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Cyclist riding no-handed while using his phone argues with driver; Brailsford warns people to expect the unexpected at Tour de France; Former Olympian urges athletes to 'let loose'; World's most picturesque cycling cities + more on the live blog

Will Bolton will be taking you through to the weekend with all your updates from the cycling world on the live blog
18 June 2021, 14:17
'Expect the unexpected' from Ineos at Tour de France, says Dave Brailsford
dave brailsford ineos 2020

Announcing the Ineos Grenadiers line up at the tour, Brailsford said “We won’t win this tour by sitting in the wheels. We have the team to make it a racers’ race, take the initiative, seize every opportunity and make our opposition focus for every kilometre of every stage. 

“We have changed our race philosophy this season to being more open and aggressive. Our performances have built all season and a joy of racing has infused the whole team. This more adventurous approach has led us to fearless racing and this is exactly how we will hit the Tour. We will seek out every moment in every stage where the race is on and try to exploit it. Key for us this Tour is our collective strength and camaraderie to the end.

“Expect the unexpected.”

The Ineos team at the TdF will consist of: Richard Carapaz, Jonathan Castroviejo, Tao Geoghegan Hart, Michal Kwiatkowski, Richie Porte, Luke Rowe, Geraint Thomas, Dylan van Baarle.

18 June 2021, 13:49
Cyclist lucky to survive after being pushed off bicycle by moped rider

A cyclist 'was fortunate not to break his neck' after someone pushed him off his bike while he was riding along a cycle path at night.

Andrew Mayers, a 59-year-old carer from Dulwich, was riding on the Greendale cycle path just after 11pm on Thursday June 10. He was travelling from Denmark Hill when a person on a moped accelerated behind him and shoved him off the path.

Speaking to Southwark News, Andrew said: “When I staggered to my feet I was covered in blood from a million cuts, but amazingly no broken bones. My front wheel was mangled into oblivion. I was extremely fortunate not to break my neck.

“This was a deliberate, planned attack. It is a very busy route for cyclists – and they should all know about this new danger.”

18 June 2021, 12:59
Win free beer... by cycling!

What better news could there be on a Friday... you could win free beer and all you have to do is ride your bike. Sort of.

Small Beer Brew.co are inviting riders to plot and ride a route on Strava in the shape of one of its stubby beer bottles.

The company will then shortlist the best attempts and the winner will win a mixed case of its award winning Small Beer. 

That might seem like quite a bit of work to some for what is a low alcohol beer... but I'm sure plenty of people will take on the challenge for any form of alcohol after a long week. 

18 June 2021, 12:44
Unicyclist and penny farthing rider cycle South Downs way
202249435_173078998029178_6978820300194560225_n

A unicyclist and a penny farthing rider are setting out to tackle the whole of the South Downs way.

Tom Clowes will be on the unicycle with his mate Neil Laughton on the penny farthing. Together they will take on the 100 mile (160km) route which features 12,637ft (3795m) of climbing over three days. 

Tom, an adventurer, who has previously climbed Mt Everest and Mt Kilimanjaro, said: "The unicycle is known as a mountain unicycle (or muni for short).

"It has a 29 inch fat 3 inch tyre. It is made by a Canadian chap called Kris Holm who was one of the pioneers of mountain unicycling.

“The ride is all to raise money for Prostate Cancer UK. My father died from this disease 16 years ago. I want to raise as much as possible by doing something that I will find incredibly hard.”

Tom added that although the route will be tricky on a unicycle, it might be even harder on a penny farthing.

He said: "The Penny Farthing is not built for off-road riding whereas the unicycle is built to be very strong. [The rider] sits much higher on his wheel and therefore the danger of falling off is greater.

“The hardest part for me will be the chafing and saddle sores… I shall be liberally applying chafing cream and I shall be wearing padded shorts of course!”

