“Guerrilla gardener” cyclist spends hours sweeping bike lanes… but others warn of council “bully boy” response; Pogačar confirms Urška Žigart’s Olympics omission played role in him pulling out; Roy Keane the Tyre Extinguisher? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Guess it didn't work": Visma-Lease a Bike selling its Tour de France 'Control Room' van on Facebook Marketplace for €11,000
Let’s spare a thought for Visma-Lease a Bike, shall we? The team which conquered the world of pro cycling last year, winning all three Grand Tours marking an unprecedented moment in modern cycling history, has had quite the disappointing season by its standards.
Both the team’s classics star Wout van Aert as well as two-time Tour champion and the only person who looked strong enough to give Pogačar a run for his money Jonas Vingegaard suffered heavy crashed early on, hampering not only their season but also much of their Tour de France training and preparation, yet somehow the two managed to make it Florence for the Grand Départ.
While Van Aert would like to forget this Tour as quickly as possible, Vingegaard, despite being “almost on the verge of death” in his own words, did manage to take the fight to Pogačar for a brief period of time, until the Slovenian went superhuman and run away with the yellow jersey, even pipping Visma’s Jorgensen in the breakaway to what could have been his maiden stage win in a bitter blow.
In the end, the Dutch team only came back from Nice with one stage win, when Vingegaard trumped Pogačar in a two-up sprint on stage 11, and thus wrapping up by their standards, a dismal season so far.
However, even before the Tour started, one of the talking points for Visma had been its Mission Impossible-style ‘Control Room’ van, a “command centre” to monitor cyclists’ performances, analyse data and make tactical decisions destined to take the data analysis side of the sport to its extremes.
Fans were quick to take shots at the van, with the UCI also getting involved, dropping its dreaded email confirming that the sport’s governing body is “carrying out verifications to ensure that the setup put in place by the team is compliant with the regulatory framework in force”.
Now, eagle-eyed fans have spotted that the van is up for sale on Facebook Marketplace, if you’ve got €11,000 that is…
Visma are already selling the control van on Facebook marketplace😭😭😭 guess it didn’t work pic.twitter.com/kyAyc56ZEG
— loui (@looflol) July 24, 2024
“Guess it didn’t work…” Ouch.
Tour de France pro slams "heavier" Look bike for poor performance, but Cofidis team unimpressed and point out same "cutting-edge equipment" has been ridden to numerous big Grand Tour wins
Guillaume Martin — the Cofidis climber who finished 13th at the Tour de France, 43 minutes down on Tadej Pogačar — had plenty of feedback about his team’s equipment, arguing his Look bike was too heavy and that he would have performed much better if it was not “one kilo more than the UCI’s permitted weight”, and without a power meter or head unit due to him not wanting “to make my bike even heavier”.
"Slash their tyres": Roy Keane outs himself as a Tyre Extinguisher!
Keano, my club’s legend and apparently about to go down a cult classic here too?
Who knew the Irishman would be on this side of the apparent War on Cars, as he discussed illegal parking with Ian Wright, Jill Scott and Gary Neville on the amazing ‘Stick to Football’ podcast?!
First congestion charges, now this?!
Why are the powerful taking aim at the poor hard-pressed motorists pic.twitter.com/P21LWl18vJ
— AA Roadwash (@aaroadwash) July 24, 2024
“What do you think of people who park, you know people who have a few quid and they have a nice car and they just park anywhere they want, on double yellows or disabled, and they just think I’ve got money, I can park where I want,” says Keane. “And they just take the ticket off, yeah I can pay that… Rude that!”
Wright asks: “So what should we do about it?”
“Slash their tyres,” answers Keane… Maybe he’s familiar with the Tyre Extinguishers?
Grimsby going full 1984... Town where cyclist ordered to pay £1,150 to trial speakers playing 'no cycling' message every 15 minutes
In the latest attempts of one council to crack down on “anti-social behaviour”, namely people cycling through parts of Grimsby town centre, a speaker system will play messages reminding residents that cycling is banned on certain streets.
You know the Tour de France is over when... pro teams start posting about their riders' hobbies
It’s been three days since Pogačar soared to his third maillot jaune in Nice, Biniam Girmay gave Eritrea its first green jersey, Richard Carapaz doggedly held on to the mountains classification and became the first Ecuadorian to win the polka dot jersey and Remco Evenepoel also left his stamp on the Tour by winning the first white jersey for Belgium.
