The rant to end all anti-cycling rants? Wiggins in bankruptcy hearing; “If cycling is so good for you, why did Boris Johnson catch Covid?”, asks Nick Ferrari; Richmond Park restrictions lifted; Garmin “obtained decryption key” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Overnight catch-up
News, so much news! So as well as our usual weekend catch-up on Monday’s live blog, we should remind you of some big cycling stories that landed last night; namely the unveiling of the government’s plans for cycling and walking and, finally, all the details on how to claim a £50 Fix Your Bike voucher…
Boris Johnson reveals how he will bring in “new golden age for cycling”
Fix Your Bike voucher scheme opens to public tonight – here’s how to get one
“If cycling is so good for you, how come Boris Johnson caught Covid?": Jack's review of Nick Ferrari's comments on LBC this morning.
“If cycling is so good for you, how come Boris Johnson caught Covid?’, asks @NickFerrariLBC of @LBC National broadcaster.
— 𝔻𝕒𝕧𝕚𝕕 𝕋𝕒𝕪𝕝𝕠𝕣 (@Davidntaylor) July 28, 2020
That is some “why are there still monkeys?” level of questioning.
— michał zadrąg (@MichalZadrag) July 28, 2020
If education is so good for you, explain Nick Ferrari.
— Jon 🇪🇺 🏴 (@jonnarbett) July 28, 2020
Nick Ferrari – an actual national broadcast journalist who hosts an actual radio show listened to (or tolerated) by thousands of actual people – said the above on LBC this morning, during a wider discussion about the government’s plans for a “new golden age for cycling” and the £50 voucher scheme. Just 13 words, a 13 word utterance that takes any ounce of sensible logic, turns it a full 180 degrees and takes it into a whole new stratosphere of mind-numbing stupidity.
Ferrari has form for his anti-cycling rhetoric, seemingly criticising all cyclists for jumping red lights and undertaking vehicles whenever the subject comes up on his morning radio slot. His name may be associated with luxury and style, but sometimes the words that come out of his mouth have all the grace of a clapped out Morris Minor.
1/10.
Bradley Wiggins subject of bankruptcy petition, after reportedly falling into financial difficulties
Britain’s first Tour de France winner and its most decorated Olympian was the subject of a bankruptcy petition from HMRC yesterday, with London’s High Court hearing how he had faced financial struggles recently.
The Daily Mail reports that the hearing lasted five minutes, in which the judge heard that Wiggins’ lawyers had met with HMRC representatives on 14th July to agree a solution. The petition was dismissed, and Wiggins was ordered to pay £916 to cover HMRC’s costs from the hearing.
Wiggins announced in May that he and his wife Cath had split after 16 years of marriage, although it’s not clear if his financial troubles are connected to the separation.
"The lockdown showed us all that we need to change the way we move": Coventry's Bicycle Mayor Adam Tranter on BBC Radio 5 Live
Good to speak to @krishgm on @bbc5live on the PM’s cycling announcement.
Lockdown showed us we need to change the way we move. For decades, pedestrians and people on bikes have been shoved in a corner; the way we’re moving is changing and we need to quickly adapt to that. pic.twitter.com/f9JQkw6szu
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) July 28, 2020
Tranter spoke to Krishnan Guru-Murthy this morning on the merits of getting more people on bikes, and the need for better cycling and walking infrastructure.
Royal Parks lift all Richmond Park temporary cycling restrictions
We’re pleased to announce that all temporary cycling restrictions in Richmond Park have been lifted. Cyclists are welcome back into the park on weekends from 1st August.
Enjoy the ride and please be considerate of other park users #BeKindToYourParks pic.twitter.com/kfw5M4ZOV4
— The Royal Parks (@theroyalparks) July 28, 2020
After a lengthy period of closure and then partial closure that drew much criticism, London’s Richmond Park will be fully open to cyclists again from 1st August.
Back in late March, The Royal Parks banned all cyclists from Richmond Park except for key workers and children due to “congestion”, and since 22nd June it’s been open to cyclists all day apart from weekends; the full lifting of restrictions will see weekend cycling return to the park.
