Tom Pidcock showcases “absolutely mint” cyclocross skills – on time trial bike… and then suffers near miss with motorist on roundabout just after finish line; Conspiracy theorists target 15-minute city; Bernal’s micro-training + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Potholes, sexist gritters, and sticky bottles – it’s the weekend roundup!
While most of us were slumped on the sofa, doing our best to keep up with the TV-viewing chaos that ensues when, all of a sudden, thousands of bike races are on our screens at the same time, it was a busy weekend at road.cc HQ.
On the same day that road safety expert Dr Robert Davis accused a pro cyclist-led lights campaign of “feeding into victim-blaming culture”, Trinity Racing’s Bob Donaldson (who, despite his name, is only 20) proved that you could be wearing the most garish, eye-catching kit out there – and believe me, he was – and still prove no match for an impatient driver, who left the British prospect with a broken back after pulling out in front of him.
Elsewhere, we had a sticky bottle storm, deliberate doorings, and some, errr… Strava “art”:
> ‘Sticky bottle’ rider gets sarcastic “chapeau” from rival who he accelerated away from
> Government considers inviting evidence for lifetime bans on dangerous drivers who kill
Egan Bernal’s smashing early-season training…
Over the past year, Egan Bernal has become known for his mammoth, super-long training rides, in all kinds of weather, as he continues his impressive return to the sport following last year’s devastating crash.
However, judging by his recent Strava uploads, the Colombian has decided to adopt a slightly different approach to training as he nurses a knee problem sustained at last month’s Vuelta a San Juan:
I know, I know, it’s 2023 and the days of ‘just getting in the miles’ are long gone. Though I do feel like Bernal might be taking things a touch too far in the opposite direction.
‘Micro-training’, that’s what Ineos will call it…
Tadej Pogačar’s Watts Per Tuft chart
It seems as if, after the whole glasses debacle of December 2022, Geraint is finally open to trying out all manner of new looks in his old age:
Am I doing this right @TamauPogi? #tuft pic.twitter.com/iT8aJds2i8
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) February 19, 2023
You save now 10 watts. 👍
— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) February 19, 2023
Ah, that explains why he’s so good; marginal tufts, hair-o gains, and all that…
Bjørn Andreassen and Loes Adegeest take rainbow jerseys at UCI Esports world championships
Just in case you didn’t think there was enough bike racing on at the weekend, with the Volta ao Algarve, Ruta del Sol, Setmana Valenciana Fèmines, and the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var, and a handful of cyclocross races all taking place, there were rainbow jerseys being fought over in the virtual world, as the UCI Esports world championships took place on Saturday in Scotland (oh, you know what I mean by now).
In a new, intriguing format which resembled a particularly cruel Zwift version of the omnium (or like a cycling version of the X Factor, with auditions, judges’ houses, and the live shows), the racing in the elite men and women’s categories was divided into three separate races which served to whittle down the field before the final ten riders took on the brutal Devil Takes the Hindmost-style Glasgow-based crit to decide the medals.
> Elite Zwift racing on the road.cc Podcast
During the men’s first round, The Punch, we all donned our road.cc colours to cheer on our very own Aaron Borrill – off-road.cc’s editor – who was racing for South Africa alongside former Dimension Data pro Jacques Janse van Rensburg.
“The pace from Race 1 was a bit unexpected to be honest,” Aaron says. “Having raced a few test events on the same course leading up to the event, I expected a hard start but not that hard – Tim Rugg from the USA hammered it out of the gate and the pace stayed high the whole way, so there no real chances for any recovery on the course.
“It was merely a matter of fighting for position and not trying to fall too far back. Jacques and I were tasked with rolling through and closing gaps which probably also added to the lactic acid party taking place in my legs.
“With 2km to go, the pace up the corkscrew meant 11w/kg was needed to stay in touch. While I managed to roll into the finish line sprint approach in a good position, my legs were fried so nursed home for 74th.”
Aaron’s 74th ultimately wasn’t enough to take him through to the second stage – but Victor Campenaerts also fell at the first hurdle, so you know the standard was sky-high.
“It was a great race and very special to be part of for a second year in a row,” Aaron added. “I was super stoked that Brad Gouveris and James Barnes got through to Race 2 with James managing to make the final race and secure eighth for South Africa.”
That final race proved something of a shock, as Denmark’s Bjørn Andreassen decided to just simply ignore the potential tactical complexities of the rapid-fire elimination style final, shooting off the front from the gun, never to be seen again.
While Andreassen time trialled his way to the rainbow jersey, Freddy Ovett (yes, yes, his dad’s Steve, we all know that) fell victim to the stop-start nature of the race behind and had to settle for sixth, while another pre-race favourite, 2020 champion Jason Osborne, took silver ahead of German teammate Marc Mäding.
