“Bizarre behaviour”: Motorist slammed for boasting about passing cyclists “as close as I could”; Mum cycling with child on “tricky” road clip divides opinion; Best race ever? Saddleless Van Aert wins Benidorm epic; Shaun Bike Ryder + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Shaun Bike Ryder: Happy Mondays legend tells interviewer “I’d be out on my bike now if I wasn’t talking to you”
You’re twistin’ my melon, man…
So, it turns out that when Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder was imploring us all to ‘step on’ back in 1990, he was actually advising us to step on our bikes.
In an interview with the Guardian yesterday, in which he was asked to describe his typical Sunday, the Madchester legend confirmed that his love affair with cycling – which began as a way to kick his drug habit (funny, usually it happens the other way around…) – is still going strong.
Asked about his Sunday exercise routine, the 61-year-old said: “I’m out on my bike as much as I can be, in the woods and trails around Salford. I’d be out on my bike now if I wasn’t talking to you.”
Excellent stuff.
> Shaun Ryder: Cycling got me off drugs
Back in 2017, Ryder explained in another interview with the Grauniad that “it was cycling that got me off drugs”.
“I’d get on my bike very early in the morning and keep cycling until very late at night, day after day, until it was out of the system. I was pedalling from 8am until 11pm,” he said.
Oh, and before you ask, where’s Bez in all of this?
Well, judging by this 2021 clip, he was busy getting the miles in a few years ago – and ‘pulling a Van Aert’ (as crashing while getting back on your bike will henceforth be known) on occasion too…
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the one you’ve all been waiting for
Drum roll, please…
> road.cc Recommends Bikes of the Year 2023/24: the best road bikes
Association of Cycle Traders calls for extension and restructuring of Cycle to Work scheme as campaign against recent changes continues
The Association of Cycle Traders, a body representing independent cycling retailers in the UK, has called for the extension and restructuring of the Cycle to Work scheme to include self-employed workers and those on low incomes, as part of the group’s ongoing campaign against the recent “flawed” changes made to the initiative.
In December, the ACT released an initial statement calling for reform of how the Cycle to Work employee benefit scheme – the government’s tax-friendly initiative which enables people to buy a bike and accessories through salary sacrifice – is implemented, in order to enable the scheme to “engage all parties in the supply chain” and to grow the initiative “in a manner that allows the cycle trade to make some retained profit”.
The ACT – along with its parent company, the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) – also said it was approached by a “large volume” of cycling retailers throughout the UK calling for change to Cycle to Work, the majority of whom they claim “are unwilling to speak publicly for fear of being excluded from business opportunities” by the scheme’s established providers.
The call for reform came in the wake of the decision by Cyclescheme, the UK’s largest provider of access to Cycle to Work, to update its retailer partner agreement, which came into effect on 22 December and prevented retailers from charging additional fees on bikes purchased under the scheme – a decision described by traders as “incredibly short-sighted” and “infuriating”, and one that could lead to bike shop owners losing money.
And in an update to their campaign, the ACT has said that 400 retailers have signed up in support of their protest against the changes, and that the first in a series of meetings over the coming weeks between the ACT and Cyclescheme has been scheduled.
The cycling retailers group also confirmed that it will be making representation in Westminster this month to members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking.
According to the ACT’s update, the group says its campaign calls for the “extension of the scheme rules to apply to the purchase of bicycles and not just for cycling to work”, and that the scheme is “restructured to engage all possible workers (including the self-employed, and those on low incomes)”.
The ACT is also calling for a “significant” reduction in commissions charged to participating retailers, a more equitable split with suppliers sharing in the funding of any essential costs incurred by cycle to work providers, and an improvement of payment times from providers to retailers, along with retail sector involvement in changes to scheme terms and conditions.
Michał Kwiatkowski, Tom Pidcock’s biggest fan
We’re on to lap six and @tompidcock is up into third place at #CXWorldCup Benidorm.
He’s being cheered on loudly by this super fan @kwiato 🙈🎧 pic.twitter.com/0vsWh7u4xO
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) January 21, 2024
I’m not sure what would have been worse: Standing beside the former world champion churning up whatever that contraption was anytime Pidcock flew by, or having to put up with the relentless Euro techno blaring out of some drunk Belgian’s speakers…
Didn’t I say cyclocross is fun?
Quick, someone tell Bauke! New SRAM Red AXS is leaked… Again
There’s a new SRAM Red-a comin’, and the drip drip of information (and some interesting new images) is beginning to gather pace…
> Our best look yet at the new 2024 top-end SRAM road groupset
A few corners with a broken saddle? Pfft, that’s nothing Wout – try 50 miles
Así quedó el (no) sillín de @WoutvanAert tras la caída en la última vuelta en la zona de los tablones del @BenidormCX.
