in the sport...

16 March 2021, 14:48
Mathieu van der Poel's 50km solo win at Tirreno-Adriatico "by far his best ride ever" according to his dad

Mathieu van der Poel said he went for a ridiculous 50km solo victory at Tirreno-Adriatico on Sunday because he was cold. It was another incredible performance from the great man, and according to somebody who should know, it was his best ever ride. Mathieu's father, Adrie van der Poel told Het Nieuwsblad his son is still finding ways to surprise him.

"What Mathieu did at Tirreno is by far his best ride ever. In this field, with this weather, on that course, with such a final and then standing against the best riders in the world – he can still surprise me," Adrie explained.

Van der Poel took his second win of the week by attacking with 50km to go, building his advantage to three minutes, before holding off a charging Tadej Pogačar on a punchy finishing circuit packed with steep climbs. Today at Tirreno, the final riders are off the start ramp for the individual time trial. Stefan Küng is currently in the hot seat.

16 March 2021, 14:25
Ram chases cyclist off the road

A cyclist was chased off the road near Thunder Bay in Canada by a ram whose owner says it just really likes people...The black ram called Ozzy chased after Keith Ailey after he rode past. Here's what happened in Keith's own words..."I'm coming down from the north end and I see something black across the road, you know, maybe 300 metres in front of me. And it was pretty big for a dog and really hairy … It was too small for a bear.

"As soon as I went past him, he did a full-on sprint. He was kind of charging and making some, some grunts, or pretty deep baas at the very least. I looked back and he was there. He was running after me and if I slowed down, he would speed up. And I thought, I wonder if he's going to give me a good shot here."

The ram followed the cyclist for more than a kilometre before Ailey waved down an oncoming truck, fearing it would hit the animal. Luckily for him, the truck distracted the ram for long enough to let him to pedal away. Ozzy returned to his farm where his owners told CBC that he's in fact the "sweetest creature on earth" who just loves people. Funny way of showing it...Although, I'd take bumping into Ozzy over a bear any day... 

16 March 2021, 13:59
Drunk cyclist kept falling off his bike in front of officer
surrey police car - via surrey police.PNG

A drunk cyclist refused to leave his bike and walk home despite falling over twice in front of a garda outside the Dáil Éireann. When Val Pusanov tried to ride away for a third time he was arrested after falling off again. Judge Brian O'Shea found the 51-year-old guilty of drunk-cycling and fined him €400.

Pusanov pleaded not guilty to the charge and claimed he had four beers at lunchtime which had worn off and that he had trouble balancing because of an arm injury. The Irish Independent reports that a garda told Dublin District Court he was on duty when he saw the man fall off twice. 

When he went to check he was alright he noticed the man was slurring his words and smelt of alcohol so told him to lock his bike and walk home. Pusanov became "very argumentative" and was "stubborn" so tried to ride away again before falling off for a third time and being arrested.

16 March 2021, 13:46
16 March 2021, 11:58
Women's Tour stage announced

The latest stage of the rearranged Women's Tour will be held in Walsall, with the West Midlands town hosting the start and finish of the stage on Tuesday 5 October. Last week the race's organisers announced the penultimate stage of the week would run from Colchester to Clacton. The race will start in Bicester and finish in Felixstowe six days later. Race director Mick Bennett said the Walsall stage is close to his heart having grown up in the area. The remaining host towns and cities as well as the routes are expected to be announced this summer. 

SweetSpot postponed the race from its original June slot in the calendar due to the pandemic, believing October gives them the best chance of running the event.

16 March 2021, 11:56
Clucking cyclists
16 March 2021, 10:26
Dura-Ace 12-speed leaked?
Dura-Ace 12 speed leak from BMC website

We've long been on the case of Shimano's new Dura-Ace groupset. In October, we thought we spotted a new wireless groupset on Remco Evenepoel's bike in an Instagram video. Now, one of our readers has got in touch to point out another possible clue. Over the weekend on BMC's website the spec for the Roadmachine ONE was listed with unreleased Shimano Dura-Ace 12-speed...that's until it was removed from the site.

bmc dura-ace 12 speed leak

From the silhouette of the bike we can't see anything about the components that look any different to the current generation of Dura-Ace, which suggests only the text has been updated to say that the new Roadmachine 01 will feature 12-speed shifting. 

