“Problem is there’s no consistency”: Reaction to near miss shocker; Even professional cyclists forget to unclip sometimes; US cyclist to receive $300,000 settlement after riding into wire strung across trail; But cyclists… + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Even professional cyclists forget to unclip sometimes
Oops 😲#TissotNationsCup pic.twitter.com/AY6swUrNrr
— UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) April 21, 2022
We’ve all been there…
Luckily for me, my unclipping fail only came at a busy zebra crossing as I slowed to let people across while frantically trying (and failing) to yank a slightly too worn cleat from the pedal. Serves me right for being cheap and trying to stretch every last clip-clop out of those SPD SLs…they were a slog to clip in, and eventually stopped coming out…
But at least it wasn’t on caught on TV, in a velodrome, moments before I was about to represent my country at the Track Nations Cup.
The teammate’s casual glance across, look down, before continuing to roll his wrists gives the clip a real comedy value, but you wouldn’t want to be the Great Britain Cycling Team staff member presumably responsible for making sure exactly what did happen didn’t…but then again maybe it’s fair to chill out a bit and expect a pro cyclist to be alright?
Either way it made us all feel a bit better about our historic clip-in calamities. It really is a rite of passage, get your tales in the comments…
But cyclists...
Hi @DanLThorpe this is your ward, when are you going to do something about the dangerous driving in and around Shooters Hill Road. Yet another vehicle crash with no other vehicle involved. Step up and make a difference please. pic.twitter.com/RU0aLURk9X
— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) April 22, 2022
But cyclists is back and better than ever…
Tadej Pogačar's fiancé confirms terrible news of loss of her mother
Yesterday on the blog we shared the Belgian media report that Tadej Pogačar had returned home to Slovenia with his fiancé, and Team BikeExchange pro, Urška Žigart due to a family emergency.
Last night, Žigart shared the sad news on her Instagram: “Life is not fair sometimes. It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I share with you this news today. My mom was my best friend and the most important person in my life. This is a very hard time for me and my family as we experience this loss and I kindly ask you for some privacy. Thank you for all the messages and support.”
US cyclist to receive $300,000 settlement after riding into wire strung across trail
Oregon Live reports the city of Portland and the Metro regional government will pay a combined $300,000 to a cyclist who fell from his bike after striking an unmarked cable gate installed on a blind bend. The ownership of the trail has reportedly been disputed for years, and it remains unclear who installed the gate, which consisted of a padlocked metal wire strung between two poles.
James Thorne, an “experienced and avid cyclist” rode into the wire at 20mph, inflicting injuries to his back, neck, shoulder. A wrist ligament was torn in the incident too, which required surgery, as well as a partial shoulder replacement.
Thorne initially sought $1.2 million, but ultimately accepted $100,000 from Metro and $200,000 from the city.
“There was this obvious, dangerous condition, and nobody from the city or Metro would take responsibility for it,” Thorne’s attorney said. “He was a big outdoorsy person. He used to kayak a lot. And now he has permanent limitations. This wasn’t a pothole on a soccer field. This was a danger that they created.”
Me and you both
This is the standad of pro cycling I can achieve!
— Laird of Langtoun. (@LangtounL) April 22, 2022
"Problem is that there is no consistency": Reaction to near miss shocker
“If anyone thinks this is an acceptable manner of driving, let this be your warning,” was how the police responded to the video which made our Near Miss of the Day 752. The driver received a fine of £417 and had their licence endorsed with five penalty points.
But what about your comments?
carlosdsanchez said: “Problem is that there is no consistency to the action taken by police for dangerous driving around cyclists. Over the past four years of sending in video footage, the action taken has swung wildly from everything I sent being given a NIP, then to no further action, then back to NIP and now only warning letters. Apparently it’s down to the discretion of the officer viewing the footage as to what action to take, so even if the footage falls within the standard the CPS would prosecute, you won’t necessarily get a worthwhile result.”
peted76 added: “Wow, for once a decent result!”
hirsute hoped this will “be a standard for the rest of the country”, to which stonojnr replied: “It needs to be, because there will be other police forces who will think that was acceptable driving, and would not pursue it as South Yorkshire have.”
