Met Police rider struck by driver’s wing mirror during close pass op; Parking suspension shows space for infra; Forecast teases wet Paris-Roubaix; “I’m on a bike” man; Rise in bike thefts; Moose on the loose; Slow radio; Pain faces + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Early weather forecasts tease fans with wet Paris-Roubaix prediction
Let the speculation begin! It’s been 20 years since a wet Paris-Roubaix, which is quite a surprising statistic for a race traditionally held in April. But, the early whispers are that we could get some mud and slippery cobblestones for Sunday’s October edition. That’s the BBC’s current forecast above – other forecasters are saying more rain, some are saying there’ll be less… although one punter joked that if the BBC are going with that, it probably means it’ll be 20 degrees and sunny…
For an explainer on why we’re all praying for horrendous conditions, here’s how the infamous Trouée d’Arenberg sector looked the last time we had a wet race…
Le dernier Paris-Roubaix couru sous la pluie (2001) / The last wet Paris-Roubaix (2001).
Traversée de la trouée d’Arenberg
📺 FranceTV 🎙️ J-R Godard / B. Thévenet#ParisRoubaix #ParisRoubaix2001 #cycling #cyclisme #roubaix #Arenberg pic.twitter.com/4zSQemVvSN
— Miroir du Cyclisme (@Miroir2Cyclisme) September 28, 2021
Wet Roubaix Fever was at an all-time high yesterday when the initial predictions showed this…
Cancel all plans on Sunday I repeat CANCEL ALL PLANS!!! pic.twitter.com/nS1i5HYer5
— Pete (@road_THEORY) September 28, 2021
Some of the riders and all the mechanics will be pleased to see that no longer on the menu.
The inaugural women’s edition this Saturday gives us a second chance at sludgy conditions. As things stand, Friday looks likely to see some heavy rainfall in the evening, but the majority of race day looks dry. However, there is a risk of light rain starting later on in the afternoon and into the evening to soften up the farm tracks nicely for the men the following day. Cross your fingers, do a rain dance, we’re going to be checking forecasts a lot in the next few days.
Team Kirkley Cycles Hill Climb introduces 'Most Knackered Rider' award to reward best pain face
To the uninitiated, a scene like the one above could be quite a worrying sight. Bodies strewn all over a grass verge, grown adults collapsed, possibly throwing up. However, in the hill climbing world, all that is pretty normal. Team Kirkley Cycles will be rewarding one ‘lucky’ rider at an upcoming event with a new most knackered rider award.
It’s the brainchild of Ali McLean who was inspired by these photos he took at Allen Valley Velo’s hill climb last Sunday…”There’s something particularly brutal about hill climbs and that was certainly reflected in the photos I took at the finish of AVV’s event. It was carnage,” he said.
Kirkley’s Hill Climb is on 10 October and will have a dedicated spotter at the finish line responsible for judging who is the event’s most pain-ridden rider. The winner will pick up the top prize of a bike fit from CJ Performance Cycles. Now that’s got to be worth burying yourself for.
Newly crowned UCI world road race champion Elisa Balsamo to debut rainbow jersey at AJ Bell Women's Tour
Newly crowned road race world champion Elisa Balsamo will make her first appearance since winning the rainbow jersey, at next week’s AJ Bell Women’s Tour here in the UK. The route has a strong south east feel to it, and isn’t being broadcast live on TV, so to get a glimpse of the new champs in action you’ll need to find your way to the roadside.
Stage one goes from Bicester to Banbury, stage two’s a round trip starting and ending in Walsall. Stage three is an individual time trial in Atherstone, while stage four takes the peloton from Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea. Stage five is from Colchester to Clacton-on-Sea and the final stage starts in Haverhill and finishes in Felixstowe.
The race begins on Monday, and Balsamo could be joined on the startline by newly crowned TT world champ Ellen van Dijk. Former world champions Lizzie Deignan and Annemiek van Vleuten are both also on the provisional startlist.
