“It’s the third day in a row and it’s breaking my balls a bit now”: Remco Evenepoel rages against Vuelta safety chaos; Elderly couple kicked off train because of e-bike; Jumbo-Visma pro’s home searched by police in doping raid + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Suspended Jumbo-Visma pro Michel Hessmann’s home searched by police as part of doping investigation
Despite a pitch-black, waterlogged team time trial in Barcelona, a row with other teams over the pressure exerted on the front of the bunch in the rain the following day, a crash for Primož Roglič (who else?), and Remco Evenepoel adding yet another layer of explosivity to his seemingly unending list of powers, Jumbo-Visma have emerged from a rough and rowdy opening few days at the Vuelta a España relatively unscathed.
After yesterday’s mountain top sprint in Andorra (more on that in a bit), the Dutch team boast four riders in the top 15 on GC, with their two big hitters, Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard, appearing serenely within touching distance of the non-brake applying Belgian champion Evenepoel.
However, there’s another storm Jumbo-Visma will be hoping they can weather just as easily as the one in northern Spain over the past three days.
Yesterday, it was confirmed that German authorities have opened a criminal investigation into Michel Hessmann, the 22-year-old Jumbo-Visma rider who tested positive for a banned diuretic earlier this month, leading to his immediate suspension by the team until further notice.
> Jumbo-Visma rider Michel Hessmann suspended after positive anti-doping test
Dutch TV station NOS have reported that the investigation included a raid on Hessmann’s Freiburg home, a throwback for those who remember the myriad doping scandals that emerged from Germany in the 2000s, a legacy from which cycling’s reputation in the country is only beginning to recover in recent years.
No doping substances were found during the search as Hessmann’s home, though police said they seized a number of data storage devices, such as phones and computers.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
“On August 16, Hessmann called us after the police raided his home,” a Jumbo-Visma spokesperson said.
“Shortly afterwards, we posted what we know about the matter on X [formerly Twitter]. We do not know any more than we did then and are awaiting the outcome. Neither the German judiciary nor the German doping authority has contacted us for information or questions.”
German prosecutors, who say the investigation is solely centred on Hessmann, added: “Whether this will lead to a criminal prosecution is still open and depends on the results of the investigation. The suspect will be heard before a final judgment follows. It is up to him to prove his innocence.”
Earlier this month, Jumbo-Visma sports director Merijn Zeeman said the team would support Hessmann – who finished third at last year’s Tour de l’Avenir and helped teammate Roglič win the Giro d’Italia this year – in the wake of his positive test.
“As a human being, he deserves our support,” Zeemann said. “Make no mistake, this is about a 22-year-old athlete whose whole world has completely collapsed. We’re also keeping an eye on that mental part.”
Bank Holiday Roundup
In case you woke up this morning like Remco in a crowded finish area, here’s what you may have missed over the bank holiday weekend on road.cc:
> Remco Evenepoel left bloodied and dazed after crashing into soigneur after winning Vuelta Stage 3
> Jeremy Vine calls for drivers to be banned from overtaking cyclists in cities
> Shocking footage shows fire engine driver responding to emergency call hitting cyclist
> Pro cyclist suspended for shoving rival in heated post-race confrontation
> Giant warns bike buyers of scam website and is working to get it removed
“Remco’s got nothing on me”
He may be a double world champion and a monument and grand tour winner, and all, but Evenepoel’s still got a long way to go before he matches the levels of sheer ridiculousness reached by ex-Garmin pro Phil Gaimon, achieved when the American KOM hunter crashed into – yes, into – the finish line at last year’s Mount Washington Hill Climb:
Remco’s got nothing on me pic.twitter.com/wqJiUVYC2O
— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) August 28, 2023
Come on, Remco, up your game, son…
“The real problem isn’t motorists, but Jeremy Vine himself”
Hmmm… Yes, it is Vine who’s causing all the needless crashes and injuries and fatalities around the country every day, isn’t it? How did we never see this before?!
