Cycling in the snow: Are you on your bike today?; Cycling Mikey rides Jeremy Vine’s penny-farthing; Rogue rags and lots of mud at the Dublin cyclocross World Cup; Bike Park plans dismissed as “puff and nonsense”; Remco’s new kit + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“It’s beautiful out there… But will I be able to cycle in it?” Are you on your bike today?
I have it on good authority (from the view out of my office window) that there’s been a fair amount of snow a-fallin’ across the UK and Ireland during the past 24 hours.
And while I’m obligated to stay inside today – live blogs need live blogging, and all that – some intrepid cyclists will of course be venturing out into what the BBC is calling “travel chaos”.
One of those snow-loving cyclists is active travel advocate Carla Francome, the joint winner of the 2022 Campaigner of the Year title at the recent London Cycling Campaign awards and (even more impressively, at least to us) a recent guest on the road.cc podcast.
> Staying calm in the face of online abuse: cycling advocate shares her story
But even Carla wasn’t too sure about whether to head out on her bike this morning:
It’s beautiful out there … but will I be able to cycle in it? And if not, this is the first day the year that I’ve been stopped from cycling because of the weather … pic.twitter.com/r0Cxk4eaxN
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 12, 2022
I HAVE MEETINGS IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN THAT AREN’T NEAR TUBE STOPS. Doesn’t the weather understand this? It’s snowing and I fear I’ve turned into like a grumpy cycling Scrooge!
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 12, 2022
The advice offered by Cycling Twitter was somewhat divided:
Much like with cars, it depends on your tyres. I enjoy snow cycling on big fat low-pressure MTB tyres, but wouldn’t want to mess with it on road tyres. pic.twitter.com/L4csde7meq
— Dominic 🇪🇺🇺🇦🏳️🌈 (@dwellington) December 12, 2022
Snow isn’t usually too bad. It does have grip, unlike ice, and slides tend to be gradual. It’s great when the traffic is very light. The issue is that as cars clear a path you either use this path with the inevitable reaction or ride in the slush at the side.
— Andy Cole (@AndyJCole65) December 12, 2022
Having previously fractured my shoulder whilst cornering on a slippy road surface, my answer is sadly… No. Today’s not a good day for cycling.
However it’s also a dumb day to drive. https://t.co/RpQa4CPAwa
— Mark (@markvauxhall) December 12, 2022
But in the end, the call of the bike – and the need to attend some meetings (ever heard of Zoom?) – won out in the end:
And yes I went for it … it’s slushy rather than icy so it’s been okay! But don’t try this at home folks … 2/3 pic.twitter.com/WUMJz3ILJQ
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 12, 2022
I mean unless you want to!
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 12, 2022
Have you cycled into work this morning? Or is the bike still wrapped up all warm in the shed? Let us know in the comments!
And if you are thinking of braving the snowy weather on two wheels, make sure to catch up on road.cc’s handy guide to safe cycling when the temperature drops:
> How to ride your bike through ice and snow — top tips for safe cycling when the mercury drops
Peak Live Blog content: Cycling Mikey rides Jeremy Vine’s penny-farthing
It’s two for two this morning for Carla Francome…
Yesterday, the cycling activist captured perhaps the most live blog thing that’s ever happened in the history of the live blog – Cycling Mikey attempting (and failing) to ride Jeremy Vine’s penny-farthing:
The Christmas video you didn’t know you need – @MikeyCycling trying to ride @theJeremyVine’s Penny Farthing after lunch today …. !
Sound up!
Attempt 1 … 1/6 pic.twitter.com/JVugwdhVCi
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 11, 2022
So the legendary @theJeremyVine gave us some tips on how to actually get on a Penny Farthing .. here goes!! (I was a bit distracted by his amazingly dapper smart shoes … ) pic.twitter.com/12j23ipWPu
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 11, 2022
That’s it, I think we’ve peaked. Let’s just pack it all up now…
Next time lads, could you make sure you take the penny-farthing to a bike lane blocked by cars on Snake Pass and get Ashley Neal to drive behind while he’s filming one of his YouTube videos? Cheers.
“Hi I’m Jeremy and I’m just extremely casually unlocking my extremely normal bike …” pic.twitter.com/qaoQc7rEuR
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 11, 2022
“And it all becomes a big circle of angry”: The guy who decides cycling
Posted without comment…
Fem van Empel and Puck Pieterse put on a show in Dublin
While the black, yellow, and red of the Belgian champion’s jersey, with a generous helping of brown, roared to the win in the men’s race, it was the Dutch who dominated the elite women’s event at the cyclocross World Cup’s first ever Irish round, as the rampant Fem van Empel secured the win after a ding-dong battle with compatriot Puck Pieterse.