12-speed was at the top of our wishlist for things we wanted to see from Shimano's new Dura-Ace groupset. If the information given on the screenshots turn out to be true, then our tech team should be happy to see that it looks like there won't be a 10T cog à la Sram. What about wireless shifting? From the evidence presented here, we're still not sure... 

Check out our full piece speculating what Shimano's new Dura-Ace Groupset could look like...

New Dura-Ace 12-speed on BMC website?

 

16 March 2021, 09:40
Children traumatised by flooded cycle route to school

Flooding on this stretch of the Thames is nothing new. At high tide the water levels often cover Putney Embankment forcing people to go by other routes and drivers scramble to move their now damp motors. However, with Hammersmith Bridge closed, it has become one of the most important routes away from Putney towards the south west for active travel. 

The next road up is busy and has no cycling infrastructure meaning that the embankment is the best choice for families cycling...That's some context to why The Times newspaper journalist Julia Llewellyn Smith called on Grant Shapps to offer kids a safer route by bike. The writer said her children "are traumatised by their daily school run" of having to negotiate the flooded path.

16 March 2021, 08:45
Jealousy, impatience, queueing? Your thoughts on what causes road rage

We asked and you lot delivered. There were so many replies about what causes road rage that it's worth collecting some more for this morning's blog...Richard Chaplin suggested: "'I hate cyclists' translates roughly as 'I don't know how to drive properly when I encounter them.'"

A well-considered Facebook reply from Benson Blackmore said: "It's a real conundrum as a high proportion of cyclists are also drivers. I can safely drive my vehicle around cyclists without endangering them so why can't so many do the same? Does there need to be more attention given when learning and being tested re the safety of vulnerable road users? We can all share the road safely if more patience and consideration is used, we all want to get from A to B as quickly and safely as possible."

Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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73 comments

Avatar
Titanus replied to Compact Corned Beef | 3 years ago
2 likes

Compact Corned Beef wrote:

Titanus wrote:

If I am stuck behind somone without any way to get past, I find it incredibly frustrating.

You need to adjust how you approach driving then.

This is the one and only answer of mine you may like.

I have adjusted my approach to driving by giving it up. Since moving I commute everywhere by bicycle. There are plenty of reasons I decided I don't want to drive another inch in my life, lack of patience being just one of them.

I've got one of those racy road bikes and it's a thrill to ride. Much rather ride that than a Hayabusa or Veyron.

 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Titanus | 3 years ago
1 like

Titanus wrote:

Compact Corned Beef wrote:

Titanus wrote:

If I am stuck behind somone without any way to get past, I find it incredibly frustrating.

You need to adjust how you approach driving then.

This is the one and only answer of mine you may like.

I have adjusted my approach to driving by giving it up. Since moving I commute everywhere by bicycle. There are plenty of reasons I decided I don't want to drive another inch in my life, lack of patience being just one of them.

I've got one of those racy road bikes and it's a thrill to ride. Much rather ride that than a Hayabusa or Veyron.

 

This is the way

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
0 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

.....

This is the way...

... we brush our teeth, brush our teeth, brush our teeth.....

Avatar
chocim replied to Titanus | 3 years ago
17 likes

The root of the problem is people who feel entitled to get in front, right now. The road is not a race track and if you cannot handle following someone slower in front until it is entirely safe to pass them, either when riding or driving, you are not fit to ride or drive on a public road.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Titanus | 3 years ago
10 likes

Titanus wrote:

The route of the problem is everyone getting in everyone elses way. If I am stuck behind somone without any way to get past, I find it incredibly frustrating. This is not just when driving or riding either. A lot of misery could be avoided if people just let faster people past.

What you're essentially talking about is a lack of common courtesy and tolerance. Well mannered people not only tolerate the chosen speed of others but actively step back and allow others to precede them, e.g. by opening doors or, on the road, allowing others to pull out instead of insisting on one's right of way; rude people barge through, distraught at any thought that someone else might get ahead of them even if it doesn't matter in the slightest. The root of the problem isn't "everyone getting in everyone else's way", it's bad manners.

