Daddy day care, pro cyclist edition – Rigoberto Urán straps eight-month-old daughter in for training; Reverse Hour Record: how low can you go?; Cav back on (Ghent’s) track; Stolen Italian bikes returned; FA Cup helmet; NFT + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Photoshopped or legit? 'Cyclists you are about to ride into a pole' sign
— No Context Brits (@NoContextBrits) November 16, 2021
This one has been doing the rounds on Twitter and went semi-viral thanks to a push from ‘No Context Brits’ half a million followers. The account dedicated to “a mordant celebration of British mediocrity” shared a picture of some classic British infra…
The bumpy shared-use path split down the middle by a wobbly white line is a classic of the UK infra genre. We all know one. But the star attraction here is that traffic information display slapped bang in the centre of the lane, giving cyclists a dark-coloured pole to aim for…on said display, the message: “Cyclists: please note, you are about to ride into a pole.” Clever.
But can it be real. We have to admit it all looks a little bit too ‘clean’. Some have said it’s got to be Photoshopped. Regardless, it got people sending in their other worst bike lane signs…
— Emma Louisa 🇬🇧❤️ (@Emmalouisajones) November 16, 2021
— Emma Louisa 🇬🇧❤️ (@Emmalouisajones) November 16, 2021
And who could forget…
— Patriot (@Martyj13) November 16, 2021
E-bike-optimised lube incoming from Silca
Designed to be the “ultimate wear-reducing lubricant for e-bikes”, Synerg-E uses Silca’s patent-pending Tungsten Tribofilm technology and blends it into a higher viscosity lube optimised for the higher torque experienced in e-bike drivetrains.
Silca says that e-bike chains experience more than two times the internal pressures of traditional bike chains and are capable of wearing out expensive drivetrain components like chains, chainrings, and cassettes at more than twice the rate of standard bikes.
“By increasing viscosity and adding Calcium Sulfonate to the mix, Synerg-E gives up roughly one watt of pure efficiency to [our] Synergetic [lube], while nearly doubling the oil film strength to ensure the lowest rates of chain and drivetrain wear of any lubricant currently available,” claims Silca.
Synerg-E uses only environmentally friendly pure synthetic base oils with additives approved as safe by the EPA and Bureau of Land Management, containing NO PFAS or other Fluorinated chemicals.
It's.......Photoshopped (and eight years old)
We’ve done some more digging and found the original story on the bike lane message…turns out all of you saying it’s Photoshopped were right. What’s more, it was actually mocked up by Stevenage Cycle Touring Club to highlight the danger of the obstructed cycle lane.
The BBC story from 2013 includes quotes from the club, saying the lane was “hardly encouragement” for cyclists and undermined the council’s claim to support active travel.
“It perhaps shows the true priorities for the county council. [It’s] dangerous and a waste of money when we are told that budgets are tight. The money would have been better spent fixing the many potholes that are dangerous for cyclists and motorists,” Jim Brown of the club said at the time.
It's all happening in Hertfordshire this morning...Stevenage FC mark FA Cup success with bike helmet celebration
NNOOOOZZZZZZAAAAAA!!! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/F6bGI4cjbh
— Stevenage FC 🔴⚪ (@StevenageFC) November 16, 2021
It’s the Stevenage live blog this morning… this time courtesy of the League Two strugglers’ creative goal celebration on the club’s Twitter account. Luke Norris’ 120th minute penalty knocked League One MK Dons out of the FA Cup, prompting this bizarre celebration…
Add a splash of road.cc to your steed with Flandria's Name Decals
Flandria has moved over its name decals over to its new dedicated site called, you guessed it… Name Decals. You now can design your decals with a real-time preview and there’s plenty of customisation available: change the font, font colour, outline colour, background colour and more.
You can choose your flag, with options including ‘Star Wars Jedi’, ‘Type 1 Diabetic’, ‘Vegan’, and there’s even a ‘road.cc’ option, as well as the usual countries.
A pack of two (for either side of your top tube) will cost ya £5.99 and if you need 40 for your 20 strong bike collection (of course), that’ll be £25.99. There are options in-between that too, don’t worry.
It’s topical considering yesterday’s news that G’s named frame was one of the reasons French police knew the 15-year-old riding a sparkly Pinarello F in Menton probably obtained it by nefarious means…
Get yours over here…
Any takers?
In an attempt to get stupid rich I’ve made the hard decision to sell this screen grab of the results from Group Two at the 2021 BMCR Track League. It’s worth, nothing, and I’ll keep hold of it on my server but you will own it. pic.twitter.com/W9QycVXDwC
— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) November 17, 2021
If Wout van Aert can get a few quid for his biggest wins as digital assets then surely someone will give Simon Warren a Freddo Frog for his…
We’ve got more surreal NFT news coming up later…watch this space.
