Britain’s Got Terrible Cycling Takes: Amanda Holden says cyclists with cameras are “asking for trouble”; Ford blasted for ‘aim your car’ ad; “Build infrastructure. Stop encouraging”; Delays, dancing and danger at the Women’s Tour + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Britain’s Got Terrible Cycling Takes: Amanda Holden says cyclists with cameras are “asking for trouble” after BGT contestant performs anti-cycling bingo comedy routine
I’ve been in Italy for the past two weeks, swapping the Platty Joobs for the Festa della Repubblica, so this year’s series of Britain’s Got Talent has somewhat passed me by (though, to be fair, that’s been the case for at least the last decade or so, thankfully).
But while idly flicking through the channels last night, I stumbled upon the grand finale of the talent show of diminishing returns, just in time for comedian Axel Blake to take the stage.
Resisting the urge to switch over to Crocodile Dundee II, I decided to give Axel a chance. Not that I didn’t know what I was letting myself in for – from what I’ve glimpsed over the years, comedians on BGT tend to be rather pedestrian, often channelling Chris Ramsey-levels of blandness to whoops of laughter from the clearly sleep-deprived audience.
And Axel certainly didn’t disappoint on that front, delivering what could loosely be described as ‘jokes’ for the first two minutes of his act.
> Simon Cowell suffers broken arm after falling off electric bike in London
But then the contestant mentioned that he used to cycle to work. My ears pricked up, eyes lifted from my phone.
What followed, however, was over a minute of ‘comedy’ (again, I use the term loosely) straight out of the Alliance of British Drivers’ manifesto, delivered to a national audience.
So dig out your anti-cycling bingo card, turn on the following video at 3.12, and get ready to shout “full house!”
Anti-cycling bingo, the BGT edition:
‘I am/was a cyclist, but…’ – Cheers Axel, straight out of the blocks with anti-cycling bingo’s foundational statement, with the contestant quick to point out the differences between cyclists and what he describes as “CYCLISTS!” Yep, it’s that kind of gig.
‘Spiked shoes’ – Here’s a new one. I assume he means cleats? Or maybe he doesn’t have a clue what he’s talking about and is just playing up to a demographic he assumes will be voting on this stupid programme.
‘Spandex suit’ – Ah, a classic. Couldn’t miss out on a Spiderman reference there, Axel.
‘Curved handlebars’ – Another obscure bingo b-side here, but one that takes me back to my teenage years, when my mates would pore over my road bike, asking: “where are the gears?”
‘Mr Tour de France’ – This one was inevitable, but fair play to him for squeezing a big hit in after a few album cuts.
‘I need a car’ – Ah, the classic Clarksonian cliché, that cars are aspirational, and bikes are simply the refuge of the poor and unsuccessful. Timeless.
‘Cyclists hate when you cut them off’ – Big finish now, as Axel makes one final ‘joke’ about endangering the life of another human being, to roars of approval from the crowd. Not depressing, not depressing at all.
> Highway Code changes criticised in bizarre “I’m a cyclist, but…” Spectator article
And just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, skip forward to 7.25, when judge Amanda ‘I can’t believe she’s still on the telly’ Holden decided to add yet another line to your overflowing bingo card.
Holden, who embarrassed the nation at last year’s Eurovision by personifying Britain’s most Brexity stereotypes, told Axel: “The whole cyclists thing, I’m so with you.
“Why do they wear the cameras? They’re asking for trouble already!”
And with that, I flicked over to Mick Dundee.
Others, including Eurosport’s very own Brian Smith and DCS Andy Cox, instead took to Twitter to blast Holden’s “feedback”:
. @AmandaHolden dropping some bombs on BGT tonight…
England behind you, oh and Wales and Scotland and N.Ireland…
Don’t get why cyclists wear those camera’s…
FFS Its to prove they are being cut up by other roads users. If you rode a bike you would understand.
Pathetic!
— Brian Smith 𝕆𝕃𝕐 (@BriSmithy) June 5, 2022
Primarily to deter dangerous and reckless driving and in doing so save life. Plus enforcement and crash investigation opportunities enabling dangerous and reckless drivers to be held to account.
