“People think it’s a joke but I’m serious”: Top snooker pro to swap century breaks for disc brakes, wants to compete in Ironman by 2028… and he’s jetting back to Mallorca during tournaments to train on his bike + more on the live blog
First Published: Oct 24, 2024
SUMMARY
Opening of new Dutch-style roundabout in Sheffield delayed until mid-November
Sheffield will soon have a Dutch-style roundabout, although its completion has been delayed by a month until mid-November, the BBC reports. The infrastructure is being built at West Bar roundabout, the new layout giving priority to pedestrians and cyclists.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (could do with renaming to collisions *EDIT* it’s since been pointed out that’s not road-specific ‘accidents’ but also home safety, health and safety courses, workplace health and safety etc.) but suggested similar roundabout design in the Netherlands had reduced serious incidents by around 46 per cent.
Six-pocket jerseys and Shimano Cues... the live blog comments section is on fire
I knew we’d have some fun with the Luca Brecel stuff…
Rendel Harris: “Well Mr Brecel certainly knows his way around the red zone and how to get into the break; presumably his bike will be equipped with a Shimano Cues groupset? Apologies.”
No need to apologise, that’s 90 per cent of what the road.cc comments section is for…
mark1a: “I certainly hope he’s able to chalk up some decent results.”
Clem Fandango: “I look forward to seeing him bridge across some gaps. Something something successful break.”
the little onion: “He has a special range of cycling jerseys, with six pockets. Though it can be quite tricky to put things into them.”
That’s right, every time he wants to put his blue Park Tool tyre levers back in he has to get a red gel wrapper in first… okay, now it’s me that’s apologising…
Court of Appeal to reconsider ruling on cycle funding cuts in England, with judge citing "real prospect of success"
I've got an hour to train. How much cycling can I do?
> I’ve got an hour to train. How much cycling can I do?
Thought I’d chuck this out just as I’m about to head off for a lunch spin, it’s too nice not to out there today. 45 minutes + change + shower = my hour. Worst comes to worst, going for a bike ride is a pretty good excuse for not being at back at your desk when you work for a cycling website. Sorry.
Police appeal for information about bikes stolen from children's cycling club
Police in Lancaster have appealed for information after a “large quantity” of bikes of “some considerable value” were stolen from Cog Set children’s cycle club, which is based out of the Salt Ayre Leisure Centre in Lancaster.
Speaking to Beyond Radio Det Insp Adie Knowles of Lancaster Police said the theft happened overnight (Sunday/Monday) and, although some were fortunately found nearby, the rest have been taken.
“The bikes are used by children and young people in the club and are crucial in giving them the opportunity to ride there,” he said. “Fortunately some of the bikes have been found nearby so please keep your eyes peeled for others if you frequent that area.”
The club offers a fun, inclusive, friendly environment for children aged six to 18 to enjoy riding bikes.
"You've really got to expect the unexpected": Driving instructor says "chaotic, distracting" new roundabout with cycle lanes, 36 traffic lights, and coloured surfaces has "too much to look at"
"Chris's story is likely to save countless lives. This takes my breath away": Sarra Hoy thanks public for support, as NHS England says Sir Chris Hoy's diagnosis has prompted near sevenfold increase in people seeking prostate cancer advice
Writing on Instagram, Sarra Hoy has thanked friends and the wider public for their “kind, thoughtful and helpful messages” regarding her and husband Chris’s health. On Sunday, six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy said his cancer diagnosis is terminal and he has two to four years to live.
Sadly, Hoy also revealed more distressing news for the family, as Sarra was also diagnosed with uncurable multiple sclerosis (MS), telling him in December of last year.
“Completely overwhelmed by your kind, thoughtful and helpful messages,” Sarra wrote on Instagram. “Many people say they don’t know what to say — that’s ok, you don’t need to have the words — just taking the time to message has been like a soothing balm to the soul. Thank you.
“I’ve been told that men seeking advice about prostate cancer is up seven fold and that Chris’s story is likely to save countless lives. This takes my breath away.
