“This is why drivers hate us”: Fuming Mini driver goes off-road to overtake huge group of cyclists, as “entitled” riders accused of “blocking whole road”; Van der Poel vaper “plain stupid”; Strava “shambles”; Ineos junior team link + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Get ready to sprinkle your favourite ice cream puns all over this one…
> “Common sense isn’t that common”: Ice cream van owner has meltdown over bikes blocking door… after parking beside cycle racks
“This is exactly the kind of start these young riders need”: Ineos Grenadiers announce partnership with new British junior team, building “much clearer bridge” to pro ranks
Development squads, eh? You wait a decade-and-a-half for one to show up, then three come along at once. Or at least that’s the case with the Ineos Grenadiers, anyway.
Last Thursday, Ineos unveiled the 12-man lineup for its new U23 Racing Academy, featuring, most notably, individual pursuit world champion Josh Charlton, who will be testing himself on the road in Ineos’ garish orange colours in 2026.
Comprising a UCI Continental team and elite young rider development programmes, Ineos says its Racing Academy will be “the cornerstone of the Grenadiers’ performance pathway”, providing a structured environment that mirrors the standards of the WorldTour, “preparing young riders for the rigours of racing as a team at elite level”.
And this morning, Ineos underlined its newfound commitment to developing young talent (as long as they’re male, of course) by announcing a partnership with newly formed British junior team, camsmajaco, which formed this winter following the merger of the Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco and Fensham Howes–MAS-CAMS squads.
As part of the relationship between the two British teams, camsmajaco will race an international and domestic calendar in 2026, with support from the Ineos performance structure, including coaching, education, development input, and access to the WorldTour squad’s European service course.
Camsmajaco will become Ineos’ second junior feeder team, after the North American U19 squad Hot Tubes, and will “create a new talent pathway for young British cyclists”, Ineos says.
Geraint Thomas, Ineos’ new director of racing and the public face of the team’s rebuild (who knows a thing or two about development programmes thanks to his time in the British Cycling Academy), said in a statement: “This UK-based partnership’s a really important part of our talent identification and development programme.
“The best young British riders will now be able to access the support of the Ineos Grenadiers and Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, while continuing to benefit from two outstanding junior programmes.
“This is exactly the kind of start these young riders need and I look forward to seeing the best of their generation come through over the next few years.”
“This is not just a great moment for our newly formed team in 2026 and beyond, but also for the future of Britain’s cycling talent,” added Fensham Howes–MAS-CAMS founder, new camsmajaco co-lead, and dad of Tom and Joe, Giles Pidcock.
“Both of our junior teams have already seen a number of our riders go on to reach the WorldTour, with many more on development programmes. Now we can provide a much clearer bridge to supporting this next step beyond the junior ranks.”
And at least they won’t have to wear that terrible kit right away, that’s a plus.
Mathieu van der Poel’s boss slams cyclocross spectator who blew vape smoke in Dutch star’s face as “just plain stupid”
Mathieu van der Poel has been the target of quite a few things lobbed in his direction by cycling ‘fans’ unhappy at his dominance over the years – spit, beer, rival-branded caps.
And now, as Dan reported on the live blog yesterday, we can now add the sickly sweet, hateful aroma of vape smoke to the list, after an unruly spectator puffed on his PlayStation controller and blew its contents straight into Van der Poel’s face, as the Dutch superstar navigated the final lap of another dominant winning display at the X2O Trofee Hofstade in Belgium.
??? | Het was zo’n prachtige cross na 17 jaar weer in Hofstade, maar dan is daar toch een smet. Een toeschouwer blaast zijn sigarettenrook in het gezicht van koploper Mathieu van der Poel. ??
? Stream cross op HBO Max! pic.twitter.com/80XE081Nij
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) December 22, 2025
“Yes, I felt it. That was right before the finish, wasn’t it? I don’t know if it was intentional, because I didn’t see,” Van der Poel, who was forced to turn his head when the cloud of strawberry-scented nonsense hit him, told Sporza after the race.
His Alpecin-Deceuninck manager Christoph Roodhooft was more scathing, describing the latest attempt to target Van der Poel at a race as “silly”.
“I don’t really want to say anything more about it. Isn’t reacting to something so stupid just plain stupid? It’s simply inappropriate and improper,” Roodhooft said.
