Welcome to the Thursday live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team…
Live blog: NYPD tickets cyclists heading to memorial ride for hit-and-run victim, Tour de Yorkshire stage winner flies flag (literally), Anti-fracking protesters chant “You’ve sold your soul, you’ve sold your sport out” at Team Ineos bus + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Thu, May 02, 2019 18:42
SUMMARY
2 May 2019, 18:42
Dan Lloyd approves of our new General Cycling Nonsense feature
Touché
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) May 1, 2019
For some reason or another…
2 May 2019, 18:42
'Pure Skills'
Peter Sagan’s wheelies? That girl who does tricks while riding the rollers? It all pales into insignificance compared to the skill and endeavour of this gentleman riding through the Greater Manchester suburb of Leigh with a fireplace around his neck, spotted by April Fillingham. Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Ms Fillingham said:
“I was in my friend’s car when I saw this guy riding down the road on a bike with this massive fireplace. We had to turn back and take a better look. It must have been really heavy but he had this massive smile on his face.
“It was pure dedication. He must have really wanted that fireplace.”
2 May 2019, 18:42
It's #bikesatpollingstations time
I couldn’t persuade Charlie Cat to join me for #CatsAtPollingStations so it was just #BikesAtPollingStations for me! @LovetoRide_ @TreasuryMog @roadcc pic.twitter.com/16km1TFjDM
— Rob Bounds (@rob_bounds) May 2, 2019
Voting in local elections has been happening this morning up and down the country, and as well as feline and canine friends some have been using it as an opportunity to take their two-wheeled friends along too…
2 May 2019, 18:42
The protests against fracking and Team Ineos have begun
The anti fracking protest is growing in size at the #TdY start in Doncaster #BBCTDY @RadioHumberside @looknorthBBC @BBCYork @BBCSheffield pic.twitter.com/4ZT3WlwaUe
— Andy Comfort (@andycomfort) May 2, 2019
The race has barely begun yet the protestors are out, making their frustrations known.
We’ll keep an eye out for roadside protests and amusing helicopter shots when we get live pictures at 1pm.
2 May 2019, 18:42
Your TdY Stage 1 Winner...
Today some of the team are helping our Selby colleagues engaging with crowds @letouryorkshire …. Sgt Leach has already finished the race …. Well ahead of the pack …. #TDY #community #engagement pic.twitter.com/evjHbtWgzs
— NYP York South (@NPTYorkSouth) May 2, 2019
…is Sgt Leach of North Yorkshire Police! But how did he train for such a historic win? Well…
2 May 2019, 18:42
Success hasn’t changed Connor one jot…
The British road champ is still proper Yorkshire, as you will see in this video courtesy of his team Madison Genesis. The Tour de Yorkshire began today, with Swift hoping to add some stage wins to his already impressive CV.
2 May 2019, 18:42
Faith in humanity = restored
We’re always glad of a good news story, and particularly one where someone gets their stolen bike back’ the suspects have been arrested too.
2 May 2019, 18:42
"You've sold your soul, you've sold your sport out"
Anti fracking protests outside the Team INEOS team bus at the start of the @letouryorkshire in Doncaster #doncaster #TDY #TdY2019 @DonnyFreePress #fracking @SheffieldStar pic.twitter.com/peFodI2Wo4
— Sheffield Star in Pictures (@pictures_star) May 2, 2019
Things aren’t so cheery down at the Team Ineos bus. The full quote from the most vocal man in the middle: “It’s unlawful, they’re trying to buy the law here. We’re checking them out. You’ve made the wrong decision here. I’m a cyclist myself and you’ve sold your sport out, you have, you’ve sold your sport out! If you think this is the end of it, you’re wrong!”
2 May 2019, 18:42
Meanwhile, here is Chris Froome's new Pinarello Dogma F12 race bike
You probably saw the news about Pinarello’s brand new Dogma F12 yesterday, well here today is Chris Froome’s brand new race bike. We’ve taken a bit of a detailed look at the new bike the equipment that sets his bike apart from the peloton. What do you think of the new red livery as well?
Read about Chris Froome’s Pinarello Dogma F12
2 May 2019, 18:42
Tour de Yorkshire: Team Ineos controlling the race
A mixture of @TeamINEOS & Nic Dlamini of @TeamDiData have been keeping the break in check. 80km to go and the lead is just 1 min 20 seconds. #TDY pic.twitter.com/DwTjhvsz0H
— Tour de Yorkshire (@letouryorkshire) May 2, 2019
A small break has a lead of just over a minute, but it’s the new red and black jerseys dicating the pace of the peloton.
2 May 2019, 18:42
Ee bah gum, that looks grotty!
The breakaway at Howden during a heavy downpour – #TDY #Stage1 pic.twitter.com/eLIPyaPa8n
— British Cycle Sport (@VeloUK) May 2, 2019
It’s a lovely spring day in Yorkshire…
2 May 2019, 18:42
Perhaps this needs a rethink...
“Is the glue on the stickers waterproof?”
