Insulate Britain confirms protesters sat in major London bike lane to stop motorists using it; Cav calls fan with Manx Missile tattoo; What does it take to be a pro?; Marginal pains; Belgian beef; Follow the sign; Pic of the week + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Mark loved my tattoo so much he called me! Cav calls fan who got tattoo of his face
Mark loved my Tattoo so much he called me. Not every day you get to FaceTime your hero. Thank you so much @petatodd for setting it up and for @MarkCavendish for the call. Still in a bit of shock and awe. Wow!! pic.twitter.com/bGac7Xqkhs
— Paul James 🇯🇪 (@JerseyPaul90) October 23, 2021
Paul James made a bet at the start of 2021. If Mark Cavendish won a race he would get a tattoo of the great sprinter somewhere on his body. As we all know, Cav won once, and nine more times afterwards, giving Paul plenty of time to decide where he was going to put his new splash of ink.
He wasn’t disappointed about it either, proudly calling the artwork “[An] Ode to my idol Mark Cavendish who overcame adversity to prove he’s still the GOAT. Hopefully he likes this”. Well, he did like it. Cav called Paul on FaceTime and said he loved it.
Paul shared the news on social media: “Mark loved my tattoo so much he called me. Not every day you get to FaceTime your hero. Thank you so much Peta (Cav’s wife) for setting it up and for Mark for the call. Still in a bit of shock and awe. Wow!!”
Seems there’s no motivation like making someone look at your face for the rest of their life…
UCI Track Cycling World Championships round-up: Ethan Hayter caps incredible season (+ Katie Archibald back on the podium)
Final weeks of the 2021 season.
2 Championships.
8 races
7 medals.
4 jerseys.Pretty good! pic.twitter.com/aqhkCnPAPe
— tim hayter (@Willowman66) October 24, 2021
The weekend action in Roubaix was dominated, from a British perspective, by Ethan Hayter’s emphatic win in the omnium and Katie Archibald’s ever-growing trophy cabinet. Just the two national titles, Olympic silver and rainbow jersey for the 23-year-old Hayter this season. Not bad at all…
Archibald also rounded off a superb week in northern France, winning two more medals to take her tally to four for the week. First up was the women’s omnium on Friday where the Scot won gold ahead of track and road stars Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Balsamo. Then on Saturday, Archibald and Neah Evans took bronze in the madison — Sunday’s points race brought a first silver of the week. One gold, one silver, two bronze. Again, not bad at all…
Elsewhere yesterday, Elia Viviani became world champion with victory in the elimination race, a happy end to two difficult seasons with Cofidis. If the rumours are to be believed, he and Hayter could be teammates next year.
ELIA VIVIANI !!! 🌈
CAMPIONE DEL MONDO 🥇in the Men’s Elimination Race!#Roubaix2021 pic.twitter.com/ZuFBWzWgUZ
— UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) October 24, 2021
"He has to learn when he can and cannot say things": Jasper Stuyven reveals Remco Evenepoel did not show up to Belgium's post-World Championships debrief
The fallout from Belgium’s home World Championships continues…Jasper Stuyven, who finished fourth at the event in his home town of Leuven, has spoken to Het Nieuwsblad and shone further light on Remco Evenepoel’s behaviour during and after the race.
Stuyven questioned those around the young Belgian and said he needs to learn when “he can and cannot say things”. Milan San-Remo winner Stuyven also revealed the 21-year-old didn’t turn up to a debrief in the days after the race.
“Everyone was there, except Remco,” Stuyven explained. “He was aware, but didn’t think it was necessary. I think that is a shame, especially because he thought it necessary to say things on TV. That stuck with some of us. I think that Remco should sometimes be slowed down by his entourage. He still has to learn when he can and cannot say things. Also, a super-strong rider – which he certainly is – should realise that some things should remain internal.
“In the first place, he should have ridden a different race. What he did – ride full in the early break, gesticulate and be omnipresent until the final started – any sub-topper can do. But even if he had spared himself, he would never have ridden away from Alaphilippe.”