Our sort of Hour Record...shortest distance in 60 minutes record broken by Davide Formolo and Maria Vittoria Sperotto
.@OutOfCycling @davideformolo numa competição de equilíbrio. Menor distância numa hora. Ele fez 918m. pic.twitter.com/CioElvgqx9
— País do Ciclismo (@DoCiclismo) November 16, 2021
We were certain we could set an unbeatable distance for the shortest Hour Record…then we were reminded you actually have to ride your bike for 60 minutes and can’t just sit on the start line…
UAE Team Emirates climber Davide Formolo and Maria Vittoria Sperotto are the new record holders after they unbelievably covered the exact same distance, 918m, during a simultaneous record attempt at the Rino Mercante Velodrome in Bassano del Grappa.
The event actually happened a couple of weeks ago, but was brought into the mainstream this morning as the video did the rounds on social media. It was livestreamed by La Repubblica delle Biciclette and the full hour of stalling is on their Facebook page…trust us, it’s more entertaining than the actual Hour Record.
The pair took the title from Bruno Zanoni, the maglia nera (last placed rider) at the 1979 Giro d’Italia, who had set a best distance of 1,070m in 2019. It seems the reverse Hour Record has a habit for close finishes and high drama…Zanoni himself took the crown from two-time Giro winner Gilberto Simoni by one metre…
Put the aero bars away…the reverse Hour Record is the new challenge we want to see pro riders targeting…
Italian national track cycling team's €400k worth of stolen bikes returned from Romania
The 22 Italian team bikes stolen by a gang during the UCI Track World Championships in Roubaix have been collected by the team’s mechanics. Romanian police found the bikes during a raid on premises connected to a criminal organisation. Filippo Ganna’s gold Pinarello and the rest of the World Championship-winning team pursuit bikes, complete with £8,500 titanium 3D-printed handlebars, were among the haul of stolen bikes found during the search.
Italian Federation president Cordiano Dagnoni told La Gazzetta dello Sport, “They [the team mechanics] loaded the bikes on Monday and left Romania straight away. Now the bikes are back in Italy, in the Montichiari velodrome. They’re all there, only a few wheels are missing.”
After the raid, the head of the Italian delegation Roberto Amdio told the same newspaper that they believed the theft was a professional operation undertaken by a gang who knew which van to break into, despite security at the hotel.
Safety patrols introduced after spate of bike thefts from Peterborough school
Queen Katherine Academy in Peterborough has introduced further safety measures after a number of bike thefts from the school. A parent told Peterborough Matters that five bikes have been taken within the last four days.
“We are not even able to claim any assistance in replacing the bikes. [It] appears that anyone can now walk on to the site and just help themselves,” they said. “Thefts have been reported to the police but there hasn’t been a positive response from their end yet.”
Another said: “My son is worried to take his bike to school. Over five bikes and e-scooters have been stolen. My son told me last week he saw a man coming into the area where bikes were locked up. He told him he was collecting his child’s bike but my son said it did not look right and stayed away from approaching the man further.”
Cambridgeshire Police confirmed they had visited the school and would investigate the thefts. The principal Lynn Mayes addressed the spate of thefts: “As soon as the matter was brought to our attention, we began working closely with Cambridgeshire Police and, as part of the investigation, have positioned police officers and members of staff to patrol areas where bike thefts have occurred.”
Cav ready for "Tour de France of track cycling" at Ghent Six Day
Mark Cavendish will take to the boards in Ghent this evening for the second day of the city’s famous Six Day. Cav won the event in 2016 alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins, and will partner with Deceuninck-Quick-Step teammate Iljo Keisse for this year’s edition.
Playing down his chances against prolific Danish pair Michael Mørkøv and Lasse Norman Hansen, the Tour de France stage wins joint record holder says he has nothing to prove this week…but…he told Het Nieuwsblad: “The history of the Kuipke is so special. The Ghent Six is the Tour de France of track cycling, it’s unlike any other race. As a rider in Belgium you feel that people understand the race. Anyone who comes to watch also understands what’s happening.
“I’ve only been on the track for two days in the last eight months. Then there is no comparison with a duo like Mørkøv and Hansen, who have just become world champions and who have had track preparation. For me there’s no ego. I’m in the comfortable position where I don’t have to show how good I am anymore. This is one of the last Six Days we can ride together. It would be nice if we could also enjoy it a bit.”
