Cyclist uses town’s “best bike route”… that takes four minutes to cross a road; Tom Pidcock “blown away” by reaction to descending footage; Chris Froome on the attack at Tour du Rwanda; Glasgow world champs tickets on sale now + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Tom Pidcock "blown away" by reaction to descending footage
Did Tom Pidcock see our live blog yesterday?
Don’t try this at home! Tom Pidcock shows off his mind-blowing descending skills, flying down infamous Los Angeles canyonhttps://t.co/C1o4WSk0fR #cycling pic.twitter.com/JL1OTuSl2F
— road.cc (@roadcc) February 22, 2023
“I’ve been told it’s a ‘kids, don’t try this at home’ one — very true!” he wrote on Instagram, before penning some great advice…
“But kids, get out riding with your mates, have fun, I’ve been thousands of hours messing around on bikes with my mates before I had the skills to do this, enjoy and be safe out there.”
Pidcock also cleared up some of the logistical questions about the clip, confirming he recced the descent a few times and there was a car ahead making sure the one-way route was clear.
“Blown away by the reaction to this, big respect to Safa Brian,” he wrote.
If you haven’t seen it already I envy you. I envy you for getting to experience watching it for the first time. On that note, I might go back for viewing number 17…
> Don’t try this at home! Tom Pidcock shows off his mind-blowing descending skills
Has aero gone too far? The most excessive cycling tech made to shave milliseconds
Thoughts?
When I check a cycling clothing website and all the pictures are of models posing and pouting, I immediately don’t want to wear any of their clothes. Shoot yer stuff on cyclists!
— juliet elliott (@_julietelliott) February 22, 2023
Personally I don’t know what Juliet’s talking about…
Oh, wait, how did those get there?
Chris Froome on the attack at Tour du Rwanda
Who’s this young rider making a break for it?
VIDEO: Very fast descent from Froome.
Froome’s advantage goes up again: + 1’45”#TdRwanda23 pic.twitter.com/nHTfXVTGnM
— 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝘂 𝗥𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 🇷🇼 (@tour_du_Rwanda) February 23, 2023
Glasgow world champs tickets on sale now
Fancy watching the best in the world do battle in Scotland?
Tickets for August’s UCI World Cycling Championships are on sale now (or just find yourself a quiet patch of road if you’re more interested in the road events)…
Some events, namely the road, para-cycling road, Gran Fondo, trials, BMX Freestyle Flatland and mountain bike cross-country marathon you will not need tickets to watch, but for those that do you can grab yours now.
Outgoing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she hopes the event will see people inspired “the power of the bike” to “give cycling a try for themselves — for exercise, sport, transport or even just for fun”.
Caption competition
Do your worst in the comments…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
After spending the last hour in a solo breakaway, Froome has been dropped from the peloton. He is 3′ behind the leading trio. #TdRwanda23 pic.twitter.com/W1IiosktmU
— 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝘂 𝗥𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮 🇷🇼 (@tour_du_Rwanda) February 23, 2023
Ah well, that was fun while it lasted. Seems there was some bad luck involved…
Terrible luck for @chrisfroome who had to change wheels twice on the category 1 climb. He was caught by the bunch with around 40km to go.
Up ahead, the peloton is closing in on the remaining attackers.
🇷🇼#TdRwanda23 pic.twitter.com/fXX1kbrRgH
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) February 23, 2023
Over in the desert, UAE Tour stage four is in the final hour and we’re heading for a sprint. Can Cav get his first Astana victory?
"The best of it is having to wait in a very vulnerable position with vehicles streaming past at 50 mph": road.cc readers' local knowledge
Thanks to those of you who are familiar with the Reading route in question for offering some local knowledge in the comments…
PRSboy: “I occasionally cross the A33 at a different point, to get from Theale to Three Mile Cross. It’s a similarly silly crossing. The best of it is having to wait in a very vulnerable position with vehicles streaming past at 50 mph.”
nosferatu1001: “The junction just over the m4? That one is awful. Three lanes each way I think and a verrrrrrrrry sloowwwwww beg button that doesn’t actually interrupt the sequence at all.”
