Town needs ‘proper infrastructure, not cheap and easy 20mph signs’; St Patrick’s Day: Kelly on the Poggio; Book a MTB tour to help Ukraine; Cycling UK’s 145-mile Kent route; Bikepacking; Coffee or petrol?; Loulou races Cheltenham + more on the live blog
‘Drunk cyclist’ arrested after collision in West Derby
A man was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of cycling while drunk after a woman was knocked down in a collision.
Merseyside Police attended the scene on the Eaton Road in West Derby after reports of a crash involving a man on a bike. The woman was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
The cyclist was arrested at the scene and taken into custody on suspicion of riding his bike while drunk.
Inter X Cinelli: the great football-cycling crossover continues
The other day we featured on the blog a throwback to one of the all-time great football and cycling collaborations: namely, an old photo of the Yates twins as children with a floppy haired David Beckham.
Well, someone at Inter Milan (the city rivals of Becks’ old club AC) must have been inspired by the idea of a football-cycling crossover, as the three-time European Champions have teamed up with another venerable Italian brand, Cinelli, on a limited-edition joint range of cycling gear and bikes.
Basically, if broadcaster James Richardson has been a fundamental part of your sports viewing life (on Channel 4’s Football Italia and Eurosport’s Tour de France coverage), or if you had posters of both Marco Pantani and Roberto Baggio in the 1990s, then this is right down your street.
The first part of this collaboration, the ‘Made in Milan’ collection, was released today and features a jersey, bib shorts, socks and cap all inspired by the city’s industrial history and art.
Inter and Cinelli have also worked together on a very cool range of bikes, including two Vigorelli track bikes, a Nemo Tig gravel bike and a very classy Nemo Tig road bike.
The collection all forms part of Inter’s aim to show “that the club is capable of thriving in worlds beyond football and forging ever deeper bonds with iconic Milanese brands.”
Speaking of Milan icons, the collaboration will be officially presented in the city’s famous old Vigorelli velodrome (just down the road from Inter’s San Siro home), on Saturday before the start of Milan-San Remo.
The above video features players from Inter’s U19 women’s team and men’s Primavera Youth team (another nod to Saturday’s classic), as well as the Cinelli racing team, further underlining this “meeting of the worlds”.
The collab’s second round will feature colour variants (woohoo!) and will be launched in June.
I wonder if this footballing-cycling mashup will catch on. If it does I for one can’t wait for the Wolves-Le Col crossover…
Cav: No-one from the team talked to me about Milan-San Remo
Despite an impressive win at the newly sprint-ified Milano-Torino yesterday, Mark Cavendish won’t be lining up at the start of Milan-San Remo on Saturday, a classic he won in scintillating fashion back in 2009.
After Julian Alaphilippe was ruled out with bronchitis, Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl called up Fabio Jakobsen to fill the Frenchman’s spot at La Primavera.
Jakobsen also appears to be the Manx rider’s biggest rival for a place on Quick Step’s Tour de France team, amidst reports that the Dutchman is currently the squad’s preferred option for the sprinting berth in France.
Speaking at the post-race press conference yesterday, Cavendish said he hadn’t spoken with the team about riding the first monument of the season.
“You’ll have to ask the team,” Cavendish said. “No-one from the team talked to me about it, so I don’t know, I don’t know. Obviously, I have won it. I’d like to do it, but nobody talked to me so…
“I’m on a separate programme this year. I don’t really do any big races, though I’ll be back in Italy for the Giro d’Italia.”
There go our hopes of one last trademark Cavendish sprint on the Via Roma then…
How do you solve a problem like Tadej?
With Tadej Pogačar widely expected to blow Milan-San Remo apart on Saturday, some riders are coming up with ingenious plans to outfox the Slovenian superstar:
This is how you get ahead of Pogi. Set off on Wednesday. Not just a pretty face, Wout van Aert 😉 #MilanSanRemo pic.twitter.com/Myj973fMae
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) March 16, 2022
While it seems as if many within the peloton, including Julian Alaphilippe and defending champion Jasper Stuyven, are trying to avoid yet another hiding at the hands of the 23-year-old by simply not showing up:
At this rate, Pogačar will go solo because he’ll be the only rider in the race.
