Welcome to Tuesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Cyclists aren’t the “Scourge Of The Streets” says Chris Boardman ahead of tonight’s Channel 5 documentary – they’re people’s family members; Grayson Perry’s blinging bike; TdF latest + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Tue, Jul 09, 2019 19:02
SUMMARY
9 July 2019, 19:02
We feel your pain Chris...
Tomorrow, I intend to commute by train with a bike. I’m stressed already. And surely that’s not right.
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) 8 July 2019
Ever tried boarding a Great Western train from Bristol without a reservation booked about a year in advance? Never ends well!
9 July 2019, 19:02
"Scraping the bottom of the barrel"
This really is scraping the bottom of the barrel!!
— Paul Taylor (@Paultaylor66) 9 July 2019
This ‘documentary’, which has been called “45 minutes of hatred” by journalist Peter Walker, airs tonight unfortunately…
9 July 2019, 19:02
Alex Dowsett's winning Tour de France Twitter so far
There was a couple of crashes today. Subsequently the flat earthers are calling for a ban of stage 3 of the tdf along with road bikes, tarmac roads, lycra, exercise, sweat, downhills, uphills, flat roads, tyres and brakes, as some crashes are caused by too much brakes
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) 8 July 2019
Dowsett always has an amusing anecdote or two to share, and this one is regarding his previous criticism of an interviewer who asked if time trials should be banned because Chris Froome had an accident on a time trial bike. Some sensible suggestions here…
9 July 2019, 19:02
So much going on in one photo...
Chilling in the presidential suite #lifeontheroad pic.twitter.com/Xnacsdgw2b
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) 8 July 2019
Epic tan lines, an empty takeaway carton, some suspect art on the wall, and who knows what’s going on to right of G’s bedside!
9 July 2019, 19:02
9-year-old crashes less than 1km into a 100km charity bike ride due to "disgustingly repaired" pothole
Bailey Bocutt embarked on the ride with his mum, granddad and members of the EG Cycling Club to raise funds for cancer charities, inspired to make a difference after seeing his cousin battling Leukaemia.
Less than 1km from starting, however, Bailey hit a large pothole (above) on the A22 near East Grinstead, which according to his mother was “A disgustingly poorly repaired patch that had collapsed.”
9 year old Bailey had a nasty tumble at the weekend doing a 100km() charity ride. I’m sure the cycling community would all like to send him a massive get well soon! https://t.co/kKQQYzXv2v
— Chris Hoy (@chrishoy) July 8, 2019
Bailey was taken to hospital and kept overnight due to the extent of his injuries, but a family friend told road.cc that he is now recovering at home. He received a message of support from Sir Chris Hoy yesterday, and is determined to get back on the bike to complete the ride at a later date. Bailey has already raised over £8,000 for Children with Cancer, Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden, the fundraising page is here.
9 July 2019, 19:02
Brad on a bike: Cav approves
Absolutely crying with laughter watching @SirWiggo on the moto for @Eurosport_UK’s @LeTour coverage. Along with bike racing, he was made to do this. His Instagram Stories are absolute gold too. Not just for laughs, his knowledge is impeccable pic.twitter.com/3IvkvHJ05o
— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) July 8, 2019
9 July 2019, 19:02
Tim Wellens' Tasty KoM Bike
Proud mechanics with the bike for @Tim_Wellens today and more to come !
Nice job @Lotto_Soudal @Ridley_Bikes @CaptofCycling pic.twitter.com/roTT72PhC4— Marc Sergeant (@marc_sergeant) July 9, 2019
We suspect that Ridley had this frame ready before the Tour because overnight, PolkaDot Jersey wearer Tim Wellens magically got a new bike with a fancy new paint job.
It probably wasn’t magic pixies that built it up though, more like one of these tired Belgian mechanics!