Well, at least that’s the view of Spectator columnist – and recent favourite of the live blog for his, ahem, interesting takes on all things cargo bikes and camera cyclists – Jake Wallis Simons, who has branded the broadcaster’s call for drivers to be banned from overtaking cyclists in major cities as “ridiculous”… while also getting his basic facts about the speed of traffic in Britain’s urban areas very wrong…
‘You make the move, Jonas, it’s your move… You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me?’ Is Remco Evenepoel the next Robert De Niro?
(Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
It’s just dawned on me… A brash, confrontational personality, Robert De Niro impressions as he celebrates gauntlet-throwing grand tour stage wins, and ranting about breaking balls… Are we sure Remco Evenepoel isn’t already plotting his next post-cycling career move? (Aside from all the never-ending Ineos rumours, of course…)
Teenage football prospect to champion cyclist to the star of Martin Scorsese’s next three-hour gangster epic?
Though perhaps we shouldn’t focus too closely on the parallels between pro cycling and the mob world, it is a Tuesday morning after all…
Couple in their 80s kicked off GWR train because of e-bike
An elderly couple were kicked off a train last week after a manager took exception to the e-bike they were travelling with, with GWR claiming that the modified bike posed a “risk to other customers’ safety”.
Colin and Margaret Palmer, from Coddington near Ledbury, Herefordshire, were on a London-bound train from Malvern before being ejected at Honeybourne when the train manager told them that the bike was a fire hazard and banned from rail services, the Hereford Times reports.
(GWR)
“But he was wrong,” Mr Palmer told the paper. “There has been publicity recently about the fire hazards resulting from the batteries fitted to poorly regulated e-scooters.
“As a result, from June 23, the carriage of e-scooters was prohibited on all rail services. But the highly regulated e-bike industry has no such problems, as recognised by the GWR in their regulations.”
According to GWR’s website, the ban on e-scooters came following “a number of incidents on the UK rail and tube network where lithium-ion batteries in e-Scooters have been associated with severe overheating, increasing the risk of fire. If unchecked, this carries particular risks in enclosed spaces on board trains.
“Unlike other personal mobility devices such as e-bikes or mobility scooters, e-Scooters are not currently regulated, and are not required to meet minimum safety standards for vehicles.”
Mr and Mrs Palmer, who are both in their 80s, were on their way to visit a relative in St Leonards, East Sussex, with their abrupt removal from the train meaning they arrived two and a half hours behind schedule.
“This was meant to be a relaxed weekend in a seaside town, but suddenly finding ourselves stuck on Honeybourne station with apparently no means of onward travel did pose something of a dilemma,” said Mr Palmer.
While waiting at the station, Mr Palmer made a point of showing GWR’s statement to the manager of the next London-bound train.
“He was much more helpful and had no objections to the bike,” he said. “So, two and a half hours late, we arrived at our destination, and I was able to enjoy a long cycle ride around Romney Marsh the following day.
“Fortunately the return journey proved to be somewhat less challenging. But I would advise anyone travel with an e-bike to have the GWR regulations ready on their phone in case they are challenged, even if you’ve made a reservation for it.”
However, a spokesperson for GWR explained: “Unfortunately, this is not a standard e-bike and has been modified to be electronic. To minimise the risk to other passengers on board, the customer was asked to not travel with the bike.
“While we welcome customers with e-bikes on board our trains, we reserve the right to refuse access to modified bikes that could pose a risk to other customers’ safety. The right to refuse access is at our discretion.”
Lotto Dstny swap to Orbea bikes for 2024, breaking contract with Ridley
Lotto Dstny will be riding Orbeas from January, bringing an end to the Belgian team’s 12-year association with Ridley.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, Lotto’s decision to jump ship to the Basque manufacturer – who most famously supplied its home Euskaltel Euskadi team for two decades between 1994 and 2013, along with more recent short-lived partnerships with Cofidis and B&B Hotels – means that they will be forced to break their contract with Ridley, which currently runs to the end of 2025.
.jpg)
(Unipublic:Graham Watson)
According to the Belgian newspaper, several of the team’s riders tested different bikes with a view to changing brands, while hot sprinting prospect Arnaud De Lie was reportedly hesitant about signing a new contract until a decision on a bike sponsor had been made.