— Andy Cox (@AndyCoxDCS) June 6, 2022
Amanda Holden asking why cyclists wear cameras, speaking like someone who has definitely hit a cyclist and driven off before. #BGTFinal #bgt
— Joel Gleicher (@JoelG_88) June 5, 2022
@AmandaHolden, when you get a call from paramedics to say your boyfriend has been knocked off his bike by a driver, you get him a camera. He was not asking for trouble! Your comment was everything wrong with the attitude towards cyclist. pic.twitter.com/lXMPKdffoZ
— Bee and Peach (@BeeandPeach1) June 5, 2022
Why did Axle Blake choose to bash cyclists in his Britains Got Talent final performance? Judge Amanda Holden joined in creating more negative feeling towards cyclists on national TV. He won’t be getting my vote #BGTFinal #amandaholden #ITV
— the walking, cycling, motorbiking, driving human (@nerolab) June 5, 2022
Why do idiots always try and paint people who cycle with cameras as asking or looking for trouble? What do they think about people who drive with a dashcam?
The reason is the same. To act as a witness against bad and untrustworthy people driving https://t.co/fpB6zYShGx— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) June 6, 2022
To cap it all off, according to the papers this morning, Axel and his ABD handbook later won the public vote, scooping the £250,000 prize and a spot on the Royal Variety along with it. Bingo!
Long live David O’Doherty…
Red Arrows, cycling style
Move over Cliff and Ed, this is the kind of jubilee content I want to see…
Massive jubilee curmudgeon though I am, I was *astounded* by our wonderful neighbour Steve’s home made Red Arrows … pic.twitter.com/jsJjYeyEjv
— James Spackman (@blackpooltower) June 5, 2022
RideLondon partner Ford criticised for ‘aim your car’ advert
Car companies have long promoted their products in an assertive and aggressive way, encouraging drivers to “be in control” and to “own the road”.
But Ford may have set a new low in openly marketing their cars as weapons. pic.twitter.com/NsSqV8VZis
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) June 5, 2022
Well that didn’t take long…
Just over two weeks after being unveiled as a major partner of RideLondon, motoring giant Ford has come in for criticism from cyclists who have blasted the company’s latest “aggressive” marketing campaign.
The ad, which encourages Ford’s customers not to simply drive their car but “aim it” – presumably a reference to racing drivers ‘aiming’ for the apex of a corner – was described on Twitter last night by the West Midlands’ cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter as a “new low in openly marketing their cars as weapons”.
It’s an interesting strategy for a company aiming to earn goodwill by promoting their support of people walking and cycling, the modes of transport most in danger of the weaponisation of cars. I have made a complaint to the ASA, you can too here: https://t.co/ejVRzDTPfi
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) June 5, 2022
Is this for real??? Or is this supposed to be some sort of morbid joke?
— Elias Zamaria (@EliasZamaria) June 5, 2022
The picture is not of a track though.
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) June 5, 2022
Man on twitter fails to distinguish between two tonne vehicle powered by 250bhp and 10kg human-powered bicycle.
— Jon Mathias 🇺🇦 (@JonMathias8) June 5, 2022
Ford were sponsoring last week’s Ride London and Freecycle.
Their brand was emblazoned on riders’ tabards…
Sickening greenwash!— Helen Vecht (@helenvecht) June 5, 2022
In the same week that Ford announced its partnership with RideLondon, the firm also launched its ‘Park the Car’ initiative, encouraging people to ditch the car and cycle or walk if the journey is under three miles.
Let’s just hope some of those motorists inspired by Ford’s advertising to ‘aim’ their car are also encouraged to park it every once in a while…
2023 Trek Madone spotted at Critérium du Dauphiné
Thoughts/comments on Trek’s top-secret new Madone and its rather radical and interesting (some of you may have stronger words) aero frame?
Cyclist’s wife “fine” and conscious after sickening finish line crash at Vuelta a Colombia
Absolute MADNESS in the finish of stage 3 in @Vueltacolombia1 ! 😱🇨🇴 Luis Carlos Chia wins after swimming through the last km and passing Quiroz on the finish line. While celebrating, he crashed hard into his wife! Incredible stuff. #VColombia2022 pic.twitter.com/Qosqxuwb0M
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 5, 2022
Any readers of a squeamish disposition, look away now.
The final sodden kilometres of yesterday’s third stage of the Vuelta a Colombia, into Monteria, seemed to resemble more closely a 1970s Division Three match or the Olympic 100m Breaststroke final than a cycling road race.