“Life is wonderful. We are excited about the future. We have so many more adventures planned…. And I am so fortunate to get to do it all with Chris — the most incredible person I’ve ever met. Watching him on the BBC at the weekend was like watching a masterclass in strength of character, dignity and humility. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — he truly is my real life superhero.”
NHS England confirmed yesterday that Hoy’s diagnosis had prompted a sevenfold increase in people seeking prostate cancer advice.
That's news to us
Interesting headline choice on that one. While you might be mistaken for believeing, given the wording, that a 20mph speed limit for cyclists in England has been passed, with £2,500 fines for those who break it, this is actually the same story we reported on Monday…
So yeah, it’s the Royal Parks (the charity that runs London’s parks) writing to government asking for an amendment so they can enforce 20mph speed limits for cyclists in Regent’s Park, Richmond Park and Bushy Park, not quite the England-wide “crackdown” that Express headline suggests. Oh, and there’s no word on anything beyond the relevant government department having acknowledged receiving said letter. Again, not quite the certainty of the Express headline. Anyway, I’m probably banging my head against a wall trying to point out questionable cycling-related headlines in the press…
A punny day of live blog action
More top advice for Mr Brecel…
It's payday! Tadej Pogačar signs extension with UAE Team Emirates until 2030
Newly crowned world champion and conquerer of all before him, Tadej Pogačar, has signed a long-term contract extension with UAE Team Emirates, a deal that will keep the Slovenian at the team until 2030.
“I am extremely proud to be extending my time here at UAE Team Emirates,” Pogačar said. “This team has been my home now the last five years and I truly can’t imagine myself anywhere else. The best moments of my career have come at UAE Team Emirates and that is a testament to all of the staff, management, teammates, and partners who all allow me to perform at the highest level.
“I’m really excited for the future. This team gives me the best chance at fighting for wins and that is exactly what I aim to do.”
Will there be any race he hasn’t won by the time 2030 comes around? San Remo? La Vuelta? Roubaix?
New Wahoo bike computer leaked that appears to have a built-in wind sensor
"People think it's a joke but I'm serious": Top snooker pro to swap century breaks for disc brakes, wants to compete in Ironman by 2028... and he's jetting back to Mallorca during tournaments to train on his bike
Snooker and Ironman triathlon, now that’s a combination you don’t hear about very often. Perhaps if this takes off we could ditch the swim for good and just require skinsuit-wearing superathletes to knock out a century break before proceeding to the bike leg?
Snooker’s world number six, the 2023 world champion Luca Brecel has got everybody’s attention by revealing he’s spent not one hour on the practice table this month ahead of the Northern Ireland Open (where he beat He Guoqiang yesterday) because he has “different priorities” and is “really serious” about competing in Ironman by 2028. No, really. In fact, he’s jetting into his ongoing snooker tournament on the day of matches, returning to Mallorca in between so he can keep up his training on a lovely looking Canyon…
“It’s [Ironman] a really big ambition of mine,” Brecel told the BBC. “Some people think it’s a joke but I’m really serious about it. That’s the main focus and Mallorca is a good environment to train, a lot of the pro cyclists go out there. I’m going to focus on cycling and running for the next two years and then I’ll pick up swimming.
“A Belgian, Frederik van Lierde, won the Ironman World Championship in 2013 so I might ask him to coach me a little bit. That’s on the cards. For me being in Mallorca is not really about the sunshine, it’s about the temperature and it’s a good environment to train.
“It’s not about lying on the beach, I haven’t seen the beach yet, it’s all about training. I wouldn’t have practised anyway if I had stayed here in Belfast but it’s not always like this. Normally I’d just be at home, practise my hours every day, but I prefer it like this sometimes during the season, so it’s not always the same.”
Brecel also said that completing the Ironman in 2028 (with its 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile cycle ride, and 26.2-mile run) “would give me much more of a buzz than winning the World Championship” in snooker.
“No disrespect to winning at the Crucible because that was amazing as well. Just to complete it would feel like a win. I would love to do it in Hawaii, but I don’t mind where it is,” he told Eurosport after yesterday’s victory, before going on to explain his unconventional commute to the venue.
“The early flight this morning from Mallorca didn’t help,” he said. “Three hours, quite early, it was a rough flight as well. No excuses, but that’s why I wasn’t that sharp today.