“Our collaboration with Ridley will indeed end at the end of this year,” Lotto Dstny CEO Stéphane Heulot told Het Laatste Nieuws, confirming that the decision was made to increase the financial contributions made to the team by its bike sponsor (Ridley’s existing contract kept those contributions low, but allowed the team to sell on the bikes itself to raise additional funds).
“We are switching to a new bicycle brand. Not so much because we are not satisfied with the quality of the Ridley bike. We have had 12 great years with numerous victories. We choose another brand because we want to improve ourselves financially. That is necessary to be able to keep our current core.”
As a nostalgia merchant for the late noughties, this writer will certainly be glad to see Orbea’s bikes back in cycling’s biggest races – though today also marks the end of a 12-year-long partnership that brought us, in my humble opinion, the coolest Tour de France bike of the modern era…
What a beauty…
What, more Vuelta drama?!
Seriously, I can’t keep up anymore…
Should I get a Kennondale or a Kenyon?
Please someone make this happen, I would happily jump on the pre-orders if the jerseys actually existed. Hint, hint, Rapha and Vaughters… (and don’t lie, you would too!)
Though I do think they missed a trick by not going for Team Barbieani-CSF, a plucky second-tier outfit Barbie and Ken founded while on holiday in Florence. Alright, I’ll stop now…
Marianne Vos cuts season short to have surgery on iliac artery
Marianne Vos, who’s experienced – by her admittedly ridiculously lofty standards – a fairly low-key 2023, has decided to pull the plug on her season after undergoing surgery on her left leg.
The Jumbo-Visma star posted on Instagram yesterday that she underwent surgery last week on her iliac artery – the same troubling artery that saw her go under the knife at the start of the season – after struggling with pain and a lack of power in her left leg.
Vos’s recovery period from her surgery will last for over two months, stretching into the start of the cyclocross season.
“Last week I underwent surgery on my left iliac artery. After some days in the hospital I am currently back home to start a careful recovery and rehabilitation programme of 10 weeks. Obviously this means the end of my 2023 season,” she said.
“I have been struggling with pain and lack in power of my left leg for a long period of time. This season, the symptoms became worse and it wasn’t easy that I couldn’t overcome it.
“My biggest hope for now is to be able to return to competition without symptoms. I would love to continue riding and racing at the highest level and will surely do my utter best to be back.”
After recovering from her surgery earlier this year, Vos returned to action in March, putting in some decent, is slightly under par, performances in the spring classics, before roaring back into form with three stage wins at the Vuelta. However, she failed to build on her win tallies at the Giro and Tour, despite recording six top fives and three second places across the two big stage races. Her last appearance was at the word championships road race in Glasgow, where she finished 47th on the way to helping Demi Vollering take silver behind Lotte Kopecky.
Really ‘secure’ bike stands, part 362
Many thousands of hours has gone into trying to improve on the humble Sheffield Stand.
After trying to park my bike recently using a “wheel bender” rack, I’m reminded that no one has – and likely never will – come close to beating the simplicity of its design. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/bxpcLYBDit
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) August 29, 2023
This morning, Adam Tranter, the West Midlands’ walking and cycling commissioner, put together a stirring defence of the humble Sheffield Stand, and how to ensure their simple but effective design is utilised to its full capacity – by, for example, covering them, keeping them in plain sight and within reach of CCTV cameras, making them accessible for all types of cycles, and making sure they’re cemented into the ground, and not just bolted in (Looking at you there, Edinburgh…).
That last point in particular prompted some cyclists to share some images of bike stands that don’t quite live up to their ‘secure parking’ billing…
Are you maybe suggesting this isn’t the most secure way to fix one down? 😅 pic.twitter.com/ydmwDBsrRR
— Chris Hilliard (@badspyro) August 29, 2023
Ooh, you’re lucky, these ones aren’t even bolted down! pic.twitter.com/CZ1lXKTfkJ
— TallBikeGuy (@theTallBikeGuy) August 29, 2023
Enric Mas, the Vuelta’s chief troll
It’s been a quiet, relaxing day for the peloton so far on stage four of the Vuelta (I know, right? So boring), with a small breakaway of three riders – Eduardo Sepúlveda, Ander Okamika, and David González – hovering just over a minute ahead of a bunch that doesn’t seem keen to waste one of the very few sprint opportunities on offer in Spain over the next three weeks.
