“Don’t cycle through Pill without expecting raging locals”: more reports of ‘vigilantes’ making up lockdown rules; Froome seeing “a lot of negativity” over TDF dates; Bianchi named official bike of Giro d’Italia; Rapha facemask + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Geraint Thomas starts his 'Zwift Shifts' to raise cash for the NHS
Right, I’m off! #GsNHSZwiftShifts
Watch me live in my garage here: https://t.co/ObYVECD4Zi
Donate here: https://t.co/V4yNajcmRw pic.twitter.com/BF0uf5CCrt
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) April 15, 2020
The 2018 Tour de France champ has set off on his first of three 12 hour ‘Zwift Shifts’, with a target of £100,000 on his GoFundMe page to go to the Association of NHS Charities. The Facebook live stream is here and you can donate here.
Turning a musette bag into a facemask
Guys, my mom is killing it. She took one of my old @Rapha musette bags and made me this. I’ve never used a musette bag in my life, but I’ll use this to possibly save life. And the pink touches 😂😍 pic.twitter.com/bKBarxSRDB
— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) April 14, 2020
We’ve all heard about celebrities flocking to buy the most expensive commercially-available facemask… but none quite carry the prestige of a Rapha-branded one, obviously.
Everyone’s favourite cycling brand that is renowned for not being very cheap didn’t actually have a part to play in the making of this one now proudly owned by cycling commentator Chris Carlson; rather it was transformed from a musette bag into something more practical for the strange times we’re living in. Is Mr Carlson’s mother sitting on a goldmine? One of his pals thinks so…
You should be able to sell them for $389.99 each with that logo on the front.
— Todd Norbury OAM (Self isolation world champion) (@norbs) April 14, 2020
Frome hints at "big news" from the Tour de France Organisers
Up & at it! Big news coming from @LeTour today 🤞 pic.twitter.com/284B8SLPFb
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) April 15, 2020
We’ll be keeping an eye on this one.
Maybe they’ll be running it on Zwift…Or maybe not. As we reported yesterday the big rumour is that because of the continued lockdown in France the Tour will be postponed until August, with the Vuelta and Giro following on in successive months. Sounds like we’ll be finding out soon.
Marin colouring competition - win your dream Marin
Keep the kids entertained with this colouring competition from Marin, plus they might just win you a custom bike!
Reports that Tour de France set to start on 29th August
Although we haven’t seen official confirmation from ASO yet, the Dutch publication NOS* is reporting that they have ‘confirmed’ Le Tour will start on 29th August and finish on 20th September. That doesn’t tally with reports in Marca that speculated an August Tour de France, September Vuelta and October Giro d’Italia; but with ASO also organising the Vuelta, you’d expect the dates of the Spanish grand tour to be announced alongside the Tour de France. Where will the Giro fit in? It’s anyone’s guess right now…
*We’ve since learned that the original source was Le Dauphine.
Bored during lockdown? Try BMX'ing with an exercise ball on your back
— Out of Context Human Race (@NoContextHumans) April 15, 2020
G's live stream
You can watch the ‘action’ here if you’re really at a loose end…
Christian Prudhomme confirming rearranged Tour de France schedule
Invité dans le JT de 13H, Christian Prudhomme a confirmé le report du Tour de France 2020 du 29 août au 20 septembre prochain #TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/yvODkEp87p
— France tv sport (@francetvsport) April 15, 2020
The director appeared on France TV to deliver the news, with Le Tour now taking place between 29th August – 20th September.
More reports of locals devising their own lockdown rules
— Paul Trollope (@paultrollope) April 14, 2020
We’ll move away from Grand Tour news to more reports of the government’s lockdown recommendations being interpreted in ways they perhaps weren’t intended to be; with the above sign simply telling all cyclists to “go home”… not really the same as the official advice that says cycling outdoors is allowed as part of your daily exercise.
This was put up by a landlord on a popular cycle route in Sundridge Kent. The landlord of the White Horse was also stopping cyclists and threatening to call the police. pic.twitter.com/sR7zELwOA1
— Terry (@Terryreeves1980) April 14, 2020
Terry Reeves on Twitter also claims this sign was put up by a pub landlord in Sundridge, Kent, with another landlord allegedly stopping cyclists and threatening to call the police.
