“From the same paper that brought us ‘52mph cyclists’”: Telegraph slammed for manipulating photos of “law-abiding people exercising” for column claiming “speeding cyclists” endanger drivers… despite riders averaging 14.6mph + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Are flimsy bike lane bollards actually safer for cyclists?
We all hate flimsy plastic wands that offer very little protection from drivers veering into or parking in cycle lanes, but are they actually safer for us? Car crash test researchers in Germany seem to think so, anyway…
> Flexible cycle lane wands lead to fewer and less serious bike crashes than rigid posts, vehicle inspection researchers claim
Paddy McGuinness compares training with Sir Chris Hoy to “having a kickabout with Ronaldo”, as Phoenix Nights star promises to get Raleigh Chopper tattoo if Children in Need challenge reaches £10 million
On Friday, you may have heard, Paddy McGuinness arrived in Glasgow a broken shell of a man, after completing 300 miles, all the way from Wrexham, through the Lake District, and up to Scotland, riding a modified Raleigh Chopper for Children in Need.
And this morning, after being told that his nostalgia-laden, leg-breaking challenge ride has already raised over £9.25 million for the charity, McGuinness pledged to get the Chopper that propelled him all the way to Glasgow – which he named Patch – tattooed on him if the fundraising total reaches the ten million mark.
“If we together get to £10million on this challenge, I’m getting Patch tattooed,” he told Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show today.
“I just thought of it, I’m already regretting saying that,” he laughed. “I’m off to Google tattoo artists.”
As we noted on Friday, the Phoenix Nights and Take Me Out star was joined by none other than Sir Chris Hoy, both during his 300-mile ride and when he was preparing for the rather unique long-distance ride.
So, what was it like cycling on a Chopper with a track legend?
“When Sir Chris Hoy came to my house about three or four days before the challenge, he took me to a hill called Blaze Hill. If you’re into biking, it’s torturous. It’s ridiculously steep and it’s a mile long,” he said about his pre-ride training with the six-time Olympic champion.
“He had me up there, where he was coaching me all the way, which is impressive in itself. I don’t know how he could even talk because I couldn’t.
“And when he got to the top he said, ‘right, you’ve just done that on that Chopper. People on 18-gear bikes struggle with that. So everything you’ve got ahead of you won’t be as steep as that’.
“He taught me about pacing myself and not going too fast. When you’re on a flat area you think you’ll get a bit of time back, but he said to save as much energy as possible. It’s been invaluable.
“I think we did about 17 miles together, and that is like equating it to being a football fan and having a kickabout with Ronaldo or something like that.”
To be fair, I imagine going out for a spin with Sir Chris would be a much more pleasant experience than spending any time in the company of a certain ego-maniac footballer…
Oh brilliant, there’s more from the Telegraph…
Happy Monday, everyone:
> Telegraph publishes “dossier of collision data” involving “rogue cyclists” in London parks, as Royal Parks continues campaign for new laws to prosecute ‘speeding’ cyclists
Bike parking start-up Mosa launches new two-month ‘smart docking’ trial at London’s Olympic Park and Westfield, in bid to tackle bike theft problem and introduce “worry-free cycle parking”
Over the weekend, London-based bike lock start-up Mosa – which says it hopes to tackle the increasing problem of bike theft by converting conventional Sheffield stands and racks into secure cycle parking spaces – launched its first ever commercial trial in the capital, at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Westfield Shopping Centre.
The company, founded by Josh Liu, partnered with bike manufacturer Giant to create retrofittable docking systems for bike stands, which are battery-powered and weather-sealed, accessible through the Mosa app, are easy to lock and unlock, and, the brand says, offer enhanced security for cyclists without the need for their own heavy locks.
Unveiled on Friday, 20 of these ‘smart docks’ will be available at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City until 17 January, and all park and shopping centre visitors on bikes are encouraged to try them out as part of the trial.
Mosa’s new bike parking system at the Olympic Park
“This initiative not only aims to provide secure parking but also explores how technology can tackle a major issue for cities, property owners, and cyclists alike,” Mosa founder Liu said.
“By working with responsible landlords, we hope to create a cycling environment that’s safer and more accessible, ultimately encouraging more people to embrace cycling.
“We’re excited to collaborate with top-tier partners like Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Westfield Stratford City, leveraging innovation to inspire and support active travel.
“With their involvement, we’re confident they will set an example that others will follow, encouraging more responsible landlords to join this movement for worry-free bike parking.”
