Is that Rhonda Pickering?! Near Miss of the Day goes viral; Not a crash, just falling with style; Team Cav linked with for months told “elite-level lies”, says Audrey Cordon-Ragot; Eternal Valverde; Dogs in cargo bikes + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Not a crash, just falling with style
Credit to regular contributor Jo for the headline inspiration…
Een perfect uitgevoerde stunt! Al was het wellicht niet de bedoeling 😂💯#x2obadkamerstrofee #VlaamseDuinencross #veldrijden #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/pXLYJBsraB
— X²O Badkamers Trofee (@X2OTrofee) January 5, 2023
For more from Jo check out his long-read feature on the new North Downs Way Riders’ Route…
Eternal Valverde
Is anyone going to explain to him what ‘retirement’ actually means? https://t.co/SxekyRECJw
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) January 6, 2023
Dogs in cargo bikes
Perfect content for a Friday morning…
Random moment with Raven.
Imposter trying to muscle-in on Raven’s patch. pic.twitter.com/1KOq6nG2Cu
— 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐖𝐨𝐥𝐟 (@CitizenW0lf) January 5, 2023
— Dublin Commuter Coalition (@DublinCommuters) January 6, 2023
Team Cav linked with for months told "elite-level lies", says Audrey Cordon-Ragot
[📷: A.S.O/Thomas Maheux]
French national champion Audrey Cordon-Ragot was, along with Mark Cavendish, linked with a move to Jérôme and Sébastian Pineau’s B&B Hotels-KTM squad that eventually came to nothing, the current team then folding due an apparent lack of sponsorship.
Well, Cordon-Ragot has been speaking in the French press about the protracted affair, saying it’s a “crazy story” and one she “still can’t believe”.
“For two months, we were pushed around. As far as lies go, that’s on an elite level,” she told Le Télégramme. “I’m still trying to find explanations: was it a vicious circle, a spiral, a descent into hell where you lie once, then a second time, then a third time and you end up convincing yourself of your lies?”
> Mark Cavendish’s future uncertain after team boss tells riders to look elsewhere
Big words. And she wasn’t done there…
“I believed so much in this project, I had put my DNA into it. People are going to think I’m completely stupid, but until December 6, I was convinced that it was going to work. I was even yelling at people who said it wasn’t. I feel guilty for taking so many people with me in this shipwreck.
“In the spring, I met the Pineau brothers in Theix. They presented me with their project and proposed me to be part of it. I was in on the secret, it gave me confidence, and I embraced the project like never before. At the same time as I was preparing for the Tour de France – I took care of recruiting the riders and staff with one of my friends and future coach.
“When I asked, Sébastien Pineau reassured me. In mid-October, we were summoned to Paris for an interview with the management, to try on clothes, etc. At the time, I was told that the team’s co-sponsor was about to sign. Why would I doubt it?
> Mark Cavendish ‘confirmed’ as leader of a team which may not exist in two weeks
When the October team presentation was cancelled she “spoke with Mark Cavendish. He told me that he had no news, that he was starting to be afraid.”
“On November 30, I reiterated my concerns to Sébastian Pineau who told me that he never had any doubts, that the bikes will arrive the following week. On December 2, Jérôme Pineau tells me that the whole project will not be done and that only the women’s team could eventually be saved,” she continued.
“Three days later [December 5 – Ed.], the Pineau brothers had a meeting with the directors of B&B Hotels and in the evening, by videotape, they told us that it had only taken them ten minutes to convince them and that, this time, it was sure to go ahead.
A day later Cordon-Ragot “learnt that B&B Hotels no longer wished to continue and that they had informed the Pineau brothers that very morning”.
“I am extremely disappointed, extremely saddened. It calls into question the trust I can give to people. It makes me a bit withdrawn, which is not like me. This story has impacted me enormously. After my stroke, it was a new ordeal.
“I feel more pity. The trust is gone. They tried to save a project that was no longer a project. In the end, we all felt like we were taken hostage.
“I would never understand. I will never understand either that they don’t take responsibility, that they look for other culprits when, sorry, the only culprits are them and the bad people they surrounded themselves with.
“What hurts me deeply is to hear from X and Y that they are trying to blame me, that basically if the team didn’t work out, it’s my fault. In other words, I’m being blamed for talking to the media – something I’ve never done, this is the first and last time I’ll be speaking today – and for not going through with the project when I waited until the last day. All of this sticks in my craw, all this disgusts me. I find it despicable. But the bicycle wheel turns.”