JustTryingToGet…: “The cycle lane on the A33 is a regular contender for ‘they deserve to die for not using the cycle lane’ brigade. It’s not too bad during the journey (not that I use it often) but it’s the final destination element that’s a balance.
“When I was regularly travelling to Circle hospital I went along the Kennet instead. You need to be careful and there is a sharp blind bend but you lots of dragonflies at the right time of year (I’m easily pleased).”
And while that all might seem a bit local for anyone unfamiliar with Reading… the ‘great’ thing about UK cycling routes is these pains are suffered up and down the land. Isn’t it great?! I’m sure we’ve all got something similar to relate to…
Shake: “I notice more and more of those crossing are taking ages to change. A perfectly working one at the end of my road that use to chance quickly was replaced by one that now waits for a huge break in cars before changing. All it does it make me run across when there is a short gap in the traffic.”
Juan Sebastián Molano wins UAE Tour stage four
The home fans go wild!!! Sorry less of my sarcasm this afternoon…
The main takeaway from Molano’s sprint win? That his dentist is top class…
🥇🥇🥇 🚀🚀🚀 YES!!! @sebasmolano_ sprints to victory on the stage 4 of the #UAETour 🇦🇪!
👑👑👑👑👑💪💪💪💪💪#UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/sC7kZb8nAw
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) February 23, 2023
Oh, you wanted to know about the racing? Jumbo Visma’s Olav Kooij and DSM’s Sam Welsford were close, but not quite fast enough to beat the Colombian who pipped them both in yet another photo finish in UAE. I say photo finish, it was tight, not quite as tight as the other day…
Big win for the Colombian and finally UAE Team Emirates take a victory at their home tour #UAETour pic.twitter.com/Fmng85HodV
— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) February 23, 2023
Cav never looked like challenging on a day decided by an ultra-competitive leadout battle and rolled home outside the top 10. No disgrace in that, on a hectic finish where Caleb Ewan, Sam Bennett and Tim Merlier were all out of the picture too, to varying degrees.
Over in Rwanda after Chris Froome was caught, Callum Ormiston took the win. I’m only telling you this because the runner-up is called Walter Calzoni and is automatically my new favourite rider. G’warn the Calzoni! (Yes, I know it’s spelt differently)…
Anyone got yellow and blue tyres?
Russian Embassy, London pic.twitter.com/99mFy6Gx5k
— Led By Donkeys (@ByDonkeys) February 23, 2023
Tenuous cycling content of the day… anyone ride through this this morning?
Chilly Camino
Doesn’t being a professional cyclist look fun?
‘And to think I could have been in Dubai rolling around in the sun for four hours…’
Christmas has come early for the riders in O Gran Camino.
Rohan Dennis bossing it in shorts. pic.twitter.com/fiabzWTc8k
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) February 23, 2023
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) February 23, 2023
The riders came to a halt with 20km to go, the stage called off.
Chris Boardman opens Active Travel England national hub in York
National Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman has opened Active Travel England’s new national hub in York, The Press reports. The headquarters will be base for the organisation’s drive to improve active travel across the UK.
“Our job is to get 50 per cent of all journeys cycled or walked by 2030,” Boardman said.
“We are well on track to do that, working with councils across the country — essentially to enable people to be able to leave the car at home a little bit more often and have the confidence to let their kids get to school under their own steam, on foot or by bike.
“If we want millions more people to walk, wheel and cycle to schools, shops and workplaces, we need to give them what they need to make the switch. Delivering schemes that offer an attractive choice takes technical skill, local knowledge, and community involvement.
“Survey after survey has shown people want the choice to be able to use the car a bit less and would love their kids to have more transport independence, so we aim to ensure they are at the heart of creating the right solution for their area. 2023 is the year Active Travel England will start to make that happen.”
Boardman went on to explain York’s strong link to cycling and the city’s well-linked rail network was a primary reason for the headquarters’ location. Active Travel England will employ up to 100 staff, with half already in place.
“It’s a perfect centre for us. It’s a lovely place to work and to get around by bike as well,” Boardman said.
Objections to major construction project... because cyclists... (make it make sense)
> Objections raised to office scheme – because bike parking will cause “bottlenecks and noise”
That’s all from me today, we’ll be back same time, same place tomorrow morning…
Cyclist uses town's "best bike route" that takes four minutes to cross a road
Why did the cyclist cross the road?