 If you wish to support Tom and donate to Prostate Cancer, you can do so here

 

18 June 2021, 15:31
John talks VeloViewer, Abus locks and cassette locking tightness
18 June 2021, 12:18
Three-year-old shows off handling skills eating and drinking on the rollers

Daisy is back at it again, this time showing off her impressive skills on the rollers as she learns to get food out of her back pocket and her bottle out of the cage. 

Daisy Adams made the live blog back in November when she cycled from Bristol to Bath and back again, racking up a 34-mile, six-hour ride at just three-years-old and again in February of this year when she showed what she could do on a BMX.

18 June 2021, 15:18
Shimano has used data from bikefitting.com pressure mapping to create a chamois for its Tenku bib shorts that's designed to match the race-focused Pro Stealth saddle.
18 June 2021, 11:58
"Get out and about, jump off things, let loose" to aid performance, says Callum Skinner

Former Olympic cyclist Callum Skinner says it is 'rubbish' that athletes should spend their down time at races and competitions 'lying down in your hotel room for hours'.

He makes a pretty valid point that it might be more beneficial to take a leaf out of the British & Irish Lions book, and get outside and have a bit of fun. 

The Lions commented: "Absolutely Callum, high performance is about balance and knowing when to switch off but also when to go all in."

Head of Performance Lifestyle at the English Institute of Sport, Joanna Harrison also agreed, adding: I never bought that legs up constantly crap either! Get out and do something!"

18 June 2021, 11:21
Reaction to the no-handed cyclist confronting driver who beeped him

People have reacted to the video we posted earlier showing a confrontation between a driver and a cyclist who was riding no-handed and using his phone while cycling through a park.

One road.cc user commented that the video was a bit depressing in that it reflected how often parks, meant to be relaxing places, became flash points for confrontations between motorists and cyclists. 

They added: "If I was the park authorities, I'd be asking myself what changes to access I should be making that would reduce this.  (In case not clear - no cars in the park.) It's finely balanced for me, but I think we have to set the example to drivers of what we need them to do, so at least one hand on the bars, no phone calls, no selfies, or wheelies if if you're able to pull them." 

Another commented: "Why are people even allowed to drive through a park in the first place? It's place of recreation for people on foot or cycling, not a bypass for drivers. Need to bear in mind that people with mobility issues need to visit the park free from car traffic."

The man who filmed the video also gave his own opinion to the public reaction.

He said "If this makes people think more carefully about when it is appropriate to sound their horn, then posting the film was worth it, even if public opinion falls against me."

18 June 2021, 11:07
Would taller people benefit from bicycles with larger wheels?
penny-farthing-2279725_1920

Would taller people benefit from bicycles with larger wheels, the New Scientist asked this week? 

The science magazine asked readers whether they thought the tallest among us should in fact be riding bikes with bigger wheels.

The response generally was no they should not.  Aerodynamics and weight were both cited as pretty convincing reasons for riders to stick to more normal sized wheels.

18 June 2021, 10:19
Olympic runner takes on pro cyclist to see who is the fittest

In the video middle-distance runner Andy Baddeley, who represented Britain at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and finished 9th in the 1,500 metres, goes up against former Wiggins Le Col rider Lawrence Carpenter in a running and cycling challenge to see if they can find out who is the most formidable athelete...

18 June 2021, 09:56
New week long women's Tour de France announced for next year

Zwift will be sponsoring a week long women's Tour de France next year on a four year partnership.

The race has been added to the Women's World Tour and will kick off on July 24, 2022 on the Champs-Élysées. Unlike La Course by Le Tour de France - a one-day race that the Tour's organisers have put on for women since 2014 — the new event will be a multi-stage event.

Double world champion Anna van der Breggen, who rides for SD Worx, said: “This is a huge moment for professional women’s cycling.

"The Tour de France is the most famous race in cycling and it’s long been a dream for many of us in the women's peloton to compete in such a race. "I’m hopeful that the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will help us grow our sport even more by providing us with a media platform to take the excitement of women's cycling to new audiences.”

