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Live blog: Geraint Thomas insists cycling among “cleanest sports”, Confused Tory MSP says “bicyclists ride at 30 to 40mph” when there’s a 20mph speed limit, Chris Hoy’s new Flying Fergus children’s book is out this month + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond
Thu, Feb 07, 2019 15:52
SUMMARY
7 February 2019, 15:52
Tributes to Paul Sherwen as hundreds attend Manchester Cathedral memorial service
The memorial service took place in Manchester yesterday of Paul Sherwen, with family, friends and former colleagues joined by hundreds of members of the public to pay tribute to the pro cyclist turned commentator who died in December at the age of 62.
Among those who attended yesterday and paid tribute to Sherwen was Ned Boulting, who worked alongside him when he and Liggett provided ITV’s commentary on the Tour de France.
Thanks to @PhilLiggett and others, an army of folk descended on Manchester Cathedral.
What we will all take home is the sense of a life lived squeezed till the pips squeaked, and a man who cared deeply about his fellow travellers.
I am so glad to have known Paul Sherwen. pic.twitter.com/k3H6d8UmRV
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) February 7, 2019
ITV Cycling also produced the following video as a tribute to Sherwen, covering his career both in the saddle and behind the microphone.
On the day of his memorial service at Manchester Cathedral, a tribute to Paul Sherwen from his broadcast colleagues and friends in the UK.
Archive courtesy of ASO/INA and stills from Graham Watson pic.twitter.com/857ElDKeQd
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) February 6, 2019
7 February 2019, 15:52
This letter to a local newspaper in British Columbia speaks volumes about irrational opposition to cycle lanes
As the writer points out, one felled tree due to a cycle lane being built provokes outrage; 800 chopped down for a road junction, and no-one bats an eyelid.
7 February 2019, 15:52
Dorset community nurses now riding to appointments on e-bikes, inspired by a group trip to Holland
The Nursing Times reports that after shadowing Dutch nurses during a trip to Holland last year, Dorset community nurses have now been given e-bikes to travel to appointments to make them more visible in the community and help to change the public perception of what they do.
Hattie Taylor, from Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust, told the Nursing Times about the trip to Holland, which involved six nurses shadowing six Dutch counterparts: “We followed colleagues that do similar to what we do here, but here we go out and about in our cars and there, because it’s quite flat, they all go out on bikes.
“It felt like you were doing something that was helping you keep fit as well & it helped you to get a bit of fresh air & get a different perspective than you do when you’re just sitting down in car” #NursingNowEngland ambassador @hattierocket on e-bikes https://t.co/sLd57zrUtZ pic.twitter.com/9QLDRZDgPZ
— Bev Matthews RN MSc #NHS (@BevMatthews_) February 6, 2019
“They realised that it was a lot quicker sometimes on a bike than in a car, because you don’t have to wait in traffic and you don’t have to find a parking space, you just arrive. And it felt like you were doing something that was helping you keep fit as well and it helped you to get a bit of fresh air and get a different perspective than you do when you’re just sitting down in a car.”
On their return to the UK the Trust partnered with Fizz bikes who rented them bikes at £35 a month, and the scheme is now fully up an running for nurses in Dorset. Taylor said they’d had a positive response from nurses and patients since the ebikes have been deployed, with the electronic assistance meaning staff don’t turn up sweaty to appointments to boot.
7 February 2019, 15:52
Sustrans raising awareness of car overload on our roads during the school run ahead of The Big Pedal
As many as 1 in 4 cars on the road during the morning peak in England are on the #schoolrun. Closing the streets outside schools to traffic will improve air quality, make the roads safer and more pleasant environments to #walk & #cycle #BigPedal https://t.co/8pk8HSx4eB pic.twitter.com/3SyGMSmUfH
— Sustrans (@sustrans) February 7, 2019
The cycling and walking charity are organising the event that takes place between 25th March – 5th April, with the aim being to get schools competing for who can get as many of their pupils, staff and parents cycling, walking or scooting to school as possible. Find out more here.
7 February 2019, 15:52
Cycling in the Netherlands vs everywhere else
This graphic is a clear example of how the Netherlands caters for cycling, while neighbouring countries aren’t nearly as keen. https://t.co/LatXty892x pic.twitter.com/kXQG37fT51
— Momentum Mag (@MomentumMag) February 6, 2019
This heatmap is pretty telling.