So, after three days of unadulterated chaos, the only drama we’ve been left to cling to today has been Enric Mas’ Machiavellian pre-stage fiddling with a bike computer belonging to Soudal-Quick Step’s Pieter Serry, one of red jersey Remco Evenepoel’s key mountain domestiques:
I feel for your bike computer @Pieter_Serry.
🧐 @EnricMasNicolau @Movistar_Team | @soudalquickstep🎥 Julien Verlay | @eurosport pic.twitter.com/GnTWSpJnRs
— Laura Meseguer (@Laura_Meseguer) August 29, 2023
Is Movistar’s chief troll pioneering cycling’s latest brand of murky subterfuge and deception, by attempting to send one of his rivals in the wrong direction?
Just wait until Marc Soler gets involved – things could really start to escalate then…
Is something happening in London today?
After months of debate, legal proceedings, and lots of misinformation, London’s expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone finally, finally came into effect this morning.
So, along with the meltdowns, riots, and subsequent freefall into anarchy that inevitably occurred around lunchtime due to a very small percentage of car-owners being unable to drive into the city without paying £12.50, how has the expanded ULEZ affected London and its people?
Well, let’s have a look…
ULEZ day! Cycling to work via Elephant & Castle, met Toby who cycles in from Sutton. At a traffic signals near his home, there were 5 people cycling, usually only him at that time in the morning. Its working! People who don’t have to drive using alternative transport modes.
— clare neely (@ClareNeely34) August 29, 2023
Just saw a BBC reporter doing a piece to camera, there’s a car parked 1/2 blocking the pavement on double yellows and yellow police tape from a collision hanging off a lamp-post, motoring issue being discussed, ULEZ because nothing else matters
— ReCyclingDave (@cycling_dave) August 29, 2023
Classic.
Clean air is important and ULEZ barely touches the surface. Much more must be done to cut private vehicle use.
The Silvertown tunnel project runs contrary to this.
Build better cycling infrastructure. Cut the price of public transport and create more and faster bus routes.
— Climate Action Lewisham (@ActionLewisham) August 29, 2023
I’m just about to ride out on my bike to test London after the #ULEZ expansion. The bike is Dutch and reminds me that it’s possible to organise a country & create a healthier, happier & wealthier place than the UK. @annaholligan pic.twitter.com/JwwwtjGkTz
— Stephen Feber Ltd (@StephenFeberLtd) August 29, 2023
Of course, there’s a whole other side to this particular debate, evidently, but I feel it’s a bit too soon after a long bank holiday weekend to dive into that particular section of the internet…
Decision on Mark Cavendish’s future expected “within weeks”, says Astana boss Alexander Vinokourov, with chances of former world champion staying in the peloton rated as “50/50”
Alright, everyone, get ready for the Mark Cavendish contact saga, part two (or part three, if we count that last-gasp move back to Quick Step in 2021).
The former world champion announced at May’s Giro d’Italia that 2023 would be his last season in the peloton – though, of course, that was before he crashed out of the Tour de France while seemingly on the cusp of that record-setting 35th stage win.
Since that untimely exit from the Tour, speculation has been rife that the 38-year-old will renege on his retirement promise in favour of one last bid at moving clear of Eddy Merckx as the Tour’s undisputed greatest stage hunter.
And this afternoon, podcast Radio Cycling has reported that a decision on the Manx Missile’s future is expected “within weeks”.
According to Astana boss Alexander Vinokourov, speaking to the podcast at the Vuelta, Cavendish “hasn’t decided yet, but we will see in the next couple of weeks”.
“I think it’s 50/50,” Vino said, when asked about the possibility of Cavendish staying in the peloton for one more year. “He said, ‘Vino, if I stay one year more, I need to be competitive’.
“I believe in him. He is a big champion, and it needs to be the right decision. We have tried to do our best. I hope we see Mark going on and staying with us. I hope at the end of the season he will race. And then we’ll see for next year if he decides to go on or not.”
