Jeremy Vine shares shocking close pass by 4×4 in the snow; Anti-lockdown protesters block police by setting fire to bikes; Richard Freeman “lied at every stage”; Just as well pop-up lane removed; Everyone’s favourite folder is back + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Five empty lanes...but cyclists and pedestrians are crammed into one
Two pictures taken the same time today. On the right pedestrian and cyclists crowded together with no chance of complying with social distancing measures.
On the left 5 lanes reserved for the drivers of cars.
This is unfair, unsafe and definitely not #Green. #Brighton #cycling pic.twitter.com/MwOvdnoMKC— Steve Moses (@laplandlongspur) January 23, 2021
This is the opposite side of the story to when councillors or motorists complain about pop-up cycle lanes being unnecessary. In Brighton on Saturday plenty of people were getting outside in the sunshine on foot and by bike. Of the six lanes available, including one bike lane, five of them were empty except for a few cars.
Steve Moses shared these pictures and expressed his concern at the lack of opportunity for the cyclists and pedestrians to abide by social distancing measures, pointing out the “unfair” and “unsafe” road layout. The angle of the photo may make the crowding look worse than it is but that doesn’t change the fact that there is plenty empty room which some of those people could be using with appropriate infrastructure. A couple of replies to the photos mention the fact that there was briefly an additional lane for cycling back in the summer but that it was quickly pulled out…
It still drives me mad that they removed the on-road cycle lane there. It’s literally the worst part of the seafront route; further west there’s at least a bit more pavement space for distancing.
— Imogen Hardy 🏳️🌈 (@idgiecodes) January 23, 2021
@BrightonHoveCC made a cycle lane from one of the car lanes a few months ago, but it lasted only a couple of weeks as they bent under pressure from drivers and transport authority and painted in back. Quite a shame they have zero will to stand up for whats right.
— I Pilot (@igorpilot) January 24, 2021
The pop-up cycle lanes were removed due to congestion....
A bit of further digging and here’s what Brighton and Hove City Council said when the cycle lane was removed: “We recognised the serious concerns raised by public transport users and providers that congestion in a small section of the additional temporary A259 cycle lane had caused unavoidable delays to public transport in the city. We therefore agreed to suspend this short stretch of the lane.”
The temporary lane was ripped out in August with Brighton and Hove Buses pleased by the decision after they reported delays due to the new road layout, something which the council’s lead member for transport called “unacceptable”.
Happy Monday!
Do cross they said. It’ll be fun they said. Only a bit muddy, they said. pic.twitter.com/Jol1FrqczI
— Gina Ball (@GinaBally) January 24, 2021
Even better, there's a video...
2 minuut en 20 seconden wielerleedvermaak!😂 pic.twitter.com/m0xNl66yhB
— Bas Tietema (@BasTietema) January 25, 2021
Here’s the full video for your enjoyment. Superb.
Beryl adds e-Scooters to their fleet of transport schemes in Bournemouth and Poole
Beryl will add 50 e-Scooters to their fleet of electric transport in Bournemouth and Poole. Hired through their app, the scooters are “another form of safe, sustainable and affordable transport” with their launch fast tracked in response to the pandemic. Beryl already has a bike share scheme in the Dorset towns but will add scooters to help promote socially distanced travel.
The e-Scooters will be available from access bays, including at Bournemouth and Poole’s hospitals as well as both train stations. More e-Scooters will be added as lockdown is eased and the trial is part of a 12 month Department for Transport pilot. To use the scheme you must have a valid UK driving licence. Scooters can be accessed as a pay-as-you-go user for a £1.50 unlock fee + 10p per minute or through bundles priced at 5p per minute when buying 100-300 minutes.
Snow day cycling
“I promise you, no one – absolutely no one – is going to use those cycle lanes in London when it’s sno…
oh”.
(#CS3 Embankment, #CS6 Blackfriars, #CW4 Tooley, and #CW9 Chiswick) pic.twitter.com/F04r5XI9br
— always last (@lastnotlost) January 24, 2021
The snowy weather across many parts of the country didn’t stop some hardy souls getting out on the bike. These were the scenes in London yesterday…
London + snow + winter cycling pic.twitter.com/5LEGEizTXB
— citymobility (@citycyclists) January 24, 2021
Jumbo-Visma practise their bike handling skills
Technical skills training with @oscarsaizcas @JumboVismaRoad pic.twitter.com/rLxvZBH5Jc
— Mathieu Heijboer (@m_heijboer) January 25, 2021
No this isn’t Jumbo-Visma trying to pass their Cycling Proficiency Test before the new season…Skills sessions like these aren’t something we hear too much about. We assume pro riders just go on seven hour training rides with hard intervals to prepare for racing, not ride around some cones in a car park. But if I stop being facetious for a second it does make sense. How many times has a rider lost out due to positioning, a silly crash or poor descending? Probably enough to warrant occasionaly practising bike handling skills…This session was taken by Spanish downhill mountain biker Oscar Saiz, who has helped several pro riders improve their descending in the past, including FDJ’s David Gaudu and the Giant Shimano squad.