As with any of our stories that attract a lot of eyeballs, there were plenty of Facebook comments from presumably non-road.cc regulars saying they didn’t see anything wrong. However, Jules Walker commented: “No need to be that far over their lane whilst the cyclists pass the parked car. Nice to see the correct action being taken.”
Having said the disagreeing comments are mainly not from our regular readers, one came from our Facebook ‘top fan’ (now there’s something to aspire to…) who said: “I’m going to be controversial here, it’s the cars right of way and the cyclist can’t pass the parked car safely (allowing space to avoid being doored) without going into the opposite carriageway. The cyclists should have stopped/slowed down/anticipated. The only issue with the car is the speed (and maybe that they’re not keeping as far left as they could).”
What do you reckon?
Come for the politics, stay for the number of cyclists in the back of the shot
Come for the politics, stay for the number of cyclists in the back of the shot https://t.co/wt0kSv82Rf
— Simon Olney (@Simon_Olney) April 22, 2022
Get your guesses of how many in the comments? (Mainly because I can’t be bothered to try and count them myself)
Where's the consistency?
Meanwhile drivers like this just get a “warning letter” @SussexRoadsPol. He wasn’t even looking where he was going, his head looking right down the side streets. Luckily due to the junction, there was room for me not to be hit by this dangerous driver. @BrightonHoveCC wands plz pic.twitter.com/gQkHYfswKY
— Jerk McSerk (@JMcserk) April 22, 2022
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again...Thibaut Pinot ends three-year drought
Perfection. pic.twitter.com/zr0rQzh0nf
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) April 22, 2022
He’s done it! Just 24 hours after yesterday’s heartbreak Thibaut Pinot has finally added another win to his palmares. A reminder, his last came on that famous Tourmalet stage of the 2019 Tour de France. Alaphilippe was in yellow, Emmanuel Macron at the finish too, Pinot powered away to victory, giving France two realistic hopes of winning the Tour (Julian and Thibaut, just to be crystal clear)…
Well, today the FDJ climber got his win. In tears after yesterday, in the winner’s circle today…
Sometimes, just sometimes, everything pans out exactly how we all want it to…
YES YES YES. A good thing has happened on planet Earth.
— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) April 22, 2022
Oh, and before I forget, Romain Bardet overhauled Pello Bilbao on the savage slopes of the final climb to take the overall race lead. The French renaissance is on…
Can’t be long before…
I give it till Tuesday before the speculation about Pinot winning the TdF kicks off.
— William Fotheringham (@willfoth) April 22, 2022
David de la Cruz joins the masses congratulating Thibaut Pinot
Hi @ThibautPinot ! Couldn’t say anything after finish line 😅. Strong ride and congrats for your victory 😉.
— David De La Cruz (@iamdlax) April 22, 2022
Second on the stage David de la Cruz had some nice words for Thibaut Pinot. Can we get the Astana man a win too, please?
Check out the latest episode of the road.cc Podcast
Vedangi Kulkarni – the accidental adventurer who rode around the world aged 19 – plus SUV nemesis Tyre Extinguishers on the https://t.co/vVgfyt8IYK Podcasthttps://t.co/BgO9A9hg6z #cycling pic.twitter.com/c0H8lZprJc
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 22, 2022
Katie Archibald says IOC unfair to female cyclists and trans women
Team GB track star Katie Archibald has criticised the International Olympic Committee’s transgender policies, and believes they let down both female cyclists and trans athletes.
Archibald won gold in Tokyo and said the policy lets female athletes down by underplaying biology, but also leaves trans athletes, such as Emily Bridges, facing the full scrutiny of the media, fans and fellow competitors.
