Garmin admits cyber attack, systems “returning to operation”; Thug used car as weapon and ‘impersonated police officer’; Cyclist who made ‘best lockdown vid’ unveils latest creation; Bike gets ‘stolen back’ + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Weekend catch-up
Can’t bring yourself to read about cycling because of all this Garmin malarkey? Here’s what you’ve missed…
Garmin issues FAQ as ransomware attack enters fourth day
Near Miss of the Day 447: Left-hook fail or Must Get In Front?
Garmin ransomware attackers said to be demanding $10 million
Bath golfers outraged that loss-making course could be turned into cycling centre
Four arrested after horrific Leicester hit and run
Drivers more patient with cyclists since lockdown according to survey
New website shows live data on travel times by bike and car in Oxford
"If you're looking for the grey bike - I stole it back"
Spotted by a friend of mine in Taichung. pic.twitter.com/1sgEoUs6Xp
— Chris Holmes (@greenlaker) July 26, 2020
Karma doesn’t come much sweeter than this.
Man claiming to be off-duty Kent Police officer reportedly threatened cyclists and "used car as defensive weapon", claiming they should not be riding two abreast
Today I’ve never felt so unsafe on a bike before, caused by an apparent off duty Kent Police officer. From my perspective. Woman and man in car with kids in the back shout at my partner and I as we cycle on a road two abreast (rule 66 Highway Code)
— Chris Hall (@chrishallrides) July 26, 2020
Ultra-endurance cyclist Chris Hall posted the disturbing account to his Twitter page yesterday. claiming that the man and a woman had children in the car and continually shouted abuse at Mr Hall and his partner for riding two abreast. The man claimed he was an off-duty police officer, and reportedly gave his name and badge number. Mr Hall continued in the Twitter thread:
“Woman and man in car start shouting at us out the window to ride single file. Instantly feel threatened and let them go past and carry on. Car then stops in the road to continue shouting at us. Man threatens us using car as a weapon steering us towards the pavement…
“…Continually threatens us to stop claiming he is a police officer. Partner and I are feeling incredibly under threat as the car is being used as a weapon to force us single file and to make us stop at the side of the road. Car turns in on us and doesn’t indicate at a junction.
“Eventually we are forced to pull over. Man gets out the car and with an incredibly raised voice threatens to arrest me as I didn’t listen to him once he said he was a cop. I asked for him to show me his badge and he didn’t have it but said he would go home and get it.
“To which I said ok. He didn’t go home. His wife continually shouted at my partner stating we were reckless and dangerous stating she was also a police officer. Raising her voice at both of us. I continually reminded him of rule 66 of the Highway Code. He argued we were cycling…
“…In a dangerous manor and should be single file. Eventually after having the man and wife shout at us for about 20 minutes and after them using their car as a defensive weapon on us, they left: my partner in tears and me very shaken my the whole event.
“If this is how you train your officers, @kentpoliceroads I’d be happy to help in how this can be seen as intimidating to a person. I’d also like some clarification on what we did wrong.
“My partners a relatively new cyclist and has recently started trying to take it more seriously, having just purchased a new bike. Riding two abreast is a way to help with her confidence on London and Kent’s roads which quite frankly are unsafe for cycling.
“I have the car registration number, officer’s name and eventually he gave me his badge number. I’m now done with cycling in London and the South East. I think I’ll be moving out of London soon or maybe even to a country where cycling is part of their culture.
“I think I’ve covered everything. The officer probably has a different story to tell of the incident but simply a vehicle should never be used to intimidate someone as a weapon. We are both incredibly shaken by it all.”
Good morning Chris, would it be possible to give us a follow so we can send you a DM. Thank you.
— Kent Police (UK) (@kent_police) July 27, 2020
Sorry to read about this and hope you are both ok. If you want to email me a little bit more (including details you took and where it took place) I’ll see if there is anything we can do to assist: contactyourpcc@kent.police.uk
— Matthew Scott PCC (@matthewinkent) July 26, 2020
Both Kent Police and Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott have replied to Mr Hall, and road.cc has asked for more details.
Ride Your Socks Off! with us on Zwift tonight, 7pm
If the weather where you are is anything like we’re getting right now then indoor training will certainly have some appeal… Anyway, once again we gather tonight for a sock giveaway on the Ride Your Socks Off! event. It’s a C category event this week, and the route is Out and Back, which includes the Volcano climb and also the reverse KOM. I expect we’ll do the sock giveaway at the top of the volcano and then maybe do a race for the final bit! Here’s the link: https://www.zwift.com/events/view/972943
Garmin: is yours showing signs of life??