As riders crashed around him, 25-year-old race leader Luis Carlos Chia managed to grimly pick his way through the chaos, water from the flooded road flying from his wheels, overhauling Óscar Quiroz in the dying metres to take his second victory of the race.
However, as Chia crossed the line with his arms raised, he rode straight into his wife, unable to stop in time in the atrocious conditions.
Gracias a todos por acompañarnos en nuestra transmisión. pic.twitter.com/k5eK6VZjud
— Señal Deportes (@SenalDeportes) June 5, 2022
While the immediate aftermath of the sickening collision appeared deeply concerning, Chia was quickly to his feet and later confirmed to reporters that his wife was also “fine”, “out of danger”, and did not lose consciousness, despite suffering a “scare”.
Subsequent reports claimed that Chia’s wife received four stitches and was kept under observation for four hours.
Happy Women’s Tour day – and you can watch it live!
Stage one of the Women’s Tour is underway at the @ColSportsPark.
Watch LIVE on @Eurosport Player and @gcntweet. #WomensTour #UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/LAvIjkaWMd
— The Women’s Tour (@thewomenstour) June 6, 2022
The Women’s Tour kicked off this morning in rainy Colchester, as the race returns to its traditional early June slot after a couple of Covid-disrupted years.
While 2021 champion Demi Vollering won’t be defending her crown, Elisa Longo Borghini, former winner Kasia Niewiadoma and home hero Pfeiffer Georgi will be among the star names aiming to take one of the six-day race’s hardest ever editions, which will feature a 7.2 kilometre summit finish in Wales’ Black Mountains on the penultimate day.
And better yet – for the first time ever, the race is being broadcast live on Eurosport GCN, where you can watch every stage from kilometre zero to the finish (that should satisfy even the “why doesn’t the race go by my house” complainers).
While a live TV broadcast has been long overdue for such a prestigious World Tour race, the prospect of wall-to-wall coverage, only confirmed last week, is a massive boost for the sport in the UK and has got plenty of us even more excited for the next six days:
How cool is it to be able to watch a stage of the Women’s Tour right from the start? We’ve given them a tough time over TV coverage but they have really stepped up to the plate this year. #WomensTour pic.twitter.com/ggXfAo18Y8
— Sadhbh O’Shea (@SadhbhOS) June 6, 2022
Look at us getting live coverage from BEFORE the start right to the finish of a race in women’s cycling… look at us… who would’ve thought…
— robyn (@robynjournalist) June 6, 2022
Live coverage of the Women’s Tour was long overdue but these things can’t happen without investment. For this to happen after two years of lockdown and a worsening economy is amazing. Well done @thewomenstour, @gcntweet @eurosport and @cottagescom #WomensTour #UCIWWT
— Simon P. (@thepuncheur) June 6, 2022
Ironman Hamburg competitor’s bike stolen from inside transition area overnight
Horrible news for British Ironman competitor Roman Lacko, who was unable to compete in Hamburg at the weekend after waking up to find that his Canyon TT bike had been stolen from the race’s transition area.
“My beloved bike’s been stolen from the transition area overnight at the Ironman Hamburg,” Lacko posted this morning on Instagram.
“The help from Ironman staff, Hamburg police and many athletes was great, big thanks for that.
“I feel hopeless at the moment and worried about my rest of the season with two main upcoming events, Ironman Ireland and the World Championship in Kona in October. My heart is broken.
“I still can’t believe this could happen with all the security guards.
“I don’t want to talk too much about it as life needs to go on, but I’ll update you if progress is made. Thanks all for your support.”
“Build infrastructure. Stop ‘encouraging’”: Northern Ireland Department for Infrastructure’s Bike Week social media campaign criticised by cyclists
Bike Week starts tomorrow!
Keep an eye on our social media sites for all the ‘wheely’ great reasons to cycle & tips for novice cyclists or those thinking about giving cycling a go! #BikeWeekUK @roadtozero @SustransNI @ConnsGreenway @NWGreenway @CyclingUK_NI @publichealthni pic.twitter.com/LpOP1o7Q1i
— Dept Infrastructure (@deptinfra) June 5, 2022
Today marks the start of Bike Week in the UK, so you know what that means – lots of ill-judged social media posts!