“It’s a shame that something so small gets so much attention. All the riders were very positive, this is a fantastic course… That’s much more important to take home than an action like this.”
To be honest, I can see why Van der Poel is thinking about hanging up his cyclocross bike…
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane? Christmas shopping in Limerick edition
When you’re so desperate to buy the latest outdoor gear before Christmas, you have no qualms about parking in the cycle lane… ignoring the thousands of other spaces on offer elsewhere:
Just the 5 cars in the cycle lane by Arthurs Quay today. Literally thousands of parking spots in the area.
— Limerick Urban Cycling (@lmkurbancycling.bsky.social) December 21, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Strava’s Year in Sport paywall a “shambles”, say cyclists – but company says subscription unlocks “added layer of insights and storytelling”
As regular readers of the live blog know, I’m not a massive Strava fan. Never used it, in fact. But I know a lot of people like the app’s Year in Sport, a kind of Spotify Wrapped for people who ride bikes. And then like to pore over stats related to their bike riding.
Well, they did like it anyway, until they found out they have to pay for Strava’s premium subscription to access their Year in Sport results.
“Shambles Strava putting your Year in Sport behind a paywall,” The Big Bird wrote on Twitter. “You did this shit a few years ago and I thought you’d wised up as wasn’t behind a paywall last year. You can jog on! Way to piss people off!”
And Forrest Corbett said: “The more Strava puts behind a paywall, the more they are antagonistic towards partners and the less they treat their users with respect, the less likely I am to ever be a subscriber again.”
“Strava’s Year in Sport is such a low-effort summary. There are never really any interesting insights and it doesn’t delineate sports very well. It’s not worth subscribing for!” added Dani on Reddit.
However, not everyone was shocked that Strava’s yearly recap was behind a paywall.
“I’m quite surprised people are mad about this… everything can’t be free, then people can’t get paid,” Ben noted. “I use Strava most days, it’s pretty much ad free, I feel like it’s worth the money.”
Meanwhile, on their FAQs page, Strava did their best (kind of) to summarise the reasons behind the move.
“With the relaunch of our subscription this year, we wanted to clarify the core benefits of Strava – uploading activities, finding your community, sharing and giving kudos – remain as accessible as possible,” the fitness company said.
“The benefit of the subscription ensures that myriad activities get transformed into insights that can be tracked, assessed and benchmarked along a fitness journey. The added layer of insights and storytelling, including Year in Sport and monthly stat cards for example, are now unlocked via subscription.”
Ah, okay, I get it. I think…
Private Eye does cycling… again
I’ll just leave this here for you to assess its comic merits:
Five cool not very Christmassy things at Christmas
> Scribe promises its wheels are the “ultimate upgrade without the elite price tag”, plus more cool things from Look, Wahoo, Assos and Coospo
Christmas 'cross: Tibor Del Grosso outsprints Wout van Aert in Zolder thriller
Tibor Del Grosso will have a great Christmas this year, after the 22-year-old Dutch champion nabbed his first ever elite cyclocross series win at the Superprestige in Heusden-Zolder this afternoon.
And not only that, he did it by outsprinting his childhood hero (and five-time winner at Zolder) Wout van Aert in a brilliant, closely fought duel:
TIBOR DEL GROSSO WINS A THRILLER IN ZOLDER ?
The young Dutchman out-sprints five-time winner Wout van Aert to claim the victory ? pic.twitter.com/sWqxweS3xV
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 23, 2025
What a moment for young Tibor.
And earlier, in the women’s race, French champion Amandine Fouquenet soloed to a surprise, and very impressive, victory, taking advantage of cyclocrosser of the moment Lucinda Brand’s decision to take it slightly easier on the run-up to Christmas:
A big win for Amandine Fouquenet ??
The Frenchwoman claims her first win of the Superprestige series in Heusden-Zolder. pic.twitter.com/2jKbPHdhVj
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 23, 2025
Meanwhile, the battle for second (ultimately taken by Blanka Vas) was a fiesty affair, to say the least:
No love lost in the battle for second ?