And while this live blog is a good way to fill the void left by all the ubercycling we so dearly miss, it’s always a fascinating time to see how the pro teams and riders react to the Tour end.
So revelling in the post-Tour malaise is Derek Gee, the Israel-Premier Tech rider who secured 9th position in the general classification. His team has now posted a video updating on the Canadian’s whereabouts and his “distinctive” hobby of birdwatching… is he our new Thibaut Pinot?
You’ve met @DerekGee7, the top-10 finisher at @letourdefrance 🚲
Now meet Derek Gee, the birdwatching enthusiast 🦅
We caught up with the Canadian star during the last off-season to learn about his distinctive hobby 🔍#YallaIPT pic.twitter.com/n3yR5w4Miw
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) July 24, 2024
“I got into birdwatchin in August 2019 when we’re doing an altitude camp in Colarado. There were a bunch of mountain birds I had never seen before and I was sitting out on an Airbnb balcony and started looking them up and started making a list, and then it became a hobby!” explains Gee in the video.
Bonus points to anyone who can come up with a cool nickname for Gee akin to Sepp Kuss’ “Eagle of Durango”. Hmm, Osprey of Ontario, anyone?
Cav speaks Welsh!
I mean, it’s not suprising that the Manx Missile speaks another Celtic language (I know one is Brythonic, and another’s Goidelic), but it’s nice to see Cav greet Welshman Stevie Williams in Welsh!
From my very limited knowledge of the language (don’t ask me why), looks like Cav says: “Stevie – sut wyt ti heddiw?”, or “how are you today?”
Legendary British cyclist Sir Mark Cavendish gave a greeting in Welsh while competing in his last Tour de France where he won a record 35th stage https://t.co/E2IqKDFdFR pic.twitter.com/nUFs7rXCeY
— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) July 23, 2024
Raleigh uncertainty as bike manufacturer served warning notice from Companies House, just months after redundancies and restructuring
British bicycle manufacturer Raleigh has received a warning notice from Companies House in relation to late accounts which have not been filed, the news coming months after the brand’s parent company Accell confirmed job cuts, restructuring and a move away from the manufacturer’s Nottingham headquarters due to a “challenging market”.
While the serving of a First Gazette notice for compulsory strike-off on its own does not necessarily mean anything more than a company being late to file its accounts, it can raise concerns about goings on at a business and lead to questions about why the accounts for 2022, due to be published at the end of last year, still have not been filed.
22-year-old Transcontinental race cyclist in top 20 goes back 270km... to retrieve his passport and wallet which he forgot at a petrol station
If you thought the Tour de France was a race for sickos, think again, because the Transcontinental race, the mammoth self-supported, non-stop race from one side of Europe to the other, just got underway in Roubaix three days ago, where some of the world’s finest ultra-distance riders set out on a 4,000km journey across the continent to Istanbul.
And while not the most exciting event to follow, the things these ultra riders manage to do is absolutely stupendous. But what do you do when you have the unpleasant realisation that you’ve made a costly mistake, only a whopping 270km later?
Well if you’re Victor Bosoni, you turn back! The 22-year-old wild card who has been riding within the top 20 at the front of the race, realised this morning that he had forgot his wallet and passport at a petrol station 270 kilometres behind him. A situation that would see some throwing in the towel, he began a tedious though strong-willed journey backwards to retrieve his essential belongings.
Having already climbed over the Grossglockner, it looks as though he may be headed for Brenner Pass, which he will of course then have to come back over again once he has collected his things. Despite a near 550KM detour, the passionate Green Leaderboard rider is still aiming for the Finisher’s Party in Istanbul — a commendable show of determination from the young ultra cyclist!
Routes of the first two Tour of Britain stages announced, with the peloton getting underway in Scotland and then going to the Tees Valley
The routes for the first two stages of the upcoming Lloyd’s Tour of Britain have been announced, in what will be one of the hardest openings in the race’s history.
Stage one on Tuesday 3 September in the Scottish Borders, will be a 181.9-kilometre (113.1-mile) spectator friendly route, starting and finishing in Kelso, passing through Coldstream, Gordon, Melrose, Denholm, Jedburgh and St Boswells.
