“I’ve never seen it without someone parked in it”: Cyclist waits 15 minutes for Amazon van driver parked in bike lane to move; Alberto Contador warns Tour de France rivals “unbeatable” Tadej Pogačar “looks unstoppable” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Alberto Contador warns Tour de France rivals "unbeatable" Tadej Pogačar "looks unstoppable"
[📷:A.S.O./Aurélien Vialatte]
Alberto Contador reckons Tadej Pogačar looks “unbeatable” in the early season, the twice Tour de France winner going as far as to say he reckons the Slovenian “looks unstoppable” at this moment in time. Pogačar, who had already equalled the Spaniard’s tally of two yellow jerseys by the age of 22, is now 24 and has started the season in scintillating form, besting his main rival for this year’s Tour, Jonas Vingegaard, at Paris-Nice and is now eyeing victory in some of the sport’s biggest one-day races.
[📷:A.S.O./Aurélien Vialatte]
Speaking to Eurosport, Contador suggested Pogačar is “capable of almost anything” and looks “unbeatable”… (even if he did have some caveats)…
“Do I think Pogačar is unstoppable this season? Well, if we go by what we have seen so far then we could say he looks unstoppable. But I think that there is a lot of the season left. I think he is going for the classics this year… and we will need to see how he manages his efforts. He is putting a lot of energy into his attacks and this could end up taking its toll.
> Check out the Colnago V4Rs Tadej Pogacar rode to Paris-Nice victory
“The Tour is by no means an easy task. There are a lot of factors that come into play. Hitting peak form, preparation, the recovery over three weeks, how his team work, how Jumbo work – his main rival. I think there are a lot of variables.
“It’s true, for now he looks unbeatable and Pogačar is capable of almost anything but I do think that there will be some races that will be harder for him than others.
“It’s incredible how he can go for it from a great distance from the finish line, or in the yellow jersey or just for some bonus seconds to keep gaining time. I think that is gold and I wouldn’t like to see him race in a smarter way. A separate thing is what him and his team decide with regards to winning the Tour de France again.”
The view from the opposition... Jumbo-Visma insists "we are very confident in our approach" for Jonas Vingegaard's Tour de France defence
[📷:A.S.O./Aurélien Vialatte]
No sign of nerves from the Netherlands… Jumbo Visma matter-of-factly telling VeloNews “we are very confident in our approach”. And why wouldn’t they be? It worked last year, Pogačar enthusiastically bounding after anything and everything, taking early season race wins left, right and centre…
Vingegaard improving slowly, peaking just at the right time to dethrone his showy rival at the moment it mattered most, that’ll be the plan again this year.
“We learnt from Paris-Nice, but we won’t let it be a problem. We are very confident in our approach for Jonas and the Tour,” Jumbo-Visma performance director Mathieu Heijboer explained.
“We know from before that Jonas and the whole team have to be 100 or maybe 110 per cent to be able to beat Pogačar. Jonas just wasn’t in the right place mentally at Paris-Nice.
“With an amazing opponent like Pogačar, you just can’t be at 99 per cent to beat him. We knew that already, and unfortunately we saw it at Paris-Nice. But the team, Jonas, we understand why it happened and are confident in what we’re doing.
“I think it’s a gift for us that we have such an amazing opponent. Pogačar pushes us to the very end to do all the things we do at the optimum to try to beat him. So I’m grateful for that.”
Timmy Mallett explores "utterly brilliant Britain" ... and there's not a pothole in sight
Yesterday’s Mallett post went down so well we’re sharing another one…
Yep it’s a road in Britain
Really?