AG2R Citroën Team's social media admin's innovative answer to rider reveals
Maintenant on peut vous les montrer, nos recrues lors du stage de décembre ⬇️😎
Now we can show them to you, our recruits during the December training camp ⬇️😎#AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RoulonsAutrement #RideDifferently pic.twitter.com/k3UIar8Px4
— AG2R CITROËN TEAM (@AG2RCITROENTEAM) January 6, 2023
But cyclists
A driver has been arrested on suspicion of drink driving, after they crashed their car into a building causing it to collapse. https://t.co/H3t0qqseN4
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) January 6, 2023
Sonny Colbrelli steps into politics with Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party
Retired racer Sonny Colbrelli — who was forced to retire from the sport last year due to heart problems just months after winning Paris-Roubaix, the biggest victory of his career — is stepping into politics.
The news, first reported by bresciaoggi.it, is that Colbrelli is on Forza Italia’s electoral list for the next regional elections in Lombardy, scheduled for 12 and 13 February. Along with nine others, including the three current local candidates, Colbrelli will run for a couple of spots in the regional elections.
In their coverage, Cyclingnews points out that Colbrelli has previously reportedly stated he is “a fan of Berlusconi”, the party’s 86-year-old president who has been found guilty of tax fraud and been involved in numerous other scandals.
They also note that in 2014 the former Bahrain Victorious fast man posted a Facebook comment suggesting Mussolini was needed to deal with immigration in Italy. The post was later deleted and Colbrelli said he regretted it and denied it had racial connotations.
Alex Dowsett to turn WorldTour time trialling abilities to triathlon
Sorry to all ‘Rules’ absolutists, Alex Dowsett could be going for a swim before and a run after his bike rides very soon…
The clues were there…
Now, in a press release for NoPinz he says “work has already begun on some new projects”.
“I’m having to contain my excitement and secrecy over them,” Dowsett said. “I’m excited to be with NoPinz for the next step of my career, racing on home soil some more, trying some different disciplines within cycling and who knows, maybe even picking up a pair of goggles before a bike race and a pair of trainers afterwards.”
Dowsett was part of the top team of pro riders drafted in to… well, draft Joe Skipper’s sub-seven Ironman attempt. That was obviously just the bike leg, but it seems it won’t be too long before he’ll be taking on all three too.
More on that cyclocross rider c̶r̶a̶s̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ falling with style
Go back to the earlier post if you haven’t seen the video yet…
Here’s some more info on Benjamin Frederick posted in ‘The Challenge Tires London and SE Cyclo-Cross League’ Facebook group…
Jamie Anderson wrote: “Now that’s what you call a crash recovery! Our Flandrien Hotel CX Scholarship Holder Benjamin Frederick from the USA literally flies over the sand in the X2O Troffee in Koksijde Belgium.
“Ben’s cyclocross career was halted by a traumatic brain injury in 2016, and now, he is thankful for the chance to just ride bikes. He is now racing and raising awareness of brain injuries.
“Ben is as much fun off his RitcheyLogic bike as his is on it, and it’s been awesome having him and his partner Leslie with us at the Flandrien Hotel for the Christmas – New Year Racing block.
“We have hosted more than a dozen international athletes from eight different countries, providing to all of their needs during a hectic period of training and racing in Belgium.
“We are looking forward to supporting more international riders in their preparations for the Cyclocross World Championships in the Netherlands in early February.”
And the all-important link to his Instagram…
Crash vs accident
2/
“…when, where and why child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions occur who will die as a result, than for almost any other disease in childhood. It would make more sense to talk of a case of accidental meningitis or accidental leukaemia.” Professor Ian Roberts pic.twitter.com/mcJjXgUWKO— RoadPeace (@RoadPeace) January 5, 2023
Peloton to pay $19M in fines over dangerous treadmill defect
More bad news for Peloton… is there ever any good news for the home training brand these days?
The exercise equipment company has agreed to pay $19 million in fines in relation to a delay in reporting a defect with its treadmills that caused one person death and multiple injuries.
The news was announced by the federal consumer watchdog the Consumer Product Safety Commission who yesterday in a statement that said Peloton had knowingly failed to immediately report the defect to the commission, as required by US law.
In December 2018 and into 2019, Peloton received more than 150 reports of incidents where users were pulled under or entrapped, including the death of a child who suffered broken bones, lacerations, abrasions and friction burns.
CPSC said that Peloton didn’t immediately report those incidents to the Commission, despite knowledge of them taking place.
Welsh pride and head shaking... more reaction to THAT NMotD...
Makes me proud to be Welsh. https://t.co/wGTzdSHD2o
— Mat Toor (@muckton) January 5, 2023
Anyone else?
“Why are you stood there for?”