To get to the other side of the A33 and continue his journey on Reading’s “best bike route”…
That needs some work. As does the Berkshire town’s active travel infrastructure from the look of things in this clip…
It took almost four minutes to get from one side of the A33 in Reading to the other this morning. Four minutes whilst cars go streaming by, belching out fumes for us to breathe in. And this is on Reading’s best bike route. pic.twitter.com/zuegM8gNoJ
— Stew Elliott (@StewCElliott) February 22, 2023
Every beg button that doesn’t change the light within 30 seconds is a policy failure.
— Stew Elliott (@StewCElliott) February 22, 2023
In a civilised country the maximum wait for a crossing would be 20 seconds. If no-one has crossed for longer than 20 seconds, the light would change immediately.
— Derek (@nr23derek) February 23, 2023
This all looks very familiar considering the ‘why don’t cyclists use cycle lanes’ discussion that is back in the spotlight thanks to the reaction to the video of Dan Walker’s crash being published by The Sun.
Different location, and I’d certainly not want to ride on the A33 through Reading, but still it raises the point… when your best cycle route takes four minutes to cross the road can you really blame people for not using it?
23 February 2023, 09:11
23 February 2023, 09:11
23 February 2023, 09:11
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Latest Comments
The covid / post-covid boom is driven primarily by failures of capitalist strategy, causing over supply and price gouging. What we are seeing now is the correction. Most so-called ‘Western brands’ bikes are made in Eastern countries anyway - who have long been the leading manufacturers of carbon bikes. Now these makers are becoming brands / sellers too and Western brands have been put on notice. Inflation is driven by greed, not need.
@Benthic A125 motorbike can be ridden by a 17 year old can do about 75MPH; a legal e-bike that a 17-year-old cannot use can do about 15MPH.
The latest moral panic. "From August, the legal age to ride an e-scooter in Ireland will rise from 16 to 18" But, in Ireland you can still drive a: - moped from the age of 16 - 125 cc motorbike from the age of 17 - 3.5 tonne car from the age of 17 So that makes complete sense.
@mitsky I am seeing those Amazon ones in Manchester pretty much every day.
Quite. There's also a demand side story to accompany your eloquently written post, in that domestic demand has dampened from the captive COVID market of a few years back, and less international demand due to tariff-led policies and anti-dumping laws. On Chinese competition, I don't think it's necessarily Western profit-seeking behaviour which has caused increased Chinese supply and competitiveness as much as higher Chinese investment leading to higher quality output, innovation, and economies of scale. I don't know about Chinese frames as I haven't bought one and haven't seen one, but for wheels I don't see any inherent quality advantage for Western brands. Indeed, innovation seems to be coming from Chinese brands along with lower prices, just like we're seeing with electric cars. So higher quality and lower prices.
They should concentrate on the road users who do most of the killing and injuring: car drivers.
I've used the "why aren't you on the motorway?" one before, except here it would be "highway" or "Interstate." The other one I like is: "Get on the sidewalk!" (pavement) "On the side what?" "On the sidewalk!" "So it's not called a side-bicycle then?" Also one I've used a couple of times: "You're not a car!" "Neither are you!"
I've used Challenge, Vittoria, Veloflex and Continental tyres. What stands out for me regarding Challenge is how robust their supple tyres are. Usually there is a tradeoff there, but Challenge somehow manages to keep both.
Well, many of them are more correctly "emit elsewhere". However as we do successfully move away from "coal, oil, and latterly gas and wood" the fraction that is actually emitted does go down. So overall, welcome. (It's complicated... the renewables business is just business like any other so we aren't keen to discuss all the resources being used / new places that get trashed. Example being how much steel (mostly still "dirty") and concrete we need for the new infra. And of course where humans can, they will, as much as they can afford, so Jevons Paradox applies).
RE: Royal Mail 4-wheeled "bikes" - hadn't they been trying to ditch the bikes for ages (like society overall)? When they did they dumped them in favour of vans plus those trolleys. Overall if this means it ends up more "micro-van" rather than "walking plus full size vans" I guess a degree of pedalling is an improvement? When Royal Mail and parking came up before someone said they can ditch their vehicles where they want (if they have to/within reason... but nobody's going to do anything about it). The real issue is all the other commercial deliverers do that anyway. Plus most of the rest of the population...