10 cool bikes from Rouleur Live
If, like poor me, you missed out on all the festivities at Rouleur Live this year, don’t worry – our tech team has got you covered…
> 10 cool bikes from Rouleur Live: Trek, Cannondale, Pinarello/Zwift & more
Reason number 569 why cyclocross is the craziest cycling discipline
My first blue sky post will be the dancing cyclocross duck
— cyclingworf.bsky.social (@cyclingworf.bsky.social) November 13, 2024 at 8:30 PM
Shots fired! Kasia Niewiadoma says Demi Vollering’s race-deciding crash at this year’s Tour de France was “karma” for sneaky 2022 attack, as yellow jersey winner details tension and “weird vibe” with Dutch rival
It may be only November, but it looks like things are already heating up ahead of the 2025 Tour de France Femmes, after reigning champion Kasia Niewiadoma publicly criticised 2023 winner Demi Vollering’s frosty reception towards her following the duo’s epic and thrillingly tight tussle on Alpe d’Huez this year.
Niewiadoma entered the final stage of the 2024 Tour 1.15 ahead of Vollering, after the Dutch star lost almost two minutes to her Polish rival due to a late crash – and a frantic, chaotic, and poorly organised chase on the part of her SD Worx team (whose commitment to the departing Vollering’s cause could be described as lukewarm at best) – on stage five to Amnéville.
But a stunning long-range attack by Vollering on the final stage, through the fog on the Col du Glandon, set up arguably the most nail-biting finish in the history of the Tour (move over, 1989), as a chasing Niewiadoma clawed her way up cycling’s most famous climb to hold on to the biggest win of her career by just four seconds.
Speaking at Rouleur Live, Niewiadoma went into detail about the tension between her and a distraught Vollering atop the Alpe, which she believes stems from the Dutch star’s accusation that the Canyon-SRAM leader unsportingly took advantage of her crash outside Amnéville.
(A.S.O./Charly Lopez)
“I like barged in there… super happy, ready to celebrate. And there was a funeral vibe in there,” Niewiadoma said of her experience behind the podium after winning the Tour in such dramatic fashion.
“I looked at the faces and I see Demi. No one is talking. And I’m like, ‘Good job, girls. Congratulations on a hard stage’. And then, no response. I was like, ‘OK, I’m leaving’. So, yeah, I got changed outside.
“It was a bittersweet moment, because, I could see my team being so happy, and a lot of friends were celebrating, yet I could also feel this bitterness from Demi, from SD Worx, or Demi’s fans.
“It felt weird in some ways because none of us crashed her. The whole stage was very hectic, and it was about positioning the whole day.
“Crashes happen. Nobody’s angry at Remco [Evenepoel] for being third during the Tour de France because [Primož] Roglič crashed, there are moments that happen like this all the time.”
Annemiek van Vleuten, Demi Vollering, and Kasia Niewiadoma on stage seven of the 2023 Tour de France Femmes (A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)
She continued: “I think it’s about how people handle it. I also think that it’s all in some ways about life and how karma comes back to you.
“Annemiek [van Vleuten] crashed on the last stage of the first Tour de France edition [in 2022] and SD Worx was the team to ride full gas to drop her.
“No one remembers that because Annemiek actually chased us back and then she attacked us. I remember every race very vividly. So it feels like, the Tour de France was this perfect display of how sometimes, all the stars just have to align. And besides being strong, you have to be lucky.
“I also do respect Demi, yet, I definitely got a weird vibe from her, and again, I didn’t crash her. So I think it’s maybe because we’re different. I wasn’t looking for drama. I wasn’t looking for any sort of mental game with her towards the end of the Tour, because to me, all that mattered was, is my team in the yellow jersey?”
“I think I owe the sport of cycling a proper goodbye. I should wear the Irish colours with pride”
Alright, stop the count. I think we’ve found the most bonkers cycling story of 2024. And I know, it’s a crowded field…
> “I owe cycling a proper goodbye”: Irish cyclist convinced judge to delay 16-month jail sentence so he could ride Gran Fondo World Championships
Made a few upgrades to your bike and not sure what to do with your old chainset? Well, how about turning it into a toilet roll holder for the downstairs loo? (Yes, really)
Alright, now I really have seen everything…
Who put #Cycling in #ReCycling?
— Lamima (@lamima.bsky.social) November 17, 2024 at 9:45 AM
It’s a good job they didn’t use my old chain, otherwise people would start to get worried.
Trinity Racing confirms closure of road team for 2025, as U23 development squad set to focus on mountain biking following sponsorship woes
This one has been on the cards for a while, but over the weekend – and just days after the Ineos Grenadiers announced a development partnership with German Continental squad Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank – it was confirmed that one of the finest developers of young British talent, Trinity Racing, is shuttering its road outfit for 2025.
In September, we reported that the U23 team, which paved the way for Tom Pidcock, Ben Healy, Ben Turner, Tom Gloag, and Bob Donaldson to progress to the World Tour, was on the verge of closing after racing the Tour of Britain due to the pressures caused by increased running costs and sponsorship woes, after one backer ended its deal last year and another reduced its input.
And now, it’s been all but confirmed that Trinity will be missing from the peloton next year, with the squad reduced to an off-road outfit, leaving Saint Piran as the only remaining British men’s Continental team, the culmination of years of financial turbulence for domestic racing in the UK which has shattered the local scene.