18 June 2021, 09:14
Ultra Endurance cyclist aims to break world record for longest distance cycled in 7 days
James Golding W7DR

James Golding previously broke the Guinness World 7 Day Record in 2017 with 2,842.4km before it was eventually beaten.

The challenge simply requires riders to cycle as far as they possibly can over a seven day period. 

James was given a 5 per cent chance of survival in 2008 after being diagnosed with cancer. After having to learn to walk again as part of his recovery he is now training to take part in the Race Across America in 2022. 

As part of his prep for the brutal endurance race, he is aiming to ride more than 3,505km over 7 days in the UK starting on 20th June.

James will attempt the challenge on the roads he grew up on in Warwickshire and anyone wishing to support him can join him by riding with on the RGT cycling platform. 

People can cycle along with an avatar representing James, which will be going at the speed required to break the record when riding for 18 hours per day  - an average speed of around 18mph. To find out more click here.

 

18 June 2021, 07:49
Argument between cyclist riding no-handed while using his phone and driver sparks safety debate

In the video posted by The Department of Parks & Recreation Twitter account, a heated conversation takes places between a cyclist who was riding no handed while using his phone and a driver who beeped him for apparently 'veering into the middle of the road'... 

The couple, explaining why they beeped the rider say: "You were veering towards the centre of the road you had no hands on your handlebars and you had your phone in your hand.

"Drivers aren't allowed to have their phones in their hands are they? You're a road user on wheels so you have to conform to the same rules."

To which the rider replies: "No, different rules sir."

Commenting beneath the video, people seemed pretty divided on who was in the wrong...

Leicestercyclist wrote: "Hmm I’m a cyclist that’s submitted plenty to Op Snap and I think this cyclist is being unnecessarily challenging . WE know riding no handed is fine but it can spook a nervous driver and crucially, give them a credible get out for “over reacting” to the rider."

Another user Urbane Cyclist, had a different opinion: "Riding with no hands is really quite easy.

"The element of risk really depends on the circumstances, e.g., it might not be a good idea if racing down a windy hill or crossing tram lines, but in a park it should be fine. And its not illegal!"

18 June 2021, 08:36
The World's Most Picturesque cycling cities have been revealed... and Bristol makes the top 5
Bristol

A new study has use Instagram data to rank the world's best cities for a scenic bike ride and topping the list is Chiang Mai in Thailand with Amsterdam coming in second. 

The UK had three cities in the top ten with Bristol coming at number 5, Cambridge at 6 and London at 10. 

Mike Rees, CEO of MoneyBeach.co.uk, who sponsored the study, said: "We wanted to discover which city proves the most popular and picturesque for cyclists."

To rank the cities, MoneyBeach analysed 350,000 city specific cycling hashtags on Instagram to discover which city has the most cyclists sharing their pictures.

The results were then weighted against city size to crown where’s best to ride. 

The full list is below - are there any glaring omissions or perhaps some unusual contenders? 

1. Chiang Mai, Thailand

2. Miami, United States of America

3. Paris, France

4. Beirut, Lebanon

5. Bristol, United Kingdom

6. Cambridge, United Kingdom

7. Barcelona, Spain

8. London, United Kingdom

9. Dublin, Ireland

10. Athens, Greece

11. Amsterdam, Netherlands

12. Copenhagen, Denmark

13. Bath, United Kingdom

14. Florence, Italy

15. Atlanta, United States of America

16. Seattle, United States of America

17. Taipei, Taiwan

18. Warsaw, Poland

19. Berlin, Germany

20. Oxford, United Kingdom

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73 comments

Avatar
The Giblet | 2 years ago
0 likes

Wow, the advert for the strange insurance website has been published after they create a pointless and completely meaningless "survey". Job done for their marketing people but now some people will think if you have instagram and take photos, the photos you take must be nice or the place you have been is better than somewhere else. Should be titled - locations with most hashtags of certain type when a photograph with a bicycle was shared.