Like Van Aert, the precious Pieterse was hampered in the early stages – dominated by the extremely fast-starting 19-year-old Marie Schreiber – by mechanicals and a crash on the first set of barriers which left her 30 seconds behind Van Empel.
Pieterse managed to pull herself back into contention, setting up the closing stages for a scintillating, back-and-forth battle with her fellow 20-year-old, as the sun began to shine on the freezing Sport Ireland campus.
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Despite her best efforts, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider wasn’t able to finish off a remarkable comeback, as Van Empel proved too strong around the final bends, holding off Pieterse to take her sixth World Cup win of a stunning season so far.
Fellow Dutchwoman Denise Betsema, who followed Van Empel in the opening laps but eventually was forced to give way, rounded off the podium, while Ineos’ new signing Pauline Ferrand-Prevot took an encouraging seventh and British rider Millie Couzens finished ninth.
Remco’s new threads
I have to say, I actually quite enjoy the late ‘90s, early 2000s ‘Let’s throw as many sponsor logos onto the jersey as we can’ vibe of Remco Evenepoel’s world champion’s kit for next year.
It could be worse, of course – the shorts could be white…
Photo of the day (from those taken on my phone)
The world champion, the European champion, the Flemish flag held proudly aloft alongside the Irish tricolour, the mud, the snow, the passionate, if slightly freezing, fans, the ubiquitous inflatables, the obvious crop on the left-hand side of the photo to avoid including a very up-close-and-personal shot of a spectator looking the other way… this image has everything.
And would you believe that it was taken using this writer’s bog-standard phone? Oh, you would? Ah, okay…
In any case, my spot for the men’s race in Dublin yesterday was the perfect place to soak in the vibrant atmosphere at cyclocross’s brief sojourn to the Emerald Isle.
Despite the freezing temperatures and lack of alcohol (at least to purchase, though judging by the endless queues for food, not much would have been bought anyway), over 8,000 cycling fans brought the taste of Flanders, with a uniquely Irish blend, to the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown yesterday.
𝟴,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝘇𝘆 𝗖𝘆𝗰𝗹𝗼-𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘀 😍
Irish Cycling fans turned out in their droves for the first ever UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup to be hosted in Dublin at the Sport Ireland Campus 🙌https://t.co/y3WrJCTt6k#CXWorldCup pic.twitter.com/fjSvhc0TkG
— Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) December 11, 2022
On the hilliest section of the relatively flat course, the familiar Irish sporting battle cry of ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ wafted through the air, alongside chants for the home riders battling their way around the course.
The biggest cheers, however, were reserved for the riders brave – or foolish – enough to tackle the steep, muddy hill on their bike, rather than run. When a rider, such as France’s Mickaël Crispin, conquered the hill without clipping out, the fans responded as if they had just witnessed Harry Kane blazing the ball over the bar from 12 yards (sorry…).
Had an awesome day at the first UCI #CXWorldcup race in Ireland.
The buzz and noise was amazing. The course was muddy and the skills were class. Loved every moment. Wout bagged a great win.🇧🇪🇮🇪👌#Dublin @JumboVismaRoad @CyclingIreland @sportireland @FlandersClassic #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/k1G3jCE8IJ— James Cunningham 🚴♂️ (@JamesCun2000) December 11, 2022
Same again next year, folks?
Cycling in the Snow, Act Two
A short story about a naive girl, her bike and some snow.
Part One:
“This is amazing! I am feeling rather invincible! I will take up gravel biking or mountain biking or somesuch … bring it on!”
…. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/0cdBNIj6IT
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 12, 2022
Part Two:
“Won’t you just LOOK at this! I’ve got Nina Simone on, the best view ever … life doesn’t get much better …”
*10 seconds later* wibble, wobble, BAMMM. Straight off!
Nice soft landing though! The worst bit was the concerned/pity looks on strangers’ faces!! … 2/2 pic.twitter.com/gtAQSpBHsO
— Carla Francome (@carlafrancome) December 12, 2022
Bath Bike Park plans dismissed as “puff and nonsense”
Speaking of mud and knobbly tyres, last week on the blog we reported that plans for a bike park in Bath had been shelved after a bid to secure the funding required to complete the project failed.
The park, a proposed 30-acre facility situated on the grounds of the city’s former Entry Hill golf course, was set to open next summer, featuring five kilometres of purpose-built mountain bike trails, a pump track, skills and learn to ride areas, a bike shop and coaching services, as well as free-to-access walking, running and family cycling paths.
However, Bath and North East Somerset Council revealed last week that the plans have been abandoned altogether and that the site would remain as it is “for the short term”.
> Bath Bike Park plans shelved due to rising costs
And this morning an anonymous letter appeared in the Bath Chronicle which scathingly dismissed the proposals for the bike park – developed by Bristol-based cycling group Pedal Progression – as “puff and nonsense”.