Well. I mean, it’s a Give Way like. I’m guessing he was Giving Way. Until it was safe to proceed. Like how you were told when doing driving lessons. Remember them? Guessing not…
— David Cameron (@DJCameron84) January 5, 2023
— phil wright (he/him) (@ukwrightphil) January 5, 2023
That’s funny 😆 – a slightly ranty apology (I think). Some of our fellow citizens we walk amongst …honestly 🤦🏻♂️
— Mark (@Markstevel78) January 6, 2023
Is that Rhonda Pickering?! Near Miss of the Day goes viral
Well, quite a few people have seen this now…
The corner-cutting motorist and their less-than-impressed passenger combine for a classic of the near miss genre, with some suggesting shades of a certain Ronnie Pickering… (Who? Ronnie Pickering? Who? RONNIE PICKERING)…
You’ve almost certainly all seen it before, but there’s never a bad day to watch it again. If it’s your first time, I envy you getting to enjoy the life-changing hilarity of the red-faced Citroën Picasso driver’s insistence in people knowing who he is…
Anyway, back to the issue at hand — NMotd 842…
Rhonda Pickering
— Hantsman (@hantsarchitect) January 5, 2023
Not quite the aggression of good ol’ Ronnie P, but some excellent lines nonetheless, our favourite being…
“So get off the road […] you’re standing there, there’s other traffic, you’re going to cause an accident…”
Watch the full video here…
Have a good weekend everyone
Rhonda Pickering
— Hantsman (@hantsarchitect) January 5, 2023
6 January 2023, 09:11
6 January 2023, 09:11
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Latest Comments
Drivers regularly pull out in front of me and cause me to slam on the brakes or avoid them. Very often they have seen me and just assume I'm not going very fast or they assume I will slow down/stop (which I do). Too many drivers don't look for cyclists, hate giving way to them or expect the cyclist to be moving slowly and just pull out.
@Rendel Harris By the time someone is looking at prison time its too late. As has been proven time and time again, the severity of punishment is a poor deterrent to bad behaviour if people don't think its going to happen to them or they don't think they will be caught. Now I do think that there should be far more severe and immediate punishments for bad driving when drivers are caught but this would need to be coupled with a massive push to actually act on information/proof of bad driving. As anyone that submits footage to the police knows, its a crapshoot and certain police forces are anti-cyclist. This would try to essentially put people off misbehaving whilst driving before they cause an accident rather than getting the tired old excuse of "it was a single dangerous incident, they definitely don't do this all the time and their luck finally ran out". Perhaps it should go even further and if you have a history of speeding and you hurt someone speeding, that is looked upon in a very dim light.
Can we talk about “Washing up liquid contains a lot of salt – not a great idea to use a corrosive substance on a bicycle”? This is an urban myth. I have washed all of our many bikes using Fairy liquid or Ecover for decades. I’ve never found any evidence of corrosion, paint, laquer or decal wear, or any sign of anything. I regularly service forks and bearings, swapping a lot of gear, and everything has always been fine. Here’s far too much info below - long story short, Fairy liquid in 5L of hot water has a borderline-homeopathic amount of salt, it’s fine to use on a bike. ============ The honest answer is that neither Fairy nor Ecover publicly disclose the actual sodium chloride concentration in the consumer products I could find. The safety data sheets list hazardous ingredients above reporting thresholds, but sodium chloride is not reported for either product. However, we can put some realistic bounds on it. Fairy Original The SDS lists: Sodium laureth sulfate: 20-30% Lauramine oxide: 5-10% Alcohol: 1-5% No sodium chloride is declared. 15 In detergent formulations, sodium chloride is commonly used as a viscosity modifier (thickener) and is typically present at around 0.5-3%, sometimes lower. The absence of declaration suggests it is either not present or present at a low concentration that does not require reporting. This range is an informed formulation estimate, not a value stated by Fairy. Ecover The Ecover ingredient information lists: Sodium lauryl sulfate Lauryl glucoside Cocamidopropyl betaine Alcohol Lactic acid Sodium octyl sulphate Again, no sodium chloride is listed. Ecover's formulations tend to rely more heavily on plant-derived surfactants and may use little or no salt for thickening, but I could not find a published concentration. 63 What does this mean for bike washing? Let's assume a worst-case 3% salt content in Fairy. If you add: 10 mL Fairy to a 5-litre bucket Then salt introduced would be approximately: 10 mL × 3% ≈ 0.3 g salt Distributed through 5 L water ≈ 60 mg/L salt For comparison: Typical seawater: ~35,000 mg/L Lightly salted winter road spray: often hundreds to thousands of mg/L The wash bucket above: ~60 mg/L So even under a pessimistic assumption, the salt concentration is hundreds to thousands of times lower than the salt exposure your bike gets from winter roads. From a corrosion perspective, the quantity of salt introduced by washing-up liquid is essentially negligible compared with: Riding on salted roads Coastal spray Leaving winter grime on the bike Therefore my practical conclusion remains: ✅ Fairy or Ecover in a wash bucket is extremely unlikely to contribute any measurable corrosion risk. ✅ The important thing is rinsing and drying afterwards. ✅ Winter road salt is the real enemy, not washing-up liquid.
