A56 pop-up cycle lane sabotaged; Man completes 220 mile ride home on tiny kids’ bike; Everesting record attempt underway; Naked cyclist with face mask asked garage worker to perform sex act; New £1,499 Garmin smart watch + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Phil Gaimon on 'why cyclists ride in the road'
The former pro gives us a glimpse of what life if like for cyclists on busy roads in the US, with plenty of parallels to be drawn with cycling on this side of the pond. As well as answering the video’s fundamental question, Gaimon also treats us to some dodgy infrastructure and explains some everyday annoyances we can probably all relate to.
For a similarly-themed article from a British perspective, see our “Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane?” feature.
Chris Boardman's Tour de France in miles ridden, calories burned and money saved
My Tour de France:
22 days
44 commutes
308 miles
13,200 calories (52.8 🍺)
£61.60 mileage allowance claimed
(£77 saved for employer)
48.6kg of carbon not emittedI love this bike. pic.twitter.com/69Cfd9kYUG
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) September 20, 2020
Did you know you could claim mileage for cycling to work? Check out this explainer from Cycling UK to see if you could claim up to 20p per mile tax-free.
Man completes Glasgow to Manchester ride on tiny pink kids' bike
The journey is over!! #Glasgow 2 #Manchester on the little pink bike!!
With a sky dive midway through!But we don’t stop there, we still have money to raise please donate via https://t.co/w3yZFC7rDP pic.twitter.com/bKpgBNwpVm
— Wesley Hamnett (@WezHamnett) September 21, 2020
At some point yesterday evening, Wesley Hamnett arrived back in Wythenshawe after riding 220 knee and back-busting miles from Glasgow on a diminutive kid’s bike that belonged to his young daughter. Mr Hamnett was originally set to ride between Russia and Manchester before the pandemic hit, then decided to head up to Glasgow for a new, rather painful challenge in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support, Christie Charitable Fund, British Heart Foundation and the Wythenshawe Hospitals MFT Charity.
According to Glasgow Live Mr Hamnett buckled several wheels and suffered from a very sore back, but the good people of Scotland kept him going for the first part of his journey. He added: “The wheels keep buckling obviously because of my weight. There’s a place down in Moffat called Annandale Cycles. The first time the wheels buckled, the guy sorted me out – he swapped me wheels from his grandkid’s bike, for free. That made my day, it nearly made me cry. That’s how generous people have been.”
I have the best people around me ❤️ Thanku Enda Burke
Posted by Wesley Hamnett on Monday, September 21, 2020
The journey took six days on “barely any sleep”, and almost £5,000 has been raised at the time of writing – if you want to donate, the fundraising page is here.
Naked cyclist with face covering asked garage worker to perform sex act on him
Poole Police have issued an appeal for witnesses after the disturbing incident at a Shell garage on Waterloo Road, Poole on Tuesday 15th September, following reports of a man arriving by bike with no clothes, a backpack and a face covering. The man then allegedly asked a female shop assistant to perform sex acts on him several times before cycling off.
Police Constable Jack Morrison commented: “This must have been a distressing incident for the female shop worker and enquiries are underway to identify the man.
“I am appealing to anyone who may have been in the area at the time and witnessed any suspicious activity to please get in touch.
“I would also ask any motorists who were travelling along Waterloo Road around the time of the incident and may have captured anything on relevant on dashcam footage to contact Dorset Police.”
Canyon dhb rider Max Stedman attempting to break the everesting world record today
Stedman has chosen a hill in Somerset to attempt to complete the 8,848m of elevation faster than anyone before. After a year in which the men’s record has fell at least five times (we’ve lost track), the mark now stands at 7:04:41, set by Ronan Mc Laughlin in July, and Stedman’s wheel sponsor Hunt think a sub-7 might be on. We’ll update when the 24-year-old has finished his attempt and had everything ratified by Hells 500.
New Pantani film is coming out soon
The film, called ‘Il Caso Pantani’, is in Italian so a subtitle job for most of us, but it looks like a pretty intense watch from the trailer – it’s set to hit Italian cinemas on 12th October.