Where are the potholes?!#utterlybrilliantbritain pic.twitter.com/n0CyySl98U
— Timmy Mallett (@TimmyMallett) March 24, 2023
Why are cargo bikes perceived to be only for the wealthy?
road.cc podcast time… you’re in luck, I’m not on this episode…
> “Adrian, you’re wrong!” Pedal Me’s co-founder on cargo bikes + THAT foggy ride on the Isle of Man
Clash of the titans: MVDP vs WVA vs Pog
It’s mini Flanders time and we’ve got some startlist…
With a startlist like this, anything can happen at the E3 Saxo Classic 🤯
📸 Cor Vos
_
🇧🇪 #E3SaxoClassic pic.twitter.com/ZJ6rFyeThk— Velon CC (@VelonCC) March 23, 2023
A bit generous putting Cav in that one…
Just the few cards for Jumbo Visma to play… Wout, Benoot, Van Baarle, Laporte. Then again, if Mathieu’s on form, one card is all you need…
Comment of the day
A different definition of the 15 minute city. Sad!
— Nancy Duley (@nduley) March 24, 2023
Can he ride it on a cold rainy night in Stoke?
The big three come to the fore
Attack. Attack. Attack.
Tadej Pogačar jumped twice on the Oude Kwaremont, Van der Poel looks comfortable, Van Aert just about clinging on.
We’ll leave it to GCN co-commentator Adam Blythe to sum it all up… “What a [time]… to be a cycling fan, to watch bike racing seeing these three at the front… it’s what dreams are made of.”
Is today the day we get one normal 24 hours of professional cycling? No...
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) March 24, 2023
If you missed yesterday…
> Bike path cyclist tries to keep up with pro women’s peloton… faceplants miserably
Words exchanged between Pogacar and Van der Poel, a few shakes of the head, then Van Aert chimes in. These guys seem to be just having a laugh at the front of a Belgian classic with 18km remaining. #E3SaxoClassic pic.twitter.com/LnXQfESaWL
— Neal Rogers 🇺🇦 (@nealrogers) March 24, 2023
Wout van Aert wins three-up sprint against Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar to defend E3 Saxo Bank Classic
Will Mathieu and Tadej rue the moment, with Van Aert dropped midway up the Kwaremont, when the Belgian was allowed to pull himself back to the leaders? I’d wager they won’t think twice about pressing on if the same scenario arises next Sunday…
"I agree... because I am in the middle": Reaction from the top two
“So Wout, people will say this is the most beautiful E3 podium?”
“I agree… because I am in the middle”
“Because of the strength of the leading group it was hard to try something. I think Tadej did two smaller attacks. For me, I wanted to focus on the sprint and stick to one plan. It’s nice because it’s a long while since I’ve won a race on the road bike. I’m on the right way.”
Next in the chair…MvdP…
“It was a really nice race today, in the end we had some good weather. I felt quite strong and did a few nice attacks, in the end Wout van Aert was too strong in the sprint but I can live with second place and hopefully next week I can turn things around.
“My first time [here] I was third, now second. Maybe I have to come back next year? It was really nice to race against these guys again…”
"I've never seen it without someone parked in it": Cyclist waits 15 minutes for Amazon van driver parked in bike lane to move
Edward from Edinburgh had a live blog of his own going yesterday, live from the scene of some top-tier bike lane parking…
Hi @AmazonUK , could you let me know how long I need to wait? pic.twitter.com/cznGHrAUud
— Edward Tissiman (@edtiss) March 23, 2023
There’s a certain irony in the the sticker telling cyclists to be careful if passing the vehicle on the inside. Anyway, the minutes ticked by… after five, Edward got told to “deal with it” by the driver who was then back for three more parcels in the subsequent 10 minutes.
After a grand total of 15 minutes, one tweet to Amazon threatening an instant Prime cancellation, and 17 cyclists forced out into the road to pass the van… Freedom…
“I’ve never seen it without someone parked in it,” Edward told road.cc and referencing some of his replies… “I seem to have caused a great deal of angst for drivers across the UK, just by trying to keep off the road.”
FREEDOM pic.twitter.com/34nHhmvZlS
— Edward Tissiman (@edtiss) March 23, 2023
If you’re feeling déjà vu…
> Cyclist despairs as Amazon van driver takes cycle lane shortcut before parking on pavement
(We’ve contacted Amazon for comment)
"We are investigating the incident": Amazon speaks out about Edinburgh bike lane blocker
We’ve been in touch with Amazon regarding the above…
The company was quick to point out that Amazon Logistics engages independent delivery providers to provide delivery services, meaning it’s “important to note” that Amazon does not own the vehicles nor employ the drivers, so it would be “wrong to say Amazon driver”.
