Homemade sign tells cyclists to ‘ride quietly’ through village; Liège Strava data; Noisy freehub poll; Packed bike lanes; Pogačar “living the dream”; Paris bike boom; Gridlock vs LTN; Jumbo-Visma Tour de France team; Monument bet + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Packed bike lane scenes as Londoners enjoy weekend weather on two wheels
#YestoCS7 pic.twitter.com/eUfwkBksKU
— Open Tooting (@opentooting) April 25, 2021
The glorious weekend weather had bumper crowds out enjoying life on two wheels in London’s bike lanes. The first tan (burn) lines of the year now sitting prominently above my elbow are testament to Saturday’s heat…
Transport for London’s traffic cameras captured the scene on CS7 in Tooting yesterday as cyclists vastly outnumbered motorists. Elsewhere, in Chiswick, one person commented things were looking all very Dutch…
Chiswick High Road looking almost Dutch! pic.twitter.com/QTT8jo5Bk2
— Chiswick High Road (@ChiswickHighRd) April 25, 2021
The #CS7 looks busy today in the suncshine.#YesToCS7 @TilbrookDaniela @MatthewMarks42 pic.twitter.com/SpJm3o1cup
— Mark Gale (@MarkGale) April 25, 2021
I am sure these scenes were repeated all over the UK so let us know where your riding took you…Routes, climbs, group rides, cafe stops, burn lines — tell us how you enjoyed the sun this weekend…
Ineos Grenadiers' Richard Carapaz handed disqualification for Liège–Bastogne–Liège super-tuck
Supertuck or no supertuck? pic.twitter.com/Y5kn4bE1uy
— ProCyclingStats.com (@ProCyclingStats) April 25, 2021
Richard Carapaz racked up a costly list of sanctions from the Liège–Bastogne–Liège commissaires yesterday. Carapaz was disqualified for super-tucking during his escape from the peloton in the run towards the final climb at Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar went on to win the race once the 2019 Giro winner was caught.
As well as the DQ, Carapaz was fined 1,000 Swiss Francs (roughly £780) and docked 25 UCI ranking points. To top off a costly day for Ineos, the team was handed a further 500 Swiss Franc fine for littering…
More to follow shortly…
Homemade sign tells cyclists to 'ride quietly' through village
road.cc reader Matthew sent us this picture of a sign that has been put up in the village of Boarstall, just outside Oxford. He said it was strange considering they do not seem overly concerned about the number of speeding cars cutting through the village, just those pesky cyclists with their small talk and noisy freehubs.
The reader also pointed out the positioning of the sign could do with some improvement so it is not next to the final house as cyclists leave the village…
Anyway, at least it is more polite than this charming homemade sign that appeared in Cambridgeshire last year, telling cyclists to ‘stop panting viruses through our village. Stay away’.
And it seemed last spring’s lockdown started a trend of anti-cyclist messages as later that day we were sent another picture of a homemade sign asking: ‘Cyclists. Are you 30 minutes from your home? Protect the NHS.’
Paris cycling boom
“Look, our city can’t just change its car-dominated streets to accommodate people. We are not Amsterdam!!”
Paris: “Wait. Hold my wine 🍷🥖 !”
~Rue de Rivolipic.twitter.com/MwEhjSTvL3
— Cycling Professor (@fietsprofessor) April 26, 2021
It was not just London where the streets were filled with cyclists this weekend…check out the scenes in Paris. New figures released in February showed that six in ten users of the French capital’s pop-up cycle lanes were new to cycling. The number of women cycling has also increased from 36 per cent up to 41 per cent…
Tadej Pogačar says he is "living the cycling dream" after first Monument win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège
It must be alright to have won the Tour de France and a first Monument before your 23rd birthday…with the way Tadej Pogačar is going, he might well have defended his maillot jaune too by the time he has blown out his birthday candles at the end of September.
After outsprinting world champion Julian Alaphilippe, former world champion Alejandro Valverde, David Gaudu and Michael Woods, the Slovenian said he is “living the cycling dream”.
“I’m without words, I really love this race and to win here like this against those names is incredible,” he said. “I knew Alaphilippe was going longer and I stayed behind him, I was just lucky in the end, it’s just unbelievable.”
Next up on the horizon for the prodigiously talented 22-year old: “rest, take some time with the family, and then start to prepare for the Tour de France.”