A decent letter in The Times re Cycling Mikey
A letter written by @JohnSlinger published in the Times referencing @MikeyCycling: pic.twitter.com/8iWmVgkpBy
— melston (@matthewelston) July 27, 2020
Nail on the head, and would you like to see this happen?
£50 Fix Your Bike vouchers: portal goes live at 23:45 tonight
As outline in our updated full article, registrations for the first 50,000 vouchers will go live at 11:45pm tonight.
Nick Ferrari's question on LBC: some reaction
What a stupid question ! 🤦🏼♂️ Pretty sure riding a bike isn’t a vaccine
— Tom Corbett (@Corbssss) July 28, 2020
— nick chapple-hyam (@nickchapplehyam) July 28, 2020
What an idiot.
— John Bosley (@YelsobNohj) July 28, 2020
Not much love for the presenter on our social channels either.
Garmin could have paid ransom via a third party to obtain decryption key, according to reports
As Garmin services began to resume yesterday, and the GPS giants finally admitted they were victims of a “cyber attack”, there is speculation they could have engaged with Russia-based hacking organisation Evil Corp to recover their data.
Sky News report that a source with knowledge of the incident claimed the firm “did not make direct payment to the hackers”, but they could have instructed a third party to pay the ransom. Evil Corp were sanctioned by the US treasury in December last year; and even if US-based Garmin didn’t pay a ransom directly, they could still be in violation of the Treasury sanctions along with any company they instructed to pay it. US Treasury sanction rules state: “Foreign persons may be subject to secondary sanctions for knowingly facilitating a significant transaction or transactions with these designated persons.”
When asked to respond to the source’s claims, Garmin told Sky News that the company “does not comment on rumour and speculation”.
Fat Lad At The Back respond to 'cycling prescriptions' to combat obesity
The cycling apparel brand want to see the government “tear down the barriers” to get more people cycling. A survey conducted by Fat Lad At The Back found that roads/other road users, feeling as though you’re not good enough, not looking ‘the part’, clothes that don’t fit properly and a lack of cycling routes close by were the top five challenges faced by novice cyclists.
FLATB’s Co-founder and ‘Boss Lady’ Lynn Bye commented: “It’s about time that we started empowering people to take responsibility for their lifestyle and leading a healthier one, we just need to make sure that we support them through that journey.
“We’ve got the resources to empower people and provide them with comfortable, properly fitting cycle wear that helps them look the part and lasts ages.
“investing in infrastructure for more cycle lanes, better roads to cycle on, and education for road users will help. Ultimately, what we need to see is a social shift to more positive attitudes to cyclists. That’s only going to come if the government start to educate people about road safety around cycling and provide the infrastructure for safer, more accessible cycling lanes.”
FairFuelUK accuse government of pushing "ingrained Lycra policies"
This Govt’s ingrained lycra policies will decimate economies of our major cities. Its a #SPAD driven knee jerk response to the emotive driven, well financed, so called environmental groups based in London. We will fight this tooth&nail @Iromg @HowardCCox https://t.co/QFanYaFVyc
— FairFuelUKCampaign (@FairFuelUK) July 28, 2020
Bizarrely the Daily Express have based almost an entire article on the comments from the fringe organisation, who campaign for lower fuel duty and once claimed that 80% of drivers think cyclists should have compulsory insurance. This was based on a survey carried out by FairFuelUK themselves, which may or may not have led to some bias in the results.
Are the government’s plans for cycling perfect? Not entirely, but it’s certainly a start, and certainly not ingrained in Lycra…
Slovenian ultra cyclist Marko Baloh claims to have broken the 1,000km time trial world record
The 53-year-old claims to have bagged the record for the fastest 1,000km of all time, completing the distance in 28hrs, 50mins and 14secs with an average speed of 34.67km/h. His bike sponsor Spiegel Bikes claim that he set a number of other records, and that the World Ultra Cycling Association will approve his achievements “in the next few days.” STA also reports that Baloh failed to get the 24 hour record during the attempt, with his 865.3 km falling short of Christoph Strasser’s 896.2km set in 2015.
