“He could do it twice in my best time”: Cycling world in meltdown over Tom Pidcock’s Sa Calobra time; Incredible on-bike footage of Buenos Aires erupting at winning penalty; Council defends cycling roundabout; Weekend round-up + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
What you missed this weekend
Right, that was a frantic start to the new week! Apologies for the lateness of the blog, Tom Pidcock required some urgent writing elsewhere…
> Tom Pidcock smashes Sa Calobra KOM by nearly two minutes
I’m back now at your live blogging service, so let’s start by rounding-up what you might have missed this weekend. The big news of the weekend — slightly overshadowed yesterday teatime by someone called Messi — is that Cav’s reportedly signed a contract…
> Mark Cavendish reported to have signed for Astana
Elsewhere on the site this weekend:
> Argentina fans cycle 10,000 miles to Qatar for World Cup final
> Rode to victory! Check out Wout van Aert’s Cervélo R5-CX cyclocross bike
The only opinion on Cav's rumoured Astana transfer you need to hear
HERE WE GO! Inspired by the soccer World Cup, Mark Cavendish MBE is considering a transfer to Astana, who have won the Kazakh Premier League seven times and will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League of Soccer again next season. pic.twitter.com/W4IvcTfBRJ
— UK Cycling Expert (@ukcyclingexpert) December 19, 2022
Festive 500: Winter cycling challenge tips and tricks
Incredible on-bike footage of Buenos Aires erupting at winning penalty
Here’s the best video you’ll see all week…
Moments before the last penalty kick, in Buenos Aires pic.twitter.com/nPIdYged8T
— nicole ruiz (@nwilliams030) December 19, 2022
Council admits cycling roundabout "created debate" but also had "positive feedback"
Remember this?
Mike McCusker, the lead member for planning and sustainable development at Salford’s Labour-run council, has accepted the cycling roundabout which caused much noise on social media “created debate” but also received “positive feedback”.
“This is possibly the first roundabout of its kind in the country, so it is certainly creating some debate and we have had a lot of positive feedback,” he said.
“The roundabout allows pedestrians to cross the junction safely in two short moves so they only have to be aware of one lane of cycle traffic at a time. It provides a quicker crossing for them and is safer than trying to cross a wider junction with traffic from both directions.
“It has been designed to accommodate people on foot or in wheelchairs or pushing buggies. Cyclists circulate round it like a ‘normal’ road roundabout so they, too, can get round this junction safely without putting pedestrians in danger.”
Francis Cade's USA-crossing epic is going well...
I am sat in a casino in the desert listening to jingle bells contemplating my life choices
— Francis Cade (@Francis_Cade) December 18, 2022
More seriously though, the fundraising page is up to £91,715 as Francis and Justin near a Christmas on the road a long way from home…
Wrestling Filippo Ganna, Prévot piggbacks, Hayter's hangover... inside the Ineos Grenadiers end-of-season party
— Caley Fretz (@CaleyFretz) December 19, 2022
Too much Ineos news today… Pidcock’s KOM, the new kit launch (which is getting a well-humoured online reception, seen above) and now the inside scoop from the team’s big off-season bash…
Courtesy of the latest episode of Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe’s ‘Watts Occurring’ podcast we’ve got the gossip, including young Leo Hayter having a few too many and Rowe vs Ganna for the Ineos wrestling championship.
“A few boys got carried off,” G explained. “It was pretty grim, I couldn’t imagine being bar staff working there sober.”
And apparently leading the way was new signing Pauline Ferrand-Prévot… “She can drink,” a slightly shellshocked sounding Thomas continued. “Halfway through she goes to me ‘jump on my back’ and I’m like ‘are you sure? I’m quite heavy, especially in off-season’. Jumped on half expecting to just fall on my face but fair play she held me up, running around the dance floor, I was giving it no hands… big night.
“Leo [Hayter] got carried off first, puking up outside.”
“Someone said ‘have you seen the state of Leo?’,” Rowe picked up the story. “He’s upstairs, outside, lying in a pile of spew, so yeah he went to bed early.