Things were much more nail-biting in the women’s race, where the Netherland’s Loes Adegeest took her second-consecutive rainbow jersey by outsprinting Great Britain’s Zoe Langham and American Jacquie Godbe at the end of a thrilling race. Unfortunately, we all missed that dramatic sprint, as the live pictures cut out in the closing metres. Goes to show, you can be on a turbo trainer and still fall foul of the weather gods.
It’s just like being on a remote Spanish mountain, eh?
“That looks like a dead heat”: Tim Merlier beats Caleb Ewan in impossibly close photo finish on windswept opening stage of UAE Tour
You tell us who won stage 1 of the #UAETour 😁 pic.twitter.com/8pjiP9w63I
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) February 20, 2023
A dramatic, echelon-packed opening stage of the UAE Tour ended with one of the closest photo finishes we’ve seen in a long time, as Soudal Quick-Step’s Belgian champion Tim Merlier pipped Caleb Ewan by the faintest of margins in Al Mirfa.
That impossible tight sprint finish – which we can only presume was decided by a game of rock, paper, scissors, or as Brian Smith mooted in commentary, an arm wrestle – came after world champion Remco Evenepoel instigated a decisive split in the crosswinds in the final 30km, catching out a number of sprinters, including Sam Bennett and Dylan Groenewegen, as well as almost every major GC contender bar 2023’s Mr Consistent Pelle Bilbao.
#Replay 🎥 / #UAETour 🇦🇪
La victoire de 🇧🇪 Tim Merlier (SOQ) à la photo finish devant 🇦🇺 Caleb Ewan (LTD). Le jury a mis plusieurs minutes à lui décerner la victoire tellement c’était serré.pic.twitter.com/S2UXZJewM3— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) February 20, 2023
With the field thinned out by the finish, Soudal Quick-Step’s lead-out Ber van Lerberghe timed his surge to perfection to tee up Merlier, who – according to the UAE’s version of Stockley Park anyway – had enough in the tank to just, just, hold off the fast-finishing Ewan.
There’s a rule that allows for a 1km race to decide a winner in situations like this…I say go for it!#UAETour pic.twitter.com/ZiORc0vpAx
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) February 20, 2023
“My wheel is ahead!”
“No! My wheel is ahead!!”#UAETour pic.twitter.com/ueHOTvREzp
— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) February 20, 2023
As the internet knows by now, there’s only one way to decide a bike race properly:
There was a better way to decide who won #uaetourpic.twitter.com/NGwTo6gMEj
— Jens (@Jeennnzzzz) February 20, 2023
Behind the seemingly inseparable pair, Mark Cavendish’s hopes for a dream start to the season were dashed, with the Manx Missile forced to settle for third after failing to latch onto Ewan and Merlier’s initial acceleration.
More of the same tomorrow, please.
“You’ve heard of Simon Philip Yates, now meet Adam Richard Yates”
Adam’s bid for twin superiority continues… with the acquisition of a middle name for 2023:
You’ve heard of Simon Philip Yates, now meet Adam Richard Yates https://t.co/EnSwWdJMHS
— The TT Podcast 🚴 (@ttpdcst) February 20, 2023
Tour Series set to take one-year hiatus in 2023
🚨 Tour Series update 🚨
An update on the 2023 Tour Series, full story here 👉 https://t.co/rVNgYd3wRw#TourSeries pic.twitter.com/EHRYU58Nvb
— The Tour Series (@TourSeries) February 20, 2023
In another worrying sign for the national racing scene in the UK, the annual crit-based Tour Series will take a one-year hiatus in 2023, organisers SweetSpot announced today.
“This decision has been made in light of the most challenging economic climate the series has faced since its inaugural edition in 2009,” SweetSpot said in a statement today.
“It has proved impossible to compile a commercially viable calendar of events for the intended series in May owing to the pressures on local authority funding, combined with the wider economic challenges all businesses face.”
The unique team-based format saw Britain’s best racers take part in a series of circuit races around the UK, usually in May and June, and until last year was televised on ITV4.
SweetSpot, who also organise the Tour of Britain, say that they “will use this break to work with British Cycling and partners on plans for the return of the series in 2024 to celebrate its 15th anniversary, complete with a refreshed format and events in Britain’s major cities as part of a fun filled, community day celebrating cycling and active travel.”