Last week, Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx downplayed talk he dislikes Evenepoel, insisting he’s a big fan and doubling down on his assertion that the young talent should not have been selected for Belgium’s team when the goal was solely to help Wout van Aert. Evenepoel raised eyebrows by attacking early in the race, going in the breakaway and subsequently getting dropped when the group returned to the peloton.
Reader Rob's breathtaking Sir Dave Brailsford tattoo...
Got Dave Brailsford on my knee.👍#marginaljoints pic.twitter.com/3z4RQdmDyk
— Rob Whittle (@PolkaDotRob) October 25, 2021
Fair play, Rob. That’s some tribute. Was the needle a marginal pain or more serious?
Questions asked as Insulate Britain protesters sit in major London bike lane
The now familiar scene begins of #InsulateBritain protesters now getting pulled out of the road pic.twitter.com/zYuDtatrEE
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) October 25, 2021
We were happily scrolling Twitter, watching videos of Insulate Britain protesters blocking the northern end of Southwark Bridge, when something caught our eye…they’re sat in the bike lane too? It wasn’t just us who noticed it either, plenty of others replied with jokes and questions about why they’d block one of the greener forms of transport.
We’ve dropped Insulate Britain a line for a comment, although we suspect it might be to prevent drivers using the lane to get past as in the clip a cyclist rides past the protesters without issue.
News editor Simon pointed out this is a particularly popular route for London cyclists and is the cycle lane just before it crosses CS3, a major cycleway connecting central London with the east of the city. Met Police confirmed 53 people have been arrested this morning, including some who had glued themselves to the road.
We’ll wait to see what Insulate Britain says, in the meantime here’s some of the reaction:
Probably because motorists have a history of driving over and in anything they feel like, including people.
— Random Dent (@dentrandomdent) October 25, 2021
Intriguingly, also blocking the segregated cycle lane… https://t.co/CoxFqYfbvt
— citymobility (@citycyclists) October 25, 2021
Looks like their preventing drivers using it, you can see a cyclist using it with no issues.
— Simon Colley (@si_rides) October 25, 2021
Because we all know drivers would *never* illegally use a cycle lane.
— Commuteer (@commuteer_ahoy) October 25, 2021
Insulate Britain confirms protesters sat in major London bike lane to stop motorists using it
The now familiar scene begins of #InsulateBritain protesters now getting pulled out of the road pic.twitter.com/zYuDtatrEE
— Damien Gayle (@damiengayle) October 25, 2021
Insulate Britain soon got back to us to address the images of protesters sat in a bike lane on Southwark Bridge this morning. The group said it “certainly wasn’t to stop cyclists” and emphasised that riders were allowed through at all their protest sites.
One of our readers also reported cycling through at 9:30am without any problems. The group’s press team said they were “pretty sure it was to stop motorists”. In fairness, most people assumed this was the case anyway…
I’m assuming that is to stop cars driving through the cycle lane as anyone on a bike can just get off and wheel the bike around them on the pavement?
— Richard Chambers (@dukeofted) October 25, 2021
Although some questioned if even blocking part of a cycle lane was acceptable, considering people on hand cycles, cargo bikes, trikes and trailers would struggle to get past.
No, not everyone ‘can get off and wheel the bike around them on the pavement’. A fast increasing minority use trikes, cargo bikes, trailers, hand-cycles etc.
— Chris Weekes (@cjweekes) October 25, 2021
What does it take to be a pro? New study digs deep into the numbers you would need to hit
What are professional cyclists capable of?
⚡️Power output values attained by 188 cyclists (144 male and 44 female) from 7 teams between 2013-2021. Soon at @IJSPPjournal!
With @mmateo_march @The_Teun @RobLamberts @xabimu @PallaresJG @david_barranco @ZabalaMikel @alexis_gandia pic.twitter.com/y84Aa1hXa4
— Pedro L. Valenzuela (@pl_valenzuela) October 25, 2021
Click on the photo to go through and see what sort of numbers you’d need to clock to be a pro rider. Yeah, not sure I’ll be hitting them anytime soon (ever)…
Italian national team bikes stolen at UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Thieves stole 20 bikes from the Italian track cycling team during this weekend’s UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Roubaix. 15 track bikes and 5 others were taken on Friday evening from a hotel in Lille where the squad was based. Filippo Ganna’s gold Pinarello, and the bikes of the fellow team pursuit winners were also taken.