“I put myself to bed after the party when everyone was outside getting taxis to a club. I knew where I was but I was stumbling around and put myself to bed. Ganna came up with me and we started wrestling, woke up in the morning with a few bruises. If you’re going to wrestle someone in the team… I picked the wrong guy…”
All the while Tom P was presumably outside breaking the Everesting record or something silly…
Why cyclists don't use cycle lanes... (Austrian edition)
Main cycle route in Vienna… https://t.co/90tFJNXjkH
— Mark Wagenbuur (@BicycleDutch) December 19, 2022
Is there another way to fetch your Christmas tree?
Is there another way to fetch your Christmas tree? The @ternbicycles did a fine job 👌🎄 pic.twitter.com/fiRVHETaQV
— Charlotte Baker (@charlie_baker23) December 18, 2022
Motorists receive just 71 fines in three years for dangerously overtaking cyclists
An interesting story in The Irish Times this weekend showed that over in Ireland motorists had received just 71 fines in three years for dangerous overtaking of cyclists.
Provisional figures from An Garda Síochána provided to the newspaper suggested that just 14 fixed charge notices have been issued for the offence so far in 2022, with 32 issued in 2019 and 2020 and 25 last year.
Phil Skelton from Safe Cycling Ireland said the “year-by-year drop” in the number of fines issued was disappointing and “we have certainly not seen any substantial evidence that this road safety issue has alleviated to such a degree as to warrant this decrease”.
If the World Cup was pro cycling...
Cycling did it first. pic.twitter.com/o72ZhZBeNy
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) December 18, 2022
After a month of scouring Procyclingstats for tenuous links between pro riders past and present and their nations’ World Cup fortunes… we reached the final… and as ever whenever Argentina were involved Eduardo Sepúlveda had to do the heavy lifting…
Is Mathieu van der Poel riding a secret new Canyon Aeroad?
> Is Mathieu van der Poel riding a secret new Canyon Aeroad?
"He could do it twice in my best time": Cycling world in meltdown over Tom Pidcock's Sa Calobra time
Imagine being Ed Laverick and getting that Strava – u-ho you lost your KOM email 🤣
— Steve (@SFeldo) December 19, 2022
The big news this morning is that Tom Pidcock is very good at riding a bike…
> Tom Pidcock smashes Sa Calobra KOM by nearly two minutes
There are whispers that Tom’s time is just 16 seconds off Wiggo’s rumoured, but not uploaded to Strava, time of 22:30 in the winter before he won the Tour…
Anyway, more importantly, here’s what the good people of our Facebook comments have been saying about the young lad from Leeds…
Gareth Thomas knows who he’s blaming for Pidcock’s faster time… “I bet he didn’t get stuck behind four coaches at the pinch point like I did though!!!”
Phil Jones was disappointed to see the WorldTour pro only beat his Sa Calobra best by 30:17… that’s enough for a second ascent and a coffee order.
Debaets Stevie isn’t bitter, but just thinks “if you’ve got talent it’s easy” while Anthony Walstow reckons “I could do it….if I really wanted to, but I’ll let him have it on this occasion.”
Alison Potter: “So that’s around 12mph, I can do that on the flat, my average speed, probably be around 3mph up that!”
Pete Dougan: “He could do it twice in my best time…”
19 December 2022, 09:15
19 December 2022, 09:15
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Latest Comments
@Smoggysteve "Most would happily ride on the roads and be treated with respect by drivers". But people aren't - and as far as I can see they won't be. Not until there is a lot less driving and it's slower around cyclists, and far more people driving have "skin in the game" eg. they sometimes cycle and their friends and family do also. That's what leads to the model - which is perhaps most advanced in NL - where cycling, walking and driving are all seen as separate normal transport modes. Their needs, vulnerabilities and any dangers to others are considered. And *that* leads to "mix / share when possible, separate when necessary". But "possible" is "where your 10-year old would be safe to cycle unsupervised" - so very few motor vehicles, going slow! And AFAICS everybody - even "existing cyclists" - is happy with the result. (I dunno about a few pro cyclists - but don't they tend to have training camps in different counties anyway?)