For the first time in over 4 days, Garmin Connect seems sorta back up. It’s a bit touch and go, but it’s waking up. Coffee is still brewing. Meanwhile, the Garmin Connect site Status page is down, but that’s fair – it needs a nap after the last 4 days.
— Ray Maker (@dcrainmakerblog) July 27, 2020
A road.cc staffer has seen his activity upload wirelessly to Garmin Connect and Strava overnight, and Strava’s latest status update says that some of the backlog is starting to trickle through… have Garmin beaten the ransomware attackers? Full story to follow with more details as we get them.
'Testing positive' doesn't just mean 'that' kind in cycling any more...
This year the term “tested positive” has taken on a whole different meaning to years gone by
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) July 27, 2020
Says Alex Dowsett, who has never tested positive for anything illegal or COVID-19 thankfully.
Government's new 'Tackling obesity' strategy: nothing on cycling yet
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On the gov.uk website, a document titled “Tackling obesity: empowering adults and children to live healthier lives” is now online… but it doesn’t really touch on exercise at all, focussing on the plans to revamp nutritional labelling, plus banning two-for-one offers on unhealthy foods and junk food advertising. It does say this regarding the new PHE Better Health campaign:
“The campaign aims to reach millions of people who need to lose weight, encouraging them to make behaviour changes to eat better and move more to prevent or delay the onset of serious diseases. This will be supported by a 12-week weight loss plan app that people who are living with obesity can use to develop healthier eating habits, get more active and lose weight.”
Will further information follow, specifically regarding how people can get fit and lose weight using pedal power? We’ll wait and see…
What will happen first? Take part in our poll.
The world really does appear to be on pause at the moment…
'Off-duty police officer' assault: Kent Police tell victim they believe man was impersonating a police officer
Adding onto this thread. I’m talking with Kent Police today and they have confirmed they don’t believe that the officer number I was given is a Kent Police Officer so, it’s two people impersonating police officers, with the intention of harming someone using a vehicle.
— Chris Hall (@chrishallrides) July 27, 2020
Chris Hall, who took to Twitter to detail a 20-minute long ordeal in which he and his partner were threatened by a man claiming to be a Kent Police officer, has said the force told him they believe they are dealing with “two people impersonating police officers”. Mr Hall says the male driver and female passenger had children in the back of their car, and that Kent Police say they don’t recognise the officer number the man gave out.
Mr Hall also told road.cc: “I’ll be honest it was horrible. We are both ok but definitely pretty shaken up by it all. I’ve cycled across the world and have cycled in London for over ten years, and this was the scariest incident I have ever dealt with.”
The 'I have a joke' meme goes cycling
I have a joke about Guy Ritchie but it’s banned.
— ⚫ CyclingMikey aka Bike Gandalf 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) July 26, 2020
I won’t tell you my wheel building joke yet as it takes a while to get the tension up.
— LukeB_MTB (@LukeB_MTB) July 25, 2020
i have a joke about women’s cycling but it won’t get the coverage it deserves
— robyn (@robynjournalist) July 26, 2020
I have a bike lane joke but it doesn’t go anywhere.
— Jessie Singer (@jessiesingernyc) July 25, 2020
I have a pro-line mountain bike joke, but once I start, it just goes downhill.
— Jodey Hinze (@jdarylhinze) July 25, 2020
The premise is that you have a joke, followed preferably by an ironic and topical reason why you can’t tell it. We’ve picked out some of the best for your perusal…
A-pole-ing: pole and road furniture causes pile-up before sprint finish at GP Kranj
VN Kranja je končana. Kar smo napovedali @val202 se je zgodilo. Zmagal je Olav Kooij, Jumbo Visma. pic.twitter.com/HW4NPB9vGQ
— Dare Rupar (@DareRupar) July 26, 2020
A number of riders who would have contested the sprint finish at this Slovenian road race were took out just metres from the line, caused by a large pole and numerous bits of road furniture that clearly weren’t visible to riders as they approached the final bend. Not the kind of pole position that is beneficial in any way, that’s for sure…
Cyclist who went viral with stop-motion vid unveils his latest mind-boggling creation
Powered by a Wahoo Kickr turning a wheel decked out with 1,300 mini swimmers, cyclists and runners, Quek Shio Chuan has revealed his latest triathlon-themed masterpiece, dubbed ‘The Cycotrope’. Treat yourself and put the full screen on to appreciate it in all its glory.
Back in early May, Chuan went viral with a stop-motion video that was lauded as one of the best lockdown videos on the web, during a time when we all needed a pick-me-up. Here it is again if you need a reminder…
Peculiar local news article sparks helmet row
The article on the Island Echo website carries the headline (all in caps): “CYCLIST INJURED BUT SAVED BY HELMET IN WEST WIGHT CRASH”.