Everyone's favourite folder is back
This whacky folder first came to our attention last year with its Stages power meter (now a Quarq), SRAM eTap and 55t chainring…Now it’s back and better than ever with some new wheels…Sharing on the Bikeporn thread on Reddit, it’s owner and creator e_pilot said: “Just built up these 40mm wheels on Mavic hubs with Sapim strong single butted spokes. Still China rims unfortunately as 451 rims are an odd duck. Had shallow 25mm generic China wheels/spokes/hubs before this.
“They’re a little bit heavier, but 451 wheels are so small they’re only about as heavy as a the Mavic 700c 64mm carbon wheelset I have on my real bike. Aero gains will be marginal, especially on a wheel this small, but you can’t put a price on deep rim clout/aesthetics.”
Marcel Kittel voices support for Tom Dumoulin
Tom Dumoulin announced he’s taking an indefinite break from the sport on Saturday while he considers his future in cycling. One of Dumoulin’s former teammates, Marcel Kittel, did something very similar in May 2019 before retiring a few months later. The German voiced his support for the 2017 Giro d’Italia winner’s decision. On Instagram, Kittel wrote: “I’ve always admired Tom Dumoulin for his strength. On the bike when were teammates and won Tour de France stages together. And off the bike for his clear opinion and honest critic.
“Of course it’s sad to see him taking a timeout from cycling now, but he also stays true to himself to take the time he needs and figure out what who he is and what he wants. I know from personal experience how it feels and how difficult it can be when youre doubting what you do and you want to look beyond your current life and identity. Only time will give you the answers and I hope for Tom that he’ll find them soon.
“Until then I wish him the same strength that he’s got on the bike also for this part of his career and everyone else who is in the same situation and trying to learn more about his or her own identity. I know that it’s a big journey with uncertain destination but also a very important life lesson once you find that inner compass again, recalibrate and head into your future direction.”
Protesters angry at new COVID restrictions used bicycles as barricades against police during riots in Eindhoven
Anti-lockdown protest today in Dutch city of Eindhoven turns violent. This being the Netherlands the barricades consist, naturally, of bicycles.pic.twitter.com/RcNNTiYB6G
— Harald Doornbos (@HaraldDoornbos) January 24, 2021
Protesters angry at the new 9pm curfew in the Netherlands clashed with police in Eindhoven, with some demonstrators building barricades out of bicycles before setting them on fire. More than 100 people were arrested as police used a water cannon to disperse the crowds. The curfew was enforced on Saturday as a measure to tackle the covid pandemic alongside €95 (£84) fines for those caught breaking it. As well as using bicycles to impede the response, some protesters threw fireworks and golf balls at riot police.
This bizarre video appears to show the moment a protester apologetically put one of the bikes back after its owner shouts at him from their balcony…
Typical for the Netherlands. Rioter in #Eindhoven puts bicycle back because the owner shouts at him from a balcony. #Netherlands
pic.twitter.com/1DBOxHP1gh— Wᵒˡᵛᵉʳᶤᶰᵉ Uᵖᵈᵃᵗᵉˢ𖤐 (@W0lverineupdate) January 24, 2021
Projected road markings in Finland
Many of our paths for #cycling & #walking are covered by a thin layer of #snow for months, so the painted markings can be invisible. We’re for example testing projecting symbols onto the snow surface. Works quite well at least when it’s dark. #Oulu, #Finland. #MeanwhileinOulu pic.twitter.com/hSPyGqtRPU
— Pekka Tahkola (@pekkatahkola) January 24, 2021
While summing up the General Medical Council's case, Simon Jackson QC says Richard Freeman has "lied at every stage"
Simon Jackson QC said former Team Sky and Team GB doctor Richard Freeman has “lied at every stage” and “tried to cover up his “web of deceit” by setting up former head coach Shane Sutton. The Guardian reports that in summation of the General Medical Council’s case, Jackson claimed Freeman looked at what riders wanted and didn’t focus on World Anti-Doping Agency Code.