We’ve also been alerted to a letter to the editor on the Bournemouth Echo website, in which the writer claims she has “never seen so many cyclists of all ages out on the roads”, and recommends the police stop them and ask where their home address is; she also wrongly states that (sic) “its only pairs allowed out, not families of 4-8 people, half with no helmets and tiny kids wobbling all over the main road.”
The writer continues to guess that 80% are “well outside their boundaries and are going on family days out”, and claims she saw (sic) “a group of four people cycling from Ringwood down the duel carriageway the other afternoon.”
Cycling on a dual carriageway is legal in the UK.
Riding like it's 1955
Going to celebrate the 1955 traffic levels by doing some panting in villages on this 1954 Ephgrave no.1 pic.twitter.com/6shvORq6Jz
— PJ (@cycling_pj) April 15, 2020
With traffic down to 1950’s levels, why not ride a bike from the same era?
Chris Froome "seeing a lot of negativity" over new Tour dates and UCI schedule
I’m seeing a lot of negativity and despondency on my timeline, I know this period has been tough on all of us, and bike racing is not important in the greater scheme of things. But let’s take hope in that we may return to some sort of normality in the near future @LeTour pic.twitter.com/91XWqIwgmm
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) April 15, 2020
The four-time Tour de France winner is presumably referring to the sceptisism over the new timetable, which will see the Tour de France taking place between 29th August-20th September, with the road world champs set for the end of September, followed by the Vuelta and the Giro. Froome also ssets out the expected schedule in a reply to one of the comments under his original post…
The expected schedule is @LeTour followed by UCI @aiglemartigny20 world championships, @giroditalia then @lavuelta
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) April 15, 2020
Cyclists allegedly warned to expect "raging locals" if they ride through Somerset village
The post on the Bristol Cyclists Facebook page warned that “raging locals” in the village of Pill in North Somerset are preparing to patrol the area, amid claims that cyclists are arriving in droves and “having picnics on the green” on a cycle route that stretches from the village to the city of Bristol.
The post above also refers to “2 miles from home exercise guidelines”, which to our knowledge does not exist in the United Kingdom; the post has now been removed from the page, but was screenshotted and posted on Twitter.
Another post claims that locals have alerted Avon and Somerset Police to the number of cyclists around the area, and that they are “looking into the situation”; road.cc have contacted Avon and Somerset Police for comment.
Cycling UK hosting Lizzie Deignan at 7pm for latest instalment of "An Audience With" series
Host Anna Glowinski spoke to Alex Dowsett and his partner Chanel last week, and tonight at 7pm it’s the turn of one of Britain’s most successful road cyclists. The link to watch on YouTube is above, and you can see the schedule of upcoming interviewees here.
Bianchi becomes official bike of the Giro d'Italia
History, passion, challenge, innovation, Italy. We have so much in common and now finally celeste meets pink. Proud to be official partner of the @giroditalia – and more! #Bianchi #RideBianchi #BianchiBicycles #Giro pic.twitter.com/lm1DVger5T
— Bianchi (@BianchiOfficial) April 15, 2020
Which is all well and good, although we’re not actually sure when the next Giro will be after today’s announcements… but even so, pink and celeste together at last.
Cyclist says lorry driver "hurled abuse" because she was cycling during lockdown
A lorry driver hurled abuse at me while I was cycling during lockdown https://t.co/hmogFd9NC4 pic.twitter.com/03tNF1L7eB
— WalesOnline (@WalesOnline) April 14, 2020
Laura Clements, a reporter for Wales Online, said that the lorry driver began sounding his horn as she rode downhill, causing her to wobble as she looked behind her. The driver stopped further along and objected to her riding during the lockdown, claiming she was creating a risk for the NHS.
Ms Clements continued: “Before I parted ways with the angry driver, I pointed to his protruding belly and asked what he was doing to keep fit and healthy and suggested we should resume the conversation after he had tried some exercise himself.
“With that, I clipped back in and headed back down the road to cycle the three miles home.”
15 April 2020, 08:27
The earlier speculation has now been confirmed, Le Tour will start on 29th August
UCI confirm 29th August as new start date for Tour de France
New start date announced amongst a number of other measures for restarting racing.
