Bonkers Buckaroo bikepacking set-up; Yves Lampaert spotted riding mountain bike with panniers home from national TT win; Jeremy Vine’s ‘Clown of the Day’; Could the Tour de France be returning to London?; Count the commuters + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Jeremy Vine spots 'Clown of the Day' using phone while driving without hands on the wheel
Clown Of The Day: this young smartphone user looks like he’s pretty good at driving without touching the steering wheel, but because this is Kensington High Street, where @RBKC has removed all protection for cyclists, sadly my footage must go to the police. pic.twitter.com/LGj6kSduv6
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) June 17, 2021
‘Clown of the Day’ with Jeremy Vine…I’m sensing the start of a new series. Riding down Kensington High Street, Vine’s nifty 360-degree camera spots this driver completely oblivious to the presenter. The motorist doesn’t have either hand on the wheel and continues to scroll his phone as he rolls forward with the traffic.
Despite the BMW driver’s protestations, Vine tells him: “I’m going to have to report you I’m really sorry. Why should I have to share the road with somebody as dangerous as you? You’re not even putting your hands on the steering wheel.”
I guess it would be nice if Kensington High Street had a protected cycle route for riders to avoid having to filter through traffic past distracted drivers…Oh, that would be the one Boris Johnson was said to be ‘ballistic’ after it was been ripped out last December.
Who is going to be the next clown in Jeremy Vine’s circus?
Sadiq Khan wants to bring Tour de France back to London...once wounds of Boris Johnson's 2015 comments have healed
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Sadiq Khan hopes to bring the Tour de France back to London for the first time since stage three of the 2014 edition (pictured above). During his re-election campaign the Mayor of London pledged to push for the Olympics back in the capital in 2036 or 2040 and the Evening Standard reports Khan is eager to host Tour de France stages too.
Khan admitted that bridges may have to be rebuilt after Boris Johnson’s decision to pull out of hosting the 2017 Grand Depart, saying it’s “not worth it”. Johnson insisted the money would be better spent on cycling infrastructure and should not be “wasted” on something that “would only deliver very brief benefits”.
Some even suggested that the 2017 route was designed to troll the now PM over Brexit by passing through four of the six countries that signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, founding the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the European Union (EU). Niche.
Count the cyclists
In 9 seconds of video, count the people cycling along the #CS3 #Embankment cycle track and compare to the number of motorised vehicles using the other 4 lanes.
Which is the more efficient use of space? pic.twitter.com/7tUBScsVVE— always last (@lastnotlost) June 15, 2021
I’m going for 11…but there was definitely another group of riders coming into the very blurry shot at the end of the video…
Largest GPS drawing by bicycle record holder sets new target of riding between all 20 Premier League clubs during the Euros
Most of us are enjoying the Euros by setting up camp on the sofa and enjoying a few cold ones…Gordon Miller will be putting in some big miles on the bike for an excellent cause. Riding between every Premier League ground between 27 June and 11 July, Gordon is hoping to shine a light on modern slavery, specifically child trafficking in sport.
Starting at Wembley, Gordon will be visiting all 20 top-flight stadiums in time for the final of the Euros and must be ruing Norwich’s promotion. A mammoth ride but it’s not his first epic cycle challenge…last year he set the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing by bicycle by riding 620.5 miles (998.7km) around England to spell out the message ‘end modern slavery’.
You can find all the details on the Ride for Freedom website…
We're saying nothing...
Even the Pope isn’t into disc brakes. https://t.co/6Yjg5POTvD
— Xylon van Eyck (@XylonVE) June 16, 2021
If you missed yesterday’s big story about Egan Bernal visiting the Pope with a brand new Pinarello Dogma and maglia rosa, check it out here.
Tom Dumoulin marks return with fourth Dutch national time trial championship
4th Dutch TT title🇳🇱🥇 pic.twitter.com/fBeRr47u22
— Tom Dumoulin (@tom_dumoulin) June 16, 2021
After an extended break from the sport Tom Dumoulin is back near the top of the world in TTs. Dumoulin yesterday won his fourth national championship in the discipline, beating Sebastian Langeveld and teammate Koen Bouwmann.