Tempers were fraying in Zolder ? pic.twitter.com/YGTVlhnJ7I
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 23, 2025
Neilson Powless signs new four-year deal with EF Education-EasyPost, as American eyes classics success after shock Dwars door Vlaanderen win
Neilson Powless says he is targeting a big win in the classics next spring, after inking a new deal with EF Education-EasyPost that will tie him to the American squad until the end of 2029.
Since joining EF from Visma-Lease a Bike in 2020, Powless has cemented his status as a perennial contender in cycling’s one-day races, winning Clásica de San Sebastián in 2021 before – inspired the 2022 Tour de France’s foray onto the cobbles – trying his hand at the Flemish classics, an abrupt about-turn from his early reputation as a climber.
The 29-year-old has since achieved top tens in all the monuments bar Paris-Roubaix and earlier this year pulled off arguably the shock of the spring by outsmarting his old Visma teammates – despite being outnumbered three to one in the finale – and outsprinting Wout van Aert to take a stunning victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen.
And buoyed by that sensational win, Powless is out for more next year.
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
“I don’t think I ever would have realised that I could be a classics rider until I joined this team,” the American said in a statement announcing his contract extension with EF.
“This team is famous for its outside-of-the-box tactics. Letting me go to the classics, or the way Ben [Healy] raced into the yellow jersey at the Tour, or just the way we race the Tour every year, shows that. It makes it a really fun team to race for.
“Our tactics are always exciting and there are a lot of opportunities here for a lot of guys. That has helped me progress. I have found my niche in cycling here. Being opportunistic in hard, hard races has really paid off. That’s the way I’ve learned to race and the way I want to keep racing. This team is just the perfect environment for that.”
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
He continued: “I’ve transitioned into this opportunistic one-day racer, who’s able to race on almost any kind of terrain – cobblestones, climbing, flat, circuit races, or just super long point-to-points like Sanremo.
“I think I have developed into a really complete rider during my time on this team. The way that we go to races and try to achieve results has brought that out of me. I am really happy and proud of the kind of rider I have become. I never thought in a million years that I would try to win a cobbled classic, but it happened this year, and now I am chomping at the bit to back it up and build a spring around Monuments racing.
“I haven’t won a Monument yet. And that’s definitely a goal that I want to hit. But, just being able to be in the mix of every Monument I’ve started shows the completeness and the diversity of the athlete that I have become. It makes bike racing super fun, because I can go to every race and get involved in the action.”
Quick, someone roll out the red carpet, the road.cc Vodcast has arrived!
Yep, 2026 is fast approaching, so we finally decided to embrace a bit of modernity at road.cc, at least when it comes to the podcast.
After 120-odd episodes of audio-only goodness (and the occasional waffle) on the road.cc Podcast, some bright spark in the office recently came up with the revolutionary idea of hitting ‘record’ on the video function, too (apparently all the cool cycling podcaster kids are doing it these days).
Which means that, from now on, as well as simply listening to my dulcet Ulster tones, you can now fire up the ol’ YouTube and gawp at me, Jack, Dan, Emily, and our fantastic array of guests from around the cycling world as we converse over a dodgy internet connection.
We’re calling it, wait for it… the road.cc Vodcast. Basically it’ll be just like the normal road.cc Podcast, but with our cameras switched on. Exciting, I know.
> The first road.cc Vodcast is now live! Catch our podcast in video form in 2026
And what’s more, the brand-new road.cc Vodcast will also offer you the opportunity to keep tabs on our haircut routines, take a peek at pro cyclists’ kitchens, and have a nosey at my bookshelf. If that’s your kind of thing. You weirdos.
Anyway, I’m sure it’ll be great. And our very first ‘vodcast’ is already out, featuring this month’s discussion with Cadel Evans and Stuart O’Grady on race safety, how cycling has changed, and a certain dominant Slovenian:
Right, that’s me signing off for a few days now. Happy Christmas, and I’ll catch you all in a few days!
Northern Irish cycling community pays tribute to racing legend and celebrated photographer Billy Kirk, who died this month, aged 88
As we wind down for Christmas, I’d like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to one of Northern Ireland’s cycling greats, Billy Kirk, who passed away earlier this month at the age of 88.
Born in Newtownards, Billy was one of the great Irish cyclists of his generation, winning three Irish 25-mile time trial titles between 1957 and 1959. He dipped under the hour mark for 25 miles over 100 times in his career and even set his PB for the distance, 57.59, in 2006, at the age of 69.
