“Tory proposal to kill more people”: Cycling campaigner slams Conservative’s attempt to reverse 20mph speed limit in Wales; Evenepoel’s mind games with Pogačar and Van der Poel; Could cyclocross come to 2030 Winter Olympics? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“I only like cyclists when they get run over,” says controversial Italian politician and Giorgia Meloni supporter, as pro “I only like cyclists when they get run over,” says controversial Italian politician
Prominent and controversial Italian politician and journalist Vittorio Feltri has been roundly condemned by the cycling community in Italy, including Tour de France stage winner and former European champion Matteo Trentin, after telling an event organised by his Il Giornale newspaper this week that “I only like cyclists when they get run over”.
The highly inflammatory comments came on what would have Michele Scarponi’s 45th birthday, and over seven years since the Giro d’Italia winner was killed while out on a training ride by a van driver who allegedly admitted to prosecutors that he had been watching a video on his mobile phone at the time of the fatal collision.
Lachlan Morton spares some time to save an injured bird on his 14,2000km 'Lap of Australia' ride (he's into 10k+ kms now!)
The big news of the day coming from Down Under isn’t that Lachlan Morton, the EF Education-Easy Post rider attempting to break Dave Alley’s around-Australia ride record, has ticked over 10,000km, but that he even found himself some time to save an injured bird — and that too, somehow in EF’s pink colours!
The Australian cyclist has been averaging over 400 kilometres a day for the last three weeks, as the team’s aim of finishing the ride around the country in 35 days — two days faster than Alley’s effort in 2011, seems to be over in just 31 days if Morton keeps this pace up. That is, assuming he doesn’t do a Derek Gee and indulge himself in too much birdwatching.
The bird seemed to a cockatoo of some sort (sorry, your live blog host’s ornithology skills are rather limited), and EF Education shared a clip of the bird-saving act on Instagram writing: “Lachlan spotted an injured bird during his ride and the crew stopped to move the new friend into a safer location. Animal control was also contacted to pick up the bird for treatment.”
Fans didn’t miss out on noticing the cockatoo’s pink plumage, with EF tagging Rapha and saying: “Think we have some kit inspo for next year?”
You can follow Morton’s ‘Lap of Australia’ ride here.
Family of teenage cyclist seriously injured in crash want world championships to continue, as organisers say they are “extremely concerned” about Swiss rider who remains in “very critical” condition
The road world championships in Zurich will go ahead as planned today, the UCI has confirmed, after the family of an 18-year-old Swiss cyclist seriously injured in a crash during yesterday’s junior women’s road race told the organisers that they wished for the event to continue.
Some more benefits of Wales' 20mph speed limits: Delays in meeting Tory leadership hopeful James Cleverly
Tory leadership hopeful…🫠
In just 3 months the 20mph change saw:
Total number of casualties down 26%.
Number killed/seriously injured fall 23% .
Those killed fall 55% .
Slight injuries down 27%.
Other benefits appear to include delays in meeting James Cleverly. https://t.co/8DAxSfM1TO
— Will Hayward (@WillHayCardiff) September 26, 2024
David Lappartient confirms that the UCI will officially propose to the IOC for cyclocross to be included in 2030 Winter Olympics
At the the 193rd UCI Congress being held today in Zürich, David Lappartient, the president of the UCI has reportedly confirmed that the cycling’s governing body supports the inclusion of cyclocross in the Winter Olympics and will officially submit its candidacy to the International Olympic Committee from the 2030 Games, supposed to take place in the French Alps.
Lappartient said: “We would like to propose to the International Olympic Committee and the French Alps Committee, which will organise the 2030 Winter Olympic Games, that cyclocross could join the Olympic programme, it would be a wonderful symbol.
“Cyclocross was born in France, a little over a century ago , stressed the UCI President. Even if it is only a hypothesis today, we think that it would be a wonderful asset for the Winter Olympic Games.”
