Boy, 5, given breath test in Taiwan after crashing bike into a Tesla; Lazer’s design-your-own lid comp; Straight Outta Brompton; Triathlete loses virtual race because husband tripped over trainer cable; Cyclist caught riding on M69 + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Get well soon, Prime Minister
"Unbelievable" photo of cyclists in Richmond Park
Cyclists in Richmond Park today. Unbelievable. #covidiots pic.twitter.com/puuBCmhtqB
— AntoineStJustabit (@wellscoates1934) April 5, 2020
Believe it or not, a certain national newspaper was allegedly attempting to make it appear as if a peloton similar to this one was snaking up Box Hill at the weekend using a special camera technique…
Cyclist caught riding on the M69
Yes the roads are quieter at the moment… but no, that doesn’t mean it’s cool to cycle on the motorway as this latest culprit found out, joining our now quite lengthy archive of cyclists who have attempted to seek a quicker route to their destination.
The Leicester Mercury report that a man was seen cycling along the southbound carriageway of the M69 motorway between Leicester and Hinckley on Sunday night, and was aprehended by officers from Leicestershire Police’s road policing unit. He was given a lift home, reported for cycling on a motorway and reminded that it’s illegal, and given an on-the-spot fixed penalty fine.
First job of the night shift was to remove someone cycling along the M69!
He was given a lift and reported for cycling along the motorway. #why #needsanengine— Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) (@LeicsPoliceRPU) April 5, 2020
The traffic officers said they had also seen “more people than ever” taking their daily exercise, and had to engage a lot with groups out on bike rides to remind them to stay at home: “Another busy shift – lots of engagement and explaining with groups off out. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be going out for a ride on your bike.
“Just because the sun is out it isn’t an essential journey.
“We saw more people than ever taking daily exercise and very few cars on the M69.”
Last weekend, a cyclist caught near junction 3 the M60 was reminded by North West Motorway Police that the ride “does not constitute your daily exercise”, but reportedly didn’t understand what the problem was; he was issued with a fine for the misdemeanour.
4iii offer lower prices and longer warranty on all power meters
Precision power meters are now available pre-installed on a single side crank starting at $299.99, and $599.99 for double-sided. 4iii now also offer a three year warranty on all products – prices have indee dropped in Europe too, there’s a Shimano 105 version on sale at Pro Bike Kit we’ve found for £269.99.
What bike is Wilf riding?
Crystal Palace and Ivory Coast footballer Wilfred Zaha has been keeping fit on two wheels while the football season is on hiatus/cancelled (who knows?); but we don’t care about that really, what we do care about is… what bike is he riding? One of the road.cc gang are confident they know what it is. If anyone can get the correct answer in the comments we’d usually send you some road.cc socks as a prize, but that wouldn’t really count as essential at the moment so you’ll just get a virtual pat on the back. You can’t say fairer than that!
Triathlete out of Zwift race... because her husband accidentally unplugged her smart trainer
Two-time world Ironman triathlon champion Mirinda Carfrae was taking part in Ironman’s VR1 Pro Challenge virtual race at the weekend; when towards the end her husband Tim O’Donnell – also a champion long course triathlete – tripped over the power cable of her Technogym trainer, thus ending her chance of a podium spot. She was second at the time of the mishap, and decided to carry on despite dropping off the leaderboard.
‘Rinny’ is now set to race in Zwift’s SRAM Women’s Tour at 11pm BST today, and will be keeping her clumsy husband well away…
Breakfast is served to a cyclist in quarantine
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) April 7, 2020
For any Twitterers out there, cycling out of context is well worth a follow.
Lazer launch design-your-own helmet contest, and the winner gets to see their lid come to life
“Have you ever dreamt of winning your own customised helmet?” ask Lazer on their design-your-own helmet competition launched this week to quell boredom during the lockdown… for us the answer is no, but if you ever have had this rather specific dream then Lazer say they can make it come true.
In the next few weeks, they’re organising a series of competitions with the winners getting their own customised Lazer Bullet 2.0 helmet. It’s a completely blank slate/helmet, and to enter you simply download the blank PDF file and get drawing; you then send it back to Lazer as a jpg or PDF for scrutiny. Lazer believe in these troubling times the comp is about way more than winning a fancy bike helmet, saying:
“In these difficult times we are currently living, some of you have been learning how to paint, others have been busy reading a lot of books, making puzzles… We believe that there are lots of ways to express yourself, the most important thing in life being to stay true to who you really are and not being afraid to show it to the world. Here is a brand new expression field!”