Overcoming tuberculosis, the infection which claimed the lives of his parents at a young age, Billy kept riding his bike until very recently and was chairman of Ards Cycling Club.
He was also a celebrated photographer, capturing some of the most iconic images of Northern Ireland’s ‘troubles’, and earlier this year the Ulster Museum hosted an exhibition of his archive.
A brilliant and engaging raconteur, as well as an advocate for social and political justice, I had the pleasure of getting to know Billy a bit in recent years, and we’d attend history lectures together or just chat about cycling over a cup of tea (he invariably would turn up by bike wherever we went).
He was a great man and a true cycling legend. Cheers, Billy.
Oscar Onley’s move to Ineos Grenadiers confirmed, as British star says “opportunity to represent the team of my home country was one I couldn’t refuse”
And just like that, the transfer saga of the winter is over:
> Oscar Onley’s move to Ineos Grenadiers confirmed, as British star says “opportunity to represent the team of my home country was one I couldn’t refuse”
“As long as the grey area remains, the credibility of cycling will continue to suffer and riders’ health is at risk”: Anti-doping group MPCC urges UCI to combat “excessive medicalisation” of cycling, as Brian Smith claims pros are “abused by their teams”
The Movement for a Credible Cycling (MPCC), the anti-doping group which calls for stricter measures when it comes to the medicalisation of the sport, has urged the UCI to clamp down on the exploitation and “expansion” of doping “grey areas” by teams, including the use of ketones, finish bottles, and painkillers.
Established in 2007, the MPCC is made up of several professional cycling squads, including seven men’s WorldTour teams and four women’s WorldTour outfits, who have signed up to adhere to stricter anti-doping controls than those imposed by both WADA and the UCI.
> “You would be very ignorant about the facts”: Marcel Kittel says cycling “absolutely not” clean
In October, the organisation’s longstanding president Roger Legeay stepped down from the position, and was replaced by Emily Brammeier, the head of communications at Picnic PostNL.
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
“The MPCC is becoming increasingly concerned about an excessive use of medicine in the sport and calls upon its governing body to take action against the expansion of the so-called grey area,” the group said in a statement this week.
“This grey area includes substances and medical treatments not yet banned by WADA, but which raise serious ethical questions when used by healthy athletes, rather than the sick patients they were developed to treat.
“Cycling needs the UCI to act quickly and decisively to protect both the sport’s credibility and the health of the peloton – so that no athlete feels forced to take questionable products merely to keep up.
“The lengthy timelines of anti-doping processes without quick and concrete action leave space for various substances to be debated each year, allowing athletes to continue using them despite the unanswered questions surrounding their health or performance enhancing effects. Is a safer approach to ban a product during its investigation and then when it’s safe, allow its use?”
Focusing on the use of ketones, which the UCI controversially advised teams to avoid earlier this year, the MPCC said: “The most recent example is the topic of ketones, which has been a part of cycling’s credibility debate since 2017 when the first scientific research on the subject was published.
“The MPCC brought a clear position that their members would not use the product and then nearly two years later, the UCI issued a ‘notice of non-recommendation’ until further analysis was completed. Many teams and riders ignored this advice, with some even forming partnerships with ketone suppliers.”
The group criticised the UCI’s failure to introduce a “formal medical rule or anti-doping regulation” concerning ketones, saying the governing body’s guidance “unfortunately does not close the debate or discussion”.
“The so-called ‘Finishing Bottle’ rumours are back within the peloton, with multiple borderline substances said to be mixed and passed into the peloton to prepare riders ready for the final,” the statement continued, before highlighting the continued use of heavy duty painkillers in the peloton, and their potential impact on crashes.
“Next to this, we face other potential substance abuse with medicine such as Tapendatol, which is up to ten times stronger than Tramadol (banned in competition by WADA after 12 years of lobbying from MPCC).
“The UCI now has this specific substance under monitoring, but must we wait for the result of another lengthy analysis while riders’ health is at risk and crashes are becoming even more prominent?
ASO/Charly Lopez
“The authorities are clearly able to move quickly in decision-making: take the example of non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide (CO), which after coming to light during the 2024 Tour de France will be listed by World Anti‑Doping Agency (WADA) as a prohibited method from 2026.