“I think so.” pic.twitter.com/2R1vvgJdg7— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) May 2, 2019
2 May 2019, 18:42
Bad weather. Awesome Photography
Proper @letouryorkshire #photography alert @TeamDiData rider Nicholas Dlamini #TeamSWpix @_AlexBroadway_ follow the race all on https://t.co/pZvqP4zLef pic.twitter.com/7TvU8JfmnC
— simon wilkinson (@swpixtweets) May 2, 2019
The weather may be bad on today’s stage of the Tour of Yorkshire but it has brought out the best in Alex Broadway. He managed to make the weather look quite beautiful.
2 May 2019, 18:42
Tour de Yorkshire stage winner flies the flag - literally- as he crosses line
Roompot-Charles cyclist Jesper Asselman flew the home flag – literally – as he crossed the line in Ripon this afternoon to win a rain-drenched stage of the Tour de Yorkshire from the break, with the peloton breathing down his neck but just unable to make the catch.
The Dutch rider, whose only previous pro win came at the Ronde van Drenthe in 2016, rode by the barriers on the right hand side of the finishing straight to overhaul his riders from the break – and somehow managed to inadvertently pick up a spectator’s blue Yorkshire flag with the white rose at its centre.
2 May 2019, 18:42
NYPD tickets cyclists headed to memorial ride for hit-and-run victim
We’ve mentioned several times recently on road.cc how the New York Police Department’s standard response to the death of a cyclist on the streets it patrols is to ticket riders in the ensuing days – at times, for ‘offences’ that don’t exist, such as not wearing a cycle helmet, which is not legally required for adult cyclists there.
But now it’s emerged that ‘New York’s Finest’ reacted to a cyclist being killed by a hit-and-run truck driver a couple of months ago by issuing fines to people heading to a memorial ride for her.
Aurilla Lawrence was killed on 28 February, and the actions of NYPD officers following her death have led her father, Kenny Lawrence, to pen a heartfelt piece for Gothamist in which he calls on the city’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, to protect cyclists.
“On February 28th, 2019, my daughter Aurilla Lawrence was struck by an oil tanker truck near the intersection of Broadway and Rodney Street in Brooklyn,” he wrote. “The driver attempted to pass Aurilla and came back in on her causing her to lose control. She ended up under the wheels of his truck.
“This driver took my daughter’s life, and he didn’t even stop. He left her to die alone on the street as he continued on his way.”
He went on to say: “Far too many families have had to bury a loved one this year because of unsafe streets and reckless drivers. Nothing will bring her back, but at the very least Mayor de Blasio ought to be doing everything in his power to make sure nobody else’s family has to go through what mine has.
“But they’re doing the opposite. I was furious to learn that the morning after Aurilla was killed, police were out giving tickets to bicyclists on the same block where she was struck. The truck driver was the one who killed my daughter and fled the scene, so why were the police out on the street treating cyclists like criminals? Did Mayor de Blasio not understand that many of these cyclists who were being targeted were actually headed to a memorial ride in honour of Aurilla?”
In conclusion, he said: “It’s impossible to feel that way if you live in fear that you might get run down every time you get on your bike. But Aurilla was a fearless bicyclist. Mayor de Blasio, please honour her by being a fearless mayor and doing everything you can to eliminate all this senseless death.”
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of road.cc including tech, news and video, and also contributed to ebiketips before being named editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town, and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master’s degree in print journalism, and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it’s a long story).
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Latest Comments
Blackthorne83 18 minutes ago
@Mr Blackbird where can I find photos of this study? Asking for a friend.
mctrials23 29 minutes ago
@Gd29 I was waiting for the classic "why don't we just ban driving completely by reducing the speed limit to 5mph or 0!" argument and here it is. The statistics are very clear on the benefits of reducing the speed limit from 30-20mph. It doesn't remove bad driving but it mitigates the damage. It also makes fuck all difference to journey times. Everything with driving is risk vs reward. Sure, dropping it to 10mph would save a lot more people but it would make travel by car ridiculous and have minimal benefit vs 20mph. The reward wouldn't be worth the cost.
chrisonabike 31 minutes ago
@Gd29 "Speed limits are an ineffective tool when the problem is drivers not driving in an appropriate manner for the conditions and environment. Those drivers weren’t following the speed limit and/or paying sufficient attention anyway!" That is a question, not an assertion. What are the relative numbers of drivers who are eg. "don't care" criminals who may never have taken a test or are happy to take life, how many are "criminally negligent" eg. may have a licence and not intend to break the law regardless, but just aren't fussed about basic safe driving (maybe regularly drive while tired, never slow down when conditions require), how many are just normal humans (who occasionally make unfathomable mistakes)? What are the relative rates of collisions? What are the casualty outcomes? What effect does simply changing a number on a sign have? If any, why? (There's the psychological "anchoring effect", if 70% of people *are* below the limit does that slow down others, do the "don't cares" maybe just overtake dangerously (but would they anyway? ) ) etc. Reduced speed is a mitigation in that it leads to better outcomes in collisions, that's a known I believe. IIRC there's also agreement that it can mean that fewer collisions happen as there's more time to react. "If that is the problem and you don’t deal with it, but you want to keep reducing injuries/fatalities, you have to keep dropping speed limits until you prohibit road use entirely" "If" (plus as noted other safety measures are available)
jaymack 42 minutes ago
@Rendel Harris - I think that driver must live near me.
