“Funny, because it’s not congested for anyone who wants to cycle”: Twitter responds as Jeremy Clarkson blames cycle lanes for congestion; Bahrain McLaren renamed Bahrain Victorious; A swig of Bikefast; New SRAM derailleur + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Council's own van driver close passes cyclist back on the road after popular cycle lane is scrapped
@NTCouncilTeam how do I report dangerous driving by a NTC van please? I was passed on my bike approaching traffic lights by a speeding van. It was far too close to me and cut me off on the ex-@SunriseCycleway I have forwarded the footage to the police already. pic.twitter.com/uVz9tI3M9u
— Steve Boyle 😷 🚴🏻♂️ 🏴 (@boylemeister) November 4, 2020
North Tyneside Council are becoming a regular feature here for their ability to shoot themselves in the foot. Last week it was promoting their new batch of electric cargo bikes on the cycleway just days before the infrastructure was to be scrapped. But this week they might just have outdone themselves… Steve Boyle highlighted this incident which happened two days after the council dismantled the Sunrise Cycleway. He was close passed by one of the council’s own van drivers while cycling on the road where the cycleway used to run. North Tyneside Council responded on Twitter saying they were looking into the matter.
One Twitter user responded to the picture saying: “Talk about adding insult to injury by this dangerous behaviour after they removed the protected cycleway!”
On Monday the cycleway was dismantled to make room for the return of the two-way road with the council citing falling usage numbers as the reason behind the decision. The Living Streets North Tyneside group appealed for the cycle lane to stay and highlighted the need to encourage active travel and healthy living during lockdown. Earlier this week we reported that the cycleway had been targeted by vandals who spread nails across the path.
Michael Rogers joins UCI as Innovation Manager
Three-time UCI World ITT Champion Michael Rogers has joined the UCI to help develop cycling esports and new technologies in races, such as use of riders’ in-race data. As a professional Rogers rode the Tour de France 11 times with his best Grand Tour GC result coming at the 2009 Giro d’Italia, when he finished sixth. The UCI announced the appointment at their virtual UCI Congress on Thursday. Rogers has experience of esports cycling and founded the virtual training platform VirtuGo.
Filippo Ganna tests positive for COVID-19
World time trial champion Filippo Ganna has tested positive for coronavirus. The Italian sensation was at a national track team training camp in Lombardy but has since returned home to self-quarantine. Ganna was preparing for the UEC Track European Championships which start next week. The Ineos rider dominated the time trial stages at last month’s Giro d’Italia, winning all three stages against the clock as well as a road stage in the first week.
One way to stay visible...
#RoadSafety advice for cyclists: Always use front light, front reflector, pedal reflectors, wheel reflectors, rear light, rear reflectors, wear bright clothing and bike helmet (with reflectors or lights, if possible). Be seen!
Cyclists: Hold my water bottle.#SpeedKills #Cycling pic.twitter.com/YF5M7u1vKf
— (Τζέισων) (@Tzeison_) November 6, 2020
Jeremy Clarkson unhappy with segregated cycle lanes
It’s no real surprise that Jeremy Clarkson has had another pop at cycle lanes is it? Last year he said that “bikes can f*@% off in a YoutTube rant. The former Top Gear presenter couldn’t understand why he was stuck in traffic despite cars being backed up ahead of him for as far as the image shows. Instead, Clarkson decided the cause of his delay was the segregated cycle lane next to him. He wrote: “It’s a beautiful day so where are the bloody cyclists?”. The good people of Instagram didn’t disappoint with their replies.. One said: “Already at work as they didn’t get stuck in the traffic.”
SRAM introduces upgraded 11-speed Red eTap rear derailleur in quietest product launch ever
In our updated guide to SRAM components, just published this morning, we note probably the quietest product launch in the history of bike components, SRAM’s Red eTap A2 11-speed rear derailleur. Intended as a service and warranty replacement for the original eTap rear mechs it incorporates technology from SRAM’s AXS rear derailleurs, which should improve shifting for owners of eTap v1 systems. It’s almost enough to make us stop sulking about the lack of an upgrade path from 11-speed eTap to AXS 12-speed.
Ian Stannard the "toughest cyclist you've ever met"
1/2 When there’s debate about the toughest cyclist you’ve ever met, there’s only ever been one answer from me: @IStannard. But off the bike, a gentle giant, absolutely loved by everybody who knows him.
Mate, your loyalty, commitment & strength to dig deep are values for life, not pic.twitter.com/w8iVeGYpyv— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) November 6, 2020
Mark Cavendish has joined the list of pro riders and fans congratulating Ian Stannard on his incredible racing career. Stannard announced his retirement yesterday due to rheumatoid arthritis.
Cav said: “When there’s debate about the toughest cyclist you’ve ever met, there’s only ever been one answer from me: Ian Stannard. But off the bike, a gentle giant, absolutely loved by everybody who knows him. Mate, your loyalty, commitment & strength to dig deep are values for life, not just cycling. It’s been a real joy to grow through this sport with you. Thank you for everything. Not just what you’ve done for me, but what you’ve done for cycling. Congratulations on a brilliant career.”