@quiff as an Edinburgh resident I can confidently say he's speaking without moving his lips in one sense: - while as I noted in a separate comment there *is* now some real separated cycle infra, all the examples i can think of have *at least as much space* for pedestrians. The rest of the "cycle infra" is essentially similar to the situation in the rest of the UK: eg. bus lanes*, cycle lanes and shared use paths (eg. "build" infra by sticking up a sign). Edinburgh is one of the places with a moderately extensive network of former railways which have been converted to "shared use" paths (completely motor traffic few). However though shared they are not narrow by UK standards. And this is all effectively a "free extra" for all non- motorised users, not like the "sign a cycle path" where pedestrians do lose space. I think this all comes from the "popular understanding" of cycling in which ultimately cyclists are the "other". They don't fit "motor vehicle" or "pedestrian" (including wheelchairs on the very rare occasions people think about that). Thus "cyclists are cheating" in multiple ways! They shouldn't get their own space as "there aren't enough" of them. And "they can just use the road / path". But being able to *choose* "on the road" or "on the footway" (shared use path) is clearly unfair - nobody else gets to do that! BUT of course even if they did pick just one of road OR pedestrian space it's still not fair anyway because they're "too slow" for the road (don't pay "road tax" etc...) and "far too fast" for pedestrians... * Though some existing cyclists may appreciate them when there are few buses, buses and bikes are a very poor mix for several reasons.
Whilst a shame for any employees, their bib shorts had the worst chamois pad I’d ever encountered, utter waste of my money. Even though they were Strava challenge discount purchases, still a waste of money.
Thanks, just going to have to suck it up. Got next week off and will take the easy, if expensive option...
@ktache Just go for the TNT Sports only package, £30.99 for a month. Alternatively have you considered experimenting with a VPN for a few pounds, allowing you to sign up for a free stream abroad, e.g. SBS Australia which streams the Tour live? If I didn't have a kind mate's login that's what I'd do!
So, it's now the month of July and I'm going to have to pay to watch the TdF, for one month only. On a tablet unfortunately, as I didn't manage to get a laptop to rig up to the TV, grrr. Just wondering, what package will I have to fork out for? Not wanting to pay for the wrong one...
Not that it sounds like a dealbreaker given the other faults you've identified, but that cable isn't really a "proprietary" cable, four pin magnetic cables like that are quite common on bone-conducting headphones and other devices (my inexpensive smartwatch uses one) and they can be had for £4.99 on UK Amazon.
There was never really anything to say about le col kit. Most of it was alright. Some of it was poorly designed/made. Trying to position yourself as a Rapha competitor whilst always offering 40% or more off doesn't scream premium though.
Up next in the MucOff product line; for when the cassette won't budge, (chain)whip-it!
19 thoughts on ““He could do it twice in my best time”: Cycling world in meltdown over Tom Pidcock’s Sa Calobra time; Incredible on-bike footage of Buenos Aires erupting at winning penalty; Council defends cycling roundabout; Weekend round-up + more on the live blog”
I see that the Kensington &
I see that the Kensington & Chelsea court case, about the cycle lane, has been adjourned until January 13, 2023.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/council-high-street-kensington-cycle-lanes-high-court-b1045797.html
Those mentioning he could do
Those mentioning he could do it twice, he did do it twice. Second time was 31 mins but HR and power shows he was just “coasting” compared to the first time.
Whoa…
Whoa…
When I did it, I set off a
When I did it, I set off a good number of minutes before the rest of the group. Very good psychologically. Took me 1 hour 1 minute having just looked it up – Autumn 2014 when I was about my most fit. Might have had a little rest before the top.
The hardest bit is judging the downhill corners depending on whether there was a bus coming up or not.
Did anyone see that footage
Did anyone see that footage of a woman in Burley being knocked down by a van on a zebra crossing, then immediately knocked down again by a car? It’s been covered on various tabloid sites. You wonder about some people (the drivers, not the pedestrian): you really do…
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk
https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23198141.video-woman-hit-van-portsmouth-road-crossing-bursledon/
WTF? The car driver didn’t even notice the woman had been knocked down right in front of them and then started to drive over her! And whats with the man who just crosses and walks off after quite clearly seeing the collision?
He doesn’t just cross and
He doesn’t just cross and walks off, he stops as she is knocked down, then walks back so the fiesta can continue, then stops and walks to the fiesta, which you initially think is to stop them but seems to be a case to say now fine to drive off. Then walks back past the injured woman and stops the other side to …. do nothing.