In a statement later shared by Laura Kenny too, Archibald said: “It is my opinion that the international governing bodies of several sports have let down transgender athletes, in particular transgender women, with their inclusion policies.
“These policies have put the athletes, their involvement in sport, and their personal lives under intense scrutiny when all the athletes have done is follow the rules and enter a category they were encouraged to enter.
“I feel let down by the International Olympic Committee who tell me there should be no assumed advantage for an athlete with a gender identity different to their sex. I read this and hear that my world titles, my Olympic medals, and the champions jerseys I have at home, were all won in a category of people who simply don’t try as hard as the men. That losing to male androgenisation is not about biology, but mindset. They are wrong.
“The retained advantage of people who have gone through male puberty in strength, stamina and physique, with or without testosterone suppression, has been well-documented.
“Cycling’s global governing body, by its president’s own admission, knows this. But they chose to delay action until it became sadly personal for one rider. That wasn’t fair.”
I couldn’t agree more – well said, well written, thank you @_katiearchibald https://t.co/k4sNlYI9of
— Dame Laura Kenny (@LauraKenny31) April 22, 2022
"What's the problem, mate? What do you mean you can't bunny hop the kerb and car?"
This is what @SouthCambs has for their new town’s so-called bike lanes. Among the other horrors of the Northstowe site. @PlanningShit pic.twitter.com/KPMEX3nj6m
— bostonian_abroad (@walking_boston) April 21, 2022
Anyone climbed the Peak District Koppenberg?
Thanks for the recommendation, I have past here plenty of times just never discovered this.
Honestly, I failed on my first attempt due to lack concentration. Of course I had a second go!
Shorter than expected but quite technical I suppose!
keep ’em coming!
Explicit Content https://t.co/q2NIrZUdXV pic.twitter.com/wCOs07iyXy
— OneAdultSwim (@OneAdultSwim1) April 21, 2022
As with many climbs, this one looks far easier in photos/videos…but just look at those cobbles.
"Hard to believe they passed a test or still have a valid licence": More reaction to THAT near miss video
“Problem is there’s no consistency”: Reaction to a near miss shocker which saw driver fined £417 and given five penalty points, as police say: “If anyone thinks this is an acceptable manner of driving, let this be your warning”https://t.co/WQ5YlJvrIw #cycling pic.twitter.com/mYC1umcMRe
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 22, 2022
Let’s wrap up for the week with some more of your thoughts…
Rendel Harris said: “It’s not the car’s right of way to drive in the oncoming carriageway, as this one did, with traffic coming the other way, and there’s more than enough room for the cyclist to pass in her own lane without being doored, as can be seen from the still below, if we assume the parked car is average width of round 160cms there’s virtually enough room for a whole extra car alongside it, even fully open the door from that car would only take up half the available space between the car and the dividing line. Other than that, spot on.”
Secret_squirrel added: “I don’t disagree that this was actionable. I am depressed however about the inconsistency from the different Rozzer forces. I’ve had worse that just had the ‘talking to’ letter.”
IanMK speculated: “I suspect that the driver came out of his lane as he wasn’t confident driving at that speed close to the verge. That would be the very definition of dangerous driving.”
Happy Friday!
Mérité. pic.twitter.com/mCITQlYzHj
— Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ (@GroupamaFDJ) April 22, 2022
We’ll see you back on the live blog on Monday…
Enjoy those well-earned weekend miles!
22 April 2022, 08:01
Hope you've finished your cornflakes...