So many great moments spent with Yogi over the years! Such an awesome teammate 🙌
All the best in your retirement & enjoy the time with your girls ❤️
📸 @gettyimages pic.twitter.com/1ncTLjJd0u— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) November 6, 2020
You've heard of Buckfast, now we've got Bikefast
Introducing Victory Chimp’s patented Bikefast Mind Tonic. 🍾
Brewed in the Sperrin Mountains by the Benedictine Monkeys.One dose a day, for good health and lively blood.
75cl / 0% Vol. Chance of Smiles 99.28% . Contains Joy.
Ride Responsibly.https://t.co/IkKYeXA42f pic.twitter.com/0rf6Ety9rs— Victory Chimp (@VictoryChimp) November 6, 2020
This week we shared our Christmas gifts for cyclists: presents for less than £50…here’s another possible stocking filler. Guaranteed to make you feel great, without the sore head the following day. Made by cycling art and gift experts Victory Chimp this novelty bottle “brewed by Benedictine Monkeys” will keep you fuelled over the winter.
Bahrain McLaren's new name
“Here is Jan Tratnik, winner of stage 16 of the #giroditalia2020”
Last km. pic.twitter.com/aRwULj9Eb0
— Damjan Jagar (@DamjanJagar) October 20, 2020
Bahrain-McLaren won their first and only WorldTour race on Stage 16 of the Giro d’Italia last month. This hasn’t stopped them taking a confident approach to their team name for next season. Introducing…Bahrain Victorious. Yes that really is what the team of Mikel Landa and Wout Poels will be named next year (hopefuly they will win something to live up to their bold title). The other two changes in sponsor and team names in the men’s WorldTour are Citroën, who are joining AG2R Citroën, and Mitchelton Scott, reverting back to their familiar Greenedge Cycling label. For the women, CCC Liv will become Liv Racing, while Mitchelton Scott will also be named Greenedge Cycling.
New team name proving popular with road.cc readers already
thanks I hate it
— David Hawkins (@dnhhawkins) November 6, 2020
Tell us how you really feel David…
Magnus Cort Nielsen wins Stage 16 of the Vuelta
🏁 Etapa 16 | Stage 16
🙋🏻♂️🏆 MAGNUS CORT NIELSEN @MagnusCort 🏆#LaVuelta20 pic.twitter.com/h18VczspER
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) November 6, 2020
EF Pro Cycling’s Magnus Cort Nielsen won a reduced bunch sprint ahead of Primoz Roglic and Rui Costa on Stage 16 of the Vuelta. Another gruelling day in the saddle saw all of the pure sprinters dropped and allowed the puncheurs and GC men to challenge for stage honours.
Your thoughts and responses to Jeremy Clarkson
Jeremy Clarkson did what Jeremy Clarkson does and blamed the traffic jam he was sat in on the cycle lane next to it. Unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of people ready and well-informed to let the former Top Gear presenter know the real reason for the traffic jam…
On Facebook, Conor O’Brien said: “The only thing in London that ever held a car up in London is the car in front, it’s called traffic, would anyone seriously take the advice of Jeremy Clarkson on matters relating to traffic flows in a capital city.”
Another user added a link to this 2017 EU data, which shows UK motorists sit in traffic more than any other EU nation and far more than countries such with more cycling infrastructure, such as Germany and The Netherlands.
Gary Cope suggested: “Cycles don’t congest as they keep moving, you may be made to drive a bit slower until you can pass. Imagine if every cyclist swapped their steed for a car! Now that would be congestion…”
Lots of very valid points there, although some were more sympathetic to Clarkson’s argument and asked what could be done to make the transition to people using bike lanes more efficient.
I wonder if it is worse. Wouldn’t surprise me and it does highlight the challenge that we need to convert those sitting stationary in cars to cyclists making better progress and making use of those lanes.
— Al (@autosportmoto) November 6, 2020
And this one was just quite funny so why not have a Friday afternoon laugh…
That’s because he’s thick
— Paul Murden (@PjdotcomPaul) November 6, 2020
6 November 2020, 09:28
6 November 2020, 09:28
6 November 2020, 09:28
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Latest Comments
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).
@mitsky Imprisonment currently costs over £50k p.a. per prisoner and obviously that will rise over the course of a ten-year stretch with inflation. Regarding culpability and mitigating sentences etc, of course I'm not against condign punishment for drivers who kill (and cyclists on the tiny, tiny handful of occasions when this happens), including prison as appropriate; I was objecting to the ridiculous and oft-repeated demand of MM that drivers who kill cyclists must get ten years, "no excuses, no exceptions".
Hey, but their wool blend cycling adjacent t-shirts are/were fantastic.