Anyway, regarding the driver of the Amazon-branded van undertaking Amazon deliveries, Amazon said…
“We have very high standards for the delivery service providers we work with and how they serve customers. We are investigating the incident.”
24 March 2023, 09:05
24 March 2023, 09:05
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Latest Comments
@Doctor Darabuka I agree that using a single button for such an array of tasks does necessitate a bit of complexity. But I guess my points are that it wasn't too bad once you get your head around it and practiced a few times; and also the changes made haven't really helped to reduce the complexity, just reduced the amount of functionality that can be achieved. On a small model like the Sirius, it would be a squeeze to try and have more than one button, and would lead to a risk of accidentally pressing the wrong one (especially with gloves on).
I suppose one should expect race-baiting from the batrachoidal oaf but I did leave a comment on his Facebook post of this asking why it was indicative of "Third World decline" when the two miscreants are quite obviously white (and to save Nigel's time, our Nigel that is, yes we all know there are a few majority white countries that can be economically and/or socially classed as Third World; equally we all know what Farage is implying with that language). Surprised he didn't say "what do you expect with the population of London made up the way it is?"
Everyone knows that "advisory" cycle lane just means "residents' parking spaces. It's unbelievable that Active Transport cash has been spent on this, but you only have to travel around Exeter to realise how anti-cycling and anti-public-transport it actually is. Better fix would be to make the bus lanes 24/7 and extend them all the way from the Park and Ride to the city centre / hospitals.
@MountainsofSussex Some great questions. With regards to frame sizing, you certainly could use it to run a larger frame size as you'll be able to gain around 20mm of reach over a 40mm stem plus the a couple more millimetres from the increase height. I guess the question is, what are you trying to achieve with a larger frame size? If the reach has effectively not changed with the new stem, you're only going to increase front-centre which could be changed with an angleset or rear-centre if the frame you run has size proportionate rear-triangles. On the suspension side of things, although I could feel the fork working a little better underneath me I didn't feel the need to change my suspension settings. The rearward weight shift is subtle but no doubt there are situations where some suspension fettling would be beneficial to account for the new riding style.
The "Commuters and Nigel Farage" image is giving me the ick.
Is this another ploy to distract the media from crypto funding sleaze and racist attitudes of many Reform UK candidates? Presumably he will claim that all bike theft is committed by small boats asylum seekers.
I guess a Reform govt could achieve their twin objectives by banning bicycles entirely, and then also not need to stump up the cash for additional prison places.
This was an interesting read. From my experiences in the workplace, lower levels of happiness could be caused by a fairly simple change,such as the appointment of a new operations director, or an initiative to cut budgets. The question then is does the company recognise this and is it willing to act on it? There are many times when I've thought work was stressful and unpleasant, but that was sometimes to be expected and it was what I got paid for, but at least I could leave in the evening and go and do something else such as athletics or cycling. Presumably this is a lot more difficult for professional sportspeople; particularly cyclists who have to spend much of their leisure time sitting or lying down. Cyclists' happiness is also going to be influenced by current performance levels and selection and more roller coaster in nature. Certainly more up and down than many other forms of employment. The happiness scores of female staff and cyclists was higher than males in both the 2023 and 2025 surveys. Could anything useful be learned from this? I think having the regular happiness surveys in place is obviously a major step forward. Clearly there are issues to address. Staff and cyclists witnessing "unacceptable" or "thoughtless" etc behaviour is concerning and needs to be acted upon. But maybe claiming that the culture "Remains toxic" is not a totally accurate description. The satisfaction levels were higher in 2023, before they fell again. Perhaps more frequent surveys at all parts of the Olympic and World Champs cycles are required to gain a more accurate picture?
@Blackthorne83 Have you an inside track or is this just supposition? He's not young and perhaps he is indeed an ar$e. Maybe he's a racist, maybe he isn't. I'm sure it will all come out. If you stick a national jersey on, there is an inevitable responsibility to think more carefully how you speak and behave. Don't get yourself into a position of risk to start with.