“I need four to five years to be sharp for it [Ironman] and my whole life is built around that now. It’s my goal and I will definitely make it one day. Ian Burns did it recently, not the full one but he inspired me. I have always loved running, I used to be a good runner so now I need to build it up again. Then my best friend got me into cycling, I have been doing a lot of time on the bike. I want to get good at those first and then perhaps in two years I will start the swimming training.
“I needed to lose weight – I have lost 11 kilos so far and I need to lose ten to 15 more. It would be good to be the first Ironman snooker player.”
Watch out Kristian Blummenfelt, he’s coming for you. Blummenfelt has backtracked on his plan to swap triathlon for a tilt at the Tour de France, which is just as well because, with Brecel swapping snooker for triathlon we would have had to find a pro cyclist to take up snooker to complete the sport-swap triangle… you’ve got more time on your hands now, Cav?
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73 Newtons in this planet's gravity is the equivalent of 7.44 kgf (kilogram force). Although kgf has largely been superseded by Newtons as a measure of force it is still used in China, by the European space agency and various other bodies. So no, not misremembering, not mischaracterising, and not research done by unqualified persons. https://www.forensicmed.co.uk/pathology/head-injury/skull-fracture/
One thing to keep in mind is that cracks in helmets are usually the result of tensile forces as the plastic foam is strong under compression, but weak under tension. It's possible that the crack formed due to the forces applied elsewhere e.g. if you snap a piece of spaghetti (or a Shimano crank), the break is not where you're holding it and applying force.
Yes. What a shitshow
[img]https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2012/01/03/09/bald-squirrel-415x275.jpg[/img]
Dagnammit - have road.cc stopped the img tags from working?
"caused by a force as low as 10kgs" This sentence does not make much sense. Either you are misremembering or mischaracterising whatever research this was, or else this research you are quoting was done by people unqualified in this area.
Speak for yourself, why not [img]https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2012/01/03/09/bald-squirrel-415x275.jpg[/img]
Well, they (medical professionals) almost always make "life-saving" claims about helmets though they're typically not that well versed in how bike helmets are designed to work (i.e. reducing acceleration by the foam compressing). Also, their view is skewed as they usually only see alive cyclists who've had a collision, so they're not in a good position to evaluate how effective helmets are. Again, the issue with bike helmets is not whether they do or do not provide some protection (they obviously do), but whether the cycling population is well served by focussing on PPE such as helmets instead of focussing on road traffic safety measures (e.g. increased enforcement of traffic laws, providing separate infrastructure etc). I mean, you never seem to hear of medical professionals stating how many lives have been saved by separated infrastructure even when stats across different countries suggest that they are much more effective in reducing the general danger level that cyclists face.
Genuine question, how much of that increased likelihood is attributable to the fact that less confident/ more nervous riders might be more likely to wear a helmet and also more likely to have a crash, and also to the fact that people are more likely to wear helmets in a perceived-risk environment? If all urban commuters wear helmets and nobody who rides on quiet country roads wears a helmet, obviously the urban commuters are going to be have more collisions and so the figures would show riders with helmets have more collisions but it would be primarily attributable to the environment, not the helmets. Is there any research that shows that amongst a cohort of riders of similar experience and ability, riding in the same type of environment, those wearing helmets will have more collisions?
They really aren't that tough, researchers have found that a simple skull fracture can be caused by a force as low as 10kgs; it has been known for people to fracture their skulls simply by walking into a door frame, and a very significant proportion of fractured skulls come from simple low-impact falls when walking. The idea that hair can protect you from abrasions is pretty risible, maybe if it was woven into a mat it might but on your head it's in individual strands; try running your fingernails over your scalp, does the hair protect you? No, it parts. Now imagine your fingernails are a rough road surface, the same thing would happen. None of this particularly is meant as a pro-helmet argument, but if you think you can rely on your skull and your hair to get you out of a crash undamaged I'm afraid you might well end up severely disappointed.