Trinity’s Callum Thornley races up Saltburn Bank on stage two of the 2024 Tour of Britain (Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)
“Trinity, I think they’re going to continue, but only as a mountain bike team,” the team’s departing sports director, Pete Kennaugh, who is set to join Astana for 2025, told Cycling Weekly.
“That’s not confirmed yet, just from the last conversations I’ve had with some of the guys who work there. [It will be] almost like a small sort of feeder team for the Specialized Factory [Racing] team, I guess.”
It has been suggested that road racing activities have been halted for 2025, with a plan in place to continue in 2026. However, while Bob Donaldson is set to move to Jayco-AlUla, and Callum Thornley and Luke Tuckwell to Red Bull-Bora’s ‘rookies’ team, many of those expecting to don Trinity’s colours again next year could be left without a contract.
“Hopefully it can be kept alive but it’s very tough,” says Kennaugh’s fellow sports director Jon Mould. “It’s a shame to potentially be losing one of the best U23 development teams in the world.”
Managed by rider agent Andrew McQuaid and originally established primarily as a cyclocross squad in 2018, before moving into road racing in 2020, Trinity has become one of the leading and most prestigious talent factories in the world.
The British outfit has produced the likes of double Olympic champion and Tour de France stage winner Tom Pidcock, Giro d’Italia stage winner Ben Healy, Ineos Grenadiers classics rider Ben Turner, Visma-Lease a Bike’s highly-rated Thomas Gloag, American Luke Lamperti, and Groupama-FDJ’s Samuel Watson, along with the extremely promising Donaldson (second at this year’s U23 Paris-Roubaix) and Tour of Britain mountains classification winner Thornley.
Pidcock winning the 2020 British cyclocross title in Trinity colours (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
“I think Andrew McQuaid’s really taken the brunt of it,” Kennaugh continued. “The team was sort of his baby, so to speak, and he put so much effort and time and passion into it.
“He’ll walk a million miles to try and get someone a contract. He’s not just an agent, he actually fully cares about his riders, which is why he’s run this team for so long, and probably spending a lot of money out of his own pocket doing so.
“From my point of view, he hasn’t failed. It’s just how it is at the minute. I just think fair play and chapeau to him for putting so much time and effort into the team for the years he has done. So many other managers or team owners would have pulled the plug years ago.
“He tried so hard to make sure Trinity could continue as a road team next year. But unfortunately, it’s not the case.”
If only, there were a World Tour British team on the lookout for an U23 team to develop promising, young talent and get them ready for the highest level. Oh wait…
“Good cycling infrastructure is where small mistakes do not have severe consequences”
Good cycling infrastructure is where small mistakes do not have severe consequences.
— BicycleDutch (@bicycledutch.bsky.social) November 17, 2024 at 2:44 PM
More cycling-themed wisdom from the beautiful, care-free (for now) world of Bluesky. I wonder how long it will last before the old anti-cycling brigade join in and ruin the fun?
Cycle Insurance: Our guide to helping you find the best cover for your bikes and avoid catastrophe
> Bicycle insurance — compare quotes and find yourself a great deal to get your bike covered
Photos I didn’t expect to see this week: Chris Froome snuggles up and enjoys sunset cruise in Miami with Mark Cavendish
Ah, so this is what retirement (and quasi-retirement) looks like… All we needed was for Brad to squeeze in under the blanket for a proper 2012 Tour reunion.
In all seriousness, Cav and Froome’s super romantic sunset cruise took place this weekend when the pair, along with Geraint Thomas and Alberto Contador, were in Miami for an annual leisure ride organised by Best Buddies, a non-profit which works with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, such as Down’s syndrome and autism, and their families.
“He’s stuck in traffic because there are too many people alone in their cars and they’re trying to scapegoat cyclists”: Toronto city council opposes Ontario premier’s bid to rip out recently installed cycle lanes and block future infrastructure plans
Toronto’s city council has voted against plans to grant Ontario’s provincial authority the power to block and roll back on the Canadian city’s cycle lane plans, which premier Doug Ford controversially described as “just absolutely insanity right now”.
Last month Ford, who back in 2022 rather wisely conducted a TV news interview on road safety while driving through a snowstorm, pledged to limit the construction of cycle lanes in Ontario and rip out some recently installed ones, claiming that motorists should have priority on busy city streets – and that cyclists should simply be shunted onto “secondary roads”.
“We just want to get traffic moving… that’s what it comes down to, making sure you aren’t putting bike lanes in the middle of some of the busiest streets in the country. Put them on secondary roads,” Ford said when announcing the plan, the legalisation for which is titled ‘Reducing Gridlock and Saving You Time Act’.
> Cyclists angered by Canadian politician’s road safety interview…while driving through snowstorm
Ford’s proposals – which have been criticised by both cyclists and local officials as an act of government overreach – would block the construction of new cycling infrastructure if its results in the loss of lanes previously reserved for cars, buses, and lorries, while ripping out three of Toronto’s recently installed bike lanes.