— Sadhbh O’Shea (@SadhbhOS) March 17, 2022
Though for anyone jumping the gun about Pogačar’s perceived ‘boring’ dominance of the sport, check out this thread by former Procycling editor Ed Pickering:
I think the ennui about Pogačar’s current dominance in cycling is very premature. A short thread.
— Edward Pickering (@EdwardPickering) March 17, 2022
I know you didn’t ask, but here are my thoughts on the whole ‘Oh, Pog is going to ruin cycling’ debate:
I’m not at all convinced by the arguments that the sport is in danger of becoming predictable at the hands of a rider who is contributing to the most exciting and attacking racing we’ve seen since the 1980s, who is trying to win every race he enters (a real novelty in the sport’s modern era), and who hasn’t even won many of the races fans are willing him to fail at, for fear the sport will become boring.
Perhaps when Pogačar has captured his fifth Tour in a row, second Giro, third Vuelta, fourth Liège and Lombardia, third Flanders, San Remo and Roubaix (you get the point), then the critics will have a point.
But until then, we should just appreciate – with a healthy dose of scepticism instilled through years of watching cycling – a generational talent winning and racing in a manner which we never thought we’d see again.
And if he rips Saturday’s race to pieces on the Turchino, then even better…
Happy St Patrick's Day everyone!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day to two of the finest Irish riders, Philip O’Ganna and Matty O’Trentin 🇮🇪
— The TT Podcast 🚴♂️ (@ttpdcst) March 17, 2022
17 March 2022, 09:40
17 March 2022, 09:40
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I'm not saying the officers acted with malice, just with stupidity and ignorance of physics and the law. (Once again, well done CyclingUK, who are a very fine organisation!)
@jackcycles There is no taking away or suffocating freedoms of other road users. Drivers are still free to drive. They are not and nor have they ever been free to to drive wherever they want, however they want. A cycle lane has never prevented someone from driving to a place they could previously drive for unless the plan was always to pedestrianise somewhere. What do you think about bus lanes and taxi lanes? I don't disagree that ideally cyclists simply share the road with cars. There is no question of joined up infrastructure or why cyclists aren't using the shit infra they are provided. The massive issue with that is that drivers aren't getting better, they are getting worse. Its nothing to do with cyclists and their behaviour and everything to do with motorists being absolutely unwilling to share the road with cyclists. I see this every time I go out on the bike. I see it every time I take my kids out on the back of the bike. Doesn't matter that I have small children on my bike, a large proportion of drivers couldn't care less and will bully me and put our safety in danger purely because they have the power in our dynamic. The other day within 1 minute of leaving my front door I saw a driver nearly hit the curb on a straight road because he was looking at his phone and then a middle age man cut the corner of a road I was coming to the end of so much that I had to swerve to avoid him. Drivers won't change so we have to remove them from the equation. They have to be treated like the children they are. If you can't share then we will take it away.
"...investigation will commence into alternate testing along with appropriate training for officers..." Translation: we'll try to understand the law, you know, that legal stuff we're meant to be upholding.
Do that one about "avid cyclist" => "angry motorist" again...
@andystow "Alright mate, no need to state the obvious"?
"Both the rider and Birmingham Bike Foundry have launched a legal appeal, supported by Cycling UK’s Cyclists’ Defence Fund, arguing that the process employed which led to the destruction of a £6,500 legal e-bike was “fundamentally flawed”." Good to see my money being put to good use. Keep it up! As others have said, if the police can just confiscate and destroy something which has broken no laws with no attempt to contact the owners, there is something seriously wrong that needs to be sorted out in court. I hope the owners are adequately compensated, including legal costs, and the police learn how to test an ebike.
@Mr Blackbird and what would you say to cyclists who think there are already too many motorists on the road?