World championships: Rohan Dennis going for third TT win on the bounce, Pedersen confirms road course is "too demanding" for him to defend title
Assuming they pull it off, the people behind the rearranged world championships in Imola will deserve multiple pats on the back, having organised the whole thing in a few weeks following the cancellation of the original event in Switzerland.
The time trial is a 31.7km, mostly flat course for both men and women, with Rohan Dennis going for a historic third win. He said: “The Worlds has been on my mind throughout the lockdown. Regardless of the category it is always a great honour to race with the rainbow jersey. Every time I wear it I race to win. I am in good shape. It is always very special to participate in the most important race of the year, but to get a chance to fight for a win for the third time in a row and join an exclusive group of champions who have achieved this feat will be fantastic”
The road race will be contained entirely on a hilly 28.8km circuit, with the men covering it eight times and the women five times. Mads Pedersen won’t be there as he confirmed the course is “too demanding” and better suited to climbers, but Annemiek van Vleuten will be attempting to defend her title despite undergoing surgery on a fractured wrist last Sunday.
She said: “The fracture isn’t too bad, so there still is a slight chance that I might be able to compete with my teammates to defend the jersey on a course that really suits me. I’ll have to see how I am feeling in the next days and do my best to recover. In the meantime I am riding the rollers while wearing a brace to avoid exerting my injured arm”.
Sam Bennett's journey to the Tour de France Green Jersey
Here’s the story of how it happened in a classy vid put together by Deceuninck–Quick-Step: “a combination of unbelievable consistency, resilience and an extraordinary fighting spirit”, so they say. Specialized also sent us some fine photos of Bennett’s celebratory green Tarmac SL7 frameset if you fancy another ogle…
UK coronavirus restrictions: fines for breaking 'rule of six' double, and exemption for indoor team sports removed
Once again the new restrictions announced by Boris Johnson live in parliament today have thrown up a few questions for cyclists, but as far as we know (so far) ‘Covid-secure’ outdoor events are unaffected by the changes: “we’re not stopping team sports outside”, said the Prime Minister.
The fine for being in a group of more than six not including members of the same household will double to £200, so group rides with more than six participants in the same group are very much off.
"This is what we're up against": saboteurs remove cones and signs from what remains of A56 pop-up cycle lane in Stretford
This is what we’re up against. https://t.co/NOq1bJ9qoE
— Show Me A Sign In A Limited And Specific Way (@ShowMeASignBryn) September 22, 2020
Once again, this is where you double down with a permanent install.
Want to take the cones? Okay, guess we need to install something less portable.
Prìcks.
— Mike – Towards a Metric America! (@The_NavigatorBR) September 22, 2020
It’s shocking and will surprise no one, but it appears these are the lengths people will go to in order to stop people from travelling to work in a healthier and more sustainable way. OneTrafford say they are now working with their traffic management company Amey to quickly replace stolen signs, trellises and cones that mark out the remaining stretch of pop-up cycle lane between Stretford tip and Stretford Mall.
Despite the popularity of the pop-up route that originally went from Stretford to Manchester city centre, with a 421% rise in cycle journeys observed, most of it was removed following reports of increased motor traffic congestion. This had led to inevitable consequences…
Today was my last day cycling to work.
Large parts of the A56 pop-up cycle lane were removed last week. I’ve given it a go since but it just doesn’t feel safe any more.
If @AndrewHWestern does deliver a permanent route, I’ll be back.
For now I’m afraid I’ll be using the car.
— Paul Smith (@Paul_SLG) September 21, 2020
Garmin launch new Marq Athlete performance edition smart watch, priced at £1,499.99
Love sports? Recent lottery winner? Garmin’s Marq Athlete Performance Edition range is for you, with the most cyclist-friendly ‘Athlete’ version costing a penny under 1,500 quid with a heart rate bundle included (there’s also the ‘Driver’ edition for £1,899.99 if you’re partial to a bit of F1).
Described as “a luxury modern tool watch tuned to separate you from your rivals”, it’s got all the smart features you’ll find on Garmin’s top-of-the-range Forerunner but with extra special features such as “a diamond-like carbon finish” to the case, and the Pulse OX sensor to check on your oxygen levels at high altitudes.
