Joe Biden’s secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg wants to build “culture of cycling”; Oprah interview déjà vu; Dunkin’ Donuts’ bike-thru for mid-ride carbs; Should Strade Bianche be a Monument?; Calls for bike hangars + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Dunkin' Donuts opens bike-thru for those mid-ride carbs
Picture the scene. You’re in the final stretch of a big weekend ride and haven’t eaten since you scranned that last snack well over an hour ago. That all too familiar feeling of pedalling squares descends and all you can think about is food: Jelly Babies, Haribo, an entire packet of Jaffa Cakes…Anything, ‘just give me sugar’ your body screams…You grind over the crest of the next hill, and what meets your eye? A Dunkin’ Donuts bike-thru…Is it a mirage? No, it’s real. You’re saved. You can gorge your bodyweight in carbs and roll home as a champion…
That’s the good news, Dunkin’ Donuts now has a bike-thru for cyclists to pick up on the go. The bad news is you’ll need to ride to the other side of the world to use it because this game-changing service is only available at Dunkin’ Donuts Philippines’ Quezon City branch…
Hopefully it’s a sign of things to come and the next time you bonk and crave all the donuts in the world, you won’t have to slink out of a petrol station holding a box of 12 Krispy Kremes…Give the people what they want…
Hating on cyclists for doing nothing wrong
Don’t you just love cyclists. Not using the cycle lane & riding 2 abreast. At least it wasn’t on the pavement. Wnkrs …🤬 pic.twitter.com/5A5teGSxnt
— Helen (@HelenRadcliffe8) March 4, 2021
Helen went out of her way to take and share this video of two cyclists riding two abreast along the seafront. Noting to see here, right? Not for Helen, who tweeted: “Don’t you just love cyclists not using the cycle lane & riding two abreast. At least it wasn’t on the pavement. Wnkrs…”
If only riding two abreast wasn’t both perfectly legal and safe, as per yesterday’s instruction from Roads Policing Scotland. And, as some replies pointed out, not using the cycle lane hasn’t caused any congestion here. We can’t see the cycle lane Helen talks of but maybe someone with local knowledge will enlighten us.
Someone called UKtizens replied to the video suggesting cyclists should pay ‘road tax’, a bicycle registration fee and MOTs…
That’s a lot of stupid. A. Lot.
— MMinSC (@MMinSC2) March 4, 2021
1.4/10. This is a work of art really.
You’re criticising them for not using something that isn’t there…..then being positive about them doing something right.
And they aren’t holding anyone up!
It’s almost as if you’re just being hateful for hate’s sake— Rate My Rant 🚴♀️ (@rant_rate) March 4, 2021
A strong score from Rate My Rant, an account set up for ‘rating the rant of bike bashers’…
Strade Bianche deserves to be a Monument according to Julian Alaphilippe
It’s one of our favourite races on the calendar tomorrow as the pros take on the white roads of Tuscany at Strade Bianche. World champion Julian Alaphilippe made the case for it being the sixth Monument and joining the pantheon of the sport’s most prestigious one-day races. “It’s a really beautiful race, always spectacular. It’s maybe not a Monument but it deserves to be,” Alaphilippe told reporters ahead of Saturday.
As for the other favourites for the win, Alaphilippe said he was looking forward to renewing his rivalry with Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel. The last time the three competed against each other was at the Tour of Flanders last autumn when the Frenchman crashed after colliding with a race motorbike.
“They are two of the big favourites, that’s clear,” Alaphilippe continued. “You can see the shape of Van der Poel from the last couple of races. And with Van Aert, he won last year and he’s really strong. Even if this is his first race, he can still win. From my side, I’m just happy to take the start on Saturday with a big motivation. We have to be smart. It’s a really hard race and the legs will talk. I’m happy to have good sensations, but I can’t wait to win.”
Does Strade Bianche deserve to be a Monument?