The route features two loops, enabling spectators in Kelso and Melrose, and on the categorised King of the Mountains climbs at Scott’s View and Dingleton, to see the race in action twice, with the final climb coming 23 kilometres from the finish of the stage.
Commenting on the route, Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men Race Director Rod Ellingworth said:
“The Scottish Borders has a long history with the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men and so we are delighted to have worked with our partners at Scottish Borders Council to come up with this spectator friendly, and challenging route, for the riders.
“With five categorised climbs this will be a tough opening stage, and is by no means certain to end in a sprint, so should set up a thrilling battle between the sprinters and those riders who believe the final climb at Dingleton can be a launchpad to victory in Kelso.”
A day later (Wednesday 4 September), the Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men heads to Darlington for the first time since 2009, for a 152-kilometre (94 miles) stage through the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire to Redcar.
The stage crosses the Cleveland Hills and heads through the North York Moors National Park to the coast at Robin Hood’s Bay via a series of short, sharp climbs.
Turning north via Whitby, the stage climbs Lythe Bank and the peloton will tackle the iconic Saltburn Bank twice, the latter ascent coming within the final ten kilometres of racing.
Commenting on the stage, Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men Race Director Rod Ellingworth said:
“The tough opening to this year’s Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men intensifies on stage two with another day that is relentless up and down as we cross the Tees Valley and the North York Moors National Park. Two years ago, the climbs in this area provided decisive in the race and we are sure they will once again shape the overall general classification battle.
“Thanks to our partners across the Tees Valley, in Darlington, Stockton, and Redcar & Cleveland, plus stakeholders in North Yorkshire, we have put together a route that showcases some fantastic moorland and coastal scenery, while also providing plenty of opportunities for attacking and entertaining riding. I’ve no doubt that the closing kilometres of racing, with the double ascent of Saltburn Bank, will be among the most spectacular in this year’s Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men.”
“It’s not the main reason, but for sure it didn’t help”: Tadej Pogačar puts an end to rumours and confirms Urška Žigart’s omission from the Slovenian team played a part in Tour de France winner’s decision to pull out of Paris Olympics
After rumours of Pogačar pulling out of the Olympics due to Urška Žigart’s shock omission from the Slovenian women’s road cycling team going to Paris, the recently crowned Tour de France champion has confirmed that while it wasn’t the main reason, it did play a part in his decision, adding that she “deserves her spot” in the team.
In case you’re not up-to-date with the story, Urška Žigart, Slovenia’s top-ranked female rider and the current national road race and time trial champion was left out of the country’s squad for the cycling road race at the Olympic a decision many described as shocking and controversial.
The selection committee defended the decision noting Žigart’s proficiency as a climber and her apparent weakness at riding in a group meant she wasn’t the best suited for Paris’ punchy course — however, not explanation was given behind the decision to leave her out of the time trial as well.
Žigart, who rides for Team Jayco-AlUla, meanwhile, just also happens to be Tadej Pogačar’s fiancée (a power couple, I know), and the three time Tour winner had previously said he was “so gutted” at her partner’s exclusion from the national squad.
So when Pogačar announced that he was “too tired” to participate in the Olympics, and his next goal was to take the rainbow jersey off Mathieu van der Poel at the UCI Worlds men’s road race championship in Zurich in September, fans didn’t lose any time to speculate that there could be an extra hidden reason behind his no-show in Paris.
Well, Pogačar has decided to quel any and all such speculations himself. Speaking before the start of a crit race in Netherlands yesterday evening, he told the Dutch broadcaster NOS: “It’s not the main reason, but for sure it didn’t help. I think she deserves her spot. She’s the double national champion in road race and time trial.”
“She’s the only woman cyclist in Slovenia that ever achieved top 10 in week-long World Tour races. She did great in the last two years winning points for Slovenia and, without her, they wouldn’t have two spots in the [Olympic] road race.”
Pogačar’s announcement of not going to Paris was met with many fans critiquing the Slovenian team selection. One person wrote: “Whoever selected the women’s team needs to be fired immediately,” while another said: “He is riding a bike for himself, not the corrupt Slovenian Olympic committee.”
“Of course he won’t go alone, if they left Urška out so badly,” said Darja. “He is a principled man and he will not tolerate such injustice. If both selectors were at least a little smart, they would talk a little about the composition of the teams. But if they are council f***s, they would wipe themselves with their nose for a medal.”