Interesting the article on e-bikes having the statement that many English councils encourage pavement parking at the same time Scotland is moving in the polar opposite direction of fining drivers that do. This isnt just in the major cities either, the area I live in, Houston, Bridge of Weir which are medium sized villages have had people fined for even marginally encroaching walkways with their cars. If only English councils would follow this common sense approach. If they want to bag on about cyclists being on the roads, you have zero argument if you then allow cars to block the paths and cycle lanes you want them them to use instead.
“And what would you say to motorists who think there are already too many cyclists on the road?” "Get a grip!"?
48 thoughts on “Town needs ‘proper infrastructure, not cheap and easy 20mph signs’; St Patrick’s Day: Kelly on the Poggio; Book a MTB tour to help Ukraine; Cycling UK’s 145-mile Kent route; Bikepacking; Coffee or petrol?; Loulou races Cheltenham + more on the live blog”
On a bit of an aside…… My
On a bit of an aside…… My FOI request from Thames Valley Police requesting information on the number of Helmet Camera Videos submitted and the relevant action taken has been denied.
“Part of this information is not held in an easily retrievable format. In order to provide accurate data relevant to the outcomes, we would have to manually review each case, as this will be within the body of each report. Due to the number of reports that would require review this will exceed the appropriate 18 hour time and £450 cost limit. “
What do they ask on the form
What do they ask on the form you complete for submission?
hirsute wrote:
It’s an online form with an empty box where you complete with the information you want released. (https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/rqo/request/ri/request-information/rip/request-information-police/request-information-about-police/foi-request-form/)
I asked –
“Following submission of helmet camera footage by cyclists to Thames Valley Police please confirm the number of videos submitted during the year ended 31st December 2021. In addition please confirm the number of videos which resulted in
a. – No Further Action;
b. – Driver issued with a warning letter;
c. – Driver attended a driver improvement course; and
d. – Driver issued with penalty points”
I might have been too specific with the information requests. Maybe I should have just narrowed it down to number of submissions received and number of NFA’s
I meant the orginal
I meant the orginal submission for a traffic offence.
hirsute wrote:
I’ve not had the joy of submitting to TVP, only Northumberland Police.
Essex changed their form and
Essex changed their form and it now asks you what you used on the submission page. If TVP don’t ask this as a required field, then I can see it would take manual effort to answer the question.
I did do one submission to Northumberland Police but the upload speed was so poor in the rental place that it timed out !
I note the following from the
I note the following from the ICO web site:
(Emphasis added)
You might wish to follow up and ask for the public interest evaluation (as an FOI request, for the avoidance of doubt, although the Act doesn’t require you to say so).
I agree with you, that it might be worth requesting simpler stats of submissions and NFAs. After that, I would suggest recruiting local support to press the PCC for more action to have the matter more properly researched.
It seems a bit anachronous that the questions you have asked are not readily answered by a fairly basic set of search criteria of the force’s database(s). They could even set out categories of errors or containment (“we extracted cases that included the following categories, the following words and attached files of the following filetypes”).
If that doesn’t narrow down the number of cases that may need to be researched individually (for maybe a couple of minutes each as part of the 18-hour limit), then that indicates a more serious category of incidents, which suggests that there is a public interest and that the force should be conducting more detailed analysis in any case.
Perhaps it’s just the mood I
Perhaps it’s just the mood I am in, but I would narrow it down considerably to:
– How many submissions for the week ending 31/12.
– How many had no further action.
Once I had that I would send a second request for week ending 24/12 and so forth…
Hmmm, I wonder whether the
Hmmm, I wonder whether the specific reference to “helmet” cameras was taken literally.
This was my thought – they
This was my thought – they could use the specific device used to capture a video as the excuse for not providing the data. Resubmit FOI referencing upload of visual evidence and they will have to think again.
Yet some forces manage to
Yet some forces manage to publish this information without being asked!
It seems like they’re missing a trick, punishing an individual for a misdemeanour is only a small part of the justice process. The larger benefit is deterring others doing the same by increasing the perception that getting caught is likely. You need publicity for that.