Baloh isn’t the first record-breaking ultra cyclist from Slovenia, with the late Jure Robič hailing from the town of Jesenice close to the Austrian border. Robič won the Race Across America five times, and was known for pushing himself so hard that he regularly suffered from severe hallucinations in races due to sleep deprivation. He sadly died in 2010 following a head-on collision with a car during a training ride.
A fridge by bike? No problem for Pedal Me, despite Prime Minister's comments
@10DowningStreet @BorisJohnson, we have a fridge for you. We tried to deliver, but you weren’t in. Your staff have our ‘sorry you weren’t in card’ 😉 pic.twitter.com/wUec4qeL1E
— Pedal Me (@pedalmeapp) July 28, 2020
This is the latest example of the huge load-carrying ability that the London-based cargo bike courier and taxi service have at their disposal, in response to the Prime Minister’s foreword in the Gear Change document published by the government today.
In it, Boris Johnson says: “Of course you can’t deliver a fridge-freezer on a cargo bike – but you can deliver plenty of other goods that currently come in diesel vans. I want bicycles to be part of an effusion of green transport, of electric cars, buses and trains, because clean air will be to the 21st century what clean water was to the 19th.”
On his first point, the video evidence above very much proves otherwise…
Talkradio host Mike Graham claims you can't cycle to work in Leeds, and says cycling community is "an absolute eyesore on the entire country”
Mike is furious that Boris Johnson is investing £2bn of taxpayers’ money into cycling: “What we don’t need is more cyclists. The cycling community is nothing less than an absolute eye-sore on the entire country.”
Watch the show ► https://t.co/yyg6agAiQt@Iromg pic.twitter.com/PvsnP2QOro
— talkRADIO (@talkRADIO) July 28, 2020
After Nick Ferrari’s comments on LBC this morning, anti-cycling tirades on national radio have been turned up to 11 after Archibald Michael Graham – a former editor of the Scottish Daily Mirror – delivered a three minute tour de force of myths, anger and an unhealthy obsession with Lycra on Talkradio today.
Graham was discussing the £2 billion active travel fund earmarked for cycling and walking improvements in England, taking issue with this because cyclists are “are not in the majority in this country.”
He then claims the £2 billion will be given to the cycling community and Halfords, and that Halfords “does not deserve to be given free money by the government to fix somebody’s bike.”
He then claims cycling does not increase fitness, saying: “All that cycling will do is make you more objectionable.
“If you get on a bike and put Lycra on, as if you’re taking part in the Tour de France, all that will happen is you will become an interfering busybody that doesn’t obey the traffic laws.”
At 1:30 into the clip, Graham then says: “What we don’t need in this country is more cyclists. What we do need is more space for cars.
“Gas-guzzling Range Rovers are far safer than cycling. Cycling is dangerous.”
After some stuff about cyclists jumping red lights and causing “all sorts of damage”, Graham then claims that the cycling community is “nothing less than an absolute eyesore on the entire country”, before turning the screw for a huge, fact-barren finish:
“These people (cyclists) are not interested in anything. And it’s a very London-centric thing as well, because outside of London, everyone goes to work by train or by car.
“You can’t cycle to work in Leeds. You can’t cycle to work in Manchester. You can’t cycle to work in Newcastle. You can cycle to work in London, because the people in London are the centre of the cycling world. The Lycra-clad, ya know, new tech start-up types who can go to work and not look like idiots, because they’re dressed in Lycra. This is the problem with this country.
“And the idea that the Prime Minister thinks it’s a good plan to give £2 billion of hard-earned taxpayer’s money to these bozos, is quite frankly an insult to the rest of us.
“Boris Johnson needs to get real. He needs to sort out the economy, he needs to sort out immigration, he needs to sort out the police, and he needs to sort out what is wrong with this country.
“What he doesn’t need to do is give yet more money to the bleeding cyclists. Do you get me?
“Thank you Boris. Please, don’t use my money wrongly. Because if you do, there will be a problem and I’ll be coming to see you.”