You can enter the contest and start playing around with your helmet on Lazer’s website, and it closes on the 11th April. Keep it clean please…
Straight Outta Brompton: folding bike brand trialling direct home deliveries in response to coronavirus pandemic
Brompton have launched a trial direct-to-home ‘Brompton To You’ service, which gives customers the chance to buy a bike direct from the Brompton factory, and have it delivered to their front door:
“In these uncertain times, where public transport services are reduced or to be avoided, and many people are restricted to essential journeys and limited exercise, a bike such as a Brompton will continue to play a key part in some people’s lives”, so say Brompton.
“In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and having experienced increased customer demand for home delivery due to minimising personal interaction, Brompton will be trialling a new service, called ‘Brompton To You’, in order to keep those essential journeys possible.”
Brompton’s Covent Garden store has remained open as an essential retailer, but says they appreciate many of their dealers are on reduced hours so home delivery is a decent option for many customers. Delivery with Brompton To You is free, you can still get 0% finance and bikes arrive almost ready to ride, with Brompton claiming set-up should take 10 minutes or less – more info over on Brompton’s website.
Start 'em young: brothers training for the Le Tour on 'improvised turbo trainers'
The ‘improvised bike trainers’ using stabilisers and shoes were masterminded by the manager of Pedal Cycles in Ferndown so his boys can train through the lockdown. We’ll see them at Le Tour 2040…
Five-year-old given a breath test in Taiwan after crashing his bike into a Tesla
Some bizarre news coming out of the Taiwanese municipality of Taichung, as the Taipei Times report that a five-year-old boy was reportedly breathalysed by police after crashing his bike into a parked car in an alley.
The owner of the white Tesla that the boy crashed into posted a photograph of the breathalysing, captioned: “The little boy was really brave and faced up to the problem. Luckily, the boy is OK.”
The boy’s parents were reportedly called, before the owner then demanded they come to an agreement to pay for the repairs to his car. Some observers derided the police for breathalysing the boy, while others were baffled why the car owner called the police over the matter; he claims he did so in order to have a police report to send to his car insurers.
The Taiwanese National Police Agency responded to the images by claiming it’s standard procedure, and that everyone involved in an RTA – including those on bikes regardless of age – have to be checked for booze; therefore, there was no misconduct on the part of the officer who attended the incident. It’s reported that the boy’s mother questioned why the breath test was necessary in this instance, and called for the cops to be more flexible.
7 April 2020, 08:45
"I'll have two please"
Starting bid is £16,000 as Passoni auction Limited Edition bike for charity
The Italian brand aims to raise £20,000 to help fight Coronavirus in their home region of Lombardy
7 April 2020, 08:45
The UK is seeing its lowest traffic levels since 1955, when there were seven times fewer cars on the road
UK road traffic falls to lowest levels in 65 years due to lockdown
Traffic returns to levels last seen in 1955 – when there were more than seven times fewer licensed motor vehicles
7 April 2020, 08:45
A four week delay is being considered by organisers
Late July start for Tour de France according to latest reports
Organisers ASO tight-lipped for now, but no logistics problem forecast if race is delayed
7 April 2020, 08:45
Lighter, stiffer, more aero... you get the idea
Giant launch 2021 TCR Advanced – the “fastest TCR ever”
New bikes are lighter, stiffer, and more aero than key rivals, according to Giant – range also includes new wheels and saddles too
7 April 2020, 08:45
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Latest Comments
@robgodd The poor guy himself suffered a traumatic brain injury and his skull was so badly shattered a significant portion of it had to be removed - do me a favour, have a look around cycling helmet manufacturers and see if any of them claim the foam hats they produce will protect against or even mitigate that level of injury. I'll wait if you like, but I can save us both the time and tell you what you'll find: none of them. Not a single one of them will. Because they don't, and they *can't* based on simple physics. Once the point of failure in a material is reached all(or as near as makes no odds) of the additional force beyond that necessary threshhold transfers through to the object beneath. Since bicycle helmets are rated for forces roughly equivalent to being dropped straight down from a stationary start 1.5m above a hard surface. Now, I'm not an expert in vehicle crash investigation, but I'm *fairly* sure that any impact or series of impacts powerful enough to render a quarder of your skull into gravel, put you in a weeks-long coma, give you massive amnesia, and leave you with ongoing symptoms of traumatic brain injury are a little bit, a teeny-weeny amount, a little smidgeon-widgeon more than what bike helmets are rated for. That's why none of the companies that make them claim they will help in such circumstances: because they know it would be a lie, and that unlike uninformed punters, carbrained journalists, or "medical professionals" who think wearing a helmet would save you from a broken arm(an actual scenario encountered by a mate, who's nurse at the A&E tutted and harrumphed her way through his whole treatment due to his lack of helmet despite his bonce having come through *being hit by a car* - another scenario bike helmets are worthless in - completely unscathed), the lawyers for those companies know their business and understand that if you lie in advertising you will get sued into the ground.