If you’re in the market for the Marq Athlete Performance Edition, there’s probably every chance you’re a member of a very exclusive golf club… so luckily for you, the watch comes pre-loaded with maps for over 41,000 golf courses around the world.
You can check out the full specs over on Garmin’s website.
Strava CEO comments after Pogacar becomes first cyclist to share Tour de France victory on Strava
If you haven’t had enough facts and figures about the 21-year-old’s shock victory yet, it turns out he’s the first rider to share his Tour de France on Strava… well most of it anyway, as Pogacar’s last upload was stage 18 on the 17th September (he famously didn’t use a computer on the final climb of the stage 20 time trial, of course).
Commenting on Pogacar’s victory and the healthy number of riders using Strava, their CEO Michael Horvath commented: “People keep people active and at Strava, our mission is to connect athletes to what motivates them and help them to find their personal best.
“There are few things as inspiring and motivating as Tadej Pogacar’s spectacular come-from-behind victory at the Tour. Tadej, Primoz Roglic and Richie Porte embody the highest levels of striving in sport and we take our hats off to them.
“Kudos to Tadej Pogacar on a historic victory, and for becoming the first Tour winner to make his race part of the record of the world’s athletic activities on Strava.”
A pleasing infographic on the positive effect of low traffic neighbourhoods
We surveyed morning traffic in #railtonLTN across two month.
Here is what we found: pic.twitter.com/F4x7rgxDRX— Railton LTN (@RailtonLTN) September 22, 2020
Despite LTNs getting a rather bad reception from sceptical motorists in some parts of the country, these stats show what can be achieved when an LTN is done right – in a two month observational study, Railton LTN claim that they saw 90% more cyclists on Railton Road in Brixton, and 78% of all traffic on the road was cycle traffic. They also report that there were 96% more women cycling, and a 175% increase in people cycling with children.
Melbourne to get 1km of new cycle lane every two weeks
We’re installing more than 500 meters of new protected bike lanes each week. Here is a video of Queensbridge street which shows how these protected lanes make a real difference for cyclists.
This is part of our plan to fast-track 40km of new bike lanes over two years. pic.twitter.com/AJA2oLLokF— City of Melbourne (@cityofmelbourne) September 20, 2020
In total 40km will be installed in the city, with the works taking place over two years. With Australia not exactly known for its bike-friendliness, do changes like these represent a turning point Down Under?
Max Stedman set to fail in world record everesting attempt, but is still targeting the British record
According to Hunt Bike Wheels, Stedman is set to fall short of breaking Ronan Mc Laughlin’s 7:04:41 everesting, but may still break the British record of 7:44:00 set by Phil Stonelake less than two weeks ago.
22 September 2020, 07:33
This week's gear round-up
Five cool things coming soon from Giant, Boardman, Sigma Sport, Birzman and Crankbrothers
Some more of the best bikes, gear and clothing we're testing at the moment, with full reviews coming soon...
22 September 2020, 07:33
22 September 2020, 07:33
Some details on the bikes that propelled the young Slovenian to a shock Tour victory...
The bike(s) that snatched Tour de France victory at the last minute - Pogacar's Colnagos
Tadej Pogacar won the Yellow Jersey on the final time trial. Here are the Colnagos that carried him there
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Latest Comments
Many years since lived in Cheltenham but if the coach park is where I think it is there is another car park on the opposite side of Evesham rd also part of the race course and has an entrance off the main road and off a side road unlike the coach park it has no hard standing though ...
Ernest Hemingway was once sent off by his wife to buy a suit bag from a New York department store for an upcoming trip to Europe: the sales assistant showed him a top quality bag which, he assured him, could easily accommodate half a dozen suits. Hemingway explained, "Can afford bag. Can afford six suits. Can't afford both." I think this extraordinarily priced item would create the same problem, can afford through axle, or can afford a stand to attach to it, but...