The bikes were in a minibus in the carpark, ready to be returned to Italy when they were taken. Some of the stolen machines were valued at around £25,000 and had titanium 3D-printed handlebars worth £8,500.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, police believe the theft was the work of professionals who knew which vehicle to break into and who managed to evade hotel security.
“They were well organised,” Italian delegation head Roberto Amadio told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“We knew how difficult the trip could be from a [safety] point of view, so we chose to stay in a hotel with a private, monitored car park even if the commute each day was a bit more demanding. Evidently, even these measures didn’t stop the perpetrators.”
Crazy fence action in Cambridge halts fleeing drug dealer
Here’s your screenshot before the admin changes it…don’t know how they build their fences in Cambridge, but that’s one crazy crime prevention tactic…
You've heard of hamster wheels, now check out this...possom-bly the strangest thing you'll see today
Huston ! On a un problème ! 😬😬
ou
Quand un opossum s’introduit dans ton garage… 😬😅 pic.twitter.com/VIlzVWAUHV
— Miss Cat 🐾 (@misscathsy_2) October 24, 2021
You see what I did there? Possibly, possombly? I can see the tumbleweed rolling across the live blog. Don’t all have a go at once…
25 October 2021, 07:58
25 October 2021, 07:58
25 October 2021, 07:58
25 October 2021, 07:58
25 October 2021, 07:58
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Latest Comments
@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
46 thoughts on “Insulate Britain confirms protesters sat in major London bike lane to stop motorists using it; Cav calls fan with Manx Missile tattoo; What does it take to be a pro?; Marginal pains; Belgian beef; Follow the sign; Pic of the week + more on the live blog”
Latest Danny MacAskill video,
Latest Danny MacAskill video, Climate Games – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR4maEf-eCY
I like hearing stories about
I like hearing stories about philanthropic fan engagement.. I bet that tattoo fella will be buzzing off that memory for years.
Possibly the most “shocking”
Possibly the most “shocking” thing about this is that the MEN actually thinks this is a story.
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/shocking-moment-driver-cuts-up-21936418?fbclid=IwAR21XwqcU4k9j8V5FpOfTd2TkXwKiMqGMoVh4viYfOUE570VWB9-68fXwBY
Although it’s nice to see a story that takes the cyclists point of view it’s probably best not to see what Facebook comments make of it
Not sure how they interpret
Not sure how they interpret that as ‘cuts up cyclist’ though – I didn’t notice it making any sudden movements.
Well to be fair, how else is
Well to be fair, how else is the driver supposed to get from their ‘parking’ spot on the pavement?
The one parked behind the bus
The one parked behind the bus stop must have used the cycle lane to get there, there is a bin or something right behind it no way it drove along the pavement from before the Cycle Lane becomes segregated. And it is parked in the opposite direction to the traffic flow
“What he did – ride full in
“What he did – ride full in the early break, gesticulate and be omnipresent until the final started – any sub-topper can do” – miaow!
No doubt he’ll learn soon enough that it’s very difficult not being a team player.
Insulate Britain: “We’re
Insul
ateBritain: “We’re illegally sitting in the cycle lane to stop motorists using it illegally while our friends illegally sit in the road, stopping motorists using it legally”.Yeah! That makes sense. Can’t have those dastardly motorists breaking the law.
Beyond parody isn’t it?
Beyond parody isn’t it?
Nigel Garage wrote:
I’m sure you’ll find a way.
I’m surprised that Patel hasn
I’m surprised that Patel hasn’t called in the mini-guns and water cannons to move those Evil Protesters ™, or shipped them all off to a penal colony on St Helena…
brooksby wrote:
Matron!
