Unbe-leaf-able: cycle lane used to collect fallen leaves; RideLondon debate; Geoghan Hart’s former teacher unsurprised by Giro success; Data shows 254% increase in new cycle use; Tim Wellens wins Vuelta Stage 14 + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Lime bike use on new cycle lanes increased by 254% between February and June
Interesting new data from @limebike showing massive increases in cycling in Paris, Berlin & London since February. 🥳 London came out on top 🥳 Look at last column showing the huge growth of people using the @MayorofLondon‘s new cycle lanes built as part of #StreetspaceLDN pic.twitter.com/c7eyz9byUO
— Will Norman (@willnorman) November 3, 2020
New data from dockless e-bike hire provider Lime has shown the increase in cycling in London during the lockdown this spring. The figures also show increases in Paris and Berlin. Between February and June 2020 Lime rides increased by 14% across London with distance travelled increasing by 129%. Lime have also tracked the increase in cycling across three cycling environments: no bike lane, existing bike lane and new bike lanes (built in spring 2020).
While cycling increased across all three by far the biggest increase was the 253% rise in use of new bike lanes. Pre-existing bike lanes experienced a 124% increase in Lime rides. In every category, except trips citywide, London saw a greater percentage rise than Paris and Berlin.
Tao's former teacher weighs in on Giro d'Italia success
It’s a fairytale story that has been told many times since Tao Geoghegan Hart won the Giro d’Italia in Milan last Sunday. The boy who skipped school to tag along with Team Sky rises to the top of the sport and wins the Maglia Rosa. Unsurprisingly Ian Burn, Head of Year 9 at Tao’s old school in Stoke Newington, holds no grudges that his pupil chose Sky over school.
Speaking to the Hackney Citizen, Burn said: “After this success, I think we can forgive him for taking the day off school to attend the Team Sky launch event in 2010.
“He is a true inspiration to the young people in Hackney – proof that if you work hard and are dedicated to whatever it is you are passionate about, you can and will succeed.
“Photography was a favourite subject of his and it’s great to see that he still takes photos whilst on a Grand Tour. As a student, he was always polite and caring, always with a smile on his face and a great attitude – and you can see from the way he conducts himself in interviews that he remains that way.”
Burn spoke of Geoghegan Hart having a great attitude which saw him achieve five A*s and six As in his GCSEs.
Biden vs Trump: 10-mile TT, who wins?
We’re asking the important questions this morning… and based on this footage it could be tough for Donald if the race for the White House was decided on the bike. After all in 2015 he did promise: “I swear to you I will never enter a bicycle race if I’m president.”
But Trump is the larger, much larger, man and if he could overcome some of his aerodynamic disadvantages maybe he could thrash out some decent watts.
So who will it be.. Donald or Speedy Joe Biden?
There are no postal votes here, have your say in our poll below…
Voi offer free rides to NHS and emergency service staff
Voi e-scooter hire have offered NHS and emergency service staff free rides throughout the upcoming lockdown period. The service, which operates in Birmingham, Nottingham, Liverpool, Cambridge, Bath and Bristol hopes to help key workers avoid public transport and travel to and from work more easily.
“We want to ensure that key workers can get around safely, without having to use public transport or be hit by cancelled services. This is why we’re offering free passes to NHS and Emergency Service Workers during this lockdown period,” Voi CEO Fredrik Hjelm explained.
Aero Christmas Tree
If you’ve got a rear rack strapping it trunk first works well, short ratchet straps are best. Christmas lights can be use to aid visibility of the end but best not putting your favourite star/angel on yet 🎅 pic.twitter.com/K0WIHS92x7
— Gavin Welch (@ArchiWelch) October 20, 2020
Personally I’d say the 4th of November is too early for talk of Christmas but I’ll break my own rule for this… Benefits include: not needing mudguards, the tree keeps drivers off your tail and as Gavin Welch suggests, you can even add Christmas lights to keep you visible.