15 April 2020, 08:27
The new wheels bring the easy of clincher tyres to a wheel that, in its tubular form, is very popular with Fulcrum’s sponsored World Tour teams
Fulcrum adds Speed 55 DB Tubeless to its wheelset range
55mm deep tubeless carbon disc-brake wheels come in at 1580g and cost €2049
15 April 2020, 08:27
Do you know someone deserving of a new ride? If so, Cyclescheme want to hear from you
Nominations wanted: 13 bikes for “incredible individuals” helping others during pandemic from Cyclescheme and partner brands
We're close to finalising our incredible 13, but are still looking for you to nominate your heroes so they have the chance to win one of two handsome Marin Lombard bikes!
15 April 2020, 08:27
TfL is considering making more space available for cyclists and pedestrians on major roads it controls in the capital
More space to be given to cyclists and walkers on London’s major roads to aid social distancing during pandemic?
Similar proposals to reallocate road space also being considered in Brighton and other cities
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Latest Comments
My convertible mtb uses a Chinese carbon version of the Surley corner bars. Needed a different stem to adjust the position (a smaller frame size would have worked better) converted to 2x from 1x to give a better range for the road. Using the same brakes and shifters makes it a quick simple swap.
@mctrials23 Hmm; Citing data that google suggests is from a single hospital... A hospital that looks to be in the middle of a city so will have a massively disproportionate chunk of said injuries and doesn't get the biggest cause of traumatic head injury (car crashes) because there are far easier to get to A&E departments... (Though will note that the data probably does support investigation, at least into mandatory helmets for children given high rate of beginners etc. Plausibly also supports offering training in schools and building better facilities)
@Mr Blackbird Hmm my goat is clad in carbon-based polymer and has the noted undercarriage certainly, but seems to be missing the jets and screens? Would the Old Billy still seize it do you think? If they find it among a herd of sheep how can I prove it's not being concealed but is a legal Electively Assorted Pally Caprid?
@chrisonabike Will you two please stop panda-ing to one another?
@kingleo They're only imposing the 18+ age limit, raised from 16, on escooters, not legal ebikes. There is no minimum age for riding an EPAC in Ireland.
I thought it was all about the gear ratios?
@chrisonabike These are polarising issues - anyone attending would have known there was trouble bruin.
@VIPcyclist Yes, the live coverage on S4C was a few stages at the beginning and a few at the end. Shame it wasn’t the whole lot. Stage 19 was particularly good live. Setting the record for the fastest time up the Alpe. He went a bit faster than I did a few years ago 😮. Amazing watching Pogačar hit the bottom of the hill with the breakaway over 3min ahead of him. S4C is available to watch again on the BBC iPlayer if you want to rewatch. The adverts seem to be stripped out too 👍🏻. S4C are looking forward to next year when some stages are here at home in Cymru 🙂. Non-welsh speakers can just watch the video I guess. I like it in my own language, but the iOS app ‘Tour Tracker’ is very very good too, especially for time trials. It’s also more ‘live’ than the live video. So, if it announces some sort of incident you can focus on the live feed to wait for it! (Cymraeg is one of the British Isles oldest living languages BTW.)
I paid for my month, first week off work so I wanted proper full day coverage. Enjoyed it, nice to be able to pause live coverage, but then they make you watch the adverts when trying to catch up. Channel 5 for when I was working, alright, less chat. Seemed to use the tnt virtual studio. Already cancelled, of course, but will be catching the TdF femmes until I'm booted off. Even though I could watch the commenwealth games I haven't, I hope the games have done well securing the rights because their viewing figures will be right down, such coverage benefits being on the BBC.
A goat has a carbon fibre fuselage, Pratt and Witney jet engines, hydraulic retractable undercarriage and in flight movie screens, but that doesn't make it a Boeing Dreamliner.
70 thoughts on ““Don’t cycle through Pill without expecting raging locals”: more reports of ‘vigilantes’ making up lockdown rules; Froome seeing “a lot of negativity” over TDF dates; Bianchi named official bike of Giro d’Italia; Rapha facemask + more on the live blog”
Geeze that’s some faff of a
Geeze that’s some faff of a set up in G’s garage… I bet when he had the idea he didn’t realise he’d need all that gear. Fair play to him though, it’ll be great aerobic boosting training and doing some good for the NHS.