Moose on the loose
Cyclist spooks bull moose while riding up American Fork Canyon last night! (📷: Steve Winters) pic.twitter.com/gkZ8T8Boo8
— FOX 13 News Utah (@fox13) September 28, 2021
Parking suspension shows up 'no room for cycling infra' claim
There is no shortage of “road space” to make cycling safe, accessible and enjoyable. Only a shortage of political will. https://t.co/YxVHU9OW5n
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) September 28, 2021
The council cleaning this road in London showed its residents just how it might look without cars parked bumper to bumper…and how much room there could be for other things. The picture got people talking, not least the London Cycling Campaign who pointed out anyone claiming a shortage of road space might just be short of political will…
Another reply compared the picture to Japan, where on-street parking has been banned, barring some exceptions, since 1957…
I know I make the “well, in Japan…” comparisons a lot, but in Japanese cities it’s off-street parking or nothing. We could look to that for inspiration, no? At least starting with A roads. Plenty of room for cycle lanes then. https://t.co/UXRI4sgdpb
— Matt Stratford (@mattstratford) September 29, 2021
Imagine hedgerows, cycle lanes and play paths. Imagine parklets, with undulating meadow strips weaving round them. #reimaginestreets. @willnorman https://t.co/XDekMfFpPJ
— Daubeney Fields (@Daubeneyfields) September 29, 2021
Coshgirl said she’d sent the picture to the street’s WhatsApp group with the message: “Never seen the street looking so lovely as it did this morning. Amazing how much space there is once you take away the cars…” No word on how that went down…
Bike thefts in Scotland rise by nearly 20 per cent during lockdown
The number of bikes reported stolen in Scotland increased by 20 per cent during lockdown. Figures released to BBC Scotland showed that just one in 10 bike crimes is solved per year. Some other data showed that while bike crimes notified to Police Scotland fell from 6,056 in 2017/18 to 4,600 in 2019/20, that number jumped up again to 5,470 in 2020/21 – an 18 per cent increase on the year before.
Scotland’s two biggest cities, Glasgow and Edinburgh, had 19 of the 20 worst council wards for reported bike crime. In Leith Walk, Edinburgh, the number of reported cycle thefts has more than doubled over the past five years, while in Govan, Glasgow, the number jumped from 69 in 2016/17 to 114 last year.
Dunwich Dynamo slow radio featured on BBC Radio 3
A quick lunchtime shoutout to Alex Anderson and Marion Bettsworth who made it onto BBC Radio 3’s slow radio feature on Sunday with a clip of audio recorded during the Dunwich Dynamo – a through-the-night 112-mile ride from Hackney to Dunwich on the Suffolk coast. You can listen to the soothing sound of freehubs and riders zooming past on the BBC Sounds website by following the link here.
That guy singing "I don't need petrol, because I'm on a bike" at angry motorists now has a horse
“He runs on carrots, he runs on carrots. I don’t need petrol, ’cause I’m on a horse.”
Amusing as some of you might have found the previous clip and this follow-up, we’re hoping this wind-up merchant doesn’t continue to milk it by doing e-scooter, skateboard or segway versions. That would just be flogging a dead horse…
Met Police rider struck by driver's wing mirror during close pass op
Today the team conducted a close pass operation at The Avenue, SW4.
2 x close passes, one where the plain clothes rider was struck on the elbow by the wing mirror.
Rider unhurt.
The driver will be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention. #VisionZeroLDN— Cycle Safety Team (@MetCycleCops) September 28, 2021
Yesterday, the Met Cycle Safety Team was out on a close pass operation in Clapham, South London, when one of its plain clothes riders was struck on the elbow by a driver’s wing mirror as they passed. Thankfully the rider was unhurt and the driver will be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.
A few people joked the cops couldn’t have been out for very long if they only had two close passes, but mainly the reaction was a mixture of unsurprised empathy and a touch of gratitude that the force is taking action on dangerous driving.
The story comes a week after Dame Sarah Storey, who earlier this month became GB’s most successful Paralympian, joined South Yorkshire Police on a close pass operation. The ride along the A57 on a Friday afternoon led to 20 drivers being stopped for “advice purposes” from 110 overtakes.
Amusingly, Inspector Smith took more than just the satisfaction of a job well done from the operation…he joked he’d posted his best 20-minute power of the year trying to keep up with the 17-time gold medallist…
The Met launched its first close pass operation in 2017 and, at the time, insisted professional drivers and those who display particularly bad driving would be reported straight away, and not given roadside advice.
When you're late to work but there's a bike race on
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) September 29, 2021
I’m sure we had one of these at the Tour de Romandie earlier in the year. That day it was a local stopping the clock by riding under the finish line seconds before Rémi Cavagna zoomed past in the opposite direction…today it’s someone in Belgium who really needs to get somewhere.
You're not building anymore: MK Dons' plans for new training ground put on hold by objections from cycling officer
MK Dons plans to move their training ground to the National Bowl have been pushed back after objections raised by the council’s cycling officer. The League One side will have to rework plans to persuade the council to let them begin work on pitches for the first team.