Ha-ha! I’d meant that she’d
Ha-ha! I’d meant that she’d suggested scooping up anyone trying to claim asylum in the UK and then shipping them off to St Helena so that their asylum application could be ‘processed’. Seems to me she’d be happy to send a lot of people there (until Boris’s plane crashed and they had to send in Snake Plissken to rescue him or something…).
FrankH wrote:
Except they are not (necessairly) illegally sitting in the road. The Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that protests can be a “lawful excuse” to block roads.
My thoughts on the Insulate
My thoughts on the Insulate Britain protests, from reading some news sites, is that it’s all about Decent Hardworking Motorists ™ grabbing the protesters and pulling them out of the way.
Now, isn’t that the job of the police?
I mean, if some random member of the public grabs someone and pulls them aside while screaming in their face about how they just have to get past then couldn’t that be counted as an assault?
brooksby wrote:
There’s a video of a Karen dragging protesters out of the way of her gigantic 4×4, all the while hurling abuse at them, then driving it at them; no action from the police as far as I know.
Ah, but she was a ‘family
Ah, but she was a ‘family support worker’ so she knows all the protocols and how to stay within them.
Yeah, I saw that video.
Yeah, I saw that video. Disgusting behaviour. She surely can’t have even been able to see those sitting-down protesters from her driving position, so cannot possibly argue she was ‘doing it safely’…
brooksby wrote:
She was also given a slot on some morning TV or other to allow her a platform to rant about how it was everyone else’s fault.
Seems facking obvs to me that she should have lost her licence
I think I read it was GBNews.
I think I read it was GBNews.
What more is there to say.
eburtthebike wrote:
found it https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/insulate-britain-protesters-drive-over-ve6be1d55?fbclid=IwAR1rVNudqlmL_k5FN_pJKBWASM-IMkF1Sd2KCFLi9eDWBCHvT61HVeRSP-c
It may be a video resolution
It may be a video resolution thing but it also appears that Karen has an illegally bald front tyre. If she was late for anything but the school and a futile personal trainer appointment I’ll eat my hat.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
But in that case how can she do all that off roading that her vehicle is for? With a bald tyre, you surely can’t traverse the Serengeti / steppes / tundra between your executive home on an exclusive Barratt estate and the school almost a mile away.
brooksby wrote:
The law on assault is clear – you can assault someone even without hitting them if they believe that violence is going to be used against them (eg raising a fist). However, dragging someone out of the road who is passively accepting it is neither assault nor an offence. My thoughts are why have none of them been tied to lampposts with cable ties? Maybe motorists are waiting for snow and/or rain, when this method will be more effective?
“However, dragging someone
“However, dragging someone out of the road who is passively accepting it is neither assault nor an offence.”
How did you reach that conclusion ?
Does this also work for domestic abuse ?
Pure assumptions here, but do
Pure assumptions here, but do the Insulate Britain protesters actually care how ‘green’ the transport system that they’re blocking is? They seem to just want to cause maximum (localised) disruption to raise maximum awareness. Not sure the mode of transport has any bearing on it. After all their ultimate goal is to get the government to commit to cover the costs insulating all of Britain’s housing, firstly social and then privately owned. I think their chosen method/tactic of protesting has somewhat backfired as instead of raising maximum awareness of their insulation targets, many people just think they are more interested in getting rid of cars and lorries. Maybe some of the individuals protesting do indeed want that too, but that isn’t the goal of IB officially as far as I can tell. Ultimately their goal would see us ALL having warmer more efficient houses, but the protest tactics have somewhat alientated most of those homeowners.
Dicklexic wrote:
If you think that is their goal, you haven’t been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups’ aims online, all the information is there.
Nigel Garage wrote:
They seem to just want to cause maximum (localised) disruption to raise maximum awareness. Not sure the mode of transport has any bearing on it. After all their ultimate goal is to get the government to commit to cover the costs insulating all of Britain’s housing, firstly social and then privately owned.
— Nigel Garage If you think that is their goal, you haven’t been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups’ aims online, all the information is there.— Dicklexic
Could you please point me to the information to show that Insulate Britain (or indeed Extinction Rebellion UK or Black Lives Matter UK) aim to impose a “Neo-Marxist totalitatian government globally”. I’ve had a quick google and couldn’t find anything of the sort.