The letter writer criticised the council’s belief that the bike park could have provided a hub for the local community, and instead argued that a beginners’ golf course could fulfil this role.
“In last week’s letters… I said that the Lib Dems couldn’t organise a celebration in a brewery, if their proposed re-development of the Entry Hill golf course into a bike park was anything to go by,” the correspondent wrote.
“The very next day BANES [Bath and North East Somerset Council] issued a rather vain and long-winded press release explaining that the proposal had now been suspended until 2024 because of rising development costs and insufficient capital funding.
“I said also that the mathematics of the business plan seemed to be the square root of madness. Both accusations now seem to be correct according to BANES’ pompous press release.
“Surely rising costs and capital funding problems had nothing to do with it. Simple common sense from the start should have immediately alerted the planners to the obvious fact that you can’t just dig up a former contaminated landfill site.”
The letter writer continued: “And it was even more obvious that such a small mountain bike park could never have become economically viable. The press release goes on about sustainability, a wonderful new community facility and the benefits of equality opportunity.
“All this is puff and nonsense. It cannot possibly apply to a small bike park. Whereas a beginners’ golf course does provide all these attributes. And it is certainly a delightful green open space in the city for wildlife, walkers and even blackberry pickers. What on earth were the Lib Dems thinking about?”
Bradley Wiggins’… ahem, unusual approach to social media
I’ll leave you to make your own minds up about this one…
Bradley Wiggins’ social media is always a treasure trove. Today he shares this Jordan Peterson clip…🤔 pic.twitter.com/Fhw8irWSTF
— Jonny Long (@iamjonnylong) December 12, 2022
Dodgy Guinness, lots of mud, rogue rags, and an audience with the King: Wout van Aert’s eventful weekend in Dublin
Can every round of the cyclocross World Cup take place in Ireland, please?
Yesterday – if you didn’t already tell from my excitable yelps of anticipation every five minutes on the last few live blogs – marked the first ever Dublin round of the UCI cyclocross World Cup.
CX hits Dublin! cc @irishpeloton pic.twitter.com/awwzwwC20n
— nick waddingham (@nickwadd) December 11, 2022
And while there were a few concerns before the event about the benign nature of the course, and even whether the travel arrangements of a few big names would be thwarted by the weather, the muddy conditions, thrilling racing, and electric atmosphere generated by the 8,000 fans gathered at the Sport Ireland campus in Blanchardstown ensured that it certainly didn’t disappoint.
By the time the juniors had finished racing on what had been first in the morning a mainly frozen course, that frost had turned into a muddy, squelchy mess that left the riders – and spectators – caked in the brown stuff.
Though spare a thought for the optimistic teenager who opted to wear white crocs and socks to the ‘cross. I suppose he deserved everything he got really…
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Dressed much more appropriately for the occasion was Ireland’s greatest ever bike racer, Sean Kelly, who stood beside me for a brief moment during the thrilling elite women’s race before swiftly departing (was it something I said, Sean?).
It turned out, much to my relief, that the King simply had an appointment with a member of cycling’s current royalty, Wout van Aert:
Two legends 👑👑@WoutvanAert 🤝 @SeanKellyCC pic.twitter.com/Mn6nFmgUES
— Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) December 11, 2022
Van Aert, it’s safe to say, had something of a memorable first weekend racing in Ireland. First, like any young man making the trip to Dublin, he was treated – if that’s the right word – to this particularly shocking imitation of an Irish classic:
Where was his hotel, London?
Anyway, that appalling pint didn’t seem to put him off much, as the Belgian champion surged ahead of the pack on the penultimate lap to take his first ‘cross win of the season.
The win wasn’t without its drama, however. The course’s Jekyll and Hyde nature – a relatively flat layout heighted by the slip and slide nature of the ubiquitous mud – led to a frenetic, open start, with little separating the main contenders in the opening laps.
Van Aert, meanwhile, was lagging towards the back of this group, a post impeding his progress early on, before a rogue mechanic’s rag caught in his drivetrain, forcing a frantic run back to the pits:
Despite a technical mishap earlier on, @WoutvanAert put in a huge effort in the latter stages of the race to take his first win of the season!
Watch the replay of the Dublin #CXWorldCup over on GCN+ 👉 https://t.co/8FSJcLL3Gx pic.twitter.com/qR6ZExrMhy
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) December 11, 2022
My filmer managed to capture the @WoutvanAert towel issue and then me trying not to get involved 🙃 pic.twitter.com/DiZQwY2FvC
— Cameron Mason (@camerooney_) December 11, 2022
It takes more than a dirty rag to stop Wout van Aert, however. While Tom Pidcock tried to take advantage of his rival’s misfortune by pressing ahead, the world champion’s legs deserted him in the mud on the sixth lap – right at the point where Van Aert cemented his recovery by accelerating clear for the win. Pidcock eventually got his legs turning again, but only enough to finish third, behind the very strong World Cup leader Laurens Sweeck.
