“What a load of BS”: Former pro ridicules Chris Froome’s claim that bike set-up was “centimetres” off from Tour-winning position; Tour of Britain organisers “in discussion with lawyers” over British Cycling contract termination + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Quick, someone send Froomey this video!
If you’re a pro cyclist and multiple grand tour winner who’s just noticed some “huge discrepancies” in your bike position and set-up (not aimed at anyone in particular), luckily for you Jamie has just uploaded a new video to road.cc’s YouTube channel, with plenty of helpful bike fit tips to prevent you from getting dropped by the gruppetto again…
We’re always happy to help, Chris – just give us a ring if you need any more tips. I have a few hill repeat sessions from back in my junior days that you’ll love…
Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot “in discussion with lawyers” over British Cycling’s claim that race contract has been “terminated” – plans for 2024 Women’s Tour “still progressing”
Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot say they are currently “in discussion with their lawyers” after British Cycling yesterday announced that it had terminated its agreement with the race promoter following what the governing body claims is a financial dispute over unpaid rights fees.
In what may prove another bitter blow for a struggling UK bike racing scene, British Cycling confirmed that it has cancelled its contract with immediate effect with SweetSpot – which has organised the race since its rebirth in 2004 and in 2019 agreed a new deal securing its role until the end of the decade – while a leaked staff memo seen by Cycling Weekly and the Guardian claimed that the termination was the result of the “non-payment of agreed rights fees”.
According to the Guardian’s Jeremy Whittle, British Cycling claims that SweetSpot owes £700,000 in unpaid instalments dating back to last year.
“The agreed rights fee forms a significant part of British Cycling’s earned income,” the memo said, before adding that “the current situation is untenable, with a clear financial impact on our organisation and our ability to invest in the growth of the sport.”
The memo also said that British Cycling is now “progressing plans to ensure the successful delivery of the (men’s) Tour of Britain in 2024”.
When contacted by road.cc for comment, SweetSpot said that the group is currently “in discussion with their lawyers regarding the recent announcement from British Cycling concerning their alleged termination of the Tour of Britain contract”.
While yesterday, SweetSpot’s Tour of Britain CEO Hugh Roberts was quoted as saying that the organisers were pushing “full steam ahead” into planning for next year’s race, this morning’s statement stopped short of promising the delivery of the 2024 event – but did assert that SweetSpot would continue to organise the Women’s Tour, the future of which also hangs precariously in the balance following the race’s cancellation earlier this year.
“SweetSpot Group are still progressing with planning for the Women’s Tour in 2024 and beyond,” the group said.
Let the 1990s nostalgia commence: Polti confirmed as new title sponsor of Eolo-Kometa
Ah, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, Gianni Bugno, the very ‘90s green, red, and yellow kit, Richard Virenque, the ridiculous climbing times, all the EPO… I think it’s fair to say that, for cycling fans of a certain generation (or anyone prone to rose-tinted nostalgia) Italian steam ironing brand Polti remains an iconic part of an admittedly tainted era of the sport.
And in the same week Michael Rasmussen launched a social media war against Chris Froome, we’ve been treated to another pro cycling throwback, with the confirmation of the news, first reported in July, that Polti is returning to the sport as lead sponsor of the second-tier team formerly known as Eolo-Kometa.
💥📢 Our new name from 1st January 2024https://t.co/wOeZBR97WH
— EOLO-KOMETA Cycling Team (@EoloKometaTeam) November 7, 2023
Polti, and potentially (fingers crossed) its brilliantly garish kit, will replace the blue of Eolo at Ivan Basso and Alberto Contador’s team (more nostalgia), as they aim to improve and internationalise a squad that has taken two mountain stage wins at the Giro d’Italia over the past three years, courtesy of Lorenzo Fortunato’s epic win on Monte Zoncolan in 2021 and Davide Bais’ victory on Gran Sasso d’Italia in May.
(CorVos/SWpix.com)
Whether Polti-Kometa can replicate the success of the 1990s-era Polti remains to be seen. Founded in 1994, after splitting from the old Lampre-Polti outfit, the team immediately achieved success through former Giro winner Bugno at the Tour of Flanders, before the ‘Tashkent Terror’ Abdoujaparov sprinted to a stage win and the points competition at the Giro and backed that up with two stages and the green jersey at the Tour de France.