La Vuelta Stage 14
50kph in first hour of Vuelta; big group of 20+ were up the road but now reeled in —> after 60km these are now clear: Soler (Movistar ), Wellens (Lotto Soudal), Van Baarle (Ineos Grenadiers), Arensman ( Sunweb), Woods (EF Pro Cycling), Perichon (Cofidis) Stybar (DQS)
— Andrew Hood (@EuroHoody) November 4, 2020
It’s been a fast opening hour for the peloton at La Vuelta but we have our breakaway. Seven riders with an increasing advantage of 3:47. Widely considered to be a day for the break, who do you fancy out of our front runners?
New breakaway union for pro peloton
The Riders Union is a new union for pro riders that hopes to better represent riders’ interests as well as protecting the financial, road safety, security and governance of the sport. The union hopes to have attracted 200 members by the start of next year. Previous efforts at offering riders a union, such as the CPA, have been criticised for not doing enough to protect the peloton. During the Giro d’Italia, riders refused to ride a 251km stage on the third last day of the race because of it’s excessive length and miserable conditions.
RideLondon debate
On Saturday we reported the news that Surrey County Council have withdrawn its support for RideLondon from 2022. The story attracted a lively debate from our readers with many expressing their disappointment at the decision especially considering the event was supposed to provide a legacy to inspire the next generation of cyclists. Others, however, pointed out that the positives of hosting such events may be compromised by limited benefit for local cycling clubs and young riders.
One reader suggested: “the main issue holding them [young cyclists wanting to get into the sport] back is a lack of safe places to practice and the aggressive nature of other road users. That’s not going be solved by this event- but safe cycle routes are a massive step in the right direction.
“The route is not very well designed to reduce the impact on local residents with many areas virtually cut off. Yes, it’s only a day but the impact was huge, cutting people off from most shops, local transport and major roads out of the county.
“Most of the people I heard moaning about this had valid points and were not all car nuts (although undoubtedly some were). Surely some compromises could have been made on both sides eg route amends, running it every other year etc so both locals, cyclists and residents could continue to benefit.”
Another added: “I am Chairman of a reasonably successful Surrey cycling club and one of our principles is to run rides without p*ssing off residents and car drivers. We run about 300 weekend and weekday rides a year and try not to shove cycling up the noses of people who don’t share our passion for the sport.
“There are hundreds of sportives all over the country which don’t annoy the locals (well, there were pre-covid). Many of these are brilliant and raise money for charities.”
Let us know your thoughts…Do mass participation closed road events simply ask to much of host towns/counties? Or are they necessary for inspiring the next generation of cyclists?
NYPD street safety chiefs rejects calls to require cyclists to have licences
Kim Royster, the newly appointed NYPD Chief of Transportation, pushed back against calls for cyclists in the city to require a licence. Royster told 1010 WINS: “I’m not sure putting a lot of restrictions would be the best way to address this. I think the best way now is to keep pushing to educate people and to do a lot of outreach.
“I’m a little passionate about it. My husband is a roadie, and I grew up riding a bicycle. This is the American way, to ride a bicycle.”
Tim Wellens wins Vuelta Stage 14
👊 Puncheurs throwing punches. You love to see it. @rusty_woods @tim_wellens #LaVuelta20
— FloBikes (@flobikes) November 4, 2020
Tim Wellens won Stage 14 of La Vuelta from the breakaway as six riders came to the line together a little under four minutes clear of the peloton. Wellens outsprinted EF Pro Cycling’s Michael Woods to claim his second stage of the race. The GC favourites cancelled eachother out on the uphill kick to the line and finished on the same time. Primoz Roglic retains the red jersey ahead of another stage that looks good for the breakaway on Thursday.
Clasificación de la etapa 14. #LaVuelta20 pic.twitter.com/opMyHTBXvD
— Ciclismo Colombiano (@ColCiclismo) November 4, 2020
Poll results
Some of you liked it, others hated it. Here are the results of our Trump vs Biden 10-mile TT poll…It was a landslide for speedy Joe in the presidential 10.
How not to encourage cyclists to use cycle lanes
Hooray for cycle segregation, eh, @traffordcouncil ? Somewhere to keep all your leaves, at any rate. This is ridiculous. (Stretford Road). pic.twitter.com/dFntDc3rpo
— Peter Scandrett (@proogs) November 4, 2020
This photo from Peter Scandrett really does defy be-leaf (here all week). The cycle lane on Stretford Road in Manchester seems to have become the council’s new favourite leaf collection point, unfortunately deeming it pretty much unrideable.