"When there's a whole Instagram page dedicated to the failures of your components....yeah, there's a design flaw": Reader reaction to Shimano denying design problem with Hollowtech cranks
It’s become far too common for it not to be a problem.
— Curt (@CurtMerckx) November 16, 2021
There’s more than bit of reaction to Shimano denying dodgy design causing cracks to their cranks…you lot had your say in the hundreds of replies we got to yesterday’s story.
The component giant says its engineers are trying to find out if there is a specific cause of crank failures, but that there isn’t a design problem…
Several people sent in the photographic evidence of their own snapped Shimano stuff. Matthew Schieferstein pointed out “there’s a whole Instagram page dedicated to the failures of your components….yeah, there’s a design flaw.”
> Shimano denies design problem with Hollowtech cranks despite reports of cracked arms
Mickey Boulton commented: “My 70kg wife did this to a pair of Ultegra cranks… she was so proud of herself… BEAST!” Others suggested the problem has been around for years…
Alan Dwyer wondered, “Maybe not design but maybe manufacturing-related?”
To which Grahame Baker, a principal lecturer in mechanical engineering at University of Greenwich, replied: “I would argue that is still a design issue — either the product hasn’t been designed for the process available, or the process has been designed to be incapable of manufacturing the product. Splitting hairs, I know. But important in my world as a manufacturing engineer.”
We’re actually sending Grahame a broken crank for an inspection…we’ll report back his thoughts…
Daddy day care: Rigoberto Urán straps eight-month-old daughter in for training ride
Carlota disfrutando de la bici pic.twitter.com/9NwFEJB3bQ
— Rigoberto Urán ЯU (@UranRigoberto) November 17, 2021
No mistake from Rigoberto here. We’re not talking about the baby, just the fact he’s on a team-issue Cannondale…ask Sergio Higuita about that one.
Urán shared this clip of him taking his eight-month old daughter Carlota for a training spin…do babies have to wear team-issue kit? Let’s see if Jonathan Vaughters kicks up a fuss about the lack of POCs on display…
Unsurprisingly, not all of Urán’s Twitter followers were entirely comfortable with the Colombian rider’s daycare set-up here. I don’t get the problem. We’d love to be harnessed to a WorldTour pro for a spin, although, thinking about it… the extra weight might cancel out their superhuman power…
Urán’s something of a live blog favourite. Remember that time he was drafted by a backpack-wearing local at 45km/h? Only in Colombia…
Cav on the boards
Full gas at #zesdaagsegent! pic.twitter.com/fS7oxyjXJa
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) November 16, 2021
You’re not going to take the reverse Hour Record riding like that…
17 November 2021, 09:01
17 November 2021, 09:01
17 November 2021, 09:01
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Latest Comments
I agree, stop building useless cycle lanes - build proper ones.
I love the castorama kit. Perfect to be able cycle to work, fix steam engines then cycle home again all in the same kit
Okay, well I don't doubt your experience but I can only say it's not mine and from the lack of mention generally in discussions not that of many other people. Maybe when you're racing with your head down the wind breaks over the crown and then round into your ears, intuitively I would say that riding heads up, which is what most commuters do, a helmet would be more likely slightly to deflect the wind away from your ears than into them.
Considering that AIs are trained on large datasets of Internet content, they're pretty much our condensed stupidity as a species. Also, current AIs are Large Language Models which is pretty much just a clever bag of words.
It proves that soft and brittle polystyrene cycling helmets break very easily.
At 167cm tall I couldn’t agree more with Rookybiker, I find certain 29 ers problematic, particularly running a dropper and getting low off the back(700c -50s are just ok!) 32 would be a total nightmare from stand over - toe over lap being the first of many problems, sorry it’s a big no from me!
Fine by me Mickey, just remember when you're in a queue of traffic stuck behind a cyclist in the middle of the lane that this is exactly what you asked for.
He's talking about our "tiny island" so I think its fair comment ;-)
Reply t o Rendel I'm serious, it might be a combination of my head shape and the helmet I use but I definitely have more wind rush around my ears with a helmet and notice it when bunch racing compared to social riding.
All over the country it's the same , thousands of cars vrs hundreds of bikes. All this sustainable transport infrastructure for bikes is just a waste of many ,, thousands upon thousands of drivers all report very seldom underused bike lanes. Motorised vehicles are the majority & preference on the roads should be made for them & not for the minority of cyclists. Get rid of all the annoying cycle lanes everywhere.
56 thoughts on “Daddy day care, pro cyclist edition – Rigoberto Urán straps eight-month-old daughter in for training; Reverse Hour Record: how low can you go?; Cav back on (Ghent’s) track; Stolen Italian bikes returned; FA Cup helmet; NFT + more on the live blog”
Of course it’s photoshopped –
Of course it’s photoshopped – the text isn’t even aligned.