“Fue una cagada. A penas conseguí hacer los últimos 100 metros”, reconocía el belga en los micrófonos de la UCI.
📸 @ZubikoPhoto pic.twitter.com/Cj5Hnt6AWT
— VOLATA (@ccvolata) January 21, 2024
Wout van Aert’s ability to navigate the final few corners yesterday in Benidorm with a broken saddle – while remaining seated most of the time – may have certainly been impressive, and rather wince inducing, and was enough a World Cup victory, end Mathieu van der Poel’s unbeaten streak (or should be that be Van der Pole? I’ll get my coat), and ensure that he won’t be forever haunted by that post-barrier remount fail.
But the Belgian superstar has a long way to go if he wants to emulate the sans saddle skills of Cindy Whitehead, the American mountain bike hall of famer and multiple world champion, who secured a famous win at the Sierra 7500 race in 1986 – despite snapping her saddle less than a mile into the 50-mile race.
“The Sierra 7500 was a race named for the 7,500 feet of elevation changes from the desert floor of Bishop to the 13,000-foot mountaintops of the Buttermilk mountains of the Eastern Sierras,” Whitehead told Mountain Bike Action several years ago.
“I began the 50-mile race fast and hard. It was a drought year, and there was lots of sand. The first sandy wash, which was about one mile into the 50-mile race, was too difficult for me to cross and ride out of, so I dismounted my bike and ran with it to the top of a small hill. I ran alongside my bike and jumped onto it, cyclocross-style, only the binding bolt broke and my seat came off.
“After watching many riders pass me by, as I stood there sad and stunned, since I never moved my seatpost up or down, it was stuck inside the seat tube. I rode the next 49 miles climbing with it that way [with no saddle].
“I had the top female rider, Jacquie Phelan, in my sights. Instead of quitting, I chased her down and passed her. Jackie said, ‘I knew you wouldn’t quit,’ and she passed me again.
“We traded the lead several times before I finally broke away from her close to the summit and won that race.”
Blimey. Puts a few turns in Benidorm into perspective, eh Wout?
The most dramatic cyclocross race ever? Wout van Aert – missing saddle and all – wins Benidorm epic to finally end crash victim Mathieu van der Poel’s unbeaten run (while Tom Pidcock goes over the handlebars with bunny hop fail)
Well, that was something special, wasn’t it?
Yesterday’s 13th round of the 2023/24 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm had almost everything you could want from a bike race (apart from designated cycle parking, of course, but that’s another story).
In a thriller of a women’s race on the fast, technical circuit bang in the centre of the much-maligned Spanish tourist resort, world champion Fem van Empel just about got the better of Puck Pieterse, diving past her eternal rival on one of the last few corners before holding her off in the sprint for the line, after a close-fought, blow-for-blow encounter.
(Zubiko/SWpix.com)
While Van Empel took the win in the rainbow jersey, World Cup leader Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado also earned her fair share of plaudits, recovering from a recent back injury and a difficult opening spell to claw herself back into contention by the final lap, only to be finally dropped by the dominant leading due on the course’s long and decisive road climb.
(Zubiko/SWpix.com)
And then, just when you were thinking you’d already been treated to a feast of ‘cross action, all hell broke loose on the Costa Brava in the men’s race, billed as this season’s unofficial world championships thanks to the presence of the so-called ‘Big Three’.
First off, Mathieu van der Poel – aiming for his 11th consecutive ‘cross victory during what had been an unbeaten winter – was forced off his bike in the opening corners, as a 20 second-plus gap quickly opened to the leaders.
Faced with this unexpected barrier to his normally serene path to victory, the world champion then unleashed the kind of shock and awe we all know he’s capable of, producing one of the images of the winter as he scorched through the field on the climb like a hot Dutch knife through ‘cross butter:
💬 “I didn’t have the freshest legs.”
– 🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel, Benidorm 2024.pic.twitter.com/n5Edq4Ty8D
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) January 21, 2024
But then, on the penultimate lap, after a frenetic, constantly evolving race where riders drifted in and out of contention throughout, Van der Poel’s unbeaten season finally came to a thudding end in a crash missed by the TV cameras, the world champion’s shoulder colliding equally as hard with a course-side pole (no easy bouncing off the crash protection while cutting the corner this time, Mathieu).
@mathieuvdpoel unfortunely crash.@AlpecinDCK @Ciclismoafondo_ @UCI_CX @tompidcock #cycling #CXWorldCup #CXBenidorm #MathieuVanderPoel #ThibautNys pic.twitter.com/DCOX4xsfhn
— Pablo Jiménez del Río (@_pabloj51_) January 21, 2024
Now, that looked painful.