The world champion has had his say, but what about you lot? Strade Bianche as the sixth Monument?
Fernando Alonso "completely fit" after cycling crash
Autosport reports that Fernando Alonso is “completely fit” for the upcoming F1 season having recovered from injuries sustained when he was hit by a driver while cycling in Switzerland. The Spaniard needed surgery on an upper jaw fracture but has now returned to training, leaving Alpine F1’s CEO Laurent Rossi confident he will be fit for the start of the season.
“Fernando is doing very well,” Rossi said. “He had a bad accident. A bike accident is rarely something that goes easy, but he was lucky, and he ended up only suffering from his jaw. So besides the necessary surgery and care on his jaw, the rest is totally fine. Fernando is completely fit. He is totally operational.”
The two-time F1 world champion’s former team boss Flavio Briatore has urged Alonso to give up cycling, saying “if you don’t stop, I’ll lock you in the garage.”
Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games road race location revealed
The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games road race will be hosted by St Nicholas’ Park in Warwick where the race will start and finish. The race is scheduled to take place on Sunday August 7 and will decide who will succeed Australian sprinter Steele Von Hoff, who won the event at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games three years ago. Geraint Thomas, Stuart O’Grady and Matthew Haymen are all former winners of Commonwealth road race gold.
Bristol Cycling Campaign calls for 1,000 bike hangars
The Bristol Cycling Campaign has called on the city’s council to install 1,000 bike hangars by May 2024 to help make cycling more accessible for people who can’t store their bike at home. The steel pods usually have space for up to six bikes and provide secure, on-street parking. Currently, Bristol has only 15 hangars according to a recent report, but local survey data showed that demand for residential bike parking is likely to be in the tens of thousands. The report also proposed ways to simplify installation and cut costs by at least £1,500 per hangar.
Un-Happy Meal
Detectives have released a picture of a man they want to speak to over a bike theft from a McDonald’s branch in Northampton. The Northampton Chronicle and Echo reports the bike had its lock cut and was taken while it was parked outside the Weston Favell fast food outlet. Police believe the man may have information which could help track down the offender.
A spokesperson for Northampton Police said: “We would like this man to come forward or, anyone who recognises him or has information about the theft, please call 101 using incident number 21000109046.”
Joe Biden's secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg wants to build "culture of cycling"
After the past four years, it makes a nice change to be able to report on some positive political news from across the pond…Joe Biden’s secretary for transportation Pete Buttigieg was speaking at the National Bike Summit this week and had plenty of nice things to say about his plans for the future of cycling in the States. Notably, emphasising that he wants to “build a culture of cycling”.
“I come from an auto-making part of the country, and we’re proud of it,” said Buttigieg. “But we can definitely be more of a bicycling country. If you just get to a certain tipping point, and it’s not much — about 2% in terms of the rate of people who commute to work by bike — you tend to see step changes in terms of safety probably because motorists are more conscious and aware of people on bicycles as a matter of routine. So it’s building up that culture of cycling.”
“What I can say is that whether it’s hard resources or whether it’s moral support, you’re going to see a lot of energy coming from my office and my team to help move things along. We’re going to be a better safer, cleaner, and greener country the more people have safe options to get around on two wheels.”
Buttigieg also recalled how a 2014 trip to Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Oslo tilted his perspective towards the possibility of a greener future for the US, with cycling at its heart. “We came back from that really inspired,” Buttigieg explained. “How great infrastructure and bike culture and conscious and intentional choices in countries that used to be as car-dependent as we are in many ways can keep people moving through winters.”