Steve K wrote:
Could you please point me to the information to show that Insulate Britain (or indeed Extinction Rebellion UK or Black Lives Matter UK) aim to impose a “Neo-Marxist totalitatian government globally”. I’ve had a quick google and couldn’t find anything of the sort.— Nigel Garage
Ah but that’s always been their strategy, those Marxists! Their first and best trick is they never tell you their goal is to impose totalitarianism.
To be fair to the capitalists and the aristocracy I’m pretty sure that the Marxists pinched that idea from them.
This is as good a primer on
This is as good a primer on XR as I’ve seen: https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Extremism-Rebellion.pdf. Happy reading.
Nigel Garage wrote:
I’m not sure a right wing think tank – even a well respected one like Policy Exchange – is a reliable source for saying what the aims of these organisations are. I’ve not read all the document (have you?) but skimmed the exec summary and done some quick word searches. I can find no mention of XR trying to impose a “totalitarian government globally” – perhaps you could point me to that? Could you also please point me to where any of this applies to Insulate Britain?
Mmm, quality reporting there
Mmm, quality reporting there by Richard Walton on the rightwing thinktank Policy Exchange. Policy Exchange and Walton refuse to reveal who commissioned and paid for that report, thereby breaching a key principle of academic neutrality which is that authors must reveal their paymasters to avoid bias.
Oh, and Walton is a former police officer who was deeply involved in the contemptible actions of the Metropolitan Police in spying on Stephen Lawrence’s family after his murder, actions for which the IPCC concluded he had “a definite case to answer” but he managed to avoid the consequences by resigning before a hearing could be held. He was also the right-hand-man of MPC John Stephenson when it was decided that the Met wouldn’t investigate phone-hacking allegations, something for which Stephenson had to resign.
So, what else have you got besides an anonymously-commissioned report written by a discredited ex-copper?
You forgot the bit about them
You forgot the bit about them then enslaving us all to their lizard people overlords.
I think Nige thought that
I think Nige thought that ‘Inside Job’ on Netflix was a documentary…
Nigel Garage wrote:
They seem to just want to cause maximum (localised) disruption to raise maximum awareness. Not sure the mode of transport has any bearing on it. After all their ultimate goal is to get the government to commit to cover the costs insulating all of Britain’s housing, firstly social and then privately owned.
— Nigel Garage If you think that is their goal, you haven’t been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups’ aims online, all the information is there.— Dicklexic
They can’t be part of the New World Order – where are their black suits and sunglasses?
Nigel Garage wrote:
If you think that is their goal, you haven’t been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups’ aims online, all the information is there.[/quote]
You forgot ANTIFA, you can’t make accusations of Marxist takeovers without blaming ANTIFA
Nigel fromage – are you like
Nigel fromage – are you like the resident t++t?
Lukas wrote:
That’s very unfair, Lukas. Our Nige is not just like the resident t++t!
Oh look, a commenter using a
Oh look, a commenter using a misogynist slur for female genitalia as an insult. What a surprise.
Twit?
Twit?
Or are you just reading your own prejudice in?
I thought the post was very courteous if the slur was twit.
Sniffer wrote:
No, as well you know the accusation was that he was a tart! Lukas was trying to make a pastry out of him.
“Although some questioned if
“Although some questioned if even blocking part of a cycle lane was acceptable, considering people on hand cycles, cargo bikes, trikes and trailers would struggle to get past.”
Is there anything to suggest that if anything like this had come along they wouldn’t simply have got out of the way? They’re just sitting there: this isn’t some kind of permanent and immovable blockade.
Quote:
Police have appealed for anyone who saw a perfect paceline in the area to contact them on…
Quote:
I can.
Re. ‘mental fence’ – would
Re. ‘mental fence’ – would that be a psychological barrier?
mdavidford wrote:
Frankie Fraser trying to shift some things that fell off the back of a lorry?