Organisers adapt track cycling Olympic test event due to state of emergency
The test event for the track cycling at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics continued yesterday as the organisers tried to adapt to the worsening coronavirus situation in the country. Japan Today reports riders were interviewed online, rather than in-person as planned. It was due to be the first event since the postponement of the games last summer to use a mixed zone where journalists could interview athletes after they had competed.
However, after Japan declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other areas until Sunday 11 May, organisers reverted back to online interviews. The races involved Japanese cyclists competing in the individual and team sprint, keirin, team pursuit, omnium and madison. There were no spectators or international riders at the event.
Noisy freehubs: hot or not?
Over on Facebook the link to the live blog story about the displeased Boarstall residents trying to clamp down on cycling-related noise has started a freehub debate…
Are noisy freehubs cool? Admittedly they are quite handy for letting dog walkers know you are coming…but can wind your riding mates up after several hours listening to you humming along every descent.
David Starks-Browning commented: “Personally, I can’t stand screaming-loud freehubs. I once tried to ask a fellow cyclist what sort his was (so I could avoid ending up with the same) but of course he was wearing earphones and couldn’t hear me, presumably blasting his music to drown the noise of his freehub…”
Have your say in our poll…
The best of LTNs vs the worst of car-dominant cities
Compare and contrast this traffic soaked street in @wandbc where all Low Traffic Neighbourhoods were removed with the calm car free Railton Road in @lambeth_council
Which do you prefer?
Video 📹by @London_Cycling pic.twitter.com/L1sOrVvYUQ— filter more streets (@iambrianjones) April 26, 2021
David Gaudu inspired to Liège-Bastogne-Liège podium place by bet with friend
Gaudu: “I saw in Flèche Wallonne my legs were good. I’m delighted to be on the podium with great champions like Pogacar & Alaphilippe. I followed the wheels up the Roche-aux-Faucons. It was really difficult. I went all-in, I knew it was a make-or-break situation. pic.twitter.com/KCI1bgWmwk
— British Cycle Sport (@VeloUK) April 25, 2021
As if David Gaudu needed any extra motivation coming into Liège at the head of the race…after the finish the Frenchman explained how a bet with a pal motivated him for the sprint…
“When I felt the podium was coming into reach I was close to cramping but then I had to think about my friend who told me that if I placed on the podium in the Ardennes he would join me for a seven-hour ride, even though he’s not a cyclist; that’s a done deal. I thought about that at 50 metres from the finish,” the Groupama-FDJ climber joked.
That is going to be a long seven hours…
'World's first smart inner tube' goes down well on our Instagram...
Last night Tubolito launched the “world’s first smart inner tube” to allow users to check their tyre pressure on their smartphone. The 35g Turbo-MTB-P-SENS inner tubes will set you back £42. The good people over on our Instagram were typically open-minded and constructive with their feedback…
bowstreetrunner got straight to the grim point: “I’d rather shit in my hands and clap. I hope this assists.”
Stublundell wondered why our April Fool’s gag was 25 days late, while Chris Collicott pointed out he has a thumb, so would not have any need for the tech…
dangerdicko added: “Just pump them up before you ride. If they deflate during the ride then there’s an obvious tube issue. It’s not rocket science.”
Team Jumbo-Visma confirm squad to help Primož Roglič at Tour de France
📢 ANNOUNCEMENT!
Jonas Vingegaard is our eighth rider for this year’s Tour de France!🤩#TDF2021 #ridewithus pic.twitter.com/9rp142c34I
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) April 26, 2021
Jonas Vingegaard will take Tom Dumoulin’s place in Jumbo-Visma’s Tour de France squad this July as the team hopes to overcome last year’s disappointment and win the maillot jaune with leader Primož Roglič. Dumoulin had initially been named in the team’s plans before announcing his unexpected break from competition at the start of the year.
Vingegaard’s impressive early season form has seen him win a stage of the UAE Tour and the overall at Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali as well as a second place at Itzulia Basque Country. He will join Wout van Aert, Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss, Robert Gesink, Mike Teunissen and Tony Martin at the Tour.
Dutch cities plan to ban fossil fuel delivery vehicles from urban areas from 2025
Cities in the Netherlands want to make their air cleaner by banning fossil fuel delivery vehicles from urban areas from 2025.
