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Josh Quigley breaks seven-day cycling distance world record by two miles; Danish rider dedicates win to Chris Anker Sørensen; Councillor warned of door zone cycle lane; TT reaction; New LTN; Jennifer Aniston's bike messenger past + more on the live blog

It's live blog time...Dan Alexander is back for another week of anything and everything from the cycling world...
20 September 2021, 16:50
Josh Quigley: a timeline of misfortune that ends with one of the most remarkable sporting feats of the year

If you've seen the name Josh Quigley pop up on road.cc before, it wasn't always like this... before he finally stopped at around 4am yesterday having broken the record for the most distance cycled unpaced in seven days, riding a whopping 2,179 miles, Josh encountered a number of frustrating and terribly unfortunate incidents that prevented him from achieving his goal of cycling around the world. 

A mental health campaigner who took up cycling after attempting suicide in 2015, Josh attempted to cycle around the world no fewer than seven times. He abandoned a 2016 attempt after riding more than 10,000 miles, and his run of bad luck ramped up in 2019 when he was fined £75 for cycling through Bedford Town Centre towards the start of his trip. Just weeks later he had his bike stolen in London - however supporters donated cash so he could get a new one. 

After buying a new bike and making it to Australia, Josh found himself having to fly home to get a new passport and fly back again because he had damaged his old one with sweat. 

Just a month later after resuming his trip, Josh was hit from behind at 70mph by a driver in Texas, suffering a fractured skull, ribs, pelvis and ankle as well as a punctured lung.

Some success followed after his recovery, with Josh breaking the North Coast 500 record in September 2020 - he raised funds for the Baylor Scott & White Medical Centre in Texas, where he was treated after the 2019 incident. 

In January 2021 Josh suffered multiple fractures while training in Dubai, coming off his bike while descending at around 35-40mph. Just a few months later he made his first attempt at the seven day world record but was forced to abandon due to injury... before returning to the same course to take the world record and bury those past demons. 

With Sports Personality of the Year coming up in December, should Mark Cavendish and Emma Raducanu be quaking in their cycling and tennis shoes respectively? Perhaps that will be a step too far for this intrepid Scotsman, but nevertheless we'll be intrigued to see what he does next! 

You can donate to Josh's fundraising campaign here 

20 September 2021, 15:34
King's Cup (unofficial) British gravel championships results

Kiwi Ryan Christensen was first across the line at the King's Cup men's gravel race this weekend - a British national gravel champs of sorts, although not linked to British cycling. Yes, a New Zealander won, so second-placed Alistair Brownlee got the jersey - not bad for a triathlete, even if Brownlee is a double Olympic gold medal-winning one.

Trinity Racing's Cameron Mason completed the men's podium line-up. Ruth Astle dominated the women's race, winning by four minutes, and was joined on the podium by India Lee and Helen Ralston.

20 September 2021, 14:43
Ellen van Dijk wins World Championship women's ITT title

For the fourth time in five years there'll be a Dutch woman on the top step of the podium in the World Championships' women's ITT. Ellen van Dijk was the winner, eight years after she last won the title in 2013. Marlen Reusser came closest, finishing ten seconds behind Van Dijk. National team teammate Annemiek van Vleuten was third.

The signs were good for Van Dijk from early on in the day, as she powered past the riders who started before her to set a benchmark time of 36:05 at an average speed of 50.383kph. Swiss rival Reusser was the only other competitor to break the 50kph barrier.

Jos Lowden finished a very respectable eighth for GB, while Pfeiffer Georgi was 25th at 3:18  just behind the best finishing home rider Julie Van de Velde, and 20 seconds behind Olympic Games hero Anna Kiesenhofer.

20 September 2021, 14:40
Flanders has World Championship fever

In a hypothetical 'home of cycling' debate, the Belgians would have a strong case...

The crowds are back at the World Championships this year after a long two years away and it looks as though the good people of Flanders might be giving the scenes from Harrogate a run for their money. Just wait until the men's road race on Sunday when Wout van Aert is going for gold...