And that was that. Or so we thought. After dispatching the brilliant European champion Michael Vanthourenhout, Van Aert – racing his final ‘cross lap of the season – looked to have the win in the bag, and duly opted to take the final barriers a touch more conservatively, neglecting to bunny hop them in favour of a quick dismount.
Then, in a moment that will be played over and over again long after his career is over, the Visma-Lease a Bike star made a right pig’s ear of his remount, crashing to the ground, before – unbeknownst to most viewers at the time – kicking off his saddle as he scrambled back onto his bike.
Quite a way to end the race! Van Aert 🇧🇪 took the win but he did have some last gasp drama! #CXWorldCup #CXBenidorm pic.twitter.com/tyxBCvtdnu
— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) January 21, 2024
Fortunately for Van Aert, he had already done enough to secure the victory just ahead of Vanthourenhout – but, judging by the post-race photos of his saddle-less bike, those last few corners couldn’t have been overly comfortable for the Belgian…
Así quedó el (no) sillín de @WoutvanAert tras la caída en la última vuelta en la zona de los tablones del @BenidormCX.
“Fue una cagada. A penas conseguí hacer los últimos 100 metros”, reconocía el belga en los micrófonos de la UCI.
📸 @ZubikoPhoto pic.twitter.com/Cj5Hnt6AWT
— VOLATA (@ccvolata) January 21, 2024
Ouch…
Or maybe he’ll just jot it down as some much-needed practice for the discomfort of Paris-Roubaix? Anyway, they almost certainly explain his very upright, very careful celebration:
Careful, Wout (Zubiko/SWpix.com)
Oh, and what about the other member of cyclocross’s Big Three, Tom Pidcock?
Well, after a plucky ride throughout the race, and some attacks off the front, the bike handling boy wonder of cycling was let down by his, ahem, bike handing, crashing out of the top five after misjudging the kind of bunny hops he eats for breakfast.
Carnage, pure carnage. But at least we can all laugh about it now…
Apparently these 3 are the “big 3 of cyclocross” pic.twitter.com/XrhJgXOumn
— Cyclocross Social (@Cyclocrosss) January 21, 2024
Cyclocross. What a sport.
“Cars are last in the list,” says council officer defending plan to build five new cycle lanes amid concerns from motorists about road quality
A council officer, responding to criticism and concerns from drivers about the quality of local roads at a time when the local authority is progressing with a project to build five new cycle lanes, has told councillors and constituents that “the new hierarchy is pedestrians first, cyclists, buses and everything else” and “cars are last”.
Invercycle Council officer Gordon Leitch responded to questions about the perceived disparity between the number, and quality, of cycle lanes being built in the area compared with the quality of roads in the district by insisting “cars are last in the list unfortunately”.
Read more: > “Cars are last in the list,” says council officer defending plan to build five new cycle lanes amid concerns from motorists about road quality
“We need to urgently remove conflicts between vulnerable road users and vehicles where ever possible”: Councillor calls for better protection for cyclists on notorious Oxford roundabout after yet another collision
An Oxford councillor has called for the removal of all “conflict” between vulnerable road users and motorists after yet another cyclist was injured following a collision with a driver on The Plain, the notorious roundabout where Dr Ling Felce was killed by a lorry driver while riding her bike in March 2022.
However, despite a series of safety measures being introduced since Dr Felce’s death – such as the banning of peak-hour deliveries and left turns from Cowley Road onto Iffley Road, as well as the introduction of cameras – in an attempt to rid The Plain of its reputation as the UK’s “most dangerous junction”, cyclists are still being hit by motorists while navigating the junction.
On 18 January, a cyclist was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a driver on the roundabout, the Oxford Mail reports.
“I did not witness the collision itself but saw the aftermath. The collision involved a vehicle and person on a bike and the emergency services were in attendance last night,” Katherine Miles, Liberal Democrat councillor for Summertown Ward, posted on Twitter.
“Another incident at the Plain reaffirms our collective resolve to continue to pursue Oxfordshire’s goal of Vision Zero, to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries on our city and county’s roads,” she continued.
“To achieve this means we need to urgently remove conflicts between vulnerable road users and vehicles where ever possible.
“This will make it safer for people of all ages who can travel by bike to do so, which will reduce congestion and speed up buses.”
“You’re putting yourself and your family in danger to prove a point”: Clip of mum cycling with child on “tricky” road with “total lack of cycling infra” divides opinion
I feel like we’ve been here before.
The debate around children riding their bikes on the road has proved a prominent one over the last few years, popping up more than a few times on road.cc (and that’s before we get on to whether kids should be able to cycle on the pavement. Yes, really).