Rumours of this happening have been circulating for over ten years now, with many media outlets reporting the possibility of the sport becoming a part of the Winter Olympic Games in 2030 looking stronger this year. Now with this confirmation from the UCI president — who’s also touted to be aiming for the role of the next IOC Chair — reported by French news website Direct Velo, it seems that we could be getting closer to seeing the likes of Fem Van Empel and Wout van Aert race in the Alps in 2030.
The mind games are on: Remco Evenepoel says pressure could force Tadej Pogačar into making a mistake at UCI Worlds road race, also claiming Van der Poel has a small disadvantage due to his weight
We’re just one sleep away from perhaps the two most awaited races as the 2024 road cycling calendar edges closer to its conclusion: the women’s and men’s elite road races in Zürich which will determine which two riders don the rainbow jerseys for the next year.
And in the men’s event, supposed to take place on Sunday, competition is rife, with the triumvirate of Mathieu van der Poel, the defending champion, Remco Evenepoel, double gold-medallist at the Paris Olympics, and Tadej Pogačar, the first cyclist to do a Giro-Tour double since Marco Pantani in 1998 — all laying a claim on the rainbow stripes, with several others such as Biniam Girmay, Stevie Wiliams, and Tom Pidcock, also hoping for a shot at victory.
And ahead of the race, Remco Evenepoel, speaking in Belgium’s pre-race press conference, has already kicked off the mind-games, saying that Pogačar will be more susceptible to making a mistake owing to the expectations and pressure levied on him, while Evenepoel has already defended his time trial world championship earlier this week.
“Maybe that will cause some extra stress for Pogačar, which could cause him to make a mistake or take a bit more risk than someone else,” he said. “But I think that he is so strong this year, that this will not be the case right away and that he has so much confidence in himself that he can win the race even without a top day.”
“The most important thing will be to always be well-positioned as a team on the steepest part of the local laps. Because that’s where we have to squeeze… Although that won’t be the case in the final laps either… But with Tiesj Benoot, Jasper Stuyven, Tim Wellens, Maxim Van Gils, Laurens De Plus and myself, I’m not immediately afraid that we’ll be blown away there quickly.
Belgian website In de Leiderstrui reports Evenepoel also assessed Van der Poel’s chances at defending his title. He said: “Last time I went on a bike ride with Mathieu [2 or 3 weeks ago], he wasn’t climbing that well. But he’s rider who can peak like no other. He’s heavier than Tadej and me, that’s a small disadvantage for him.”
David Attenborough encourages boy to stage anti-cycle lane protest, as veteran broadcaster weighs in on plans to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” for new bike route
A campaign to put an immediate stop to the final phase of a cycle lane project in Coventry has garnered support from an unexpected quarter, after Sir David Attenborough wrote to an 11-year-old boy advising him on how to stage a protest to halt the protected bike lane’s construction and save 26 trees that are earmarked to be felled along the proposed route.
Swiss teenage cyclist Muriel Furrer, seriously injured in junior women’s road race at world championships, passes
The UCI has just announced that 18-year-old Muriel Furrer, who was involved in a crash and suffered head injuries in the junior women’s road race at world championships, has passed away.
The teenage cyclist was taken to hospital by an emergency helicopter and was reportedly in a very critical condition yesterday.
The statement from the cycling’s governing body said: “It is with great sadness that the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Organising Committee of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships in Zurich (Switzerland) today learned the tragic news of the death of young Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer.
“With the passing of Muriel Furrer, the international cycling community loses a rider with a bright future ahead of her. The 18-year-old rider fell heavily yesterday, Thursday 26 September, during the Women Junior road race, and suffered a serious head injury before being flown to hospital by helicopter in a very critical condition. Muriel Furrer sadly passed away today at Zurich University Hospital.”
“The UCI and the Organising Committee of the 2024 UCI Road and Para-cycling Road World Championships offer their sincere condolences to Muriel Furrer’s family, friends and her Federation Swiss Cycling.”
Our thoughts and prayers with Furrer and her family.