“What is clear is that, as long as the grey area remains, the credibility of cycling will continue to suffer and riders health is at risk.
“The MPCC’s position has not changed: the endless medicalisation of riders is a major problem and requires action. The MPCC urges the UCI to establish a clear and regulated position on a range of (medical) products in the grey area or other specific products (such as ketones). The MPCC stands ready to work closely with the UCI and support progress in this crucial area for the future of our sport.”
Following the publication of the MPCC’s statement, former British champion and TNT Sports commentator Brian Smith highlighted the negative long-term effects cycling’s obsession with medicine can have on riders, including himself.
“I am suffering with osteopenia which is a result of minimal weight bearing and poor education. I also suffered bulimia,” the former Motorola rider wrote on Twitter.
“Pro riders are NOT educated on their health and abused by their teams for performance only.”
“Many people think cyclists are allowed to do whatever they want”: Police in small Spanish village fine more cyclists in one morning than rest of 2025 combined, with reports of “queues” of up to 30 riders waiting to be issued traffic penalties
It’s fair to say the police in Llíber have earned themselves a nice Christmas bonus this year.
The small village, located around 10 miles from Calpe, a winter training hotspot for professional cycling teams along Spain’s Cost Blanca, hit the headlines earlier this month when several Groupama-FDJ riders were stopped and fined €100 for apparently jumping through a red light in Llíber.
And it seems like it’s not just pros falling foul of the local police. According to the Spanish Traffic Law social media page, more cyclists were fined in a single morning over the weekend in Llíber than during the entire rest of 2025 combined.
The social media page reported that this staggering increase in cycling fines stems from the village’s Christmas market, which closed Llíber’s main crossing, which allows for alternate one-way traffic through the village.
The news page reports that, “instead of following the established detours, many of them rode in the wrong direction through the streets of the municipality”, with some even apparently mimicking Groupama-FDJ by running red lights.
The number of cyclists flouting the traffic law was so large that Spanish Traffic Law reported that, at one stage, there was a “queue” of around 30 riders waiting to be issued their fixed penalty notice (and judging by the photos posted on Facebook, there may have been a few more pros among that number).
The local police were also forced to enlist the help of a nearby Guardia Civil patrol to help them dish out the fines, reports suggest.
“This post is not against cyclists,” the Spanish Traffic Law page stressed. “Other road users also commit infractions when driving.
“The aim is to give visibility to this type of situation and to show that the local police also sanctions this group, despite many people thinking cyclists are allowed to do whatever they want.”
Hmm…
“It’s also a reminder to those cyclists — most of whom hold a driving licence — that traffic rules are the same for everyone, both motor vehicles and cyclists, when using roads open to traffic,” the page continued (though someone should also tell the motorists).
“If they want to stop following vehicle rules, they should get off the bike and walk it. Only then would they be considered pedestrians.”
“This is why drivers hate us”: Fuming Mini driver goes off-road and flies up central reservation to overtake huge group of cyclists – as “entitled” riders accused of “blocking whole road”
If you thought the classic Daily Mail response to a clip of two cyclists riding side-by-side on the road can verge on the apoplectic, wait until they see this one.
Because a recent group ride in Miami has caused quite the stir – after a fuming Mini driver resorted to flying along the grass central reservation to overtake the huge bunch of cyclists.
And that’s not all. A clip of the bonkers overtake has sparked a massive backlash on social media, with hundreds of motorists (and a few cyclists too) flocking to the comments to accuse the group ride of “blocking the whole road” and creating an “unsafe situation”.
First, some context. If, like me, you’re not familiar with South Florida’s weekend cycling scene, the Don Pan is a popular social ride based in Key Biscayne, near Miami. Taking place on Sunday, the ride attracts hundreds of cyclists, is largely flat, and averages over 30mph, normally featuring an impromptu, unofficial race at the end to crown a ‘winner’.
To get a feel of what it’s all about, one regular participant published a video from last Sunday’s ride on YouTube, complete with the caption: ‘We stopped for a red light – first time ever’:
So, you get the picture. Did I say the Daily Mail would be all over this already?
But it’s another clip from the following week’s ride that has courted the most online controversy. On Sunday, Florida bike shop Revolt posted this clip of a Mini driver taking an unusual, off-road approach to overtaking the Don Pan peloton:
“One of the highlights from Don Pan this morning,” Revolt said. “4×4 no patience.”