However, the local authority in Toronto, where six cyclists have already been killed this year on the city’s roads, voted 21-4 to oppose Ford’s bill, while also voting 22-3 against paying for any bike lane removal under the legislation.
“Ripping up our roads will make our congestion worse, especially during the time that you’re ripping it up. It’s costly and it will make our roads less safe for cyclists,” Toronto’s mayor, Olivia Chow, said after the vote.
Despite Ontario’s transport minister claiming that the cycle lane removal will offset the $11bn Toronto apparently loses every year due to congestion, opponents say Ford’s government hasn’t produced any data to suggest that the three bike lanes under threat due to the plans are causing more delays than those that would be produced by the ensuing construction work.
Instead, they argue that Ford has based his entire anti-cycle lane plan on anecdotal evidence.
“He’s deflecting from the failings and scandals of his government,” Albert Koehl, an environmental lawyer and author of Wheeling Through Toronto, told the Guardian.
“He and others are stuck in traffic because there are too many people alone in their cars and they’re trying to scapegoat cyclists. It’s absurd.”
However, Christine Hogarth, a Progress Conservative member of Ontario’s legislature, claimed that her constituents were overwhelmingly opposed to Toronto’s cycle lanes, arguing that “we shouldn’t be creating additional gridlock for those drivers on these roads that were meant to move drivers”.
“There are side roads, safer roads, for people to cycle,” she said. “The reality is there should be bike lanes on some streets and maybe not on others.”
Unsurprisingly, not everyone’s convinced by that ‘cyclists can just use side streets’ argument.
“None of these people suggesting side streets can point to a map and say where it would be good idea to move these larger bike lanes,” said David Shellnutt, a Toronto-based lawyer who represents injured cyclists.
“When you move people off main roads, you’re asking people – on their commutes, on their way to school, on their way to do groceries – to take the scenic route. And that’s just not going to happen.
“If this was really about congestion, if it was about costs and about keeping people safe and about keeping people healthy, then all the evidence is there to support bike lines. But because there’s no real evidence, we can see it’s just politics – and it plays really well for the premier.
“The negative reaction from downtown residents isn’t going to cost him votes. And it does well in the suburbs, so it’s a win-win.”
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> Police officer dishes out fines to cyclists – then crashes his SUV into one in a cycle lane
He continued: “Ford is stoking the flames of this culture war. And we worry it’s going to spill on to the roadways.
“You’re going to see vehicular assault. You’re going to see road rage incidents. It really feels there’s a target on the backs of cyclists in this city. The premier is playing politics with our safety.”
Koehl agrees: “Bike lanes are put in after years of data-based decision making. They’re put in because people have died.
“To have a premier simply come in and say ‘I don’t like it. I’m going to undo it’ – that’s a problem.”
“From the same paper that brought us ‘52mph cyclists’”: Telegraph slammed for manipulating photos of “law-abiding people exercising” for column claiming “speeding cyclists” endanger pedestrians and drivers… despite photographed riders averaging 14.6mph
I imagine every week or so, some mysterious (or unlucky) soul is forced to walk around the Daily Telegraph’s offices, Claudia Winkleman in the Traitors style, and tap an unsuspecting columnist on the shoulder.
‘You have been chosen. You will write our next anti-cycling opinion piece. Feel free to copy word-for-word the last one, but make sure bike insurance, number plates, and the word “rogue” are all included. Here’s your cloak, now off you pop to the motorist’s tower.’
After Clive Aslet, Celia Walden, and countless others gave it a go this year already, this weekend saw the turn of Sunday Telegraph stalwart Simon Heffer (you know, the guy who wrote a flattering 1,024-page biography of Enoch Powell, him.)
Fair play to Simon, he didn’t let the Telegraph’s finest honour pass him by, hitting every anti-cycling beat imaginable over the course of his nine paragraphs – red lights, “whizzing past” pedestrians, “entitlement”, licence plates, insurance, a call for all cyclists to pass a proficiency test.
Hell, even Ed Miliband got a mention for some reason.
“There are those who argue it is perfectly harmless to jump red lights: tell that to someone injured as a result,” Heffer furiously argued in his column.
“The last thing society needs is more regulation, but if a substantial minority of cyclists and scooterists are determined to endanger the lives of pedestrians, and in some cases motorists, then they must be as identifiable by the law as anyone else.
“Motorists who kill or injure cyclists are severely punished, as they should be. All that is required is to make all road users equal under the law, and end this illogical, and dangerous, special treatment for cyclists.”
Not too sure many road.cc readers would agree with the claim that dangerous drivers are “severely punished” on a routine basis, but we’ll move on from that.
Anyway, while Heffer’s column was the usual boilerplate anti-cycling spiel published by the Telegraph almost every weekend, some cyclists on social media were more concerned with the photographed used as the main image, with showed blurred – read ‘dangerously fast’ – cyclists on a road in Regent’s Park.