It appears that social media sleuths did get it spot-on, and the 25-year-old UAE Team Emirates rider is completely unafraid to put his foot down in front of the Slovenian national federation, who have not responded to a request for comment from The Guardian.
“I can do it, why can’t those who get paid to maintain the city?”: "Guerrilla gardener" cyclist spends hours sweeping bike lanes… but others warn of council’s “bully boy” response to “guerrilla maintenance”
Imagine you cycle 11 miles to a city that you don’t live in, spend hours sweeping, picking litter and trimming grass edges off cycle lanes, and then having to worry about the council not being too happy with your work…
Sounds hardly believable, I know, but a cyclist from around Belfast has shared images of cleaning up the bike lanes and even chopping down the grass edges (don’t ask me how), but the real questions are, why does it have to be a random cyclist instead of the council who takes responsibility, and more importantly, how will the council react to it, and finally most importantly, do we now have to rely on this sort of “guerrilla maintenance”?
The Twitter account which goes by the name ‘Belfast Cyclist’ shared an image showing before and after of the entrance to Titanic Quarter railway station, captioning it: “An hours work. I can do it, why can’t those who get paid to maintain the City do it and who holds them accountable?”
Entrance to Titanic quarter train station before and after…
An hours work .
I can do it, why can’t those who get paid to maintain the City do it and who holds them accountable ? pic.twitter.com/M5fSUBnYnD— Belfast Cyclist (@BelfastCyclist1) July 21, 2024
An hour and half later, the person shared a bunch of more images showing the Middlepath Street cycle lane as well as the underpass, both having been swept by the cyclist. They wrote: “Litter picked the greenway from Comber to Middlepath st… Might go for a spin on the tallbike after lunch”
The replies to the post were full of positive stuff, with people describing them a “legend’ and “inspirational”, however one person replied: “Wouldn’t be surprised if the council tries a bit of bully boy in response to this lol.”
Swept Middlepath St cycle lane and the underpass..
Spent an hour on the entrance to the Titanic train station .. there’s another post about that
Litter picked the greenway from Comber to Middlepath st …
Might go for a spin on the tallbike after lunch pic.twitter.com/ytfL4ayAZR
— Belfast Cyclist (@BelfastCyclist1) July 21, 2024
Another person wrote: “Thanks! There’s often litter and broken glass on that section and to be fair the council do seem to tidy it up fairly quickly, but the greenery doesn’t get trimmed often enough in the summer,” to which the cyclist responded, defiantly may I add: “It’s me that clears it up,” adding lots of pictures from many of his sweeping runs.
It’s me that clears it up ….https://t.co/T8G6vMkkEHhttps://t.co/Tjj6egiLjChttps://t.co/rDdIuuKkaqhttps://t.co/MrsJFt9wkn
there’s more ..a lot more
— Belfast Cyclist (@BelfastCyclist1) July 21, 2024
Looks like Belfast has found its cycling vigilante of sorts; the cyclist the city doesn’t deserve, but the cyclist the city needs…
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If the police are overwhelmed with evidence showing dangerous driving, then that shows that the dangerous driving is endemic: the graveyards and hospitals are full of the victims. If it is endemic, then one of two things must be true, or both: the detection rate is not high enough, and/or the punishment is not sufficient to deter. So in this case, we have the victims providing the evidence, in most cases all the officers need to do is view that evidence. If the officers don't have time, then the process should be automated, possibly by AI. If the driver disputes it, then a real person could view it, but if they consider the driving to be dangerous, the driver should pay for the officer's time. Then we have the lack of punishment, or punishment which doesn't fit the crime, because it does not deter people from offending. The current system of points and fines is clearly not working, and something rather more effective has to be done, like confiscating the car for instance. ".......the Chief Inspector recommended that road users use a rear-facing camera and evidence their own speed at the time of the overtake." I fail to see what the speed of the vehicle being overtaken has to do with the overtaking vehicle passing too closely. Would it be ok if you were doing 5mph, or 25mph? Baffling.