20 September 2021, 13:33
Rapha expands retail output with new Clubhouse and pop-up store in Bentonville, Arkansas
Rapha Women’s Classic Jersey II RCCR-2

Cycling apparel giants Rapha will be opening a new pop-up Clubhouse in Bentonville, Arkansas at the start of next month. The company moved its headquarters to the city last year and will be running the five-week pop-up store in Northwest Arkansas as a base for several events, including pro athlete meet-and-greets, viewing parties and group rides.

Bicycle Retailer reports the Bentonville area has several cycling events and races in October, making the city a hotspot for US-based riders next month.

20 September 2021, 13:11
Well, well, well...

We'll hopefully have a full story on this big bit of Monday lunchtime news up on site shortly...until then, try not to argue about it too much...

20 September 2021, 11:30
Danish U23 Johan Price dedicates World Championship win to Chris Anker Sørensen

 Johan Price turned to the TV camera and shouted "for Chris", seconds after winning the U23 Men's TT at the World Championships in Belgium. The message was Price dedicating his win to ex-pro and compatriot Chris Anker Sørensen - who was killed while riding his bike on Saturday. The 37-year-old was in Flanders to cover the event for Danish television channel TV 2. On the podium, Price pointed to the sky...

Readers might recognise the young Dane from those viral pictures from the World Championships in Harrogate a couple of years back. It was Price who ended needing a towel and some goggles...the combeack is complete.

20 September 2021, 10:57
Jennifer Aniston on her bike messenger past

Jennifer Aniston had a very brief stint as a bike messenger before making it as an actor via Friends. Speaking on Jimmy Fallon's Friday night show, Aniston said she did one day as a bike messenger in New York City...

"I was a bike messenger for a day in New York City," she said. "I worked at an advertising agency after school. My mom actually worked there. So to make extra money, I would do odd jobs. And one day their bike messenger just didn’t show up."

Asked by staff if she could ride a bike, Aniston was then sent out into the bustle of the Big Apple with a bike and bag full of deliveries...

"I just boldly said yes and they gave me this bag, and they put all these cylinders in this bag. Now mind you, in Central Park I can ride a bike, I mean, with soft areas to land. In my brain, I don’t know how I survived the day. To be on Fifth Avenue with traffic, and all that I was holding. I think I might have gotten into a cab just to finish the day. I don’t know what happened to the bike. It's all a blur."

Probably best the acting worked out...

20 September 2021, 10:55
New LTN
20 September 2021, 09:49
World Champs TT reaction: Top Ganna defends rainbow jersey, Wout takes silver AGAIN, Ethan Hayter impresses...as does road.cc podcast guest Dan Bigham

The Brits gave a good account of themselves over in Belgium. Ethan Hayter continued to show his promising talent, earning a top ten. Recent road.cc podcast guest Dan Bigham was involved too, and finished a very respectable 16th place.

Highlight of the day, for me, was seeing all the Belgian fans turning down the volume and telling Filippo Ganna to slow down as he powered past in pursuit of home favourite Wout van Aert...

Anyway, it ultimately didn't matter as Ganna defended his jersey and left Van Aert with another silver medal for his collection. 2020 World Championship TT: second. 2020 World Championship road race: second. Olympic Games road race: second. 2021 World Championship TT: second. Will someone please just let him win on Sunday...

In fairness, Wout didn't seem to deflated. Here he is reacting to Ganna's time with all the disappointment of someone realising they forgot to preheat the oven...

20 September 2021, 09:42
The Great Escape - 2,700km bikepacking adventure from the Scilly Isles to Shetland

Talking of people riding mega distances...here's a dose of Monday escapism for you, courtesy of Aaron Rolph and British Adventure Collective. Aaron rode from the Scilly Isles to Shetland (with some help across the seas) on "anything but the shortest route", but had some painful troubles at the bikepark, as you'll see a short while in...

20 September 2021, 09:05
Josh Quigley breaks seven-day cycling distance world record by two miles

2,179 miles cycled in seven days. An average of 311 miles per day. Josh Quigley has broken the Guinness World Record (pending official verification) for greatest distance cycled in one week unpaced. In the end the Scot beat Jack Thompson's record by two miles and finished at 4am earlier today.

It was the 29-year-old's second crack at the record, he was forced to abandon the first because of knee pain, but came back stronger for the second attempt on 80-mile laps of a circuit between Aberdeen and the Cairngorms. Josh's fundraiser for the Thomas Franks Foundation has already surpassed its £10,000 target and currently sits at £11,046.