Polti also tasted victory the following year at the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège, courtesy of Mauro Gianetti, and the Tour of Lombardy in 1999 through Mirko Celestino. In 2000, the last year of their sponsorship, the exiled and always tearful Virenque – still in denial over his doping at Festina long after all his mates had confessed to taking EPO – won the Morzine stage of the Tour de France.
While Contador and Basso would take even a fraction of that success for the new 2020s-era Polti team, I’m sure they could do without the accusations of widespread doping on the squad, first aired by Jörg Jaksche in the late 2000s.
But at least the new name gives fans the opportunity to bask in some brightly colourful and turbo charged nostalgia…
I’m ready for a rush of nostalgia pic.twitter.com/gldTMUpxOv
— Thomas Pultz (@VonPultz89) November 7, 2023
As long as the nostalgia just sticks to the kit, okay lads?
Cyclists fear safe time trial courses will be lost as governing body introduces ban on events in 20mph zones
It seems like bike racing in Britain just can’t catch a break these days – as hot on the heels of British Cycling’s legal dispute with SweetSpot comes the news that Cycling Time Trials (CTT), the governing body for racing against the clock in England and Wales, is set to introduce a ban on events taking place on roads with 20mph speed limits, with existing courses in such areas going to have to be scrapped or modified to avoid the zones.
The news was communicated to CTT Districts in a letter seen by road.cc from the governing body’s National Legal Adviser David Guy, in which he states CTT has “resolved that such courses cannot be used for time trials” and that Districts must “ignore any such suggestion” that speed limits do not apply to cyclists.
“CTT would not approve of cyclists overtaking other vehicles which are subject to a 20mph limit and pedestrians would not expect riders to be travelling at higher speeds,” the letter says.
Read more: > Cyclists fear safe time trial courses will be lost as governing body introduces ban on events in 20mph zones
What do you think? Is this a necessary decision from CTT, taken on safety grounds in response to the changing nature of Britain’s roads, or an overreaction which poses a threat to the great British tradition of time trialling?
Four protesters accused of gluing themselves to the road during men’s world road race championships in Scotland set to appear in court today
The four protesters who put an hour-long halt to the UCI Cycling World Championships men’s road race in Scotland in August, by gluing themselves to the race route, are due to appear at Falkirk Sheriff Court today.
Catriona Roberts, 21, Ben Taylor, 29, Romane Moulin, 26, and 28-year-old Rebecca Kerr, all members of environmental group This Is Rigged, are accused of committing a breach of the peace during the protest, which took place on the B818 road near the Carron Valley Reservoir in Stirlingshire and stopped the race for almost an hour as the activists were removed from the road. All four pleaded not guilty to the single charge in August.
They are said to have conducted themselves in a disorderly manner, sat on the road, glued themselves to the tarmac, set off powder canons, blocked the race route, chained themselves together, refused to leave when requested, and caused the race to be halted.
So quite a lot then.
In a statement released by This Is Rigged in the immediate aftermath of the protest, one of the four arrested activists, Cat Roberts, said: ““The fact that Ineos has been allowed to sponsor a team in the race around the Campsie Fells – which were engulfed in wildfires last month – is a disgrace and an insult to the both cycling community and the people of Scotland.
“We cannot continue with business as usual while our country burns and our futures are ruined. Time is of the essence and we need to act like it. The Scottish government must stand up to Westminster and oppose all new oil and gas, and implement a fair transition now.”
More worrying holes in bikes
> Look familiar? What is this mystery bike? Clue: it’s not a Trek Madone
Yikes…
Feeling lucky to be alive right now.
This would have been bad, real bad if I hadn’t noticed it. pic.twitter.com/frAfnMuoaN— Axolotol (@Axolotol3) November 7, 2023
“I don’t feel like the same person, I don’t have the same confidence”: Christina Mackenzie says she feels “really anxious and nervous” around close passing drivers following hit-and-run collision
Scottish endurance cyclist Christina Mackenzie, who last year was left severely injured and in “excruciating pain” after being struck by a hit-and-run SUV driver in Stirling last September, says the experience has destroyed her confidence on a bike and left her “really anxious and nervous” around close passing motorists – despite making a triumphant return to the sport, riding the world gran fondo championships and winning the Scottish women’s vet title less than a year on from the horrific crash.
Speaking at a Cycling UK Scotland event this week, the women’s LEJOG record holder – who admitted in September that she has “no hope” that the driver who hit her will ever be traced – described the crash and its aftermath, as well as the debilitating effect it has had on her confidence on a bike, to the extent that she was ready at one point to give up the sport completely.