The full talk is at the top of this story…
Oprah interview déjà vu
They’re gonna confess to EPO aren’t they? https://t.co/fCfoZeUfqT
— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) March 5, 2021
Plenty of speculation today about the big interview coming this weekend with Oprah, Harry and Meghan…The cycling community is wondering if we could be in for a repeat of that other Oprah interview from 2013 that nobody talks about…For the sake of Monday’s live blog just tell us you hate disc brakes, Harry…
“Yes or no, did you ever use… “
— Nick Penzenstadler (@npenzenstadler) March 5, 2021
Harry is going to tell the world his deepest secret, what he thinks about disc brakes
— Ross (@Bad_Weevil) March 5, 2021
"There is light at the end of the tunnel and I'm going for it": Fabio Jakobsen feeling positive about return to training
Fabio Jakobsen is feeling positive about his return to the sport, seven months on from the horror crash at the Tour of Poland that put his career in jeopardy. Jakobsen said he is hoping that in another four or five months the implants and screws used to treat his facial injuries will have healed completely.
“On Monday the stitches will be removed and I hope to get back to training! In this way I would like to thank everybody that helped me get this far in my recovery process. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I’m going for it!” he wrote on Facebook.
Reaction to yesterday's Spectator story
Dear @spectator when you’ve printed your magazine, it’s over to these guys to get out on the road & deliver it to your subscribers. https://t.co/mLwNoJie39 pic.twitter.com/6bMyay91aM
— Jo Rigby (@Jo_Earlsfield) March 5, 2021
Yesterday’s blog story about Mary Wakefield’s Spectator column bemoaning the ‘war on cars’ and LTNs got plenty of attention and the reaction has continued to rumble on today…Not least from Jo Rigby, a Labour councillor, who shared the view of Royal Mail workers who rely on cycling infrastructure to do their job safely…
Poll results
A comprehensive victory for those who think Strade Bianche should be the sixth Monument. The teams have been out reccying the route ahead of tomorrow’s race and giving us an excuse to share some more blog-friendly clips from the white roads of Tuscany…
🇮🇹🔎 Enjoy some shots from @AvVleuten, Leah Thomas, @KatrineAalerud and @Glo__Rodriguez at our #StradeBianche recon! 👊 #RodamosJuntos
📺 Watch @StradeBianche live on @Eurosport_ES and @gcntweet at 12.30 CET on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/CumGt6BlEP
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) March 5, 2021
Turn the sound on for this one…Beautiful.
The gravel is coming…👀#StradeBianche pic.twitter.com/HDlpZoWXuo
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) March 5, 2021
Different year, different date, different conditions, different jersey 🇩🇰 but same beautiful roads, same beautiful race!
Full gas ahead of @strade_bianche tomorrow 💥🤘🏻
📸 @woutbeel
@deceuninck_quickstep pic.twitter.com/7nMbbDYIwO— Kasper Asgreen (@k_asgreen) March 5, 2021
5 March 2021, 08:59
5 March 2021, 08:59
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What were the marshals doing? Both drivers (not cars driving themselves) clearly went past multiple marshals who appear to be watching the rider. That's not their purpose - it's to ensure rider safety.
Pretty impressive stuff from Axel Laurance there - from sliding along prone on the tarmac to back up on his feet all in the one movement. Shame he didn't manage to land it back on the bike again for the full effect, but good going nonetheless.
This has always happened in politics. It's just easier to find out about it now.
@Kadinkski Why not go full H2G2 and bring out peril-sensitive sunglasses - they could help people develop a relaxed attitude to danger?
It's not the cycling that is the hazardous bit, it is the car drivers knocking you off with 2 tonnes of steel. The Dutch manage to survive without helmets because it's normal. Assuming cars must be the dominant form of transport is the problem.