MKCitizen reports the officer raised concerns about how the cycling club, which uses the Bowl as its home, would be moved in the interim. Works were due to begin before the end of the year, but the club withdrew its application following the objections.
A club statement explained they plan on resubmitting plans before the end of the year “which it is hoped can meet the expectations and ambitions of all the key stakeholders”.
Two planning applications had been submitted to Milton Keynes Council, as part of a phased delivery of improvements to the Bowl, that would have allowed for the construction of first-team pitches and a temporary amenity building.
The Club considered this approach would have minimal impact on the various stakeholders across the site whilst allowing the First Team access to train at the Bowl as quickly as possible.
However, following objections raised by the Council’s Cycling Officer regarding the proposed interim alternate arrangements for the cycling club who are users of the facility, we were unfortunately left with no alternative but to withdraw both applications.
Bike is Best drops another ad
As chaotic queues at petrol stations continue, our new #BikeIsBest ad is now showing in London with one simple message:
Please cycle for short journeys and leave fuel for those who *really* need it. pic.twitter.com/ofk40PrdVI
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) September 28, 2021
29 September 2021, 08:06
29 September 2021, 08:06
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Latest Comments
@perce everyone should wear lights, full stop. And punctuate properly - that really gets up my colon! Anyway, must dash...
@Ojisan My old English teacher told me i had to work on my punctuation, so I started going to school half an hour earlier.
Arrogant obnoxious Tory.
How do you see them then? Do you regularly drive into black cars?
@Blackthorne83 He'd love to, but some bastard's taken out the cycle lanes.
I was a few bikes away from the fatal collision during Ride London a few years ago, I barely avoided the victim's dog which was running loose. Definitely one of those slo-mo adrenaline fuelled moments and I was only doing about 40kph. At lead out speeds it really doesn't bear thinking about.
@Xenophon2 "That’s a lot of batteries to keep track of, to the point that I have a dedicated charger with 3 m USB-C cable in my office, another one at home. Can’t imagine having to deal with another battery such as on the Flight Attendant." Top tip: In reality most of the SRAM stuff lasts a month or two even with pretty heavy usage. I just charge all the batteries on the last Sunday of every month and have yet to be caught out. The SRAM batteries are so cheap / small / light it's also worth keeping a spare in a saddle bag or similar.
@chrisonabike There does seem to be evidence that 20 mph limits work on roads that already lend themselves to such low speeds, and I do think the lack of a 25 mph limit option is an issue for some roads. Speed limits should especially not be set very low in the hope that many or most drivers will only exceed them by a set amount because, not only is it not true that many people drive like that, the opposite can happen. Instead of targeting the drivers most likely to cause harm, you're putting the prohibition onto the behaviour of more sensible drivers and forcing the police to target them. The DfT guidance used to have a paragraph calling out this presumption. The extent to which road design and conditions at the time dictate traffic speeds is too stark to ignore. I've seen urban roads with signed 40 mph limits have lower average speeds than some roads with posted 20 mph limits. And yes, that road in Gloucester has signs openly inviting drivers to go faster, and almost none of them do: the non-compliance was about 2%. Compare that to over 99% non-compliance on some roads in Wales. What I'm mainly talking about is the increasing imposition of 20 mph limits on much higher-standard main roads. That's where you see extreme levels of non-compliance. In some cases, the average speed has even been known to go up after the limit has gone down. Showing such contempt just brings speed limits into disrepute and my contention is that drivers should take speed limits seriously.
@chrisonabike There does seem to be evidence that 20 mph limits work on roads that already lend themselves to such low speeds, and I do think the lack of a 25 mph limit option is an issue for some roads. Speed limits should especially not be set very low in the hope that many or most drivers will only exceed them by a set amount because, not only is it not true that many people drive like that, the opposite can happen. Instead of targeting the drivers most likely to cause harm, you're putting the prohibition onto the behaviour of more sensible drivers and forcing the police to target them. The DfT guidance used to have a paragraph calling out this presumption. The extent to which road design and conditions at the time dictate traffic speeds is too stark to ignore. I've seen urban roads with signed 40 mph limits have lower average speeds than some roads with posted 20 mph limits. And yes, that road in Gloucester has signs openly inviting drivers to go faster, and almost none of them do: the non-compliance was about 2%. Compare that to over 99% non-compliance on some roads in Wales. So no, when speed limits match the road, compliance is much higher, but speeds are not. What I'm mainly talking about is the increasing imposition of 20 mph limits on much higher-standard main roads. That's where you see extreme levels of non-compliance. In some cases, the average speed has even been known to go up after the limit has gone down. Showing such contempt just brings speed limits into disrepute and my contention is that drivers should take speed limits seriously.