In Northern Ireland, the Department for Infrastructure decided to follow in the wheel tracks of the PSNI (remember that odd, pixelated road safety campaign from a few months ago?) by annoying cyclists from Strabane to Strangford with a tweet promising some “wheely” great reasons to cycle along with tips for novice cyclists.
Considering the lack of dedicated cycling infrastructure in Northern Ireland – an area under the control of, you guessed it, the Department for Infrastructure – let’s just say that that particular message didn’t go down too well:
Build some decent safe and segregated cycling routes, you shower of absolute charlatans. Frankly any social media campaign by yourselves on Bike Week deserves to be met with ridicule and scorn.
The single biggest obstacle to building a climate resilient city is your department. https://t.co/4TO4spnRuu
— Cllr Brian Smyth (@Briansmyth99) June 5, 2022
https://t.co/f0pRrcNpvU
How about building more segregated cycleways to stop them filling full of cars?— Seven ⭕🍃💚🍃🇺🇦 (@Seven_of_9ine) June 6, 2022
Build. Protected. Cycling. And. Walking. Infrastructure.
Stop ‘encouraging’
There is a climate emergency.@Streets4AllNI @nigreenways
— Agustina Martire (@agusmartire) June 5, 2022
Build safe segregated cycle infrastructure. That’s your actual job FFS.
— Darryl Collins 🌱🌿🌳🍃🌍 (@darrylxxx) June 6, 2022
Could you stop trolling everyone now please @deptinfra ? You are the barrier to great active travel infrastructure in this country … you don’t enable anything, you plough ahead with car centric thinking, delivery nothing for active travel & now are going to give people tips?
— Aaron (@arnoboko) June 5, 2022
I will be pedalling to work as normal this week, and marvelling* at how everyone has got on board with this and at how quiet the roads in this car-choked, litter-strewn city are for a few days.
*dodging cars and broken bottles https://t.co/UvGPyZRjV9
— CycleBelfast (@BelfastCycle) June 5, 2022
The Stormont department’s much-derided campaign follows last week’s news that £22.3 million has already been spent on an interchange scheme designed to address a major traffic bottleneck on three of Northern Ireland’s busiest roads in Belfast – before work has even begun on the project.
Surely the Assembly could throw some of the money being spent on stalled schemes for cars into active travel infrastructure? Now that would be a “wheely” great reason to cycle…
Twistin' the race away: Women’s Tour riders dance their way through stage one delay
It’s been a cold one for the riders in the Women’s Tour peloton today, as an incident ahead of the race which required the attention of medical services has led to the stage being neutralised for over an hour.
The breakaway photo you never expected to see! With 35km to go in Stage 1 of the Women’s Tour @DanniShrosbree has a 1:15 advantage over the bunch. With the race neutralised we’re making use of the heated seats. Taking it all in her stride 💪 pic.twitter.com/sZwznoU0sp
— Dani Christmas (@Dani_Christmas) June 6, 2022
While some, including lone leader Danni Shrosbree, sought the warmth of the team car – and its heated seats – during the delay, the riders from Team Coop-Hitec decided to boogie away the cold, TikTok style…
Some race delay @thewomenstour but… @HoleMohr @tiriljorgensen and @iversen_ane keep themselves (and us 😉) warm with their dance moves! 💃 #WomensTour pic.twitter.com/gp3wILVdMJ
— Team Coop – Hitec Products (@Hitec_Products) June 6, 2022
I’m not sure I’d be able to pull off those moves, even without cycling shoes on…
Thankfully, a shivering Shrosbree and the trailing bunch are finally back on the road, with 35 kilometres left to the finish in Bury St Edmunds.
I’m cold just thinking about it all…
Clara Copponi wins crash-marred stage one of Women’s Tour, as Alexis Vuillermoz takes breakaway win at Dauphiné
It’s a 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘 finish to the opening stage of the Women’s Tour 😱
Clara Copponi comes out victorious after a handful of leading riders crashed at the final corner 💥#WomensTour | #UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/6xYZvHvSsV
— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 6, 2022
FDJ’s Clara Copponi took this afternoon’s first stage of the Women’s Tour in Bury St Edmunds ahead of Sofia Bertizzolo following a chaotic and dangerous final few kilometres which saw pre-stage favourite Lorena Wiebes and Coryn Labecki hit the deck in a nasty looking crash.