“It doesn’t matter how brightly you are dressed, or how experienced you are, if a driver doesn’t look or doesn’t care then you’re screwed”
In the same week several pro riders, including Tadej Pogačar, put their weight behind a campaign encouraging cyclists to use front and back lights at all times and to “understand that increased visibility while riding your bike on the road can actually save your life”, Trinity Racing prospect Bob Donaldson was struck by a driver – while wearing perhaps the most visible kit the peloton has seen for years.
The 20-year-old’s awful crash, which left him with a broken back, has underlined to many that while hi-vis and lights certainly have their benefits, they will prove no match for a distracted, impatient, or just downright dangerous driver.
Here’s some of the reaction to Donaldson’s collision:
It doesn’t matter how brightly you are dressed, or how experienced you are, if a driver doesn’t look or doesn’t care then you’re screwedhttps://t.co/LgIaoZ2fU3
— Real Gaz on a proper bike: gazza_d@toot.bike (@gazza_d) February 19, 2023
Yes. The very notion of telling people to “be seen” is nonsense. You can’t grab people’s eyeballs and make them look at you. That’s THEIR responsibility. It’s shifting responsibility to the potential victim.
— Chris Cox (@CoxyJindas) February 20, 2023
Indeed. High viz and lights don’t matter when drivers aren’t looking. https://t.co/RGGMBaj4BU
— Prairie Czar (@PrairieCzar) February 19, 2023
No amount of signal green, neon yellow or lava orange can save you from distracted driver that doesn’t care to pay attention to the road #biking #bike #cycling #cyclist #bicycle https://t.co/YMC2tzFwjN
— Milan Asanović🌻Слава Україні 🇺🇦 (@SphereByMilan) February 19, 2023
‘Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lanes?’ Part 6,949
Cycling infrastructure which isn’t selfish driver proof isn’t infrastructure https://t.co/R9x2An4xyI
— Sheffield CTC (@sheffield_ctc) February 18, 2023
Sex Pistols tribute band frontman cycling 1,000 miles from Milan to Wrexham to raise money for cat rescue
Now, there’s a headline for a Monday afternoon…
Nathan Maverick, who spends his evenings snarling as the frontman of tribute act Sex Pistols Exposé, is taking on the 1,000-mile ride from one of cycling’s spiritual homes, Milan, to… err, Wrexham, to raise funds for the Candy and Tibby Trust, a local small rescue which rehabilitates and rehomes feral, stray, and unwanted cats.
Last summer, the trust launched an urgent appeal for donations as the number of rescues increased dramatically amidst spiralling vet bills.
Im cycling from Milan to North Wales to help poorly cats.
Help raise £5000 to Candy and Tibby Trust (Wrexham) who work tirelessly to .. Please #donate on @justgiving and RT https://t.co/fwnpBvQY6X— Nathan Maverick (@NathanMaverick) February 15, 2023
“I’ve taken some time off from my band to make this happen and if people can make a small donation of even a pound it will go a long way for these animals,” the 40-year-old Johnny Rotten impersonator told the Leader.
“Seeing how Candy and Tibby Trust struggle to manage with this heavy workload, I thought I can help do something. I love cycling and cats, so why not combine them and plan an event.”
Though he’s setting off from Milan (unlike the riders of this year’s Milan-San Remo, incidentally), the ride back up to Wales, through all the road-related Anarchy in the UK, will be anything but a Holiday in the Sun for Nathan – let’s just hope what he calls his “rather old bike” doesn’t have too many Problems, and while he may ride himself into Submission (leaving his legs with No Feelings), by the time he’s finished he should be left with a lot more than just a Pretty Vacant expression on his face.
(Right, that’s enough of that…)
You can donate through Nathan’s JustGiving page.
Conspiracy theorists and far-right groups attend 15-minute city protest in Oxford – as city’s first Jewish mayor blasts “deeply upsetting and offensive” comparisons to Holocaust
It appears that February is well and truly shaping up to be the month of the ‘Great 15-minute City Debate’.
> GB News presenter claims 15-minute cities and LTNs are “un-British” and “illiberal”
After Tory MP Nick Fletcher raised a known conspiracy theory in parliament last week – namely that the scheme, which aims to ensure that most local amenities can be accessed by bike or on foot within 15 minutes, will lead to a “surveillance culture that would make Pyongyang envious” – former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies performed her latest mandatory, and somewhat confused, belly flop into the discussion:
Yeap & Meantime we’re going to get fined for travelling 15 mins from our house! pic.twitter.com/Br5kvp1c4f
— Sharron Davies MBE (@sharrond62) February 16, 2023
And then, on Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Oxford – on foot, I may add – to protest against 15-minute cities, carrying signs warning us about ’15 minute city communism’ and imploring us to ‘wake up’, along with, for some reason, the Welsh flag (your guess is as good as mine).