Last May, we reported that a motorist received a fair amount of criticism online after she exited her car (which, incidentally, was parked on the road) to scold a group of schoolchildren for riding their bikes “in the middle” of the road – on what was at that point an extremely empty residential street.
That peculiar incident came just six months after perhaps the most famous ‘child rides bike on road’ furore of recent times, which saw practically half of the Conservative Party – including former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, peer Baroness Foster, and Tory London Assembly leader Susan Hall – weigh in on a clip of a motorist failing to stop to let a five-year-old cyclist past on a road lined with parked cars, before narrowly passing the youngster.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the party’s current stance on the so-called ‘war on the motorist’, Javid and co. leapt to the defence of the driver as the clip went viral, with the Bromsgrove MP responding to a tweet from the Jeremy Vine on 5 Twitter account (who else?), which asked viewers who they thought was “in the wrong”, by writing: “The five-year-old’s father”.
> Sajid Javid blames father of five-year-old cyclist for letting child ride on road in viral video
And then, a video of another five-year-old boy picking his way safely through traffic and parked cars again went viral, with most commenters (for a change) praising the young cyclist’s skills and road awareness.
However, over the weekend, the same young lad earned some more online notoriety – and ushered in a much more divided response from the Twitter hordes.
Turnpike Lane is one of the most tricky areas we cycle; there’s is a total lack of cycling infra.
This road is wide enough for some bike lanes, which would make for a safer & more pleasant journey for all vehicles.
I feel they would also enable more ppl get around by bike! 🚲 pic.twitter.com/mf02jaNoXU
— Francesca Savage 🚲💕 (@francesca_kms) January 20, 2024
The clip, posted by active travel advocate Francesca Savage, shows her cycling with her child on Turnpike Lane in north London, while calling for better protection for cyclists of all ages.
“Turnpike Lane is one of the most tricky areas we cycle; there’s a total lack of cycling infra,” she tweeted.
“This road is wide enough for some bike lanes, which would make for a safer and more pleasant journey for all vehicles. I feel they would also enable more people to get around by bike!”
However, many weren’t impressed by Francesca’s family-oriented active travel approach.
“Why not cycle with a child somewhere safer and go a different route?” asked James, prompting Francesa to reply: “Unfortunately we have to take this route and it’s the only way we can get to our destination. We use our bikes to get from A-B.”
Others, naturally, were even blunter in their appraisal of the video.
“As a driver I am required to have two hands on the steering wheel. It is required during my test, and ensures I am in full control of my vehicle at all times. Riding with one hand means you are not in full control of your cycle and pose a risk to other road users and yourself,” wrote Daniel.
“Cyclist mentality ‘kids dead but I had the legal right’,” added Matthew, while JibbaJabba said: “I would NEVER take my kids cycling on the roads. Far too many bad drivers out there. Terrible parenting” (which, as readers of the London Cycling Campaign’s recent report on women cycling in the capital, is an all too common accusation thrown at mums cycling with their children).
“Vid like this makes my blood run cold, as a father once I’d never ever put my family in danger like that,” added Fred, in a similar vein. “I cycle and motorcycle, I just feel you’re putting yourself and family in danger to prove a point.”
Despite the cold weather, it was nice to see so many people out on their bikes! 🥶🚲🥶 pic.twitter.com/WG8q8ud2tq
— Francesca Savage 🚲💕 (@francesca_kms) January 20, 2024
However, not everyone was as scathingly critical of a five-year-old riding his bike on the road.
“It’s so great to see you occupying the road space and normalising cycling for your child. Keep going, we need to change the culture,” said Dan.
“Great to see a family cycling together, keep it up,” wrote Chris, while Sean said: “Some of the comments on here… More pressure needs to be put on local authorities everywhere to put proper infrastructure in place for cyclists.”
Finally, Dave concluded: “Why do so many people want to live in a society where riding to the local shop with your kid on a bike is considered such a bad thing to do?”
Well, exactly…
“Bizarre behaviour”: Motorist slammed for boasting about passing cyclists “as close as I could” and “almost” clipping one
How about a nice, light-hearted social media furore to kick off your week, eh?
But before we get to the latest anti-cycling attention seeker, a bit of context first. On the next episode of the road.cc Podcast – which will be on all good, and some rubbish, streaming platforms from this coming Thursday – I chat to Will Cubbin, the manager of the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, who is currently undertaking a PhD exploring the relationship between cyclists and motorists on the road.
As part of his research, Will has found that many drivers – particularly those with limited or no knowledge of cycling or, worryingly, the Highway Code – view certain actions by cyclists, like taking up primary position in the middle of the lane, not as the result of external factors (such as the sudden narrowing of the road or the upcoming presence of a traffic island) which force them to adopt a safer position, but as a result of “defects” or flaws in the cyclist’s character.