“He was prepared to sign up with an incoming doctor with his unknown magic and he, on this occasion and other occasions, crossed the rubicon by ignoring medical convention to do what he thought would provide an answer,” Jackson said.
“I underline that Team Sky and British Cycling were not aware of this but there were sleepers, there were dopers in the past who were within these organisations, when Dr Freeman was acquiring the Testogel. They had doped before. And so these aren’t bold allegations in the sense they are unsubstantiated. The GMC has been able to pull all these strands together. The only reasonable conclusions are they weren’t clinically indicated but they were used to dope a rider.”
On Saturday, Jackson accused Freeman of being a liar who was prepared to put others at risk with his prescribing actions. Freeman has admitted 18 of the 22 charges brought against him, including ordering the banned substance Testogel. However, he denies that he did so “knowing or believing” that they were intended for use by an athlete.
25 January 2021, 09:04
25 January 2021, 09:04
25 January 2021, 09:04
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Latest Comments
Never mind the police - many cyclists (at least in the UK) would be totally unfamiliar with a velomobile, so perhaps police can be forgiven for ignorance there. (I've "normal" recumbents and even those cause lots of head-turning). And for "e-things" the tail of the market is very much wagging the dog of regulation. Or rather there's almost zero political interest in that. In an ideal world someone would find the money and time to get the police trained - but I wonder if most of them even keep abreast of things like the highway code wording tweaks? (Do those not specialised in road policing / pursuit driving get any more training than the average driver eg "enough to pass the test, once per lifetime"?)
I thought that the lengthy technical downhill section on narrow roads was a poor piece of organisation. It was inevitable that faster riders with their team car would catch up with team cars of slower riders. Riders passing each other was a bit of a lottery at times. The camera motorbikes struggled to get out of the way at times.
It's not a 'statement' though - it's road.cc's words, based on l'Equipe's interpretation. The actual statement issued on it said that the judge authorised it "guaranteeing strict proportionality between the infringements on the rights of the athlete and the stakes of the fight against doping in terms of fair competition and protection of his health."
Trust me Callum, if you'd grown up watching the Tour in the 1980s, as I did, you would not be hankering after those long flat stages that weren't even as exciting as watching paint dry, it was more like listening to paint dry. As for the supposed benefits of those long TTs, what did they give us? Indurain winning five Tours in a row without winning a single road stage in any of them. As McT says below, you simply can't Pogacar-proof a course and we just have to accept, and enjoy, the fact that we are watching the greatest GT cyclist of all time. Anyway I think it has been a great Tour so far, yes no enormous drama about the inevitable winner (though of course Vinegaard and now Lipowitz have shown us that anything can happen) but just about every day has had a fascinating plot and multiple subplots. Some time in the future there will be another Indurain-style winner, playing it cautious, following moves, making incremental gains and winning without ever lighting up the race and we'll be saying I wish the old days of Pogacar making those spectacular solo breaks were back.
The main issue is the layout of the stages with the bigger climb first then a shallow finish climb. It means pogacar can get a gap at the top of the big climb and then stretch 10-15 seconds to a minute plus at the finish over smaller riders like Vingegaard. A summit finish on the hardest climb might not lead to the most exciting racing but equally would keep the gaps closer. I totally agree with the TT kms though, they should have 60+km tts in the grand tours.
@MaxiMinimalist I mean, that statement makes it sound like they had reason to think those two are doping. Either they didn't follow procedure and are making shit up to cover themselves up or something is going on.
Quite possibly. But the changeover time loss would be a bit more significant if it was done on the flat just after the downhill when the riders are travelling faster, the deceleration, changeover and acceleration loss could easily be around 30 seconds, which is quite a lot of a 34 minute effort.
So Skoda have taken a leaf out of Dung-Old Karen Taco Trump's book and are re-naming something when they have no authority to do so?
@Mr Blackbird Fair points, though I was wondering if doing the climb and descent on a standard bike and swapping to TT for the flat section would have been worth it? Certainly quite a few riders seemed to be having handling difficulties maintaining the best line on the descent with their TT machines.
No. The climb wasn't severely steep and allowed a reasonable speed to be maintained on a TT bike, his bike handling skills on road or TT bike are outstanding for the descent and on a road bike he would have lost a lot of time on the flat last 9k section. Terrific performance by him though!
18 thoughts on “Jeremy Vine shares shocking close pass by 4×4 in the snow; Anti-lockdown protesters block police by setting fire to bikes; Richard Freeman “lied at every stage”; Just as well pop-up lane removed; Everyone’s favourite folder is back + more on the live blog”
Am I missing something? Is B
Am I missing something? Is B&H particularly bad? If the roads were that empty, I would definitely be riding on them at that time…
Exactly !