“In the second part the heat started to play a role. My legs became slightly tired. It was hard work,” Dumoulin said. “But I have recovered well after a week of racing in Switzerland. I rode a very good time trial. If I had ridden this time trial a few years ago, I would have been very happy too. I am close to my good form. In Switzerland it went a little bit better every day. I started to like racing more and more. I have continued that feeling. I am very happy with the title today. This is really a victory over myself.”
The win will be a confidence boost ahead of his main goal of the year at the Tokyo Olympics where the Jumbo-Visma rider will look to add a gold medal to his world title from 2017. Elsewhere, Aleksandr Vlasov, Emma Norsgaard, Stefan Küng and Rein Taaramäe all won their respective country’s TT championship.
Reaction to Transport for London's successful appeal against Streetspace ruling
Good news for all those seeking to make our streets safe for walking and cycling @TfL https://t.co/36mW4D9eR2
— Ruth Cadbury MP 💙 (@RuthCadbury) June 17, 2021
Yesterday’s Court of Appeal decision against a ruling from the High Court that Streetspace active travel initiatives were unlawful was greeted warmly by active travel proponents…
Jeremy Vine called it a “massive moment for cycling in London”. Saying, “if confirmed, the Bishopsgate judgement means more protection for vulnerable road users and less chance of ‘professional’ drivers pretending they need access to all roads for all customers.”
This is such good news. Massive thanks too all those @TfL and our legal team who ensured that common sense prevailed. https://t.co/nwlgH1Y9hu
— Heidi Alexander (@Heidi_LDN) June 17, 2021
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the decision “is a vindication of our policies”. He continued: “Our world-leading Streetspace schemes are helping protect the health of Londoners, and this decision reinforces my determination to make it safer and easier for Londoners to walk and cycle, and to help ensure a green and sustainable recovery from the pandemic.”
Bonkers Buckaroo bikepacking set-up...starring obligatory aero bars
We need answers. Can Rob even use those aero bars or are they merely there to mount everything around? It doesn’t look very…well, aero…but we’re guessing that’s not the point. He’s been on the road for a month now, riding more than 2,000 miles from Bournemouth to Land’s End to John O’ Groats and back again on his Mason Cycles Bokeh GRX and has probably broken a record for most stuff carried in the process.
For a proper look at bikepacking, and what kit we’d recommend, head over to our friends at off-road.cc where they’ve got a complete guide with everything you need to know when preparing for a two-wheeled adventure…
We’ve also got a round-up of 26 of the best bikepacking bags so you don’t have copy Rob’s unique set-up…unless you want to, of course…
How do you celebrate becoming Belgian national TT champion? If you're Yves Lampaert you ride home on a city bike with panniers
Yves Lampaert needs to give Rob some advice on panniers. In true Belgian style the Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider returned home from his second national TT championship win on a humble steed without any of his flash team kit. The video shared on Instagram shows the 30-year-old being cheered on by the people in the car behind as he basks in the glory of his win.
Lampaert isn’t quite at the 50.3km/h average speed that won him his title but he finds the time to give a victory salute. On a similar note, last week Team GB track star Laura Kenny hitched a lift to the velodrome on a cargo pulled by fellow serial gold medal winner and husband Jason Kenny.
Primož Roglič insists he is not the favourite for the Tour de France
Primož Roglič has distanced himself from the favourite’s tag ahead of the Tour de France Grand Depart next Saturday. Roglič suggested there will be more competition than simply just himself and Slovenian compatriot Tadej Pogačar in the fight for yellow.
“I wouldn’t even place myself, I don’t consider myself as so big a favourite,” Roglič told RMC Sport. “I’m not the defending champion. At the end, I didn’t race for a while. I will just go there and in the end we have to see how it goes. There are lots of guys who are super strong that are capable of winning. It’s not just a fight between me and Tadej. You have twenty other guys and I think all the race is just bigger than we are, so we definitely just need to go there, do our best with our guys. And in the end, we’ll see what that means with the result.”
