Frothing Facebook group dedicated to 20mph speed limit bashing learns of time trial ban in 20 zones — and the reaction is as bizarre as you’d expect; Santander Cycles Hour Record; Soudal Quick-Step tease Man United for latest loss + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
11 bike fit tips to make you faster and more comfortable on the bike
Santander Cycles Hour Record broken
The Vélo d’Or is going to have to be scrapped and voted for again with YouTuber Cameron Jeffers on the ballot. Sorry Mr Vingegaard, your yellow jersey’s looking a little bit weak now…
If you’re looking at that 32km/h+ average enviously for any ride, let alone one on a 23kg hire bike, then join the club. Jeffers took marginal gains to the max for this feat of cycling achievement, risking life and limb to tape his feat to the pedals, because apparently Transport for London hasn’t bothered to provide clipless compatibility… how lazy of them.
Targeting eight kilometres around Regent’s Park every 15 minutes, Jeffers was fortunate not to get taken out by some questionable driving on lap one, before running into the main problem of the challenge…
“The issue now is not necessarily the lack of power, just the lack of gears,” he told the camera. “I’m just constantly having to hold a high cadence… well over 100rpm.”
Oh, and because he’s a YouTuber you can enjoy the full vid, including the spinning suffering, here…
Soudal Quick-Step tease Man United for latest loss
Not entirely sure why… the working hypothesis is the admin’s a Manchester City fan…
This was our kit last time Manchester United lost to a Danish team in the Champions League before today.
Photo: @GettySport https://t.co/bDgrgPzdEp pic.twitter.com/ZeFqfpvewh
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) November 8, 2023
Cyclist catches driver watching adult film and 'spanking the monkey' in heavy London traffic
Meanwhile…
> Cyclist catches driver watching adult film and ‘spanking the monkey’ in heavy London traffic
Geraint Thomas to support 5,000 children to get cycling by 2028, with projects to deliver cycling programmes to disabled children, young carers as well as for those in deprived areas
Here’s some nice news to brighten up your Thursday lunchtime…
Geraint Thomas says he is supporting 5,000 children to pick up cycling over the next five years, as The Geraint Thomas Charitable Trust has provided grant aid to five projects in London and Wales in the past year.
The projects deliver cycling programmes to disabled children and young carers, as well as those who live in deprived areas, and speaking at the Charitable Trust’s latest fundraising event this week, Thomas said he was “always so lucky” to have access to a bike while growing up, something he wants to help pass on to as many children and young people as possible.
“This is exactly why we set up the Trust in the first place. I was always so lucky that I had a bike and also that I had a track just around the corner from my house. But not everyone is that fortunate. That’s why I’m really pleased that we’re able to give a helping hand to these brilliant projects which get children and young people on bikes,” he said.
“We have deliberately targeted projects for children and young people who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to enjoy cycling.”
Of the funding provided, the Community Outdoor Group (COG) received £3,250 to purchase a new fleet of bikes and equipment to deliver cycling sessions for children in east London. Gower Riders received £2,696 to deliver cycling sessions for young carers in Swansea, while Pantside School in Caerphilly was awarded £2,900 to buy 20 bikes and helmets.
Wheels for Wellbeing received £2,816 for two specialist adaptive trikes for disabled children in south London, while Willows High School will put £2,230 towards waterproof clothing to support pupils’ cycling sessions through the winter.
Adrian Coles chairs The Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust and said he was “thrilled to be supporting these projects”.
“We know that there are huge benefits for those who cycle but we also know there are still barriers. Not everyone can afford a bike or has the skills to repair one. Not everyone has somewhere to store a bike or know how to ride safely. And there are those who require adaptive bikes which tend to be more expensive. We are thrilled to be supporting these projects which tackle inequalities,” he said.
Tug-gate: "A van driver cranking one off at the wheel? Naturally, commenter blames cyclists"
Things we didn’t expect to read today…
> Cyclist catches driver watching adult film and ‘spanking the monkey’ in heavy London traffic
Quite hilarious is some of the reaction to the video, transport journalist Carlton Reid doing God’s work and going into the Daily Mail comments section so we don’t have to…
Daily Mail runs news story about @theJeremyVine retweeting footage of a van driver cranking one off at the wheel. Naturally, commenter blames cyclists. https://t.co/gubMLPtVN2 pic.twitter.com/r8psBfYCIU
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) November 9, 2023
Another comment claims, in what must be a pisstaking exercise, “Thanks to Sadiq making the 20mph speed limits and putting so many bike lanes in, most traffic crawls anyway. Van drivers have to do something to pass the time.”
