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Cyclist's wonderfully petty karma for driver parked in bike lane; Mr Loophole's back...with a "comic film" about cycling (nobody's laughing); Teflon Tom Pidcock (+ Van Aert's Geordie cousin); DnB on the Bike; Cargo bike orchestra + more on the live blog

Happy Monday! We've another packed week of live blog action, starting with Dan Alexander in the hot seat...
06 December 2021, 16:16
Wholesome Sam Bennett content...seven years later...

A lot has changed in between these two photos. The year after the first one was taken, Bennett went to the Tour de France for the first time in his career, abandoning in the Alps on stage 17 while last on GC.

The year after he made it all the way to Paris, last on GC, but with a ninth place on the Champs-Élysées to show for it. In 2017, he won his first WorldTour race, a stage of Paris-Nice, before in 2018 he finally got that maiden Grand Tour win at the Giro. By Rome, he had his second and third stage wins too. Last year, two stages of the Tour de France and green jersey followed.

Even after the year he's had and off to Bora in 2022, Bennett is taking no chances with that Deceuninck-Quick-Step kit...

06 December 2021, 15:36
Stuck in the mud Mondays
06 December 2021, 14:24
Mr Loophole is back...with a "comic film" about cycling (nobody's laughing)

I apologise in advance for what you're about to see/read...we did warn you Mr Loophole is back for more...

Last week's events seem to have to got to Nick Freeman, who took time out of his preparation for defending Frank Lampard in court next month to shoot this "comic film" with a "serious message". 

> Mr Loophole fury at perfectly legal two abreast cyclists "riding with impunity" (+ Surrey traffic cops aren't impressed)

Sporting a festive pair of antlers (granted, it would be weirder if they weren't festive), Loophole rolled into shot after a fictitious bike ride before setting off on a rant about all things cycling..."I went through a school area, 60mph on this bike. 20mph speed limit because it's near a school, and you know what? For a cyclist — no speed limits. Fantastic!" You can see where this is going...

Cycling under the influence of drink and drugs came next, followed by helmet-wearing and no hi-vis. "I went on a few pavements, went through a few lights, and I went through a group of people really fast, about 45mph [...] quite dangerous really, but it's fantastic because nobody knows who I am so I can do all this. It's impunity..."

Loophole also said there was no bell on the bike (a point disputed by some)...

TalkRadio's Cristo, Mike Graham, Top Gear host turned farmer Jeremy Clarkson and Jeremy Vine were all tagged in the clip shared to his 5,000 Twitter followers. Vine responded saying the video looked like a "cry for help".

The video is the latest social media activity from the lawyer who specialises in getting motorists off driving charges. Last week he came under fire from Vine, Surrey Police's Roads Policing Unit and seemingly almost everyone else on Twitter for a tedious video of a group ride in a two abreast formation, in which Loophole ranted about being held up.

Despite the criticism, Freeman doubled down, saying it was proof "we need mandatory identification for cyclists. Anonymity equals impunity."

06 December 2021, 14:00
Catch some off-season training with the Ineos Grenadiers (on Zwift)
2022 Bioracer Ineos Grenadiers kit Filippo Ganna 5 (1).jpeg

Sadly this isn't an opportunity to jet off to Mallorca with Pidcock, Ganna and the rest of the Ineos Grenadiers. But hey, a Zwift ride (or five) is alright, isn't it?

The Ineos boys are out on the Balearic Island this week, starting their preparation for 2022, but will be taking time out to host rides on Zwift, with the first one scheduled for 9am GMT on Wednesday morning with Dylan van Baarle. That's a 'workout' so make sure to have some carbs if you're aiming to keep up with the Dwars door Vlaanderen winner.

Later in the day, at 5pm GMT to be precise, Egan Bernal and Richard Carapaz will be hosting a social ride...just don't ask who's leading the team at the Tour de France...

2022 Bioracer Ineos Grenadiers kit Richard Carapaz 3 (1).jpeg

Thursday's 9am workout will be led by British national champ Ben Swift, before Michał Kwiatkowski and Filippo Ganna take the social spin at half three (British time).

There's one final social ride scheduled for Friday at 9am, which will be led by Watts Occurring duo Luke Rowe and G...full details here...

06 December 2021, 12:24
Cyclists in Brazil attacked with pepper spray by passing motorcyclist

A group of roughly 40 cyclists in the Brazilian city of Paulista were targeted by a passing motorcyclist who aimed pepper spray at the group. The incident was caught on camera and shared on Facebook by a member of the group who called for an end to violence against cyclists.

One of the cyclists said the attack happened two weeks ago, on November 24, when the biker in the red helmet reached into his pocket before spraying something at the group. Some of the women were left coughing and feeling sick after inhaling the spray but thankfully managed to avoid crashing, regrouping at the side of the road.