The organizers of Vuelta a Colombia can finally breathe a sigh of relief after watching today’s stage finish in the Women’s Tour…🙈 Clara Copponi won the first stage after Lorena Wiebes went down in one of the final turns of a very dangerous final km. #WomensTour pic.twitter.com/QnXjk09Smb
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 6, 2022
The sprint finish, which took place on narrow, constantly twisting streets through the Suffolk town, had been a source of worry for the peloton throughout the stage (which, as we noted earlier, was also severely affected by an hour-long pause due to an incident ahead of the race).
After discussions with the commissaries, it was agreed, in a bid to make the finale safer, that the GC time would be taken with three kilometres to go.
Just as well, perhaps, as even with those last minute adjustments the sprint remained a frightening affair, with riders fighting for positions on roads which narrowed and widened at a moment’s notice, and in some places saw parked cars reduce the road to just two riders wide.
The final tight left hander with 250 metres to go saw the well-positioned Labecki and Weibes (fresh off a clean sweep at RideLondon) crash hard into the barriers, giving Copponi the chance to take her first win of the season and the race’s first leader’s jersey.
Is this normal for a World Tour race? Get your sh*t together! Such situations are just dangerous for every human soul on this planet. Do something about it.#WomensTour #UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/k54sI7yKve
— Domestique (@Domestique___) June 6, 2022
Hot take – ridiculous finishing roads at the women’s tour. Asking for a crash, and they got one
— Matthew Standley (@matt_stan81) June 6, 2022
Finish was much, much worse than I expected. Disgrace, that final. Really not okay that riders are exposed to such danger by reckless organisers. Just hope the next stages aren’t so bad… #womenstour #UCIWWT
— Jens Dekker (@jens_dekker) June 6, 2022
Meanwhile, at the Critérium du Dauphiné, TotalEnergies’ Alexis Vuillermoz rolled back the years, sprinting to the win from a breakaway group that narrowly held off the peloton in the closing kilometres and taking the yellow jersey off the shoulders of Wout van Aert, who was once again the fastest man behind ahead of Ethan Hayter.
Listen to that celebratory 𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐑! 🔊
Alexis Vuillermoz is victorious in the second stage at Criterium du Dauphine as the breakaway holds on at the finish 🙌#Dauphiné | @A_Vuillermoz | @TeamTotalEnrg pic.twitter.com/P9aYqocN2V
— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 6, 2022
Readers react to “depressingly despicable” Britain’s Got Talent video
Some reaction to Amanda Holden and those comments from last night’s Britain’s Got Talent final:
Just a reminder why I wear mine @AmandaHolden @theJeremyVine. Go on, tell me it was me asking for it. 🤪 pic.twitter.com/mswxOBnbFN
— Wayne (@waynebago1) June 5, 2022
Never heard of her! People who drive recklessly are asking for trouble, hence my I have a GoPro attached to my bike and a dash cam in both cars.
— Brian Muir (@brianrobertmuir) June 6, 2022
Cyclists with cameras are asking for trouble?
Presumably, so are drivers with dashcams?
That BGT video is just despicable. Like depressingly despicable.
Completely.
Plus if nobody had cameras then nobody would have clocked her on that 200 mile trip to Cornwall during the lockdown…
Even worse is all the speed cameras dotted around the place – the police are totally asking for trouble by doing that.
So people with house alarms deserve to be burgled? People with life insurance deserve to die? A motorcyclist with a helmet deserves a head injury?
Not sure where she would be going with that kind of comment…!
Utterly despicable. ‘Why do cyclists seek to protect themselves when comics are prepared to go on stage and laugh about endangering their lives’? Yes, why indeed!!
She won’t be going on the TV with Jeremy Vine anytime soon.
Pretty much the only thing I saw on that snoozefest was that performance and wow, cheers mate.
And Holden? Never has someone so untalented been in charge of giving votes on a talent show…
Put Amanda Holden on a bike in London and then see how she changes her tune.