I have a submission in at the moment with TVP, the NIP has been returned and the case is now awaiting an officer to review and decide on the course of action. I’ve asked they put a note on the file that this course of action is discussed with me prior to being implemented (quoting my rights under the victims code).
I was reviewing some footage
I was reviewing some footage from over the weekend. Started off with 2 overtakes, on my highstreet, as I was just entering the zigzags on a crossing. I just don’t think I can be bothered.
I’ve made 5 submissions to TVP since getting the camera. I only got one automatic response which was NFA. I chased 2 and on both occasions they phoned me before 8.00am to discuss. Even on the worst one they asked if they could share my footage with the company so that they could have words with their driver. Some of the other nonsense they came out with just went to show they had no interest in changing driver behaviour.
It’s not an offence to
It’s not an offence to overtake a cyclist on a zigzag – only applies to motorised traffic.
You could make an argument for careless/inconsiderate driving but I can’t see that going anywhere.
I think this is something
I think this is something that has change. Agreed it’s not an offence but rule 167 now says
DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example
on the approach to crossing facilities
(I think you are correct about the law bit which was covered in Rule 165. I’d have to follow the link to the RTA and find it specifically but this as you say won’t have changed.)
So I take primary to dissuade overtaking and they still overtake but of course fail to give 1.5m. Additionally in both cases they swing back in earlier than I would like because they see another car coming in the opposite direction. I’m not expecting any prosecutions but they could be “advised” on best practice.
The HC may say that, but it
The HC may say that, but it isn’t law. In the event of a collision, it would probably be taken into account though.
Has anyone noticed all these
Has anyone noticed all these stories spreading across the media calling for fuel duty to be reduced (after being frozen for the last decade) because some MP is claiming that parents will be “forced” to homeschool if they can’t afford to drive their children to school…
(So many motorists complain that cyclists don’t use the cycle paths that their taxes paid for, and yet miss the point that everyone who rarely or never drives is subsidising the fuel used by all the people who do).
The only way that
The only way that homeschooling could be considered “cheaper” than driving is if you don’t measure the value of the parent or guardian’s time. I guess that makes sense, since statistically the home school supervisor is more likely to be a woman and we all know their time is worth less…
notMyRealName wrote:
completely ignoring that walking the children to and from school would take less time than homeschooling them.
Until we see fewer than 10% of children driven to school, then fuel is not too cheap.
wycombewheeler wrote:
This is the epitome of a first world problem.
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/motoring/driver-forced-ditch-porsche-fuel-6775834
My neighbour uses her 4 x 4
My neighbour uses her 4 x 4 to take and collect her child from a school that is less than half a mile away.
I have never seen any of the family walking anywhere other than down their drive and into the car.
I see little hope of persuading such people to walk or cycle.
brooksby wrote:
It’s not just ‘some MP’ – it’s Robert Halfon.
Halfon has two relevant roles here. First, he is chair of the Education Select Committee.
And second – he is chair of the All Party Parliamentary for Fair Fuel for UK Motorists and UK Hauliers. And yes, if that sounds like a familiar name – it is indeed linked to our dear friend Howard Cox. He is listed as the contact for public enquiries. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmallparty/211006/fair-fuel-for-uk-motorists-and-uk-hauliers.htm
Steve K]
Is he really? Well, gosh, I can’t see him having any particular axe to grind there, then…
He’s also got a thing about
He’s also got a thing about bouncy castles.
Steve K wrote:
He should absolutely not have is thing about bouncy castles, he should bloody well keep it to himself.
To be fair, it’s a serious
To be fair, it’s a serious safety concern following tragedies where children have been killed when inflatables have come unmoored in high winds.
Steve K wrote:
That’s fair
Note to self, stop trying to be funny
Oh, no – entirely my fault.
Oh, no – entirely my fault. I was trying to be funny by bringing up bouncy castles at all.
Not seen that. However I’ve
Not seen that. However I’ve seen plenty of headlines in the Right wing press and by right wing commentators that the Russian sanctions have shown Net-Zero policies aren’t ready yet and should be removed…….