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Tired of the tr... | 2 years ago
5 likes

On the hands-free cycling, when one party says "you're not allowed to" and the other says "no, different rules", then perhaps instead of quoting more and more opinions from random people, it would be great if road.cc could report what the rules actually state, so that we can evaluate who is wrong and who's right.

As far as I can see, the highwaycode says: "Rule 66: You should: - keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear". This is a "should" rule, so it's not a law. The only mention of rules about devices that I can find is Rules 149 and 150 which explicitly refer to "driving" and don't seem to apply to cycling, but perhaps I've overlooked something.

So cycling hands-free with a mobile phone doesn't break any laws as such, and it seems to me that in that respect the cyclist was correct and the driver was wrong.

Whether it was advisable and safe in the particular situation and whether he was in control of the bike, we don't know because the video doesn't show him actually cycling, so it's all speculation based on what the driver and the cyclist say. Perfect starting point for people who want to open another culture war here...

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
2 likes

Nigel Garrage wrote:

He didn't say it was a against the law, he said the cyclist was riding recklessly. But anyway:

29 Careless, and inconsiderate, cycling.

If a person rides a cycle on a road without due care and attention, or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road, he is guilty of an offence.

Now I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty confident that it could be successfully argued that riding with no hands on the handlebars while looking at a mobile constitutes a lack of care and attention.

Dammit, that's the second time I've liked one of your posts today.

Avatar
Tired of the tr... replied to Tired of the trolls here and gone cycling instead | 2 years ago
1 like

1. The driver said "... aren't allowed to have their phones in their hands ... you have to conform to the same rules". Talking about what is allowed is very fundamentally a statement about laws, because nothing else gives anybody the authority to decide what is allowed and what isn't. So clarifying the actual laws is very relevant.

2. The legal test is whether he was inattentive or inconsiderate, not whether he had hands on the handlebar or held a phone as such; these are two different (though possibly related) things, depending on exact circumstances and skills. Perhaps he was not in control, perhaps he was - as I said "we don't know because the video doesn't show him actually cycling, so it's all speculation based on what the driver and the cyclist say. Perfect starting point for people who want to open another culture war here..."

Feel free to speculate what might or might not have happened outside the video; I was only trying to clarifying the actual legal situation about mobile phone use while cycling. If a lawyer can shed light on that, that would be great, but I'm not interested in more finger-pointing about things that might or might not have happened.

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mdavidford | 2 years ago
3 likes

Nice work on getting hold of the snacks and drink, but I'm afraid Daisy may be getting a fine and maybe booted from the race for throwing the bottle away like that.

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Legin | 2 years ago
6 likes

It is cock cyclists like this that make the rest of us look bad, What does the Highway Code say:

Rule 112

The horn. Use only while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence. Never sound your horn aggressively. You MUST NOT use your horn

while stationary on the road
when driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11.30 pm and 7.00 am

This motorist used his horn to warn the cock that he was there. Too many people take the use of the horn as an indication of aggression, that is not neccessarily so.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Legin | 2 years ago
6 likes

Legin wrote:

It is cock cyclists like this that make the rest of us look bad, ......

Doesn't make me look bad, he's not my family.

 

Avatar
Legin replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

Legin wrote:

It is cock cyclists like this that make the rest of us look bad, ......

Doesn't make me look bad, he's not my family.

I'm not sure about that; have you undertaken a DNA comparison?

 

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Legin | 2 years ago
3 likes

Legin wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

Legin wrote:

It is cock cyclists like this that make the rest of us look bad, ......

Doesn't make me look bad, he's not my family.

I'm not sure about that; have you undertaken a DNA comparison?

 

Unless I missed the bit in the report that he had a black and white pointed nose I'd put money on it.