Chris Hoy, photobombing around the final bend…
Eyeing up the photobomb opportunity… https://t.co/vuJm6bM2FP
— Sir Chris Hoy (@chrishoy) June 6, 2022
Then 💥 pic.twitter.com/LRzWHKqeAL
— Sir Chris Hoy (@chrishoy) June 6, 2022
This would have been even better if Sir Hoy had been wearing his assigned Team GB Bob the Builder helmet…
6 June 2022, 08:32
6 June 2022, 08:32
We wish Greg all the best for a speedy and full recovery
Greg LeMond reveals leukaemia diagnosis
"Fortunately, it is a type of cancer that is treatable, and it is a type of leukaemia that is not life-threatening or debilitating"
6 June 2022, 08:32
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@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
55 thoughts on “Britain’s Got Terrible Cycling Takes: Amanda Holden says cyclists with cameras are “asking for trouble”; Ford blasted for ‘aim your car’ ad; “Build infrastructure. Stop encouraging”; Delays, dancing and danger at the Women’s Tour + more on the live blog”
Pretty much the only thing I
Pretty much the only thing I saw on that snoozefest was that performance and wow, cheers mate.
And Holden? Never has someone so untalented been in charge of giving votes on a talent show…
I can imagine in decades to
I can imagine in decades to come seeing her head in a jar , Futurama style, still spouting rubbish. In fact I can imagine all 4 talking heads lined up on that table spouting the same old rubbish.
Wearing sunglasses is now
Wearing sunglasses is now part of the bingo.
hirsute wrote:
That’s a coincidence, I was asked recently at the lights by a cab driver “Why are you wearing sunglasses in the rain?” to which I replied, truthfully, “They’re not really sunglasses, these are actually light enhancing lenses for low light,” to which he answered, “No they’re not,” and drove off.
I get the same stuff at work
I get the same stuff at work “why are you wearing those? It’s cloudy out!” “same reason your car has a windscreen”.
Sounds like the taxi driver
Sounds like the taxi driver has a good understanding of physics and is therefore aware that “light enhancing lenses” don’t exist (unless they’re the ones with tiny torches in the frame). It’s a brilliant piece of marketing, but removing some wavelengths of light isn’t “enhancing” low light, it’s removing even more light.
Tell that to Clarice Starling
Tell that to Clarice Starling.
Contrast-enhancing would be a
Contrast-enhancing would be a better description.
IanGlasgow wrote:
I think you’re mistaking “enhancing” for “amplifying”.
“Enhance” (to take the Merriam-Webster definition, which is consistent with others) is “to increase or improve in value, quality, desirability, or attractiveness”
Since it is refining the light so that parts of the spectrum that reduce clarity are filtered out, they are, indeed, enhancing.
Well, when I put them on
Well, when I put them on everything is clearer and brighter than without them; call them vision enhancing if you like, they’re certainly invaluable.
Rendel Harris wrote:
It’s not brighter; they’re filtering out light so LESS light is reaching your eyes. There’s an argument that coloured lenses can increase or decrease contrast which might be why they’re making things seem clearer (and perhaps seem brighter).
It’s very subjective and the evidence for them seems pretty poor, but some people find they help (no idea how much is real and how much is placebo effect).
Re placebo effect, slight
Re placebo effect, slight anecdata: I first tried this type of lens when I was playing cricket and I was saying how I found it difficult to find glasses that would stay on when running about (this was long ago, before sports glasses were ubiquitous). A teammate offered me his Oakleys to try and I put them on without him telling me anything about the lens and I was amazed how a grey day was transformed in terms of brightness and clarity (where I was expecting the opposite). Hard to see how there could have been a placebo effect there. Anyway, they work for me which is all that matters in the end.
You’re only considering one
You’re only considering one part of the system, though. The other part is the eye, which will respond to that filtering out of light across the field of vision by allowing more of it in. And if you’ve enhanced the contrast, that will mean (within limits) that the brighter areas are brighter in terms of what’s actually received – same total light, concentrated more into those brighter regions.
3 cyclists in last night’s
3 cyclists in last night’s dashcam uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAIulQOTDHI
The first one at 55′ – he was lucky not to be punched !
The save at 5 20 or so was
The save at 5 20 or so was damn well done.
that bloody van close passing the driver and screwing the other drivers was amazing. Almost killed someone, caused so many nearly crash into them, etc
Sun was in his eyes!
Sun was in his eyes!
I thought at first the cyclist had been hit.
I don’t think it was a save
I don’t think it was a save by the cyclist as he could do nothing about it (although he needs to re-adjust his camera). Just luck that the car wasn’t going slightly faster or hadn’t turned slight;y sooner.