9 July 2019, 19:02
The never-ending podium handshake
The never ending podium handshake, featuring @KNiewiadoma pic.twitter.com/0TASutjUhY
— Coreen Mazzocchi (@mazzok) July 8, 2019
Canyon-SRAM’s Kasia Niewiadom found herself locked in a seemingly infinite handshake as she collected the Maglia Rosa yesterday, in a test of endurance on a par with the 100km stage she’d just completed. A captivatingly akward watch…
9 July 2019, 19:02
Important sock length update
Stunning work by the cat3memes Instagram account here. Operación Socko is in full swing…
9 July 2019, 19:02
Quick-Step confirm Kasper Asgreen is fit and ready for stage 4 after yesterday's crash
Here he is!@k_asgreen, happy to continue #TDF2019 and to get a morale-boosting visit from his beautiful family before the start of the stage. pic.twitter.com/fpT9JqLmVc
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) July 9, 2019
Thankfully Asgreen came off far better than his bike, which was literally cut in two after he crashed deep into yesterday’s stage. He went to hospital after gingerly crossing the line but has been given the all-clear to continue today.
9 July 2019, 19:02
Arkea Samsic's dangerous socks
What do you reckon, do these Ekoi socks worn by Arkea Samsic meet the UCI’s rules? As we all know by now, socks must not extend higher than the halfway point between the ankle and the knee. These boys are living life on the edge.
9 July 2019, 19:02
Graham Obree* joins the TdF peloton
An Un-identified Rolling Object goes on the attack
Attaque d’un Objet Roulant Non Identifié #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/DP0sEfVdB6
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 9, 2019
*Probably not Obree
9 July 2019, 19:02
That's an amazing front light on Grayson Perry's bike ...
Going for a very gentle pedal round central London, yes I have got lights in case no one sees me pic.twitter.com/oeaWJQVGdp
— Grayson Perry (@Alan_Measles) July 8, 2019
9 July 2019, 19:02
Tour stage 4 latest: Frederik Backaert wins intermediate sprint, Viviani picks up points, drunk people in a paddling pool
Coming to you live from the most refreshing place to watch the 4th stage
En direct du coin le plus rafraichissant pour regarder passer l’étape 4 #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/MI0Ar1e5fR— Tour de France (@LeTour) July 9, 2019
Backaert was first over the line out of the breakaway, and from the peloton Elia Viviani was the best of the rest ahead of Sonny Colbrelli and Peter Sagan. And these people found a more refreshing way to watch the action…
9 July 2019, 19:02
Viviani wins stage 4 photo finish
@eliaviviani wins in the sprint!
@eliaviviani s’impose au sprint !#TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/80cmyzvR3Z— Tour de France (@LeTour) July 9, 2019
It’s two in a row for Deceuninck–Quick-Step, as Elia Viviani beats Alexander Kristoff and Caleb Ewan to the line with Peter Sagan finishing fourth – full story on the site coming soon.
9 July 2019, 19:02
Chateau, Ellie!
Some serious face-pulling by The Gurning Kwik Fit team’s Ellie Vivaldi there! She’s won the women’s race just a day after her teammates Julian, Alan and Philip took the top three places yesterday. Chateau!!!
— UK Cycling Expert (@ukcyclingexpert) July 9, 2019
9 July 2019, 19:02
Cyclist's aren't the 'Scourge of the Streets' - they're people's family, says Chris Boardman
Chris Boardman, the world and Olympic gold medal winning cyclist turned cycling campaigner, has said ahead of tonight’s Channel 5 documentary that cyclist’s aren’t the “Scourge Of The Streets” – a reference to the programme’s title – but members of people’s families.
Boardman who remains a policy advisor to British Cycling in addition to his principal role as Greater Manchester’s cycling and walking commissioner, was speaking in a short film for the governing body ahead of the programme, which airs at 9.15 this evening.
Cyclists aren’t the ‘scourge of the streets’. They are mothers, fathers, grandparents and children all doing their bit to make Britain a healthier, greener and more liveable place.
Share this video from @Chris_Boardman to help us make our message loud and clear to @channel5_tv pic.twitter.com/PDkRGEjsRi
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 9, 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
Astralstroll 2 hours ago
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
Mr Anderson 3 hours ago
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
MaxiMinimalist 4 hours ago
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
Paul J 4 hours ago
Obree had some actual talent in his legs though, in addition to his bike/aero engineering talent.