40 thoughts on ““People think it’s a joke but I’m serious”: Top snooker pro to swap century breaks for disc brakes, wants to compete in Ironman by 2028… and he’s jetting back to Mallorca during tournaments to train on his bike + more on the live blog”
Met police to reopen
Met police to reopen investigation into Wimbledon school crash (Grauniad)
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/oct/24/met-police-reopen-investigation-wimbledon-school-crash
Not sure why you’ve added the
Not sure why you’ve added the ?? That’s the name of the school.
I was drawing attention to
I was drawing attention to the appearance in the story of another self driving vehicle.
Well Mr Brecel certainly
Well Mr Brecel certainly knows his way around the red zone and how to get into the break; presumably his bike will be equipped with a Shimano Cues groupset?
Apologies.
I certainly hope he’s able to
I certainly hope he’s able to chalk up some decent results.
As long as he doesn’t get big
As long as he doesn’t get big headed and go around putting too much side on.
He has a special range of
He has a special range of cycling jerseys, with six pockets. Though it can be quite tricky to put things into them.
I look forward to seeing him
I look forward to seeing him bridge across some gaps. Something something successful break.
Clem Fandango wrote:
A judge told me that I had to stop stealing from snooker tournaments. Very well, but first, I’m going to take a rest.
Nice bike, but he does win a
Nice bike, but he does win a lot of frames.
Creakingcrank wrote:
I once played snooker against a U.S. police officer. They were easy to beat as they always go to shoot the black.
Predictably, folks didn’t
Predictably, folks didn’t baulk at making puns…
Impressive he wants to
Impressive he wants to actually compete, not just go for a spin.
I hope he manages not to strike any pot holes. The state of the roads these days, you could break your frame if you strike one!
Quote:
It’s not the Royal Society for the Prevention of ROAD Accidents, it’s ALL accidents: people falling off ladders, people burning themselves in the kitchen. people injured in a variety of ways at work. The Royal Society for the Prevention of Collisions doesn’t really cover what they do. Anyway, the vast majority of road collisions ARE accidents.
FrankH wrote:
I’ve got a feeling we will be seeing some definition-sparring … I do note that the (historic) safety bodies for the various areas of transport use “accident” in their names:
Marine Accident Investigation Branch, Rail Accident Investigation Branch, Air Accidents Investigation Branch
…BUT the more recent * Road Safety Investigation Branch gets a slightly different name.
TBH I think that we should just stick to calling incidents on the road “crashes” (including where it’s just one vehicle). FWIW we should look even beyond “vision zero” (more of a slogan) towards a far more radical and holistic approach to safe (and convenient) travel like the Dutch “Sustainable Safety” vision.
* So recent, that several years after being announced it doesn’t exist. Something something plan for drivers…
FrankH wrote:
Predictable and entirely preventable accidents…
FrankH wrote:
An accident is something that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally. People driving on the road have a set of rules and laws set out in the RTA and the Highway Code to follow. The vast majority of incidents are caused by one or both parties not following those rules and laws, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever seen one that wasn’t. In the vast majority of cases one or both parties have chosen to ignore the rules/laws, so it’s not unintentional, and it may fairly be said that if people ignore said rules/laws incidents are to be expected, so it’s not unexpected either. So no, the vast majority of incidents are not accidents.
And a lot of excuses used in
And a lot of excuses used in mitigation should actually be used as proof of guilt.
There is no such thing as an
There is no such thing as an “accident”; someone, somewhere is always to blame … either by what they did – or equally as important – didn’t do.
Most collisions are the result of:
– failing to look
– inappropriate use of speed
– insufficient stopping distance
– failure to obey instructions [signs, markings, etc]
– failure to concentrate on the task at hand
– failure to understand the brief
– failure to understand users needs
Etc
Don’t forget:
Don’t forget:
– Poor choice of road design (making accidents more likely – here’s a not uncommon example)
– Poor implementation (perhaps signs / road markings / lighting is inadequate or has deteriorated, or foliage or indeed buildings have grown up and are blocking the view).
– Rules which don’t help (e.g. high speed limits on narrow, winding country roads)
And ultimately:
– Failure to recognise that humans predictably make certain kinds of mistakes or show some kinds of undesirable behaviour, and not designing around them (e.g. by separating modes of transport by speed / mass and direction, recognising humans get impatient etc.)
