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"A bike theft supermarket": New Bristol bike racks located outside train station panned; Crazy Hungarian bike lane divides internet; Nibali, Pantani + Coppi star in mesmerising Giro ad; Drivers "robbed of lanes", says columnist + more on the live blog

Welcome to Monday's live blog. Jack Sexty is your blogger-in-chief today, with Simon MacMichael taking over later this evening. ...
07 September 2020, 16:03
"A bike theft supermarket": new bike racks located outside Bristol Temple Meads train station panned for lack of security

As Network Rail Western proudly announced the opening of 450 bike parking spaces around Bristol Temple Meads train station today, many Bristolians were not enthused.

Anyone who has used the station will know there is ample parking inside after going through ticketed barriers; and many believe the new racks placed outside the station in full view of the public are simply too tempting for thieves. It's also noted that they appear to be further away from the station entrance than the car park. 

It's not clear if the new external racks are purely additional, or if they are replacing some of the bike storage space inside the station - road.cc are contacting Network Rail for comment. 

Would you use the new bike racks? 

07 September 2020, 15:53
Mike Rutherford of Auto Express strikes again, saying drivers should "keep fighting to take back pedestrian and bicycle lanes"
pop-up cycle lane pic.PNG

It's become apparent recently that some people really don't like the idea of being told that it's not necessarily a good think to be driving everywhere... one of those is Mike Rutherford, a founder of the Auto Express motoring magazine who last week claimed Covid-19 "is being used as a cover for an attack on the British motorist". 

In his latest article on the matter, Rutherford is preparing for an imaginary battle as he calls on motorists to protest for the removal of "lavish highways for bicyclists". Not even pavements that have been widened for pedestrians can escape the wrath of Rutherford, which are described as "needlessly wide boulevards". 

He continues: "If the main opposition Labour politicians, the sleepy Lib Dems or the ruling Conservatives really do believe in robbing drivers of the roads owned by those same drivers, let’s see such blatant car-user discrimination adopted as official party policies – then included in their respective manifestos. I dare them."

07 September 2020, 15:31
Councillor says Chesterfield town centre cycling and walking measures are "stupid"
chesterfield town hall - via wiki commons.PNG

It appears the chairman of Chesterfield's Civic Society Philip Riden isn't appreciating the benefits of temporary measures to encourage cycling and walking as Britain goes back to work, claiming that the roadblocks (for cars) are putting people off visiting Chesterfield town centre. 

In a letter submitted to Derbyshire County Council, he wrote: "Of all the wasteful, badly thought out knee-jerk actions taken by the Government in the last few months, the decision to give large amounts of taxpayers' money (£443,000 in the case of Derbyshire) to highway authorities to close or obstruct streets must rank as one of the stupidest.

"In Chesterfield it is inconceivable that the closure of South Place and Corporation Street has saved a single person from contracting Covid-19, or encouraged them to walk further. Nor has the erection of unsightly plastic and metal barriers and the dumping of large concrete blocks on other streets.

"All it has achieved is to make the town centre look hideous and to discourage people from coming to shop, eat or drink in Chesterfield. That is exactly the opposite of what the Government and local authorities should be doing.”

A spokesperson for Derbyshire County Council told the Derby Telegraph: “We’ve been working in partnership with district and borough councils to ensure appropriate social distancing measures are in place, but the limited amount of time we had to meet Government guidelines meant we weren’t able to consult local people or businesses about the changes.

“We’re happy to make adjustments or tweak our plans where we can and with the limited resources available as shown by the further changes we made to the area around South Place following comments from local people.”

07 September 2020, 14:17
Rutland Cycling launch premium same-day delivery service, with bikes arriving at the customer's door ready to ride
rutland cycling premium delivery service.PNG

Want every bit of hassle imaginable taken out of your net bike purchase? For an additional £99.99, Rutland Cycling will not only deliver your new steed on the same day if you order in the morning, but you can also have your saddle height set and any accessories added so it's literally ready to ride straight away. It's delivered directly from Rutland, which means no middle men and no packaging to dispose of when the bike arrives, with the handlebars straight, tyres pumped and pedals fitted. 

The service costs £99.99, and for a limited time it's free on bike purchases over £5,000 - head over to Rutland' Cycling's website for more info.