The comments, however, were more concerned with the size of the bunch than the motorist’s encounter with the central reservation.
“What do you mean ‘no patience’? You guys were blocking the WHOLE ROAD!” one Instagram user replied.
“Maybe don’t take over the whole fucking road??? Like I bike to work daily and this shit is ridiculous,” said another.
“As a cyclist, this kind of pisses me off… why the whole three lanes? Please, someone, explain,” one user asked, prompting the reply: “Entitlement”.
And it seems like a lot of the replies stemmed from mortified cyclists.
“This is why drivers hate us,” wrote Cait, while another user said: “I’m a cyclist and I can say I hate these cyclists.”
“This makes me angry!!!!” wrote punctuation enthusiast Yeti. “Who do these guys think they are????? They are taking up both lanes!!! They should all be ticketed!!!!”
And Edwin added: “I’m a professional athlete, but we need to respect other people, occupy only one lane and not two as if other people’s rights didn’t exist. The authorities must do something to stop this from happening.”
“In Europe, such peloton on the road would not be allowed. Too dangerous for everyone,” noted another viewer. “Police would intervene. As cyclists, we wish to be respected, it starts with respecting other road users.”
“Stay in one lane, and this won’t happen. It creates an unsafe situation for everyone,” said Luis.
However, not everyone was up in arms about the lack of two-abreasting going on at the Don Pan.
“I genuinely don’t understand the resentment,” said Goldstucker.
“Don Pan is a ride where cyclists are moving at roughly 30 mph. Expecting 70 riders at that speed to squeeze onto a bike path—shared with people cruising along at half that pace—is, of course, completely logical.
“It’s a Sunday ride that might delay traffic by five minutes, if that. A true crisis. Civilization barely survives.
“But yes, let’s direct our outrage at cyclists for briefly existing on the road we all supposedly share. Perspective, apparently, is optional.”
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Latest Comments
@open_roads So... exactly the same as a human but there will presumably be a point where it judges it's unsafe to proceed - unlike your typical Uber driver? I genuinely do not give a shit what technology (LIDAR, radar, sonar, cameras, magic, white cane etc etc) a robocab uses, provided that it satisfies any safety case put forward by a regulator.
It would appear that going forward, the Definition Integrale version will be the only model available, meaning that electronic groupset is the only option. There’s still stock available of the Definition 3.0 as of now and I’ve just ordered one with mechanical 105 to replace my aging winter sh*tter.
This is why genuinely I only expect my front and back time stamped bike cameras to ever be used in the event of my death on the road, that is if I don't get killed as pedestrian on a crossing with these bloody taxi drivers who keep stopping on the crossing... as I'm crossing it. It seems to me someone is going to have to take extreme and over the top measures for this constant harassment to been seen as the public danger it is, I'm not saying I or anyone else should do it but it would be great to see a bad driver leave court with a conviction with the word 'kryptonite' embossed backwards on their face... just a hypothetical...
I usually wear a folding helmet - a Hedkayse ONE. What I've learnt from this report is that the Newlane with MIPS is one of the best helmets around. But that's not what the headlines say. It would be a shame if miselading headlines led to yet another folding/alternative design for commuters disappearing from the market (Hedkayse no longer make the ONE and Hovding - the airbag alternative - went bust).
I bought one of these in 2015 and I still ride it. Bought specifically for Paris-Brest-Paris (which I had just failed) and I rode this bike (successfully) in the 2019 edition. Then I changed the tyres on it to 38mm and rode North London Dirt very happily on it a couple of months later. Super versatile. The only box it fails to tick these days is the aero one, but I can live with that. I keep thinking I need a new bike and I list what I really need - fast enough, mudguards, comfortable, disc brakes and think I should buy a Defy or Synapse, then I realise I already have that bike! 15mm front axle and QR rear is a total PITA - you can sleeve the front to 12mm bit even so. Luckily it is flat-mount so there is an upgrade path on the groupset - I have upgraded groupset once and I think only the seat post is original now, but a great find from Genesis' heyday. I had a flyer about this time too and loved that as well.
@eburtthebike Well there's (at least) a third thing - we're letting too many people drive who should never have been on the roads in the first place.