29 thoughts on “Cyclist uses town’s “best bike route”… that takes four minutes to cross a road; Tom Pidcock “blown away” by reaction to descending footage; Chris Froome on the attack at Tour du Rwanda; Glasgow world champs tickets on sale now + more on the live blog”
This morning I’ve got that
This morning I’ve got that mild thrill feeling from doing something naughty – I’ve realised my commute by Brompton from station to office takes 18 minutes.
Don’t tell anyone
The left wing death squads
The left wing death squads are going to find you soon enough. You cannot travel more than 15 minutes from your home without suffering the consequences.
Patrick9-32 wrote:
As a minimum, your Right of Way privileges will be revoked, making you fair game for any licence holder
As long as you’re in Scotland
As long as you’re in Scotland you’ll not need to fear the Fisc – your allowance is 20 minutes here apparently. Obviously because in the Highlands it sometimes take over 15 to get from one end of the village to the other.
Apparently when the catch you if you just use some bizarre language, like referring to yourself as Nick of the family Sprink – and refuse to “board” their police “launch” they can’t touch you though…
Lochcarron. I remember we
Lochcarron. I remember we went past there on a family holiday. We were laughing on the way there, when we saw the sign saying “No Ferry at Strome Ferry”.
The cycle lane on the A33 is
The cycle lane on the A33 is a regular contender for “they deserve to die for not using the cycle lane” brigade. It’s not to bad during the journey (not that I use it often) but it’s the final destination element that’s a ballance.
When I was regularly travelling to Circle hospital I went along the Kennet instead. You need to be careful and there is a sharp blind bend but you lots of dragonflies at the right time of year (I’m easily pleased)
Same for me when cycling out
Same for me when cycling out – kennet every time. Although the a33 side of the canal is a lot more prone to flooding so tend to go the town side, and through the kennet island estate
Me too then use the Kennett
Me too then use the Kennett Island/Tip junction to cross the A33. Its quiet enough to take your pick to use the pedestrian lights or the road lights to cross.
I don’t usually cross there –
I don’t usually cross there – I’d cross at the retail park bridge, up right and right to go under. The cut thriugh takes you straight to the pumping station without going past the tip. Slightly muddier / at risk of flooding especially just before the pump station bridge though!
I occasionally cross the A33
I occasionally cross the A33 at a different point, to get from Theale to Three Mile Cross. Its a similarly silly crossing. The best of it is having to wait in a very vulnerable position with vehicles streaming past at 50 mph.
PRSboy wrote:
the junction just over the m4? That one is awful. Three lanes each way I think and a verrrrrrrrry sloowwwwww beg button that doesn’t actually interrupt the sequence at all.
at least the cycle along the kennet is nice enough – I tend to go in that route and go under and along the side of the a33 rather than try 3 mile cross.
Thats the one… I only use
Thats the one… I only use it when I’m on a ride down to Hampshire which I like from time to time. I’d have to find an alternative if I did it regularly. Kennet sounds fun- I see cyclists on that route in Newbury… you can go for miles.
PRSboy wrote:
yep, you can go from Newbury to reading relatively ok – there is one section of field with no graded path, but you can loop round a quiet road to bypass it if you like. The rest is mostly packed stone or similar paths, with some mud to deal with. Not road bike territory, gravel or xc mtb which is what I used tends to be fine
I’d planned to do a one way to Newbury but rsil replacement buses mean can’t take the bike back. Got to love it.
I notice more and more of
I notice more and more of those crossing are taking ages to change. A perfectly working one at the end of my road that use to chance quickly was replaced by one that now waits for a huge break in cars before changing. All it does it make me run across when there is a short gab in the traffic.
There’s one of those at the
There’s one of those at the Redbridge roundabout in Southampton, it only changes when there is a lull in traffic coming of the M271. Most of the traffic is driving at speed, jockeying for position as the road goes from 2 to 2 lane. Someone nearly always jumps the light. The roundabout is not for the faint hearted, thankfully the shared paths are useable it’s one of the few sections of shared path I use because…
Work up a submission to the
Work up a submission to the Transport Select Committee on Accessible Transport about how signalled crossings need a minimum time delay for people in foot, on wheels, and using a bike as a mobility aid.