07 September 2020, 12:06
Really fun or sh*tfrastructure? This crazy cycle lane in Hungary is dividing the internet

bike lane in Körmend, Hungary from r/UrbanHell

We're not sure why or how this cycle path in the Hungarian town of Körmend ended up this way, but it's either a massive fail or a right laugh depending on your point of view. 

On the Reddit thread, one person commented: "a separate bike lane, properly striped, with changes in elevation to keep Hungarians paying attention. 10/10 would implement everywhere in the world!"

Others noted that the undulations are reminiscent of a pump track; although this cycle lane is also designed to take you somewhere, whereas pump tracks are loops if course. 

Do you have a sudden desire to hop across to Hungary and try this crazy cycle lane out, or is it just a bit silly? Let us know your thoughts as always... 

07 September 2020, 14:03
InternationalElles complete Tour de France distance and Everesting challenge double-header
InternationElles - Everesting 2 - Photo Credit George Galbraith

After completing the 3,484km distance of the 2020 Tour de France route as a non-stop relay in less than four days on indoor trainers, the British members of the team put together to highlight gender inequalities in cycling ventured outside to completed a successful team everesting on the fearsome Bwlch climb in South Wales. They completed it in 18 hours, and members of the InternationalElles from the Netherlands, Australia and the USA also completed everestings in their home countries. 

Louise Gibson commented: “We’re thrilled to have completed the challenge. The Tour de France distance relay was tough, but we were able to complete it as a team. 

"The Everesting was one of the most incredible days I’ve had on my bicycle and I’m so proud all five of our UK-based riders as managed to complete it together. The climb was amazing and the weather was on our side. I’m delighted that even though we weren’t able to go to France we were able to keep the conversation going about the inequalities that exist in cycling.”

The InternationalElles will be hoping to get back to their usual annual event of riding the full Tour de France route a day ahead of the men in 2021, which couldn't happen this year for obvious reasons - click here for more info on the team. 

07 September 2020, 11:35
There's no rest day for the Ineos Grenadiers support crew...

...because it looks like they've been deployed to take lots of creative photos to plug the new Ineos Grenadier 4X4 that the team now takes its name from. Hopefully there are some super tall crew members to get the bikes on and off that roof rack...

07 September 2020, 12:58
Thibaut Pinot's first week in a nutshell

Once again, it wasn't to be for the Frenchman... will we ever see him wear yellow in Paris?

07 September 2020, 12:18
Chris Froome's steed for next season is lighter, more aero and all that jazz
07 September 2020, 11:29
On the forum: to bell or not to bell?
Cyclists Stay Awesome bell pic.jpg

While it's not a legal requirement according to the Highway Code, some cyclists consider a good bell essential, particularly when riding on shared use paths and trails... do you agree, or is the humble voicebox perfectly adequate to announce your presence? Add your tuppence worth on the road.cc forum

07 September 2020, 10:14
Community divided over planning application for Cornish coastal path due to environmental impact
perranporth beach - via wiki commons.PNG

A proposal for the 'Saints Trail' - which will provide a traffic-free link between the popular seaside towns of Perranporth and Newquay  - has garnered almost a hundred comments from both supporters and objectors to the plans. 

While many highlight that cycling on busy A-roads in the area isn't always pleasant and a traffic-free route is much needed for cyclists, others claim that Cornwall Council haven't fully considered the environmental impact. One supporter commented: "I am a cyclist who lives locally and the roads of Cornwall are extremely dangerous especially in the summer when there is a lot of traffic. This project will make exercising by cycling a lot safer.

"It will encourage more people to cycle and get fitter putting less pressure on our NHS resources. Local businesses will be enhanced by increased traffic from cyclists."

On Facebook, a local opposed to the plans said: "If you read the negative comments it is mainly around the issue that Cornwall Council are not bothering with a full environmental assessment. This is something no other developer would get away with, they are potentially pushing this plan through and going to cause an awful lot of damage to the wildlife."

The status of the application is still marked as 'awaiting decision' on the summary page. Among local organisations that were consulted, including Parish Councils, the Ramblers Association and Devon & Cornwall Police, feedback is largely positive. 

07 September 2020, 09:12
Cyclists, cycle lanes etc etc
07 September 2020, 08:52
What is Nibali, Merckx, Coppi and Pantani were racing together? This ad for the upcoming Giro d'Italia tries to answer...

With a guitar hero version of the Nessun dorma playing in the background, this ad for the rescheduled Giro from Italian TV network Raisport renders Vincenzo Nibali onto a mountain pass, as he rides alongside legend after legend before a certain Marco Pantani pops up and rides away (they all regroup at the end though). 