I’m not knocking G charitable
I’m not knocking G’s charitable efforts to raise money for the NHS, but wouldn’t have paying taxes in the country that brought him up rather than disappearing to Monaco have contributed far more?
I thought ther guidlines were
I thought ther guidlines were for “brief exersise” so as not to diminish your immune system too? 3 x 12hr sessions is far worse than that 300km ride that triathlete did the other day. There seems to be a lot of hippocracy going around.
With all due respect, science
With all due respect, science has not found any correlations between exercise, regardless of the length or intensity, and immunosuppression. In fact, the opposite has been found. Please check out Dylan Johnson’s (a science based cycling coach) video on the subject for more details.
Don’t most of Inios have
Don’t most of Team Inios have severe ashma and terrible allergies requiring huge amounts of powerful medication. I would have thought taking it a bit easy, getting a bit of exercise but not pushing it.
They must be part of the high risk groups?
I do watch Dylan Johnson,
I do watch Dylan Johnson, very good he is too. And I don’t think long rides effect your immune system if thats what your used to doing. I do believe when you get super fit and trained up for a grand tour or something it’s bound to put stress on your immune system though. Personally I’ve been keeping going as usual’ish (within our Irish 2km from home limit) and even managed a couple of Everesting “base camp” rides in the last week. It’s when people moan at some for doing a long ride or whatever and then see a 100yo bloke walking up and down his garden for hours, someone Everesting the stairs in their house or running a marathon around their garden and they think thats great. Thats what annoys me.
Tim K wrote:
That might be so. Or maybe not. Science doesn’t rely on “I do believe” and “is bound to”.
dogenzenji wrote:
Up to a level of exertion / exercise ( depending on fitness / age / etc.) the body produces an increased number of killer cells, which boosts the effect of the immune system regarding attacks from pathogens. Above that level, fatigue will largely negate the effect.
ahhh, not true? please show
ahhh, not true? please show me the conclusive research that shows direct causation of reduced immune system as a result of lengthy exercise. Hint: you’ll be looking for a long time…
I don’t know if it’s true. I
I don’t know if it’s true. I saw at least 10 different conflicting scientific arguments one way and the other at the begining of this and if they can’t make their mind up how could i? I was talking of the hippocracy of what people are coming out with and the things they consider right and wrong not any science behind it.
Tim K wrote:
Horseriders think they’re above the law.
If the law is not also on a
If the law is not also on a horse, they probably are….
srchar wrote:
The average IQ of road.cc readers seems to be going up!
Tim K wrote:
Hippos are ok, leave them out of it.
Yep, I find it odd that those
Yep, I find it odd that those with the 99% of the money are wanting money off those with 1%. 100k is small change in the world of sport.
People like Lewis Hamilton get paid £75m a year, avoid tax for the NHS and then ask those that pay tax to also be charitable.
I don’t think Lewis “cash is
I don’t think Lewis “cash is king” Hamilton gets irony.
Look at that indignation…
And what about that odious
And what about that odious smug twat Lineker? Or the swamp donkey Lily Allen? Going to Calais to cry and apologise to the refugees ‘on behalf of Britain’. Don’t apologise on my behalf you silly little fuckpig.
ktache wrote:
Good point, so he’s effectively taking money from people who have already been taxed (paid for the NHS) and giving them it as his own lol
That doesn’t look like Monaco
That doesn’t look like Monaco and why pick on him? How about tapping Amazon, Google, Micorsoft etc for the pittance they pay in taxes? Or is it because likeThomas they are following the rules that allow them to avoid paying a fair share?
You’re right about the giants
You’re right about the giants, although it is up to the government to ensure that companies pay their dues. Our governments have repeatedly failed to even attempt to do this.
As for individuals who wriggle out of paying tax in spite of having more money than they can possibly need or use, I have no sympathy when the light shines on them.
G is being used as an example
G is being used as an example, as he is a cyclist, (this is a cylcing forum) who has made a hell of a lot of money and has chosen to live in a tax haven. There’s more who pay experts to find loopholes in the tax system. Remember the little angel Gary Barlow?