@Surreyrider Still the boss. Ride one, you'll see why
@Smoggysteve "Most would happily ride on the roads and be treated with respect by drivers". But people aren't - and as far as I can see they won't be. Not until there is a lot less driving and it's slower around cyclists, and far more people driving have "skin in the game" eg. they sometimes cycle and their friends and family do also. That's what leads to the model - which is perhaps most advanced in NL - where cycling, walking and driving are all seen as separate normal transport modes. Their needs, vulnerabilities and any dangers to others are considered. And *that* leads to "mix / share when possible, separate when necessary". But "possible" is "where your 10-year old would be safe to cycle unsupervised" - so very few motor vehicles, going slow! And AFAICS everybody - even "existing cyclists" - is happy with the result. (I dunno about a few pro cyclists - but don't they tend to have training camps in different counties anyway?)
@quiff as an Edinburgh resident I can confidently say he's speaking without moving his lips in one sense: - while as I noted in a separate comment there *is* now some real separated cycle infra, all the examples i can think of have *at least as much space* for pedestrians. The rest of the "cycle infra" is essentially similar to the situation in the rest of the UK: eg. bus lanes*, cycle lanes and shared use paths (eg. "build" infra by sticking up a sign). Edinburgh is one of the places with a moderately extensive network of former railways which have been converted to "shared use" paths (completely motor traffic few). However though shared they are not narrow by UK standards. And this is all effectively a "free extra" for all non- motorised users, not like the "sign a cycle path" where pedestrians do lose space. I think this all comes from the "popular understanding" of cycling in which ultimately cyclists are the "other". They don't fit "motor vehicle" or "pedestrian" (including wheelchairs on the very rare occasions people think about that). Thus "cyclists are cheating" in multiple ways! They shouldn't get their own space as "there aren't enough" of them. And "they can just use the road / path". But being able to *choose* "on the road" or "on the footway" (shared use path) is clearly unfair - nobody else gets to do that! BUT of course even if they did pick just one of road OR pedestrian space it's still not fair anyway because they're "too slow" for the road (don't pay "road tax" etc...) and "far too fast" for pedestrians... * Though some existing cyclists may appreciate them when there are few buses, buses and bikes are a very poor mix for several reasons.
Whilst a shame for any employees, their bib shorts had the worst chamois pad I’d ever encountered, utter waste of my money. Even though they were Strava challenge discount purchases, still a waste of money.
15 thoughts on ““Funny, because it’s not congested for anyone who wants to cycle”: Twitter responds as Jeremy Clarkson blames cycle lanes for congestion; Bahrain McLaren renamed Bahrain Victorious; A swig of Bikefast; New SRAM derailleur + more on the live blog”
Its a van driver, doesn’t
Its a van driver, doesn’t matter who they work for; van-man is always high on the list of the ‘selfish, ignorant and dangerous’ driver category. Sad truth.
But one thing I’ve never
But one thing I’ve never understood with logo’d vans like that is surely the driver understands how they drive directly reflects back onto the organisation plastered in stickers on their van and impacts their reputation significantly and if they dont get that point hammered into them daily,why as an organisation/company would you let them have the keys to drive one of your vans?
But your comments about van
But your comments about van drivers are as one eyed as motorist comments about cyclists.
Explain your logic ? If a van
Explain your logic ? If a van with a company logo on it is driven badly, I form a very strong low opinion of that company, mostly for allowing its employees to drive badly at all, but for also not recognising the harm it does to their reputation by so blatantly advertising it. How is that ‘one eyed’ ?
You reread what awavey said,
You should reread what awavey said, as your reply does not follow.
Not sure that Awavey made any
Not sure that Awavey made any comment about van drivers as a group. I take his comment as a statement that surely the driver must realise that they represent their company.
When I drove company vehicles this seemed very obvious to me, so Awavey is correct in that, if only in my case least
Did you mean to reply to
Did you mean to reply to AlexUK?
The ‘cycle lane cause
The ‘cycle lane cause congestion’ is such a dumb, ignorant fallacy one wonders how it gains any traction. (But then again . . . . . Trump, brexthick . . . . `)
Unrelated to anything but 3
Unrelated to anything but 3 close passes, 2 at 40-50 mph today plus one driver parked in the recent bike/pedestrian wanded off lane as they had to take a call. Couldn’t park in a loading bay or taxi rank though.
So much for lockdown – the amount of traffic was quite high.
“The other two changes in
“The other two changes in sponsor and team name in the men’s WorldTour, are Citreon joining AG2R Citreon…”
“I don’t care what you say about me, just spell my name right.” The marketing people at Citroën must be pulling their hair out.
“SRAM introduces upgraded 11
“SRAM introduces upgraded 11-speed Red eTap rear derailleur in quietest product launch ever”
Perhaps because it lauched around 2 months ago?
Why do you give the regular
Why do you give the regular cyclist haters free publicity road.cc ?
There’s nothing saintly about
There’s nothing saintly about council van drivers- here’s one about to pass a traffic light 0.7 seconds after it turned red, and 3.7 seconds after it turned amber.
The sentence ‘Filippo Ganna
The sentence ‘Filippo Ganna tests positive for COVID-19.’ was an absolute collercoast.
(No subject)
🙂