@ajuk.uk@gmail.com I'd also note that you seem to ignore that simply changing the numbers on a sign does "work". It does bring average speeds down and there are fewer consequences. I'm assuming you would welcome fewer deaths and injuries - but perhaps you think that's overstated / think that the "principle" is more important? Or you think that's a price worth paying for some other reason / "just one of those things"? I think measurable "reduced average speed" leading to things like measurable "reduced KSIs" is an improvement and will gladly take it * - until we get round to rebuilding the roads / adding a lot more traffic police / making humans "better" somehow (increasingly unlikely outcomes)... You seem to differ here - is that fair? Is that because "respect for the law" / avoiding people getting used to breaking the law is an axiom? Or just the *most* important thing? If so is that because "it's a slippery slope" and once "respect" has lost you feel that *all* bets are off? While things like "belief" and "respect" clearly are important, I would disagree that in this instance "respect for the law" is *the* most important aspect. People have been breaking any law I can think of for as long as I can remember. But "it's complicated" - the numbers who do so vary immensely. Some laws are broken by many if not all, some of the time - but even then people may not completely ignore them. Because of this complex interplay between human behaviour, law, etc. I am less worried that "5mph over the speed limit and next they'll be 10mph and ignoring the lights". Especially since in some environments the "respect for the law" has been observed in the breach for time. I'll take "25 in a 20" over "32mph in a 30mph limit" while acknowledging that where we would want a 20mph limit the goal is to have people going at *most* 20mph. (And maybe in e.g. a car park 20mph is far too high anyway?) * I do have an ulterior motive - I would also like to see less motor traffic in urban environments and what is there being less obtrusive / noisy - and I think lower speeds help that.
I'd be interested if they could see a couple of hours ahead and tell me when I'm going to run out of energy half an hour from home, so I can cut the ride short.
@ajuk.uk@gmail.com Lots of points there - can only pick a couple. Hmm... basing road safety principles on our busy modern roads on what applied in the 1930s? Yet it sounds like you favour the 1936 version because "better than 1930". Can we not do better than that? Where I think we agree: that the *better* way of setting the speed limit is to modify the road design. And obviously that sometimes levels of compliance are sometimes extremely poor. It varies - but in fact I think the situation you describe in your last paragraph has largely come to pass - effectively speeding (in some ways) *has* become socially normalised already! It must have, because such high percentages do it! And I don't think that's something new. It likely has at least as much to do with "risk of getting caught" combined with the consequences. Of course society's view of speeding / those who speed is also involved. Where we differ - I would question the whole "goal is identifying genuinely dangerous drivers" idea. (How is that defined?). Why? I am not convinced that is in fact what our system does (even if you feel it is or should be set up to do so). Or rather - the way we do it is extremely ineffective. In practice it's reactive policing and we determine they're dangerous because after lots of "minor offences" they kept playing the odds and killed someone in such an egregious way that their lawyer can't convince other drivers that it's just "one of those things". Of course it's open to you to argue that's a problem of success - we already have reduced offending to very low levels compared with how it was...
I've been working on some glasses with an overlay that sees up to 5 seconds ahead. Idea is to warn of upcoming collision or hazard. Have developed a working software model using AI, but I'm struggling with the product design aspect - like how to get this into the glasses but in a way that doesn't distract the rider. Maybe it only appears when an imminent collision is identified? I'm kind of looking for help with developing the product - have sent PoCs to Smith, oakley, and Apple but no response - I'm excellent with the tech/software, but not partnerships or product development. Will be doing a kickstarter but let me know if anyone is interested in chat first and potentially coming onboard. Could be a complete gamechanger!
I think modern politicians need a different skillset to succeed than earlier generations. Obviously there's a lot of overlap, but the (social) media environment is now such that politicians need to always be in campaign-mode to some degree, at the expense of time spent getting to grips with their brief and governing.
33 thoughts on “Joe Biden’s secretary of transportation Pete Buttigieg wants to build “culture of cycling”; Oprah interview déjà vu; Dunkin’ Donuts’ bike-thru for mid-ride carbs; Should Strade Bianche be a Monument?; Calls for bike hangars + more on the live blog”
I think the particularly
I think the particularly twatish woman is equating the empty roadside parking bay to a bike lane. It would be the crowning achievement of a spectactularly incorrect post.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
I thought it was a troll account but if you check out a few of her tweets you were completely correct.