"On the last day I couldn't even remember what challenge I was doing, I was so confused," Josh told BBC Scotland. "I am really happy to get it finished, it's such a relief, as it's been hanging over me and has really dominated my year since my failed attempt in April. I've had so much stress and worry about my knees and wondering what happens if they go again.

"It has been a lot of pressure but I had to go for it again. It's something I've always done throughout my cycling career - every time I try something if it doesn't go to plan the first time I usually try again until I get it so I couldn't be happier right now. It's been the most intense experience of my life."

Josh avoided any mechanicals or crashes on this attempt, having previously been hospitalised while training in Dubai and hit by a driver in Texas during his round-the-world attempt. Enjoy that well-earned kip, Josh!

20 September 2021, 07:51
Councillor warned of door zone cycle lane dangers

Given the history of councillors and cycling in the live blog archives, it was nice to see two local politicians out on the bike. However, as more than a few people pointed out, Cllr John Todd and Cllr Ron Mushiso could be putting themselves in danger by using this door zone infra...

Wandsworth's Labour active travel and transport speaker Jo Rigby said the pair were putting themselves in "grave danger" and recalled a woman was killed in Camden earlier this year when a driver opened their door, hitting the cyclist. Some said the infrastructure is the problem here and tells cyclists they are in the right place by riding near parked cars.

Others pointed out the lanes are part of Chiswick Conservatives' ward and should be replaced, not promoted...

Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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29 comments

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mdavidford | 2 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

this big bit of Monday lunchtime news

Slow day?

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eburtthebike | 2 years ago
5 likes

The only good thing about the councillor in the cycle lane is that he unequivocally demonstrates why they are so useless; about 40% of him is outside the lane.

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OldRidgeback replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
5 likes

...and he still manages to be in the door zone at the same time. He's showing the cycle lane is not fit for purpose and increases danger. 

His cycling technique suggests he's not on  a bike very often.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to OldRidgeback | 2 years ago
3 likes

Well from other pictures of him, he normally cycles along the pavement next to schools. (latter bit added as apparently road was actually protected school one so little car traffic and pic showed him cycling towards a mum, toddler and pram). 

Maybe he was having to avoid the cones the head master might have put in the car dooring zone to deter dangerous cyclists. 

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brooksby | 2 years ago
2 likes

That's really interesting: I knew Jennifer Aniston had been a bike messenger before she became an actor, but I never knew that she was a bike messenger in the way that I'm a bike messenger if I take the post to the postbox...

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xernobyl | 2 years ago
0 likes

Somewhere, Lachlan Morton just said, "challenge accepted."

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chrismayoh | 2 years ago
7 likes

When I first learnt to ride a motorbike about 40 years ago, I went on a riding course provided by the dealer.  We were told about the dooring zone then.  The instructor said, "A opening door could act like a can opener on your stomach." The mental picture has stayed with me ever since!! I don't ride that close . . . .

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wycombewheeler replied to chrismayoh | 2 years ago
1 like

chrismayoh wrote:

When I first learnt to ride a motorbike about 40 years ago, I went on a riding course provided by the dealer.  We were told about the dooring zone then.  The instructor said, "A opening door could act like a can opener on your stomach." The mental picture has stayed with me ever since!! I don't ride that close . . . .

I guess there are three types of door impact

1) the door is open and the cylist hits the inside of the door. The is probably a bit like riding into the back of a car or a wall, and injuries will be related to cyclist speed and sudden stop.

2) the door is opened and the cyclist hits this edge of the door. This feels quite catastrophic, 

3) the door is opened as the cyclist is passing and the cyclist knocked to the ground. Injuries could be minor bruising and road rash, or could involve being driven over by a motor vehicle dependant on traffic at the time.

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TheBillder replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
3 likes

4) Door opens and the evasive action causes injury.

Happened to me - I swerved and braked, missed the door but fell off because the road was icy. 41 years later I'd still rather be well out of the zone (it happened on my way to school in 1980).

That lane yells "Don't ride here".