 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Legin | 2 years ago
3 likes

Legin wrote:

It is cock cyclists like this that make the rest of us look bad, What does the Highway Code say:

Rule 112

The horn. Use only while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence. Never sound your horn aggressively. You MUST NOT use your horn

while stationary on the road
when driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11.30 pm and 7.00 am

This motorist used his horn to warn the cock that he was there. Too many people take the use of the horn as an indication of aggression, that is not neccessarily so.

Whether or not the driver intended the use of horn to be aggressive or not, his subsequent threat of aggression was (and makes all drivers look bad?).

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
4 likes

Surely in this case the better analogy is if using a shared path, a pedestrian in front was on their phone and was walking in a way where a pass wasn't possible safely with oncoming peds and bikes so you had to stay behind. You then decide to use your 100DB horn on your handlebars to show your displeasure on having to wait behind. You then have a confrontation and the pedestrian whips his phone out as you started to state it is against the law to walk and use a mobile phone. 

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
5 likes

Well now you have gone and ruined it with the 100 pedestrians killed a year by cyclists. Surely only Ex-President loving conspracy theorists believe that type of thing. Next this pedestrian will state that powergenerating windmills will be killing everything and giving cancer. 

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
4 likes

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Let's start by imagining a pedestrian who's decided to go for a walk wearing a spandex leotard. He passes a familiar sign which reads "Pedestrians, this is a shared use path. For your own safety you should keep to the left of the path and be prescient of cyclists approaching.

Rather much to expect pedestrians to be prescient of cyclists approaching, most of them don't seem to realise we're there when they can actually see us.

Prescient: having or showing knowledge of events before they take place.

Avatar
Mungecrundle replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
1 like

Avoiding such flamboyant pedestrians sounds like a good reason to shun shared use paths and cycle on the road instead. The equivalent for the motorist would be to avoid driving through parks.

Whilst personally I would consider cycling in traffic no hands and looking at a phone as some form of fuckwittery, I'd also make sure to give additional space for the possible consequences of the fuckwittery to not involve me or my vehicle. This would include not startling them unnecessarily unless they were about to cycle into me or someone else. I cannot imagine threatening to run someone over just because I consider their behaviour to be a bit irrational.

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Hirsute replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
0 likes

Sure but in this case, both parties agree it was around 65dB as they both agreed it was a toot.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
2 likes

Car horns are 100-120 dB. It doesn't matter if it is a toot or they lay on it for 5 mins. It is on / off. 

 

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Legin replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
0 likes

Tripe; the cyclist, caused this confronation. I read it as the driver didn't need to be arguing the toss with a total plank and responded in frustration. That does not make him aggressive; that is a response to unreasonable provication. 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Legin | 2 years ago
1 like
Legin wrote:

Tripe; the cyclist, caused this confronation. I read it as the driver didn't need to be arguing the toss with a total plank and responded in frustration. That does not make him aggressive; that is a response to unreasonable provication. 

How can you tell who started it? Could have been the driver beeping unnecessarily or could have been the cyclist reacting poorly to a polite beep.

Avatar
David9694 replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
2 likes

"Polite beep", hmm. We all know there's no such thing, not car-car and certainly not car-vulnerable road user. 

When I'm driving, I occasionally make correct use of the horn, e.g. when a another driver is ererging from a driveway I. Can see them, they can't yet see me. I always wave profusely to indicate that I wasn't being an arse. 

Another thought, if there's a part of my life that is continually causing me grief (e.g. a job, a person/ relationship; a football team, an activity) I look to see what I can do about it. Sometimes you can fix it, change your own approach, negotiate better terms with the other party; but sometimes you have to cut it (or them) right out.  

Driving and following a bad football team - it's as though some people have to have something in their lives to wind them up. 

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NewBob | 2 years ago
0 likes
Avatar
OnYerBike | 2 years ago
1 like

I know some bikes have 700c wheels in most frame sizes but switch 650b in XS/XXS in order to keep the geometry more proportional. Would the same logic apply for going up to larger sizes? Or is it less relevant if not constrained by space (large wheels in a small space might not work physically but small wheels in a large space is fine?)