Naked cyclist spotted riding around Derbyshire reveals all (+ video)
Stuart Gilmore rides in the buff to promote body positivity – and is planning a charity ride this summer
22 April 2022, 08:01
22 April 2022, 08:01
22 April 2022, 08:01
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
30 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
Yes all the post war clearances & developments with the car centre stage is / was pretty universal. I think it helps that the NL is pretty flat & easy going so historically has very many cyclists from all ages & walks (or should it be rides) of life, who wanted to keep pedalling & presumably built up a lobbying force to save what they still had & build it back up. I notice the flatter UK towns have far more cyclists than much of West Yorkshire, although York's not too bad. If I lived in a flatter place I would cycle more; I dont mind hill climbs but you always arrive at your destination with a sweat on! The hilly nature is probably still a physical barrier for many resulting in fewer cyclists & lower use of cycle lanes - to be fair most of the lanes are on easier gradient routes, more likely to be used. There's none on the steep climb to our area which as its a dual carriageway is not much fun & feels a lot safer on the footpath. Overall it seems to be more of a sport activity here, rather than mum or dad or gran popping out for a quick shop or kids cycling to school. There are some pretty fierce climbs in most directions. Also the "broken" routes where C lanes stop & start awkwardly, usually at junctions, means you cannot just flow along, you have negotiate some tricky bit of kerbed channel with tight bends or something. All there with safety in mind I'm sure but not good cycling. Its easy to see why some cyclists who just want to crack on with their ride, don't use them. (Not just the freestyle lads who cycle thru every set of lights or diagonally across busy junctions regardless). The C lanes are always subservient to cars, I think largely for economic reasons; so many have to travel miles to get to work & for all its faults the car does the job but of course there are many counter arguments. I heard the NL have experimented in a few smaller towns with removing all kerbs & signage (?) etc so cars no longer have priority. I dont know how successful it has been. I've been in Indian towns where few rules were followed & seemed like an insane free for all, virtually constant gridlock, which I'm not convinced was an improvement! Even with a million pound cycle lane in the park, with all the best intentions, how much difference will it make, given human propensity to do what suits us best regardless of others. Who is going to police it, presuming that the current / previous free for all presumably was not policed? (This obvs is a wider issue) Have there been a spate of cyclist - pedestrian accidents that raised the notion of formal laning? Was it pedestrians who wanted to reduce cycling risks for themselves or the reverse? Is it a minority pressure group/s getting their way when the general park using public actually have other concerns such as better lighting & personal safety & actually arent bothered about the cycling issue either way? I should read up on it I guess!
@eburtthebike The normalisation of lifetime bans would be a good start to changing perception back to the pre-war understanding that driving is a privilege, not a right. And then a reinforcement of Sentencing guidelines can get underway, with a focus on "does the offender pose a continued risk to society?" In the case of the 15y/o's, their parents may not be culpable for the life changing injuries, but they are responsible for neglecting their kids to give them access to such egregious weapons on two wheels. CPS just needs to look further than ends of their noses and i doubt they'll fail to find substantive evidence of negligence.
@lesterama Thats even better.
@qwerty360 Thanks for this info. I've had two failure to identify in my reporting "career". One got away with it completely as it was a hire car through two different companies and they ran out of time to prosecute and one got points and a fine. The latter was NMOTD 946. I won't put a link in or you may never see this comment. If I've had two it must be quite common occurrence. Yet another loophole condoned by the legal system for the well off and unscrupulous.
@stulemanski wrote It depends on the situation but generally I prefer to stay on my bike as it takes up less room than walking by the side of it with pedals ready to catch the ankles of other pedestrians. If it's a no cycling area then it's get off and walk unless it is completely deserted. As for driving in cycle lanes be prepared to be pissed off and be prepared for the police to take no action when you report it with video evidence.
Yes I'm managing to avoid it. Living 60 miles away really helps there... The change to pedestrianisation happening when there isn't a plan for the large number of cyclists in London is really regressive.
@mitsky KSIs are not "usually accidental"; they are preventable. Even the Government's Road Safety Strategy says that - Vision Zero.
NGL, it's quite easy to avoid Oxford St. I mean, who on earth wants to ride through iPeds and their zombie ilk? I say let it go.
Poor Tom, forever remembered for one Code Brown.