‘Oh not these bloody bike lanes again, stuck in traffic…ah well… guess there’s only one thing for it…’
And another one closer to home…
So was the cyclist concentrating on his driving or staring in a cars as he went passed??
— midnightflyer (@midnightflyer4) November 9, 2023
Job cuts and restructuring to take place at Raleigh Bikes as it deals with a "challenging market"
> Job cuts and restructuring to take place at Raleigh Bikes as it deals with a “challenging market”
"I had no idea there was such a thing as a Santander Cycle Hour Record, but I am very pleased there is"
Chapeau Mr Jeffers, as you might have seen earlier, there’s a new Santander Cycles Hour Record… another chapter of incomprehensible sporting achievement has been written.
Can it be challenged? Well, admittedly I’m not sure it will be on Filippo Ganna’s radar for 2024, but someone out there will be up for it I’m sure…
I’m sure there’s @RPcyclists crack team already strategically planning their attempt
— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) November 9, 2023
For now though, you can take the plaudits…
Left_is_for_Losers: “Fair play on the Boris Bike record, that is a great effort — as he says, with limited gears it’s the cadence that’s the issue!”
Steve K: “I had no idea there was such a thing as a Santander Cycle Hour Record, but I am very pleased there is.”
Me and you both…
An all-star Tour de France cast
Chilling in Japan 🇯🇵 @saitamacrite pic.twitter.com/VKZY1UO3jj
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) November 9, 2023
Just the six yellow jerseys, nine green jerseys, 64 Tour stage wins, four World Championships, two Flanders titles, and every Monument you can win, between them…
Wiggle Chain Reaction's sales process launched by administrators, with "considerable interest" shown by potential buyers
Tug-gate: Driver sacked after "urgent investigation"
Now updated with the latest…
> Cyclist catches driver watching adult film and ‘spanking the monkey’ in heavy London traffic
‘How was your day?’
‘Oh, not too bad, just had to launch a masturbation investigation… nothing major’
What a weird day on the internet the 9th of November 2023 will forever be remembered for…
Frothing Facebook groups dedicated to 20mph speed limit bashing learns of time trial ban in 20 zones — and the reaction is as bizarre as you'd expect
You’ll no doubt of heard yesterday’s news broken on this website that Cycling Time Trials, the governing body of the sport in England and Wales, has made the big decision to ban time trials on roads that have a 20mph speed limit.
Despite speed limits not applying to cyclists, the governing body’s decision relates to safety and optics… “CTT would not approve of cyclists overtaking other vehicles which are subject to a 20mph limit and pedestrians would not expect riders to be travelling at higher speeds,” a letter from National Legal Adviser David Guy said.
On yesterday’s live blog we rounded up some of the reaction from cyclists (plus there’s plenty more in the original article), but the story has gone far and wide, even making it into the murky world of Facebook… the groups dedicated to people slating 20mph speed limits, to be more specific.
Such as this from the *checks notes* Action Against Unfair ULEZ CAZ, LTN & 20mph Nonsense group…
There was also some noise from the *checks notes again* Action Against 20 mph Speed Limits group “for all folk who think that 20 mph speed limits are too slow”…
Just brace yourselves for these… (I’ve left them unedited for your enjoyment/despair)…
“There would be uproar if temp road speeds were introduced just to accommodate cycle races when the rest of us have to put up with this crap 24/7”
“Ban them all if its good enough for cars, then its good enough for bikes”
“Should not be racing on public roads anyway, they tried doing road closures around here, there was uproar, telling people to either stay at home or go out between x time to x time etc. Funny a lot of drawing pins and tacks suddenly appeared on the routes they did close, since then it’s been very quiet…”
That particular one coming from the obligatory ‘account with pet dog as profile pic spouting bile about cycling’. Some more?
“Ditch the time trials simple! Have a 20 mph safety cycle. I am sure Drakeford would like to hand out the prizes for safe cycling and staying at a snail’s pace. No accidents, nobody hurt and therefore no time trial. Why have a time trail if it puts cyclists at risk of putting pressure on the NHS? The very thing 20 mph is supposed to stop! I say Time trails are a danger stop them now!”
