Welcome to Thursday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Team Ineos doctor gives Chris Froome medical update; Bike cop nabs fully tooled-up bike thief; Halfords predict ‘e-bike revolution’ in UK thanks to new C2W scheme guidance; Moving a whole office by cargo bike +more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Thu, Jun 13, 2019 17:09
SUMMARY
13 June 2019, 17:09
Cargo bike > removal van
We missed this one first time around, but here’s the cycling and walking charity Sustrans doing their whole London office move using e-cargo bikes. They did it with help from cargo bike taxi and logistics service Pedal Me, who you can find out more about here.
13 June 2019, 17:09
Cycling Mikey's stand-off: video gains over 100,000 views overnight
The video via Cycling Mikey on yesterday’s live blog is going viral, garnering hundreds of comments on YouTube, Reddit and road.cc amongst others. Although some commenters appear to be taking issue with the vigilantism, most were fully on the side of ‘Bike Gandalf’s’ actions…
13 June 2019, 17:09
Froome out of the Tour de France - interview with Dave Brailsford on BBC, and reaction from around the web
First outing on @TrekBikes speed concept, happy with how my day went but feeling for Froomey after his nasty crash. Heal well matey! @TrekSegafredo @GettySport pic.twitter.com/LcfgNvLxaA
— Richie Porte (@richie_porte) June 12, 2019
Unfortunately Froome won’t be going for a fifth Tour de France this year, after a horror crash at speed when he took his hands off the bars to blow his nose caused multiple fractures (most notably the right femur and right elbow).
Chris is in surgery at the moment to repair the multiple fractures, please keep him in your thoughts. I hope to be able to share a message from him tomorrow morning – MF
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) June 12, 2019
Froome underwent surgery last night, and his wife Michelle is currently updating us from his Twitter account and we hope to get some better news this morning. The BBC interviewed Dave Brailsford about the crash on their Bespoke Weekly podcast here, he said: “It’s a big crash this one, it’s not great.
“It’s a tough one to be honest, he’s not in great shape.”
Brailsford revealed Froome was riding with Wout Poels, and as he hung back to blow his nose, a gust of wind took his front wheel and he went straight into the wall of a house – he also lost consciousness. Brailsford said Garmin data shown Froome went from 54km/h to a “dead stop”. Brailsford also praised the emergency services immediately after the crash, and luckily there was an ambulance very close to where the incident happened.
Here’s a few more reactions from around social media…
Everyone across INEOS is wishing @chrisfroome (@TeamINEOS) a speedy recovery following his crash during a recon of yesterday’s TT stage @dauphine. https://t.co/UjfZN6KIrn
— INEOS (@INEOS) June 13, 2019
Absolutely gutted for @chrisfroome. But if there is one thing we know about Froomey, it’s that he will be back from this. July won’t be the same without him that’s for sure. https://t.co/2KCehiuuTq
— Tao Geoghegan Hart (@taogeoghegan) June 12, 2019
Such crap news!! It’s always horrible hearing about any bad crash, but even worse when it’s a good mate!! Heal up quick!! #he’llbeback https://t.co/E61vKv1cPp
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) June 12, 2019
13 June 2019, 17:09
Froome undergoes successful 8 hour surgery, according to latest reports
According to L’Equipe, Brailsford said Froome underwent a successful eight hours of surgery last night. Some of the fractures were open and there were also some internal injuries – further updates when we get them.
13 June 2019, 17:09
Cycle to Work scheme £1,000 cap scrapped - Halfords predict e-bike revolution, as they reveal their e-bike sales are up 47%
If you haven’t read our article on it yet, Cycle to Work schemes in the UK have just got a whole lot more flexible with the Department for Transport’s new guidance, making it clear that bikes worth over £1,000 will now be far easier to get on C2W.
One particular genre of bike that is almost impossible to find at the sub-£1,000 mark is electric bikes, and retail giant Halfords is predicting an ‘e-bike revolution’ thanks to the relaxation of the cap – and they say their own e-bike sales are up 47% and account for 11% of their total bike sales, most likely thanks to the C2W expansion. They also recently commissioned research that predicted e-bike sales in the UK will jump from 50,000 today to a whopping 1.5 million by 2050 (read more about that over on eBikeTips)… someone really wants to flog you an e-bike, don’t they?
13 June 2019, 17:09
How to submit camera evidence to the police
You wanted to know, so here’s how in our handy guide here.
13 June 2019, 17:09
Father's Day tips...
13 June 2019, 17:09
Number of Birmingham cyclists killed or seriously injured at record high, according to latest stats
Government figures have revealed that 280 cyclists were injured on the roads of the second city in 2017, and one in five (58) were killed or seriously injured.
The highest total number of incidents records was in 2014, at 287 – but the number of serious incidents has steadily rose since 2013.
Speaking to The Birmingham Mail about a perceived rise in dangerous driving around cyclists, Joshua Harris of the Brake road safety charity said:
“Cycling is one of the healthiest and cheapest ways to get around and everyone should be able to cycle every day without fear for their own safety.
“Yet our research has found that even drivers think dangerous driving around cyclists has increased in recent years, and with 10 people cycling being killed or seriously injured every day, more is clearly needed to be done to keep those on two wheels safe.