"We want every child to be able to feel safe and confident in being able to cycle to school": Louise Haigh and Chris Boardman visit Bikeability training session to encourage children cycling to school
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh and Active Travel Commissioner for England joined forces to visit a Bikeability training session in Preston, where kids were learning how to cycle safely to their schools.
Haigh said: “We want every child to be able to feel safe and confident in being able to cycle to school. But for too many, they just don’t have the confidence in navigating the roads, or they don’t have the infrastructure and the routes to be able to get them threre. That’s why Bikeability is really important in delivering that confidence and encouraging safety in those routes to school.
Bikeability is the world’s largest cycle training and road safety programme that’s owned and funded by the UK Government. According to data, secen out of 10 parents recognise the importance of cycle training, and four out of five children said they wanted to travel to school by walking, wheeling or cycling. The children, speaking in the video, said that cycling makes them feel “faster, freer and elevated”.
“We want every child to be able to feel safe and confident in being able to cycle to school”@LouHaigh and @Chris_Boardman visited children in Preston to watch their @BikeabilityUK training session this #CycleToSchoolWeek 🚲 pic.twitter.com/MzIVvkxWz1
— Active Travel England (@activetraveleng) September 27, 2024
Chris Boardman said: “Riding a bike isn’t just an activity, it’s transport independence for our kids.” Emily Cherry, the Bikeability Trust’s Chief Executive, followed: “Not only that, it’s fantastic for their health, their mental health, well-being, for physical activity.”
Haigh said: “It keeps them connected with the community, it means that they’re getting out of their cars… It’s a really important activity as long as it’s safe.”
Boardman said: “I’d like England to be a place where every child in the country has access to safe space and has the capability to use it through training like this. And I think that is well within our grasp.”
The video, uploaded by Active Travel England on social media, has been received positively who called it a “good step” and a “change of direction from the previous government”. Liz Clements wrote: “Made my day to see this, cycling is so definitely a skill for life, as the kids say it gives you freedom and is such a mood-lifter!”
Chris Boardman wrote on Twitter: “Why ride? ‘I feel more free’ says it all really. Eighty per cent of kids want to walk, ride and wheel to school. I think any civilised society has a duty to enable them to do that. Thanks to Louise Haigh for highlighting the importance of what is a life skill.”
“Those are great stats!”: Cycling campaigner shuts down TalkTV debate over 20mph speed limits, claiming “Tory proposal to kill more people in Wales” getting quashed is “good news”
“Donnie, the madman!” was the jubilant exclamation, presumably from many cyclists as Donnachadh McCarthy, founder of Stop Killing Cyclists and director of Climate Media Coalition, appeared on TalkTV to debate 20mph speed limits, kicking off the segment with a sly but effective statement: “It’s nice to be on your programme with some good news that the Tory proposal to kill more people in Wales was defeated.”
McCarthy, author of books such as The Prostitute State and Easy Eco-Auditing, was of course, referring to the latest attempt by Welsh Conservatives to table a bill calling for the reversal of the 20mph speed limits enacted in the country last year and reinstate the 30mph speed limits, but was quite handily defeated in the Senedd, with Plaid and Labour members overwhelmingly voting to reject the proposal, arguing the policy was helping improve road safety.
And while some (looking at you, regular blog readers) might believe that the whole 20mph debate is getting a bit outdated, it’s perhaps worth noting that after a year of being in place, new and relevant data is finally coming out showing that the speed limits have indeed been effective.
How effective? Let’s go back to McCarthy for the figures (taken from 2024, and compared with the same period last year without the speed limits) which he stated on TalkTV…
“Casualties are down 32 per cent… Fatalities are down 54 per cent — that means 24 families will not be burying their loved ones… 20 per cent drops in insurance claims, so insurance will hopefully not have to go up for people, 40 per cent drop in noise.
“The 32 per cent reduction in casualties means that the police, the ambulances and the fire brigades have to tend to 32 per cent less crashes. I don’t know about you, but I always feel for the people who have to tend roadside crashes and the trauma that — not just the families and the victims go through — but the emergency service workers go through.”