@chrisonabike Something to do with existing in a liminal world between cooperation and competition where every action has multiple meanings, even to the same person, perhaps?
I have given my thoughts on this in the forum thread "Derbyshire: action on close pass reports only in “exceptional circumstances”". My first attempt with links was submitted on 30/10/26 and is STILL AWAITING MODERATION so I resubmitted replacing the links with descriptions. It is copied below : Gloucestershire Constabulary is way ahead. They never took any action on close passes but in September 2024 they started sending out advisory letters to close passers. Note that in Gloucestershire an advisory letter merely asks the driver to refresh their knowledge of the highway code and is not a warning letter. search : close-pass-isnt-offence-says-police-officer on roadcc for the article I have had action taken for a close pass since. In one I am convinced that action was taken because an oncoming driver was inconvenienced. near-miss-day-of the day 946 In the other I suspect someone on the team slipped up and the driver was sent a NIP. I was told afterwards that the driver was going to go to court to challenge the decision but changed their mind when shown the footage. near-miss-day-931 The link also shows that a very similar close pass a year later was back to advisory letters and I have had many similar outcomes since. Some on here think advisory letters are a waste of time and I agree that for some drivers it will be as water off a ducks back, but I have noticed a distinct improvement in driving around me since the policy started. I think most drivers genuinely think they have done nothing wrong but a letter from the police is a real wake up call. In answer to your question then in Gloucestershire someone has to be inconvenienced for action to be taken. Inconveniencing an oncoming driver is one possibility but having to swerve or brake to avoid being hit is another. Obviously this rarely happens with a close pass, especially those at speed which are the most dangerous, you simply don’t have time to do anything. As far as I can make out being frightened out of your skin doesn’t count as inconvenience either. They now seem to have stopped sending even advisory letters for close passes as they are short staffed.
If the police are overwhelmed with evidence showing dangerous driving, then that shows that the dangerous driving is endemic: the graveyards and hospitals are full of the victims. If it is endemic, then one of two things must be true, or both: the detection rate is not high enough, and/or the punishment is not sufficient to deter. So in this case, we have the victims providing the evidence, in most cases all the officers need to do is view that evidence. If the officers don't have time, then the process should be automated, possibly by AI. If the driver disputes it, then a real person could view it, but if they consider the driving to be dangerous, the driver should pay for the officer's time. Then we have the lack of punishment, or punishment which doesn't fit the crime, because it does not deter people from offending. The current system of points and fines is clearly not working, and something rather more effective has to be done, like confiscating the car for instance. ".......the Chief Inspector recommended that road users use a rear-facing camera and evidence their own speed at the time of the overtake." I fail to see what the speed of the vehicle being overtaken has to do with the overtaking vehicle passing too closely. Would it be ok if you were doing 5mph, or 25mph? Baffling.
In principal, driverless cars have the potential to be much safer than human drivers, by virtue of the fact that they should be intent on following the rules of the road, nor driving whilst drunk/drugged, never be tired, frustrated, irrational etc, etc. Another advantage is that mistakes can be corrected and rolled out across the entire fleet (try that with humans. Add to that the resulting reduction in car ownership, increased car sharing, and the sheer amount of street space given over to parked cars will plummet. The key factor, however, is how much of those principles the owning companies are prepared to commit to. (Altruism isn't their strong point)
24 thoughts on ““This is why drivers hate us”: Fuming Mini driver goes off-road to overtake huge group of cyclists, as “entitled” riders accused of “blocking whole road”; Van der Poel vaper “plain stupid”; Strava “shambles”; Ineos junior team link + more on the live blog”
In fairness, the cycle group
In fairness, the cycle group should stay in one lane, leaving the other lane open for faster traffic.
You know…
…like when drivers stick to one lane in cities at rush hour to let us faster cyclists pass them more easily in the other lane.
Like that.
Only had 2 people try and
Only had 2 people try and knock me off today – not bad for 23rd Dec !
Oooh, look a parking space !
That wing mirror is asking to
That wing mirror is asking to be, entirely accidentally of course,
flyinghammerfistsmashed off.Has here anyone ever
Has here anyone ever considered that behaviour that happens naturally in the animal kingdom is somehow seen as unethical and immoral in human society?* See:
-Vulnerable beings congregating to increase safety.