Do you have proof that he
Do you have proof that he doesn’t pay UK tax on his earnings?
https://www.dailystar.co.uk
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/golden-geraint-to-quit-britain-18597425
An unnamed source in the
An unnamed source in the Daily Star.
Well, you have set the bar pretty high there.
Living in Monaco doesn’t necessarily absolve you from paying UK taxes.
The fact he has a business here and a family home here means he’s quite likely to pay tax in the UK.
Unless you’re his accountant you have no idea how much tax he pays and where.
Of course, he’s moved into
Of course, he’s moved into the fantastically expensive Monaco because he really enjoys the company of millionaire and billionaire tax exiles, wants them as his neighbours and really wants the chance to bump into the wonderful Phillip Green down the cafe, not to, in any way minimise the quantity of tax he pays.
Maybe he wants to avoid
Maybe he wants to avoid double taxation on some of his earnings?
You don’t know.
You can’t know.
Would you want to pay tax twice on your salary?
The fact that he seems to be UK based for a reasonable amount of time each year and has significant ties to the UK means he likely to be liable for UK tax in some form.
As an aside, people who live in tax havens are another hate group for The Guardian, you’re nicely demonstrating the Pavlovian response common in their readership.
And unless you are his
And unless you are his accountant, you cannot know and it’s pure speculation on your part.
It’s almost as though you don’t even understand your own posts.
You claimed he didn’t pay UK
You claimed he didn’t pay UK tax.
You have no proof of that.
I pointed that out to you.
You made the assertion, hence you need to provide evidence.
Is that put in simple enough terms for you to understand?
So are the residents of Pill
So are the residents of Pill known collectively as Pillocks? Enquiring minds need to know.
“Pillites”, actually (genuine
“Pillites”, actually (genuine fact). You’re welcome.
All together now:
All together now:
“Pill Pill, I love thee still, even though I’m leaving…”
Isn’t the “two miles from
Isn’t the “two miles from home” thing referred to in the ‘lockdown’ legislation in the Republic of Ireland?
brooksby wrote:
I think so yes, also in France, definitely not in the U.K.
brooksby wrote:
I believe it’s two kilometres (1.2 miles), and yes that’s Republic of Ireland not the UK.
Jack Sexty wrote:
There’s also no limitation on the number of times one can go out to exercise. But I’m seeing so many people in the UK, posting to UK cycling groups on Facebook, attacking anyone who writes that he or she was out twice in a day.
Looking at the legisation, i
Looking at the legisation, i’m not sure if I was stopped by a policeman and he asked me why I needed to be taking exercise for the second time that day, I would be in the right
You have to have a excuse to leave your house, any, from the legisation
Restrictions on movement
6.—(1) During the emergency period, no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse.
And excuse can include the need to do something (go shopping)
6 – (2) For the purposes of paragraph (1), a reasonable excuse includes the need—
To take some exercise
6 – 2 (b) to take exercise either alone or with other members of their household;
So I’m not a lawyer or very good at english, but with the guidence that you need to exercise once a day, once a day is fine, twice a day … why, which is why your not allowed to ride a horse, play golf,canoe or any other sport, because you don’t need to do those to exercise …. I think
Where in the legislation you
Where in the legislation you quoted does it say that “your not allowed to ride a horse, play golf,canoe or any other sport” ?
Running is ok but not rollerblading?
This is Buckinghamshire – If
This is Buckinghamshire – If they’re not driving a land rover, they’re riding a horse.
Seen 3 or more several times – seems that riding a horse gives immunity, a bit like being a construction worker and highway’s maintenance.
I believe that it comes down
I believe that it comes down to the guidence that the prime minster gave on Monday 23 March, which the police would use as guidence as to what is needed for exercise, I think that it comes down to the differnce “can” go out for exercise (which is how everybody is reading it) and the mental and physical need for exerise (which is how the law is written), Golf England have closed all their cources because “Keeping golf courses open is simply no longer compatible with the updated policy of government which is designed to save lives in a time of national emergency.”, and if you google “police turn back canoe” you will see some more
Again, I’m not a lawyer
Police round here are putting notices on cars that have driven to walk their dogs “do you need to drive here” as you don’t need to drive to walk your dog, a lot of this comes down need rather than can. if you need to leave the house to go rollerblading, go for it, I think runners will be ok as the prime minister mentioned it in the guidence
Again, I’m not a lawyer, just intereted
Golf courses have club houses
Golf courses have club houses and are not in the category of establishments allowed to be open to the public.