06 December 2021, 12:08
Comment of the day...Wout van Aert's Geordie cousin
Live blog comment 6/12/21

 

06 December 2021, 11:54
Drum & Bass on the Bike in Edinburgh

Quite the turnout in the Scottish capital for Dom Whiting's Drum & Bass on the Bike north of the border debut...

We'll link his official vid once it's up so you dnb heads can listen to the full set...

06 December 2021, 11:45
Get the Jason Kenny look: Nine-time Olympic medallist launches collection with HUUB Design
2021 Jason Kenny kit HUUB Design

Britain’s most decorated Olympian Jason Kenny, who is the owner of seven gold medals, now has his own cycling collection called JK9 which has been created in partnership with HUUB Design. 

The kit is designed with the aim of making cycling more accessible and enjoyable to all thanks to aerodynamically-tested fabrics which, according to HUUB Design, have been purposed for real-world speeds and not just optimised for the fast pace of the velodrome.

The Bib Shorts (£129.99) have reduced external seams for optimal aerodynamics and feature HUUB’s 6-panel anatomical cut and four-way stretch fabric for the optimal fit, as well as HUUB’s patented 3D multi-density foam chamois for a comfortable ride. The Short Sleeve Jersey (£99.99) uses wind tunnel-tested sweat-wicking fabrics and the sleeves are bonded for comfort. It also has three regular pockets and a zip pocket for storage, and reflective elements for safety.

06 December 2021, 10:44
Stolen Goat and Cycling UK's new collection to raise money for charity campaigns
Cycling UK x Stolen Goat collection

Stolen Goat is collaborating with Cycling UK for a new collection to help fund the charity’s campaigns and projects, which are aimed at helping people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities enjoy cycling safely and easily.

The new SG X Cycling UK collection includes Stolen Goat’s Bodyline jerseys, water-repellent Orkaan long-sleeved jerseys and Climb and Conquer winter jackets and matching accessories in two designs: the classic, clean looking Heritage design featuring a navy background with a simple yellow and blue stripe, as well as the Contemporary design with striking geometric lines over a blue-purple gradient fade.

The matching accessories include Orkaan arm warmers, plus neck warmers, turbo towels and even a special Baby Nik plush toy on the way – who saw that one coming? 

06 December 2021, 10:20
Teflon Tom Pidcock somehow stays pristine despite the Belgian mud (+ Wout van Aert being Wout van Aert)

Cyclo-cross has been back for a while, but for casual viewers like myself Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock coming back on the scene was the cue to pay attention again. Van Aert dominated at Superprestige Boom, whetting the appetite for some monstrous head to heads against world champ Mathieu van der Poel over the festive period.

Pidcock had a slower return, finishing seventh, but all most people cared about was how he managed to keep his British national champ's jersey so clean?

> What do you think of the new Ineos Grenadiers kit from Bioracer?

"You feel like a numpty every time you do your first race of the year," Pidcock told Ineos Grenadiers' media team afterwards. "I was far away from winning, but I was good. Considering what I’ve done, I’m pleased. I had too many crashes. I’m a bit bruised now, and I’m still struggling to see.

"There are always things you can get, like putting anti-fog on my lenses, but they were still fogging up so I had had to take my glasses off and then I couldn’t see."

In the end, Van Aert made it all look very easy...

Afterwards, two-time UCI World Cup winner Toon Aerts told Sporza, "It is unbelievable what Wout van Aert has done here. We have to be honest, it could be a Christmas without victories." Just wait until Van der Poel's back too...

Wout still had enough energy for a 27kph, 123km off-road blast around northern Belgium yesterday...

Wout van Aert Strava

 

06 December 2021, 09:39
London Symphony Orchestra opts for e-cargo bike to navigate the capital

06 December 2021, 09:19
Weekend round-up: Islington Council threatens £50,000 fines for parking your bike, bus driver near miss, Just Eat on the M5 + more
Highbury Corner (9)

Fines were the hot topic on road.cc over the weekend...on Saturday we heard from a commuter in Hemel Hempstead calling for clearer signs after he was fined £80 for riding his bike through an area of the Hertfordshire town where cycling is prohibited.

> Review: Liv Langma Advanced SL Disc 2022

Then, on Sunday, a reader told us they were fined £75 for cycling through a pedestrian zone outside Highbury & Islington station. However, the main event was pictures of notices left on bikes parked outside the station threatening £50,000 for fly-tipping.

> Best bikepacking seat packs for gravel and mountain bikes - tried, tested and reviewed

We also had a close pass from a double decker bus driver in Buckinghamshire, Cav talking mental health, a Just Eat delivery rider taking a trip down the M5, and frustrated readers getting in touch about an anti-theft GPS crowdfunder which still has not seen a product delivered more than two years on...