Mr Graham might want to check out CityConnect’s vision for a Cycling Superhighway in Leeds, read over the details of Manchester’s hugely ambitious Bee Network plan and then go for a nice, relaxing bike ride to mull it all over…
28 July 2020, 08:53
Campag turn it up to 13
Campagnolo to launch Ekar 13-speed gravel groupset
New range will include a super-wide cassette, including a 9-tooth sprocket
28 July 2020, 08:53
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Latest Comments
"I think I nearly died doing extreme sport and my main takeaway is that the rest of you should all wear PPE to go to tesco". BBC loves helmet stories. I blame that Dan guy.
Ah yes. Because what a gravel bike needs is a shed ton more weight. None of the 32 tyre options are likely to be in Gravel friendly widths and weights.
Did he also make you wear a helmet for taking a shower, changing a lightbulb or being a passenger in a car? Statistically, those are also very likely to result in possibly fatal head injuries and the exact same argument applies to protecting your head for those rare accidents. Also, what was his opinion on traffic safety and separate infrastructure? I suspect his views and observations were coloured by the media's constant focussing on bike helmets and not actual effective methods to reduce danger.
By far the worst of these is Footon Servetto - probably the cycling equivalent of football's Coventry City brown away kit. The INEOS kit is unpleasant because I associate it with Ratcliffe. I own a HTC Columbia jersey. It looks OK, but I admit I bought it for £10 on a bargain rail in my LCS. I also used to own an Astana jersey and my performances always improved by 5% whenever I wore it. I got rid of it when my heart nearly stalled in bed one night🙂 Personally, I don't mind the Bogota Humana kit. It seems ok as long as all of the riders were happy to wear it. I'd like to think they were given the opportunity to approve the design beforehand.
I agree, stop building useless cycle lanes - build proper ones.
I love the castorama kit. Perfect to be able cycle to work, fix steam engines then cycle home again all in the same kit
Okay, well I don't doubt your experience but I can only say it's not mine and from the lack of mention generally in discussions not that of many other people. Maybe when you're racing with your head down the wind breaks over the crown and then round into your ears, intuitively I would say that riding heads up, which is what most commuters do, a helmet would be more likely slightly to deflect the wind away from your ears than into them.
Considering that AIs are trained on large datasets of Internet content, they're pretty much our condensed stupidity as a species. Also, current AIs are Large Language Models which is pretty much just a clever bag of words.
It proves that soft and brittle polystyrene cycling helmets break very easily.
At 167cm tall I couldn’t agree more with Rookybiker, I find certain 29 ers problematic, particularly running a dropper and getting low off the back(700c -50s are just ok!) 32 would be a total nightmare from stand over - toe over lap being the first of many problems, sorry it’s a big no from me!
41 thoughts on “The rant to end all anti-cycling rants? Wiggins in bankruptcy hearing; “If cycling is so good for you, why did Boris Johnson catch Covid?”, asks Nick Ferrari; Richmond Park restrictions lifted; Garmin “obtained decryption key” + more on the live blog”
Nick Ferrari, like Clarkson,
Nick Ferrari, like Clarkson, will say what is needed to generate response from (usually) the unwashed masses regardless of consequences. They are the radio and newspaper version of clickbait. I mourn for civilisation.
He’s a dinosaur. Looking at
He’s a dinosaur. Looking at the state of him, I can’t see him lasting much longer either.
As much as I despise Boris Johnson, he did admit that if he hadn’t been so obese, the effects of the virus would have been far less impactful.
OldRidgeback wrote:
That day cannot come to soon then I will not have to read his reactionary anti-cyclist comments on cycling websites anymore.
Hmm – however much you
Hmm – however much you disagree with, or are offended by them, wishing someone dead is never a good look.
OldRidgeback wrote:
There’s never a meteor around when you need one.
I started listening to LBC
I started listening to LBC when I decided Radio Four was just _too_ smug for me to stand any more. Even though LBC is wall-to-wall right-wingers (plus token liberal James O’Brien), oddly, I find I actually prefer that tabloid style to the self-satisfied (and secretly every bit as conservative) Beeb.