Which is why, then, social media is inundated with angry motorists spewing anti-cycling venom for the simple reason that some people were riding bikes on a road. And which brings me to our new friend Donny.
Posting a photo of two cyclists riding single file on a rural road (a photo which may or may not have been taken from behind the wheel), Donny wrote: “Had a brilliant time passing these w*****s as close as I could, almost clipped one with my wing mirror.
“They definitely knew I was there unless they were hard of hearing #beepbeep. Hopefully upset a few w*****s. #muppets.”
Hmmm. Never has the muppet hashtag been more appropriate. (Warning: Probably best to steer clear of Donny’s other Twitter posts. Frighteningly, this close pass one is probably the tamest of the lot.)
Anyway, Donny’s dangerous driving confession was mostly met with bafflement by Twitter-using cyclists, while some were concerned about the long and steady rise of this kind of irrational hatred towards other road users.
“There seems to be an increase in people incriminating themselves on social media because of their deep hatred of other road users,” wrote CyclingInASkirt. “Bizarre behaviour.”
“It’s truly bizarre,” agreed Chris. “I really hope someone has footage of this close pass and Donny gets an NIP through his door very soon.”
“Assume you’re trying to generate clicks but that’s a really weird thing to say and or do. Imagine they were your friends/parents/kids etc,” said Fingers McGurty (probably not their real name).
You’ve picked a right one there.
He’s a proper one!
He’s not the sharpest tool in the box…..will be telling his mates down the yoof club how he’s triggered the cyclists.— Rate My Rant 🚴♀️ (@rant_rate) January 21, 2024
“What is he annoyed about exactly?” asked Tom.
“Using a mobile phone while driving and being distracted is more likely to cause an accident than those cyclists,” noted Ian, rather helpfully.
“Pretty sure we can add that to list of things that didn’t happen,” added CBikeLondon.
Which, thankfully, is almost certainly the case with this one. Well at least I hope so, anyway.
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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.
62 thoughts on ““Bizarre behaviour”: Motorist slammed for boasting about passing cyclists “as close as I could”; Mum cycling with child on “tricky” road clip divides opinion; Best race ever? Saddleless Van Aert wins Benidorm epic; Shaun Bike Ryder + more on the live blog”
Sandford Police have come out
Sandford Police have come out in support of cycling mikey !
“If people didn’t drive like bellends then Michael wouldn’t have any drivers to report So is it the drivers fault, or Michael’s fault?”
although someone did try and rebalance their posts with
“Michael hypnotises the drivers to make them drive like bell ends so that he has content for his u toob channel. He makes £71.75 from every video he publishes, or £80.08 if he can make the driver swear.”
I have to admit I find
I have to admit I find sticking anything on youtube without the consent of the people concerned a pretty bad idea. He should forward the material to the police to the police if it’s a police matter.
Not really sure what you mean
Not really sure what you mean.
CM puts stuff up after court cases have been concluded
Black Belt Barister covers youtube videos here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxxzOoWpW1c
and concludes there is nothing illegal and very little anyone can do except in very specific circumstances.
It strikes me as petty and a
It strikes me as petty and a bit vindictive, at least if I am thinking of the same bloke. It’s one thing to show examples of bad driving, which can be instructive. But publicising registration numbers, showing arguments with drivers etc., has no real value other than to punish the divers in question. And, IMO, punishing people should be left to the courts.
How do you propose the
How do you propose the average person can show bad driving without showing the reg ? And unless you show a good portion of video, then the comments are ‘what happened before’. Not sure how you find out who the driver is from the reg.
What do you make of dashcam channels on youtube ?
Depends on the channel, I
Depends on the channel, I suppose. The ones I’ve seen just show examples of bad driving without all the other stuff.
Hirsute wrote:
Good point, the police clearly can’t, sometimes even with a video of the driver with his distinctive tattoos!
I have to admit I find
I have to admit I find sticking anything on youtube without the consent of the people concerned a pretty bad idea
Then this is the wrong website for you! Cheerio!
PS There may well be a job for you at Lancashire Constabulary
Guess you have the same
Guess you have the same thoughts about all the dash-cam channels and the TV shows.
Legally … if you are in a public place, there is no right to privacy in the UK.
Someone wants to photograph you, video you or record your presence … they can.
And they do not need or require your consent to do it, or to use the images either.
That doesn’t mean they should
That doesn’t mean they should do it though. The only people who profit from it are the internet companies.
Likelihood of ‘Donny’ or any
Likelihood of ‘Donny’ or any of the other self-incriminating cocksockets getting a NIP … or anything… from the Police is the square root of fuck-all.