According to figures published on the Welsh government’s website, the total number of casualties on all roads during Q1 of 2024 was 811 (16 deaths, 188 serious injuries and 607 slight injuries), down 17 per cent on the previous quarter (982) and 16 per cent lower than in the same quarter in 2023 (968). That final comparison is the most significant when considering the impact of widespread 20mph speed limits, the introduction of a default 20mph speed limit coming in September 2023 and increasing the approximate 870km of 20mph roads to 13,000km.
Host Julia Hartley-Brewer proceeded to say: “We all want to see fewer people killed and maimed on the roads, but it’s a trade-off. But why is this policy so unpopular in Wales?”
McCarthy replied: “Because there’s a massive disconnect between what the media have been saying and actually the outcomes of it. I assure you, as somebody who deals with this and as a cycling campaigner, the Daily Mail has raged a massive campaign against this, and I don’t understand why Ted Verity [Daily Mail editor] cannot look at what we have to look at and have empathy for the families whose lives are safe.”
“This is good news for Wales and what really should happen is these statistics say, ‘We should apply to Britain.’ Every single residential and rural area in Britain deserves safety.”
In fact, just this month, a new road safety survey found that 60 per cent think that all roads throughout the city should have a 20mph speed limit, while 70 per cent of Londoners believed that more Low Traffic Neighbourhoods or liveable streets schemes should be introduced in the capital.
27 September 2024, 08:59
Swiss cyclist Muriel Furrer is in a “very critical condition” after suffering a serious head injury in a crash during today’s junior women’s road race at the UCI world championships in Zurich, the sport’s governing body has announced.
18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer tragically dies after suffering serious head injury in crash during junior women’s road race at world championships
The Swiss cyclist was airlifted to hospital after crashing heavily during Thursday’s junior women’s road race
27 September 2024, 08:59
Full report of the tragic news from Zürich...
18-year-old cyclist Muriel Furrer tragically dies after suffering serious head injury in crash during junior women’s road race at world championships
The Swiss cyclist was airlifted to hospital after crashing heavily during Thursday’s junior women’s road race
27 September 2024, 08:59
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Latest Comments
@Pub bike - well, off-road (ICE) motorbikes have been available for decades, so you're right about the proposed law being too narrow. I've seen scrotes riding them in parks and on the roads, but they're much less common than the newer e-motorbikes.
@hawkinspeter I think my point buried in there somewhere is that the law being devised is too narrowly focused around electric bikes/motorbikes and it should encompass the sale of any kind of motorbike. The wording talks about "electrically assisted" which would seem to exclude throttle controlled bikes. The bikes I saw that had no pedals - and therefore the electricity does not assist but is the sole source of propulsion - would fall outside of this legislation, so already there is a loophole. It would probably help to have some technical input to this bill by people that actually understand the differences between bicycles, e-bikes, EAPCs and motorbikes before it goes too far.
The Streeting Rule is, Cycling and Walking tomorrow and Cycling and Walking yesterday, but never Cycling and Walking today.
It’s a nuanced proposition, for sure. I did start the article with “There are few hills I’m truly up for dying on, but kickstands on bikes is one of them” - and no comment here has changed my mind 😎
@ hawkinspeter you are absolutely right. But of course there is little enforcement, the police don't have the resources etc etc.
@jackcycles - no it reflects the reality that most folk are scared to cycle because of inconsiderate and dangerous drivers. Cycling numbers markedly increase when it is made safe to do so.
"Kickstands make every bike ride better" Can't think of any of my rides in the last few weeks that would have been "better" with a kickstand; a few that *might* possibly have been a bit more of a pain with one (especially with the amount of plant growth at the moment in the South West of the UK), but none it would have improved. So there we go, nice easy proof by contradiction.
I'll be surprised & amazed if all of those billions are actually delivered. I expect to hear, in a few years' time, that only a fraction of that was taken up for various reasons, & the rest was therefore diverted towards other 'number one issues'.