Funny how opinions can differ. As a lifelong cyclist in The Netherlands (basically anything, from errands to daily commutes to cargo to mtb/gravel to bike messaging and bike packing) for over 4 decades, I've never missed a kickstand. There's just always something to lean my bike against, and apparently I am just very skilled at doing so, as my bike never tips over (pro tip: keep it almost vertical, and lean it with the rear *tire* against the pole/wall/tree etc.). Being a bike mechanic in my country means I deal with bikes with kickstands all the time, and I hate them. There's just about always something going on with them. They rattle, they have play because the bolts come loose, they creak, the black paint flakes off, the end cap gets lost, they are unstable. And of course, they are heavy, and ugly. And often quite expensive to boot.
I work at Decathlon as a bike mechanic in their Dutch service center, and products like this menstrual cycle bib shorts make me proud to work for them.
What an absolute dipshit that man is.
Feels like you're greeting an old friend there... Pretty sure that people driving motor vehicles often think that most others are "in the way" and that is generally the case for *different* transport modes "sharing space". No need to believe that infra will usher that in *! Indeed Calton Reid's work on the 1930s UK cycle path project (see britishcycletracks dot com) documents that the suspicions of cycle groups of the time eg. the Cycle Touring Club were correct - the planners *did* want cyclists off the roads! Of course the failure was not in providing cyclists with an alternative and trying to move them there but in letting the drivers of motor vehicles take the roads and streets over. Between heavy promotion / accommodation for drivers and the resulting unpleasant and dangerous conditions that resulted from so many humans driving, most people ditched the bike. Interesting to see where vehicular cycling folks fall: are they absolutist ("my right to ride on motorways")? Do they believe in "accidents" (or maybe the cyclists who die weren't ... skillful enough)? What do they think of all the others not riding - do they (apparently) not care ("I'm alright Jack"), do they think they're just weak / lazy, is it due to "dangerisation of a perfectly safe activity" (and if so why do many of them think that tiny active travel organisations manage to achieve this propaganda feat) etc.? * Aside what must be billions spent over the years on pro-driving lobbying, advertising etc. there's all that ancient human psychological kit of "us and them" and "detecting cheaters". Plus the fact that while cycling may have partly replaced horse riding the car has taken on its prestige / rank-marking function.
@ianking Riding back from a trip to Spain through France, it was noticeable that the amount of bad driving near us cyclists increased the farther north we got, and the cars had Brit plates.
@jackcycles On a very busy NSL A road with heavy coach and HGV traffic it makes perfect sense to provide cyclists with a separate carriageway. It's not saying cyclists don't belong on the road, it's saying here's a great way that everyone can enjoy cycling this route safely, even if they're a child or elderly person who can't manage above 10mph. I can't stand this posturing, usually from fit young racers who do feel safe on such a road, saying that separate cycling infra isn't necessary. On this sort of road even if every single driver is highly skilled and obeys the law and the Highway Code to the letter cycling would still be a highly unpleasant and somewhat dangerous experience, especially for the aforementioned young or elderly riders, riders lacking in confidence, small riders easily blown around by turbulence etc. Everyone involved, from Chris Boardman down to local cyclists, seems delighted with it; the idea that having a cycleway here isn't better for all concerned is what's "ludicrous and false".
@chrisonabike I could call it mamilism and get cheap bikes and lycra ;-)
As long as cars crossing the cycleway have to wait for bikes to pass rather than vice-versa,.I don't see a problem.
26 thoughts on “A56 pop-up cycle lane sabotaged; Man completes 220 mile ride home on tiny kids’ bike; Everesting record attempt underway; Naked cyclist with face mask asked garage worker to perform sex act; New £1,499 Garmin smart watch + more on the live blog”
You say Pantini…I say
You say Pantini…I say Pantani…have you appointed your new daily blog editor yet?
isn’t he the guy that does
Isn’t he the guy that does the sticker albums?
I thought it was hot
I thought it was hot sandwiches…..
“Did you know you could claim
“Did you know you could claim mileage for cycling to work? “
I thought it was only for cycling on company business, i.e. not commuting.
From the link, the first sentence under Cycle Mileage on the Cycling UK page states “Employees who use their own cycle for work (i.e. for cycling on business, not to and from work) are entitled to 20p per mile, tax-free. (N.B. there are different arrangements for self-employed people who use their cycles for business purposes. If this applies to you, it’s best to talk to your accountant or tax office directly to find out what you can claim, and what you can’t).”