A tale of two (reported)
A tale of two (reported) drivers
https://bikeworcester.org.uk/2024/01/a-tale-of-two-reported-drivers/
Wow. What a contrast with
Wow. What a contrast with Gloucestershire. I found this link on the site as well with guidance on submissions.
https://bikeworcester.org.uk/2023/06/operation-snap-submission-guidance/
Standout points to me are 20second videos are fine and will save the officer time and you will get a confirmation email and a follow up email after review. Contrast with Glos who want 2 minutes either side and will not get back to you.
Also a close pass map
https://bikeworcester.org.uk/2023/06/close-pass-map/
I see they put for one of the
I see they put for one of the ones they won’t take action on
“Driver overtaking person on a bike by crossing solid central white line”
Must be lancs influence !
“Driver overtaking person on
“Driver overtaking person on a bike by crossing solid central white line”
Must be Lancs influence !
https://upride.cc/incident/b5hol_tanker_closepassdwlcross/
https://upride.cc/incident/dhw5w_velar_dwlcross/
They didn’t do anything if
They didn’t do anything if the driver doesn’t cross the line either. Here is a reply I got after I had submitted a close pass where the diver came very close at speed but didn’t cross the white lines. I can’t comment on what the situation is now as I don’t get any feedback since they went to op snap.
“In terms of videos you send us I can’t give you a simple flow chart where the answer is pre-determined. There will always be a degree of subjectivity in all decisions. If you are passed close by a vehicle and this causes you to swerve or brake sharply this would be a factor we would consider. There is no offence of close passing.
For example I was sent a video yesterday of a cyclist on a 50 mph road doing more than 10 mph. The road had double white lines down the middle so by the letter of the law no-one can overtake the cyclist as he is going too fast and you can’t break the lines. One car did break the white lines – committing a traffic offence. The next vehicle squeezed between the white lines and the cyclist. Sticking to the letter of the law but I would say performing a more dangerous and inconsiderate manoeuvre.”
Obviously the PC concerned was doing his best and he took the time to get back to me. I suspect it was a training issue or perhaps they had tried to enforce an incident in the past and the prosecution failed to achieve a conviction in court. I witnessed the standard of the prosecutors when I did jury service.
If you are passed close by a
If you are passed close by a vehicle and this causes you to swerve or brake sharply this would be a factor we would consider
I have today been taken to task by Hirsute for recalling the days when Essex (may have been the police on their own, or the rubbishy ‘Partnership’ they have there now) justified the ‘we’re not doing anything, Whingeing Cyclist’ decision because the close-passed cyclist hadn’t ‘wobbled or braked’. Hirsute says it’s not like that in Essex now. However, the baton has clearly been passed to Bungle’s OpSnap’s Dodging Department. Bungle is, as usual, too charitable in asserting that, obviously, the PC ‘was doing his best’. No he bloody wasn’t, the lying b*****d- it’s doesn’t take even a PC’s intellect to realise that there is no time to swerve or brake when you suffer assaults like these. If you were the sort of cyclist who went to pieces when close-passed, you’d be dead by now!
https://upride.cc/incident/ca70mkc_citroenvan_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/pe69ooc_clio_closepassspeed/
Even the anti-cyclist, useless, idle police know this despite almost none of them having any sort of clue about cycling or empathy with cyclists
I can see how you have come
I can see how you have come to the conclusions you have about Lancs police and I have nothing but admiration for your tenacity at trying to get somewhere with them. I am afraid though that you will have to accept that some forces are getting better. If you read the link that @hirsute gave in his original post you will see that West Mercia are cooperating fully with the local cycling group and acting on reports they send in, they even got given cameras.
From a graph that @hirsure posted recently it looked like Gloucestershire improved for a while before reverting to NFA.
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-19-january-2024-306271
I suspect the officer was hinting that I should swerve or brake so that he could do something. Unfortunately, like you, I don’t usually have the presecence of mind in the heat of the moment and concentrate on not getting killed.
There is hope though, GLOS have just arrested a driver on suspicion of attempted murder for seriously injuring a cyclist. Should be interesting.
https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/attempted-murder-arrest-after-man-9049026
This is what they claimed for
This is what they claimed for Dec 23
This is what they claimed for
This is what they claimed for Dec 23
The important part of NIP is ‘intended’. Unless people can be bothered to follow them up in the manner of Cycling Mikey, these are apt to be binned by the police for any excuse, often blamed on CPS because ‘nothing to do with us, squire’. I think that most of those NIPS are abandoned without telling the reporter, while accepting that my view has been terminally jaundiced by the conduct of the bent police here. When they refuse to tell you the actual outcome when you inquire, usually citing GDPR, you know it was either nothing at all or ‘words of advice’
That’s quite worrying. Bob
That’s quite worrying. Bob sounds exactly the sort of person who shouldn’t be allowed to drive. I’m curious if he has a criminal record, has extreme right wing views or if he’s a football fan. There does seem to be a correlation between those with an irrational hatred of cyclists, a criminal past, far right views and football.