Nick Ferrari often surprises me by not being as right-wing as I expect him to be, but he’s obsessively hostile to cycling. That’s the one topic when I end up turning the radio off, because he talks such crap (and so predictably).
I think he’s somehow personally physiologically addicted to driving, because you can hear a note of panic in his voice when any suggestion is raised by any news item about possible restrictions on motor car use. It’s like hearing a drug addict considering the possibility someone might take his drugs away.
I went looking for some dirt
I went looking for some dirt on him but came across this which rather softened my thinking towards him.
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6973699/amp/Nick-Ferrari-reveals-procedure-resolved-lifelong-battle-gynaecomastia.html
Sorry, I know it’s Daily Mail, but interestingly it appears Mr Ferrari has himself made use of cycling as part of a succesful attempt to lose weight in the past and he also addresses an issue that affects many men of excess chest fat.
Mungecrundle wrote:
Don’t you mean ‘unsuccessful attempt to lose weight’?
As far as I can tell he’s still an ignorant fat c^&t with man boobs.
Ah, the old bankruptcy-before
Ah, the old bankruptcy-before-divorce-settlement switcheroo
Maybe, but the petitioner is
Maybe, but the petitioner is HMRC who are – at best – glacial, so this must be non-payment of tax going back a while.
I never really understand the
I never really understand the bankruptcy thing and I guess we don’t know the specific facts of the case.
I paid good money for a ticket to see Bradley Wiggins on his well attended UK theatre tour last year. It was an enjoyable evening and amongst other things he talked alot about how he spends thousands of pounds on vintage cycling shirts won by tour & race winners. He even had a rack of them on stage.
I used to see Bradley in my
I used to see Bradley in my local Waitrose, chatted to him a few times. he was always friendly and polite. he used to shop in my mates bike shop, had him build some wheels which he used on the mountain stages of the Dauphine
“If cycling is so good for
“If cycling is so good for you, how come Boris Johnson caught Covid?”
A clear leader in the “Most Inane Comment of the Year” award, far ahead of anything from Boris or Dom, and probably a good bet for the “Stupidest Comment of the Decade” award.
If journalists are
If journalists are intelligent, how come Nick Ferrari acts so dumb?
Because he is….?
Because he is….?
Why put cyclists in harms way
Why put cyclists in harms way to catch drivers doing stupid/illegal things. Fit tamperproof dashcams in all cars and beam out speeding/close passes and other general douchebaggery to the BiB to send out instant fines?
If non-cycling is so good for
If non-cycling is so good for you, why are non-cycling radio hosts so unhealthy looking
Mike Graham wrote:
This is the problem with this country.
I assume he’s talking about himself at that point?
Mike Graham wishes he was
Mike Graham wishes he was Nick Ferrari but will never have his listener figures.
Nick Ferrari wishes he was Jeremy Clarkson but will never have his media exposure.
Jeremy Clarkson wishes he was Stephen Fry but will never have the erudition to match his wit.
Stephen Fry is the sort of liberal elite remainer luvvie that Mike Graham and Nick Ferrari probably hate more than anyone. They don’t even have the self-awareness to know where the resentment which feeds their hatred comes from. They do instinctively know they need a target which their listeners can feel as strongly about, but not a subgroup they’ll get sacked for attacking. We’re out of the EU and it’s way too early in the election cycle to go for the opposition parties (got to save that bile up for when it’ll count.) Hence, cyclists.
Gosh, well Mr Graham is a bit
Gosh, well Mr Graham is a bit of a tw@t, isn’t he?
Just because he thinks that he can’t cycle anywhere, he thinks nobody* ought to cycle anywhere (*except those lycra clad new tech types in That There London, obvioulsy).
Somebody should tell him he’s wrong.
(And if he’s that worried about it – somebody tell him you don’t have to wear lycra to cycle to work…).
Or live in London but that
Or live in London but that doesn’t suit his tin foil hat lunacy.
This bit is priceless, “Gas
This bit is priceless, “Gas-guzzling Range Rovers are far safer than cycling. Cycling is dangerous.” although I think he got the modes of transport mixed up.. Pillock..