“The Welsh Government will probably raise the speed limit to 30 mph just for them on the days they want to race.”
“Even the cyclists don’t want to visit Wales anymore!”
Of the more normal reaction and comments we saw yesterday there was a mix of organisers and participants concerned at the impact of the rule on safe time trial courses, something that might push events onto faster, busier roads, making the sport less accessible.
However, road.cc reader Miller commented on our original story: “It’s a bugger, and affects some courses round me, but I don’t think CTT has any alternative. It’s all too easy to imagine the right wing culture warriors gleefully tearing into time trialling on this point.”
There are loads of other considerations and views, of course, which can be found in our original article and yesterday’s live blog…
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Latest Comments
Barry Shitpeas (Philomena Cunk's sidekick) was a very prescient character. Basically a quarter-wit expressing ignorant opinions without any understanding of the issues at hand, with ample doses of Dunning-Kruger.
Never mind the police - many cyclists (at least in the UK) would be totally unfamiliar with a velomobile, so perhaps police can be forgiven for ignorance there. (I've "normal" recumbents and even those cause lots of head-turning). And for "e-things" the tail of the market is very much wagging the dog of regulation. Or rather there's almost zero political interest in that. In an ideal world someone would find the money and time to get the police trained - but I wonder if most of them even keep abreast of things like the highway code wording tweaks? (Do those not specialised in road policing / pursuit driving get any more training than the average driver eg "enough to pass the test, once per lifetime"?)
I thought that the lengthy technical downhill section on narrow roads was a poor piece of organisation. It was inevitable that faster riders with their team car would catch up with team cars of slower riders. Riders passing each other was a bit of a lottery at times. The camera motorbikes struggled to get out of the way at times.
It's not a 'statement' though - it's road.cc's words, based on l'Equipe's interpretation. The actual statement issued on it said that the judge authorised it "guaranteeing strict proportionality between the infringements on the rights of the athlete and the stakes of the fight against doping in terms of fair competition and protection of his health."
Trust me Callum, if you'd grown up watching the Tour in the 1980s, as I did, you would not be hankering after those long flat stages that weren't even as exciting as watching paint dry, it was more like listening to paint dry. As for the supposed benefits of those long TTs, what did they give us? Indurain winning five Tours in a row without winning a single road stage in any of them. As McT says below, you simply can't Pogacar-proof a course and we just have to accept, and enjoy, the fact that we are watching the greatest GT cyclist of all time. Anyway I think it has been a great Tour so far, yes no enormous drama about the inevitable winner (though of course Vinegaard and now Lipowitz have shown us that anything can happen) but just about every day has had a fascinating plot and multiple subplots. Some time in the future there will be another Indurain-style winner, playing it cautious, following moves, making incremental gains and winning without ever lighting up the race and we'll be saying I wish the old days of Pogacar making those spectacular solo breaks were back.
The main issue is the layout of the stages with the bigger climb first then a shallow finish climb. It means pogacar can get a gap at the top of the big climb and then stretch 10-15 seconds to a minute plus at the finish over smaller riders like Vingegaard. A summit finish on the hardest climb might not lead to the most exciting racing but equally would keep the gaps closer. I totally agree with the TT kms though, they should have 60+km tts in the grand tours.
@MaxiMinimalist I mean, that statement makes it sound like they had reason to think those two are doping. Either they didn't follow procedure and are making shit up to cover themselves up or something is going on.
Quite possibly. But the changeover time loss would be a bit more significant if it was done on the flat just after the downhill when the riders are travelling faster, the deceleration, changeover and acceleration loss could easily be around 30 seconds, which is quite a lot of a 34 minute effort.
So Skoda have taken a leaf out of Dung-Old Karen Taco Trump's book and are re-naming something when they have no authority to do so?
@Mr Blackbird Fair points, though I was wondering if doing the climb and descent on a standard bike and swapping to TT for the flat section would have been worth it? Certainly quite a few riders seemed to be having handling difficulties maintaining the best line on the descent with their TT machines.
15 thoughts on “Frothing Facebook group dedicated to 20mph speed limit bashing learns of time trial ban in 20 zones — and the reaction is as bizarre as you’d expect; Santander Cycles Hour Record; Soudal Quick-Step tease Man United for latest loss + more on the live blog”
Got to love social meeja
Got to love social meeja nonsense. It’s noticeable how the concerned drivist (or anti ULEZ or whatever FB warrior) is always so concerned about the pressure being put on the NHS whenever somebody gets on a bike. Remember those passive aggressive signs that appeared in gardens & villages across little Britain during t’pandemic: “Stay at Home! Protect the NHS! (yes you in the lycra clad brigade*,) let alone the local FB group nonsense?