Well not a deliberate troll
Well not a deliberate troll perhaps,but snafu for most Twitter users.
They seem to be suggesting theres a cycle path on the promenade,so should ride there,not on that road at all.
Which appears to be a topic they return to alot,and about cyclists holding vehicles up, so obviously some kind of issue they have with cyclists in general.
Personally I wouldnt waste anymore time with it, I’m sure there are thousands of such tweets per day, it’s just angry people shouting at brick walls, so leave them to it.
Awavey wrote:
There’s probably a 10 metre section of cycle lane on that promenade that has 27 bits of road furniture in it and makes you give way to peds 15 times. To access it you need to leap over a metal barrier and to leave you need to fist fight a bear.
Yeah, but the council spent
Yeah, but the council spent £1.50 to put that in place for cyclists, so they should bl00dy well use it!
Sigh…the UCI have now added
Sigh…the UCI have now added post victory hugging to the banned list, because it apparently sends the wrong message to cycling fans 🙁
Same bans have been applied
Same bans have been applied to post goal celebrations and end of game wins. Yes, they are in bubbles and tested and everything else but it kind of gives the wrong impression when you can’t even hug your nan for example.
I must have encountered Helen
I must have encountered Helen’s Aussie twin recently. Yelling out the window telling me to get out of the middle of the road. That’s the bus stop zone to my left in the pic. You could have driven another car between us! Honestly, driving must make people stupid and turn them into Mr Magoo…
It is a rather fascinating
It is a rather fascinating phenomenon whereby proximity to the inside of a motor vehicle automatically reduces intelligence AND increases anger at the same time. They don’t tell you that on the car adverts do they – “The new (insert make and model) has all the modern digital distractions from driving, along with an automatic IQ reduction of 53% and an anger boost of 174.5%, so you can feel overly entitled and persecuted AT THE SAME TIME!”
With the comments that always
With the comments that always come up about paying ‘Road tax’ registration fees and having an MOT, I’d actually welcome it being introduced. I’ll happily pay the ~£1 per year VED and a similar amount to register a bike when I buy it, as for an MOT, I’m pretty sure demonstrating at a bike shop once a year that the wheels go round and I have working brakes for them to stamp in a book wouldn’t be a hardship.
In return I want to see a zero tolerance against any motorists found driving without insurance, an MOT, or while over the drink/drug limit. large fines, vehicle destruction and actual prison time. Hell I’d even pay the same £30 VED as I pay for my car if it actually got these implemented. I won’t hold my breath though.
Agreed. Makes sense, but it’s
Agreed. Makes sense, but it’s not about common sense it’s about intolerance. That won’t change.
Exactly. If we all paid a
Exactly. If we all paid a registration fee, and we all sat exams in ‘riding a bike’, and we all had our LBS maintain the bike once a year, then it would just be something else.
Also, what if, as part of our
Also, what if, as part of our ‘tax’ we got a camera that could link up to ANPR systems and send out automatic fines?
RobD wrote:
Yes, yes, yes.
If this is the result then I would be more than happy to pay VED on my bicycles. With a total of 6 bikes in our household this is still great value.
TAKE MY SIX POUNDS, Mr Tax Man. Provided you can get the police to do the zero tolerance stuff then I promise to pay on time, every time.
Strade Bianche should be a
Strade Bianche should be a monument as soon as RCS sort out some decent coverage. Last year’s was pitiful, the women’s race even more so.
Making the SB a monumont is
Making the SB a monumont is twaddle, brilliant event that it is. . You can’t just slap a label like this on something. It’s an evolution not a sharp cut. Bit like the idiots who decided that it’s possible to call the Ride London event a Classic. You can’t do that. Just plain daft.
Don’t make it a Classic.
Don’t make it a Classic. Classics have really history to them. We’ll have them damn Yanks and Yorkshire (folk) wanting their races to be a ‘Classic’ next, then a Monument, the tour of California and Yorkshire grand tours, where will it end? Tour of Pembrokeshire a race oh dear.