Maruis Kalchev 4 hours ago
Малко като опит за доказване е излязло... Никой няма нужда от толкова голям въртящ момент и мощност на шосеен велосипед с тънки гуми, които дори трудно ще предават тази мощност върху пътя. А ако има и ограничение от 25 км/час е още по-безмислено.
mdavidford 4 hours ago
Not sure how informative that is. I imagine for all most of us know it could be Europe's only 'volumetric modular building'. 🤷♂️
chrisonabike 4 hours ago
Yes, but they're copying the adults of today...
chrisonabike 4 hours ago
Indeed - but alas I think this is an effective argument for very few folks indeed. As for push-back, what else could we expect *? I think there are ways of selling this but we're far more likely to see headlines about the problems, while the successes are relegated to footnotes, because at that point it just works and there's nothing to see... * Given that this time there aren't politicians being persuaded to overlook thousands of deaths and the demolition of property by the billions from the motoring trades (and the excitement of being able to drive out with the bright things for a party at a roadhouse). Nor are we as tolerant of "accidents". (And noting that publicity about the cases of a handful of people killed by cyclists continues to reach the media; deaths related to motor vehicles not so much).
mdavidford 4 hours ago
That rather ignores that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow.
fwhite181 4 hours ago
@belugabob Arguably it's easier this way - we don't actually need to do anything to the streets except stop drivers driving down every scrap of tarmac. Where I live, a few well-placed bollards would make walking/cycling/scooting the quicker option and safer, while maintaining 100% vehicular access - just not allowing through routes in every direction.
8 thoughts on “Live blog: Cyclists aren’t the “Scourge Of The Streets” says Chris Boardman ahead of tonight’s Channel 5 documentary – they’re people’s family members; Grayson Perry’s blinging bike; TdF latest + more”
Hope you get back on your
Hope you get back on your bike soon Bailey!
I wish councils would at least do some spot checks on the work of their contractors and subcontractors road repairs.
Jesus. I hope he can sue the
Jesus. I hope he can sue the council for that. That’s a terrible bit of damage.
Just when the world thought
Just when the world thought that there could be no tan worse than a cyclists tan… the Lotto Soudal mechanics appear from the back of the truck.
The damage is that the road
The damage is that the road subgrade has washed away underneath the patch – for some time by look of (limited) picture. This would have been a visible defect for months.
Without the context of a good picture of the whole road can’t comment any further
My thanks to his holiness,
My thanks to his holiness, Lord Sir Chris Boardman for that short piece re cyclists and their place on the streets. In a few short moments he puts everything into context and gives me (some) hope for the future of transport in this country.
that wasnt as bad as i
that wasnt as bad as i thought it was going to be. Still showed some ignorant morons out there still think cycle paths are compulsory though. Dave sherry made me laugh, as im similar to him. I’m probably as qualified as he is, allbeit i drive trucks, not buses. Go on davey! The old guy in the big red truck saying he couldnt get past the cyclists on box hill, may i ask, would he not be able to pass if he rode a motorbike, the other single occupant transport vehicle? A big red nissan truck is for hauling two to three people and a load of chopped trees, not for a whiney old man to move around by himself in. I’d have got past all of those bikes easily on my motorbikes, cos i chose the right vehicle to overtake other people, not a car….using a car to try and get around other people is like walking into a lift whilst chronically obese, then having a shout at the underweight toddlers in the lift with you when you realise you can’t get out without hitting them. You are too fat and wide, thus have chosen the wrong vehicle[ or weight and width, in this example]. The bike lane cabby- the bike lanes are empty because most people are at work, yes? That tends to be what people do… the road is full up because thats just how it is, full. The roads without cycle lanes are full up and stop moving too. You never seen a motorway come to a standstill? Thats the cycle lanes fault is it? Oh yes, they dont have cycle lanes, so you got nobody to complain about. I think next time i ride my motorbikes and i come across single occupants in cars in traffic jams im going to point at the bus stop signs and inform them they must be on the bus as the law says they have to be, the council spent a lot of money for these bus services so why dont you use them instead of slowing down bikes?
gaz rides wrote:
Pensioners too. They get FREE bus passes, provided at GREAT expense by the government, how dare they choose to drive a car the ungrateful bunch?!
Now available to watch on
Now available to watch on line https://www.my5.tv/cyclists-scourge-of-the-streets/season-1/cycle-wars