Luckily for us, cycling lawyer Rory McCarron was on hand on Saturday when the Telegraph’s photographer was out shooting his images of these “rogue, speeding” cyclists:
And it turns out, shockingly, that cyclists in the area weren’t riding so fast that they passed by a startled professional photographer in a flash, leaving him only with one blurry image for his story.
Oh, and the stars of the Telegraph’s blurry photo, the Regent’s Park Rouleur Club, also posted their morning ride on Strava – which saw them average a blistering, unthinkably fast… 14.6mph.
Those rogue, dangerous, 14.6mph cyclists tootling along in the small ring!
“From the same paper that brought us 52mph cyclists,” said Dolphy, referencing the Telegraph’s infamous – and now quietly redacted – front page headline claiming cyclists were riding at 52mph around London chasing Strava segments.
“On a road with no cars or pedestrians in sight?” added Matthew.
Meanwhile, Rory said it was “time to start regulating ‘photojournalism’” instead.
“Taking photographs of innocent and law-abiding people exercising and accusing them of being the ‘scourge of rogue cyclists’,” the cycling lawyer wrote.
And finally, David Belcher said: “From the newspaper that brought you ‘lunchtime boozing is an economic necessity’ and ‘what’s wrong with 50-somethings doing coke?’”
Same again next week, then?
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Latest Comments
Black skin is not the problem. White bibs are.
Isn't it great how ultra-rich people who complain about immigration not even live in there… or even funnier, are immigrants by themself? Ratcliffe lives in Monaco (maybe only on Paper to save taxes)
But it can, er, find you a waterfall. I know when I'm planning a route, including a random waterfall is often a pre-requisite.
I've generally found komoot's built in routing engine to be pretty decent, especially if you choose the "road bike" type (as opposed to "bike"). The underlying maps are Open Street Maps, which have pretty detailed information on surface type etc., so easy enough to bring that in to a routing algorithm. I'm unclear to what extent user-ridden routes get incorporated (cf. Strava Heatmaps) - I know my rides get uploaded to komoot so they must have a lot of that kind of data. Which I guess underlines what I see as the main flaw in this plan. The built in routing is pretty good. How exactly is bringing ChatGPT in going to make it better? The absolute best case would be it correctly interprets your prompt to plot basically the same route you would have got very easily by yourself. It's not going to do any better - it doesn't magically know which sections of road are buttery smooth on 23mm tyres versus which are best ridden using 32mm tyres.
Thanks, that seems really bizarre to limit users to fairly standard road bike gear ratios when presumably the software could allow MTB/gravel ratios as well; when I'm puffing up the Alpe du Zwift or Ven-top I want lower than a 34/36. I've been thinking about getting a new static bike for next winter and at the price this looked promising but that limited gear range definitely means it won't be on my list of potential purchases and I suspect I'm not the only one for whom this would apply.
I have indicators on the bikes I use for commuting, and a bar-end mirror because an old back and neck injury means sometimes I struggle to look over my shoulder. Unit 1 and Lumos both make indicators that are pretty good (the Lumos is probably the better of the two). I tried some others which were junk and returned to the seller. I don't see the point of an indicator on my hand/glove - the whole point is to keep my hands on the bars.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0413/9597/8398/files/BZ-4141010006-04_T7.pdf?v=1762220488 Shimano 50/34 52/36 53/39 54/40 11-30 11-34 11-36 SRAM 46/33 48/35 50/37 10-28 10-30 10-33 10-36
I've had a Komoot subscription for a few years. I won't be using the ChatGPT thing as everything about AI is objectionable, but that apart, the remark above about 'don't send me down a muddy gravel track' is absolutely on the nose. I first got Komoot as a way in to my local off-road routes, which did work, so if I'm planning a road ride I have to examine the Komoot route carefully as it does default to the shoddiest surface available. I think Komoot was always off-road focussed so this is simply in its nature.
59 thoughts on ““From the same paper that brought us ‘52mph cyclists’”: Telegraph slammed for manipulating photos of “law-abiding people exercising” for column claiming “speeding cyclists” endanger drivers… despite riders averaging 14.6mph + more on the live blog”
I’m sure this got called out
I’m sure this got called out on here once before – journalists taking a photo with a slightly slower exposure so that it looks like the cyclists are blurring past.
brooksby wrote:
Or if you’ve taken an honest snap you can just apply the motion blur feature in Photoshop:
Can you make it blur only the
Can you make it blur only the cars?
They were using telephoto
They were using telephoto lenses to create fore-shortning to make cyclists look less than 2m apart during CoVid
“Motorists who kill or injure
“Motorists who kill or injure cyclists are severely punished, as they should be” – The Telegraph
LOL
Next
Today’s local item
Today’s local item
A VAN driver killed “one of the most generous and helpful people you could ever know” when he veered onto the wrong side of the road whilst reaching for a packet of chewing gum.