Van Aert, proudly displaying that pesky rag on the podium, was happy with his winning weekend away in Dublin.
“It was a really pleasant experience,” the Jumbo-Visma rider said after the race. “A lot of people came out, which we don’t always see when we go abroad with the World Cup, so that was really good.
“The course was changing from minute to minute today, and that’s one of the hardest days in cyclocross when you have to adapt to the conditions. So it was nice.”
🇮🇪 #CXWorldCup
The towel. 😂 pic.twitter.com/Mn8UiP7RQ1
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) December 11, 2022
When asked if he’d return to take part in another cyclocross race in Dublin, Van Aert jokingly replied: “Until now I’ve never lost a race in Ireland, so I have to keep that going!”
Whether the World Cup will return to Dublin next year is currently unknown, but one thing’s for sure anyway – when there’s a chance of victory, Van Aert never throws the towel in.
I’ll get my mud-splattered coat…
“I don’t know… Probably not”: Tom Pidcock’s cyclocross worlds defence uncertain
Cyclocross world champion Tom Pidcock has once again cast doubt on whether he will defend his rainbow jersey in February, as the Ineos Grenadiers rider prepares to challenge for the spring classics on the road.
The 23-year-old – whose knowledge of how VAR works during football matches has been considerably improved by watching England crash out of the World Cup alongside a certain road.cc reporter (cough, cough) – finished third behind Wout van Aert and Laurens Sweeck at yesterday’s Dublin round of the cyclocross World Cup.
After piling on the pressure as Wout van Aert suffered a series of mishaps in the opening laps of the muddy course, Pidcock faded during the penultimate lap when his Belgian rival pressed on, but rallied impressively to secure the final podium spot.
“It was strange It was weird because there were a load of guys in the group, so it almost rode like a fast course even though it was really muddy,” he said at the finish.
“I couldn’t really push on, it was strange. It was one kind of one pace, but I had to get on the podium today – I would have been disappointed if I wasn’t there. It would have been nice to win, but that was all I could do really.”
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Discussing what it was like to race a World Cup event so close to home, the Yorkshireman, who spent around ten minutes after his media duties were finished signing autographs and taking photos with young fans, said: “It was nice, the fans were really getting behind me today.
“But there was nowhere I felt I could have made the difference today – and we need to get rid of sand on the courses in the UK and Ireland. That should be a rule!
“With three laps to go, everyone was tired, and I pushed on – and nothing happened. I don’t know if I went faster, or the same speed, but no one got dropped and even people came back. It was a very close, open race today. It’s a shame. But in a situation like that I don’t think I have the power to make the difference on a flat course.”
‘Sign here Tom!’ Pidcock greets his fans after the race
Following his third place in Dublin, Pidcock is now set to head to the much warmer climes of Mallorca, where he will join the rest of the Ineos squad for their pre-season training camp.
There, the Olympic mountain bike gold medallist hopes to build on his endurance and consistency on the road ahead of the 2023 classics season.
“During the ‘cross season, I want to be at a good level and enjoy it and get the benefits, and use them to go into the road season in a good place,” he said.
“I’m still here to enjoy myself and try to win races, but you also have to acknowledge that it is a benefit for the road.”
With his focus for next year very much on continuing and building upon the success he’s already achieved on the road, including a famous Tour de France stage win on Alpe d’Huez, the all-rounder has previously stated that he may not defend his rainbow jersey as the early February date for cyclocross’s biggest event will clash with his preparations for the classics.
When pressed on whether he is planning to take to the start line in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands, on 5 February, Pidcock was decidedly noncommittal: “I don’t know… Probably not. Not definitely.”
Thanks for clearing that up, Tom.
You know it’s training camp season when…
If there’s one thing I’m convinced of – it’s that on your average December day on the Col de Rates you pass more pro cyclists than in a pro race 😂
— Larry Warbasse (@larrywarbasse) December 12, 2022
One sentence to make every cyclist in the UK jealous
Lots of weather discussion in the comments section today – we’re an interesting bunch – though I’m sure not too many of your readers will be replicating Dave McCraw’s slippers and studded tyres approach to the snow:
Don’t get stuck or crash in your car, get to your destination in style and comfort with a pair of carbide studded bike tyres.
Smell the crisp winter air and chat to the neighbours as you zoom along like a boss! It’s the good life. pic.twitter.com/sBeO3OhWdT
— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) December 12, 2022
Meanwhile, one road.cc reader, KDee, decided to make the rest of us jealous with one simple sentence:
No snow in my part of the Netherlands this morning. -2 deg C when I left to cycle to the office. Had to wait a moment at one junction for the bike lane gritter to go through!