This is exactly the sort of company we should be shouting about in the cycling press. UK based, great products at reasonable prices. This is another good looking bike with a decent spec that looks a lot of fun.
30 thoughts on ““Problem is there’s no consistency”: Reaction to near miss shocker; Even professional cyclists forget to unclip sometimes; US cyclist to receive $300,000 settlement after riding into wire strung across trail; But cyclists… + more on the live blog”
Funny Jeremy Vine trolling
Funny 🙂 Jeremy Vine trolling twitter.. https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/1517032663173025792?s=20&t=gRLA8I7WeLKON-Esmw3bew
Interesting how drivers are
Interesting how drivers are not allowed to touch phones but cyclists can control their drones while cycling, as usual with everything it’s one rule for them and another for the rest of us.
hirsute or should I call you
hirsute or should I call you douglas @udprdjm? You’re giving away your naivity – it’s not a drone.
bikeman01 wrote:
I’m going to go with “No”.
Excellent meta-trolling though.
With 5000+ posts, I really
With 5000+ posts, I really didn’t think that other posters would consider me putting ” it’s one rule for them and another for the rest of us.” as anything other than a quote.
bikeman01 wrote:
When I gave away my naivity, it wasn’t as exiciting and didn’t last for as long as I expected…
I misread that the first time
I misread that the first time, I clearly haven’t mentally got to Easter yet.
When 6000 posts you approach,
When 6000 posts you approach, then you get to accuse someone of trolling 😉
(None of our resident trolls have ever reached those sort of post numbers. They usually get called out, banned and/or flounce off well before that).
hirsute wrote:
Its not a drone, its a360 degree camera, he’s trolling twitter for reactions like yours 🙂
Funnily enough, that was a
Funnily enough, that was a quote from twitter.
I didn’t think it necessary to explain this, especially with the phrase ” it’s one rule for them and another for the rest of us.”
hirsute wrote:
I did wonder what/how you’d write that.. apologies, sometimes the nuances of sarcasm can be lost in the ether.
.
.
Sorry. Ignorant low-tech me. Don’t understand.
.
How is this funny? How is JV trolling twitter? (What does ‘trolling twitter’ mean?)
.
Flintshire Boy wrote:
.
It’s
.
the sound that
.
a
.
very happy
.
troll
.
makes in the
.
summertime…
.
Every time he uses his fancy
Every time he uses his fancy 360degree camera attached to his helmet, he gets accused of using a drone by WhatAbouterists.
So he attached it to his handlebars for this ride as a trial and decided to call it “his drone”. Of course, all the WhatAbouterists bit as expected.
Quote:
It’s not the car’s right of way to drive in the oncoming carriageway, as this one did, with traffic coming the other way, and there’s more than enough room for the cyclist to pass in her own lane without being doored, as can be seen from the still below, if we assume the parked car is average width of round 160cms there’s virtually enough room for a whole extra car alongside it, even fully open the door from that car would only take up half the available space between the car and the dividing line. Other than that, spot on.
The driver literally has his/her offside wheels in the oncoming traffic lane, there’s nothing equivocal (“maybe”) about that.
I must admit the car is
I must admit the car is travelling too fast to notice that – the freeze frame makes it really obvious they are too far over.
I dont disagree that this was actionable. I am depressed however about the inconsistency from the different Rozzer forces. I’ve had worse that just had the “talking to” letter.
Exactly that, it’s the
Exactly that, it’s the consistency not just across forces but also within them too, I genuinely dont know for instance if I submitted that footage to my local Op Snapshot process what the outcome would be, or whether it would actually be a different outcome week to week.
Which is crazy, how am I then supposed to judge what to submit as I dont have the energy to constantly review all of my video I captured on rides for bad driving and submit stuff constantly & waste time to get beaten back with NFAs or just advice to drivers.
I suspect that the driver
I suspect that the driver came out of his lane as he wasn’t confident driving at that speed close to the verge. That would be the very definition of dangerous driving.