@MatzeLoCal Spot on. No request should be necessary. The testers, upon hearing the circumstances, should have 1. Paid respects 2. Rescheduled
41 thoughts on ““I’ve never seen it without someone parked in it”: Cyclist waits 15 minutes for Amazon van driver parked in bike lane to move; Alberto Contador warns Tour de France rivals “unbeatable” Tadej Pogačar “looks unstoppable” + more on the live blog”
Timmy Mallett’s photo is
Timmy Mallett’s photo is edited, surely?
My local council just re-tarmacced one of the main roads near me and it’s lumpy as hell and already showing wear after 3 weeks. Riding to work the day it was re-opened felt like I was on the Roubaix cobblestones.
Our council have just been
Our council have just been given £300K to resurface roads over the next few months…. during which time I will be riding a full suspension MTB as they wont be fit for a road bike anytime soon.
£300k won’t go very far. So
£300k won’t go very far. So definitely stick to full suspension.
May I recommend 3inch low
May I recommend 3inch low pressure tyres.
Quote:
Is your local council one of the lesser spotted councils who hasn’t outsourced repairs to some faceless and never held accountable company?
We should name and shame the companies who conduct the poor work. Than the protected civil servant fools who employ them.
Public-private partnership
Public-private partnership for the best of both, innit? The private company happily does crap work and the council don’t bother to check it.
Where does the graft start? Possibly worth a check on the friends and holiday / car / dining opportunity providers of your local councillors and officers…
the south east london route 4
the south east london route 4 from tower bridge out to greenwich is perhaps one of the best planned cycle routes in London – some slightly sharp turns around junctions, but on the whole works well. There is however one very poorly finished section which feels done in a rush to complete the work – very lumpy tarmac. Still better than potholes though
I criticised some of the
I criticised some of the cycle tracks in South Glos on the A38 for their lumpiness, observing that they appear to have been laid by a drunken chimpanzee with a shovel.
I always used to think that
I always used to think that Timmy Mallet was some sort of irritating eccentric, but now I know he’s keen on getting around on a bike I’m not so sure…
not sure if you’re being
not sure if you’re being sarcastic….but many will think being on a bike IS being a sort of irritating eccentric
Having to google the word
Having to google the word ‘caveat’ as didn’t know the word existed until coming on this site..
Type of posh fish eggs, innit
Type of posh fish eggs, innit.
Amazon seems to have an
Amazon seems to have an active policy of pavement and cycle lane parking. They are easily worse than any other delivery company for that dangerous, antisocial illegal behavior.
The replies on that Twitter
The replies on that Twitter thread are insane. I wonder if those people are just as tolerant when a HGV parks and blocks a road while unloading…?
Imagine the anger if that
Imagine the anger if that amzon van driver had stopped in the road lane for 15 minutes just to fuck about with three people’s unecessary crap from Papa Jeff!
Certainly Amazon vans do so
Certainly Amazon vans do so round where I stay. However everyone does, including driving instructors (happy to take a break on double yellows for 15 minutes between lessons), the posties (van fully on the pavement), the council (blocking junctions / cycle path just ‘cos that was the nearest point)…
Ah posties are allowed to
Ah posties are allowed to park wherever they want, because of the Royal crest/warrant they have and their duty delivering the King’s mail.
In fact I think it’s a legal offence to delay or prevent a postie from delivering the mail because of that royal link.
Unfortunately the rest just copy the posties and without a council bothered to tackle it properly, it simply becomes default driving behaviour.
Ah, that will explain why one
Ah, that will explain why one of them overtook me as I was in the middle of the lane, arm outstretched to turn right.
You do know it’s not illegal
You do know it’s not illegal any more, at least if you turn on your flashing lights of absolution? Road markings are mere decoration.
Is it not time that some
Is it not time that some entrepreneur filled the obvious gap for a small, light wheel clamp? Such delivery drivers are running to a tight schedule, and if it takes them an hour to remove a clamp, but parking there only saves them two minutes, the effect could be dramatic.