39 thoughts on “Met Police rider struck by driver’s wing mirror during close pass op; Parking suspension shows space for infra; Forecast teases wet Paris-Roubaix; “I’m on a bike” man; Rise in bike thefts; Moose on the loose; Slow radio; Pain faces + more on the live blog”
Quote:
A first chance, surely?
The first chance being when
The first chance being when the race was due to occur earlier in the year, before being rescheduled.
Yep – I’m sure that’s what
Yep – I’m sure that’s what they meant…
> Team Kirkley Cycles Hill
> Team Kirkley Cycles Hill Climb introduces ‘Most Knackered Rider’ award to reward best pain face
Has anyone contacted comedian Rob Beckett to see if he’d be willing to co-sponsor this?
Sigh. Still getting the full
Sigh. Still getting the full page adverts to visit Malta.
WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET
WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX! WET ROUBAIX!
Careful what you wish for. F1
Careful what you wish for. F1 fans were hoping for a wet race in Belgium a few weeks back, we got too much wet and no race!
That’s just because F1 hasnt
That’s just because F1 hasnt admitted to the fans yet they designed themselves into a corner with cars that literally now only work in dry conditions, because of marginal gains. I dont think bike manufacturers are quite at that level yet
Awavey wrote:
I think they drive in the wet quite often. But not being able to see more than 50m through the rain isn’t conducive to travelling at 200mph safely.
Jean Todt president of the
Jean Todt president of the FIA,used to run a very successful F1 team,and was a world rally champion co driver said only just last week, F1 needed to design cars that can be raced in the rain, because the current era with the aero packages and wide tyres creates the poor visibility via spray which is what made it unsafe for them at Spa.
I feel for the Women’s tour
I feel for the Women’s tour doing their ITT through Atherstone; there are some awful road surfaces leading up Atherstone and around the Hartshill/Merevale climb nearby. Maybe they’ll resurface them…..?
*(Please, do resurface them)
**(Hah!! You dreamer, you)
Par for the course,I think
Par for the course,I think they follow alot of local cycleway route roads,which we know arent always the best kept, wouldnt be surprised if some riders just kept their Roubaix bikes as a precaution.
I am annoyed theres no live TV coverage though, partly because the figures they are quoting for live tv costs means they spaffed nearly 1 million quid showing every second of the Tour of Britain just a few weeks back and I’d love to see the commercial justification of that by the broadcasters & BC and partly because actually it could jeopardise the race which already now seems on life support as the prize money on offer is much less than previously, as UCI rules do state for WWT level events, there must be live tv coverage.
“Our roads are too narrow” –
“Our roads are too narrow” – love the Ranty Highwayman’s sign off “The street is not too narrow, your imagination is too narrow”.
Good links at the bottom of this article explaining this is a question of priorities and choice, not physics. People also don’t seem to get the concept that you could actually make some streets “car priority” – if that then allows you to re-allocate road space on other streets for walking / bicycles which improves the bike network overall. Probably because “car priority” completely describes the “network” in the UK.
Quote:
Well that’s a gnu one on me….
Captain Badger wrote:
Well that’s a gnu one on me….
Oh deer…
mdavidford wrote:
Bloody ‘elk…
Moose should have used the
Moose should have used the horn.
Captain Badger wrote:
Well that’s a gnu one on me….
Maynards Wine Gums anyone?
eburtthebike wrote:
Re: ‘E’s now on a horse:- Erm
Re: ‘E’s now on a horse:- Erm are horses allowed on Pavements?
Highway Code wrote:
Don’t know whether the guidance about not enforcing against cyclists using them considerately and where the road isn’t safe also applies to horse riders though.
Cyclist spooks bull moose
Cyclist spooks bull moose while riding up American Fork Canyon
OK, so the Forest of Dean isn’t Fork Canyon (but who gives a fork?) but we had something similar two weeks ago on our Thursday evening ride to the pub, via lots of forest. Riding along a fairly level path, turn a corner and three deer, a doe and two calves, presumably panicked by us, run parallel to the path through the woods for a couple of hundred metres (or is it yards? It’s so hard to tell after Brexit). We weren’t sure if they were trying to get away from us or to race us.