The Oxford LTN protest is now headed across Magdalen Bridge. I’ve seen at least three Welsh flags, for some reason. pic.twitter.com/auOwQvikYo
— Dave Vetter (@davidrvetter) February 18, 2023
The composition of the protesters – and the other things they may like to protest – was a subject of considerable interest on Twitter:
Among those attending today’s Oxford anti-traffic measure protests:
– far right racists Patriotic Alternative
– increasingly odd ex-Ukip culture warrior David Kurten
– Piers Corbyn
– Laurence Fox
– lots of people who dispute global warming/Covid vaccines(1/2)
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) February 18, 2023
I am sure there were plenty of attendees who had valid reasons to protest, and who aren’t conspiracists. But if I was one of them I’d be very worried about my cause being taken over by extremists, ne’er do wells and carpetbaggers. Traffic schemes are becoming the UK’s crap QAnon.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) February 18, 2023
The rally is, at heart, a climate denial protest. This man says carbon is good because we’re made of carbon. “When they talk about reducing carbon they mean they want to reduce you.” #oxford #ltn pic.twitter.com/dgjeqLBupy
— Dave Vetter (@davidrvetter) February 18, 2023
Many of those at yesterday’s anti-LTN, anti-15-minute-cities protest in Oxford were far right conspiracists. But this chap used to be a key figure at demonstrations against road building so he’s made quite the u-turn. https://t.co/T2ccbRNIFS
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) February 19, 2023
“It would be fantastic if we have all these nice little community hubs with amenities within close reach, but the actual reality of what this means is that you are being tracked and traced within your own town,” one conspiratorial-minded protester told the Oxford Student.
While most focused on the idea of the schemes representing a kind of ‘climate lockdown’, one of the grimmer and more distasteful conspiracy theories around 15-minute cities and LTNs in Oxford was expounded by local hotelier Jeremy Mogford.
Last week Mogford compared the city council’s cabinet member for highways management, Andrew Gant, to the Nazi ‘angel of death’ Josef Mengele, who performed deadly experiments on prisoners during the Holocaust.
Oxford’s first Jewish Lord Mayor Elise Benjamin reacts to Jeremy Mogford’s comments. @TheOxfordMail pic.twitter.com/spk5cDj7fl
— Tom Seaward (@t_seaward) February 18, 2023
Speaking at a counter-protest on Saturday organised by Oxford Stand Up to Racism – a response to the presence of the neo-Nazi Patriotic Alternative in Oxford – former Green party councillor Elise Benjamin, who in 2011 became the city’s first Jewish lord mayor, said: “I’m still struggling to articulate it because it’s so deeply upsetting and offensive.
“To make a comparison between traffic congestion reduction measures and a man who conducted experiments on children as part of a mass genocide, I struggle to understand how anyone in their right mind can think that is an appropriate comparison.”
On Friday Mogford told the Oxford Mail that the message was “sent in error” and that he “regretted” its contents.
Meanwhile, transport journalist Carlton Reid couldn’t help noticing that, by protesting on foot the idea of being able to more easily walk to local essentials and amenities, the protesters were, in fact, proving that 15-minute cities could be the way forward:
These anti-pedestrianisation protestors are on foot, and demonstrating — quite literally — that cities such as Oxford work best at human scale, not at car speeds. https://t.co/K4OcGW9NC4
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) February 18, 2023
Interviewer: What are you protesting, sir?
Protester: We’re here to protest the WEF-Communist 15 minute cities program.
Interviewer: How do you feel?
Protester: Great! I’m out in the street. I’m walking. I’m seeing friends, meeting new people. Why can’t we do this all the time? https://t.co/iBq77OJMKN— Ryan Ruby (@_ryanruby_) February 19, 2023
More early-season safety chaos as Pidcock suffers near miss with motorist – on roundabout just after finish line
While Tom Pidcock’s bike handling skills were on point at the Volta ao Algarve, the race organiser’s safety credentials certainly weren’t, as the yellow jersey wearer almost experienced his second heart stopping moment of the afternoon – thanks to a rather lax approach to road closures just 100 metres from the finish.
Throughout the time trial, a roundabout located just after the finish line – and well before the natural stopping point for a rider on a TT bike who’s just completed an all-out effort for half an hour – appeared open to traffic, with one fluorescent-vested police officer on hand to stop motorists already on the roundabout from continuing on as a rider approached.
(Though no such officer appeared to be on hand at any other entrance to the junction, with the race organisers seemingly happy to rely on the awareness and driving skills of Lagoa’s motorists. Haven’t they read road.cc?)