“I had left the house that day probably the fittest I had ever been, and then was in hospital and not able to do anything for myself.
““I didn’t want to cycle, I hated cycling – I was just in so much pain and discomfort,” she said of the first three months following the crash.
“I was talking about selling my bikes. But seeing people and remembering the love I had for cycling made me want to get back into it.”
It was during a recuperative holiday in Lanzarote in January, almost four months following the hit-and-run, that Mackenzie finally began to cycle again, after hiring a bike.
“That could be a nice step back into cycling – and it felt great. It was quite daunting initially, but it was probably the best first step,” she said.
A month later, she built up the courage to return to riding on the roads in Scotland, but conceded that “it was as awful – just horrific. I remember being so twitchy, so nervy.
“Even to this day, I don’t feel like the same person, I don’t have the same confidence.”
She also says that being closed passed by motorists “makes you really anxious and nervous each time”.
Despite this bumpy road to recovery, Mackenzie returned to racing in June, riding the gran fondo road race during Scotland’s mega world championships in August, and winning a national vet title at the Scottish champs the following month, a victory she says she was “pleasantly surprised” to secure.
“”What I focus on is, like cycling, there’s so many ups and downs. It’s not all plain sailing and it’s pretty grim at times having to go out in the winter – and if you get hit and you get injured,” she says.
“But the whole experience you get with cycling with other people, whether it’s clubs or group rides, is the enjoyment.”
“As the leading cycling retailers, we have a responsibility to support the whole market”: Halfords to honour Wiggle Chain Reaction warranties on parts and accessories
Halfords and Tredz have announced support for Wiggle Chain Reaction customers following the online retail giant entering administration and being put up for sale, with Halfords pledging to honour warranties on parts and accessories.
The news was announced by Halfords chief executive Graham Stapleton who said his company has a “responsibility to support the whole market” and that where possible customers who bought parts and accessories with Wiggle Chain Reaction would have their warranties honoured.
> Read more: Halfords to honour Wiggle Chain Reaction warranties on parts and accessories
Sportswashing for horrible, environment-killing, cyclist-endangering 4x4s, according to G
I’ll just leave this here:
Rocking up to your home gig in style 🤩🏴@GeraintThomas86 is all set for night two of @GTCyclingClub Live thanks to @INEOSGrenadier and @Belstaff 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/AU5y9KgD9w
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) November 7, 2023
I’m sure my suggestion for the title of the 2018 Tour winner’s next Christmas stocking filling book will go down a storm at Ineos HQ – although it’d probably sell more than ‘Almost Winning the Giro According to G’, if we’re honest…
“It feels like a policy invented just to avoid some bad press”: Cyclists react to time trial governing body’s decision to ban events in 20mph zones
This morning’s news that Cycling Time Trials, the governing body charged with running, naturally, time trialling in England and Wales, has decided to ban events taking place on roads with 20mph speed limits has been met with a wide range of responses from within the cycling community (see Daily Mail, we’re not just a homogenous blob).
Some are particularly critical of CTT’s decision, with one Cervelo Soloist fan on Facebook (that’s his name, apparently) questioning whether the same rules would apply to motor sport events that head through built up areas. Meanwhile, Sebastian claimed that the ban was pandering to “the motor kings”, who “do what they like and cause no harm”.
In the comments section, Ionpfrb accused CTT of “condoning general ignorance of traffic law” (namely that the 20mph speed limit does not apply to cyclists) and asked: “Is the ‘War on Motorist’ trope so embedded by repetition in MSM that CTT are afraid to use the rights that are legally available?”
Meanwhile, stonojnr pointed out that CTT’s “approach then forces TTs onto faster, more dangerous roads to ride”.
They continued: “But that they also have no such policy in place for 30mph roads, when exactly the same concerns can and do apply. Ultimately it feels like a policy invented just to avoid some bad press.”
However, Ratfink argued that the decision seems to have been made primarily on safety grounds, due to “cyclists following cars that would ‘suddenly’ brake down to 20”, and that “the concern was more about a head down cyclist ploughing into the rear end. A lot of roads in my area go from national speed limit to 20 with no warning until you get there.”
“Time trials see riders hit speeds of 25mph or higher, and that does create a problem,” added Matthew Acton-Varian. “Whilst there is no law saying the riders can’t be going that fast, overtaking a vehicle in a built-up area at those speeds adds a lot of unnecessary risks, especially when they are one after the other a minute apart.”
kilOran, meanwhile, pondered whether certain courses could still go ahead, albeit with a restricted speed limit during those brief 20mph sections, “like the pit lane speed limit in F1”.