The former HTC and Sky sprinter is also reported to be aiming for a return to racing at October’s Tour of Turkey, a race at which he’s taken 11 stages during his victory-laden career.
Whether or not Turkey proves Cav’s last ever pro race remains to be seen, but by the sounds of things we’re going to find out soon enough. Watch this space…
Kaden Groves digs deep to secure second career Vuelta win in chaotic, grippy sprint
The first relatively normal, calm day at this year’s Vuelta a España rather inevitably culminated in a hectic, crash-marred finale, as pre-stage favourite Kaden Groves summoned the strength to overhaul Juan Sebastian Molano on the long drag to the line in Tarragona to take his second career win at the Spanish grand tour.
After the small, doomed breakaway, consisting of Eduardo Sepúlveda, Ander Okamika, and David González, was reeled in, the dangers inherent in even the sleepiest of stages loomed large once again in the finale, as a crash near the front with four kilometres to go brought down Bryan Coquard – who would most certainly have been eyeing up the grippy finishing straight – and Bahrain Victorious’ Santiago Buitrago, who was sitting eight on GC after the first three days.
Despite looking in serious pain immediately after the crash, Buitrago has crossed the line, though his GC hopes have taken a potentially fatal blow. Coquard, meanwhile, appears to have suffered a broken collarbone, ending his hopes of a long-awaited maiden grand tour stage win.
Kaden Groves wins a chaotic Stage 4 in Spain 🍾🇪🇸#LaVuelta23 pic.twitter.com/inr2h7Vo8G
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 29, 2023
Then, in the chaotic final few hundred metres, EF Education-EasyPost’s Marijn van den Berg – surging forward to steal a march before the road kicked up – misjudged the final left hander (one distorted, it must be said, by some questionable barrier placement by the race organisers), taking himself and Groves’ Alpecin-Deceuninck teammate Robbe Ghys out.
One rider able to navigate their past the carnage was UAE Team Emirates’ Juan Sebastian Molano, who accelerated hard out of the corner and looked for a moment to have sealed the win, as Groves appeared to be labouring behind (notwithstanding Molano having to avoid hitting the phone of an outstretched ‘fan’ at the barriers).
But in the final hundred metres as the road flattened, the 24-year-old Australian – already a grand tour stage winner at the Giro this year – took a deep breath and mustered enough strength to drag himself past the Colombian and cement his status as the fastest rider at the Vuelta especially unkind to its fast men.
Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel highlighted his desire to stay out of the melee by finishing 12th in the sprint, ensuring that – at least for today – the Vuelta avoided yet another post-stage Remco rant.
But there’s always tomorrow, I suppose.
“It’s the third day in a row and it’s breaking my balls a bit now”: Bloodied Remco Evenepoel rages against Vuelta safety chaos… before joking about losing “head meat” for climbs
It seems as if chaos has made some sort of deal with this year’s Vuelta a España, at least judging by the race’s opening three days, which featured enough racing and off-road drama to fill at least a dozen grand tours (despite the notable absence of a doping raid – though we did have one of those over in Germany, so there’s that).
First, there was an unexpected and rather apocalyptic summer storm and the farcical nighttime TTT through the sodden, pitch-black (and otherwise lovely) streets of Barcelona, which saw – or more to the point, didn’t see – punctures, crashes, and a classic Remco rant.
(ASO/Charly Lopez)
Then, on Sunday’s second stage heading back into the Catalan capital, we had yet more flooded roads, rider protests, crashes, tacks being thrown onto the road by independence-hungry locals, remonstrations from wannabe patrons urging the peloton’s little people to slow down, a GC neutralisation, and the strange sight of most of the race sitting up in the final ten kilometres – while the commissaires consulted with fans over who would be leading their race. Yep.