Zwift confirmed as presenting partner of Tour de France Femmes
The inaugural edition of the women’s Tour de France will start on Sunday 24 July 2022 with Zwift on-board as a presenting partner. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will begin in Paris on the Champs-Élysées and is the biggest step in creating an equal competition for female riders running alongside the biggest event in the men’s calendar. Zwift founder Eric Min explained why he was so keen to be involved: “This is an incredibly important announcement for us as we look to build on our investment in women’s cycling and really help grow and develop the sport. Together we can bring women’s cycling to a larger audience and inspire new generations of female cyclists for years to come.”
Zwift has signed a deal to be involved for four years with the event which will see female riders compete for the yellow jersey over eight stages with full TV coverage.
Rohan Dennis jumping ship from Ineos Grenadiers to ride for rivals Jumbo-Visma, according to Dutch media report
Some slightly surprising transfer news to wrap up Thursday. Rohan Dennis is heading to Jumbo-Visma, according to Dutch outlet Wielerflits. The two-time world time trial champion has impressed since signing for Ineos, adapting to his new role as a super domestique following a controversial ending to his time with the team now known as Bahrain Victorious.
Media reports suggest that despite having the option to sign a new deal with Ineos or link up with his former sports director from BMC, Allan Peiper, at UAE Team Emirates, Dennis has decided to sign for GC rivals Jumbo-Visma. The Dutch team reportedly sees the Aussie as the heir to Tony Martin’s vital role within their Grand Tour unit. It will be interesting to see if Dennis makes an appearance when Ineos reveal their Tour team in the coming week…
17 June 2021, 08:00
17 June 2021, 08:00
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Latest Comments
It's worth pointing out that unlike cycling on a pavement (i.e. a footway alongside a carriageway), cycling on a footpath is not a crime; it is a civil tort against the landowner. That means it's not a police matter, and other people using the path have no standing to complain either (although of course you should still be careful and considerate of other people, regardless of the status of the right of way). Indeed, without going into a full lecture on the history of Rights of Way and the noble tradition of mass trespass (e.g. Kinder Scout), there is an argument that the law implicitly condones such "illegal" use of paths, given that new rights of way can be created by members of the public demonstrating that they have used the path without permission but "as of right" for long enough, without the landowner taking action to curb such use. As an additional point of information, I would note that the offence of causing injury by "wanton or furious" cycling applies anywhere. I'm no lawyer, but I struggle to see that the designation of the right of way would have much sway, but rather any case would rely on the broader context and whether the manner of the cycling was safe given the terrain and conditions.
@Rendel Harris I get close-passed by more riders than cars in Richmond Park. Maybe I should ride faster.
@perce I'm normally a big fan of your excellent posts perce but I must take issue with this one. The idea that Lord Khan of Tooting would ever, in any circumstances, have been friends with Nigel is surely beyond the bounds of even your fertile imagination?
Not to downplay the seriousness of bikejacking, but Mr.Taylor might want to consider that fact that many riders have been put off using the park at weekends due to the aggressive, intimidatory behaviour of members of his own club, who are notorious for riding as if the park is a private training facility just for themselves, and that's a pretty sad state of affairs as well.
In Wiggle/CR's absence, what are people using nowadays? I've been out of it for a while, but now returned.
I did a multi-day ride many years ago with someone who was a better cyclist than me by every conceivable measure but this one. I remember watching them up ahead on a quiet road trying to teach themselves - snatching brief seconds with their hands off the bars before losing balance and grabbing on again. 'Watch this' I said to the rest of my group, before I accelerated to catch them, then nonchalantly sailed past them uphill riding no hands. Very satisfying. I've been able to ride most of mine hands-free, but had a Specialized Allez that really didn't cooperate. Haven't been brave enough to try it on a Brompton or cargo bike though. And still can't do a wheelie, or any of the other things on Jo's palmares.
@Hamster now that is an exciting development. I do remove/amend signs but reporting them for flyposting is much more satisfying.