In principal, driverless cars have the potential to be much safer than human drivers, by virtue of the fact that they should be intent on following the rules of the road, nor driving whilst drunk/drugged, never be tired, frustrated, irrational etc, etc. Another advantage is that mistakes can be corrected and rolled out across the entire fleet (try that with humans. Add to that the resulting reduction in car ownership, increased car sharing, and the sheer amount of street space given over to parked cars will plummet. The key factor, however, is how much of those principles the owning companies are prepared to commit to. (Altruism isn't their strong point)
I'm going to take a close look at some of the lights mentioned. For reference: I extensively used the following: - Nightrider lumina (don't recall the exact model): horrible temperature control and after 18 months it bricked up on me and they refused to honour the warranty, will never buy anything from them ever again; - Lezyne 1600 XXL, two issues, firstly the strap that attached it to the handlebar never kept in place really well over rough terrain. Secondly: a cop stopped me and although -to me riding the bike- it appeared well adjusted, he claimed I was blinding oncoming traffic. He actually held the bike so I could check for myself from inside his car and he was simply right: the light level on the ground was ok but indeed, I was blinding oncoming traffic. That's a hard no, it had to go even though he didn't fine me. I don't want to annoy/be a risk to other road users; - Then the Lupine: solid as a rock, mounted on a GoPro mount, USB-C charging, StVZO compliant...but alas not enough oomph considering terrain and desired speed; Thinking back, it somehow seems like a light I had on my bike back when I was riding long distance events (Audax, crazy distances but lower average speeds) might have been ideal, that was a Son Edelux and it ran on a Son hub dynamo. But I don't want to install a dynamo and again, lower speeds.
Well that all blew up quickly! A pause to savour: "cyclists have a dislike for linguistic accuracy and authentic meaning." Apparently it's something to do with the cyclic muscle movements - ah, no, that would affect runners and rowers also. Circular motion of the limbs?
@mattw Yeah, and Oxford Street will be full of unicorns and rainbows by then as well. 🤣
@stulemanski Actually I think they do, as long as there is good behaviour. Complete cycle bans are vanishingly rare in the Netherlands, which is the best comparison. In 10-20 years time there will be a mobility track, and there will be no real problems.
@Rendel Harris That assumes training, expertise, and the time to do a proper job including full consultation. This does not happen, and then rapid assumptions are made based on "me". That also happens with cycling groups who campaign for something and completely ignore eg tricycles or other varieties of vehicle, in favour of standard cycles. Both lived experience and professional experience are essential. This week I have been looking at a brand new £50k 3m-wide path upgrade in my local Green Flag Park, where the Council have spent perhaps £3k installing a 3 ply chicane with 1.5m gaps and 1.5m spacing between barriers at one end of it. The path also includes a 1-in-9 30m long hill. I have since been talking to a lady who is a wheelchair user and has a fully-trained assistance dog which walks alongside, who is thereby prevented from entering the park she pays for with her Council Tax. Those dimensions are unusable for most small mobility scooters, never mind other mobility aid users, and are flat out unlawful, and not in accordance with several sets of Government Guidelines. Yet when I complain I expect to be stonewalled to the door of the Court in the hope that I will get exhausted and go away. At the door of the Court they usually capitulate, and will have spent 7-10k on legal letters and compensation and doing what they should have done at the start. That £3k could have been spent sorting out perhaps 10 other anti-disabled barriers around our Green Flag Parks. Every complaint so far I have made has been met with "Does Not Meet Threshold for Action".
@flowboy I'm not sure what your point is, FB. Unforfunately, in a world of insufficient resources and gutted Councils with no expertise (for example the near-vanishing of Accessibility Officers) due mainly to available resources being halved since 2010, the only things that will get a response are likely to be details supported by a credible threat of legal action. That's how it is. Even then they often rely on obfuscation via complaints procedures that can take 12 months and have no teeth.
@flowboy I'm not sure what your point is, FB. Unforfunately, in a world of insufficient resources and gutted Councils with no expertise (for example the near-vanishing of Accessibility Officers) due mainly to available resources being halved since 2010, the only things that will get a response are likely to be details supported by a credible threat of legal action. That's how it is. Even then they often rely on obfuscation via complaints procedures that can take 12 months and have no teeth.
@Rendel Harris I have recently come out. I have been called a lot worse. Sticks and stones. So are you saying I cannot call people like myself names? If a call myself and people like me, a ‘homophobic slur’ are you going to get the nasty words police on to me? If you are straight, then your opinions and fake anger mean nothing. Unless you are gay, you are clueless. So stop getting all worked up about a name. I can cope with it. If you can’t, it’s on you.