06 December 2021, 08:40
Cyclist's wonderfully petty karma for driver parked in bike lane

Hopefully you all had a Mr Loophole-free weekend...he's still knocking about with some blog-worthy stuff this morning, so I can't promise he will be gone for too long.

In the meantime, here's a delicious dose of parking karma to brighten up your Monday morning. You inconvenience me and put us in danger, I'll inconvenience you. It's along the same lines as that cyclist from Minneapolis who proved a point about drivers' double standards by blocking the road, mirroring the car parked in the adjacent bike lane. Needless to say the BMW driver behind wasn't too impressed...

Today's karma-delivering rider opted for a more long-term inconvenience, moving the water-filled barriers to form a makeshift 'inconsiderate idiot enclosure'. It took "all my strength" to drag the circa 200lb (90kg) obstacles around the Ford Focus, Joshua told his Twitter followers. Amazing what you can do with the power of pettiness...

The comments didn't disappoint either...

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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73 comments

Avatar
Steve K | 3 years ago
6 likes

Freeman's got a point about 20mph speed limits not applying to cyclists.  The centre of my village had a 20mph speed limit, and I sometimes cycle at as much as 36km/h (about 22.5mph if my maths it correct) through it.  Not that that stops cars overtaking me.  Every single time.

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chrisonabike replied to Steve K | 3 years ago
2 likes

But you're slowing them down...

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Rendel Harris replied to Steve K | 3 years ago
5 likes

Steve K wrote:

Freeman's got a point about 20mph speed limits not applying to cyclists.  The centre of my village had a 20mph speed limit, and I sometimes cycle at as much as 36km/h (about 22.5mph if my maths it correct) through it.  Not that that stops cars overtaking me.  Every single time.

Yep, one of my regular routes through East Dulwich has a nice flowing1% downhill (East Dulwich Grove for those who know the 'hood), perfect for coasting down at 20mph; it's a rare ride that I don't get a car hooting right on my tail, despite my vigorously pointing down at the 20mph roundels painted on the road every 50m or so. 

When something's done about the 85% of drivers who regularly ignore 20mph limits and the 54% who regularly ignore 30s...

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Hirsute replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
0 likes

All in the new Highway Code !

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Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
0 likes

Well the county council here have demanded the police enforce all speed limits, inc 20mph, as a result of the highway code changes. But I wont be holding my breath waiting for them to do any 20mph zones though, let alone the 30s,40s,50s or even NSLs, they seem to believe traffic calming infra does the job for them in 20 zones...it doesnt.

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Gus T | 3 years ago
3 likes

Fed up with Nick Freeman's lies, report him to the SRA here:

https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor

He makes blatant dishonest statements about cyclists w=hich is against the SRA rules.

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peted76 replied to Gus T | 3 years ago
1 like

Gus T wrote:

Fed up with Nick Freeman's lies, report him to the SRA here:

https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/problems/report-solicitor

He makes blatant dishonest statements about cyclists w=hich is against the SRA rules.

I'm up for this.. anyone got any tips on how we can 'word this complaint' so it holds some sway? 

Avatar
Rome73 | 3 years ago
3 likes

what an embarrassing little prick that lawyer is. He wasn't even very eloquent and his little, silly video was very forced. Not to mention the blatant misinformation (must be a Brexit supporter obvioulsy) Like the bit about cycling 45mph through a crowd of people. If that was even remotely true it would be total b******ks. Who can ride a bike at 45mph for a start? Do that through a 'crowd' of people and they would lynch you. Total rubbish - the kind of thing this site's village idiot laughs add i.e. Nigel Fromage. 

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AidanR | 3 years ago
4 likes

Freeman is getting beyond a joke. It's utterly disingenuous to suggest that cyclists could be going 60mph past a school - I've never gone that fast on a bike and I've cycled down some pretty big mountains.

His quip about there being no limits on alcohol and drug consumption is only true if you are utterly immune to the effects of them, as section 30 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 states:

“A person who, when riding a cycle on a road or other public place, is unfit to ride through drink or drugs (that is to say, is under the influence of drink or a drug to such an extent as to be incapable of having proper control of the cycle) is guilty of an offence."

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Shake | 3 years ago
2 likes

That Freeman video is the perfect "I ride a bike but..."

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HoarseMann | 3 years ago
4 likes

Only Nick Freeman could try and argue 60mph in a 20 limit past a school is a simple speeding offence.

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Sniffer replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
2 likes
Garage at Large wrote:

Super-lawyer Nick Freeman's playful and comedic twist on antisocial cycling produced a familiar result for him - a fantastic win in terms of getting 10,000 signatures!

All eyes will now be on his parliamentary petition and the response it garners from the government.

It will be a polite 'fuck off Nick'.

Now only if I could think of the right phrase for you, eh Nige.