He was given a ten-month jail sentence suspended for 21 months, ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work, and banned from driving for two years.
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24730000.man-sentenced-maldon-crash-killed-hilary-grieve/
A re-offender too, having
A re-offender too, having been disqualified for speeding in the past. I don’t believe in the “reaching for a chewing gum” bollocks either. More likely looking down and texting was the cause of that accident.
I was left bruised and
I was left bruised and battered when a pedestrian ran into the road without looking, when I was cycling along. I couldn’t avoid hitting them, sustained about £1k of damage (broken phone, damaged bike, ripped clothing). Didn’t get a penny off them.
When is Mr Heffer going to campaign for rogue pedestrians to be easily identifiable, if they are going to speed into the road without any consideration for vulnerable cyclists, and with a great sense of entitlement? Surely there should be a compulsory pedestrian proficiency test?
But did you swear at them ?!
But did you swear at them ?!
I was left with 2 abrasions
I was left with 2 abrasions to my face when a pedestrian walked out into the road without checking if it was clear. I couldn’t avoid hitting them as I ancitipated for them to walk faster and to be further across the road. I sustained £250 worth of damage (shifter bent, mount holding rear derailleur bent) luckily bike was aluminium so all bent back into place.
I agree with your second paragraph. Pedestrians are one of the biggest hazards while cycling. Walking without looking and just blindly following others. When I hit that guy those pedestrians were one of the most ignorant and entitled people. I tried to explain you can’t walk out on a red man especially when it is dark and you can’t see far. As it was a busy ring road you need to careful and if you get hit while crossing on a red man you only have yourself to blame. But nah they didn’t ask me if I was alright. The police the joke that they are! Told me to wear high vis. The critical thinking they lack. If you don’t look you can’t see what’s coming so what is high vis going to do. A flashing front light is necessary and effective but if people want to ignore that then it’s their fault for walking out.
in my opinion there they needs to be reforms on pedestrian priority on crossings and in general. Pedestrians need to be held 100% liable for walking in front of cyclists without looking properly. And those extended crossings on busy arterial roads need to be banned. They give pedestrians a false sense of security which makes them cross without looking because others are crossing. Which makes the problem even worse as the pedestrians who crossed first don’t take into consideration the other pedestrians who are following them blindly.
Or … we could just fix it
Or … we could just fix it so people have their own spaces, and it’s really clear where there’s a cycle path and it’s easy to cross it.
Still probably take a generation or so of collisions before everyone gets the idea though. Same as with cars – just a lot fewer deaths.
(I think these things always get sorted out by either simple “might is right” or social pressure and “danger” plus “strength in numbers”. In NL I think cyclists often dominate the cycle lanes – so pedestrians stay out. And people over there are quite “straight-talking” and are happy to let you know if you’re being an idiot by bimbling about in “bike space” for no reason).
I’m in favour of better road use education for all but I’m not sure we need any major changes to priority / responsibility – except actually making motorists accountable. (Because it’s people who also drive who walk out without looking I think a bit more attention to driving standards might cue people that they need to look when they’re out and about?) I certainly don’t think some new kind of jaywalking-like idea would be helpful.
ThatTorpedoThough wrote:
I was cycling home from work along a dimly lit lit shared path last week, while I was wearing hi-viz, and with lights, and the number of pedestrians dressed head to toe in black, with hoods up and head down, was remarkable. At least some dogs have flashing collars, so at least you spot them from a fair distance. But some folk insist on walking/running on their right hand side, hugging the grass and were effectively invisible until I was almost upon them. Perhaps they think the hierarchy of road users obliges me to go around them, so they don’t need to give it any thought. And I don’t mind doing that, but I can only do so if I see them, and would like to see them in enough time to check over my shoulder before I move into the path of a faster cyclist coming up behind me.
I usually try not to have my light too bright and tilt it downwards for that stretch so as not to dazzle people coming towards me, but I realise that I’m going to have to annoy a few people with the brightness of my light if I am to have a chance of see the people dressed as ninjas. Either that or heat vision googles.
Often the first indication of
Often the first indication of a dog walker I will have is the reflection in the dogs eyes.
Tbh I ride cautiously at
Tbh I ride cautiously at night when in dimly lit areas. I do have very bright front and rear lights too. It is true that many people seem oblivious to their surroundings. Hierarchy of responsibility
though can be applied. This is one of the reasons why I pretty much take the lane.
Majority of roads it is sensible to do so and avoids dodging pedestrians.