The Giro is set to start on Saturday 3rd October, les than two after the Tour de France ends. 

07 September 2020, 08:42
UK Cycling Expert is full of praise for the Tour de France peloton 'medic'

Our favourite cycling parody account on social media definitely hasn't got this confused with the Swiss national champion's jersey being worn by Groupama's Sébastien Reichenbach. 

07 September 2020, 08:36
David Gadau takes a tumble and lands on an unfortunate spectator

It's been said that some fans are getting too close to the riders with fears of coronavirus cases stifling the progress of the Tour... but in the case of this spectator it was no fault of his own, as the Groupama–FDJ rider loses control and crashes into him. The team aren't having much luck this year, with their star man Thibaut Pinot again succumbing to a recurring back injury that cost him over 25 minutes on the leaders during stage 8. 

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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30 comments

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 3 years ago
1 like

£99 to have a bike come with straight bars, seat height set and fitted pedals? Surely in £/hr we are talking legal industry rates here?

Who is this aimed at? Newb bikers will probably buy a cheaper bike and won't want to spent the extra and those after more expensive bikes should at least be able to do basic jobs on them. Well you'd hope.....

Tbh I despair at what people can't do these days. Just saved myself £500 on a car job by spending half a day doing it myself yet the younger generation can't even do anything without an app. The Tv control stopped working the other day, pulled it apart and resoldered a loose connection, tried to get my son interested in what I was doing but he was only interested in the end result, has no interest in why things work. His mates are all the same. It's funny actually because the young have this idea the older generation are to blame for eco problems but they are the throw-away generation that doesn't fix anything. Blood kids....

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hawkinspeter replied to Rick_Rude | 3 years ago
0 likes

Not all kids are like that. I came across this face-following turret made by a 14 year old the other day: https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/imobp9/i_made_a_turret_that_rotates_to_face_people_using/

and a follow-up after doing some interpolation to smooth the motion here: https://www.reddit.com/r/raspberry_pi/comments/ina1aq/recently_posted_about_my_turret_that_follows/

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Rick_Rude | 3 years ago
1 like

I thought the service was £99 for Rutland to deliver fast (same day in some cases) themselves AND as it is them delivering it, they pretty much do the same as they would if purchased in store.

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BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP | 3 years ago
0 likes

'There will be even more spare room in those racks once the local T-Leaves drop by with their bolt cutters!'

cor blimey guv wot you on abaht? It's 'tea leaf' you muppet. 

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Rick_Rude replied to BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP | 3 years ago
2 likes

plural of leaf being.......

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roadrunner23 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Secure park storage is going to be a big issue if widespread use of cycling as a means of commuting is going really take off. Especially if e-bikes are going to have a serious impact. So much learning has to be done.

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Cargobike | 3 years ago
7 likes

So, Mike Rutherford believes the roads are owned by motorists?

Does that mean I can get a rebate on my Council Tax for the damage I do not cause then.

Typical motoring journalist fanning the flames to gain his millisecond of clickbait chutzpah.

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mdavidford | 3 years ago
3 likes

Quote:

It's not clear if the new external racks are purely additional, or if they are replacing some of the bike storage space inside the station

That appears to have been answered in the original tweet:

Quote:

Only bikes going on trains can come into the station - thank you.

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hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
3 likes

I saw those bike racks on Saturday and they don't look great security-wise despite notices about it being lit and covered by CCTV - having a disclaimer about bikes being left at your own risk isn't particularly encouraging. It's definitely less secure than being behind ticket barriers and outside the Transport Police, so I expect there will be a few thefts. CCTV won't be much use if the thieves wear masks.

I believe the platform cycle parking is being removed so that they can repair the roof or something, so it may be that this was the best alternative they could come up with, though it would have been nice to have the covered car park converted into a cycle park as that's right next door to the ticket office.

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Secret_squirrel replied to hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
4 likes

If the very similar racks at Reading Stations North entrance are anything to go by your bike will disappear in seconds and the CCTV notices will turn out to be a lie.

Looks like Network Rail have failed to learn anything about good bike provision in the last few years.

Utter fail.

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Awavey replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
0 likes

but what would be the alternative though ? as in what does good cycle parking at a train station look like.

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ktache replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
3 likes

Well, it uses bolts that cannot simply be removed with a standard hex key or spanner.