You’re not a fan of the
You’re not a fan of the beautiful game then ?
I’ve been a season ticket
I’ve been a season ticket holder for a premiership team for 10 years. I watch my son play regularly with his team. But I’ve also seen how many bile filled anti-cycling posts there are on the Interweb and when I’ve bothered to look further, it’s of note how almost all of them are from people who follow football closely.
Often with replies such as
Often with replies such as ‘always kickball supporters’ , ‘I knew it would be kickball before I looked at the profile’.
well in all the years Ive
well in all the years Ive been going to football matches, I cant say Ive ever noted that correlation, indeed Ive sat next to one season ticket holder at a game who spent more of the match watching a stage of La Vuelta on their phone than the action on the pitch.
It seems young Donny on the
It seems young Donny on the socials isn’t the brightest match in the box, I almost feel sorry for the lad.
I wonder if he’d like a trip
I wonder if he’d like a trip to Ruwanda.
His registration number and
His registration number and car ought to be well publicised, so that it is quite clear – if he ever actually caused harm – that it was not simple “careless driving” and was in fact his intention
Am missing the irony there?
Am missing the irony there? We do realise this is a parody account, don’t we?
Are you sure?
Are you sure?
Michael Scott wrote:
Donny or Peted76? There is no evidence that I have seen that Donny is a parody. Certainly breaches the rules on Parody accounts being clearly labelled.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
How very dare you!
peted76 wrote:
The post was grammatically ambiguous!
Michael Scott wrote:
I’m not so sure.. I had a quick butchers (pun intended) and I didn’t see much irony.. the only ‘funny’ bit I saw was him tagging in Sandford Police a couple of times.. but even they seemed to reply to him in all seriousness. I think he might actually be ‘that thick’.
peted76 wrote:
I agreed though I would replace Thick with “that much of a PoS”.
I chat to Will Cubbin, the
I chat to Will Cubbin, the manager of the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, who is currently undertaking a PhD exploring the relationship between cyclists and motorists on the road
Yet another of these hopeless ‘Partnerships’, designed to remove any vestige of responsibility from any of the individual ‘Partners’. I recall that it was Essex which came up with the notion that a close pass at any speed wasn’t close enough if the cyclist didn’t ‘brake or wobble’ on the video
Well. I’m 2/2 this year
Well. I’m 2/2 this year without braking or wobbling, so I think they have uped their game.
Regarding “Why don’t cyclists
Regarding “Why don’t cyclists use cycle lanes?”, would it be an offence to move all the stuff that’s cluttering the cycle lane to a free bit of road to the right of the cycle lane?
john_smith wrote:
I’d guess that it could count as littering or obstructing the highway, but what’s the chance of a copper being around to see you do it?
Does it count as littering or
Does it count as littering or obstructing the highway if the stuff is already there though, and you just move it off your lane?
If it’s obstructing the
If it’s obstructing the highway outside of the cycle lane, it’s obstructing it in it too.
Never mind idiots putting
Never mind idiots putting nonsense like that on Twitter – we have had reasonably-well-known-to-a-daytime-TV-audience figures boasting in a national newspaper (Well, chef James Martin in the Daily Mail) about intimidating cyclists whilst driving, and making them crash:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/green-living-blog/2009/sep/15/james-martin-cyclists
It’s just part of the whole “cyclists aren’t humans, and don’t belong on the roads” worldview.
Why are Road.cc reporting
Why are Road.cc reporting Donny Gibbs comments as if it was a genuine account not a parody?
Probably because most of us
Probably because most of us encounter the parody, as a real situation, far too often for it to be put down as just a funny joke.
I didn’t realise it was a
I didn’t realise it was a parody to be fair. It aligns very closely with an awful lot of Twitter bile
Michael Scott wrote:
Please supply any evidence that its a parody. No mention of parody in the name or bio.
Though come to think of it might be worth a crowd sourced effort if all @road.cc twitter followers reported it as one tha is breaching the rules?
“I would NEVER take my kids
“I would NEVER take my kids cycling on the roads. Far too many bad drivers out there. Terrible parenting”
Yes indeed, those drivers must have had terrible parents.
Indeed. The roads are too
Indeed. The roads are too dangerous (because of drivers) so the answer is for everyone else to stay indoors or otherwise jump in a car and put children at risk (won’t somebody please think of the children!).