One of the local Shefield
One of the local Shefield cycling groups I’m in has noted that at present the new West Bar dutch-style roundabout doesn’t have the continuous red loop around – the red bits stop when crossing the car lanes.
It’s currently unclear if this is going to be resolved before the opening, but if it’s left as-is it seems like it will undermine the attempts to indicate priority.
glenjamin wrote:
I don’t understand how we always seem to have difficulty just copying other places. It’s like there’s some discussion about it and then a petrol-head will raise an objection about how it’s impossible to drive at 20mph or stop before a junction and then the design gets compromised.
1) People don’t understand
1) People don’t understand “who this is for” (as some posters here demonstrate). People feel it’s for the cyclists of today – and who are they? There are hardly any, and why do they need anything new if they’re already cycling? (The few “I’m a cyclist myself” types tend to reinforce this – “it’s for nervous / incompetent cyclists, I go fast so I’ll continue to use the roads…”)
2) People apply a “democracy of the status quo”. As mentioned above – there are barely any cyclists. Why should they get more money / space / protection – what about everyone else – we drivers and pedestrians?
As for those implementing the changes – Chris Boardman touched on this in his recent talks [1] [2] (did I mention them?) – it’s about:
a) The goals of the system – the questions we ask and what we measure. Currently our “system” measures success in terms of motor traffic – and that’s pretty much it. So if the changes e.g. lead to a slight increase in measured driving times / capacity * then this is categorised as a fail!
* Initially – traffic evaporation is a thing – but it takes a little time.
b) “belief” (because the facts and stats are all there, examples exist in reality which you can easily visit).
Belief applies from bottom to top: as mentioned local people often don’t trust the authorities (with reason…). They just can’t visualise the end result without that being terribly negative. They can’t believe they’ll be able to make those small changes and after they have that things will be better overall. Or they are sort of in favour but just can’t believe it will work here.
Councillors / politicians can’t believe that people will come with them on this. Perhaps they feel that it just won’t help enough to be worth what they see as an unnecessary fight. ( Unnecessary as few are calling for this directly, no big companies are lobbying them for it…). They either believe they’ll fail so don’t bother OR (in a few cases) they are overoptimistic and believe this will be easier to do than it is / will work if it’s done for peanuts.
Plus all our planning /
Plus all our planning / transport officers / road workers have been raised on providing for motor traffic alone. If your organisation’s culture (for generations) has been “success = making more space for motor vehicles” that is quite a change to adapt to…
There are apparently a few rules / laws which do get in the way of some kinds of infra being directly copied. Although expert folks like the Ranty Highwayman have identified possible workarounds. I think it’s more the case that people simply don’t understand some of the subtleties and just don’t believe that UK cyclists, drivers and pedestrians will be able to cope.
We tend to come up with rubbish in the UK because there are additional constraints (like “do it for 1/10th of the cost!” and “you mustn’t have any affect on motor traffic capacity”) – plus of course people want to put their own stamp on things – to say “I came up with that!” rather than “I followed all the specifications exactly!”
So many plans for roads &
So many plans for roads & upgrades I see thesedays come with this “and improvements for walking & cycling” tag, which deliver precisely the opposite.
I think there’s a tiny tiny fraction of traffic designers who get cycling & walking systems, the rest are all about capacity for motor vehicles that screw the walking and cycling aspects completely.
Many might be quite surprised
Many might be quite surprised at the extent to which planning/transport (they’re usually quite different things) officers try to achieve progressive results. The key barriers are lack of funding to achieve joined-up solutions; some old hands’ entrenched views (and the nature of their ageing hands coincides with decision-making appointments); conflict with the perceived political barriers and time horizons, as schemes are passed up to committees, elected departmental representatives, and the like.
Funding often arrives with bids for schemes… have you got yours ready for the oven? Does it align neatly to the funding rules? That funding round might help one particular scheme, but that scheme depends on others to complete a network… without which it’s a little bit of a road to nowhere, or a compromise to a convenient node pending some more funding at an indetererminate point in the future.