The Battle of Ypres April 1915. The German infantry division advanced using das Brumptstadt Fahrarden. The slow speed kept them behind the cloud of chlorine gas as it drifted towards the Commonwealth trenches. The offensive cleaved a two mile gap in the Western Front. The use of cycles was copied by the Japanese as they invaded Singapore and Burmah. By then war technology had embraced wider low pressure tyres, carbon frames and hydration gels. The German forces decided not to incorporate cycling as part of Operation Session, as bike theft in London and the South East was rife and would have caused huge casualties. Ironically superior advancement of tyre technology led to a British victory at El Alamein. This technology played a key part in the US Marines victory at Iwo Jima.
The appropriate response to Google pissing on your cereal is not a fancy new sugar that removes the taste of urine. Stop using Google products where you can. Firefox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine have had noticeable upticks in market share by explicitly NOT pushing AI.
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
I do not wish to diminish the personal tragedy, but one never hear calls for pedestrians or even hikers to wear clothing with integrated lightening rods.
RE Andy Burnam / Heidi Alexander - this is the best thing in many ways - set an example (even if currently it leads to lots of online name-calling). And imagine some of the political alternatives! The folks in the apparently second-placed party seem incredibly unlikely to be doing so. And even the current "new Greens" seem less interested in ... y'know, environmental things. OTOH I wish Heidi could be bolder. And I fear that like anyone ambitious enough to get to the top (exception B Johnson - well, I guess there was the Corbyn bicycle...) Burnam will be trimming his transport policy sails to fit the wind (should that be "bunker-fuel-burning engines"?)
@mattsccm Bull bars aren't banned, they just have to conform to regulations so they are deformable or have plates that allow crumple give on contact, rather than rigid steel bars that can smash into pedestrians and cyclists with no give at all, catch them and drag them under the wheels. If you think that's a problem, do one. Why should who is responsible for a collision remove the responsibility of people driving a tonne of machinery on the road from having safety features to at least mitigate some of the effects of a collision?
I'd be willing to bet that's lazy use of stock photography rather than deliberate misinformation, but the result is still the same.
@smallbeer You obviously don't realise how many bulls there are wandering around Chelsea, in and out of the china shops, that he needs to protect his Range Rover from.
I agree, it's bloody 'elf and safety overreach, can't help some people, I put some meat, sorry, neat decoration on the front of mine and the polis were round poking their noses in like that (mind you, that was a mistake...) (etc)
25 thoughts on “Boy, 5, given breath test in Taiwan after crashing bike into a Tesla; Lazer’s design-your-own lid comp; Straight Outta Brompton; Triathlete loses virtual race because husband tripped over trainer cable; Cyclist caught riding on M69 + more on the live blog”
AntoineJustabit is getting
AntoineStJustabit is getting royally roasted for posting a picture of the TdF and claiming it’s Richmond Park. Either they really are that stupid or they are deliberately stoking hatred for cyclists. What is Twitter’s policy on deliberately dishonest tweets?
Or perhaps it was supposed to be funny?
I’d assumed they were being
I’d assumed they were being satirical, tbh. Pointing out that certain newspapers would publish any old photo if it appeared to support their opinions.