“There are those who argue it
“There are those who argue it is perfectly harmless to jump red lights: tell that to someone injured as a result,” Heffer furiously argued in his column
Heffer really is a thick-headed pillock, as you’d expect from a Torygraph clickbaiter. However, those who believe RLJs are harmless include LancsFilth, who just ignored these, along with pretty much any offence committed by a motorist ‘because everybody does it’
https://upride.cc/incident/a15tjv_bmwm4_redlightpass/
https://upride.cc/incident/jo55chb_kiasportage_redlightpass/
https://upride.cc/incident/kl04ndo_vw_redlightpass/
https://upride.cc/incident/de56ztv_discovery_redlightpass/
https://upride.cc/incident/fh16vfa_rrover_redlightcross/
etc. etc.
Dr. Heffer might benefit from
Dr. Heffer might benefit from getting out more, maybe a few laps of the park on a Chopper for charity.
levestane wrote:
I don’t know what the maximum rider weight limit is for a Chopper but…
No wonder he thinks cyclists
No wonder he thinks cyclists are another species from an alien planet
wtjs wrote:
…and he’s probably written some (awful) poetry about it…
Ode to the belly button fluff
Ode to the belly button fluff…
Challenge the ideas they hold
Challenge the ideas they hold, not the person.
stonojnr wrote:
He’s an absolutely foul human being with disgusting views on virtually everything, both his ideas and him as a person should be challenged, they are inseparable.
There is no use to fat
There is no use to fat-shaming, and it adds nothing to the discourse. He won’t hear you say it, but your friends and family who are overweight might, and it hurts and excludes.
When faced with someone like
When faced with someone like Heffer, whose written work absolutely revels in his gluttony for all manner of food and drink (though of course only good old English steak and kidney pie and so on, no foreign muck), who is attacking people who try and retain a modicum of health in their lives, I think it’s entirely appropriate to point out the results of the lifestyle that he advocates. It’s not fat shaming, it’s greedy, gluttonous, sitting in your club swilling port and gorging yourself on stilton shaming, not the same thing.
You’ve definitely gone too
You’ve definitely gone too far now. I’m not having this steak and kidney pie-shaming (or port and stilton-shaming for that matter).
mdavidford wrote:
Everything in moderation, my dear fellow.
And it’s moderation, whether consumption of rich food or constructing a sensible argument, is not something Mr Heffer is familiar with. He’s a caricature, I can’t imagine that there are many people who take him seriously.
OTOH his fulminating anti-cyclist rhetoric is exactly the kind of thing that leads to the out-grouping and violence against people riding bikes (and we know the same applies to other groups). It’s a pity that scum like him don’t get clobbered for inciting it.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Oh come on! Still 37 days (many of them working) to go – that’s just anti-social!
(Not that I have a club either but I’d be quite content with the pie, cheese and fortified wine wherever. Makes a change from the kale and tatties).
Rendel Harris wrote:
Uuurrrgh Uuurrath Aaah Mumble Mumble Mumble Cyclists mumble mumble, uuuurrrrgh mumble uuurrgh, lycra, mumble mumble <cough> uuaarr mumble grrrrr.
But of course, I was very, very drunk 😉
notMyRealName wrote:
If you think fat shaming’s bad – I thought it was Boris Johnson after being through an AI aging algorithm, I don’t know who I insulted more…
notMyRealName wrote:
They should lay off the pies, then.
Let’s play motorist bingo:
Let’s play motorist bingo:
Speeding, drink driving, running red lights, no insurance, no MOT, no VED, bald tyres, cracked windscreen, defective brakes, misuse of horn, driving on the pavement to park, overtaking on the left, drifting, doughnuts, ram raiding post offices, car bombing, making of without paying for fuel…
no insurance, no MOT
no insurance, no MOT
Yes, let’s! M200 MLP: there’s no possibility of cap-doffing Lancashire Constabulary troubling a toff over a trivial offence like that!
… providing the foundations
… providing the foundations for gluttonous resource consumption…
Great start to road safety
Great start to road safety week then
I always feel that making a
I always feel that making a bike lock which is dependent upon a phone app just seems like it’s making it all unnecessarily complicated. YMMV.
I go with the Lock Picking
I go with the Lock Picking Lawyer on this one – almost every example of “lock plus computer” or even just “lock plus electronics” shows the absense of any understanding of physical security. And in fact very often the digital / electronic side is not great either…
In this case, though, it
In this case, though, it doesn’t seem too unreasonable, because it doesn’t seem to be dependent on it – the stands still look perfectly usable on a bring-your-own-lock basis, but have the option of using the pre-installed lock if that suits you better. Certainly a lot more sensible than the space-age looking nonsense that was on the blog on Friday, anyway.
Could have spent the cash on
Could have spent the cash on a bar across the Sheffield making it a) slightly harder to steal a bike locked with two locks (need to cut two places) b) slightly more faff to fix the stand ahead of time so you can remove it (again if locked twice you’ll have to take the stand along with the stolen bike).
Fine for private landlords to use this, but beware creeping privatisation of public space (of course this is happening anyway) and/or them trying to get council cash for these.