It’s a DOOR mirror – “wing”
It’s a DOOR mirror – “wing” mirrors went out in the 1970’s.
Our thoughts with you at this
Our thoughts are with you at this difficult time.
swldxer wrote:
What type of mirrors does the 1990s Jaguar XJ220 have?
If you are going to be an annoying pedant, you should try a bit harder to be right!
I find it interesting that if
I find it interesting that if a driver hits a police cyclist with a “wing mirror” (we have to take the word of the police that it was a wing mirror so may be it was a very old car) they are prosecuted but if if I get hit by a door mirror no action is taken.
I am interested to know how close the drivers who “received education” were. When I get close passed I get no further action.
Having said all that I would just like to thank the officer concerned for risking their life on our behalf.
Example photos of those
Example photos of those prosecuted at @sheffieldnw_npt and our Strava profile.
Warnings were those who didn’t cross to opposite side of road to overtake – this is a 50 road so we expect more room to be given at speed.
Inspector Kevin Smith SYP
Interesting – what part of the Highway code gives discretion to “expect more room to be given at speed”? As far as I was aware, adequate room while overtaking should be given regardless of speed.
Both the proposed changes
Both the proposed changes that aren’t on the books yet -where there is an escalating series of values in line with speed and common sense. The current HVwording is still “Giving cyclists as much room as you would a car”
Highway Code is not the law though – and a breach of the Highway Code isn’t an offence. The offence standard of proof is whether the standard of driving is that which would be expected of a careful and competent driver which is the wording used for “careless” driving offences.
Dangerous driving is where the standard of driving falls FAR below that which would be expected…. both wordings cover a multitude of potential indiscretions from failing to indicate to driving while intoxicated.
So here is one on a 60mph
So here is one on a 60mph road. I got told that becuase the driver didn’t cross the white lines nothing could be done, not even a warning.
Thanks but I don’t do
Thanks but I don’t do facebook or twitter. Any other way to view them?
he joked he’d posted his best
he joked he’d posted his best 20-minute power of the year trying to keep up with the 17-time gold medallist…
Accuracy! It was his second best.
That’s right. First best I
That’s right. First best I wasn’t also trying to radio in close passes though.
Me again.
Me again.
20 stops -10 tickets. 5 sent NIPs in the post.
Sometimes the best form of advice is accompanied by prosecution – especially those who feel they know the law about cycling 2 abreast better than the officers who stopped them. Some of the stops were people who waited patiently, overtook legally and then ruined it by pipping the horn on the way past for no reason. I dont think that’s a £100 fine and 3 points offence- which is what we gave out for those passing too close- and there is value in actually talking to those people who will listen to advice. These operations arise the ire of the Facebook commentating masses enough, it is important to use discretion and point out that only the dangerous end up being fined. Those who haven’t opened a Highway Code in 30 years are instructed what the rules actually are (usually not what they think) and sent on their way. But that process isn’t minor – they will be stopped for 10-20 minutes while we conduct licence and vehicle checks in addition to informing and educating.
Advised in police parlance doesn’t mean “let off with a warning” it can mean anything from “got a ticket” to some more robust actions. Believe it or not but some (law abiding) people physically shake when we stop them, sometimes a chat is enough to make a difference. Anyone who needed prosecuting was. There are some photos on our twitter feed of some of the passes @sheffieldnw_npt
The speed of the overtakes we had would mean that being hit on the elbow would have resulted in injury or a fall at the least. So I’m glad we didn’t have that to contend with.
Keep it up
Keep it up 🙂
Thanks for everything you do
Thanks for everything you do to keep us safe, it certainly balances some of the other reports we get about the police.
Were the drivers who beeped as they passed the cyclists asked why they did it?
20 out of 110 is a good
20 out of 110 is a good indication of how poor driving standards are now.
I expect those that were shaking were doing so because they realised they had been caught, which means they were aware what they had done was wrong, possibly subconsciously previously.
All of the uncertainties
All of the uncertainties about distance between bike and car could easily be fixed by making it compulsory for an overtaking vehicle to completely change lanes when passing a cyclist or any other vehicle. No if’s, buts or maybes, failure to comply earns a fine at all times and at the very least. End of story, no more b/s about the driver thought……..
The thing that nobody has
The thing that nobody has explained, about the folks who couldn’t park their car on the street, due to the council cleaning it, is – where did they put their cars, whilst this went on.
I wonder if they could do the same permanently…?