I would say that any benefit would be slight at best and would seem to be significantly outweighed by the benefits of standardisation and mass production - starting a new standard to cater to a niche market is unlikely to be viable! Not to mention the weight, strength and aero arguments already put forward.

Avatar
TheBillder replied to OnYerBike | 2 years ago
2 likes

Starting a new standard has been quite a common move in the past, not least in wheel and tyre sizes. A few years ago I bought 20" tyres for an old child-sized road bike with 20" wheels. And then found out that there are two 20" tyre sizes. I had 406 mm tyres and needed 451. There are an awful lot of other sizes.

The second that some marketing person gets it into their beautifully oiled beardy hipster head that another size is viable, it'll happen. I'm told that 29er mountain bikes are worlds better than old tat with 26, which no one now wants because they're barely ridable to the shops let alone on a gnarly rad trail, or whatever it is those baggy people do.

So don't be totally surprised if some idiot pops up on Kickstarter with bigger wheels for unlikely looking bigger bikes for the bigger gentleman with bigger everything.

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OnYerBike replied to TheBillder | 2 years ago
0 likes

You have a point - and in fact there are a couple of existing "standards" which are bigger than 700C - including 700B. https://www.sheldonbrown.com/cribsheet-tires.html

(It looks like Sheldon correctly predicted your 20" confusion!)

Avatar
PRSboy | 2 years ago
15 likes

The cyclist riding no handed whilst on the phone comes across as a total smartarse, IMHO.  Should be ashamed of himself, trying to make a thing of the actions of who seem to be a courteous elderly couple.

I can also drive my car with no hands on the wheel whilst on my phone quite safely, right up to the point it isn't.

I find videos like this very cringey, and counterproductive vs those showing genuinely poor driving.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to PRSboy | 2 years ago
12 likes

PRSboy wrote:

The cyclist riding no handed whilst on the phone comes across as a total smartarse, IMHO.  Should be ashamed of himself, trying to make a thing of the actions of who seem to be a courteous elderly couple.

I can also drive my car with no hands on the wheel whilst on my phone quite safely, right up to the point it isn't.

I find videos like this very cringey, and counterproductive vs those showing genuinely poor driving.

Much as I hate to see use of the horn in remonstration, particularly against the vulnerable I agree. This is not a hill I'd have wanted to fight on. Best thing to do is keep off your phone....

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to PRSboy | 2 years ago
10 likes

PRSboy wrote:

The cyclist riding no handed whilst on the phone comes across as a total smartarse, IMHO.  Should be ashamed of himself, trying to make a thing of the actions of who seem to be a courteous elderly couple.

I can also drive my car with no hands on the wheel whilst on my phone quite safely, right up to the point it isn't.

I find videos like this very cringey, and counterproductive vs those showing genuinely poor driving.

Thanks for saying that and saving me the trouble.  We have to admit to our mistakes, and riding with no hands whilst on the phone is one, at the very least because it gives drivers another reason to hate us.  What could possibly have been so important that you have to answer the phone while riding?

Avatar
HarrogateSpa replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
8 likes

Pandering to drivers in case they hate us is not a strategy that can work.

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Eton Rifle replied to HarrogateSpa | 2 years ago
2 likes

"Rosa, shut up and get to the back of the bus,. You'll only make the white folks hate us more."

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Rendel Harris replied to Eton Rifle | 2 years ago
1 like

Eton Rifle wrote:

"Rosa, shut up and get to the back of the bus,. You'll only make the white folks hate us more."

No. Just no. We may feel, with some justice, that we are treated like second-class citizens sometimes, but that analogy is both wrong and tasteless on quite a number of levels.

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HarrogateSpa replied to PRSboy | 2 years ago
9 likes

"a courteous elderly couple"

'Are you stupid?'

'If I'd shouted get out the fucking way you moron...'

I'm not making a judgement on the rights and wrongs of the situation overall, but that is not a courteous elderly couple.

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