“Obviously wouldn’t work if the majority of the course is 20mph and would be open to competitive abuse (would need spot checks) but might be a solution?” they said.
Hmmm… I’d say competitive abuse and cycle racing go hand in hand, unfortunately. And I’d love to see the look on some aero nut when you tell them they have to slow down to 20 for a few minutes during their club 10.
> Do cyclists have to stick to the speed limit?
Anyway, Kil0ran continued: “Sadly road racing of all forms is on dodgy ground legally and in the court of right wing loonery and I don’t think CTT has any other option here. It would take just one injury/incident to make insurance prohibitively expensive and end the sport for good. Motorcycle road racing in NI went to the brink of extinction over this earlier this year.”
Miller concurred that CTT’s alternatives appear to be limited for the moment: “It’s a bugger, and affects some courses round me, but I don’t think CTT has any alternative. It’s all too easy to imagine the right-wing culture warriors gleefully tearing into time trialling on this point.”
And finally, CTT drew the full support of Patrick9-32, a commuter and leisure cyclist.
“I don’t race time trials, I commute by bike and cycle for pleasure,” he said. “Cycling bodies running sanctioned events that encourage breaking the speed limits is bad for me and all non-time trialling cyclists. I am fully behind CTT on this one.”
‘Well ideally we would have loved to have provided some safe, suitable paths for cyclists before banning e-bikes from the town centre… but we couldn’t be bothered’
Ah, Coventry city centre’s e-bike ban – the one cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter described last week as “reckless” and “discouraging and penalising responsible cyclists” – has been passed by the city council and will come into effect on 20 November.
The ban comes despite the council’s own Director of Transport Colin Knight admitting that “ideally we would have” provided a “clearly defined network of paths that are suitable for cyclists” before banning e-bike riders from a large section of the city centre.
But they couldn’t be bothered and just decided to press ahead with the ban, anyway. Brilliant, just brilliant.
Read more: > Latest city introduces anti-cycling rules as controversial e-bike ban brought in
In defence of Froome’s bike set-up
I think it’s fair to say that the online criticism which followed Chris Froome’s assertion that he had misplaced his measuring tape, and so spent the last three years racing on a notably different set-up to the one he utilised to such great success throughout the 2010s, veered towards the harsher side of things, even by the internet’s cruel standards.
So, in the spirit of balance, here’s road.cc reader Eddy Berckx’s altogether more charitable take on Froome’s bike set-up woes:
Chris Froome has an almost life ending and most definitely life changing crash – he was lucky to walk again.
So no, he wouldn’t have necessarily noticed the changes in set up that some of us would have (though yes, it’s very surprising he didn’t get the measure out sooner).
So chill the f*** out and stop being such d***s about it! And no, he didn’t say he would’ve won the TDF otherwise.
Fair enough.
Meanwhile, another reader, ubercurmudgeon, posted what may be my favourite live blog comment of the month:
Being called a bullshitter by Michael Rasmussen? That’s got to be a new low. That’s like being called a bully by Lance Armstrong, a reckless sprinter by Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, or a shameless exhibitionist by Mario Cipollini.
It’s like he knows everything that’s ever happened to me…
“What a load of BS... Froome could ride his Pinarello from 2015 and still wouldn’t crack the Tour of Rwanda top 20”: Fans and former pros, including Michael Rasmussen, ridicule Chris Froome’s claim that bike set-up was “centimetres” off from Team Sky days
Ah, Froomey, sometimes you’re just better off saying nothing…
The four-time Tour de France winner’s claim in a recent interview, reported on road.cc over the weekend, that his recent bike set-up at Israel-Premier Tech – including his reach and saddle height – was “centimetres” off from his Pinarello-riding, grand tour-dominating position at Team Sky, has certainly raised more than a few eyebrows across the cycling world.
“I had one of my old bikes from Team Sky/Ineos days so I was able to compare the position on the two different bikes. I found that my reach, so from saddle to the handlebars, was over three centimetres of difference between the two bikes, longer on the current bike,” 38-year-old Froome said.
“I took my old bike and went to a specialist and found very big discrepancies between my positions. But now we’ve made some big changes, more than centimetres in terms of saddle height, in terms of the reach, it’s really a lot, we’re not talking millimetres.”