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sensei | 3 years ago
5 likes

I regret to inform you all that Nick Freeman's last minute tactics have worked and he has his 10,000 signatures, so the government now have to acknowledge his petition. On the bright side, considering he's had to pull out all the stops to achieve this by the slimmest margins, his chances of reaching 100k to be brought into the Parliament agenda are slim to zero. Maybe Jeremy Vine responding earlier today is what got him over the line in a sick unintentional way.

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Steve K replied to sensei | 3 years ago
3 likes
sensei wrote:

I regret to inform you all that Nick Freeman's last minute tactics have worked and he has his 10,000 signatures, so the government now have to acknowledge his petition. On the bright side, considering he's had to pull out all the stops to achieve this by the slimmest margins, his chances of reaching 100k to be brought into the Parliament agenda are slim to zero. Maybe Jeremy Vine responding earlier today is what got him over the line in a sick unintentional way.

That's disappointing. But here's what the response will say. https://twitter.com/Tdr1nka/status/1467802136570437639?t=qNr-fWDGdZLsblz...

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to sensei | 3 years ago
2 likes

I'm sure there are many many stupid people who see 6 months of tirelessly campaighing on friendly TV and radio shows, in friendly newspapers and on a twitter account with 5k followers to SCRAPE past 10k signatures in 6 MONTHS (and how many of those are fake) as a "famous" victory. They might even claim he always wins even though they posted a link to where he doesn't, (and google searching Nick Freeman loses does return plenty of results of course). 

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sensei replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
2 likes

Yes he was crowing about reaching the number on his Twitter account so I provided a dose of reality to take the glow off his achievement.

 

I mean he's got to be very deluded to think the following from this point:

 

1) That considering the efforts and time to scrape 10k, he'll then be able to go on to get 100k

2) He'll get the government to go completely against it's active travel initiatives as part of it's environmental commitments

3) The government wouldn't then conclude (as every other government has done e.g. Switzerland 2012) that the scheme is a wholesale waste of public money bringing barely any benefits whatsoever

 

If in the crazy world we live in, all of those 3 things were to happen, would he happily accept responsibility for unprecedented car insurance inflation as a result of insurers having to cover the huge shortfalls for the mandatory bike policies they have to sell (which probably wouldn't cover the administration costs alone).

 

But sadly, his weird little agenda is still in play, thanks to 10k gullible morons that are instantly triggered by any anti-cycling rhetoric they can find.

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Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
2 likes

0.01% of the population - beyond pitiful.

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sensei replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
1 like

Rendel Harris wrote:

0.01% of the population - beyond pitiful.

Yes pitiful is the word to explain his whole campaign and particularly his antics in the last week.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to sensei | 3 years ago
0 likes

Are we talking about Nick or Boo?

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sensei replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
0 likes

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Are we talking about Nick or Boo?

Tbh all of the above and especially the show pony provocateur himself Nige!

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Steve K | 3 years ago
11 likes

To misquote Blackadder:

"If he'd meant it to be funny, he'd have put some jokes in it".

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wycombewheeler | 3 years ago
5 likes

while it would be hard to pursue a case of fly tipping against cyclists who clearly intend to recover their bicycles (therefor they are not waste) the same cannot be said for the leaflets attached to them arning of fly tipping charges.

So, are those responsible for dumping these leaflets in the public domain being prosecuted for fly tipping?

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quiff | 3 years ago
4 likes

Nick Freeman: There appears to be small print in the bottom right of each sign he holds up. Presumably footnotes to correct their accuracy.

Honestly, if this is the standard of his advocacy, it's astonishing he's got so many dangerous drivers off.    

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to quiff | 3 years ago
0 likes

As I've mentioned before, I'm sure some of his wins have come from the Magistrates being star struck about the clients. There is no loophole which states someone desperately in the need of a toilet can speed down the hard shoulder if stuck in Motorway traffic for example. The magistrate just decided it was now allowed in the case of Football managers in Manchester. The same with being allowed to speed because someone is following them who might want to take their picture in not a loophole. 

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OldRidgeback replied to quiff | 3 years ago
1 like

Doesn't he know that littering is illegal?

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
4 likes

So is shitting in public. And he definitely laid out alot of shit in that video. 

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Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
9 likes

I've always scoffed at the idea that Mr Loopy and NG are one and the same person, but looking at the utter lameness of that video I have to say that the evidence is mounting.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
6 likes

Nah, unfortunately Poophole has been relatively successful in his field, (well in the ones he brags about winning, we never hear the rest unless Boo accidently links to them). However Boo can't even quote the correct pages in a report in his anticycling arguments which sounds bad for a "Master" Economist. However I wouldn't say that Boo didn't tell him to do that video in some way.

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Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
7 likes

Re Loophole's ride.

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FrankH replied to Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
9 likes

Mungecrundle wrote:

Re Loophole's ride.

60 mph? In those shoes? I don't think so!

(Apologies to Kirsty McColl.)

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