 

Avatar
Brauchsel replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
2 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

The root of the problem isn't "everyone getting in everyone else's way", it's bad manners.

 

Sometimes though those bad manners manifest themselves by people being in others' way when they don't need to be.

I don't barge past people standing in shop doorways or dawdling on narrow streets, but by Christ I find them rude and entitled when they're doing so for no good reason. Worse, it makes me feel (not act) less tolerant towards people who are moving slowly through no fault of their own. 
That said, I also hate people steaming past me for no good reason: my conclusion is that, given that I am moving at the correct speed at all times, everyone else must be wrong. 

Avatar
Jetmans Dad replied to Brauchsel | 3 years ago
3 likes

Brauchsel wrote:

I don't barge past people standing in shop doorways or dawdling on narrow streets, but by Christ I find them rude and entitled when they're doing so for no good reason. 

The fact that you can't see what you consider to be a good reason doesn't mean that there isn't one as far as the other party is concerned. 

Avatar
brooksby replied to Brauchsel | 3 years ago
0 likes

Brauchsel wrote:

Rendel Harris wrote:

The root of the problem isn't "everyone getting in everyone else's way", it's bad manners.

 

Sometimes though those bad manners manifest themselves by people being in others' way when they don't need to be.

I don't barge past people standing in shop doorways or dawdling on narrow streets, but by Christ I find them rude and entitled when they're doing so for no good reason. Worse, it makes me feel (not act) less tolerant towards people who are moving slowly through no fault of their own. 
That said, I also hate people steaming past me for no good reason: my conclusion is that, given that I am moving at the correct speed at all times, everyone else must be wrong. 

"dawdling on narrow streets"...? I rest my case, m'lud.

Avatar
andystow replied to Brauchsel | 3 years ago
5 likes

Brauchsel wrote:

...my conclusion is that, given that I am moving at the correct speed at all times, everyone else must be wrong. 

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac? - George Carlin

Avatar
Mungecrundle replied to Titanus | 3 years ago
10 likes

Why not ask permission to have some blue lights and sirens fitted to your vehicle? Then when you are on really urgent business and need to go faster you can let other road users know to get out of your way. This works perfectly well for the emergency services and I'm sure your need for speed is every bit as compelling as theirs.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Titanus | 3 years ago
5 likes

Titanus wrote:

The route of the problem is everyone getting in everyone elses way. If I am stuck behind somone without any way to get past, I find it incredibly frustrating.

No one else is responsible for your emotions

Titanus wrote:

This is not just when driving or riding either. A lot of misery could be avoided if people just let faster people past.

Are you talking about the misery of intimidation, bullying, dangerous driving, injury et etc? Isn't it for the bullies/dangerous drivers to moderate their emotions?

Titanus wrote:

I find most will just carry on dilly dallying with absolutely no regard, or knowing full well people behind want to get past. This doesn't excuse being a cunt, but it does make people behave as such. 

TFTFY. You're welcome Tighty

Titanus wrote:

A bit of give and take would solve many issues.

Ain't that the truth!

Titanus wrote:

All the bureaucracy involved with driving won't do the slightest bit of good to reduce bad feeling either. 

Sometimes people are just nutcases.

bureaucracy isn't there to "reduce bad feeling", although with effective application it can be quite good at removing licences from dangerous individuals.

Avatar
peted76 replied to Titanus | 3 years ago
4 likes

Titanus wrote:

The route of the problem is everyone getting in everyone elses way. If I am stuck behind somone without any way to get past, I find it incredibly frustrating. This is not just when driving or riding either. A lot of misery could be avoided if people just let faster people past. I find most will just carry on dilly dallying with absolutely no regard, or knowing full well people behind want to get past. This doesn't excuse being a cunt, but it does make people behave as such. A bit of give and take would solve many issues.

All the bureaucracy involved with driving won't do the slightest bit of good to reduce bad feeling either. 

Sometimes people are just nutcases.

It's called 'patience', which is a word I don't hear very often nowadays. 

Avatar
Jetmans Dad replied to peted76 | 3 years ago
4 likes

peted76 wrote:

It's called 'patience', which is a word I don't hear very often nowadays. 

Lord, give me patience ... AND GIVE ME IT NOW!!

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