Somewhere in a field on the outskirts of Nice, Dave Brailsford is screaming inside an empty caravan…
Spot the difference… because Froome can’t
And it’s fair to say the implication that a rider known for meticulous attention to detail and professionalism during his 2010s heyday could fail to notice “very big discrepancies” in his bike position (which therefore could be linked to his underwhelming performances since joining Israel-Premier Tech in 2021) has been met with scorn by quite a few on social media.
Replying to our post on the story, the 2007 Tour de France’s almost-winner Michael Rasmussen – who, like Froome, also built his reputation on incredibly skinny arms and attention to detail (except when it comes to his whereabouts at any given moment, of course) – described Froome’s bike set-up explanation as “a load of BS”.
FroomeDog versus the Chicken
“What a load of BS from Froome. Any pro cyclist who has done 1000s of hours on a bike will instantly feel a change in the set-up,” the Chicken wrote last night.
“Froome could ride his Pinarello from 2015 and he still wouldn’t crack top 20 in Tour du Rwanda with his current level.”
Ouch. That hurt more than an attack on the Col d’Aubisque after a month of clandestine training in Italy…
“Yep, just two or three centimetres off this time – perfect”
Of course, it isn’t just the pros who are surprised at Froome’s bike set-up revelation.
“I am not a pro but ride around 7 to 9,000 kilometres a year,” Eurosport/GCN commentator José Been said.
“I notice when my bike is less than a centimetre off in saddle height or reach. That’s one huge oversight by a team and or rider.”
“I can’t think of any cyclist (casual amateur or elite) I know who would believe that,” added Barry McCarthy.
> Chris Froome “let down” by Tour de France snub, blames “frustrating” equipment issues
Others, meanwhile, were confused and saddened by what they regard as the 38-year-old’s latest “excuse” for his subpar performances (having finally moved on from disc brakes, of course).
“This puzzles me, a lot!” said cycling writer Dave Everett. “Surely his position would have been massively different pre to post crash. His body ain’t the same at all after that, so why would he think his position should be.
“I’ve been at pro riders bike fittings and seen what happens. So, so much detail. It just seems mental to believe he’s accepted a fit that’s not been right, or is only now questioning it.”
> Check out Chris Froome’s 2024 Factor O2 VAM
“Froome is the best grand tour racer of a generation but he’s doing a good job in ensuring no one remembers him for that and instead remembers him for all the rubbish in the past 3/4 years,” added Finn.
While many were happy to poke fun at the seven-time grand tour winner…
“Professional cyclist rides bike for three seasons without bothering to check its set up correctly,” said Gianni, complete with the classic palm in face emoji, while YouTuber/Cycling Internet guy Benji Naesen wrote: “You either retire a hero, or you continue long enough to see yourself become the meme”.
“Looks like Froomey will be going for the yellow jersey again next season. Now that he found the problem,” said Brian.
While Doug was able to reveal an exclusive image of our Ventoux-running, excuse-heavy Tour hero’s new Factor set-up for 2024…
Three years into contract, Froome notices his bike doesn’t seem to fit. https://t.co/KO4H2YsFQT pic.twitter.com/JTkAhjJHWz
— Doug van den Ham (@DvdHam) November 7, 2023
Oh dear, Chris…
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Same here. I have a helmet with built in front and rear lights and have a red light clipped onto my bag plus lights attached to my bike front and rear but still have drivers putting me in danger. My commute is about two miles and I normally have around four incidents a week where I have to brake hard or take other evasive action to avoid being hit by distracted drivers. A big percentage of these are drivers coming on to roundabouts when I am already on them.
Glasgow's South City Way sounds great, does it not? As a user from before and after I wholeheartedly welcome the construction of the segregated route, but so much of the detailed construction is poor, if not unsafe. I provide a link to a presentation I made when construction was half complete (a personal view) and the construction errors remain outstanding to this day: crossed by high speed flared road junctions, poor colour differentiation, car door zone risks and so on. And yet cyclists come because they feel safe. It's a complex subject but IMHO the feeling of safety (or lack of) is a critical component. https://drive.proton.me/urls/B67AK44G90#CFueBGjscoWr
I can only conclude that you haven't been into a city in the last few years. Food delivery riders in particular are riding overpowered "eBikes" that are basically mopeds ... powered only via the throttle without pedalling at significantly more than 15mph. Problem is they look like normal bikes/ebikes and not like mopeds so that is what people describe them as. My reading of the article is that it is those vehicles that are being talked about here.