And of course the comments
And of course the comments were blowing up on that one, even though there were muliple examples of drivers zooming through red lights including one “overtaking” a stopping car in a central reservation gap to then go straight through a RL ped crossing. If it was a car, the toddler and mum would have been killed.
Although I agree the cyclist was lucky the father only threw the bike away.
Yeah, I saw that one last
Yeah, I saw that one last night and (despite my better judgement) ended up getting drawin into the arguments in the comments section. Good to know there are a few thousand more people who have now had their anti-cyclist views validated by the guy at 0:55.
I did try and reason in the comments that the hate cyclists get is disproportionate to the issues they cause and the rules they break (as demonstrated by the fact that an 11-minute video chock full of bad drivers has a comment section 75% full of people singling out one cyclist clip), but it fell mostly on deaf ears.
Dashcams eh, must asking for
Dashcams eh, must be asking for trouble!
gotta love the guy at 7.55
gotta love the guy at 7.55
The one at 3’46” – the white
The one at 3’46” – the white van overtaking and immediately having to stop – should be in the dictionary under “MGIF”…
It doesn’t seen quite so
It doesn’t seen quite so straightforward, it looks like the red man on the crossing is lit. I don’t know the junction but maybe the cyclist had a green light to turn into the road.
Red Light for crossing road
Red Light for crossing road traffic, green man for crossing pedestrians (and prams) as seen on the pole next to the mum when they are on pavement.
Cyclist definitely at fault for going and at speed they couldn’t stop at.
Strangely that did not seem
Strangely that did not seem to be going that fast; it was as though they were not looking. Perhaps they were friends with the young woman who helped them at the end and were distracted by her.
Fast enough though without
Fast enough though without the ability to stop in time. Yes there was definitely some familarity there for them to help the cyclist at the end and placate the mum but still doesn’t give the cyclist an excuse for running red and hitting pedestrians.
I thought that initially, but
I thought that initially, but the crossing light only changes to red as the collision happens – it’s green as they start to cross.
The most disturbing incident in that lot, though, is the club-wielding maniac at about 8 minutes.
Ooooh…..
Ooooh…..
Amanda Holden??
Some of the things I could tell you about her. She’s definitely “Got Talent”, but not for what she likes to judge others for
*checks top of page*
*checks top of page*
This is the live blog for 6 June 2022, right – not 1972?
Hard to tell given Amanda’s
Hard to tell given Amanda’s comments also appear to date from the 70s.
Touche!
Touche!
Not sure that Amanda would
Not sure that Amanda demurs
https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=300036128153454&set=pb.100044412067050.-2207520000..&type=3
Cyclists carry cameras so
Cyclists carry cameras so that when even the local driving instructor thinks it is OK for his pupil to close pass a cyclist if there is a vehicle coming the opposite direction, as he patiently explained to me at the next set of lights, that you can identify them and email them afterwards in the hope that they will become better at advising their clients how to drive correctly.
Hi Martin,
This was the pass made by your driver under instruction earlier today from my point of view.
Please bear in mind that my camera is centrally mounted and that the (exceedingly poor) cycle lane marked here is actually less than the width of my handlebars. I can send you the full video if you wish to analyse the incident further.
1.5m is a minimum safe distance for overtaking in slow moving traffic. If you cannot allow the minimum distance, do not overtake until you can.
Regards
Reply:
Thank you for this. I’ve taken it on board and reviewed the situation with my learner.
All the best. Sorry about this!
Martin
Excellent correspondence – if
Excellent correspondence – if it has an effect. Best traditions of helpful criticism and taking it on board. Hopefully.
EDIT – they deffo should take that on board since it looks like an oncoming car up ahead there. You’d hope the driving instructor would have spotted the developing situation and jumped in before they attempted an overtake, never mind that it was too close – if they’d gone all the way out right they’d have likely been too close to the approaching vehicle.
I think this is a classic
I think this is a classic dilema for an inexperienced or nervous motorist, especially a learner. Feeling pressure from drivers behind, thinking they ought to be overtaking the cyclist, complication of a shit cycle lane (as long as you don’t go in the cycle lane it’s OK right?) Vehicle coming the other way presents a greater apparent danger so the poor cyclist gets squeezed.
No malice and a subsequent apology so not reported.