Oh, how the other half (in this case, the Dutch) live…
12 December 2022, 09:38
It seems as if hacking data to qualify for an actual world championships may result in more than a six-month ban from the turbo trainer…
Cycling South Africa suspends Zwift racer caught hacking data during world championships qualifier
Eddy Hoole was last week banned from Zwift racing for six months and sacked by his team, with more sanctions now likely to follow
12 December 2022, 09:38
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris Hmm.... I stand corrected. I still think Obree had a /lot/ more talent. And Jan-Willem today clearly has dropped in levels, relative to those he's racing against.
I cycled a lot on the continent and have done fir many years. I've never been close passed, and only once had a scary overtake by an oncoming vehicle. Im close passed almost daily in the UK and dangerous overtakes are common. Some serious driver education is needed here, not to mention presumed liability legislation.
@TrainWalkWheel at least one person on here seems to have better understanding of these than I do but AFAICS the model is even less likely to lead to good outcomes than happened with eg. a certain UK bus company. The one notorious for moving into an area, putting the existing providers out of business by running more services for pence and losing money, then - having captured the market - jacking up the price and dropping services. At least in that case the intention was presumably to deliver a self-sustaining service in the end (albeit perhaps a worse, overpriced one). But AFAIK mass bike share itself has never made money directly. So one wonders what the end plan is if any one of these market-share-capture firms actually won? (Presumably that isn't important and it's all about trading / financial shenanigans in some way. I doubt they could hold the local authority to ransom for the extra cash...)
Alas it's another part of "because cars / 'change', we can't just copy a well-proven design eg. from NL" On top of this is the UK "not invented here" making it up / no expertise or standard designs AND a "we must fit cyclists in around existing road space" causing strange contorted layouts. So what happens is we get things like bi-directional cycle *lanes* (not separated cycle paths) because cheapest / easiest to patch in. So that means that pedestrians don't have a space to wait *after* crossing the cycle space and *before* they have to deal with the road. (It also puts another block in the way of cycling convenience at traffic lights - say at a T-junction - because unlike NL the lights then apply to cyclists going straight on, whereas in NL that would be an informal cycle path crossing for pedestrians with no lights applying to the cycle path part - so cyclists just keep rolling).
In 2019, Shanghai and other Chinese major cities implemented strict regulations and clean-up operations tp remove millopns of abondoned dockless bicycles that had created public nuisances and blocked pavements. One can't blame local authorities for taking actions in order to stop a messy situation triggered by unruly users.
@Jakrayan Criticising people for not riding primary is like criticising a victim of domestic abuse for cringing when their partner threatens them with their fist. People don't ride in the gutter because they want to, they do it because if they don't they know there's a better than even chance that in any given ride at least one driver will be so affronted by the ENTITLED BIKE NONCE TAKIN' UP THE WHOLE ROAD!!!11 they'll do a deliberate punishment pass that could kill you or leave you maimed for life. Getting over in the gutter isn't a great solution, but multiple uncomfortable but not life-threatening passes is better than one potentially catastrophic one. It shouldn't be a cyclist's responsibility to put their life at risk just to remind drivers to obey the rules of the road they should be doing regardless. And as for "just getting off and walking", putting aside the reality that a ridden bike takes up *less* space than one with the rider walking alongside and so I'd argue the most considerate way to use that inadequate infrastructure(presumably there are no safe alternatives within a reasonable distance or why would anyone on a bike be using it at all) would be to proceed across on the bike at walking pace and then stop and put your foot down if someone needs to get by you; plenty of people use bikes as mobility aids and so "just get off" isn't as simple as it's made out to be. A couple of years back I had the worst sprain of my life, I could barely even hobble for two weeks and had a huge honking brace on my foot, had to sleep on the sofa downstairs because climbing them was a no go. I could still ride my bike though, do my shopping, see my mates - plenty of people have impairments that aren't temporary, to them "just get off" is tantamount to saying "just stay home". Let's keep it a benjamin as the kids say: "shared responsibility" and "keeping everyone safe" are, literally, copouts. They've framed the entire campaign so they can justify only taking actions that don't piss off drivers, and don't require them to actually do any work except harassing a few cyclists as they do a lunch run to the local Greggs, because that's the level of seriousness police in this country - in an institutional sense - believe road crime deserves.
"Scott says that it ‘redefines cable routing in the mountain bike industry’. While we’re yet to see if that claim rings true" I have a Spark RC Pro (2022) with mechanically controlled components. Because we use the front brake lever on the drive (right) side in the UK I have the rear brake hose and two cable housings (dropper and shock) on the NDS entering the headset. On my current bike I use 3.0mm Jagwire housing with no problems. I can install them by just pushing them through the headset without dismantling it. The new 2027 Spark has two openings either side of the headset so it is set up for a rear brake to be on the DS (right). Maybe they are dismissing countries that have the UK's brake lever configuration.