Just 103 words follow, with the final paragraph stating: “The importance of wearing a helmet has been highlighted by this incident. The casualty has been saved from more significant injuries thanks to their helmet, which was being worn correctly and was fastened tight.”
We’re told nothing about the cyclist’s injuries, and there are no quotes from Isle of Wight Ambulance Service staff to corroborate the story. Comments on the article are rather mixed, with a Richard Burton saying “any conclusion that the helmet saved the cyclist from injury is mere speculation”; while punctuation-averse ‘Old bean’ claims that cyclists “Shouldn’t be on the road no tax no insurance biggest hazard on the roads today.”
The all-new Tarmac SL7 will be revealed to the world at 5pm tomorrow
While new bike launches usually involve us attending a top secret presentation and telling you all about it later, this time around Specialized are inviting all of us to see the unveiling of their brand new Tarmac SL7 together online. At 5pm BST tomorrow (July 28th), you can tune in to watch the live premier launch on the Specialized YouTube channel here.
“The future is here. One bike to rule them all”, so say Specialized… if you can’t wait that long, you can always download the Specialized Ride App on iOS or Android for an exclusive, augmented reality preview. Enjoy the virtual show tomorrow!
This post features paid promotion on behalf of Specialized.
Rapha opens Canary Wharf pop-up Clubhouse
The pop-up will carry Rapha’s current men’s and women’s clothing ranges, and it will also serve as a base for self-guided rides planned by Rapha ride leaders that will “have you cycling around the city in ways you’d never expect, revealing lesser-known areas of the capital.”
Weekly workshops will take place at 1.15pm every Tuesday on subjects such as nutrition, navigation, repair jobs and indoor training, and there will also be the ‘Island Challenge’, in which participants have to visit a series of checkpoints across London’s East End over one or two days.
It’s open until 27th September – more info here.
Garmin is back! GPS giants admit they were victims of a "cyber attack", and say services are "returning to operation"
In answer to our earlier poll, it appears Garmin getting fixed has happened first as the GPS giants have announced that most of their systems are “returning to operation”; something that we can vouch for, as our watches and computers have started to sync.
Garmin Connect is coming back – slowly – as activities start syncing with Strava
Garmin have now admitted they were victims of a “cyber attack”. The full statement says:
“Garmin Ltd. was the victim of a cyber attack that encrypted some of our systems on July 23, 2020. As a result, many of our online services were interrupted including website functions, customer support, customer facing applications, and company communications. We immediately began to assess the nature of the attack and started remediation.
“We have no indication that any customer data, including payment information from Garmin Pay, was accessed, lost or stolen. Additionally, the functionality of Garmin products was not affected, other than the ability to access online services. Affected systems are being restored and we expect to return to normal operation over the next few days.
“As our affected systems are restored, we expect some delays as the backlog of information is being processed. We are grateful for our customers’ patience and understanding during this incident and look forward to continuing to provide the exceptional customer service and support that has been our hallmark and tradition.
In an additional Q+A, Garmin insist no data has been lost, accessed or stolen, and their aviation systems are now full functional.
27 July 2020, 08:18
Full story on the current state of play with Garmin, plus some details about the millionaire Russian criminal who is reportedly responsible for it all...
Garmin Connect is coming back – slowly – as activities start syncing with Strava
Meanwhile, reports suggest that suspected ransomware attack is work of multimillionaire Russian hacker
27 July 2020, 08:18
Pirelli go tubeless...
Pirelli expands P Zero road tyre range with two tubeless-ready options.
Both tyres feature 120tpi casings and Pirelli’s new SmartEVO compound.
27 July 2020, 08:18
New details emerge about the fatal incident in East London.
Police appeal to find bike of cyclist in London hit-and-run in which pedestrian died
Met issue fresh appeal and say rider abandoned bike before running away from scene
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I see quite a few MAAP items out in the Surrey Hills. The new shop has a cafe and they're from Melbourne so the coffee should be good: I'm looking forward to visiting.
@chrisonabike Mercedes was acceptable, but the second one (old Toyota people carrier/ex-taxi) was a prosecutable offence.
I wasn't saying that nor talking about people who say that. I said it was silly to claim that wearing a helmet indicates acceptance of dangerous driving and poor infrastructure. I choose to wear a helmet; I also regularly report dangerous driving to the police and correspond with councils and road authorities about ways infrastructure could be improved for cyclists. I rather doubt I'm the only helmet wearer who does so.
@JamieT (a pedant writes) she's a London Assembly member, not an MP.