I have the Trace and Tracer, which have essentially the same design, albeit smaller and less powerful. The controls are a little complicated but only because there are loads of options. In reality, once you've chosen your level of brightness, you'll only cycle through 1 or 2 options and it's dead simple. The lights are rock solid, bright, with good runtimes. The only thing I find annoying is charging them - if your fingers are slightly wet or greasy, getting the rubber out of the way of the charging port is a pain in the arse.
Dance and padel is all very well, but when is Strava going to let me record my gardening?
You can use it to check whether it's raining.
If it's dusk, i.e. post-sunset, then the cyclists should have lights on and thus the colour of their top is irrelevant. If you want to complain about cyclists not having lights when it's mandatory then by all means do but their top has nothing to do with it.
All of my Exposure lights with a button allow cycling through the modes with a short press. I have five of those; it would be odd if Exposure didn’t allow this functionality with the Boost 3. I also have two Exposure Burners if I remember correctly: they are rear lights for joysticks that clip on and are powered through the joystick charging port. They don’t have a button. None of my Exposure lights have failed. I looked at the Boost 3 review photos but none showed the button, so far as I could tell. I also have Moon lights. Good experience generally. One did fail, possibly because it was so thin it used to fall through the holes in my helmet onto the ground. Also, the UI and charge indicators vary for my Moon lights. Perhaps the latest ones are more consistent. My worst lights ever were from See.Sense.
Steve really doesnt like exposure products does he? Boost and Strada marked down for being too complicated. While the Zenith and Six Pack reviewed by his colleagues give them rave reviews (as most exposure products have on road.cc), the Zenith even touted as 'even more intuitive to use' with the same controls.
They are more interested in dog shit. https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/people/lancaster-police-launch-search-for-person-who-sprayed-dog-faeces-with-pink-paint-5605519
30 thoughts on ““What a load of BS”: Former pro ridicules Chris Froome’s claim that bike set-up was “centimetres” off from Tour-winning position; Tour of Britain organisers “in discussion with lawyers” over British Cycling contract termination + more on the live blog”
https://metro.co.uk/2023/11
https://metro.co.uk/2023/11/08/woman-62-goes-on-8000-vandalism-spree-because-she-was-feeling-menopausal-19791196/
I thought if I put this on ‘Drivers and their problems’ on the forum it would get lost…
Imagine the press riot if Sue
Imagine the press riot if Sue Williams owned a bike
brooksby wrote:
Pretty confusing post…help me…
So, Froome was feeling menopausal for not reaching the handlebar of the new Factor, reason why he didn’t win the last 4 TdF and then he keyed the rasmussen’ s car with his 7 children inside who were playing with the froome’s old pinarello while cipollini was walking around naked…is it correct?
🙂
Quote:
Now I’m no mathematician but…she’s also moaning about the fact that she can’t afford to have the damage fixed because she can’t justify it because of this cost of living crisis whilst at the same time explaining that she only parked her new £42,000 car on the pavement because her husband’s car was in the drive and they had building workers there doing their extension.
Rendel Harris wrote:
It’s funny. My sister has three kids and she copes with a 5 seater just fine.
‘Can’t afford to have the
‘Can’t afford to have the damage fixed’ – isn’t that what insurance is for? Or has she not bothered with that either?
“We needed a seven-seater and
“We needed a seven-seater and there’s also ULEZ to bear in mind. I am always going back and forth from London.” With 7 children? How’ve you got a new car which will incur a ULEZ charge?
And your husband has a car and you’ve also money for redeveloping your place because “[…] if I do have to park like that it’s only because my husband is on the drive […] It was just because I was getting the building work done.”
My sympathy has slipped a bit. However tempting as it is maybe we should just say “someone else’s life and choices”. It’s a little tricky (currently…) to start saying “you can’t build things / you should only have one car per household and it should be a 2CV”.
However – the other person quoted:
“If you’ve got a nice car and you pull up anywhere and its been vandalised, it looks like I’ve p***** someone off for doing something wrong. It’s embarrassing.”
Er – you did, and it should be.
chrisonatrike wrote:
That was the thing I noted. The woman they spoke to with the seven-seater vehicle: she clearly didn’t understand that she had done anything wrong…
chrisonatrike wrote:
I assumed the logic was that they “needed” a new car so as not to incur ULEZ.