Also loved this comment: “As a driver I am required to have two hands on the steering wheel. It is required during my test, and ensures I am in full control of my vehicle at all times. Riding with one hand means you are not in full control of your cycle and pose a risk to other road users and yourself,”
I was out for a ride at the weekend & had to make a left turn part way down a hill. It’s well known to me, you have to scrub quite a lot of speed & the road surface is usually covered in loose gravel soooooo… I’d have to agree, indicating (ie taking one hand off the bars) is certainly sketchy at that point. Imagine my confusion then when I got a mouthful off the driver that zoomed up behind me (at some pace) as I approached the turn in question, raging about me “not f*cking indicating AND “holding me up””. Given that I knew the road, I had indicated way ahead of the turn, despite this clearly putting me and every Daily Mail reader on the planet at risk, so I’m not sure how I was supposed to win in this situation? Come to think of it, how does my drivist friend indicate, or change the radio station, or wipe the froth from his mouth without putting other people at risk…….? or did he literally mean it was only required during his driving test? Asking for a friend.
He may drive a BMW or Audi,
He may drive a BMW or Audi, which as we all know dispensed with indicators decades ago.
Oh indeed, in fact indicating
Oh indeed, in fact indicating at all became optional around the same time that observing speed limits and not parking on bends/opposite junctions/in cycle lanes became an advisory I seem to recall.
How is one supposed to use
How is one supposed to use the indicators when you’re on the (hand-held) phone & smoking a joint?
andystow wrote:
I had indicators fitted to my BMW when I purchased it new a year back. It took ages to arrange as it seems it is an optional extra which hardly anyone purchases. Those that do face a wait as the only person who knows how to fit them is semi retired and thus, only works part time.
I’m going to have them also fitted to my new i7 m70 when I order it later in the year. Its worth it for the tons of fun I have surprising people by firstly using my turn signal and then turning the other way.
Worth every penny!
Clem Fandango wrote:
I was in a traffic queue this morning approaching the clifton suspension bridge (lots of oncoming traffic, so there wasn’t space for me to filter past).
As the queue moved forward, the car in front of me seemed to suffer from the whatsapp gap and then the driver realised the queue had moved. She lurched the car forward two or three car lengths and applied the brake again.
Thing is: she had her hands up clasped behind her neck while she did it…
Donny – the guy so proud of
Donny – the guy so proud of nearly clipping a cyclist with his wing mirror – actually has “hate cyclists” as part of his Twitter / X bio.
How empty and flat must your personality be, that THAT is a facet of your personality you feel needs to be advertised? THAT is something that you can proudly say about yourself?
SUVs drive trend for new cars
SUVs drive trend for new cars to grow 1cm wider in UK and EU every two years, says report
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/22/cars-growing-wider-europe-report
This is why I think that
This is why I think that Estate vehicles are a better choice when using a car is necessary.
Generous boot space, lower driving position and not much wider than a city car, if a vehicle has a smaller and economical engine it does everything these Personal School Buses will ever get to do, better, and offers less risk to other road users. I can also fit 2 large bikes in the back with one side of the rear seats down (wheels removed)
My own Estate is a 0.9l which does +50mpg (motorway) and is the lowest tax bracket for emissions.
As an amateur racer with a wife suffering from chronic health issues and neurodivergent child sometimes using a car is a necessary evil. I try to limit my mileage as much as possible, and try to commute by bike most days.
Matthew Acton-Varian wrote:
Have you considered however, as all right thinking people do, that SUVs are bigger, and therefore better. So the estate car while being more efficient, more practical, cheaper, safer, easier to park, more enjoyable to drive and in almost every way better, is actually worse.
/s
Tell me you’re a world-class
Tell me you’re a world-class asshole without telling me you’re a world-class asshole, Donny.
Dremel to the rescue again.
Dremel to the rescue again. Forgot to check my spd cleats often enough to notice the wear.
As a bonus, when looking for ‘what to do with the whatisthisbitfor’ , I discovered that two of the thingumies will clean tiles too ! Should get a few brownie points at home.
(also saw a photo of cleaning the rear derailleur – although I’d want to practice on a really old one first).
On “Clip of mum cycling with
On “Clip of mum cycling with child on “tricky” road”: practically all of those parking spaces in the clip are empty. Couldn’t they therefore be replaced with a cycle lane (even a painted lane), or would that cause all of those takeaway shops to immediately go bankrupt?
Turnpike Lane is in Haringey.
Turnpike Lane is in Haringey. So no chance of any cycle infrastructure.
Dear Donny
Dear Donny
Thanks for admitting to the world (and more importantly the police and DVLA) that you should be banned from driving for life, without specifically saying that you should be banned from driving for life.