Mungecrundle wrote:
I am reminded of a tale told by a friend years ago when she was a learner. She stalled at the lights, causing the idiot behind to lean on the horn. “Right,” says her instructor, “not a problem, this is how we handle the situation; You’re going to practise stalling the car for me again, until the lights change to red.”
Just a quick one to say, I
Just a quick one to say, I think your approach, and response were mature.
As you say, its tricky for any nervous driver, but especially learners who have to deal with about the same number of aggressive twunts as cyclists.
It is hopefully a good teaching/ learning opportunity, both for learner and instructor – and of all people you would hope that a driving instructor would be able to take this on board and reflect that in his teaching going forwards.
“The whole cyclists thing, I
“The whole cyclists thing, I’m so with you.”
It’s like the 1960s when it was acceptable to make jew/black people/whatever jokes. The wort of thing that Bernard Manning would think was a bit too far. But it is acceptable when you are making jokes about cyclists….?
Riding a bike is not a
Riding a bike is not a protected characteristic, so legally it isn’t hate speech.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
I’d argue that it should be considered a protected characteristic as not everyone is able or allowed to drive. Certainly there are plenty of people killed because they were on a bike and some motorists consider cyclists to be all part of the same group and hate/endanger them merely because of that.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Of course. It also underscores the hypocracy of his situation – in a better world it would not require legislation to protect minorities from hatred and abuse, and yet as this fellow demonstrates, where there is no such protection the abuse is entertainment.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Agreed – it isn’t a protected characteristic. The similarity is that it is jokes made about an ‘out-group’ based on crude, derogatory stereotypes. It serves the same purpose, to stigmatise, and justify hatred and violence towards these groups.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Nor were any of the current protected characteristics – until it became clear that they ought to be.
What’s needed is that clarity of thinking
This is the media you accept
This is the media you accept and support, yet only now see it as opinionated rubbish?
Says someone who probably
Says someone who probably thinks Fox News is tame and goes via Newsmax and 4Chan for their “media”.
Cyclists with cameras are
Cyclists with cameras are asking for trouble?
Presumably, so are drivers with dashcams?
That BGT video is just despicable. Like depressingly despicable.
Completely.
Completely.
Plus if nobody had cameras then nobody would have clocked her on that 200 mile trip to Cornwall during the lockdown…
Good point well made.
Good point well made.
Cocovelo wrote:
Even worse is all the speed cameras dotted around the place – the police are totally asking for trouble by doing that.
Although one of the ones on a
Although one of the ones on a major route by ours must take so many photos it catches fire. I don’t think it has anything to do with the fact it is a known road for the “petrol heads” to use as a drag strip after meeting in the local Asda carpark further down.
Black ‘Comedian’ wins
Black ‘Comedian’ wins national ‘Talent’ competion after making jokes aimed at a minority group.
Riiiiight.
Women’s tour pretty much came
Women’s tour pretty much came by the front door.
A bit cold though.
Sunglasses ?? !!!
Wayne
Wayne
Just a reminder why I wear mine
. Go on, tell me it was me asking for it.
you were cold just thinking
you were cold just thinking about it !!! try standing out in it for 3hrs, ok I could have run off to a coffee shop but there was surprisingly little information being shared about what was happening at the finish during the delay, but I was unlike most of the riders who had dressed optimistically for the weather, dressed based on the actual forecast.
as for the “dangerous finish”, my only point would be this, I believe it was the same route into Bury they used in 2014, and I dont recall it being considered a problem back then, plus I dont believe those roads have changed much since either, but unlike most of the social media complainers, Ive ridden most of these roads, or at least experienced them first hand, fair enough not in a race situation with a peloton of riders breathing down my neck, but the flow of it, isnt really as unsettling as you might think from a helicopter angle, it was two corners near the finish that the teams were complaining about.
Now the one the crash happened at, they didnt have barriers there in 2014 iirc and those barriers narrowed the road (except they dont really they are parking spaces so if you follow that line youll hit a dead end at the next corner), but they mentioned it in the tv commentary, the roads were slick all day, it drizzled nearly constantly, so not full wet, but these are pro riders, they should expect corners to be slippery in those conditions, full of dropped oil or contamination on the surface, why go full gas into that expecting the grip to be there in corners youve already identified as sketchy?
People who inject there faces
People who inject their faces with chemicals, without really knowing the long term effects, in order to “improve” their looks, are just asking for it.