7 February 2019, 15:52
Chris Hoy's latest Flying Fergus children's book is out later this month
Look who’s back! The new Flying Fergus book – The Photo Finish – by @chrishoy is out this month #flyingfergus #chrishoy #kidsbook #cycling #kidsbikes #newadventure pic.twitter.com/CWYIddAedo
— HOY Bikes (@HOYbikes) February 6, 2019
Written by Hoy and illustrated by Joanna Nadin, the latest instalment about the adventures of Flying Fergus is called The Photo Finish.
7 February 2019, 15:52
London politicians out in force to condemn decision to block CS11
Bad news on CS11. Westminster Council’s legal action means
Swiss Cottage junction remains a traffic-dominated menace to people walking & cycling. We’re still determined to reduce road danger in the area, but with WCC continuing to obstruct us, it’ll now take longer than we hoped— Will Norman (@willnorman) February 7, 2019
Will Norman expressed his disappointment at the decision to block work to build the cycle route from Swiss Cottage to the West End, as did Sadiq Khan. CS11 was originally blocked by High Court judge Sir Ross Cranston in September, saying work can’t start until “the cost benefit/analysis is premised on the whole scheme being implemented.” Westminster Council said that its residents were “overwhelmingly opposed” to proposals for some parts of CS11 but argued that despite multiple requests it had not received necessary traffic modelling and mitigation measures from TfL such that it could make an informed decision about its installation. Following this appeal, CS11 won’t be happening as it stands.
Disappointing decision – but blame should be pointed at Westminster Council who continue to block plans for a safer cycling route from Swiss Cottage to the West End. We’ll consider next steps, but time & investment must be focused on boroughs who want to help make cycling safer. https://t.co/7oyjZ2i8Wf
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) February 7, 2019
7 February 2019, 15:52
"Bicyclists doing 30mph or 40mph" in 20mph speed limits, claims Conservative MSP
“If you drive along at 20mph, as a driver, the thing you notice more than anything else is the bicyclists who are doing 30mph or 40mph” – Edward Mountain MSP (Con), lying. @1edmountain pic.twitter.com/I7NM71NlM5
— Calum Cook (@CalumCook91) February 7, 2019
These excerpts from the Rural Economy and connectivity committee are at best frustrating and at worst downright infuriating, perfectly demonstrating the problems we face when trying to promote and implement active travel measures in the UK. This quote from Edward Mountain MSP is arguably the killer quote that will make you want to tear your hair out.
7 February 2019, 15:52
Valverde plans to defend world title in Yorkshire
Reigning @UCI_cycling Road Race champion @alejanvalverde isn’t giving up the rainbow jersey without a fight #Yorkshire2019 pic.twitter.com/tx9mbmO6d6
— Yorkshire 2019 (@Yorkshire2019) February 7, 2019
The veteran wants to attempt a defence of his crown on the tough course… although we reckon a certain Slovakian might have some say in it.
7 February 2019, 15:52
Cycling "one of the cleanest sports around", claims Geraint Thomas
Geraint Thomas: ‘I’m confident cycling is one of the cleanest sports’ pic.twitter.com/EaE0j1tqCd
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) February 6, 2019
While there’s hopefully some truth in what the Tour de France champ says in that it’s much cleaner than it was, you can imagine it didn’t go down so well with sceptics on social media…
— You’ve Been Froomed (@YBFroomed) February 6, 2019
7 February 2019, 15:52
Extra places released for Vélo Birmingham & Midlands 100-mile sportive
Vélo Birmingham sold out in the first instance, but if you missed out first time you can now apply for one of a small batch of extra tickets released ahead of the event on the 12th May. You can also enter the new 42 mile route announced if you fancy a shorter day in the saddle. Link to the 100 mile waiting list is here and 42 mile entries here.
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Latest Comments
darnac 39 minutes ago
Sôme interesting comments from Wright and Stewart about 'losing' thé team élément a bit with thé new format
choddo 6 hours ago
And I don’t know when you wrote this but I think it was published 9 days after Onley was confirmed out of the Tour.
choddo 6 hours ago
Paul Seixas’ team is Decathlon CMA CGM
GravelIsNothingNew 7 hours ago
The best thing about the TTT as Stage 1 is that it emphasises the fact that cycling grand tours incl the TDF are a team sport.
mdavidford 8 hours ago
If you click through and read the story you'll see that the first motorist hit the cyclist, and the second, following, motorist then also hit them while they were lying in the road - both were convicted of causing the cyclist's death.