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HoarseMann | 2 years ago
8 likes

Slammed saddle, check
Heels on pedals, check
Toes out to the side, check
A wobble and we're off!

Have you got the shot? Great, thank goodness that's over.

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IanMK replied to HoarseMann | 2 years ago
1 like

In the clip he doesn't even manage to turn the pedals 

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brooksby replied to IanMK | 2 years ago
2 likes

IanMK wrote:

In the clip he doesn't even manage to turn the pedals 

I wondered about that.  Is the road downhill, or his bike 'assisted' (either by a battery/motor or by someone giving him a good hard push)?

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OnYerBike | 2 years ago
7 likes

It's not clear from the tweet what the context is. Are they celebrating the wonderful infrastrucutre they have installed? Or was it a learning exercise, to experience just how awful it is to be squeezed into a narrow strip of paint (barely wider then a bike's handlebars) between parked cars and moving traffic? I'm hoping the latter...

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Rendel Harris replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
9 likes

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Its a shame people are seeking to politicise this

Apart from the rich irony of you, of all people, making that comment, the Tweet in question is one Tory councillor bigging up another Tory councillor for his supposed effectiveness and wisdom in providing cycling infra that even you agree is dreadful. How would this not be political?

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Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
3 likes

It's not clear from the original tweet what they are "bigging up", maybe it's just cycling in the rain or admiring his skill to ride at a good pace without pedalling.

The quoted tweets then want to make this a party political thing, because well whatever makes those tweeters happy I guess, cycle lanes like this arent the sole preserve of any particular political brand or leanings, it's just bad road design from highways designers who dont understand cycling.

Though FWIW I'd not be particularly vexed about riding in it, I've ridden worse, and the thing about dooring is people arent waiting in their cars to leap out at unsuspecting passing cyclists like ninjas, use a bit of hazard awareness & perception about it just as you would if you were riding along an active lane of traffic.

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the little onion replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
11 likes

Awavey wrote:

I Though FWIW I'd not be particularly vexed about riding in it, I've ridden worse, and the thing about dooring is people arent waiting in their cars to leap out at unsuspecting passing cyclists like ninjas, use a bit of hazard awareness & perception about it just as you would if you were riding along an active lane of traffic.

 

I'm an experienced rider, but I would still be outside of this lane, having been doored in the past. However, there is no way on earth that I'd ride in there with my kids - who are confident cyclists, for their age. Cycle infrastructure should not  be designed with confident, experienced cyclists like you and I in mind, but around the needs of the unexperienced and those lacking in confidence.

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brooksby replied to the little onion | 2 years ago
3 likes

the little onion wrote:

I'm an experienced rider, but I would still be outside of this lane, having been doored in the past. However, there is no way on earth that I'd ride in there with my kids - who are confident cyclists, for their age. Cycle infrastructure should not  be designed with confident, experienced cyclists like you and I in mind, but around the needs of the unexperienced and those lacking in confidence.

I've been doored once - riding with a stationary traffic queue to my right (opposite the BRI here in Bristol).  On the approach to one of those nasty too-close-to-the-parked-car-door-zone painted lanes, I was taken out by the passenger door of one of the cars in the queue being flung open.  I think some of that road surface is still embedded in my shin, years later...

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HarrogateSpa replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
6 likes

Come on, you can't see into every car and know whether someone is inside about to open the door.

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Rendel Harris replied to HarrogateSpa | 2 years ago
4 likes

HarrogateSpa wrote:

Come on, you can't see into every car and know whether someone is inside about to open the door.

A friend was doored years back from an apparently empty car: she looked into the driver's side and saw nobody but the door flew open and took her down (just superficial bruising, fortunately). The driver had apparently been bent down in his seat retrieving a dropped cigarette, found it was burning the floor mat so opened the door to fling out the mat without straightening up...

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Awavey replied to HarrogateSpa | 2 years ago
0 likes

I didnt say you could, I said use some "hazard awareness & perception" so treat parked cars as a hazard, be aware some doors can be opened & what its capable of doing, so only occupy the spaces you perceive to be safe to be in,and above all ride to the conditions around you that you observe, which is true whether theres a cycle lane there or not.

Maybe I should have said just ride with a bit of common sense in these situations.