And then the CCTV video might actually be looked at to see the bicyle theft when it occurs.

I believe both Reading's and Cambridge's suffered from both of these.

Huge amounts of money spent, but ultimately with very little thought given.

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Awavey replied to ktache | 3 years ago
1 like

Albeit I know of cycle parking exactly like that and it doesnt stop bikes still getting regularly stolen, I mean the cctv part especially all that benefit seems to give you is you end up with video of your bike being stolen so you can watch it disappear from your life  2

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Hirsute replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
0 likes
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Awavey replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

Yes, familiar with those but their big flaw is ironically their security, you are meant to have an access token fob to get in,though i have observed tail gaters...but tokens are limited in number, waiting lists extend for years,literally,to get one and only become worthwhile if you then regularly commute via train, so it's no good for adhoc visits

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hawkinspeter replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
3 likes

Awavey wrote:

but what would be the alternative though ? as in what does good cycle parking at a train station look like.

It's a tricky one. I like the flexibility of the on-platform parking (at Bristol Temple Meads) which are just a big U bolted to the floor. It's simple and you can lock up several bikes to it and accomodates different bike types and designs. The main thing lacking was CCTV covering the bike park.

These new bike parks don't look like they could cope with a tandem or other non-standard bike, but they might store a higher density of bikes. I don't know how they work for people with limited mobility.

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brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
2 likes

Bristol247 has a bristol councillor calling them "institutionally sexist" , on the argument that she thinks women will generally lack the upper body strength to use the upper tier.

I agree that they don't look like they'd be useful for anything other than a bog standard lightweight two wheeled bicycle.

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Velovoyeur | 3 years ago
3 likes

As if Ineos chemicals hasn't already done enough damage to the environment and are now using a cycling team to greenwash, they decide to use fuel inefficient vehicles to move the cycling team! 

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EddyBerckx | 3 years ago
1 like

Have strange urge to ride that Hungarian bike lane.

On a mtb, obviously but still...

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Grahamd replied to EddyBerckx | 3 years ago
2 likes

EddyBerckx wrote:

Have strange urge to ride that Hungarian bike lane. On a mtb, obviously but still...

I was thinking it would be more fun on a bmx.

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I love my bike replied to EddyBerckx | 3 years ago
0 likes

The cycle track beside 2nd Av in Southampton is the mirror equivalent - with repeated drops for cars to access parking.

Unfortunately, G. maps isn't up to date, but Bing's Sat view does show it, though not cyclists getting air!

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half_wheel79 | 3 years ago
0 likes

 I feel for Pinot, if it wasn't for bad luck he'd have none at all. At least he has the fortitude to admit it.

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brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

On 'Cyclists, cycle lanes etc etc' - WTF did the council think they were telling people to do there?  Are we supposed to seriously interpret that sign as "pedestrians and cyclists, please share the use of this verge - we did mow it, after all!"...

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mdavidford replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

Possibly the photo is taken from the very end of a shared use path, and whoever was charged with putting the signs up just went along putting them up double-sided without really thinking about what that implied at the end point?

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hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
11 likes

One of the tweets replying to the cycle path one mentions Brandalism. I love it

https://streetartnews.net/2020/09/guerilla-take-over-of-100-uk-billboards-in-anti-car-protest.html

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HarrogateSpa replied to hawkinspeter | 3 years ago
6 likes

Great, much-needed counter to ads for SUVs, which are clearly working unfortunately.

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iandusud | 3 years ago
2 likes

Re the roadside fan who got run into by David Gaudu, I think it is a "her" and not "him" as Gaudu refers to the person as a "spectatrice" rather than a "spectateur".

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brooksby | 3 years ago
6 likes

On the fans getting close - I watched some of the highlights over the weekend, and it's pretty scary how close the crowds get.  I was watching a climb, and the spectators were basically moving out of the way barely a few feet in front of the rider.  And they weren't all wearing masks, or anything like that.  Considering how a climber must be gulping air, I imagine that he was feeling a bit nervy.

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wtjs replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
4 likes

"On the fans getting close"
Independent of Covid, because it has been going on for years, the stupidest spectators are the ones who think they are part of the action by thrusting themselves right into the road. Now they're just compounding the foolishness by doing it without masks- illustrating the fact that they're only interested in themselves.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
3 likes

Especially as they then scream as loud as possible next to the cyclist which is an annoying distraction at the minimum and now downright dangerous. 

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