Also incredibly satisfying.
eburtthebike wrote:
That’d likely be considered criminal damage in the same way that Tyre Extinguishers are considere to be damaging private property.
But a clamp doesn’t damage
But a clamp doesn’t damage the vehicle, it merely inconveniences the driver.
In the same way that letting
In the same way that letting the tyres down for short periods doesn’t damage the tyres?
Temporary impairment of value
Temporary impairment of value or usefulness is enough: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/criminal-damage
quiff wrote:
it’s also a specific offence under POFA2012
But it rather depends on
But it rather depends on identifiying the suspect, and how would they do that?
Re the DPD driver in Leith
Re the DPD driver in Leith Walk. From this recent newspaper article it appears that LRT (the Edinburgh council owned bus company) drivers know how to deal with these people.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/lothian-buses-driver-punched-delivery-29505057
Although it is perhaps a touch extreme.
What would the crack be if
What would the crack be if all these delivery companies got on board e-cargo bikes or similar? Where would everyone expect the driver/rider to leave the bike whilst delivering….on the pavement, obstructing pedestrians or left in the cycle lane obstructing that? Genuine question, not being pedantic.
Any cargo bike (max 1 m wide)
Any cargo bike (max 1 m wide) would simply park on the road (yellow lines shown – no loading ban in place) – not wide enough to cause an obstruction or the pavement / bike lane – again no known cargo bike is anywhere near wide enought to block access in the way that Amazon van (2.5 m wide) is doing. Genuine answer.
Typical Amazon van driver,
Typical Amazon van driver, don’t give a damn about anyone else.
As for the van, I’ve often wondered why these vans are allowed on the roads if they have blind spots, not as if they are that big.
Didn’t the ‘unbeatable’
Didn’t the ‘unbeatable’ Pogacar get beaten only last weekend? I must have dreamt it.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
I think something’s probably been lost in translation, he meant he looks like he will be unbeatable in the Tour de France, clearly he didn’t mean he expects him to win every race he enters.
Rendel Harris wrote:
I think something’s probably been lost in translation, he meant he looks like he will be unbeatable in the Tour de France, clearly he didn’t mean he expects him to win every race he enters.— ShutTheFrontDawes
Ah, when Contador said “I think he is going for the classics this year”, I thought he must have meant classics. You know, like Milan San Remo (aka The Spring Classic, aka La Classicissima). Not quite sure how that could be lost in translation. My mistake perhaps.
Yes, he does mean that he’s
Yes, he does mean that he’s going for the classics and so that’s a caveat as to his unbeatability in the Tour, depending how much the early season takes out of him, still pretty sure AC didn’t mean TP was going to be unbeatable in every race he enters.
Rendel Harris wrote:
So he’s “unbeatable” and “unstoppable” in one race of the season, unless he decides to actually race in others? Sounds like we’ve got a great season on our hands. I seem to remember people saying something similar of froome the year Thomas took his first TdF win.
There’s a certain irony in
There’s a certain irony in the the sticker telling cyclists to be careful if passing the vehicle on the inside
This is not lost on us victims of Stagecoach bus drivers
https://upride.cc/incident/px12dnu_stagecoach40bus_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/px12eez_stagecoach41_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/px62cea_stagecoach42_uwlcrossclosepass/
or Sainsbury’s 44 tonners- this is for people tired of looking at close-pass videos. The summary is that the back of the offending vehicle looks like this, and that in each case the expletive-deleted Lancashire expletive-deleted Constabulary expletive-deleteds did nothing about the offence
Quote:
Erm… it’s got your name and logo plastered all over it. Of course it’s an Amazon van and the driver is an Amazon driver. If you don’t want us to say it’s an Amazon van with an Amazon driver you know what to do.
Clevedon seafront latest:
Clevedon seafront latest:
Looks good
Looks good
brooksby wrote:
Maybe I’m admitting to being a terrible driver, but I think I would get confused on that road with those markings… though at least I slow down when I’m confused.
Nah mate. The terrible
Nah mate. The terrible drivers just plough through.