chrisonabike 43 minutes ago
@Gd29 it's good to "point out potential abuse of stats - and for "keeping it concise for the public" no doubt some measure of "lies, damn lies and statistics" applies. But unless you have your own analysis / evidence, this may sound like a "just asking questions!" rhetorical tactic.
chrisonabike 47 minutes ago
@Gd29 exactly what variables / controlled experiments would suffice to convince you, and then how would you believe that would still hold in "real world" situations? We all know there are excellent ways to stop motoring-related KSIs - one being stop humans operating vehicles) but that isn't normally seen as realistic. Then there's another "remove the hazard" approach eg. completely isolate motorists from vulnerable road users (and "footways" alone might not be sufficient, as more people are killed there most years by drivers than eg. by cyclists in total, although that fact doesn't say much ). Though that by itself doesn't address motorists killing themselves / other motorists. Currently the UK - like many countries - is mostly doing a "remove the vulnerable road users" approach, partly by design but mostly indirectly by prioritising convenience for motoring (including journey time, which is seen to involve higher speeds).
jaymack 47 minutes ago
Do you really need an AI tool to tell you that 80% of a cyclist's drag is the rider or that getting in a more streamlined position you'll reduce drag etc.? Fabulous for the professional riders who use this site but for the rest of us our money would be better spent on yoga or pilates classes to help you hold a more streamlined position in the first place.
robgru76 58 minutes ago
Of course drivers need to be responsible and take care but we are in danger of getting a bit high and mighty when police raise issues like this. Since the clocks went back last weekend, I have been commuting home this week in the dark for the first time this year. I am gobsmacked by the number of cyclists I see who have no lights and no reflective gear, often with no helmets either. It's common sense to take precautions and we've got our head in the sand if we pretend all cyclists are taking appropriate steps to protect themselves and others.
chrisonabike 1 hour ago
@mdavidford was about to ask them if they thought the law should also been changed to ban the LAs from doing that, so as to save money...
M20MAMIL 1 hour ago
@Rendel Harris sentencing is Monday. 15 yrs minimum (not premeditated) but multiple aggravating factors. 20+ feels appropriate
18 thoughts on “Live blog: NYPD tickets cyclists heading to memorial ride for hit-and-run victim, Tour de Yorkshire stage winner flies flag (literally), Anti-fracking protesters chant “You’ve sold your soul, you’ve sold your sport out” at Team Ineos bus + more”
Fireplace? Should have been
Fireplace? Should have been on a tandem with a stoker.
I’ll get my hat.
Typical, just when everyone else starts to realise that bicycles are the answer to pollution, this clown rides a coal-fired one. This has set cycling back fifty years as a green form of transport.
I bet he’ll sleep like a log
I bet he’ll sleep like a log tonight
I once saw someone cycling
I once saw someone cycling along with another bike over his shoulder.
He must really hate fixing punctures at the roadside!
I’m loving the look of
I’m loving the look of unrestrained joy on Sgt Leach’s face.
Can we check the spelling on
Can we check the spelling on soul out please? Unless they’ve actually been selling their shoes or Ineos have moved to selling fish
Fireplace guy must be on a
Fireplace guy must be on a hot lap….
…. I wonder if he’s wearing
…. I wonder if he’s wearing a hearth rate monitor?
shutuplegz wrote:
So fast, he absolutely flue past!
I can’t lose that image of a
I can’t lose that image of a blood transfusion bag in the same colours as teh kit with the tag line IntravIneos. Not that I have an axe to grind re Sky and doping or Ineos for that matter. Frankly. money into the sport is all for the better.
I’m at Doncaster station and
I’m at Doncaster station and bumped into a couple of elderly anti fracking supporters both holding their banners and wearing the tshirts.
Good luck to them
‘Peddling Plastic’ protestor
‘Peddling Plastic’ protestor in her pink microfibre fleece and plastic rucksack, demonstrating the challenges we all face. Don’t want to use plastic, but it makes such useful stuff!
Drinfinity wrote:
I suspect that may be our civilisation’s epitaph…
brooksby wrote:
On a similar topic, there have been umpteen reports on BBC R4 about climate change and the current wave of protests, almost always including electric cars, but as yet, not a single mention of cycling that I’ve heard. Nice to see their decades old policies are still in force and bicycles are still not allowed to be mentioned.
Drinfinity wrote:
Drinfinity wrote:
Well said. Whilst nobody these days can deny the problems plastic is causing, it is always galling to see protesters ignorant of the subject they are protesting about.
I am glad that the TdY are
I am glad that the TdY are doing their bit for equality and getting a man in a dress to present the race winners award.
Can I just say, I love
Can I just say, I love fracking!
alansmurphy wrote:
I agree – definitely one of the most positive things being done at the moment.