@Slartibartfast If the sign-maker can be caught in the act then the council Environmental Health can get a report for littering/fly-tipping. Hours of endless fun for that person trying to explain away a conviction. Don't report unless you're prepared to go to court though. Or remove the litter and put in the nearest bin with a sticker explaining how littering is a crime.
What would make driving safer for motorists is if they stopped driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and driving faster than the speed limit.
Some good ideas there. One point tho. Whilst I love those Wera Allen keys for steel bolt heads, they can be risky on alloy socket screws. Not ideal, IMO, for Rochshox fork axles as they eat into the alloy and lock into the socket. Play soon results. The hex+ system seems to be based on an inside out adaptation of the Snap On “Flank Drive” spanner or socket - and that’s a great idea, but sadly the design seems to overstress alloy socket head screws. Could it be that the profiled section on the end of the tool doesn’t have enough penetration on a fork axle? Maybe. All I can say is my axles last a lot longer using a regular Allen hex key. (Ideally on a torque wrench I guess). Ooh and ChrisA is right - a “Vernier Caliper” relies an a sliding scale more like a slide tile. Digital is way easier, but battery dependent.
51 thoughts on “Bonkers Buckaroo bikepacking set-up; Yves Lampaert spotted riding mountain bike with panniers home from national TT win; Jeremy Vine’s ‘Clown of the Day’; Could the Tour de France be returning to London?; Count the commuters + more on the live blog”
You know how dogs seem to
You know how dogs seem to like to stick their head out of a moving car? my clown of yesterday had his King Charles sticking out of the driver’s window.
David9694 wrote:
Is that a euphemism?
King Charles is like a Prince
King Charles is like a Prince Albert, only with two big floppy things on either side.
Only if his Prince Albert was
Only if his Prince Albert was with him too.
It’s really too bad they took
It’s really too bad they took out that cycling lane to put in a taxi parking bay. Let’s hope they reverse course in the near future.
It’s almost a shame that
It’s almost a shame that citizens aren’t financially incentivised to catch eejits like that car driver, in particular on to catch people on their phones. If there was an incentive, those 360 degree cameras could earn someone a living. I’m thinking, easy nationwide reporting system, £200 fines per infringment, £10 in the pocket of the person reporting it.
peted76 wrote:
I like this idea. It would be a great idea for illegal parking too, and a great way for people to make some extra cash.
I could literaly shop my
I could literaly shop my neighbour every week for illegally parking on the pavement and too close to a junction, that could fund my bike habit! 😉
I think the Satsi operated a
I think the Satsi operated a similar regime whereby people were incentivised to report on the failings of other citizens to the authorities.
Mary Willoughby wrote:
Quite. I have incentive enough with trying to get these idiots noticed by the cops. I don’t need a bung to do this.
Mary Willoughby wrote:
I wonder whether it fixed their pavement-parking problem?
Mary Willoughby wrote:
For a start, it is Stasi (not Satsi, which sounds way cuter), and for another thing, the Stasi wasn’t looking to incentivise citizens to report things that were objectively dangerous and specifically prohibited by law.
I really hate this attitude that attempting to be a reponsible citizen and report those showing contempt for the law is somehow emulating the Nazis. There is a lengthy sliding scale between “completely ignoring everything anyone else does” and “reporting someone to the authorities for every little failing”.
For a start, you may have
For a start, you may have overlooked that the significance of the “proposal” being mooted is for citizens to be PAID for provide information to the Police, that’s clearly not the same as citizens simply reporting criminality. Most people seem capable of differentiating between the two. And for another thing, apologies for the earlier typo.
So rewards shouldn’t be
So rewards shouldn’t be offered for info leading to apprehensions?
So this is where all the stasi went to then.
https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/rewards-for-information
There are alot of people in
There are alot of people in the twitter replies equating Vine as a grasser or snitch with one mentioning something saimilar about Eastern Europe and secret police. I must mention it to my wife that she is a snitch or a grasser or a supporter of Old Communist Policies when she helped to stop a robbery in a bank and then completed a witness statement to the Police, following up by testifying in court.