Congrats on finding logic
Congrats on finding logic there. I still can’t.
What the mum-of-three
What the mum-of-three actually meant:
“I park on the pavement because the road is kinda narrow and I don’t want my car to get scratched. There are some terrible drivers out there don’t you know!”
Being called a bullshitter by
Being called a bullshitter by Michael Rasmussen? That’s got to be a new low. That’s like being called a bully by Lance Armstrong, a reckless sprinter by Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, or a shameless exhibitionist by Mario Cipollini.
ubercurmudgeon wrote:
Which would be awful, of course, but OTOH they are all expert in their fields so know what they’re talking about on those subjects.
I’m not surprised the CTT are
I’m not surprised the CTT are making such a move, but it does leave a serious problem in regards to available courses.
A lot of the older less or disused courses are far too dangerous (i.e. very busy A-roads) to hold events, or have been broken up by traffic lights and other traffic calming measures.
The UK Time Trial scene is one steeped in history, and its origins very much an amusing expoitation of legal loopholes however in modern times such risk would not be warranted.
The combination of traffic volumes, even during quieter hours when most events are run, and the ever expansion of built up areas have put the scene in an extremely compromised position through very little fault of its own.
The costs of obtaining road closures for a single event are far beyond the capabilities of a regional district, let alone a single organising club.
Private circuits that are few and far between offer limited space and distances which seldom come close to the standard shorter/medium disances and would become very congested for longer distances or for high turnout. Hire costs also become a major additional factor that increases running costs for an event.
Due to the very small and niche nature of Time Trialling, local authorities and police will be unlikely to be very approachable to find alternative solutions to assist in solving this problem.
Having a double buggy for my
Having a double buggy for my nippers I realise how fucking awful the general state of pavements and infrastructure around me is. When some utter prick parks their car or (very regularly) their van so far on the pavement that I can barely get past on my own I want to key the crap out of their vehicle. I don’t but I want to. If I am pushing my pram and they have made it almost impossible to get through though, I am not going to put too much effort into avoiding their vehicle.
There is a notorious place around me for this and there is clearly someone who has had enough and does key cars when they block the pavement. I have zero sympathy and quite enjoy it when I see a car parked badly, waiting for the mystery keyer.
mctrials23 wrote:
They should decriminalise keying or damaging vehicles that are inconsiderately parked. Ideally poor parking should be criminalised and enforced, but I can’t see the underfunded police focussing on that when they’ve got political protests to break up instead.
when I had nippers in the
when I had nippers in the pram, I never keyed the side of cars parked on the pavement. That would be awful behaviour
The pram did have a nice sticking out metal hood attachment on the sides, which might have touched parked cars as I squeezed through gaps….
Back when my son was little I
Back when my son was little I took him to the supermarket and found a car parked in the pedestrian path between two sets of disabled bays blocking anyone with a wheelchair etc. I picked my son up so he wouldn’t see and took off a mirror as we squeezed past. Coming out it was still there so it lost the other mirror. When Aston Villa play at home every pavement within 3 miles of the ground is usually blocked by cars but unfortunately modern mirrors just bend, still quite satisfying though.
Not in favour of criminal
Not in favour of criminal damage (tempting as it sometimes is), but I do like to do something innocuous like fold in their mirror or leave a note, just so they know someone’s (shock, horror!) touched their car. As outraged as I am on behalf of double-buggysists and wheelchair users, I have to admit that IME most of the time it’s just irritatingly entitled, pointless and unthinking, rather than positively obstructive.
If I can walk through the gap
If I can walk through the gap I do but if I have to inch through sideways they are losing a mirror.
Maybe the next person to come along is pushing a pram, in a wheelchair, elderly or carrying shopping and will be forced to walk in the road so the driver deserves it.
quiff wrote:
one of those fluorescent liquid chalk marker pens should work nicely on the windscreen, and no damage done. Takes a bit of elbow grease to remove, I’m told.
the little onion wrote:
The gap can sometimes be usefully increased by lowering the car (most cars get narrower the higher up you measure) a schraeder valve removal tool is a quick and easy way to do this in the absence of the owner and the removed valve cores can be placed on a windscreen wiper blade for the driver to refit on his return. That way everyone is happy!
Cycling Time Trials (CTT),
Cycling Time Trials (CTT), the governing body for racing against the clock in England and Wales, is set to introduce a ban on events taking place on roads with 20mph speed limits, with existing courses in such areas going to have to be scrapped or modified to avoid the zones.