As the first country in the world to give municipalities the freedom to implement zero-emission zones, 30 are planning to do so.https://t.co/HLLK36zpUe pic.twitter.com/HXf1VUeI4h
— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) April 25, 2021
EuropeanSting reports that 30 Dutch cities are hoping to implement a ban on fossil fuel delivery vehicles in urban areas from 2025. Netherlands environment minister Stienje van Veldhoven said: “Now that we are spending more time at home, we are noticing the large number of delivery vans and lorries driving through cities.
“The agreements we are setting down will ensure that it will be a matter of course that within a few years, supermarket shelves will be stocked, waste will be collected, and packages will arrive on time, yet without any exhaust fumes and CO2 emissions.”
The ban would save 1 megaton of CO2 every year by 2030 and to further encourage carbon-free transport, the government is offering grants of $5,900 to help businesses buy or lease electric vehicles. It is hoped the ban would also encourage more businesses to use cargo bikes for deliveries.
What does it take to make the front group at Liège–Bastogne–Liège?
Israel Start-Up Nation’s Mike Woods has uploaded his fifth place ride at Liège–Bastogne–Liège to Strava…The decisive move, made on the final climb at Roche aux Faucons, saw Woods clock the third fastest time up the 1.1km segment with an average speed of 21.4km/h (13.2mph) for the duration of the 11% slopes…
The power data shows Woods put out 492w for 3:11 and hit a max power of 859w after more than six hours of hard racing and more than 4,000m of elevation gain. Moments later on the second part of the climb, he held 407w for a further 4:02 before the descent to the finish in Liège. Some serious numbers.
Noisy freehub poll results...
We asked you earlier today if you are a fan of noisy freehubs and it has been one of our closest polls yet…As things stand that is a win for loud freewheeling.
"Wait until these villagers hear about motor cars!": Your comments on Boarstall's keep it down sign
Wait till these villagers hear about motorcars…
— Richard Lake (@RikkiLakeCyclin) April 26, 2021
The comments on the live blog, Facebook and Twitter have been absolute gold today. Cue the Hot Fuzz memes…
Only one thing worse than crusty jugglers and living statues… loud cyclists.. pic.twitter.com/wMKC4fgqXt
— Tim B (@tjaabr) April 26, 2021
One big concern the sign has raised is the possibility there is an anti-social cyclist riding continuous laps of the village making a racket. After all, the sign is addressed to a cyclist, not cyclists. Group riders, you are in the clear…
Just the one cyclist actually
— James (@JamesManthorp) April 26, 2021
26 April 2021, 08:02
26 April 2021, 08:02
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Latest Comments
@mdavidford Whereas Kittelgrams are measured in retired German sprinters.
The Ventoux is just too large to ship using "send my Bag" which use DHL, this will be the same problem for all shipping Agents using DHL, I'm not sure because I lost their quote but I think Ship To Cycle may be OK Had no problems flying the Ventoux with Emirates
I don't see an issue, if you've nothing to hide... If they see a large increase in V02 max or FTP values then they can do extra investigating and maybe more actual testing. They team can show if a certain training program could indicate larger than historically seen gains by a rider. I think if I was a rider, I'd sooner let then have my TP files than have to be watched while having a piss into a cup.
Looks like a knock off of the Ortlieb pannier.
@Surreyrider One would have thought you'd be more concerned with the vital issue that it's an "allroad" bike so at least half the review shouldn't be on road.cc. Groupset is a flexible term, e.g. on the Shimano website they include their own hubs and wheels as part of the R7100 groupset but I don't think many people would say a bike hasn't got a full groupset if it doesn't have wheels that match the mechs. If you look online most groupsets are sold without disc rotors due to the differing compatibilities of hubs, so I think one can still call something a full groupset if it doesn't include the rotors.
@Secret_squirrel You are Henri Desgrange and I claim my £5...seriously, the route has only existed for 11 years so it's not exactly laden with precedent and historical tradition. Certainly there is a place for an unsupported bikepacking record (I think Mark Beaumont still holds this?) but the outright speed record is effectively a 500 mile time trial and in that context I'd say using every tactic and piece of technology legally available is absolutely fair enough.
You don't have to be a superhuman to ride it (although, of course, as with any ride, it helps).
The spirit of this ride is that a superhuman rider pedals every bit of the route. She did that.