I still think the Yorkshire
I still think the Yorkshire worlds parcour deserves a “classic” like lombardia in the bad weather to seperte the men from the boys …
Modern day classic but not a
Modern day classic but not a classic classic like a 19th century novel. Need an alternative name.
Is it really worth reporting
Is it really worth reporting that Helen on Twitter hates cyclists today?
Several times a day some angry busybody on Twitter posts a video of people cycling happily and legally along, not bothering anybody, upon which several people pile on trying to explain the highwaycode or the tax system. Sometimes it blows up and everybody shouts, and the arguments are always the same and they never get through to the hater.
We don’t really all need to know about today’s Twitter random idiot, do we? So could I suggest that road.cc just ignores them unless there’s something noteworthy about them (e.g. somebody influential like a [local] politician or journalist, or a particularly weird example).
Helen seems such a nice
Helen seems such a nice person…I “piled on” too.
I managed to read about half
I managed to read about half of that. I don’t understand why anyone would want to behave like that.
Helen’s a twat. A thick one,
Helen’s a twat. A thick one, too.
she established that without
she established that without you pointing it out. Let’s talk about Dunking Doughnuts. Let’s think of an inappropriate metaphor.
This is from Helens account..
This is from Helens account….Old Soul. Loves animals,kind people, music, nature, being outdoors & having a good laugh. Happily married. So she loves animals what about the 100,000 plus that are killed each year by motor vecihles even 2 horses per week. Loves nature and being outside, stuck in a carpark with the windows down more like.
Quote:
I think Mary Wakefield was making the same point in the Spectator only yesterday (https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-war-on-cars-is-backfiring ). But she has a far more obvious solution: more cars = fewer bikes = problem gone. In fact, if each car gets rid of space for 6 bikes, she could be on to a winner. 😉
I recognise the road in Helen
I recognise the road in Helen’s video. It is the sea front in Aberavon, near Port Talbot in South Wales. There is a cycle path on the promenade, but it is one of those ‘shared use’ types with a painted line dividing pedestrians from cyclists. On a quiet day at a sedate pace (say for a leisurely ride with family) it is actually quite nice, but as soon as it gets any busier, or if you plan to hold a higher pace then it becomes unsuitable. The road on the other hand is a wide one, with single carriageways separated by a central reservation, and parking bays along most of its length. There are speed bumps/raised zebra crossings and a 20mph limit, although any sensibly driven car would do well to go over about 20mph unless they are happy to wreck their suspension and break the speed limit as well. In other words those cyclists would not have been holding anyone up, even if there were other cars behind them!
Link to Google Maps Street
Link to Google Maps Street View…
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.589875,-3.8107014,3a,75y,314.64h,84.37t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sLWQ3xuNgZ5G7j0ezoo4XEA!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en-GB
Yes but she is right they are
Yes but she is right they are wnkrs. Has she spelled something incorrectly?
This might amze you, i live
This might amze you, i live in the Netherlands. We have lots and lots of cycle lanes.
They are unsuitible for cycling above 30kph with a group of more then 6 people.
Therefore we have to cycle on the road, to not endanger ourselves and other cycle lane users.
Motorists do not understand that…
I have just fitted the Red
I have just fitted the Red Nose I got from Sainsbury’s this morning to the front of my bike. Always liked the car ones, but smaller from my bicycle.
When I showed people at work, especially the non plastic nature of it, the Guatemalan Postdoc pointed out the eyes and lips might not quite be culturally appropriate.
Of course from my position of White Privilege I had not noiced that the comedy Red Nose featured Blackface.
She might have had a point…
Why does it have lips on the
Why does it have lips on the top of its head in the first place?
What’s going on in the
What’s going on in the picture with the bike hangar? Has a driver crashed their car into it? Does this relate to the story about Bristol or is it just a random photo of a damaged hangar?