The first link is to one of their cycling computers.
To be fair when I'm out on the roads, car or bike, I see very many instances of people cycling who could be doing better. Ignoring the delivery riders, most of whom we know aren't actually riding bicycles / Ebikes, the most common issue I see is people riding too close to the edge of the road. Yes, drivers absolutely should do better, however this type of riding does little to discourage drivers from overtaking, and they will still pass too closely leaving the rider with FA room to the left either. So educating riders as to how to ride more safely isn't a bad idea IMHO. As for that narrow bridge, if it's popular with pedestrians I don't see how getting off and walking a few yards is a massive issue. And I'm normally in SPD-SL road cleats!
Indeed. Some lanes are so narrow, and with overgrown vegetation, that the driver may not be able to see anything behind in his wing (door) mirrors, and vans usually don't have a rear window so no rear-view mirror either. Much easier in this situation to just turn around and head back to the nearest farm gate, it won't be far. After all, 'share the road' works both ways. And before someone comments to say if you drive where you can't clearly see what's behind you, that driver may have no choice - deliveries, tradespeople etc.
62 thoughts on “Cycling in the snow: Are you on your bike today?; Cycling Mikey rides Jeremy Vine’s penny-farthing; Rogue rags and lots of mud at the Dublin cyclocross World Cup; Bike Park plans dismissed as “puff and nonsense”; Remco’s new kit + more on the live blog”
No pics – sorry – but I
No pics – sorry – but I cycled into London today on my 25mm conti four seasons with no issues at all. Once out of my own road, the main roads were all clear; a little bit more hit and miss with the cycle lanes (not all of which I used, therefore).
I only did a short distance
I only did a short distance today, nae pics as it was quite boring… we only had a light dusting. Wish I had got a pic of the speeding close pass in a 20mph zone who then had to slam the brakes on in front of oncoming traffic. Come rain or shine or snow there will always be someone with shit for brains driving a motor.
JustTryingToGetFromAtoB wrote
Sadly universal, it seems. Too much dickhead driving and tailgating on the A55 at the weekend.
-3°C and patchy fog but no snow in Shrewsbury this morning, thankfully an uneventful ride to work.
Yep, had a couple of
Yep, had a couple of overtakes on blind bends with ice on the roads and reduced visibility due to fog. More putting themselves and oncoming traffic at risk rather than me.
Been to the supermarket on
Been to the supermarket on the town bike, it’s fresh so still slushy or crunchy, so not bad to ride on at all with fat semi-slicks. Be a different story tomorrow once it’s melted a bit then re-frozen. Might have to dig the Schwalbe Marathon Winters out.
Nothing but studded tyres
Nothing but studded tyres would have worked on the result of light sleet that fell on hard frozen ground round here on Friday night- it converted roads and footpaths into hard ice covered treacherousness. Main roads soon cleared, but footpaths and pavements remained dire until this morning- 10 miles up the road in Lancaster the sleet didn’t fall so the problems were much reduced.
Freezing rain was the most
Freezing rain was the most worrying for me, luckily mostly just wet, but the doorstep on leaving the friend’s house I’d kipped over at was one of the slipperiest things I’d ever been on. Just filled me full of the fear for the journey home.
Very little snow in Reading today, a little more out where I work. More of a concern was the burst water main on the way home tonight, will be ice rinkinsh in the morning.
Though not for me, train strikes have me working from home for the next couple. All the best for the strikers.
My conti ice claws are near 15 years old now, pricey and kept in a box and they were still going strong last time I used them. After a great deal of deliberation they arrived on a day of big snow, bus slid and blocked the local roads.
Ninja cyclist
Ninja cyclist
You can just see a bit of reflectives.
I have no idea what this one was thinking
Would have been easier to be on the pavement!
First one: Definitely stupid
First one: Definitely stupid with no lights, however I wonder how much the camera combined with really dipped headlights made him look even more ninja.
Second one: Seems to be a trend happening where cyclists (delivery ones in my experience) seem to ride on the road the wrong way. I had one decide to cycle towards me in the gutter on a dual carriageway whilst I was doing close to 30mph.
I think you are right on the
I think you are right on the first one, the camera makes it darker than it is.
Shows the value of lights though.
For the second one, with the
For the second one, with the benefit of the doubt, could they have come from using the shared space to get around the roundabout only to be dumped on the wrong side of the road with an instruction to rejoin the carriageway? So they carried on cycling on the wrong side while waiting for an opportunity to cross? (Doesn’t excuse riding the wrong way, but might explain why they were there.)
No snow for us just thick fog
No snow for us just thick fog and ice.