The latter would be wasting cash – we just need more humble Sheffield stands (with cross-bar). Or for when we have problems of success – the Dutch double-decker bike rack *. Those are quite sufficient for the next century of cycle parking in the UK – we just need more! (Well, perhaps helping get parking mandated / retrofitted in terraces and flats, and maybe eventually some of these in town…)
* Properly done that is. A tale of two (Edinburgh) stations – the ones at Haymarket are fine (albeit the area’s now pretty insalubrious), the ones at Waverley look similar but have multiple major failings and are a PITA.
chrisonabike wrote:
Well yes, but that’s a bit beside the point. They’ve just followed the standard set by most Sheffield Stands that are out there in not having the bar. And there’s no reason they couldn’t have done both; no reason to think that the lock is the reason the bar isn’t there. In fact, looking at the picture, it appears that these may well be installed on pre-existing stands (that already didn’t have the bar).
True – but the lock is beside
True – but the lock is beside the point if you ask me.
But then I’m not in the market. Paying someone to outsource my security (which I already manage) via something which is guaranteed to be less reliable than … just a lock without doodads (because theirs has extra things to fail, never mind how good of a lock and chain it is).
Again – don’t wish ’em ill with the private contracts but don’t want to see any tax money spent on it.
Did this one get picked up
Did this one get picked up yet? (Not that we really need more).
https://metro.co.uk/2024/11/16/a-cyclist-knocked-disabled-son-uttered-worst-excuse-21969504/
Her examples near the end are
Her examples near the end are all a bit rubbish, though – I don’t think she understands either how the law works, or how frequently motorists get away with stuff…
Yep. Anyone who thinks the 2
Yep. Anyone who thinks the 2 yr max for wanton and furious driving is inadequate should have a look at some of the sentences actually imposed for death by careless / dangerous driving. However, also agree with notMyRealName below.
Wow! This Metro looks just
Wow! This Metro looks just like the hyper-junk Mail. As for ‘what about the penalties inflicted on red light offending drivers’! I’m prompted to paraphrase what Gandhi was reputed to have said when asked about Western Civilization: ‘I think they would be a good idea!’
It’s owned by the same
It’s owned by the same company.
It is hyper-junk.
Yikes, that’s awful behaviour
Yikes, that’s awful behaviour by the cyclist. Some people (including some cyclists) are definitely dickheads.
I really don’t think there’s any productive way to reply to something like that, though — as a parent she had a real valid concern of a serious injury to her child. I believe she’s mistaken about best course of action, of course, but arguing that point just makes one seem unempathetic and callous.
Wasn’t there a segregated
Wasn’t there a segregated cycle path along there that kept cyclists and pedestrians safe …
I wonder if it’s still there ….
… but apparently after a
… but apparently after a majority said they were in favour “advisory cycle lanes” are coming.
extra thick slice of fatty
… but for Others, extra regulation is OK; as long as it favours us.
Bikes v cars: backlash after
Bikes v cars: backlash after Ontario premier threatens to tear up cycling lanes in Toronto
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/18/ontario-toronto-bike-lanes
The Telegraph sees itself as
The Telegraph sees itself as a hammer of perceived threats to the elderly (many of whom form its core readership). I can’t understand why it wasn’t more critical of Boris Johnson and his dithering, politically driven policies during the COVID pandemic. Not to mention Partygate.
Telegraph!
Telegraph!
Cough, cough
=Foreign agent.
Cough cough
I don’t think the fine toilet
I don’t think the fine toilet roll holder is made of an old chainset, looks more like the two biggest rings on a carrier from a cassette, my 9 speed xtr’s 6 largest rings (maybe the ti ones…) are built in doubles like that. It even has the bigger notch at about nine thirty. For a while you could buy individual parts to keep the cassette going, until they became shockingly pricey. Makes cleaning them easier too.
The important question is do
The important question is do you have to break the chain every time you need to replace the roll? Could become onerous, even with a quick link.
Quick link.
Quick link.
I nearly spat out my tea when
I nearly spat out my tea when I red
“Motorists who kill or injure cyclists are severely punished…”
Surely in the future AI should highlight statements like that as fake news and the “journalist” would expect a reprimand…
Well the threat of
Well the threat of theoretically * “losing your licence” – even for a short period – is to many “cruel and unusual punishment”. Akin to e.g. having your legs temporarily amputated (how will you accomplish basic tasks unaided like getting to work, taking the kids to school, shopping…?) Or your nose cut off (how will you function in society if you’re not able to drive to activities, events, see friends …?)
* Because you can just keep driving, and the odds are that nobody will stop you. And even if they do you can generally expect to be solemnly told not to do it again, on pain of being told not to do it again, again.
mitsky wrote:
Unfortunately, the AI is more likely to look at the weight of people expressing that opinion and considered it gold standard truth.
Welcome to the future, where facts are what you make them…
It’s only a few people at The
It’s only a few people at The Telegraph who are writing the anti-cycling rubbish (and at the other newspapers as well) there are about 6.5 million cyclists in the UK.