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head- mountain bikes are now mainstream, with brands relying on their sales volume for the profit of the company as a whole and consumers knowing what they want. We also expect more from our bikes and constant failures would be unacceptable, I remember when head tubes snapping was a semi regular occurrence to hear about. We have had incremental improvement- geometries are longer and slacker, suspension is more responsive, tubeless tyres are great, disc brakes work, derailleurs don’t break and gear ratios are now appropriate for application. I wouldn’t drop £6k on an out there bike that might not last and might not work well, and I don’t think many people would or could. It’s the price of mountain biking being many stream. If you want something wacky buy a tt bike
Not to be a negative Nelly but is swapping between a Road and TT bike in the spirit of this ride?
35 thoughts on “Homemade sign tells cyclists to ‘ride quietly’ through village; Liège Strava data; Noisy freehub poll; Packed bike lanes; Pogačar “living the dream”; Paris bike boom; Gridlock vs LTN; Jumbo-Visma Tour de France team; Monument bet + more on the live blog”
While I’m all for a bit of
While I’m all for a bit of consistency from the UCI and their rules.. surely a fine would have been ‘ample’ punishment for Carapaz.. DQ appears harsh and the docking of the UCI ranking points seems ridiculously unnecessary.
With any sports new rules,
With any sports new rules, first offenders normally get hit harder to “enforce” and “remind” that they are there.
Well the UCI had changed the
Well the UCI had changed the punishments on this, but if there was anything their littering rule for safety was brought in for then Demi Vollerings chuck of her bidon away which rebounded back into the path of riders in the lead group who had to suddenly take evasive action, was a perfect example.
And they didnt even fine her the full amount either.
So Carapaz can probably feel unlucky to have caught the rule the UCI havent backtracked on yet. Tbf the way he was caught it was never a winning move anyway and you wonder if its partly them seeing what setup is allowed before a more important to them race/stage.
Seems a bit misleading to say
Seems a bit misleading to say that the ‘glorious weather’ is responsible for the Tooting clip – it appears to be some kind of XR demo.
I did wonder if there was a
I did wonder if there was a demo with the flags on some of them.
Nothing on the twitter replies though tbf to Road.cc.
A related tweet shown though is upto 2500 people “protesting” about LTNs by walking down a road closed to traffic. The irony that they had a pleasant time walking down a road without having to worry about cars demanding the space seemed to be lost to them.
Re. the “cyclist quiet” sign
Re. the “cyclist quiet” sign – I’d love it if the roads around me were quieter. Walking the kids to school we have to shout to have a conversation. It must be the noise of all those chatty cyclists, and not the thunder of constant traffic.
Seems to be the next
Seems to be the next complaint for NIMBY’s that the cyclists are dangerous because they speed through the villages too quiet whilst simulataneously making lots of noise. The same as we are invisible apart from at Red lights etc.
A bit of Devils advocate though is some crack-of-dawn chain gangs / loud ride leaders could be the cause of the signs. Still as motorbike chain gangs / louder cars / diesal tractors probably also come through, it seems the quietest people are the loudest.
Based on that sign, though,
Based on that sign, though, does the signmaker have a problem with one specific cyclist??
the little onion wrote:
I’m clearly going to have to retune my exhaust. Not sure it’s even legal at the mo….
Our garden borders the
Our garden borders the village road, and I can’t say I’ve ever been bothered by the chatter of a cycle group coming through.
Chief offenders are motorcycles, some of which have ridiculously noisy exhausts, even relative to sports cars.
Ironic that Boarstall, whilst
Ironic that Boarstall, whilst quite a pretty place, is less than 1 mile from the less than tranquil drone of the M40.
I suppose it is the noise of
I suppose it is the noise of the the motor on the ebikes that upset the villagers.
What glorious weather ? it
What glorious weather ? it was freezing cold grey windy and miserable here yesterday
Where is here?
Where is here?
Saturday was great in the Midlands and Sunday had more cloud and stronger breezes but was still nice in the sun.
Norfolk/Suffolk I think.
Norfolk/Suffolk I think.
Cold in Essex yesterday whereas Saturday was shorts and shirt.
Cold today and lots of complaints at home about no heating !
Yes, coastal Suffolk, it
Yes, coastal Suffolk, it didnt get above 9 degrees even before the wind chill of a strong north easterly, so to read people were complaining about sunburn, you were more likely to get frostbite out on a ride around the area at the weekend.