That’s an interesting
That’s an interesting username…
Reminds me a bit of those
Reminds me a bit of those people who open with “I’m a cyclist myself, but…”
I am very much a cyclist,
I am very much a cyclist, much to the annoyance of my wife..
Just a bit of tongue in cheek
Just a bit of tongue in cheek. Been reading Road CC on the fence for a couple of months, thought you had to subscribe to comment so never bothered. Always find it amusing when Nigel and his many assumed aliases gets a mention in the comments.
Subscription just removes the
Subscription just removes the ads.
hirsute wrote:
too bad it doesn’t remove the Nigels!
Sriracha wrote:
Benefit of the doubt must be given, this may well not be that Nigel.
Fair enough, and I apologise.
Fair enough, and I apologise.
(But you might want to reconsider your username or else you might start getting flak from some quarters…)
That probably just depends on
That probably just depends on his stance on various issues…
Circular ride to work from
Circular ride to work from home on a mountain bike in the snow this morning (road bike normally)
Not sure if you work from
Not sure if you work from home or your home and work are very close !
Although as we know, A to A is not a journey !
hirsute wrote:
I used to ride into London every day in ‘the before time’. Now I just ride an aimless, nihilistic loop around Box Hill to get back to where I started, and work from home. No journey, but the soul is greatly lifted in a way of which CS7 can only dream 🙂
Now I just ride an aimless,
Now I just ride an aimless, nihilistic loop around Box Hill to get back to where I started
As do many of us, and you’re right! The soul is indeed lifted- roads have been too dangerous for me over the last few days so I have been walking in by the canal etc. and that’s uplifting too with the frosty landscape. We have no snow here, but it’s a good place to be apart from the drivers
But you’re getting your 30
But you’re getting your 30 minutes a day so that’s helping everyone!
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2017/12/cyclings-recommended-minimum-daily.html
Much of the UK and Ireland
Much of the UK and Ireland covered in snow?
Think you’ll find it’s just London and the south-east.
There’s nothing at all here in Derby, except for a bit of freezing fog.
Why everything has to be sensationalised by the MSM is beyond me.
As for the plonkers on the M25 driving like little old ladies, they shouldn’t be allowed to drive at all if they can’t handle an inch or two of snow.
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
We had a bit of snow here in Bristol yesterday morning, but not enough to cause any travel disruption.
I welcome drivers being cautious and driving like little old ladies – if the conditions are slippery, then go real slow. (I assume you meant slow driving and not knitting whilst driving)
hawkinspeter wrote:
And there was nothing, maybe a slight frost, coming in this morning. I think that the Bristol snow had all gone before the end of yesterday.
But as Owl Big ‘Ead alludes to, much of the media thinks that England ends just somewhere north of and to the west of the M25.
Knitting while driving?
Knitting while driving?
Probably better than using social media at every opportunity.
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
I did hear about a police driver that saw an old lady knitting whilst driving.
“Pull over!” he shouted at her
She shouted back “No, it’s a scarf”
Owd Big 'Ead wrote:
Isn’t there also a railway station and football and cricket? What more could you want in a home town?
And a nice Velodome.
And a nice Velodome.
TheBillder wrote:
Whoa, whoa, whoa!!
Less of the home town malarkey.
I’m definitely not from these parts, not even close, regardless of my avatar.
Very localised bad conditions
Very localised bad conditions. The Twitter video circulating of cars, van and bus sliding into each other and bollards wasn’t about poor driving so much as conditions creating iced roads in a way that the deep snow didn’t suggest.
You can have two inches of snow and ignore it, or two inches of show and it be undriveable regardless, depending on road conditions.
However, the UK’s failure to adopt All Season tyres as a national standard is the main problem. Winter tyres are too aggressive for UK weather, but all season tyres are optimal for up to half the year, and the degradation in high weather performance is minimal when you consider dry weather stopping distances are so high (10-15% or a short distance in an emergency stop that you should never have to do in good conditions is better than 50-100% in poor conditions of normal stops and simply staying on the road). You don’t really notice them until you realise how difficult some people are finding snow when your car is behaving itself (and I say that driving an old RWD Merc C class infamous for their snow handing – Germans cope in their BMWs and Mercs when everyone knows they are useless in the snow in the UK – why is that).
I tried for all weather tyres
I tried for all weather tyres on my new car a couple of years ago.
Not easily possible unless I immediately threw the new ones away.
Planned for the first change, but Covid reduced mileage etc.
I suspect car makers spec
I suspect car makers spec summer tyres for noise and mileage, but the difference is marginal and there isn’t any noticeable excess wear. The only issue I ever have is the C204 Merc is spec’d for wider rear tyres but on All Season the spec is to use the same as the fronts, which fools the Merc main dealers every time they see them.