You can claim mileage, as
You can claim mileage, as long as it is not your usual place of work. Same with claiming mileage when driving
You’re right and the text in
You’re right and the text in the article is wrong – quote from HMRC website: “
You may be able to claim tax relief if you use cars, vans, motorcycles or bicycles for work.
This does not include travelling to and from your work, unless it’s a temporary place of work.”
I think the confusion is CB
I think the confusion is CB used ‘commute’ for travel to a temporary place of work.
It’s an unfortunate fact that
It’s an unfortunate fact that sexual offences are, if not “common”, certainly not rare either (1.74% of adults reported being victims of indecent exposure in year ending March 2017). Does the fact that this particular offender arrived by bike really make this story newsworthy? Do motoring magazines publish stories about every time someone drives to/from a crime?
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/articles/sexualoffencesinenglandandwales/yearendingmarch2017
If it was in the local news
If it was in the local news perhaps – there’s no link to the original source.
Well I for one want to know
Well I for one want to know what chamios cream the miscreant uses.
(attempts at humour aside I had the same thought as OYB)
RE: Everesting record attempt
RE: Everesting record attempt.
The English language is probably the most important tool of a journalist’s trade. How do road.cc writers manage to mangle it so often?
Maybe the naked gentleman
Maybe the naked gentleman just wanted some air in his tyres and there was some confusion?
Or a misunderstanding about
Or a misunderstanding about how long you got with the valet hose for your £2.
They just had to go there, huh – I was going to post the story myself, but I thought, no we’ve had naked cyclist stories before: “rise above”, I said, “rise above”.
It’s more likely that
It’s more likely that Specialized sent you image of Bennett’s frame to plug the fact that you can buy it in limited numbers. And at a price that seems hiked up.
Now I’m no slouch, but surely
Now I’m no slouch, but surely there’s not many things that are more portable than that – I find it no problem to carry mine about everywhere I go
As luck would have it, I
As luck would have it, I watched the documentary “Pantani: the Accidental Death of a Cyclist” during my last couple of erg sessions. I’m not sure the story needs to be dramatized—the simple facts are like something from a Greek tragedy.
adamrice wrote:
Yes, a tragic story, but it seems probable that he was doping even as an amateur, so his entire career was fake and guaranteed to end badly.
Quote:
Given what we know about Australian attitudes to cycling, I wonder whether or not that is cumulative?
So – is it 1km, 2km, 3km, etc available to cyclists? Or, just a different 1km stretch of roadway each fortnight?
From the video I think they
From the video I think they’re just protecting existing lanes. Still an advance though, at least they’re moving forward.
I was sent to Melbourne for
I was sent to Melbourne for work a while back. I was only there for a few weeks so instead of using the company hire car i hired myself a bike to ride to work. Day 1 I get pulled over by the police for not wearing a helmet. I explained that i genuinely didn’t know and that the bike hire shop should have told me. The police treated me with such contempt and rudeness – threatened me with all sorts of sanctions and fines that I offered to pay just to let me go. I felt as if I had robbed a store at gun point such was their heavy handed behaviour.
It’s cumulative. The details
It’s cumulative. The details are here: https://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/building-and-development/shaping-the-city/city-projects/Pages/new-bike-lanes.aspx
Australian attitudes to cycling are changing, albeit at a glacial pace. Local govt aka city councils are quite supportive, but state govt departments haven’t quite connected the dots and federal govt support is non existent. So you see capital cities like Melbourne and Sydney quite committed to cycle commuting, and regional cities such as Wagga Wagga putting in 50km of cycleway, while at a state level there are planning principles favourable that the transport and roads depts ignore. Federal don’t know what a bike is. Result is councils have to beg for grant money to make the slightest bit of progress in most cases.
Maybe there are people who
Maybe there are people who are fascinated by the latest Everesting news…
The 190 minute ESPN two
The 190 minute ESPN two parter on Lance is on iPlayer, brought to you by Storyville.
And it’s there for over a year.
The David Millar film was on
The David Millar film was on the BBC Scotland channel on Saturday, might also be on iPlayer at least north of the border.
Nice mate.
Nice mate.
And Dave is definitely more likeable.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000mwqq/time-trial