However, by the time Pidcock crossed the line in the yellow jersey, that one hi-vis officer appeared content that his day was done. As the Ineos Grenadiers rider entered the roundabout – with the officer on walkabout – he was faced with the rather unnerving prospect of a driver approaching him from the left.
Fortunately, the motorist was able to brake in time, but the images of Pidcock making his way around the car-packed roundabout more closely resembled a scene from a Milton Keynes commute than it did the finish area of an elite cycling race.
When it comes to roundabout safety during 2023’s early-season races, I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. Just last week, we reported on the live blog that motorists were able to make their way onto the same roundabouts used by the bunch on the finishing circuit of the Clásica de Almería – prompting British sprinter Dan McLay to politely brand the race organisation a “f***ing disgrace”.
“If you can’t close a road properly you can’t have a race on it. Just playing with our health,” the Arkéa–Samsic rider tweeted.
Last month’s Tour Down Under was also marred by lines of parked cars dramatically reducing the width of the road in the closing kilometres of a stage, while over in Argentina, world champion Remco Evenepoel lambasted the organisers of the Vuelta a San Juan after a “hectic and dangerous” finish which forced the peloton to navigate spectators standing on central reservations and in the middle of the road.
Let’s just hope the safety standards are raised dramatically by Opening Weekend… (Just five more sleeps to Omloop!)
Tom Pidcock showcases “absolutely mint” cyclocross skills – on time trial bike
It was a rather eventful week for Tom Pidcock at the Volta ao Algarve, the Yorkshireman’s first foray back on the road after a winter spent showing off the rainbow jersey at the pointy end of some of the most exhilarating cyclocross races we’ve seen in years.
On the Portuguese race’s first stage to Lagos, the Ineos Grenadiers rider was controversially relegated from fifth to 135th – and fined £180 (‘Ow much?) – after a somewhat innocuous push during the sprint.
> Tom Pidcock “pushed another rider” during sprint, relegated by race jury
And then, on Saturday’s crucial stage to Alto do Malhão, Pidcock blew away the opposition on the famously steep hilltop finish, attacking early before launching a devastating long-range sprint to see off João Almeida and secure an impressive stage win and yellow jersey double.
In doing so, the 23-year-old recorded the second-fastest time up the Alto do Malhão in the last decade, his seven minutes dead for the 2.4km, 9.3 percent monster only surpassed during that period by a certain Alberto Contador, who flew up the climb in 6:48 on his way to the stage win in 2016.
⏱️ Tom Pidcock climbed today Alto do Malhao (2,4 km@9,3%) in exactly 7 minutes, setting the 2nd fastest ascent of the last 12 years after Alberto Contador in 2016 (6:48). Also very impressive that big boy Ganna did it in 7:21, huge watts to do that. #VAlgarve2023 pic.twitter.com/wfpZ1PpAWA
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) February 18, 2023
However, with a raft of TT specialists, including teammate and Hour Record holder Filippo Ganna, breathing down his beck on GC, it was always going to prove difficult for Pidcock to hang on to his yellow jersey during yesterday’s 24.4km race against the clock in Lagoa.
Fortunately, thanks to his worldclass bike handling skills honed during years on the cyclocross field, Pidders was at least able to hang on to his time trial bike during a particularly sketchy moment in the middle of his effort.
Carrying too much speed out of a roundabout, Pidcock, one foot clipped out in a desperate bid to regain his balance, veered off the road and onto a raised dirt banking, which he navigated masterfully – by railing the berm, as the off-road types say – before bunny-hopping back onto the road to nonchalantly continue his TT.
And all on a time trial bike – machines not particularly known for their handling capabilities – too.
What a save! 😲@tompid had to rely on all of his CX skills to stay up right during this sketchy moment at #VAlgarve2023! pic.twitter.com/Cq4J3kO413
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) February 19, 2023
Back in the GCN commentary box, the ever-understated Adam Blythe described the Ineos Grenadiers star’s silky skills as “absolutely mint” and “the best thing I’ve seen all year”.
As for Tom himself? “I’m just happy I stayed upright,” he joked after the stage.
However, all that tekkers ultimately wasn’t enough to win the Volta ao Algarve, with the Olympic mountain bike champion slipping down to seventh overall as another one of his Ineos mates, Dani Martínez pipped Ganna by just two seconds to secure the GC in Portugal.
Solid stuff by Martínez, but is he “absolutely mint”?
20 February 2023, 09:24
Another day, another bike hangar complaint…
"Green measles" bike hangars may threaten Unesco World Heritage status, resident claims
The Bath local suggested the bike hangars will offer graffiti artists a "field day" and "make Unesco's decision so much simpler"
20 February 2023, 09:24
20 February 2023, 09:24
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Latest Comments
I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
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...