I’d like to see manufacturers offer an All Season option in the UK – they could still claim their figures for the summer tyres – which really only exceed all season in the dry, but encourage Brits to choosec a wiser tyre.
Best winter tyres: the skinnies on my Citroen GS.they must have been about a 28c! Never had a problem getting past all the XR3’s festooning the local roundabouts.
London, as we know, is nearly
London, as we know, is nearly entirely full of hoons and snowflakes – with the one turning into the other regularly.
20 miles N of Derby here, and little snow – but still at 0C so not going out on the bike. Tried the other day but there was too much likelihood of frozen puddles from just above then just below freezing temps, so went back home again.
I don’t see driving as much of a problem unless something is wrong with the driver or the car.
.
.
As a little old lady myself, with 50 years of no accident-driving [might have caused a few, but that’s neither here nor there], I resemble that sexist, ageist remark(!)
.
No snow in my part of the
No snow in my part of the Netherlands this morning. -2 deg C when I left to cycle to the office. Had to wait a moment at one junction for the bike lane gritter to go through!
KDee wrote:
That sentence! Green eyed monster here…
#dnftcp (Dutch News From The
#dnftcp (Dutch News From The Cycle Path) this morning’s edition:
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
That’s not a sentence – just a random selection of totally unrelated words, surely…?
Cycling in the snow can be
Cycling in the snow can be great fun; loads of grip, especially if you’ve got knobbly tyres on. Watch next week’s CX World Cup on snow at Val di Sole……33mm tyres work.
Get your studded tyres here
Get your studded tyres here (not sure where here is)
https://twitter.com/david_mccraw/status/1602284740601602048
I don’t think I’d like to slalom like that !
Hope his crocs are also
Hope his crocs are also studded. Or at least CX crocs, as seen in Dublin.
They’re the curling model, of
They’re the curling model, of course…
That’s Dave McCraw, noted
That’s Dave McCraw, noted recumbent rider and racer of this parish (Edinburgh) and presumably still in the area? It’s not like that where I am but I’m close to the sea so may be warmer (relatively…).
I’d have thought the Tern GSD someone’s modelling there is almost the perfect winter vehicle (with studs fitted) – huge tyres, low CofG, easy dismount, power assist, room for a Christmas tree!
Other bikes are suitable for winters of course:
Obviously 3 wheels is the gold standard though!
chrisonatrike wrote:
What, and put up with 50% more punctures? No thanks 😉
I didn’t say you have to have
I didn’t say you have to have them all in contact with the ground all the time…
I never knew you could fit
I never knew you could fit stabilizers to a unicycle, but where are the ones for the front and back?
Ah, you’ll want one of these
Ah, you’ll want one of these then.
Near Edinburgh …
Near Edinburgh …
Snow started Friday night, and since then temperature has raised to a staggering 1deg C … and plummeted.
The very slight thaw has led to run off being refrozen over the top of existing snow and ice, and today its spent most of the morning hovering between -6 and -3.
I’m glad the trains are on strike tomorrow as it means I don’t have to go through the “ride to the station” internal battle, as I’ll just WFH
I’m waiting on a set of Schwalbe Winter Spike to be delivered, but as its by Evri, they’ll probably come in time to sit in my shed as winter will have come and gone
I misread penny-farthing as
I misread penny-farthing as penny-farting and now it isn’t going to be anything else
Quote:
You watch that Mike’n’Jezza
You watch that Mikey’n’Jezza clip and you think to yourself, “Ah – that’s why someone went away and invented the Safety Bicycle…”
It also says something about
It also says something about mechanical evolution and how something that started off sensible evolved to the point of insanity before someone gave their head a wobble.
All it says to me is that the
All it says to me is that the only reason people weren’t buying ceramic bearings, electronic shifters and L-shaped cranks then was that they hadn’t yet been thought of. More faster = always better for many cyclists!
Dammit, I watched the video..
Dammit, I watched the video…
I thought, it might not be shit, you’re just biased against Jordan Peterson. But nah, codswallop.
Big circle of anger is genius. He should do a video on the guy who decides pseudo intellectuals.
The roads are so bad here,
The roads are so bad here, having just wrestled a pair of marathon plus onto my brompton after suffering a blowout on the standard marathon racers, no way I am chancing hitting god knows what hidden under the snow.
Have a like for your poor
Have a like for your poor hands / rims / tyre levers! I imagine the small ones are even more painful than 700s. (I have to fettle with 20 inch tyres sometimes – that’s bad enough…)
I imagine the small ones are
I imagine the small ones are even more painful than 700s
We keep hearing this about Marathon Plus, whereas I find the 700s go on easily with just a nudge from a couple of plastic tyre levers. I wonder if it’s a matter of luck with just slight variations in the bead seat diameter on different wheels