Re Wiggo’s bankruptcy woes,
Re Wiggo’s bankruptcy woes, as with a number of salacious reports recently on here about other cyclists’ love lives, could you maybe leave intrusive and prurient personal non-cycling matters to the Daily Mail and Hello! and just report on matters relevant to cycling?
Are we absolutely sure Mike
Are we absolutely sure Mike Graham isn’t a clever parody character, like a fat, right-wing Ali-G?
Yes, that was my thought but
Yes, that was my thought but without the ‘clever’ bit. Al Murray as ‘The Pub Landlord’ and ‘Ali G’ are clever, this geezer’s parody is simplistic grunting rubbish. But parody it has to be. Surely nobody who has survived thus far in life, and persuaded someone to let him go on the radio, can possibly be that stupid. It’s a wind up.
Much as it would be awesome
Much as it would be awesome to think that, as per the article title, this really was “The rant to end all anti-cycling rants” I fear it will be just the opposite. Yet more encouragement for like minded gammons to spout ill-informed anti-cycling nonsense.
L’etape has been postponed
L’etape has been postponed again, this time until next year.
https://www.facebook.com/191478980899075/posts/3205522692828007/?d=n
Funny how almost all the
Funny how almost all the rabid anti-cycling media loosers are grossly overweight isn’t it. Oh hang on no it isn’t they can’t even be happy that the get to stuff their sad ill informed faces at 50% off for 30 days at the Tax Payer’s expense. Plus if they did any background checks they would know it isn’t even a new commitment of money. Plus they really shouldn’t be getting that excited with their blood pressure. Witless empty talent less morons.
The new push for cycling from
The new push for cycling from the government should include a ban on cyclist hate speech.
How do these sports idiots
How do these sports idiots always end up bankrupt? The figures for american sport are shocking, a massive percentage have nothing 2 years after retirement.
If I had Wiggins money I couldn’t be bankrupt. I’ve not even got a 1/50th of Wiggins money and I’m ok I guess. What do they do with it all?
I was told that he was worth
I was told that he was worth in the region of £13 million. That takes some spending
Rick_Rude wrote:
Spent it all on tattoos.
Bad friends and bad business
Bad friends and bad business advice normally. Plus you start to live within what you earn so they buy the mansion, the posh car, the clothes, the staff etc and then when the main earnings dry up, they don’t want to downgrade so the expensive stuff continues along with the hangers on.
It’s why Robert de Niro still
It’s why Robert de Niro still has to put out 4 or 5 shit films per year, that lifestyle doesn’t come for free
Looks like to wife took half
Looks like the wife took half and the house and he didn’t pay his tax bill in time because he is a sports star and doesn’t do accounting and isn’t on PAYE. It’s a tale as old as time. He probably still has a few gold coins in the drawer. Don’t worry.
“The wife” has a name, is a
“The wife” has a name, is a person, supported Wiggins and raised his family throughout his whole career and his struggles since. Both the law and simple common sense say that once the relationship breaks down she is entitled to a significant proportion of their joint wealth, so let’s not blame this on her.
Nick Ferrari, like Clarkson,
Nick Ferrari, like Clarkson, will say what is needed to generate response from (usually) the unwashed masses regardless of consequences
This was the first post in this topic and is about right. Dim witted local radio deadbeats dreaming of becoming Shock Jocks, pandering to the crazed thoughts of Daily Mail reading mindless drivers. They’re not worth much of a response beyond saying they’re dim and wrong.
The fridge delivery to BoJo
The fridge delivery to BoJo reminded me of Sustrans moving their entire office by Cargo Bike
https://youtu.be/GpAql1a1aoU
Maksim Viktorovich:
Maksim Viktorovich:
Give me $10million or Garmin Connect won’t load data from your 810!
Everyone:
How would we know?
The comments by fat, gammon
The comments by fat, gammon faced media ‘hosts’ remind me of a few years ago – when ignorant, baseless lies and myths were endlessly repeated about the EU and London (London centric blah, blah, metropolitan elite, blah, blah,) It’s like a recurring nightmare – and this time it’s against bicycles.
Life imitating art
Life imitating art