Peak vuelta. Commissaires asking fans who’s leading GC at 9km to go neutralisation 🤣🤣🤣#LaVuelta23 https://t.co/ChunUCr4Nd
— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) August 27, 2023
Oh, and the ridiculous sight of Jumbo-Visma’s bus ‘doing a GreenEdge’ and getting stuck after hitting a tree:
#LaVuelta23 #LesRP
Régis conduit le bus de la Jumbo Visma. pic.twitter.com/Xc9nsXUoAG— Passion Cyclisme (@PassionCyclism) August 27, 2023
Fast forward another 24 hours and race barriers and tents were being blown across the road at the mountain top finish in Andorra, and then defending champion Remco Evenepoel – seconds after blowing Jonas Vingegaard away to take an ominously strong stage win – crashed straight into a female team staffer just after the finish line.
While some pointed out that the Belgian champion could have avoided his collision with the soigneur had he, like everyone else, applied the brakes in time after celebrating – and that he would have crashed straight into the barriers, anyway – the sight of a bloodied Remco on the ground once again called into question the safety standards at the Vuelta.
(Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)
Not least from Remco himself, of course.
“Again, there are some safety questions,” the Soudal-Quick Step rider said soon after the incident, which must be stretching the Vuelta’s headline grabbing moments of madness into double digits by now. “50 metres after crossing the line I crash into someone.
“It’s the third day in a row and it’s breaking my balls a bit now. I’ve had enough.”
Thankfully, a little later on Evenepoel toned down his trademark brand of brashness, and offered up a more light-hearted assessment of this latest slice of Vuelta drama.
“There was not enough space after the finish line, and I went between the cameras and soigneurs,” he said. “But it’s only some skin and meat gone from my head. But that’s good because it’s less weight for the uphills.”
Now, with some kind of sprint – and a chance for the GC contenders to finally relax – on the cards today (at least in theory), can we please, please just have one normal day at the Vuelta? Is that too much to ask?
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Latest Comments
He is just a careerist we have to remember. He doesn’t give a shite about anything other than his career (like Farage doesn’t care about anything other than making money for himself) I understand why idiots vote for Reform, (other than because they are racist); they see politicians say anything to play the crowd. The problem is Farage is the epitome of a snake oil salesman. Streeting’s Daily Mail friendly comment is just a cheap, low and insidious attack on active travel, again. Even if he doesn’t mean it to be - cycle lanes are blamed for closing the high street, causing congestion, increasing pollution, busting the NHS and now, if it wasn’t for active travel, Blighty would still have an armed force to rule the waves. Fkn pathetic
@Pub bike - well, off-road (ICE) motorbikes have been available for decades, so you're right about the proposed law being too narrow. I've seen scrotes riding them in parks and on the roads, but they're much less common than the newer e-motorbikes.
@hawkinspeter I think my point buried in there somewhere is that the law being devised is too narrowly focused around electric bikes/motorbikes and it should encompass the sale of any kind of motorbike. The wording talks about "electrically assisted" which would seem to exclude throttle controlled bikes. The bikes I saw that had no pedals - and therefore the electricity does not assist but is the sole source of propulsion - would fall outside of this legislation, so already there is a loophole. It would probably help to have some technical input to this bill by people that actually understand the differences between bicycles, e-bikes, EAPCs and motorbikes before it goes too far.
The Streeting Rule is, Cycling and Walking tomorrow and Cycling and Walking yesterday, but never Cycling and Walking today.
It’s a nuanced proposition, for sure. I did start the article with “There are few hills I’m truly up for dying on, but kickstands on bikes is one of them” - and no comment here has changed my mind 😎
@ hawkinspeter you are absolutely right. But of course there is little enforcement, the police don't have the resources etc etc.
@jackcycles - no it reflects the reality that most folk are scared to cycle because of inconsiderate and dangerous drivers. Cycling numbers markedly increase when it is made safe to do so.
"Kickstands make every bike ride better" Can't think of any of my rides in the last few weeks that would have been "better" with a kickstand; a few that *might* possibly have been a bit more of a pain with one (especially with the amount of plant growth at the moment in the South West of the UK), but none it would have improved. So there we go, nice easy proof by contradiction.
I'll be surprised & amazed if all of those billions are actually delivered. I expect to hear, in a few years' time, that only a fraction of that was taken up for various reasons, & the rest was therefore diverted towards other 'number one issues'.