I found canoeists who were stopped from trying to travel to the lake District from Yorkshire, so I don’t think it was the kayaks that were the issue.
Exercise is about solo stuff and avoiding people so anything that fits with that. I’m really not going to take any notice of Gove.
hirsute wrote:
sd
WombleHunter wrote:
I’m not a lawyer either, but the advice I’ve taken (and seen) from people who are, tells me that ‘government guidance’ is not law, and that irrespective of how often you’re abroad, the police cannot tell you that you have ‘exercised enough’.
If they can enforce ‘guidance’, then I await with anticipation, the arrest of those consuming more than 10 units of alcohol a week (or however much it is).
cycle.london wrote:
There’s nothing in the legislation *in England* which says you can only exercise once per day, or for an hour, or within two kilometres of your home.
Yeah but you can shoot
Yeah but you can shoot cyclists on sight, as they are vermin – spreading the plague around the UK.
You’ve got to admit that if
You’ve got to admit that if anyone is going more than 2km from home in Ireland all the way to Bristol they are overdoing it a bit.
When folk make up their own
When folk make up their own rules it muddy’s the water for everybody else, so many people I speak to think that there is a limit on exercise, that you have to stay within a mile or 2 from your house, I’ve no issue with anybody wanting to impose stricter rules on themselves, but this doesn’t give them the right to preach to other folk following the real guidelines, it is also causing a lot of hate and stress
If you’re feeling down at
If you’re feeling down at being locked in, read the Bournemouth article comments; sure raised a smile with me.
(No subject)
Greg Kirkby; the man who
Greg Kirkby; the man who HATES cyclists any day of year (judging by the A369 comment) and tries to use the lockdown as an excuse (poorly worded) to have a go at them. Tucked in under the M5 Avonmouth Bridge (I recall passing through there a few years ago) and judging by his lack of intelligence, it’s a part of the world I’d happily avoid.
Problem is that if you ride
Problem is that if you ride on the A369 shared-use path then there’s no way you can pass another cyclist or pedestrian with two metres’ clearance; you’d be lucky to manage about half a metre’s clearance on some of it.
Given how quiet the roads are, it would make far more sense to ride on the road at present.
(Unfortunately, that probably would be seen as “taking up precious road space” and you’d attract every mouth-breathing f-er pretending that they’re in a car advert so they could make a punishment pass…).
Shades wrote:
By the sounds of it, being fit and healthy gives you a fighting chance against Covid; perhaps Greg and his mates are ‘bricking themselves’ because their unhealthy lifestyles mean it’s something they can’t ‘swerve’ by taking pills, hip replacements, ‘don’t victimise me because of my lifestyle’ etc etc. He could always dig out his ‘treader’, join the #bloodycyclists and get fit; probably unlikely in that he resolutely drives down the A369 rather than cycling.
yeah but the echo commenters,
yeah but the echo commenters, when i put out a video showing me cycling past 1300 cars within a mile of the beach, all i got were ” nearly hitting car wing mirrors’. Funny as ive never seen a car with a wing mirror around here. Door mirrors yes. But the sentence itself shows how old the person who wrote it must be. Ie, a lot of the commenters on newspaper websites are old and retired, or semi so. Naturally hatred of cyclists comes through on there, even though as cyclists, we all know cycling is cool and filtering is legal. I cant be arsed reading through the 200 plus comments on there. Rapid rob seems to have cyclists back though.
Can I just say that that
Can I just say that that “1954 Ephgrave no.1” is a real thing of beauty
Well we now know which
Well we now know which villages to ride through on mass and stop to have a picnic in when this is all over.
I never thought I’d be living
I never thought I’d be living in a time where British Cycling was referring to cycling as ‘a privilege’, and where so many people would swallow the canard that ‘not cycling protects the NHS’. You know, the same NHS that the Tories have been dismantling for a decade.
cycle.london wrote:
And the utter hypocrites like Boris the Liar, gushing his praise for the NHS when he clapped and cheered as they denied pay rises to NHS staff.