“Whilst the government’s actions to encourage more people to cycle and keep them safe are welcome, they must go further.
“We need slower, safer speed limits, greater investment in segregated cycle lanes and drivers who do behave dangerously removed from our roads.
“Drivers themselves also have a role to play in keeping people cycling safe – with our research showing that they acknowledge the dangers they can pose to cyclists.”
13 June 2019, 17:09
Froome latest - Wiggins send condolences, doctor who operated says he "may be back in the saddle in six months"
Wishing you a full & speedy recovery Chris x
— Brad Wiggins (@SirWiggo) June 13, 2019
Rémi Philippot, the head doctor who operated on Froome, told Le Progres: “The operation lasted a long time, there were several traumas and he suffered multiple fractures.
“The cyclist should stay in hospital for several days. There are potential further operations to be done.”
New | Update on @chrisfroome from his surgeon “He has now woken up, is conscious and knows exactly what happened. He knows there are difficult times ahead. That means a lot of recuperation but he’s an athlete and athletes are used to suffering.” #TeamIneos @TeamINEOS #Froome
— Steve Scott (@stevescott_itv) June 13, 2019
In better news, it’s also been reported on afp.com that Philippot says Froome could be back on the bike in six months: “The impact was at around 50 km/h, with very little body protection, causing a high-energy impact.
“Chris Froome has the morale of a winner and is very rapidly bouncing back. He started asking immediately when he could get back on his bike. He should be back racing in about six months.”
13 June 2019, 17:09
Strava are allowing us to make our rides more colourful to mark Pride Month
By putting a rainbow emoji in the title or adding the #worldpride2019 hashtag to the activity description, your ride route will be displayed in rainbow colours in celebration of Pride Month. It works on the app only and not on desktop, and the feature will work through the whole of June.
13 June 2019, 17:09
Team Ineos doctor gives medical update on Chris Froome
Team Ineos doctor Richard Usher says Chris Froome’s surgery last night following his high-speed crash while previewing the route of yesterday’s time trial stage at the Criterium du Dauphiné was a success.
“First things first, the surgery was a success. The operation, which lasted for six hours, went very well,” he said.
“Chris woke up this morning and was reviewed by the intensive care consultants and the orthopaedic specialist who operated on him and they’re both very happy with his progress to date.
“Chris will remain in hospital for the next few days for observation, but he is already actively engaging in discussing his rehabilitation options, which is very encouraging.
“As he begins his road to recovery, the team will now only be providing further updates at a stage where it is necessary to do so.”
Team Ineos added that Froome appreciated the messages of support sent to him, and will provide his own response in the coming days.
13 June 2019, 17:09
Bike cop nabs fully tooled-up bike thief
All the tools of the trade …
Following a day of pickpocket patrols our #CrimeSquad noticed a 'cyclist' whose behaviour just wasn't quite right
He then failed to stop for two police cars, but not the cycle officer who brought his journey to an abrupt stop
We then recovered Aladdin's Cave in his bag! pic.twitter.com/be5RHq4XJa
— City Police Officers (@CityPoliceCops) May 31, 2019
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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
mctrials23 11 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 13 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 23 minutes ago
@Rendel Harris - I think that driver must live near me.
chrisonabike 25 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 29 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 29 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 39 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 44 minutes 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 59 minutes ago
@Rendel Harris sentencing is Monday. 15 yrs minimum (not premeditated) but multiple aggravating factors. 20+ feels appropriate
Rendel Harris 1 hour ago
@kinderje Murder attracts a mandatory life sentence, so that can't be changed, although it will be interesting to see what the judge sets as the mandatory minimum term before parole can be considered.
9 thoughts on “Live blog: Team Ineos doctor gives Chris Froome medical update; Bike cop nabs fully tooled-up bike thief; Halfords predict ‘e-bike revolution’ in UK thanks to new C2W scheme guidance; Moving a whole office by cargo bike +more”
It’s finally time… One
It’s finally time… One Pizza to Mr. Froome’s room.
At least the Bolide was
At least the Bolide was largely unscathed.
Number of Birmingham cyclists
Number of Birmingham cyclists killed or seriously injured at record high, despite the rather grand claims made about how effective the close pass initiative has been in making conditions safer for cycling…
dodpeters wrote:
but how do you know without it, the numbers wouldnt have been much worse ?
Awavey wrote:
The point is still valid, despite the close pass intiative the figures have got worse, you can’t know what the figures would be without the WMP intiative so we can only go on the basis of the numbers that we do have.
What we can do is find out if there is any cycling increase, compare the casualties and cycling rates to other large cities as well as looking at pedestrian casualties and see what’s what.
With all due respect to WMP what they are doing is so insignifcant in the grand scheme of things and I said as much when it was first rolled out. the number doesn’t surprise me in the least.
dodpeters wrote:
And without the basic data about exposure, how many cyclists there were and are, the ksi figures are meaningless.
dodpeters wrote:
And without the basic data about exposure, how many cyclists there were and are, the ksi figures are meaningless.
Dunno about the fully tooled
Dunno about the fully tooled up cycle thief, I carry more than that in my pannier! No bolt croppers, no grinder?
burtthebike wrote:
if you follow the link to twitter to see the full photo you’ll find a large de walt battery powered grinder.