I’m out on Saturday to work out how long it takes me to get across the local junction where I have to cross SEVEN Toucan Crossings to go corner to corner. On a crossroads.
https://committees.parliament.uk/work/6805/accessible-transport-legal-obligations/
It sounds like it is about accessible buses, but they are also taking evidence on more basic rules of the system.
Caption
Caption
Kids: We thought we had better get some use out of our rainbow jerseys in case katie Forbes bans them
At least Forbes stands by her
At least Forbes stands by her convictions unlike the lying scum of Sturgeon et al.
Forbes has been honest about
Forbes has been honest about her beliefs as an individual. She has not to the best of my knowledge condemned anyone and has stated that she will defend all people to be treated fairly and equally and has not made any indication of attempting to reverse any laws. Yet she has been savaged across both mainstream and social media.
There’s a crossing in
There’s a crossing in Basingstoke with some kind of magic sensor on it, so the traffic lights change to red as you approach it. If you cycle slowly you get to the crossing just as the green man / bicycle comes on and you don’t have to stop at all.
I’d like to see a lot more of these.
Thats why they call it
Thats why they call it Amazingstoke said no-one, ever.
Cyclist uses town’s “best
Cyclist uses town’s “best bike route” that takes four minutes to cross a road
I seem to recall reading some research which showed that many of these crossings don’t reduce collisions/deaths, and one of the reasons is the frustration making the person crossing take a chance.
Of course, we can’t have short waiting times for crossings because that would adversely affect drivers, and they pay for the roads and are far more important than pedestrians and cyclists. I wonder if any of the £200m Active Travel funding will be used to cut the delay to something that feels slightly less like eternity?
Meanwhile – where it’s been
Well it’s right their in our primary goal for “roads” – the maximum safe throughput of motor traffic.
Meanwhile – where it’s been made easy to make journeys other than via car, lots of people don’t drive every trip. And where that might mean long waits at traffic lights people rightly complain:
Again there’s an asymmetry for different modes. For motor traffic long waits can be a temptation – which is a safety concern. However for non-motor traffic it’s both a critical safety issue (vulnerable road users are more likely to be injured or die) and a “too inconvenient, won’t use” issue. So – in less car-sick places the authorities do something sensible and positive about it:
In the UK we’d probably put up signs telling people it’s dangerous if they don’t wait. Or simply remove the crossing! (Actually of course we do neither – we do nothing, just let nature take its course and people give up on using that route – problem solved).
Caption: Nicola Sturgeon
Caption: Nicola Sturgeon (left) explains to a group of youngsters that cycle helmets are actually likely to cause a head injury or even strangulation. The kids, being intelligent enough to know better, laugh at such a stupid thing to say.
“It’s like Scottish
“It’s like Scottish independence”, they said, “people keep bringing up the same topic and having the same noisy arguments all over again; meanwhile the space isn’t fit for us to use”.
Perpetuum mobile.
Had a good outcome with the
Had a good outcome with the radar/mirror combo and actually stopped a driver overtaking just before a blind bend with my out streched arm ‘what the hell do you think you are doing’ gesture.
It was fitting that as we rounded the bend, a large ford ranger was coming the other way…
Sturgeon: “Now kids. I’m
Sturgeon: “Now kids. I’m pleased to tell you that we will be assigning 0.025% of the transport budget to building a BMX track in the Western Isles which I’m sure you will be very excited about”
I’ve found that the crossings
I’ve found that the crossings around Preston are pathetic. I’m sure when you press the button it doesn’t make any difference at all, but probably makes the button pusher feel better. Any buttons I’ve pushed doesn’t make any lights change any sooner than if I stood there waiting for the lights to change.
Looking at the comments on
Looking at the comments on twitter I hope that whoever WarnDurian is doesn’t drive as their powers of observation are appaling. How did they miss the cycle path sign on the post at the rear of the path and the fact that the crossing is a toucan with a very clear illuminated cycle symbol on it!