Not only that, aren’t road
Not only that, aren’t road numbers painted across the road?
I can’t tell if that’s a joke
I can’t tell if that’s a joke or not… assuming you’ve used Google Street View before?
This is in Stevenage, on the
This is in Stevenage, on the 602 going towards the A1 from Lister Hosp. In reality the screen isn’t that reflective. Good effort though
Road CC wrote:
It’s interesting to note that the obstructing posts have since been moved.
If you are interested in the local history of street furniture installation….
Yep, better on the poles
Yep, better on the poles Although it still seems low. I suppose one of the reasons for it is to enforce cycle helmet use as well.
If you are interested in the
If you are interested in the local history of street furniture installation….
Yes, I plan to make it my specialist subject on Mastermind.
And what a daft comment from Jim Brown of the Stevenage Cycle Touring Club. Spend money filling potholes instead of creating segregated cycle infra.
(1) It won’t be one or the other in the local authority budget. (2) We’re supposed to be creating routes for 8-80 year olds; how many parents are going to let their 8-year-olds ride on a dual carriageway?
HarrogateSpa wrote:
I’ll help you revise. What are you up to next Tuesday?
I’m watching the grass grow,
I’m watching the grass grow, but it is a little slow in November 😉
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Not sure I can compete with that, even in November…
It’s also (at least) 7 years
It’s also (at least) 7 years old. http://theflyingtortoise.blogspot.com/2014/10/warning-you-are-about-to-have-accident.html
Of course it’s fake. It’s
Of course it’s fake. It’s giving helpful advice to cyclists.
Can I just say that I’m very
Can I just say that I’m very much liking the Stevenage-heavy angle to this blog. Please can we try and keep up this ratio of Stevenage:Non-Stevenage stories in future?
Carlton Reid on Stevenage’s cycle paths: https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/sep/19/britains-1960s-cycling-revolution-flopped-stevenage
Very much liking that oddly-cycling tweet – Luke Norris’ actual goal celebration in the game was running into the stands and kissing a baby (presumably his?), which is equally good. Either way, up the Boro. We’ve played at times this season as though wearing cycle cleats, so this all puts things into perspective.
You knocked The Franchise out
You knocked The Franchise out of the Cup in a satisfyingly painful way. You are free to celebrate as you see fit.
Signage does always seem to
Signage does always seem to end up on the footpath/in the cycle lane, rather than on the road, though; doesn’t it?
There’s quite a lot of it
There’s quite a lot of it coming out of Crowthorn heading towards Bracknell/Swinley, mostly motorist only signage including speed limits, grey posts (naturally) with those tiny triangles of old white paint on the ground.
Thing is, apart from these it’s really a nice piece of separated infrastructure, maybe some of the first I had actually used, closeness to the Transport Research Labs.
Question – if a tree is
Question – if a tree is veeery low over a cycle path (public space, council owned), am I allowed to just cut off the offending branch or is that some sort of ‘vandalising public property’ type thing?
brooksby wrote:
No, one only has a right to prune trees belonging to others (private landowner or public authority) if they are overhanging one’s property boundaries. Anything else one has to request and/or obtain an order (if the owner opposes the request) for the owner to do the work/have the work done.
Damn!
Damn!
Hmm, so the tree lined roads
Hmm, so the tree lined roads where the overhanging branches are “pruned” by the double-decker busses passing beneath, who pays the fine – the bus driver, bus operator, or the passengers?
Sriracha wrote:
It’s only the passengers in the case of an open topped bus
wycombewheeler wrote:
You have to be found in possession of secateurs whilst actually on the bus to stand even a chance of being charged
Captain Badger wrote:
…and even then, it would only be if a member of the Special Branch saw you do it.
hawkinspeter wrote:
I bough to you sir
Captain Badger wrote:
I think I was driving at the branches being ‘pruned’ by repeated impacts from unprotected passengers, rather than them reaching out and snipping on the way past. KInd of like trying to catch flies with chopsticks
wycombewheeler wrote:
Start there and work up. Takes patience but you are rewarded with a surprisingly strong sense of zen.
wycombewheeler wrote:
If a fly could take your eye out.