-Migrating to places that offer better living conditions.
Entitlement is expecting others not to do what is in their best interest because it inconveniences you or you’ve been convinced by some billionaire that it has a negative impact on your life.
That said, even Critical Mass London remains on the correct side of the road…usually! I’m not sure I’d want to cycle at road bike speeds with a group of strangers like that, although I can see the appeal.
*OK, rape and murder happen in the animal kingdom too of course ? Happy Christmas!
I think they are all on the
I think they are all on the correct side of the road – it’s a ridiculously mahoosive multi-lane boulevard with a whacking great grass median between the two directions of traffic.
VelloViewer.
VeloViewer.
Gives you a yearly report [whenever you want it] for a fraction of the cost of Strava, and is far better than the free version I used to get.
Of course, it does need the Strava API, but unless segments and leaderboards are important to you (they’re not to me) you dont need a paid Strava accoubt, and the £15 a year for VeloViewer is far better value for money.
And the results are much nicer.
Veloviewer isn’t as fancy
Veloviewer isn’t as fancy graphic wise but gives much better data IMO. I haven’t shared any of my Strava YiS, but I have shared my Veloviewer Infograhic ?
I find the data on Garmin
I find the data on Garmin Connect to be very informative, it has much more data than Strava and it’s free.
To all those complaining
To all those complaining about the cyclists taking up 3 lanes…
Wait till they get a load of all these DRIVERS taking up TEN lanes EACH WAY:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCXaAwlrUL0
People complain about
People complain about cyclists causing dangerous conditions by riding two abreast, yet cyclists are not allowed on motorways and we have four lanes on the nearby M6, with every driver travelling in a separate lane going in the same direction. Yet they still manage to collide with each other on a daily basis.
People complain about
People complain about cyclists causing dangerous conditions by riding two abreast, yet cyclists are not allowed on motorways and we have four lanes on the nearby M6, with every driver travelling in a separate lane going in the same direction. Yet they still manage to collide with each other on a daily basis.
vaping is stupid, period.
vaping is stupid, period.
pneves wrote:
You might say it’s vapid.
Stooping is vapid; vaping ain
Stooping is vapid; vaping ain’t
Smoking is Stupid, something
Smoking is Stupid, something to help people stop smoking isn’t stupid. Folk who take it up for non smoking cessation reasons are Stupid as the bloke a the cross. They need to fine him heavily at least and ban him from all events.
If vaping was just to help
If vaping was just to help people give up smoking then it would be fine, but it isn’t.
Yes, that’s what I mean in
Yes, that’s what I mean in folk using it for non smoking cessation reasons are stupid!
Unfortunately vaping is not
Unfortunately vaping is not something to help people stop smoking. It’s now becoming apparent that it’s just as dangerous as smoking. It’s seen as a cool lifestyle choice, appealing to young people, hence the flavours. Many young people now suffering from severe lung problems from repeated inhaling of hot steam.
it’s just as dangerous as
it’s just as dangerous as smoking
I suspect it isn’t, but it will take a long time to find out. It’s not just the nicotine but all the chemicals compulsively inhaled all day every day for year after year. How long would it take the dumb suckers to find out that it increased the incidence of dementia, for instance?
Sharing the road goes both
Sharing the road goes both ways. A bunch of 50 or 80 cyclists becomes a road hazard for other users. It’s a Sunday ride not a UCI-sanctioned race on closed roads. Split the peloton in 5 or 6 different groups.
Cyclists who run traffic lights are likely the same who deny the right of way at roundabouts. One may wonder why cyclists on their way back to / from Calpe keep riding through Llíber knowing there is more direct way from/ to Xaló via Benissa. The fine is 100 euros if paid on the spot, doubled up if paid later. Solo efectivo dinero, gracias.
Don’t talk nonsense.. the
Don’t talk nonsense.. the same whiners wouldn’t blink at the thought of 50-80 cars on the road.
In fact this happens at pretty much every major event.
Sheer hypocrisy.
Bike Bus video edited by
Bike Bus video edited by Travis & Sigrid. ?
Was Sigrid in charge of
Was Sigrid in charge of hitting paws?
Using Final Cat Pro?
Using Final Cat Pro?