If you enter a village where
If you enter a village where the locals are rude or aggressive don’t get upset.
Remember, we’re all in this together so approach them gently, extend your arms and give them a hug. If your feeling a bit continental feel free to give them a peck on each cheek.
The comments section on Wales
The comments section on Wales online is soul destroying
“the last thing you need to not see until its almost too late on a twisty country road, is somebody cycling. “
“If a car comes round a bend at say 50 mph, it is not good to find a cyclist doing about 10 mph right in front of them.”
“THE fact is no one in here actually knows what they are on about.
Covid 19 can travel up to 8 meters in doors and up to 3 miles in outdoor conditions.”
“Cyclists should show some humility and awareness and cycle in clothes appropriate to their 30 minute allowance.”
“There are far too many cyclists on the roads – particularly annoying when there are two or more riding abreast”
“I have health problems and cannot cycle or walk long distance. I would love to go out in my car for a drive through the countryside but I am not allowed to do so. Why should the Lycra brigade be allowed to swan around just as they please.”
‘I wish I could have a jolly
‘I wish I could have a jolly in my car around the countryside (during this global pandemic)’ was the best/worst comment
Priceless collection!
Priceless collection! And somewhat scary in what it reveals about the entrenched layers of misunderstanding and calcified bigotry we are up against.
I think this one goes some way to interpreting the whole lycra rage:
“Cyclists should show some humility and awareness and cycle in clothes appropriate to their 30 minute allowance.”
Angry locals? That’s the kind
Angry locals? That’s the kind of proper apocalypse I’ve been waiting for.
I deliberately take routes
I deliberately take routes that avoid villages where possible. But in the few villages I have went through I have had nothing but positive waves, good mornings and thankyous, etc when I slow down and make sure I give social distance. Its the same with any time there’s been disgruntled villagers at events I’ve done in the past, the vast majority are the opposite of disgruntled.
I rode through some local
I rode through some local villages yesterday, on routes I ride all the time fwiw, never normally a problem with the locals as I rarely see anyone anyway, but now everyone is out wandering round as theres nothing much else to do, and it felt like there was a definite final scene of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) vibe to some of the encounters, that were all well outside of 2metres I wasnt going anywhere near other people and keeping plenty of social distancing, but that combined with the appalling quality of driving and general speeding on the roads, maybe the turbo is the safer option for now.
There really needs to be a
There really needs to be a mass group ride through Pill to mark the end of lockdown, when it comes. A “Pillgrimage” if you will.
This might be a brilliant
This might be a brilliant ruse on the part of the government in that for years they have been telling us to do more exercise, to do at least 2 1/2 hours and so on. Nobody has taken any notice. People stay at home in front of the telly watching programmes on making cakes.
They change the message from “exercise more” to “On no account exercise more than” and everbody is out determined to get every last second of exercise everyday and devising excuses to do more.
A couple of months ago I guarantee you no-one would have known whether there were any cyclists on the Pill cycle path.
someone needs to come up with
someone needs to come up with a crop sprayer type seatpost attachment that can be engaged before cycling through Pill, leaving a fine sanitising mist of dettol 4 metres wide, then everyone can be happy.
Just a quick note to warn you
Just a quick note to warn you that someone in Pill is now scattering drawing pins all over the cycle path at the top of Watchhouse Hill.
I’ve not been affected, but the village FB group has comments about it and how terrible it is (ironically, a lot of them are the same people as were ranting about cyclists a few weeks ago…).
Sigh. Imagine being that sad,
Sigh. Imagine being that sad, cowardly, vindictive person.
True. I think what was
True. I think what was annoying me most about it was all the people saying “It’s terrible!” and “It’s making Pill out to be really unfriendly” and yet those were the same people who only a few weeks ago were ranting about how ‘Evil Cyclists should be burnt at the stake’ (that might be an exaggeration).
I think that all the lockdown vigilantism comes down to “Is this something that I would do?”. Out-group activities, as usual.
So: when these people didn’t think that they would cycle anywhere, it was an evil activity; but now that, you know, maybe they would cycle, suddenly anyone leaving tacks is evil instead.
I do so love a consistent attitude…
brooksby wrote:
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