@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.
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.
59 thoughts on “Tom Pidcock showcases “absolutely mint” cyclocross skills – on time trial bike… and then suffers near miss with motorist on roundabout just after finish line; Conspiracy theorists target 15-minute city; Bernal’s micro-training + more on the live blog”
If every part of the world
If every part of the world wants to have their tour, then they should maybe start taking rider safety seriously rather than throwing together a half arsed half closed course that is literally killing riders. No such thing as bad publicity, but I doubt cyclists are excited to go to Algarve after seeing how they treat cyclists in an organised race
Dan Walker says:
Dan Walker says:
“Glad to be alive after[b] getting hit by a car [/b]on my bike.”
BBC reports it as:
“Dan Walker has said he is “glad to be alive” after [b]colliding with a car[/b] while cycling.”
Institutionally anti-cyclist?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-64704132
Good to see Mr Walker cycling
Good to see Mr Walker cycling in a crisp white shirt. More sartorial utility cycling please.
Was just about to post
Was just about to post exactly the same comment. Though we should of course check both sides of the story before judging. The two comments are as you quite rightly comment are not the same.
I, too, am regularly annoyed
I, too, am regularly annoyed by the media use of the ‘cyclist collided with car’ dodge when reporting ‘cyclist hit by motorist’. Of course, occasionally it could be that it’s the cyclist doing the hitting, but it very rarely is
Especially for you. No MOT
Especially for you. No MOT but a notice on it saying it will be removed by 28th Feb.
The council did remove a previous vehicle abandoned there, so I’m confident !
Doesn’t really matter a,
Doesn’t really matter a, pedantically, the car is not self aware, so he was hit by a driver.
He was hit by a car, being
He was hit by a car, being driving by a person.
Sriracha wrote:
YES.
I for one am all in for a CX
I for one am all in for a CX or XC series on TT bikes.
It’s not just the berm, it’s the fact he hopped the kerb edge too. Fond memories of failing to do that on a dropped kerb as a nipper and ending up in someone’s rose garden like some sort of cycling Rapunzel prince
F1 BMX was a short-lived (I
F1 BMX was a short-lived (I think) thing in the late 80s. Like a cross between BMX and the low-pro time trial bikes of the day, complete with disc wheel covers (and gears!). Some bikes even had motorbike-like body fairings. Pictures seem thin on the ground but I found a thread on them here:
https://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=556724&p=1
Pretty poor observation here
Pretty poor observation here – SMIDSY
This is why people generalise and hate cyclists
Shouldn’t that read “This is
Shouldn’t that read “This is why people who generalise hate cyclists”. I’m not sure why one very dangerous piece of cycling should make people generalise.
Nor do I but it happens !
Nor do I but it happens !
It’s even reinforced by a handful of cyclists – cyclingmikey does X now all drivers will hate cyclists.
Steve K wrote:
Raise the issue of red traffic lights with someone who drives a car regularly, and see how quickly they will generalise*
*Yes: I’m aware that I just generalised. But I was doing it to make a point.
On the second vid above,
On the second vid above, start it at 9.49 , hope cyclist was ok, but it was bad
I mentioned that in one of
I mentioned that in one of the lights/ hi viz threads.
And it was low speed as well. And they still got thrown a few metres.
Why do these protesters all
Why do these protesters all seem to think that trying to ensure that amenities etc can be found within fifteen minutes of your home means that you will be tracked and traced and not allowed more than fifteen minutes’ travel from home? They are not the same thing at all…
Their actions are, to any
Their actions are, to any rational-minded person, crazy but the positive to take from it all is that potentially genuine campaigns that wish to prevent the development of cycle lanes, LTNs, the ULEZ and 15 minute cities are being delegitimised by their association with the disimformation campaigns of the far right and conspiracy nuts.
I believe that there is a
I believe that there is a phenomenon called the “crank magnet”, whereby if you believe in one crank theory, you are more likely to believe in another, and so all the crank theories overlap and blend. So your COVID is all the fault of the Rothschilds, who are lizards who faked the moon landings.
Crank magnet sounds like some
Crank magnet sounds like some form of mechanical doping.
NotNigel wrote:
that’s where you are wrong. It’s half of a cadence measuring device.
the crank magnet and the chainstay sensor
Are L-shaped crank-magnets
Are L-shaped crank-magnets actually better though? Road.cc looks revisits this long-running debate.
the little onion wrote:
…or that American senator who launched all sorts of claims about “Jewish space lasers”*
*Seriously! Google it.
Why do they think that 5g
Why do they think that 5g causes covid?