@bensynnock to be fair, there does seem to be a marshall shown in the picture.
@Rendel Harris Going down the hill was usually Ok ish, it was coming back up that was the problem, especially at night. Near the top it narrowed with hedges on a low wall, not somewhere you would chose to ride on your own in the dark. Best time was race days when it is all stationary!
34 thoughts on ““Tory proposal to kill more people”: Cycling campaigner slams Conservative’s attempt to reverse 20mph speed limit in Wales; Evenepoel’s mind games with Pogačar and Van der Poel; Could cyclocross come to 2030 Winter Olympics? + more on the live blog”
Its mad isn’t it. So much
Its mad isn’t it. So much hate gets thrown at cyclists. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of di**s out there on 2-wheels, but wishing death! …these people are sick, the average politician is sick.
Quote:
Mine aren’t much better when it comes to antipodean birds, but with a bit of help from google the birds in question appears to be a Galah (which is indeed a type of cockatoo).
Thankfully not flaming
Thankfully not flaming
Nice!
Nice!
JHB, “between 20mph roads and
JHB, “between 20mph roads and 30mph roads there was absolutely no air quality difference..”.
Grrrr, it makes me mad. Why won’t the air from 30mph roads stay in 30mph roads?
Depends what type of
Depends what type of pollution. Nitrogen compounds travel miles, some particulates drop off after a few metres. Hence there really is a difference on a micro scale.
I’m pretty sure the
I’m pretty sure the motorbrains keep arguing that 20mph zones would increase air pollution, so we should be celebrating no change as disproving this objection.
About half of my 17 mile
About half of my 17 mile commute by motorbike to the office is along South London’s South Circular, which now has a 20mph speed limit (the cycle- friendly route is about 20 miles, a bit much for a daily commute for me). It took a bit of retraining for me to trundle along at 20mph on my sportsbike I admit. But what I’ve noticed is that I get better fuel economy, at least 8 miles more from a tank of fuel and sometimes quite a bit more. The key issue is that the lower speed limits mean less acceleration, which is what really burns fuel. And less fuel consumption means fewer exhaust emissions and less pollution. Any driver who moans about increased fuel consumption because of the lower speed limits isn’t driving properly.
I have some vague memory
I have some vague memory going back 20 years or so during the petrol strikes that numerous people were commenting on improved fuel economy as a result of their driving no longer including harsh acceleration and braking. Who’d have guessed it!
That and the lack of traffic.
That and the lack of traffic. Amazing the proportion of people that managed to save their precious fuel for when it was really needed.
Unless there’s some form of
Unless there’s some form of regenerative braking then all that hard won acceleration becomes waste heat.
“Wales I’m coming for you”
“Wales I’m coming for you” doesnt sound like a good thing for an English politician to say
Man that wants to govern the
Man that wants to govern the country can’t calculate travel time based on local speed limits – Tory shocker!!!
Donnachadh McCarthy:
Donnachadh McCarthy: brilliant!
It is clear that the msm doesn’t care about how many people are killed and maimed on the roads, as long as they can drive as fast as they like wherever they like. They are the apex of motonormativity, and any view other than that of the driver is irrelevant to them.
“I only like cyclists when
.
https://www.uci.org
https://www.uci.org/pressrelease/the-cycling-world-mourns-the-loss-of-muriel-furrer/7pTb39zWjDxIEl9cRRVfCX
Such a shame, condolences to
Such a shame, condolences to those close to her.
Ah, Julia Hardly-Worthit,
Ah, Julia Hardly-Worthit, bless her polemic socks… any more viewers and she’ll be able to monetise on YouTube!
And she has the cheek to interrupt McCarthy as if he’s going on too long.
Julia Barely-Sentient wrote:
… because you might just come back with some of your irritating facts that debunk my prejudice-forming comments entirely. for example, pointing out that the Met Police revised its 2020 figure of 20% (speeding a contributory factor) to 46.8%. GMP has revised its figure from 15% to 65% [https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/358022/speeding-be-recorded-cause-many-more-car-accidents].