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Mungecrundle replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
0 likes

"Though FWIW I'd not be particularly vexed about riding in it..."

Not just the door opening aspect but I'd also be very aware of drivers pulling out without looking properly, pedestrians stepping out between the parked cars, especially children and also pets, particularly cats which have a habit of hiding under cars and legging it, apparently in any random if startled.

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brooksby replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
2 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

"Though FWIW I'd not be particularly vexed about riding in it..." Not just the door opening aspect but I'd also be very aware of drivers pulling out without looking properly, pedestrians stepping out between the parked cars, especially children and also pets, particularly cats which have a habit of hiding under cars and legging it, apparently in any random if startled.

And squirrels - don't forget squirrels  3

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Hirsute replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
4 likes

Don't forget squirrels !

(Didn't read far enough ahead - brooksby did that already)

 

From June //metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SEI_81302213.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C375)

//metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/SEI_81302221.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&zoom=1&resize=540%2C654)

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Captain Badger replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
8 likes

Awavey wrote:

Though FWIW I'd not be particularly vexed about riding in it, I've ridden worse, and the thing about dooring is people arent waiting in their cars to leap out at unsuspecting passing cyclists like ninjas, use a bit of hazard awareness & perception about it just as you would if you were riding along an active lane of traffic.

The difficulty is that you can't tell all the time, and when you can, if you haven't already taken primary, you can't get into the traffic stream.

If you do take primary you have to be prepared to weather the  abuse from psycho drivers who think you should "get in the facking cycle lane" so that they can perform a close pass. Ignore the lane and occupy primary is my usual policy, although many people are (quite understandably)  unwilling to expose themselves to abuse from a psycho sitting in a ton of armour.

These lanes are shit. they should be removed, and the cycle symbols repainted along the road in primary position.

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brooksby replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
9 likes

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Presumably if you cycle outside the lane for self-preservation you'd then get irate motorists who don't understand the issue getting upset and angry.

Oh yes - every single time.

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rct replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
4 likes

There is national guidence  in place LTN 1/20  Cycle infrastructure design Cycle infrastructure design (LTN 1/20) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

 

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chrisonabike replied to rct | 2 years ago
1 like

But isn't the issue - as the first point in the guidance sets out - that this is "guidance" and in the normal UK way there are many get-outs - er, I mean points which are "open to interpretation":

"Local authorities are responsible for setting design standards for their roads. This national guidance provides a recommended basis for those standards based on five overarching design principles and 22 summary principles. There will be an expectation that local authorities will demonstrate that they have given due consideration to this guidance when designing new cycling schemes and, in particular, when applying for Government funding that includes cycle infrastructure."

(My emphasis). I'm not a lawyer but that would suggest it's up to local authorities and we're essentially hoping they will do a good job. (I know that some roads are e.g. Highways England also.)

Now to be fair in the preamble it does say that they won't get extra cash for rubbish:

"In short, schemes which do not follow this guidance will not be funded. ... there will be a presumption that schemes must deliver or improve cycling infrastructure to the standards in this Local Transport Note, unless it can be shown that there is little or no need for cycling in the particular highway scheme."

... but even that has the "but there was little or no need" get out (nobody cycles there now so...) and also presumably the "deliver or improve cycling infrastructure" will be open to interpretation too.

Is this to do with our national philosophy?  Does the good and bad of the UK come down to how you feel about people and their representatives marking their own homework?  Because in many areas (councils, policing, driver licencing) it seems we either don't have effective oversight or it's quite arbitrary.

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HarrogateSpa replied to chrisonabike | 2 years ago
1 like

I agree with the points you make.

Overall LTN 1/20 is excellent, but there are too many occasions when it potentially lets local authorities off the hook with phrases like "try to" or "preferably".

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chrisonabike replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
1 like

Nigel Garrage wrote:

For once (and possibly the only time ever) I agree with Cycling Mikey. This kind of "infrastructure" is worse than nothing at all.

Have a like for publically crossing to the dark side! As for:

Nigel Garrage wrote:

There has to be some kind of national guidance for these schemes...

... if you are really interested in the potentials for change / development here and also what the political (national and local) and legal impediments are a good level-headed place to look is the Ranty Highwayman's blog at https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/

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