34 thoughts on ““Guerrilla gardener” cyclist spends hours sweeping bike lanes… but others warn of council “bully boy” response; Pogačar confirms Urška Žigart’s Olympics omission played role in him pulling out; Roy Keane the Tyre Extinguisher? + more on the live blog”
Well done that man/woman
Well done that man/woman/other
There is a bloke who does the
There is a bloke who does the same around here: more power to him.
It did make me laugh the other day however when I saw him out cycling to his next “job” with a chainsaw attached to his bikes back panniers. I wonder if he gets many close passes?
The nearest I get to what the
The nearest I get to what the Belfast Cyclist does, is that if there are low hanging branches on the cycle path I use to commute then I will
usuallyoften stop and saw them off (I’ve got a multitool with a saw blade, which lives at the bottom of my bag).Chainsaw ? probably going to
Chainsaw ? probably going to watch a TDF stage.
If he fancies some extra work
If he fancies some extra work in Suffolk,theres plenty to do whilst our council are merely assessing what to do about it.
The cycle lane is the bit on the right of the pic
On the Basingstoke canal
On the Basingstoke canal there is a pink poop painter, and I appreciate their activities.
brooksby wrote:
Agree. Give them a gold star.
Most councils (including Shropshire) are so cash-strapped that path and pavement maintenance is a very long way down the list of priorities.
But “vigilante” ?!? Come on road.cc, you know better than that!
Was Guillaume Martin’s Look 795 Blade RS really a whole kilo over the UCI weight limit? Cycling Weakly rated the 7.48kg review bike highly in their recent Race Bike of the Year group test.
Fair play to them. It’s a
Fair play to them. It’s a brilliant contribution to his community, but he kind of answers his own question about why the council aren’t doing it. If people assume it’s the council doing his litter picking, they probably don’t get many, if any complaints about it, so why allocate already stretched resources?
The council staff may well get paid to maintain public spaces, but unless there’s evidence that the staff are skiving, the staff that have been allocated to that work is presumably filling their working day on other areas. Does he think they should come back and do unpaid over-time?
Showing his work on social media is a good way to record what he’s doing, and hopefully make the point that the council should be allocating additional resources. But with successive budget cuts come successive reductions in what the council is able to do. They just can’t afford to do ‘as many nice things’ as they used to do, unless they are also a statutory responsibility or there is political pressure. Even with statutory responsibilities, there is pressure to consider how much is required to comply.
What would be great would be if the council can co-ordinate with volunteers. My local beach team group have an arrangement with the council to leave the material collected in a particular location for pick-up.
FionaJJ wrote:
Perhaps the new government should encourage this kind of cooperation? They could call it
“Public Freshening of Infra (PFI)”“The Big Society”“Socialist Sweepers”“(New) Fully-Funded Council Maintenance Services *”It seems our national choices going forward appear to be incur even more debt (if we can get credit), accept we’ll be paying more for less or just … DIY. Of course the latter may or may not be supported by our local lordlings…
* Zero cost, so we can budget for that.
FionaJJ wrote:
Many councils have reduced their workforce massively over the last 14 years.
Despite having taken the axe to staffing numbers a few times already, Shropshire Council is currently “seeking to save £27m through staff cuts” and has had about 200 applications for voluntary redundancy. Since they are looking to make cuts equivalent to about 540 full time posts (more than 10%) there will be compulsory ones as well. There is serious talk of shutting libraries, since the Tories don’t like people freeloading and learning for free; we should be buying our own books, or better still supporting the economy by spending it in betting shops, fast food outlets and Wetherspoons pubs.
Rights of Way maintenance had been ‘farmed out’ to P3 volunteer teams (Parish Paths Partnership), usually groups of retirees who are happy to lend a hand with fencing, clearing vegetation and stile mending/erecting.
Shropshire Council is struggling even to find money for statutory stuff, partly because the corrupt, incompetent Conservative-led council has repeatedly spaffed loads of our money on stupid big-money capital projects.
Extra points for tallbike –
Extra points for tallbike – presumably that’s also good for a spot of pruning or replacing the bulbs in the street lighting *?