Just as the government wants to introduce a requirement for honesty from public officials, post Hillsborough, so we should demand much greater accountability from journalists* to behave with a modicum of integrity. (*broad definition)
Well at least James Cleverly
Well at least James Cleverly is cleverly wearing his seatbelt whilst in a moving vehicle and recording the clip.
Unlike our previous PM who got fined for not doing so…
mitsky wrote:
Sometimes, it’s as if “Cleverly” was intentional. Sometimes.
It had to happen, sooner or
It had to happen, sooner or later.
Surprised that noise was
Surprised that noise was reduced by 40% what with all the motorists incessantly sighing and moaning throughout their entire journey.
Presumably the likes of JHB
Presumably the likes of JHB are ok with the increased KSIs that would happen if 30mph was reintroduced with negligible benefit to journey times.
Not to mention the delays caused from colllisions by dangerous drivers, as DM said many of whom would end up going over 30mph anway.
And the increased NHS costs etc dealing with each collision.
And the increase in insurance costs which gets spread out amongst all drivers due to the dangerous minority…
Anything else…?
Ah, but “accidents will
Ah, but “accidents will always happen” and then there are no doubt plenty of ways to do the sums that show that everyone ends up with more money if people have the ability to go 10mph faster on some roads than if not. (*mutter price of everything value of nothing … but I’m about
2002000 years too late with that comment*).It’s just expectations – no doubt if we’d reached the world of the future back in the 50s and 60s she’d be explaining that overall we shouldn’t be changing rules relating to jet-packs / hover boards. Yes some people are dying every year by falling out of the sky and others are killed when people fall on them but overall everyone has to fly to get from A to B. It doesn’t make sense to impose artificial velocity limits on the sky at variance with “natural” speed / height limits which most people will obey (which is in no way related to historic regulations or the performance designed by manufacturers of jet-packs) etc.
So Julia Hartley-Brewer
So, let’s get this straight, Julia Hartley-Brewer supports 20mph speed limits on residential streets. Isn’t that where they predominantly are? Has she ever been to Wales? Sure there may be some industrial estates that were 30mph and are now 20mph. I’m happy for the local council to review those and put them back to 30mph if they think it’s safe. It seems like Julia is on the same page as me. If there’s a residence, school, hospital etc on the street make it 20mph. Sorted.
Just read about the Just Stop
Just read about the Just Stop oil protesters getting sentenced today, the judge said;
“Section 63 of the sentencing code requires me, in assessing the seriousness of your offending, to consider not only the harm your offence caused, but also the harm it might foreseeably have caused”
Funny how that’s never come up in any case against a driver for hitting (or nearly hitting) a cyclist, I wonder why?
Don’t motorists ever get into
Don’t motorists ever get into trouble for close-passing cyclists even if no one is hit and no one falls off?
Don’t motorists ever get into
Don’t motorists ever get into trouble for close-passing cyclists even if no one is hit and no one falls off?
Nope! Not in my experience
Sometimes (depending on where
Sometimes (depending on where you live) but a driving course or 3 points when potentially they could have killed someone is pretty trivial.
I was talking more about the drivers who end up in court for driving at or purposely hitting one of us. No judge has ever said “you could have killed them so I’m increasing your sentence” but apparently they are required to by section 63 of the sentencing code. It’s not something I’d ever heard of until today.
I understand your cynicism,
I understand your cynicism, but it clearly it does come up because there are prosecutions (albeit fewer than I’m sure we would like) for close passes. The Sentencing Code applies to all offences and the Sentecning Guideline for dangerous driving recognises two levels of harm – (1) injury or property damage caused; (2) all other cases. The second category covers it.
Lachlan’s pink bird is a
Lachlan’s pink bird is a Galah, a type of Cockatoo
Galah – Wikipedia
James (not so) Cleverly – it
James (not so) Cleverly – it’s not 20mph “everywhere”. There’s the M4, for a start…
James Cleverley, just another
James Cleverley, just another lying right winger… #wancyr