Indeed, tongue was firmly in
Indeed, tongue was firmly in cheek with that post I believe.
He might be better off
He might be better off elsewhere…
Harrogate xxxxxx, what’s the
Harrogate xxxxxx, what’s the Stray looking like after the recent dryish and warmish spell?
The Somme, went through there
The Somme, went through there recently. I reckon it will take a couple of years to mend.
brooksby wrote:
Thanks, you’re right. Self isolation seems to be upsetting my senses, what little of them are left that is.
No problem, I think we’re all
No problem, I think we’re all a bit weirded out at present…
“Never become separated from
“Never become separated from your lunch or your sense of humour.”
As a wise man once told me.
“The traffic officers said
“The traffic officers said they had also seen “more people than ever” taking their daily exercise, and had to engage a lot with groups out on bike rides to remind them to stay at home: “Another busy shift – lots of engagement and explaining with groups off out. [b]Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be going out for a ride on your bike.[/b]”
Non-sequitur at the end there. Why should you not be going out for a bike ride? If that is the “explaining” that they are doing then they have missed the point.
Sriracha wrote:
Agreed. What if the individuals were commuting to (essential) work?
Or shopping for food or medicines?
Or exercising?
All the above are permitted under current guidelines. Sounds like the cops are making up laws again.
If they want to do something useful, I suggest having a word with the twats on motorbikes and in cars who are using the empty roads as a racetrack.
Eton Rifle wrote:
I don’t disagree, but those people are only doing what fifty years of car adverts told them they could do
Just bad journalism from road
Just bad journalism from road.cc- the officers are referring to motorbikes: https://twitter.com/LeicsPoliceRPU/status/1246880670934347777
They should close some
They should close some stretches of motorway so we can use them as exercise spaces 🙂
I fancy the KOM of the descent from J1 to J3 of the M32.
So the Grauniad said earlier
So the Grauniad said earlier (10.38)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/07/coronavirus-live-news-boris-johnson-intensive-care-uk-donald-trump-america-us-praying-recovery-latest-updates
Seems kind of
Seems kind of counterproductive – now, instead of being spaced out through the day, everyone’s going to have to go out at roughly the same times, cramming even more people into the same space.
‘The traffic officers said
‘The traffic officers said they had also seen “more people than ever” taking their daily exercise, and had to engage a lot with groups out on bike rides to remind them to stay at home: “Another busy shift – lots of engagement and explaining with groups off out. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be going out for a ride on your bike.”‘
Unfortunately, going out for a ride on your bike is exactly what’s permitted under government guidelines and indeed recommended by doctors for good physical and mental health. The sad fact is that a significant proportion of police officers are vehemently anti-cyclist and have been using this crisis as an attempt to impose unreasonable and illegal prohibitions on them. I hope any enquiry into the handling of the crisis once it’s over will encompass a review of the way the police have deliberately misinterpreted and overreached their powers.
Here is the tweet in question
Here is the tweet in question: https://twitter.com/LeicsPoliceRPU/status/1246880670934347777
Road.cc seem to have misrepresented. The officer is talking about groups of motorcyclists, and is suggesting being out for a jolly on a motorbike is not essential travel. Poor form from road.cc as usual.
He’s right you know, the
He’s right you know, the tweet actually uses an emoji of a motorbike.
ktache wrote:
… And is reasonably positive about getting your exercise in. Amazingly different in tone when you look at the original tweet.
That said, some police have had a little too much fun with the new guidance. Derbyshire police drone stalking being a good example.
Apologies to that group of
Apologies to that group of cops – very poor reporting Road CC!
Rest of my post stands though – mate of mine out for a 10k spin in his neighbourhood (Kennington) yesterday for exercise was stopped by a cop and told that as he didn’t have a bag so clearly wasn’t going to work or shopping he should go straight home.
I reckon Wilfred Zaha is on
Hey Jack, I reckon Wilfred Zaha is on the classic and underated Ammaco Strada 700c Hybrid. A classic staple, only unlocked on level 24 on Zwift.
And what was the result of
And what was the result of the 5 year olds breath test?
It showed that sober 5 year
It showed that sober 5 year olds are as safe on the road as a Tesla using autopilot
The bike the footballer is
The bike the footballer is riding is an Ammoco.