* Just joking! Obviously paths and cycle paths away from the main roads don’t need expensive stuff like lighting for social safety!
The van advert clearly has to
The van advert clearly has to be a spoof, not only would €11,000 be ridiculously cheap for a 2024 model (don’t know the exact type but it looks pretty similar to a Transit, which is €38,000 new) but the fact that the mileage is listed as 3498 km, the exact distance of this year’s Tour, is a bit of a clue.
Rendel Harris wrote:
I reckon you’re right, it can’t be real. The van is a VW Crafter, they start at £50k, so easy €55k minimum price new.
€11,000 is the prize money
€11,000 is the prize money for a stage win at this year’s tour.
In that case, whichever troll
In that case, whichever troll made this ad clearly did their research before posting… And I’m all here for it
Genius.
Bike Rack Saves Pedestrians
Bike Rack Saves Pedestrians in Crash on Busy Brooklyn Street
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2024/07/22/bike-rack-saves-pedestrians-in-crash-on-busy-brooklyn-street
brooksby wrote:
If the driver has a long record of recklessness, then I’m surprised that either the police or his insurance company don’t stop him from driving. Are they just waiting for someone to die before taking action?
Optimistic to think they’ll
Optimistic to think they’ll take action after someone dies.
momove wrote:
The insurance company might well do so if they’re hit with a multi-million dollar lawsuit from the victim’s family
I’d be surprised if they had
I’d be surprised if they had insurance
Still good that the journalist wrote about the driver causing violence, and not the car having an accident.
NickSprink wrote:
I beg to differ:
“The white Hyundai involved in the crash has been nabbed 10 times by city speed- and red-light cameras since Oct. 10, 2023, city records show.”
Had a sarcastic comment from
Had a sarcastic comment from the driver or passenger when crossing on a zebra
“thanks mate”
in my head “yep, thanks for not killing me” as I complete the crossing.
I’m not going to thank someone for stopping when they are required to. Total car brain to frame it as though drivers are doing peds a favour when they stop at a zebra.
I hate it when that happens –
I hate it when that happens – as you say, they are supposed to stop so why would you thank them for obeying the law? “Thank you so much for not burgling my house” “Thank you for not stabbing me” etc etc
I reckon this is the other
I reckon this is the other way round though. It’s like the burglar sarcastically saying “thanks, mate” when he sees you locking your door when you leave your house.
Or is the driver criticising the ped for not thanking the driver for stopping?
john_smith wrote:
That was how I read Hirsute’s story, yes.
Yes, they did not appreciate
Yes, they did not appreciate me failing to show thanks (and doffing my cap to the drivist overlords).
If someone stops when they don’t need to, then that’s a different matter.
I also don’t thank people for stopping at giveway lines at a sideroad.
Yes. When I’m on foot and
Yes. When I’m on foot and waiting to cross without priority, I don’t see any driver waving their thanks at me for letting them past.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
However, I get pedestrians thanking me if I’m about to turn into a side road (whilst cycling) and wave across pedestrians that are waiting to cross. I also get thanked if I stop at a zebra when it looks like someone is about to want to cross.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Well over generations we have learned that fast things on the roads don’t necessarily stop. That probably carries over to cyclists.
It’s interesting how people seated in motor vehicles automatically adopt a position of social superiority in relation to those outside. (Not limited just to “wrong ‘uns” either – though that is a thing). That’s not unique to motor vehicles – however this is perhaps slightly unusual in that so many people can “boost their status”.
To those who doubt the above (“well I am not like that!”) – like so many psychosocial effects it’s quite subtle and not easy to introspect. Sometimes we aren’t the best judge of “how it is with us”.
road.cc wrote:
Judging by the video, ‘Canadian Cormorant’ seems most appropriate, since that’s apparently 95% of what he’s spotting.
Given the synonym of Gee and
Given the synonym of Gee and his combativity awards in last year’s tour of Italy, The Goshawk of the Giro might work?
” Hop on miss and we’ll give
” Hop on miss and we’ll give you a lift to your destination, as it’s a bit hot for cycling “
Wife is hoping Essex police might, just might write a letter.
Essex police might, just
Essex police might, just might write a letter
A letter is the same as saying: do what you like, we don’t care
It’s come back as prosecution
It’s come back as prosecution !
Next step will be the bus company claiming they don’t know who the driver is.