@Rendel Harris ".....but the claim that wearing one is somehow to be accepting dangerous driving and poor infrastructure is silly." Not that silly. Demanding that cyclists wear a helmet is seen by many people as 'the answer' to cycling safety, so there's no need to put in infrastructure. The difference between infrastructure and helmets is that infrastructure works. Helmets are a distraction from what really works, and the more time we spend talking about them, the less time we spend on things that do work. Helmets should be consigned to the dustbin of history as a failed experiment, and we should cease even mentioning them.
@Mr Blackbird Hats off to George Hall My hat's not coming off- despite this touch of cycleway-washing, Hall still bears the Mark of Cain, until he repudiates his party altogether
Perhaps an article showing a) what is available in the uk as cargo bikes and) comments from real life scenarios from those already using bikes or cargo bikes as one gentleman has done in the comments. Perhaps road.cc could follow up with this. Even the London Assembly member said not every business should use cargo bikes but suggested a more nuanced approach suitable for certain trades or companies....
39 thoughts on “Garmin admits cyber attack, systems “returning to operation”; Thug used car as weapon and ‘impersonated police officer’; Cyclist who made ‘best lockdown vid’ unveils latest creation; Bike gets ‘stolen back’ + more on the live blog”
Of course, the person who
Of course, the person who just lost the grey bike might have unknowingly bought stolen goods… If so, then – from their point of view – they’ve just had their bike stolen.
Although, in reality, they’ve
Although, in reality, they’ve actually had their money stolen.
True, but I think the law is
True, but I think the law is fairly clear that no matter how honestly that person believe they bought it, the ownership does in fact remain with the original owner (unless the owner had received a payout from their insurance company, in which case any recovered goods belong to the insurers.)
The bike belongs to the
The bike belongs to the original owner. Knowingly buying stolen goods is a criminal offence. Accidentally buying stolen goods is unlucky and you ahve no rights.
Depends how you bought it. I
Depends how you bought it. I innocently bought a stolen bike from eBay, and due to it being pretty unique (a deKerf) I contacted the bike shop that was on the frame sticker for more background on it.
Long story short, cops show up, the shop owner got his personal bike back and the seller got his PayPal decremented by my refund. Police believed he was a dupe too, I’m not so sure. He had a fantastic collection in his sheds. He had some sort of N+1 thing going on with sheds.
And on the Chris Hall story –
And on the Chris Hall story – if a police officer is off duty then aren’t they just folk, with no more powers, rights, or responsibilities than any other member of the population?
In which case, wouldn’t providing your badge number etc just be likely to get you in more trouble than if you were just some random motorist?
I’m not sure, but I think
I’m not sure, but I think police officers generally have the same powers whether on or off duty, except for a few very specific powers which require the officer to be in uniform to carry out.
See e.g. this FOI answer (search for “Question 4”) https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/police_policy_procedure_concerni
or https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q676.htm
I’d imagine they have a
I’d imagine they have a responsibility to not bring the police force into disrepute e.g. if they got caught shoplifting in their own time, then it’s unlikely to help their career. At least with their badge number, it should be easy for Kent Police to schedule some serious re-training with them (maybe move them to a position that doesn’t involve them interacting with the public).
There are police officers in
There are police officers in my club and they all leave their card at home as they stand to get in far more trouble with it than without (as regards to complaints and so on)
I found that weird when they told me as I’d personally flash my card at the every opportunity in the expectation the dickhead driver would back down immediately but apparently that’s not how it works in reality. One of them had to go to court after being attacked by a driver once…
As if Mr Ranty Arsehat and
As if Mr Ranty Arsehat and his gobby Mrs are real Police Officers…
I’d say they are not until
I’d say they are not until proven otherwise.
Impersonating a policeman?
Impersonating a policeman? But why – what on earth was he going to get out of doing that?
Another tool did this to our group when he overtook us with coming traffic. This resulted in a crash.
The muppet then proceeded to say that he was off duty and the crash was due to us and we would be reported but wouldn’t show his warrant card. We were more than happy to give our names as witnesses to the owner of the damaged car.
Butty wrote:
Hopefully some prison time.
brooksby wrote:
There are some powers that can only be exercised when in uniform. E.g. Road Traffic Act 1988:
163 Power of police to stop vehicles
(1) A person driving a motor vehicle on a road must stop the vehicle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.
(2) A person riding a cycle on a road must stop the cycle on being required to do so by a constable in uniform.
(3) If a person fails to comply with this section he is guilty of an offence.
maliciously pointing an in
maliciously pointing an in-motion car towards a person is in my view a criminal offence every time.