Which is weird, when I’d read
Which is weird, when I’d read an article saying that if the Govt had pushed ahead with ‘green’ policies ten years ago when they first mooted it then we wouldn’t be so dependent upon fossil fuels now and we could tell Russia to go shove it’s oil…
This is the link about it.
This is the link about it.
https://twitter.com/johnharris1969/status/1503327182382325765
RE: Kelly on the Poggio, what
RE: Kelly on the Poggio, what really strikes me watching it now is how many motorbikes there are and how close to the riders – definitely some aero advantage there, but a lot of risk too.
Of absolutely no great
Of absolutely no great relevance or import, but I work with the Edge’s cousin.
Are they a family that gets
Are they a family that gets on well? Is your colleague particularly close to the Edge?
Excellent work
Excellent work
Steve K wrote:
The Vertex?
I guess Chrome can be called
I guess Chrome can be called a cousin of Edge now that Microsoft have based it on the Chromium codebase.
One for the blog? https:/
One for the blog? https://twitter.com/TVP_Oxford/status/1504434009065066498
about a guy who has done it before
https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/15075899.160-bikes-seized-one-mans-home/
and advertises thousands of bikes for sale on gumtree
https://www.gumtree.com/p/bicycles/used-bikes-for-sale-as-singles-or-job-lot-oxford-oxfordshire-uk/1422466268
Alaphillipe comes home 2nd
Alaphillipe comes home 2nd then…
I like the idea of that Kent
I like the idea of that Kent route. It sounds good. The bit from Whitstable to Canterbury is nice and easy as much of it is along an old railway line.
Yes. I live in Rochester and
Yes. I live in Rochester and am looking forward to trying this out. My wife is also wanting to give it a go and she normally won’t ride anywhere she has to be o the road.
Have you tried the Whitstable
Have you tried the Whitstable-Canterbury stretch with her? I did that a while bike on rental bikes with my sons.
Is that stretch road-bikeable
Is that stretch road-bikeable or does it need a gravel/hybrid/MTB?
Just want to draw attention
Just want to draw attention to a spectacular bit of in-court victim blaming: the driver went straight through a give way at a roundabout and hit a cyclist, leaving the 30-year-old victim with a fractured skull, a bleed on the brain and life-changing injuries for which he requires daily care. The defendant pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving. So far, so everyday ghastly.
Mitigating, the defence lawyer said: “the victim had no lights on his electric bike, no high visibility clothing and was dressed in black. Mr Nuttall said: “He should have been seen but he wasn’t clearly able to be seen.”
The incident occured at 6.15AM on June 1st last year. Looking up the weather, it was a fine clear day and the sun rose at 4.45AM.
The defendant was given a suspended sentence because it would be tough on his wife if he went to prison.
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/driver-leaves-cyclist-life-changing-6791490
Yes – nothing to do with the
Yes – nothing to do with the fact that there was a stationary vehicle on the right blocking the view but he just ploughed on regardless – it was the lack of lights & hi-viz that did it
Can you still drive a fork
Can you still drive a fork lift truck if a driving license has been suspended? I’m assuming yes if it isn’t “road facing”.
Yes definitely shittery from the Defence there, as their normally is. The one car was stopped waiting for the bike, the other car decided they were just stopped for no reason and carried on. I wonder why the defence solicitor didn’t blame the business for expecting the criminal to start work at 630am when it is quite obvious he was too lazy to leave the house in plenty of time.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
If it happened from the direction I imagine it must have it’s likely he was leaving work after a night shift – there is only industrial units from where he was exiting
The motorist was banned from
The motorist was banned from driving for two years and three months and until he passes an extended test, which is something, I guess…
Yep basically anything to try
Yep basically anything to try and get a lesser sentence for the driver.
No matter if you are wearing hi viz/reflectives and have lights on that would put the sun to shame….. if a driver isn’t looking for a cyclist they won’t see them.
The whole thing smacks of the driver thinking…. it’s 6.15am there won’t be anyone else about at this time of the morning I can carry a bit more speed through the roundabout.