Exactly !
Perhaps the exclusion zone has already been activated !
There are quite a number of
There are quite a number of traffic lights along that stretch so I imagine perhaps the cyclists make better progress in the congested cycle lane? I avoid cycling down there as the interaction of pedestrians and cycles is really dangerous – lots of visitors unfamiliar with the area coming down to the beach and having to cross the cycle lane to get there. Madness.
I probably would too but I’d
I probably would too but I’d imagine not every cyclist would feel confortable cycling on what is effectivly a dual carriageway
Quote:
Eh? How does that work? Surely congestion in a cycle lane would only cause delays to cycles?
That so called ‘close pass’
That so called ‘close pass’ shown in the Jeremy Vines video is a good example of how people feel threatened and put off from cycling. In an ideal world the video would capture the drivers face and then the police prosecute the driver for careless driving. That driver has absolutly no right to endanger other peoples lives and if we are to acheive the goal zero ambition on UK roads automatic sanctions need to be placed on drivers undertaking such manoeuvres.
No, no, no – haven’t you
No, no, no – haven’t you heard, it’s a war on motorists, harassed out of their cars without so much as a tax disc, it’s the driver who deserves all our sympathies – notice how gentle Jeremy bears this out by not adding insult to injury by speaking to him when they get to the lights. It’s important that cars should get to the next intersection first.
Imagine trying to drive safely on that icy road, you’re liable to spill your Starbucks and drop your phone in the footwell. How are you supposed to find a black phone on black carpet – you tell me.
It’s on Twitter too, look out for Mr “I cycle and I can’t see what the car did wrong / what else he could have done”
Absolutely right, and any
Absolutely right, and any novice cyclist would probably have got off and walked, parked the bike in the shed never to be seen again; these aren’t victimless crimes, contrary to the views of some police forces.
It doesn’t say whether Jeremy reported the driver to the police, but I’m assuming he did. To overtake in such circumstances isn’t just careless driving, that’s dangerous driving; a year’s ban and confiscation of the vehicle would be appropriate.
eburtthebike wrote:
Quite right, but would it fix the problem?
Would the driver understand what they had done wrong?
“Its not like I hit him, what’s the problem?”
Maybe we need Cyclist awareness courses (like speed awareness courses) that show drivers what it’s like to be close passed, that include time on a busy road on a bike.
pedestrian-pete wrote:
— pedestrian-peteIf they didn’t understand having lost their licence and their car, nothing would make them.
pedestrian-pete wrote:
There was a bus company, I think it was in Columbia, that put trainee drivers on exercise bikes and then drove a bus near them to familiarise them. Think it was a great idea .
I think there needs to be a hearts and minds side to this – people on bikes are still human etc – but there is also a simple Health and Safety side. To me loss of licence is not about punishment. It’s simple risk mitigation – the driver has demonstrated that they are unable to reliably control a vehicle safely in the public space.
Wasn’t Jezza’s video. The
Wasn’t Jezza’s video. The person who replied states he is a Mountain Biker and doesn’t drive but he didn’t see the car do anything too wrong….
https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/1353733627943727104
Jumbo-Visma ‘skills’: I think
Jumbo-Visma ‘skills’: I think Wout would just advise his teammates to ride ‘cross.
Equally as scary as the close
Equally as scary as the close pass are the Twitter comments in reply. Basic ignorance and people who genuinely can’t see anything wrong. Some of those commenters undoubtably car drivers we may encounter.
One even criticizes the amount of space he’s taking, conveniently forgetting to mention the parked cars all along the road.
Some of them were pure
Some of them were pure baiting though.
Yes, yes, never mind all the
Yes, yes, never mind all the nonsense about Jeremy Vine. About this Tara Gins picture. I don’t believe it. Do you have the picture as proof?
Reg: Jeremy Vine video. That
Reg: Jeremy Vine video. That was my biggest fear yesterday when I had to cycle to central London. Having to stay very central in the motor vehicle tracks because of the ice / slush on the road. As it happened nothing too bad (couple of taxis as usual cut me up – one cut across me and then just stopped) I have been cycling in London for decades but it still worries me nearly every day. Is it because I am older and more ‘risk averse’ or is it becuase the roads are more dangerous?
Lukas wrote:
The roads are definitely more dangerous. https://youtu.be/1ipv4V6wDBQ
I can’t even travel for 2 minutes without dangerous drivers literally trying to ram into me. Do the police care? Do they heck.