“I’m going to be
I reckon our Facebook page is infested with mouth-breathing morons, some of whom happen to ride bike, and nobody who thinks there’s such a thing as ‘right of way’ on the roads has anything valid or useful to say about road user behaviour.
John Stevenson wrote:
I concur. This is an absolute gem…..
“From what I can see is the reason the car may have strayed a bit wide is because the hedgerow on his side overhangs into the road past the white edging line. If the cyclist had been aware they may have held back on pulling out for the overtake of the parked car. Not only that. How many of the cyclists used a left hand signal turning at the junction? I’m sure if the driver could afford a defence lawyer and took it further, he may have had the decision reversed.”
Somehow in their little mind the fact that the cyclists never signalled they were turning left is reason that conviction could be reversed …..
I read a similar twitter
I read a similar twitter comment about the hedge. Nice to know that you can drive partly on the wrong side of the road, despite oncoming traffic, if you find something on your side a bit of an inconvenience.
Hard to believe these commentators passed a test or still have a valid licence.
They should be traced by a
They should be traced by a new online police division and have their licence suspended for a set period (2 weeks?) and be forced to retake a driving test. A second incident within a year should result in licence being withdrawn for a much longer period and a large fine. Ooops, I forgot – courts don’t do that because of the ‘hardship’ it causes.
There are also a number of
There are also a number of drivers – not insubstantial – who actually believe they have priority over cyclists at all times regardless of what the law says
Quote:
I used to be a defence lawyer. Did a great many motoring matters, because it was easy money (there’s always someone well-off prepared to throw more at a speeding trial to save their precious licence than the state is prepared to spend on something less important, like a rape trial).
And I’d tell the client not to waste their money. “But the cyclists didn’t signal!” is exactly the sort of whataboutery that would cause many District Judges (and plenty of lay Benches) to up the sentence.
You know you’ve succumbed to
You know you’ve succumbed to the Road.cc hive mind when you see Amir Khan coming out of a restaurant and being mugged for a £70K watch and the thing that comes into your head is “you can’t park there next to a zebra crossing”. Needless to say GMB did not mention his faux pas presumably because he’d engaged his bolas
that was not the Dame Laura
that was not the Dame Laura Kenny social media post I expected to see on todays live blog
I thought Kate Archibald’s
I thought Kate Archibald’s statement was brilliant and tbf to Road.cc even the grauniad Laura article about the miscarriage and ectopic has the reference to Kate right in the middle of it.
Katies statement came out on
Katies statement came out on Wednesday, for those paying enough attention, and Lauras whole point about releasing the information about her miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy yesterday, which every major news site and other cycling site covered and has received an enormous amount of support from the public and also fellow athletes, was to share the information to help support others by talking about it, so families going through the same things dont feel they are alone, and try and break the taboo of silence about talking about it.
I dont think Katies statement needs references from other athletes in support, its strong enough to stand on its own merits., but if Road.cc are going to include them, maybe also at least acknowledge the other news story that broke yesterday along with it.
I agree with Archibald about
I agree with Archibald about it being unfair on Bridges to have been singled out when it’s the system that isn’t fit for purpose. I still don’t think the argument about ‘retained physical advantage’ is necessarily a good one, however, unless we apply the same scrutiny to the differences in testosterone levels, biological advantage such as VO2max capacity or height/bone structure, or even socioeconomic status or place of birth. There are so many variables at play that really it’s the notion of a binary male/female distinction in professional sport which is flawed. The Paralympics have different categories based on specific abilities, what’s to stop the same sort of practices being applied in able bodied sport? It’s a bit of a strawman, yes, but the level of ire and handwringing around trans athletes is disproportionate to the actual issue, and it’s particularly galling to see it from people who prior to this debate had no interest in women’s sport and the lack of coverage, wage inequality etc etc.
Dogless wrote:
Totally agree.