It’s not the first time we’ve reported on a council doing a job only to create another – back in January, a cyclist attempting to use a path in Wickford was greeted with thousands of thorns, after Essex County Council trimmed back a hedge and failed to clear the debris. The council apologised, and promised to get rid of the thorns the next day.
Here are some of the other worst cycle lane fails we’ve seen.
4 November 2020, 09:20
4 November 2020, 09:20
4 November 2020, 09:20
4 November 2020, 09:20
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“no single solution” to the issue [of pavement driving]" Well I can think of one thing that would go a long, long way to reducing the problem: sack the Guernsey’s Environment and Infrastructure Committee and put in some people who can analyse a problem properly, find solutions that work, and at least care about people other than drivers. Honestly, every time you think motornormativity has hit a peak, some car-obsessed politician proves you wrong. Absolutely staggering that anyone with a plurality of brain cells can adopt the position that driving on a footpath is acceptable, excusable and inevitable. If they had any conscience they'd resign to save the trouble of sacking them. I don't have enough polite words to describe their attitude: anyone got any suggestions?
@60somethingcyclist What's 'worst' about it?
Portadown councillor Kyle Moutray painting no no cycling images on the footpath in the wrong colour without permission. Just a political stunt: with a capital C.
Well he's going down for a long time. Worst case scenario, he's looking at consecutive sentences totalling 35 years under Florida law.
I want to see investment in cycling, but 30M across the UK is going to buy what exactly? Each new cycle route seems to cost about £10-15 million. Do we want city routes to enable cycling in the city, do we want commuter routes in key areas or “active travel” routes in smaller towns? There is zero strategy, and until there is a strategy money is wasted.
Interesting that Orga says they will fix a puncture on an illegal bike; pretty sure my LBS won't touch them at all.
While this seems to be the epitome of "tragedy of the commons" interestingly we *don't* appear to be lone mugs paying for change which benefits other freeloaders. For example IIRC China is installing vast renewable capacity (albeit they're also generating plenty emissions doing so). I could be wrong but I doubt the Chinese Communist Party is doing that entirely for altruistic reasons... Overall I am rather skeptical about how things will go. Jevons Paradox applies. This isn't humanity's first "escape a limit caused by heavy use of technology by switching technologies" rodeo. Each time more of us end up using more of the new tech (and far more resources / energy) and getting to the new "bust" quicker. OTOH through technology we're most of us operating beyond our natural "design lifetimes" so none of us will have to deal with whatever issues arise for long 😉.
The faster we go etc: Well... logically we *pay* for all the fuel etc so we would be both fixing the environment AND richer simply not buying it! 😉 More realistically change is going to cost, true. But the status quo also costs eg. subsidising driving (all the externalities all taxpayers pick up). Building the new roads and fixing the old ones costs - and those might well go up with more feisty weather. There are other savings / benefits which come with moving away from the old models, so it's not simply "pay to be worse off".
Nice graph. I'm aware that climate change exists, but so does maths. We are still responsible for 1% of global emissions. Therefore we can only move the needle in proportion to that one percent we create. Going net zero is not without cost, money is not unlimited, and the faster we go the more expensive it will be. If net zero asap is the absolute priority, what do we decide to do without to be able to fully fund it? HS2 should be a lesson in the problems of managing large scale infrastructure and getting it done on time and budget.
* Except when it comes to "fairness" with eg. new legal punishments for causing death, serious injury etc. Then we've got time! I don't think that was necessarily wrong, but it was an odd choice of concern and the rationale from some quarters clearly bogus eg. "we can't do anything about them as things stand!"
16 thoughts on “Unbe-leaf-able: cycle lane used to collect fallen leaves; RideLondon debate; Geoghan Hart’s former teacher unsurprised by Giro success; Data shows 254% increase in new cycle use; Tim Wellens wins Vuelta Stage 14 + more on the live blog”
So Joe Biden might ride a
So Joe Biden might ride a bike, but don’t forget Trump had a whole bike tour race, it was bigly impressive, the most impressive race ever in fact, it was so good they couldn’t cope with it any more and had to go to California where the Democrats made a nice easy race BOOOO, etc.