@bensynnock to be fair, there does seem to be a marshall shown in the picture.
45 thoughts on ““It’s the third day in a row and it’s breaking my balls a bit now”: Remco Evenepoel rages against Vuelta safety chaos; Elderly couple kicked off train because of e-bike; Jumbo-Visma pro’s home searched by police in doping raid + more on the live blog”
Been away for a few days. Who
Been away for a few days. Who are the current trolls please?
quiff wrote:
It’s been very pleasantly quiet with Nigel banned again and our American and Australian representatives being silent for some reason. Unfortunately JC4PM/username has staged a renaissance this morning, always going to be too good to last I suppose.
quiff wrote:
Unfortunately for the rest of us mere mortals, Rendel Harris (the road.cc fake profile) is still here.
Beatlejuice
Beatlejuice
Isn’t that a bit cruel,
Isn’t that a bit cruel, making juice out of beatles?
Efficient – you only need 4
Efficient – you only need 4 (ish… for pedants) and you get a lot of pop!
Ah… that must mean we don’t
Ah… that must mean we don’t need Pete Best then.
chrisonatrike wrote:
But it all goes flat when Yoko Ono Anderson comes on the scene.
Mere Mortals?
Mere Mortals?
The acid house act from the early 90s?
Clem Fandango wrote:
You know that they were named after a glam-influenced post-punk band of the early eighties…?
brooksby wrote:
You know that they were named after a glam-influenced post-punk band of the early eighties…?— Clem Fandango
That’s odd, I thought they were video game developers who then went into film etc.? Looks like they’re gigging in the US now though…
I saw them once. The support
I saw them once. The support act (fake profile) were so bad that the audience were still booing when they came on.
Oh and This is Spinal Tap is on tonight. On TV.
perce wrote:
Is it on at 11?
Very good. I’m hoping to stay
Very good. I’m hoping to stay up to 11.
Brilliant.
Brilliant.
I was watching Bad News Tour last night too. Equally good.
perce wrote:
I remember fake profile! They reached their nadir early, then went into a decline.
They’re not who they were though.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Am I the American representative? Anyhow, I had a great weekend racing in the Gravel Worlds. My goal was to finish in the top half, which I nearly achieved in the 75 (79) mile race.
239 of 525 overall
207 of 402 male
54 of 95 male 50-59 years
Well done, glad you enjoyed
Well done, glad you enjoyed it.
I agree
I agree
andystow wrote:
Definitely not you sir. I was thinking of one Roulero, who claims to be British living in Britain but regularly uses Americanisms, quotes US traffic law and always posts on LA time.
Congratulations on your gravel efforts – loving the big tanwalls there.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Inside beautifully fitted mudguards.
This was in the Observer over
This was in the Observer over the weekend:
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/aug/26/more-than-150-car-models-too-big-for-regular-uk-parking-spaces
Forest rangers continue to
Forest rangers continue to report “significant accumulations of excrement that can only come from some pretty big critter”
brooksby wrote:
I love how they’ve decided “iPhone 14 Plus” (one size variant in a near-constantly spawning range of phones) is a more useful reference than “16.35cm”. However, for this to be really useful to me, I’m going to need to know how many Nokia 3310s you used to be able to get between some early noughties car doors.
quiff wrote:
I thought that Nokia 3310 was a measure of weight/mass?
At some point, age can’t be
At some point, age can’t be an excuse for jeopardizing the safety of others.
The risk might be low, but it’s not zero, and that contraption world certainly present a number of elevated risk factors.
Frankly, it’s monstrosities like it that spoil it for people with good quality, competently built, well maintained devices and, similarly to eScooters, result in access being denied enMass.
That eBike is an absolute travesty of engineering and aesthetics. It’s got no place on public transport.
Agreed. That just screams
Agreed. That just screams “fire hazard”. Saw the headline and was expecting some jobsworth, but I’m 100% with the train manager on this one.
Morgoth985 wrote:
…not to mention that Ledbury to St Leonard’s, via London must be stretching the financial viability of fast food delivery.
espressodan wrote:
Wasn’t enMass a girl group in the middle nineties? What do they have to do with eBikes? Although, there was that one time when their set, set a stadium (literally) on fire… 😉
What was the other member of
What was the other member of the group riding? I have visions of an 80 yr old giving a “backy” to another 80 yr old on that contraption.