Rendel Harris 9 hours ago
I may be reading far too much into it, but I felt as though Pogacar and UAE weren't actually that bothered about winning today. Not having yellow to defend and all the extra press etc to do this early in the race is an indisputable advantage; I just got the impression that they were out to lose no more than a handful of seconds but not to bury themselves for the win. With about 2.5kms to go I thought that if Pogacar really wanted it he would have gone from there, but he stayed with Del Toro for nearly another kilometre even though the body language was saying that no way was Del Toro in as good shape as Pogacar. Even after the finish he didn't seem as wiped out as Ganna (whom I don't think I've ever seen quite so shattered) or Jonas. As I say, might be reading too much into it but I would not be surprised if UAE had played a very clever hand not to lose any meaningful time but to avoid the burden of yellow from the get go.
Rendel Harris 9 hours ago
@tomlew It's not his youth so much as his inexperience. He's never ridden a race longer than eight days before. Pogacar won his first Tour, it's true, but he'd already finished a Vuelta. There's simply to much for him to learn and become accustomed to in my opinion for him to have a realistic chance of victory, particularly as he's up against probably the greatest of all time and a double Tour winner, both of whom seem to be at the peak of their powers. It's not entirely beyond the bounds of possibility but he'd need a hatful of luck and something fairly catastrophic to happen to both of those guys before he'd realistically be in with a shout. Don't forget nobody has won their first Grand Tour since Hinault in 1978, forty-eight years is a hell of a lot of precedent.
tomlew 11 hours ago
There is no rational reason for a rider this young not to dominate the race, other than some of us believing this is "not right" based purely on opinion. Younger athletes recover much, much faster. They adapt more easily. They are typically more eager to take risks, which is... well, risky, but could pay off big time if the stars align. Burnout? Yes, that is a risk. But it's not a given. See how long Leo Messi has been absolutely top-notch. The risks are high, but the potential is even more so. And even if Seixas does burn out early, it may just be his choice despite the awareness of the risk. If I were a prodigy cyclist youngster with a realistic shot at winning, I might take it even if I knew it might be the end of my career. After all, it's winning the TdF we're talking about!
tomlew 11 hours ago
@Rendel Harris Let's turn this around. One can hack their electronic shifting and nobody will believe them!
Davidb67 12 hours ago
I’m confused: “ A driver who took a selfie, watched videos and sent messages at the wheel before killing a cyclist was jailed for five years, whilst a hit-and-run motorist who subsequently struck the same rider….” How does that work? Resurrection? Did the poor unfortunate cyclist recover from his/her case of death, only to be hit by a motorist again? Please, I don’t mean to make light of either case, merely to point out the poor/lazy journalism….
8 thoughts on “Live blog: Geraint Thomas insists cycling among “cleanest sports”, Confused Tory MSP says “bicyclists ride at 30 to 40mph” when there’s a 20mph speed limit, Chris Hoy’s new Flying Fergus children’s book is out this month + more”
So Sir Hoy of Chris was not
So Sir Hoy of Chris was not unique, come on BC pull your fingers out!
When a commentator of the
When a commentator of the quality of Sherwen is silenced it’s genuinely like losing a best mate. His impact in keeping this sport alive in this country can’t be understated. Certainly responsible for educating me about the idiosyncracies of the TdF and road racing in general, I wouldn’t be the fan I am today without him.
So MSP’s are just as thick
So MSP’s are just as thick and dishonest as MPs?
What a lying ratbag. Anyone who voted for him should be ashamed of themselves.
“If you drive along at 20mph,
“If you drive along at 20mph, as a driver, the thing you notice more than anything else is the bicyclists who are doing 30mph or 40mph”
If you see someone doing 30mph. say hello to Sir Bradley Wiggins for me. If you see someone doing 40mph. you had better hope you are not breathalysed.
Oh, and almost as implausible
Oh, and almost as implausible as the idea of commuter cyclists reaching 40mph is the notion that the MSP and his presumed audience ‘drives along’ at 20mph.
Also the fact that he notices these cyclists “more than anything else” suggests that attaining warp-factor turbo-nutter-bastard makes cyclists safer – as it apparently makes them ultra-visible!
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
Agreed, I might start trying to ride everywhere in the style of a Caleb Ewan sprint, apparently it’ll make me more visible (conspicuous possibly)
Funny thing, perception of
Funny thing, perception of speed. There’s a stretch of dual carriageway with a 30mph limit on it on my commute home. It’s a bit downhill and so I can get my bike up to 30mph. The cars are come steaming past me, and then I get ground rush because they all pull in front of me and hit the brakes becuase there’s a speed trap. One of these days, I’ll get a clear run, a tail wind and I’ll bury myself and get the speed traps to go off and catch one of them 🙂
Schroedinger’s cyclist.
Schroedinger’s cyclist. Simultaneously holding you up and breaking the speed limit!