mdavidford wrote:
Protip: carry a small spider with you and then you can put that in your eye to chase out any flies
hawkinspeter wrote:
I tried that but it led to its own issues, tried to fix those etc. and now I’ve got a horse staring me in the face.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Never let a gift horse take you to water is what I always say
hawkinspeter wrote:
Dorothy Parker said that best: https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/15283-you-can-lead-a-horticulture-but-you-can-t-make-her
Rendel Harris wrote:
— Rendel HarrisFunny, I never got arrested for using my hedge trimmer which I took on the bakfiets, to clear all the overhanging vegetation on the cycle/footpaths in Bradley Stoke.
eburtthebike wrote:
To be clear, I thoroughly approve of any vigilante action to keep cycleways or footpaths clear and have engaged in a little of that myself on an impromtu basis, I was just stating my understanding of the law.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Not sure that is right. If there is an obstruction on a right of way, you are entitled to clear it. It is certainly the case that as a walker you can chop away any obstruction necessary to make your way along a footpath – hence walkers are encouraged to walk with secateurs to keep footpaths in good nick. You can’t clear a wider path than necessary though.
Having said that, I don’t know how the detail applies to highways in general, but I would assume the underlying principle is the same, probably a common law thingy.
How do I get rid of a large 4
How do I get rid of a large 4.5m by 1.8m block weighing between 1.5 to 2.5 T?
I regularly find these blocks on pavements.
hirsute wrote:
Try tin-snips instead of secateurs….
IanMSpencer wrote:
Do you think carrying bolt cutters would be encouraged? Asking for a friend…
Do. Or do not. There is no
Do. Or do not. There is no ask.
brooksby wrote:
It may not be legal, but I’ve done it many times and never had a single objection, quite a few thanks from pedestrians and cyclists though. If someone objects, you might like to point out that if they don’t trim it themselves, they could be liable for damages for anyone injured through hitting it.
eburtthebike wrote:
When it’s greenery from the hedges, along the cycle paths (alongside the A369, for example) I wouldn’t even think about it – I have many times cut back brambles or branches which overhang into ‘the bit where people go’.
However, because this tree is in more of a park area, I wasn’t so sure.
I’ve logged it to North Somerset council – I’ll see how long it takes for them to send a man with a saw…
Remember this relevant story?
Remember this relevant story?
https://road.cc/content/news/legal-action-threat-vs-councillor-who-cut-down-vegetation-285523
andystow wrote:
I’d forgotten that one. I feel so much better now…
It might be photoshopped but
It might be photoshopped but who hasn’t seen a path where that sign would apply? This one is near me, the billboard announcing the construction of a new hospital went in first, knowing that they would be building a shared pathway where it was sited. They managed to build the path under it without injuring anyone. But apparently it’s far too dangerous to walk or cycle under it ??♂️
Is that shadow below the sign
Is that shadow below the sign, or is there some sort of supporting beam laid out across the path?
Isn’t it a concrete base for
Isn’t it a concrete base for the barrier?
mdavidford wrote:
You’re right! I hadn’t zoomed in at the picture, but I have and can see that there’s a beam going across at about three feet up and it definitely is some sort of base.
So that shiny new cycle path / foot path is completely blocked <face/palm>
Yes, they made sure nobody
Yes, they made sure nobody was going to use the path! Steel beams, steel mesh. Normally they would use water filled temporary road barriers so I don’t get the choice of materials here. To complete the clusterf*ck the path doesn’t even go to the hospital’s main entrance, it stops at the ambulance entry road a block short of where it would link to another path the council was forced to construct to service the hospital. The hospital construction was completed before the path was built, they could have just taken down the billboard.
are they trying to create
are they trying to create business for the new hospital?
I hope not, it won’t open
I hope not, it won’t open until 2022!
Re. Track League NFT – I’ll
Re. Track League NFT – I’ll make an opening bid of a Strava kudos.
“…it was actually mocked up
“…it was actually mocked up by Stevenage Cycle Touring Club…”
Just because the BBC couldn’t get their name right doesn’t mean you have to.
I think you’ve misunderstood
I think you’ve misunderstood how copy and paste works.
mdavidford wrote:
Oh, I understand it; I just thought a cycling site might have corrected it or used “sic”.
eburtthebike wrote:
Sounds like a triumph of hope over the vast evidence of previous casually copied road.cc articles.
re shimano cranks
re shimano cranks
If it isn’t a design flaw, then it’s a quality control issue, Shimano are shipping product which has been ioncorrectly assembled.
If the required process for bonding the cranks together is too onerous to be reliably achieved, then it is a design flaw.
So, Shimano which is it?
Flawed design
manufacturing failure to assemble premium priced product correctly
Re: thefts from the School.
Re: thefts from the School.
My son is worried to take his bike to school. Over five bikes and e-scooters have been stolen.
Must be a lot of private land between that pupils house and the school then.