I was just thinking that.
I was just thinking that. Reading it again, it sounds like it wasn’t necessarily part of their transport, he just took it along for a jolly: “So, two and a half hours late, we arrived at our destination, and I was able to enjoy a long cycle ride around Romney Marsh the following day“. I bet Mrs P was cursing him.
Frankly I’m with GWR.
Frankly I’m with GWR.
The distinction isn’t between “e-bikes” versus “e-scooters”; it’s between devices built to a high standard and certified as safe, versus devices built on the cheap with low quality components and minimal quality control or safety testing.
I’m confused by Mr Palmer’s comments. He talks about the “highly regulated e-bike industry” and yet surely he realises that doesn’t mean you can cobble together a frankenbike as he appears to have done, and still expect it to be safe just because it’s a “bike” and not a “scooter”?
If you “looked the type” I
If you “looked the type” I could easily imagine someone perceiving a terrorist threat with that object. They might be right either way…
After my recent out-of-step
After my recent out-of-step posts, following the image of that e-bike, I’m happy to report I’m back on parade … ?
I’ve seen a couple of
I’ve seen a couple of comments on Twitter about signage for the ULEZ and it might not be to standard, giving drivers a loophole to escape a fine. Unfortunately the links were to the sun and telegraph, so not that reliable.
Anyone seen anything substantive ?
There has been a lot of
There has been a lot of coverage in the tabloid end of the internet, saying that “dozens” of ULEZ cameras and signs have been vandalised.
This from the same end of the internet which always complains about XR, JSO, etc, taking “direct action”…
BlackBeltBarrister has ben
BlackBeltBarrister has ben commenting on Youtube. and he is quite sane though sightly chases populist stories.
That “ebike” – Great Scott,
That “ebike” – Great Scott, if Doc Brown made ebikes…
https://www.youtube.com/watch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPIXeYqtBWU
The train manager was worried
The train manager was worried it had a flux incapacitator.
There’s an article in today’s
There’s an article in today’s Sun, referencing a paywalled article in the Torygraph, with Nick Freeman advising people on the loopholes they can use to avoid ULEZ fines.
I am so glad that this ‘top lawyer’ and ‘road safety campaigner’ cares about air pollution too.
RE “Really ‘secure’ bike
RE “Really ‘secure’ bike stands”:
The photo TallBikeGuy has posted – they might not be bolted down, but at least with that design if you’ve locked the bike to the rack, they’re staying attached. The problem with “bolted down” ones is that if you can just unscrew the rack, you can then slide the rack out from the lock and then ride off with the bike, or at least carry off the bike (depending on how it was locked). It would be much harder to steal a bike still attached to the rack, short of lifting the whole thing into a van (not impossible my any means, but less likely. And if they’ve brought a van, they will probably have an angle grinder so the rack becomes pretty moot anyway – they can just cut the lock).
And whilst Edinburgh might have been in the news recently, it’s not a new problem – see e.g. Cambridge several years ago.
GWR Passenger’s Charter – “In
GWR Passenger’s Charter – “In accordance with the National Rail Conditions of Travel we will refuse to carry a bike if it is unsafe to do so”.
I don’t know if I’m the first
I don’t know if I’m the first to consider it but maybe Jeremy Vine is putting his tongue in his cheek, metaphorically?
By suggesting that drivers pull over for cyclists (when they are in slower moving traffic areas like central London) maybe JV is trying to show how ridiculous the argument is that some drivers want cyclists to move out of the way when they (drivers) incorrectly believe they are faster?
Case in point: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7enDsD5bpc&pp=ygUIc2EwNSBvemM%3D(link is external)
Presumably we should all be sensible when cycling/driving and just do both with everyone’s safety in mind (when moving through slow traffic) rather than just trying to get everywhere as fast as possible?
Agree.
Agree.
I think he’s trying to recast the debate.
It’s like CycleGaz putting a car framing on his videos.