It’s my fault as I put all my winter gear away in the cupboard last week.
In my other guise as a
In my other guise as a birdwatcher I have some sympathy. Inane smalltalk and noisy freehubs interfere with recording bird song. What’s sad of course is that our ears have become attuned to the drone of traffic so smalltalk and freehubs attract our attention…
I thought the same. The
I thought the same. The village in question is about 1km from the M40.
This time last year the
This time last year the silence was deafening. Our favourite wood for birdsong is about a mile across a river valley from a trunk road. We’ll never hear a dawn chorus like that again because the hum is back this year. It was genuinely magical and inspiring.
kil0ran wrote:
Not mine. If anything, I’ve got more sensitive to it.
I grew up in the countryside and, despite having spent more than 20 years in a large town near an arterial road and a DC bypass, I detest the incessant sound of traffic more than ever. Every single walk or cycle ride is spoilt by the noise of cars.
I love PTWs and miss mine dearly but I have never liked loud pipes (except at a race circuit or the TT). Lying in bed or while reading with the window open I can hear motorbikes with loud pipes from several miles away. Hate ’em. Selfish bastards.
kil0ran wrote:
Not me. Being stuck at home for the past year has made me realise just how noisy, anti-social and intrusive traffic noise is.
Chavs on 125 motorbikes and those little cars with illegal exhausts and plastic spoilers are particularly annoying but the constant background racket is almost as bad. Sitting out in my back garden on a sunny day last summer was impossible to enjoy.
I’d love to have a
I’d love to have a psychologist say what that “Cyclists Quiet Please” sign tells about its creator. There is so much going on. The tone of a primary school teacher. The juxtaposition with road traffic. The sheer insolence of the instruction. And quite professionally produced. Someone is seriously messed up!
Is it poor grammar, a typo or
Is it poor grammar, a typo or is there just one, particular noisy cyclist that is the target of the campaign?
I think the whole thing’s
I think the whole thing’s been misinterpreted – it’s a sign aimed at horse riders, warning them that there’s a cyclist, and asking them to keep their clip-clopping down to avoid startling them.
Maybe it is because some road
Maybe it is because some road rage drivers hide in hedges waiting for you but if you are really quiet, they will miss you.
I have a noisy hub and while
I have a noisy hub and while i love it in the city for the ‘visibility’ it gives me and the warning i am approaching – better than a bell – i do get a bit fed up with it when descending or freewheeeling in silent countryside…its hard trying to balance approaching slowly against keeping pedalling to stay quiet
Having passed through an
Having passed through an Essex Hamlet nattering to my companion on the return journey (for the North Sea was in the way) we were acosted by a chap in a dressing gown (who to be frank looked wrecked). He pointed out it was 06:30 on a Saturday morning and our amiable chat had woken his 6month old who he’d spent all night trying to get to sleep. Our freewheels were quiet and everytime we passed his place in future so were we!
Checking my village FB group
Checking my village FB group last night (my wife is a member, I’m not on FB). This was one of the first threads…
Am I being overly cynical, or did this bloke just publicly admit to dangerous driving (not careless, as it was completely premeditated, by his own admission)?
As you can imagine, the thread got the full bingo card.
One that stuck out for me is that apparently cyclists shouldn’t be on the A369 because its a busy road connecting the city (Bristol) to the motorway (M5). Which is odd, IMO: didn’t the Govt build the M32 and M4 precisely so that motorists din’t have to use all these small roads…?
Just a quick heads-up, the
Just a quick heads-up, the names are visible through the redaction.
Thanks! Fixed now.
Thanks! Fixed now.
If I remember, I’ll get a
If I remember, I’ll get a photo of the ‘this is a local village for local people‘ sign which is still up on one of the cycle paths 😉
I went past last night, and
I went past last night, and they’ve only gone and bl00dy removed it! Its been wiped off or painted over.
Pill is open to cyclists again! (so long as you avoid the bloke punishment passing…).
That thread on my village FB
That thread on my village FB group is still running… They’ve got to the point now where a cyclist-defender complained about having to share the path with pedestrians because the pedestrians travel so much slower, and one of the motorist-defenders replied, “Slow down then” (completely missing the irony that he had been earlier arguing that cyclists shouldn’t be on the road because they were so much slower than the motorists…).
Happened to be passing
Happened to be passing yesterday. Which should it be??
Or this?
Or this?