“Why have a time trail if it puts cyclists at risk of putting pressure on the NHS?”
Indeed. I can only confidently assume that this one neither drives – given that traffic congestion will clearly hold up ambulances & KSI stats bear out that “pressure” is being put on the NHS as a result of you know….cars & driving – nor walks, drinks, smokes, uses ladders etc.
* There must be a band or at least an interprative dance troupe called The Lycra Clad Brigade?
The whole FB group is full of
The whole FB group is full of hilarious rants, ridiculous claims, prejudiced views, incitements to commit crime, the usual crap.
hutchdaddy wrote:
Fixed it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I had no idea there was such
I had no idea there was such a thing as a Santander cycle hour record. But I am very pleased there is.
Fair play on the Boris Bike
Fair play on the Boris Bike record, that is a great effort – as he says, with limited gears it’s the cadence that’s the issue!
The Manchester Useless have
The Manchester Useless have lost again?
Aha – I see my calendar says it was a day with D in it
.
Wonder where the record would
Wonder where the record would be at if he hadn’t talked that much…
I can’t look at any of the
I can’t look at any of the anti-cycling BS coming from that andti 20mph group and over the tug-gate incident. My IQ’s dropped hard enough just comprehending it.
Racing events on open roads
Racing events on open roads has been occurring for well over a century. In all that time dangerous incidents have been extremely rare up until recently where riders have been KSI on dual carriageway courses thanks to *checks notes* innatentive driving. To suddenly ban it outright is nonsensical at best.
I don’t give a fuck what statistics say over roads being apparently safer. There are just a massive increase in near misses and non-incidents that could have put people in danger that actually havent. And that is where roads feel more dangerous.
(Wishful thinking to the extreme, but) if every driver suddenly had to take a current driving test in full with no preparation before being allowed back on the roads, nearly everyone would fail. For most, it’s small things, like not keeping up to date on HC knowledge, or occasionally going 2 or 3mph above a speed limit. But for a large minority there would be many major faults.
Matthew Acton-Varian wrote:
Strongly Agree. some of the things you see on the roads daily make you believe a lot of people have never had a lesson, never mind passed a test.
The day of your driving test should be the worst you are at driving throughout your driving career. Anyone who thinks they couldn’t pass a driving test today without any prep work should go and get some refresher lessons before they drive again. The driving test is the minimum standard, for an experienced driver it should be a complete walk in the park.
Patrick9-32 wrote:
Surely you’ve reversed things – it’s minimum speed limits and proving you can achieve maximum test standards – once?
Obviously the driving test is mostly artificial technical standards; after that you can get on with driving like everyone does in reality. Which could be tired, hung over, juggling your coffee and phone, with passengers (your mates / kids / argumentative relatives / pets).
Because “I have to drive”. But nobody “has to cycle” – and anyway this TT stuff is just racing which is also surely dangerous…
Brilliant Santander Cycles
Brilliant Santander Cycles record, chapeau! Just wondering though, considering the humourless cycle-hating brigade at Royal Parks once sent David Millar a warning letter for breaking the Strava record round Richmond Park, how long will it be before they realise Cameron’s top speed of 26mph is well in excess of the Inner Circle limit and take action?
Because there’s so much
Because there’s so much inconsistency in speed limits, there will be higher standard 20-limit roads exempt and lower standard 30-limits that are allowed.
It’s people driving too fast properly set speed limits are there to protect pedestrians and cyclists from, it can’t do that if there’s over 90% non-compliance.
I’ve never heard anyone arguing for 20mph speed limits while complaining about the behaviour of drivers going speeds under 25mph.
ajuk.uk [at] gmail.com wrote:
At the end of the day you’ve summarised it:
It’s people driving too fast.
As usual I agree – clarity and consistency would be a big help. Especially as enforcement is unlikely to carry the day. But rght now speed enforcement is (deliberately) the exception not the rule. THAT is an issue.
As of course (on the “safety and nicer places for the non- motorised” side) are our junction designs and mixing incompatible modes. (Or rather – fixing it for motor vehicles to get everywhere, then saying “of course, you can still walk and cycle in many of those places…”)