Because:
Because:
– the people explaining it aren’t explaining it well enough
– the explanations are too simple, so people look for the catch
– it’s a shouting contest and the supporters aren’t shouting loud enough
– people don’t believe main stream media
– people don’t trust the government
– there has been too much truth bending in recent history (brexit / scotnats/ welshnats / CoVid etc) that no-one really knows who to believe, so they go for the one most aligned with their thought processes
– because road tax / insurance / number plates / etc
– no-one trusts the government.
Any government.
You just watch. It will start
You just watch. It will start with 15 minute cities and before you know it THEY will be putting indoor lavatories in our homes so that THEY can lock us in and feed us genetically modified cheese through our letterboxes.
It’s the thin end of the
It’s the thin end of the wedge (again). I know I’m being watched through my television set. My electric toothbrush has started giving me funny looks. The truth is out there. The explosion in the Decathlon aisle will not be televised. You couldn’t make it up.
perce wrote:
You will not be able to stay home, brother
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag
And skip out for beer during commercials, because
The revolution will not be televised
perce wrote:
is that why my decathlon closed down?
They’ll be putting iodine in
Making it easier to walk and cycle is just a way of making everyone weak! Sat in our cars in the traffic jam on the way to the desk at the office we had power. We had choice! (Fill up at the BP OR Tescos on the way back from the shops).
They’ll be putting iodine in our salt and fluoride in the water next. General Ripper was right!
Unfortunately the sellers of “new” and “convenience” well know that humans are en-mass not the creatures of independent will, choice and freedom that we might imagine we are *. Hence motor vehicles – they had some advantages but their biggest one was they were tempting and extremely sellable (as a concept, to early adopters of franky marginally useful toys then to the masses)!
* At least, not until we’ve finished looking at this funny squirrel meme that hawkinspeter put up and then grabbing a deal on a n+1 carbon bike…
chrisonatrike wrote:
Exactly, they need to believe
Exactly, they need to believe the government and unelected bureaucrats. Hasn’t the last few years shown these people anything?
The social credit score works a treat in China, that fits in with a 15 minute city and seems fine.
15 minute cities would also
15 minute cities would also mean the idea of number plates for bicylcles will reemerge, it’s only fair if they’re going to track everyone’s movements then…
Roulereo wrote:
…and numberplates for pedestrians too
No, they will just put a chip
No, they will just put a chip in everyone. After all, Letchworth was the first experiment.
You realise that in the UK we had this set up until the late 70s but then the motor car was prioritised.
If people were more aware of history, we would not have so much CT drivel
hirsute wrote:
That’s not a good argument – shurely the 70s were when England was a fascist state, just like the Sex Pistols told us? I believe Derek Jarman made a documentary about it?
History just shows us how bad the persecution of the motorist was. Since the 1930s people have been building loony cycle paths! There were modal filters creating “LTNs” from the 1980’s and before.
It wasn’t until the likes of Facebook and Twitter were set up by international philanthropists that the truth could be revealed…
Luckily as chance would have it the ever-reasonable Ranty Highwayman has a recent article on similar opinions as have come up here and other recent threads.
Great shame about the Tour
Great shame about the Tour series. I try to go to the local ones and Guidlford was well attended last year, and the pubs and restaurants seemed to do well out of it. Also manged one of my better photos of the year
One of those UKIP/15 minute
One of those UKIP/15 minute City protestors is carrying a sign ‘the end of free movement’. Wrong, dear. Your government took that away from YOU and your children in 2016. (With your consent you swivel eyed loon)
Exactly, they need to shut up
Exactly, they need to shut up and comply.
Besides, Warsaw had a 15 minute city in 1940. It’s nothing new.
Roulereo wrote:
GODWIN!
Azov!
Azov!
Anchovies!
Anchovies!
Can we get some more tinfoil to aisle 10 at Decathlon? I’m worried about protecting people’s heads.
https://mobile.twitter.com
https://mobile.twitter.com/RantyHighwayman/status/1627949919465005057
Amazing. I’ve just found footage of the first WEF checkpoint in the London Underground being tested.
I knew it! They’ll be
I knew it! They’ll be putting barcodes on bicycles next!
Smarmy self entitled comments
Smarmy self entitled comments is not exactly the best means to argue a point. You most likely don’t even get the Azov reference re Nazis.
I guess we all need to comply, believe the government and its bureaucrats, because they’ve got our best interests at heart and have shown the last few years they’re trustworthy. Have a 5th booster and hope your carbon credits earned will allow you some freedom.