Don’t fall into the trap that all sides seem to overlook, of thinking that all officers at the clowncil don’t know what they’re doing. Instead, try working out who those are and find the common ground to agitate for better outcomes.
It seems at Active Travel
It seems at Active Travel England they have spotted that actually lack of relevant knowledge / skill or even lack of sufficient officers tasked with delivering schemes is in fact a barrier. Hence they’ve been focussing on capacity assessments for local authorities. Not initially to say “you’re rubbish” but “look, you’ve got a low score – but you’ve only got 2 staff on this and haven’t yet delivered any big schemes. So try doing some simple, cheap improvements first. We’ll help you and you’ll get some quick wins AND that can help build up your capability”.
Money is always an issue. Certainly (in ever straightened times) needs sorting at central government level so this isn’t “random tombolas for pennies” with no feedback on what was actually delivered. It does need commitment to a sensible sum (like Scotland’s attempt, a significant fraction of the “road budget”) and a continuous funding stream.
BUT ultimately – as Chris suggests – money is not the issue. Where there is a real desire to get this done it can be. Initially “good enough” active travel interventions can be done “cheap” where there’s the will (essentially reducing motorised traffic and reclaiming the road space – using planters and concrete blocks etc). And if enough authorities are saying “this needs funding – not doing this is negatively affecting lots of targets but putting this in will generate a return on the money” it can be.
Where there isn’t understanding that it’s in your people’s interest (and in fact in your own interest), no amount of money will deliver effective improvements.
That’s certainly true, but
That’s certainly true, but there are some big-ticket items where cycling is engineered out of the final plans. Not necessarily because the coal-face officers don’t know what to do but because the budget to include cycling is squeezed &/or because a decision-maker become scared of the necessary carriageway take.
the allocation of officers to specific active travel solutions is often limited; the broader understanding of active travel is there, though; the bottleneck is often at the decision-making point, and the good intentions of officers is frequently overruled (or anticipated and self-limiting).
It has been fatiguing. The arrival of ATE and the experience gained by CB (together with expertise from the likes of Brian Deegan) at GM is a bright hope for top-down impetus and support. It provides the steer for LHAs to get things right – or at least to try for better.
From the local rag comments
From the local rag comments
“cycling is very unhealthy for the pelvic floor and nervous system.”
Not really sure what it is supposed to do to your nervous system or what studies have been undertaken.
“cycling is very unhealthy
“cycling is very unhealthy for the pelvic floor and nervous system.”
I notice some light balance issues sometimes, after staying for hours on the bike.
Probably related to different body dymanics required to stay up, the same phenomenon is well known after spending time on a small boat, then returning to land. In French I heard the word “landsickness”. You just need some time to adapt… I have a wobble board at home and don’t notice more difficulties with it after biking, so nothing serious…
Rolf Harris will be pleased
Rolf Harris will be pleased your carrying on the wobble board legacy.
Cycle training wobble boards,
Cycle training wobble boards, now with incorporated power meters:
“Can you tell what
watt it is yet?”
S.E. wrote:
Yep, that’s my excuse as well.
Look, I don’t know one end of
Look, I don’t know one end of a snooker bat from the other, but if he’s new to cycling, he’s going to need padded shorts: he’ll hurt himself without a bottom cushion.
Best treat himself to a
Best treat himself to a saddle with a cutout as well, he wouldn’t want to find the balls lying in an awkward position…
Cue bad puns.
Cue bad puns.
That’s a lot of bike stealing
That’s a lot of bike stealing in Lancaster! Is bike stealing actually part of the club’s usual activities?
Police in Lancaster have appealed for information after a “large quantity” of stolen bikes of “some considerable value” were stolen from Cog Set children’s cycle club, which is based out of the Salt Ayre Leisure Centre in Lancaster.
?must have left my brain on
?must have left my brain on that lunchtime spin…
Shot putters need a fair amount of fast twitch muscle, I remember that Arthur Rowe had a useful 100 metres time.
Kapelmuur wrote:
Capes himself was pretty good for his size: here he is running a 12.4 100m in the 1983 Superstars Past Masters when he would have been 34 or 35, apparently he could threaten 11 seconds when younger (sorry Facebook is the only place I could find it):
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=982268282449475