AlsoSomniloquism: The
AlsoSomniloquism: The proposal being mooted was for citizens to be PAID to provide information to the Police. I’m disappointed when people seem unable to differentiate between this and the simple reporting of criminality. I’m not sure why you even make the suggestion that anyone has claimed your wife did anything other than the right thing.
Mary Willoughby wrote:
There is a long history in this country of financial rewards being offered for information pertaining to criminal activity, without the East German secret police being invoked in response.
Looks like Godwin’s Law is in
Looks like Godwin’s Law is in effect…
Too true, if only I wasn’t so
Too true, if only I wasn’t so naive, though they may have to expand the definition to incorporate other organisations.
https://www.gazette-news.co
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/19376677.colchester-residents-hit-drivers-parking-zig-zags/
Parked within the zigzags of a zebra crossing.
I’m all for stasi like reporting of selfish ignorant twats like this.
hirsute wrote:
No, I’m just fine with reporting. Stasi style is unnecessary.
hirsute wrote:
That is a common occurence here as getting a Greggs is more important then road safety. Sometimes they will stop and park before the lights or even pull in and totally block the crossing when there are busy times.
I dislike to say this, but
I dislike to say this, but gaining action by the relevant authorities when reporting offences such as illegal or dangerous parking or driving offences would be sufficent without any additional inducement.
I think the point is if they
I think the point is if they are willing to pay for information they are interested enough to actually do something about it rather than ignore it…
peted76 wrote:
I’d be happy to pay £10 to get some justice dished out!
It’d be great to have the
It’d be great to have the Tour back in Blighty… A prologue time trial in London past some landmarks and then a stage showcasing some of our rolling countryside.
Boris had a point, for a
Boris had a point, for a minimum outlay of 1million quid, that money could be better spent on longer term cycling goals. For all the boosting & flattering of egos hosting a Tour stage/Grand depart imparts, it’s very short lived affair, does Yorkshire feel any of the warm glow of hosting Le Tour anymore ? has London even forgotten it hosted a stage finish just 7 years ago?
Awavey wrote:
Hell yeah. Also we have (hopefully) the TdY as a legacy event and had the Worlds. Massive contributions to cycling take up and interest in competitive cycling across Yorkshire. I always love coming across the Belgians and Dutch who come over to watch and ride.
Awavey wrote:
Why not both?
Hosting a stage is more of a tourism thing whereas cycling infrastructure is more in line with “levelling up” the country in terms of improving mass transit and public health.
I don’t even know why one is being compared to another – there’s little discussion of professional motorsport events when roads are being planned/built/repaired.
Well sure you could spend on
Well sure you could spend on both but then its costing you twice as much to do something and it would be nice for politicians for once to consider its public money they spend.
As for the tourism angle, London is already one of the worlds top tourist destinations, it was (pre covid) literally like the 2nd most visited city in the world, more than half of overseas visitors trips to the UK,visit London. It really doesnt struggle to attract tourists by not hosting one off sporting events and its actually a gigantic gravity well for the rest of the UKs tourism industry because it’s much harder to get those same tourists out of London to travel & visit the rest of UK as a result.
If the UK were to host TdF again it would be better to pick anywhere but London imo, but rest of UK doesnt get millions of pounds in promo budgets to spend so it wont happen.
Awavey wrote:
I’m pretty sure that some of the extra money we’ve saved from Brexit could be used to finance it.
hawkinspeter wrote:
£350,000,000 per week should cover it?
ChrisB200SX wrote:
Nah, the NHS has earmarked that…. greedy bastards.
From a tourism angle, we
From a tourism angle, we could try not being deeply unpleasant and untrustworthy in our dealings with the European countries just across the Channel.
Pot.
Kettle.
Get over it!
Pot.
Kettle.
Get over it!
Awavey wrote:
It doesn’t have to be either/or, it’s also not huge amount of money, probably a loss-leader overall.