“CTT would not approve of cyclists overtaking other vehicles which are subject to a 20mph limit and pedestrians would not expect riders to be travelling at higher speeds,” the letter says.
So condoning general ignorance of traffic law is a function of sport regulation?
Why would anyone not be aware of a TT cycling event with the proper announcements?
Is the ‘War on Motorist’ trope so embedded by repetition in MSM that CTT are afraid to use the rights that are legally available?
More Fake News damaging the health of the nation.
All events should be well
All events should be well signposted, and police forms have to be filled in well in advanced of a planned event date. That, however, is seldom enough for some drivers.
And there is an added safety risk to racing in a 20 zone.
Most leisure cyclists travel between 10 and 15mph depending on equipment and fitness, enthusiasts between 15 and 20. In theory, not actually likely to overtake vehicles moving at the speed limit.
Time trials, however, sees riders hit speeds of 25mph or higher, and that does create a problem. Whilst there is no law saying the riders can’t be going that fast, overtaking a vehicle in a built up area at those speeds adds a lot of unneccesary risks, especially when they are one after the other a minute apart.
There is uncertainty to whether an insurer for an event (yes, all events must have insurance policies in place!) would be willing to pay out if an accident occured in a 20mph zone. This is why the CTT are not willing to approve any course that passes through a 20 zone.
The so-called war on motorists has nothing to do with it.
It’s politcal BS. Sharp end
It’s politcal BS. Sharp end of most TTs is well above 30mph now, but we’re not stopping TTs in 30 zones…
The “fast” TTs all still take
The “fast” TTs all still take place on dual carriageways where traffic is still going much faster.
Most Club courses, which go through 30 zones, are a lot more “sporting” and therefore still much slower, tackling more bends twists, whilst navigating much rougher roads. The fastest rider on my local club 10 this year was over 23 minutes. The course record is jointly held by two Pro riders (one is none other than Ben Healy) and only just squeezes under the 20 minute mark. There is a 1/2 mile stretch in a 30 zone near the beginning, but is quite undulating and bendy before hitting the faster sections in 50 and 60 zones. That start stretch is nowhere near smooth enough to build any momentum to gain enough speed to hit 30mph.
Insurance is also a factor, with race insurance providers unwilling to cover races that run within 20mph zones.
And so what if politics are at play a little bit? Right now the MSM is perpetuating a culture war against cycling by peddling the percieived “War on motorists” when put simply the volume of traffic mixed with ever poorer standards of driving have caused a major barrier to promoting cycling in general. Any public image of cycling bodies, regardless of how unfounded, would be heavily tainted by allowing events to run through 20mph zones as a clear and unneccesary risk. A large number of people already incorrectly percieve all cyclists as TDF wannabes who will risk their neck just to go 0.1mph faster. Watching Time Triallists in competition hurtling at 25mph through a 20 zone, overtaking slower cars will only strengthen that perception.
The CTT have been put between a rock and a hard place with this, because for general purposes, 20mph in urban areas is the right thing to do. However as the scene is so niche and small it has no clout in trying to find a compromise or to lobby exceptions.
I have started riding TTs on a semi-regular basis post-COVID having never before raced prior to the pandemic. I have no issues racing through a 30 zone, but if a course has a 20 limit I would not enter, and I am sure many of the friends I have made in the circuit would agree.
Bigfoz wrote:
I take your point but I can think of one local course which was indeed banned due to the likelihood of TTers exceeding the 30 limit, there being a downhill leading into the village.
Chris Froome has an almost
Chris Froome has an almost life ending and most definitely life changing crash – he was lucky to walk again.
So no, he wouldn’t have necessarily noticed the changes in set up that some of us would have (though yes, it’s very suprising he didn’t get the measure out sooner)
So chill the fuck out and stop being such dicks about it! And no, he didn’t say he would’ve won the TDF otherwise.
EddyBerckx wrote:
He also conceivably could have *needed* a different position post-crash – at least initially.
Absolutely, and no one would
Absolutely, and no one would blink an eye if anyone came on here asked for advice for what bike would fit a 6ft1 male and people posted back with a range all the way from 56 through 58, 60 maybe even 61.
There are hundreds if not thousands of such questions on bike fit like that on the Internet, a whole industry devoted to it, and there’s still no definitive answer one way or the other, other than you’ve got to try them yourself and see how your body fits comfortably on the bike with its specific geometry.