The van-driver had already stopped their journey to voluntarily allow a car to turn right*, so that was their “good deed” and no need to legally stop their journey for a vulnerable road user crossing at a designated area.
*The right turning car doing a massive corner cut as well.
Depressing reading today on
Depressing reading today on the forum with those incidents.
Cycling mikey reckons it’s the last day for submissions due to the 14 day limit for NIPs being messed up by strikes and christmas.
Manged a double ton on the way back from town – 101 passes and top speed of 103 kph. One benefit of radar being you can see if drivers are slowing down.
Pleased to say range rover drivers keep up the standards. Was confused to be overtaken by a black car when I knew a silver one was behind me. Then realised the silver car driver was giving me space but range rover overtook both with oncoming traffic (no rear camera to show this).
Quote:
I did wonder about strikes, however the assumption is that the Police have proved they posted it in enough time that it will be delivered in the “ordinary course of the post”. This is normally taken that it should be recieved within 2 WORKING days of posting. So strikes and Bank Holidays are normally covered in that if the Police have posted it early enough. Of course whether the Police staff who process them are working is another matter.
Not true.
Not true.
as you pointed out, it is working days
bank holidays are not included in working days, ever. So they have to post to ensure service within 14 working days. Pentip, the most common police software, knows about them and won’t allow the issue if beyond the threshold
Gidden (of pepipoo parish) proved that a strike is indeed not the normal course of post, and so you can rebut the presumption of service given under the interpretion act.
There is of course the get out of “reasonably practicable” which allows service beyond 14 days, but the police don’t use it, presumably as it increaes the difficulty if a case is taken to court.
That Austrian cycle lane
That Austrian cycle lane story means nothing to me.
Aaaaah Vienna !
Aaaaah Vienna !
Re. Buenos Aires – There were
Re. Buenos Aires – There were similar scenes in Scotland when Archie Gemmill scored against The Netherlands in 1978.
I live in Paris. It was very
I live in Paris. It was very quiet on Sunday night
RE: Cycling roundabout
RE: Cycling roundabout (before Flintshire gets here) – did someone confuse bikes with cars?
Now that’s a good general principle but really you don’t need anything special for cycling / pedestrian interactions. Unless you’ve designed something incompetently…
It has been designed to accommodate people on foot or in wheelchairs or pushing buggies. Cyclists circulate round it like a ‘normal’ road roundabout so they, too, can get round this junction safely without putting pedestrians in danger— Mike McCusker
Yep – because “cyclists” we need to invent something that no-one else needs * otherwise the dark triad of tour-de-France wannabes, wrong’uns and incompetent riders will put pedestrians in danger. Sounds like cycles = cars to me!
I’m not totally outraged because this whole “cycling” with its own space idea is extremely new to most in the UK – an “unknown unknown” if you will. And because everyone ignores the
standardsguidance we do have for designing this infra no-one knows what to expect.* Yes BicycleDutch has pointed out a couple of examples in NL e.g. this one– mostly as they’re rare and notable because of how stupid they are.
71 close passes, that’s three
71 close passes, that’s three weeks, not three years…
Has the remaining PBU been
Has the remaining PBU been given another holiday?
They popped up over the
They popped up over the weekend, but other than that very brief smell, it’s been good and pleasently fragrant for a while.
An interesting story in The
An interesting story in The Irish Times this weekend showed that over in Ireland motorists had received just 71 fines in three years for dangerous overtaking of cyclists
What? This is supposed to be reprehensible?! Ireland is doing a fairly good job. In Lancashire, my FoI request to the police revealed NO penalties beyond possible ‘have a word with’, warning letter or joke driving course. I don’t think anybody has ever been penalised in Lancashire with a fine or points on the licence for close passing a cyclist. Remember that offences like this receive no response at all from the unpleasantly lax and highly forgiving OpSnapLancs, who clearly think this close pass by Sainsbury’s 44 tonner YN67 MVJ was the least I deserved for being on the road. This is a hotspot for similar offences- I have been passed at the same place (left hand bend approaching the top of a blind hill- the b******s overtake and when they encounter fast oncoming traffic they just squeeze the cyclist- with the approval of Lancashire Constabulary) by an equally close Stagecoach double-decker. I have written this before, too many times people may think, that the greatest single factor leading to danger for cyclists is the police