Police in Forest of Dean send group of seven mountain bikers back to Wales for lockdown rule breaches

Do 7 people out of roughly 3million cyclists in the UK really represent a whole demographic?

And for comparison there were more than 7 people cheering the arrival of a bus at a football ground yesterday,and no one really seems to be having an existential crisis about that, in fact the police in attendance there claimed they were all socially distanced...

Hi Awavey,

Do 7 people out of roughly 3million cyclists in the UK really represent a whole demographic? = No

I agree, but that wasn't the point I was trying to make, sorry if I am not clear.

I would prefer if road.cc would not always seem to go easy on/ side with people purely by the fact that they ride a bike. It seems to deny the possibility that people (and that includes cyclists) can make poor decisions, be wrong etc. There isn't really evidence to show that these 7 had a good reason for breaking the rules. I am not sure why I need to reply / consider cases of other groups/sports where people have also broken the rules in order to justify why I thought road.cc should stick its neck out a bit and condemn it.

I am unsure about the 'existential crisis' bit you mention: I am personally aware of the crisis that Health & Social Services are in and one of the key ways to support is not increasing risk or likelihood of adding to the strain to NHS. So last time I looked - 7 people going MTB'ing on trails a long way from home would most likley include some full gas trail ragging and egging on etc. This is not quite the same as staying local and taking care. We have services as breaking point and only following the rules you want is dragging this whole thing out and risks busting the NHS + .....

I am also keenly aware as most here should be, that a lot of media outlets will wave incidents like this whilst foaming on about 'cyclists' which feeds and incites (wotw) knuckledraggers in vehicles to justify dangerous attitudes towards anyone riding a bike. We are not on a level playing field and most covidiots who like football do not face the same level of risk if they act dumb. In fact most media will clearly define the hooligan from the fan whereas in cycling anyone over the age of 7 is fair game. Therefore, it makes sense to the rest of the demograph that road.cc point out what a dumbass decision the riders made. That way there is clear water between people & idiots and that 3 million people are not all in the same pigeon-hole.

The only thing I got out of the article is the gaping lack of clarity and consistency in the current regulations, along with inconsistent enforcement.

The article didn't defend the group concerned and pointed out the regulations they breached.

I'm not sure even road.cc could reach the demograph of these MTB'ers!

The thing I got was that 7 males thought that as there was potential lack of clarity between regulations and enforcement and thought there was opportunity to break the law and have some fun. Yes, road.cc did point out the issue with the lack of clarity and sat on the fence with regards to the intent and consequences. Anyhoooo, why can't they have an opinion on things that put us all at risk? The NMOTD has been going for some time and quite rightly points out the pointy end of poor attitudes (as well as carelessness) from drivers. But, what reinforces negative attitudes towards cyclists = shoddy biased journalism. And the pointy end of 7 people crossing 'borders' and trying to weave through vague regulations is that it means more people (inc cyclists) will suffer/die directly from Covid and indirectly because the frothing bigots will feel its ok to continue with punishment passes & shunts because anyone on a bike doesn't care about rules yadda yadda. The fact that road.cc hasn't even asked the question whether this act puts more of us at risk was an open goal.

I am generally quite typical in where I personally come from with regards to laws and guidance and whether it is useful in the real world or not - I'm happy to debate and fence sit and throw in 5 different presumptions to liven things up. But, people are dying and suffering long term health consequences and staff in services are run ragged, this shouldn't be about poking holes in laws and rules. We should be trying to do things and have a 'reasonbly clear' conscience.

EG: I dont feel I have issue about Boris cycling 7 miles from home, it's not far but he might struggle to walk home if he has a mechanical. He's got weight to shift and it may not be as safe riding around that part of London where he lives. It's just cheap shot journo's looking to bait.

Not sure what your statement about MTB demographs is saying, that they don't read road.cc or are too thick?

Also, I'd suggest not wearing a club top as it clearly shows where you're from, and there may be questions asked if you're spotted a way away from home.  Don't personally care, but you know what people are like...

PRSboy wrote:

Also, I'd suggest not wearing a club top as it clearly shows where you're from, and there may be questions asked if you're spotted a way away from home.  Don't personally care, but you know what people are like...

I've got a club top from Dubai but I didn't ride from there to go cycling in Yorkshire.  I know what you mean though, some people are too thick to realise that just because it says "Dubai" on the top doesn't mean you rode from there.

One thing that three lockdowns has taught me is that I never knew there were so many large households of middle aged men who all enjoy cycling!

Either i havent been out at the right time, not been out enough (latter is definitely a possibility) or the people around here are following the rules at the time. The most I have seen in a group (and it was distanced for most of it) was 5. And that was in the summer when the rules were more lax. 

Likewise, whilst I have been pleasantly surprised by the large numbers of people out cycling I have not seen any club rides, nor even groups of cyclists. The vast majority are singles, and a good number of couples.

Now you mention it, I have only see single riders or 2 riders out.
I did see a family covered in mud though as none of them had mudguards !

Joe Totale wrote:

One thing that three lockdowns has taught me is that I never knew there were so many large households of middle aged men who all enjoy cycling!

That's the BikeSectSureAll Community.

Generally it's a platonic relationship formed around the love of all things cycling. They all live alone in sheds, but can form a support bubble under the current regulations.

Though I've heard a fair few moans from the usual moaners in my club, I've not seen any club rides or obvious rule breakers in my local area. No doubt it happens and shame on them, but I feel the need to balance out the "everyones breaking the rules" rhetoric on here and in the media. Most aren't.

Rick_Rude wrote:

A lot of cyclists aren't doing themselves any favours

I think you mean people.

Many people are following the rules but some are not. They may be driving, running, shopping, cycling and so on.

As with everything, there are law-abiding people and idiots (#covidiots). Like the teenagers from Ellesmere Port who travelled to Snowdonia in order to climb snow-covered Tryfan in the dark - a guaranteed call-out for the Ogwen mountain rescue team.