No one’s a better bike rider
No one’s a better bike rider than him, and covfefe
i heard a rumour that Covfefe
i heard a rumour that Covfefe had signed for Ineos next year.
It’s easy to forget that
It’s easy to forget that America is not Great Britain. We don’t get so very vexed when some other foreign country may or may not have elected, depending on who has the better lawyers and influence over the judicial system, a President who we would generally consider to be a nut job with voter priorities that are radically different to our own on a balloting system that seems obtuse to us, so why should the USA be any different?
Maybe a bicycle race would be a better way of choosing officials of state?
Au contraire! I’ve heaved
Au contraire! I’ve heaved many a hearty sigh of despair over Putin’s apparent electoral invincibility, Erdogan’s naked power grab by creating a presidency and appointing himself to it, Al-Sisi’s brutal repression, Netanyahu’s increasingly rightward shift over the past decade.
But the US has a much greater influence over UK politics and – perhaps more fool me – primarily English language news.
Mungecrundle wrote:
Jonathan Swift got there ahead of you. Lilliputian goverment ministers were chosen for their skill at rope dancing.
FrankH wrote:
Jonathan Swift got there ahead of you. Lilliputian goverment ministers were chosen for their skill at rope dancing.
— MungecrundleSo more skilled than our current ministers.
Are you asking for the return
Are you asking for the return of the Tour du Trump?
Believe me, plenty of people case about the undermining of democracy. What goes on elsewhere washes up on these shores. It is inevitable.
One from the Grauniad:
One from the Grauniad:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/from-the-archive-blog/2020/nov/04/netherlands-introduces-car-free-sundays-archive-1973
RideLondon has got
RideLondon has got progressively more busy and less fun for participants over the last 3 events.
Last years event where they turned a load of inexperienced cyclists and children doing the 19 mile route onto the last bit of the 100 mile route when it was full of knackered 100 milers was just stupid. The traffic jams up the climbs and at pinch points were also getting stupid. That coupled with the slowest riders leaving last and the tight cut-off to avoid the race afterwards make it a generally unpleasant experience for a lot of participants.
Its also a logistical pain in the arse, even for someone like me who is a londoner.
Even as a 3 time participant, I shan’t miss it myself. There are much nicer events to do, or I guess you could just ride your bike somewhere else nicer.
I have to agree with the 19
I have to agree with the 19 miler comment. Wasn’t much fun for each group at some of the narrower points. I saw someone take a spill playing dodge the novice.
The Manchester to Blackpool
The Manchester to Blackpool ride suffered the same fate. Over the years there were more and more entrants, but also there were more and more inexperienced cyclists. The last time I crossed a road which is on the route, iIwas amazed at the amount of people who really shouldn’t be on a bike. Fair play and all that, especially if they were doing it for charity, but there were so many dangerous riders, weaving all over the road, slewing out to overtake others without looking behind them, and many ride for or five abreast on busy roads.
I won’t miss it. It also had
It had a negative impact on other far less disruptive cycling events in the area in the following and preceding weeks, including juniors races that were cancelled or severely curtailed. So much for encouraging cycling.
Local cycling clubs were effectively handed a few dozen guaranteed places each. At a higher price of course. These fomented the opinion that the event was an opportunity to go full gas on car free streets.
The final nail in the coffin was introducing rider safety captains to ride the event at a sensible pace and keep an eye on less experienced participants and asking local clubs to nominate experienced members. Reasonable and sensible you might say. Not when one of the first riders to cross the finish line was sporting a bright orange safety captain jersey.
For years, I said they should move the route between adjacent counties. It would have added variety and limited the impact on more rural areas.
I rode it once officially and part of it once, unofficially. Will I miss it? Nope.
Ride London-Surrey got me
Ride London-Surrey got me into cycling. Just saying.
It didn’t get me into cycling
It didn’t get me into cycling but it did inspire me to be fit enough to ride a century for the first time.
Are there not 5-6 counties
..