No entitlement here – except
No entitlement here – except riding my bike, a form of transport notable for its low-impact decentralised nature and not requiring registration by the authorities *. Plus me wishing it to be easier for others to do the same. The vast majority in the UK don’t ride regularly or for transport. Yet just 109 nautical miles away, in a similar climate, at the same level of economic development and even speaking closely related languages lots of people do. And I can assure you many folks there still have a strong aversion to nazis (for reason).
I suspect you don’t build your own roads, grow your own electricity, run your own interweb or even catch your own anchovies (my reference was to something fishy but more to my tastes). But if you do good for you – it’s a better life!
I’m still a bit confused as to how you’ve managed to break into the internet,
a product of the military-industrial complexentirely the product of unaffiliated communitarians.However we cycling anarchists are certainly interested in how to escape the Matrix (of motor vehicle dominance), being somewhat independent-minded folk. As your continued presence here proves. Maybe you could give us some tips?
* Sometimes I wonder if this is exactly the reason for cycling not being promoted by the government but rather mass motoring being heavily pushed and indeed subsidised – which it still is? Big Bung theory – if you can generate a large enough concentration of money you can bend reality (or at least decision-makers).
What does the Azov Regiment
What does the Azov Regiment have to do with Godwin’s Law?
Quote:
DHL defends Bristol health and safety change after cyclist says it’s a ‘joke’
DHL Supply Chain says it’s all about safety for cyclists and walkers
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/dhl-defends-bristol-health-safety-8161466
They would hardly be the
They would hardly be the first. Rolls-Royce in Filton have had “cyclists dismount” at the entrance to their car park for ten years, as has the BRI in town.
brooksby wrote:
Obviously, squeezing peds and cyclists onto a narrow shared path is all about safety
I wonder if they’ll let the
I wonder if they’ll let the cyclists just ride on the ‘road’ inside their compound?
brooksby wrote:
I suspect not – they could be in trouble if there’s an incident and it’s shown that mixing HGVs and cyclists is too dangerous. That’s the kind of legal exposure that companies shy away from despite it being acceptable for public roads.
hawkinspeter wrote:
I used to work at Airbus just across the road; cycling was not only allowed but encouraged. Some teams even had a share bike that could be used to get from one end of sure to another, where teams were split between buildings.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
Yeah, I don’t agree with DHL’s choice – they could just ensure that their drivers are extra careful and there’s no need for them to be driving quickly within the compound so cyclists could easily use the road too.
brooksby wrote:
NO, we all know that cars are so dangerous we can’t cycle anywhere near them. It’s the conclusion many businesses seem to reach when carrying out the assessment on their own land.
The fact the cycling is inherently safe and injury rates on the public highway are really very low doesn’t seem to play into their thinking at all.
There seems to be a fear that if a driver hits a cyclist in their car park/drive thru/.. then they will be sued. I don’t think this fear has any basis in reality, but there can’ t be another reason for bikes and cars can’t mix on company land.
wycombewheeler wrote:
When it comes to businesses, it’s a bit tricky. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a requirement on employers to reduce risk as far as ‘reasonably practicable’.
In practice, what is considered ‘reasonably practicable’ is very open to interpretation (though the judgement from Edwards v. National Coal Board [1949] does provide some help), but requiring cyclists to dismount could be considered a ‘reasonably practicable’ risk barrier. If there are hardly any cyclists, requiring them to dismount, or just not allowing bikes on-site at all, might be a more cost-effective barrier than driver training.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
NO, we all know that cars are so dangerous we can’t cycle anywhere near them. It’s the conclusion many businesses seem to reach when carrying out the assessment on their own land.
The fact the cycling is inherently safe and injury rates on the public highway are really very low doesn’t seem to play into their thinking at all.
There seems to be a fear that if a driver hits a cyclist in their car park/drive thru/.. then they will be sued. I don’t think this fear has any basis in reality, but there can’ t be another reason for bikes and cars can’t mix on company land.
— wycombewheeler When it comes to businesses, it’s a bit tricky. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places a requirement on employers to reduce risk as far as ‘reasonably practicable’. In practice, what is considered ‘reasonably practicable’ is very open to interpretation (though the judgement from Edwards v. National Coal Board [1949] does provide some help), but requiring cyclists to dismount could be considered a ‘reasonably practicable’ risk barrier. If there are hardly any cyclists, requiring them to dismount, or just not allowing bikes on-site at all, might be a more cost-effective barrier than driver training.— brooksby
But this duty is not placed on the highways agency or local councils?
wycombewheeler wrote:
Nope. Organisations responsible for the road network do not have the same responsibilities as employers do under the HaSaWA 1974. An employer is more responsible for your safety when you are at work, and you are more responsible for your safety when you’re not.