I’d be more impressed if he
I’d be more impressed if he made a bid for the Giro, or even the Vuelta…..the Tour has been here before; and in London before….
it would make more sense and
it would make more sense and probably stand more chance, but then you cant blame Boris for upsetting the organisers of those yet…interesting also to note in the same interview Khan talks flying in parts of the Indian premier league cricket tournament to play in London and is already being in discussions for London to host a Formula 1 race,possibly as early as 2023.
not quite sure how any of that sits with a walking,cycling green recovery strategy maybe the teams will pay a congestion charge per lap or something, but it does earn more points in the Burson Cohn & Wolfe annual ranking of sporting cities survey, that London lost its top ranking to New York in, and which identifies as its key survey learnings that hosting major global sports events like F1 or the Olympics boosts your ranking.
apparently even just talking about hosting them boosts it too…
Re. buckaroo bike packing.
Re. buckaroo bike packing. Off-road touring aside… can all road.cc readers please just pledge to share some honest and straightforward luggage advice with anyone they speak to pondering some two-wheeled travel? If it’s on road, and it’s not racing, panniers might be a good option. I fear there are some poor sods out there spending enormous sums on bikepacking bags and ending up with that sort of set-up and associated issues when it may not be necessary. Or worse… just facing the indignity of a cycle tour without enough room to stash a BFO bottle of beer/wine/buckie and a giant bar of chocolate when you know there’s no shop options after finding a spot to pitch up.
I must admit to thinking that
I must admit to thinking that was a good advert for racks/panniers and butterfly bars. But I quickly told myself off!
Fair play to him – he’s out there doing it, which is more than I can say. Plus there’s quite a bit of dust on the bike, a hint that perhaps it’s seen a fair bit of off-road riding.
Yes, clearly getting some off
Yes, clearly getting some off-roading in there – I think I’m just genuinely a little perplexed at how the majority of cycle-touring content on instagram/twitter is ‘bikepacking’ led – someone show me a fairlight with racks! As a died in the wool tourist though, it’s fabulous that more people are seeing the light, however the load is carried!
Sorry to read of your
Sorry to read of your untimely death.
hirsute wrote:
That wool can be pretty dangerous, I hear…
brooksby wrote:
There’s a real risk of being fleeced
I’ve settled on a Tubus front
I’ve settled on a Tubus front rack with a pannier on one side, and my tent and sleeping pad lashed to the other. I also have a front rando style bag. I’m considering a tail or frame bag and downsizing that huge left pannier. I like front heavy better than tail heavy, but this is a bit too front heavy.
I do have extra room to carry a 6 pack to camp.
Le Tour can spend a day
Le Tour can spend a day sightseeing in London on it’s way back to France when it’s been back to Yorkhire.
TdY has had 2 years out due to the pandemic, but that and the Worlds were huge and TdY will be when it returns
Now I understand why so many
Now I understand why so many people are terrified of clowns.
Excellent idea from Mr Miller
Excellent idea from Mr Miller and a very important cause. All I can say from personal experience, however, is that cycling to every Premier League ground is a lot harder when you have to watch Crystal Palace play when you get there…
Vine is certainly performing
Vine is certainly performing a valuable service to the public, but it’s unfortunate that he felt he had to apologise to the driver for reporting him to the police. This implies that Vine had something to apologise for, and slightly opens the door for the nutter social media comments about the Stasi. He should have been even more pleased to be a means of a BMW driver getting his just desserts, which seems likely to happen in London. I wonder if Vine’s celebrity status would have prevented Lancashire Constabulary’s reflex action of filing video reports of traffic offences straight in the bin.
I went to a Magistrates’ Court for the first time on Monday- I felt slightly guilty about being present for a preceding case in which I had no interest, but I soon perked up on hearing that it was a typical BMW driver chalking up an increase from 6 speeding points to 9. Sadly, it wasn’t the jackpot- I would have enjoyed being present for that. Let’s see how I do with this one.
When I had a (slightly older)
When I had a (slightly older) BMW i3, I managed to have a two hour text message chat with my brother through the car’s voice control without once touching the phone or looking at a screen.
So that idiot didn’t even need the phone in his hand!
Quote:
Oh – the game! <slaps forehead>
I thought you meant they had an Oscillation Overthruster mounted on their bike…