Another example of a driver's actions that would have been a straight fail in a driving test but is barely likely to lead to a disqualification... I'm wondering if having a driving licence is like a "Get out of jail free" card...
Yes indeed. I have a version of the R8100 and you definitively need ceramic for the socket.
@perce I'm not sure I agree with that. I think thats just confirming that he is take fully responsibility and recognises that the cyclist could have done nothing to mitigate it.
If we don't fight it now, we'll all end up forced to wear baggy shorts!
@Rendel Harris Agree, I am baffled that the 84 year old who is now banned from driving for year can then start driving again without a retest. We should be re-tested regularly.
@mitsky Just checking the figures and apparently the 2026 average cost is £58,000 per year per prisoner; worth noting that is only the direct cost, you then have to factor in ten years of lost tax income from the prisoner, ten years that the prisoner is making no contribution to society as a worker or as a consumer, plus the fact that if they were the primary breadwinner very likely the costs will include benefits for their family as well. None of which should be a reason for keeping violent recidivists out of prison of course, nor drug/drink drivers who kill, but it is a factor worth considering for lower-level offences.
@Surreyrider I ride in Surrey a fair bit and absolutely many do look like that but the point is they all *think* they're driving perfectly reasonably (as one discovers when remonstrating with someone who's skimmed one by 30cm, "I gave you masses of room") so deterrent penalties have little effect. That's why we need to strike at the root cause and actually train drivers properly and test them stringently (and more than once over the course of a potential 70+ years of driving, it's absolutely absurd that competence and knowledge in what for most people is the activity in their life that will run the biggest risk of killing people you never have to have your qualifications renewed).
9 thoughts on “Is that Rhonda Pickering?! Near Miss of the Day goes viral; Not a crash, just falling with style; Team Cav linked with for months told “elite-level lies”, says Audrey Cordon-Ragot; Eternal Valverde; Dogs in cargo bikes + more on the live blog”
I’ve seen so many references
I’ve seen so many references to it, but I’ve never actually watched the Ronnie Pickering video before. That’s made my day, that has
Nearly as good as that angry
Nearly as good as that angry driver in Reading
There’s a special place in
There’s a special place in our hearts for ‘clown takes a pratfall’
Dan Alexander wrote:
Always worth another viewing. Possibly the finest clip on YouTube!
brooksby wrote:
Same here! He fucked up, and he wanted to have a fight about it!
Carlton Reid has done an
Carlton Reid has done an interview/podcast with Chris Boardman about the latest DfT/ATE capability fund announcement from earlier in the week https://www.the-spokesmen.com/capabilityboardman/ you can listen or read the transcripts for yourselves but just wanted to highlight this particular bit Chris said “But no, it’s not new money. It’s part of the £2 billion dedicated funding that was promised in 2020”
Also related Norfolk county council have announced this which very much ties in with the bullet points about local walking cycle plans they announced so maybe theres more in this pipeline they keep referring to https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/23231557.cycling-upgrades-planned-20-norfolk-towns-villages/
I think if Kesgrave is going
I think if Kesgrave is going to be Active travel England’s poster child for active travel, alot of people are going to be very very disappointed.
I couldn’t resist googling
I couldn’t resist googling for Ronnie Pickering and this is his non-apology, mostly blaming the moped rider and implying that he made money from it. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/road-rage-ronnie-pickering-wishes-28027953
Including “But Ronnie is not one to back down and he further hit the headlines a few years ago after squaring up to Tommy Coyle’s dad Chris at a weigh-in.
He also assaulted a drug dealer selling outside a friend’s house which landed him in court.
But there has been no lasting damage and Ronnie takes a light-hearted view of it all now.”
Just like the non-apologies of Matthew Paris and Jeremy Clarkson.
Actually the moped rider did make some money from it “Steve, 44, said he sold the rights for the footage to an American video company for $300, or about PS200. He added: “They are also going to pay me a percentage of what it makes so it’s been good.” Hopefully Gareth will make a few quid from the Rhonda Pickering vid. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/So%2C+who+the+hell+is+Ronnie+Pickering%3F+Rider+who+filmed+viral+video…-a0430397709
I wonder if Ronnie gets a cut from the tee shirts? https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ronnie+pickering+t-shirts
I also notice that he makes a
I also notice that he makes a big statement claiming that the moped rider edited out all the stuff where he was winding The Ronnie Pickering up but none of that made it into the viral video. Funny, that – it doesn’t look like the video was edited at all…