It is not legal as a form of persuasion over to someone’s differing opinion. In the same way that a swinging a hammer at a person is not a legal way to attempt to impose a viewpoint upon them.
They always then throw-in their diversionary points ( helmet, hi-vis , road tax, two abreast, not in cycle lane, no registration number, no insurance, or whatever they think will change the trajectory ).
Don’t let this become diverted into any assessment about the cycling ( legally two abreast anyway ), but instead it should be focussed on a single question: did you ( motorist ) drive your car, and purposely, towards the cyclists ?
It is very difficult to
It is very difficult to believe these are real police officers- I am no fan of the police but they’re not as dim as this! If it’s as reported, no real police officer would behave like this unless they were trying to be discharged with dishonour.
Regarding Chris Hall, does
Regarding Chris Hall, does this mean it is now ‘no camera, no ride’ ?
Am I spending too much time on roadcc and overestimating the dangers from drivers, left hooks, close passes, squirrels, geckos and a camera is really an optional extra ?
Well I certainly do not ride
Well I certainly do not ride without one anymore, and havent done for a while, if as much just for my own peace of mind than anything else.
hirsute wrote:
Cameras are certainly good for piece of mind but unfortunately won’t cover everything.
On my ride yesterday a classic SMIDSY pulled out on me at a roundabout & it was only cos I managed to swerve he didn’t hit me not cos he slammed on.
When I got home I reviewed the footage & cos he came from the side it wasn’t captured. You just about see him approach but nothing more.
Good point. Now I need 3 more
Good point. Now I need 3 more cameras !
I have a joke about road.cc
I have a joke about road.cc articles, but there’s a bit randssing from the middle.
I have a top 10 favourite
I have a top 10 favourite jokes about road.cc articles, but I posted them here in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.
I have a joke about Near Miss
I have a joke about Near Miss of the Day, but it’s not worth submitting because it’ll just get ignored.
I have a joke about Road.cc
I have a joke about Road.cc articles that is worth repeating.
I have a joke about Road.cc articles that is worth repeating.
I have a joke about Road.cc articles that is worth repeating.
I have a joke about jacket
I have a joke about jacket reviews, but you won’t be able to read it because it’s not in neon yellow.
[The old ones are – well – the old ones]
mdavidford wrote:
The main difference between a cyclist and a scruffy unicyclist is attire.
I have a joke about Zwift,
I have a joke about Zwift, but if I tell it I’ll just get accused of being paid to advertise them.
T&butte crpo=π hutmoU7 gsQ*4¥
T&butte crpo=π hutmoU7 gsQ*4¥ eThior jrW#8dfe
XxxEsyjbf &t€zsaIL
I have a joke about the
I have a joke about the latest product containing graphene, but it’ll cost you £1,500 to read it.
I have a joke about sentences
I have a joke about sentences for driving offences, but… wait, no, they are the joke.
I don’t know what Kent are
I don’t know what Kent are like for dealing with complaints about close passes, etc, but I trust they will be putting significant effort into finding this person who is not only being aggressive to other road users but also (and, I suspect, more importantly) pretending to be a police officer?
“pretending to be a police officer” is a serious offence, IIRC.
brooksby wrote:
“pretending to be a police officer” is a serious offence, IIRC
They’ll probabvly take that more seriously than the actual incident.
brooksby wrote:
— brooksbyAnd if they genuinely are police officers they should both be sacked, taken to court and banned from driving.
Chris Hall appears in Francis Cade’s videos from time to time and always seems a really nice fellow.
Quote:
I have an ‘I have a joke’ joke but I’d only have to mansplain it to you.
Re: Obesity
Re: Obesity
Auntie thinks doctors are going to be prescribing cycling to combat obesity
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-53541866
We’ll see.
Auntie thinks doctors are
Auntie thinks doctors are going to be prescribing cycling to combat obesity
This is obviously a non-starter- the doctors annd the porkers themselves will not be taking it seriously. With the police attitude and the 20-50 cms ‘clearance’ in practice, as opposed to the supposedly ‘recommended’ 150 cms, the drivers are going to be hitting the wobbly obese-sters because they stick out further.
It’s an impressive way of
It’s an impressive way of shoehorning the-police-don’t-take-close-passing-seriously into a completely different topic, but the average non-cyclist who gets “prescribed” cycling is more likely to go down to the woods, or do a mile on the canal towpath, than a 25 mile TT on busy A-roads.
Still, suprising that you say obese people are being far wider than real cyclists! Rapha certainly don’t make many 3-metre-wide jerseys.
bobrayner wrote:
I think the average fatty is more likely to think “sod that for a game of soldiers” and bugger off down the pub. 🙂
Quote:
And I guess he thinks it’s his manor.