Boy, 5, given breath test in Taiwan after crashing bike into a Tesla; Lazer’s design-your-own lid comp; Straight Outta Brompton; Triathlete loses virtual race because husband tripped over trainer cable; Cyclist caught riding on M69 + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Get well soon, Prime Minister
"Unbelievable" photo of cyclists in Richmond Park
Cyclists in Richmond Park today. Unbelievable. #covidiots pic.twitter.com/puuBCmhtqB
— AntoineStJustabit (@wellscoates1934) April 5, 2020
Believe it or not, a certain national newspaper was allegedly attempting to make it appear as if a peloton similar to this one was snaking up Box Hill at the weekend using a special camera technique…
Cyclist caught riding on the M69
Yes the roads are quieter at the moment… but no, that doesn’t mean it’s cool to cycle on the motorway as this latest culprit found out, joining our now quite lengthy archive of cyclists who have attempted to seek a quicker route to their destination.
The Leicester Mercury report that a man was seen cycling along the southbound carriageway of the M69 motorway between Leicester and Hinckley on Sunday night, and was aprehended by officers from Leicestershire Police’s road policing unit. He was given a lift home, reported for cycling on a motorway and reminded that it’s illegal, and given an on-the-spot fixed penalty fine.
First job of the night shift was to remove someone cycling along the M69!
He was given a lift and reported for cycling along the motorway. #why #needsanengine— Leicestershire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) (@LeicsPoliceRPU) April 5, 2020
The traffic officers said they had also seen “more people than ever” taking their daily exercise, and had to engage a lot with groups out on bike rides to remind them to stay at home: “Another busy shift – lots of engagement and explaining with groups off out. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be going out for a ride on your bike.
“Just because the sun is out it isn’t an essential journey.
“We saw more people than ever taking daily exercise and very few cars on the M69.”
Last weekend, a cyclist caught near junction 3 the M60 was reminded by North West Motorway Police that the ride “does not constitute your daily exercise”, but reportedly didn’t understand what the problem was; he was issued with a fine for the misdemeanour.
4iii offer lower prices and longer warranty on all power meters
Precision power meters are now available pre-installed on a single side crank starting at $299.99, and $599.99 for double-sided. 4iii now also offer a three year warranty on all products – prices have indee dropped in Europe too, there’s a Shimano 105 version on sale at Pro Bike Kit we’ve found for £269.99.
What bike is Wilf riding?
Crystal Palace and Ivory Coast footballer Wilfred Zaha has been keeping fit on two wheels while the football season is on hiatus/cancelled (who knows?); but we don’t care about that really, what we do care about is… what bike is he riding? One of the road.cc gang are confident they know what it is. If anyone can get the correct answer in the comments we’d usually send you some road.cc socks as a prize, but that wouldn’t really count as essential at the moment so you’ll just get a virtual pat on the back. You can’t say fairer than that!
Triathlete out of Zwift race... because her husband accidentally unplugged her smart trainer
Two-time world Ironman triathlon champion Mirinda Carfrae was taking part in Ironman’s VR1 Pro Challenge virtual race at the weekend; when towards the end her husband Tim O’Donnell – also a champion long course triathlete – tripped over the power cable of her Technogym trainer, thus ending her chance of a podium spot. She was second at the time of the mishap, and decided to carry on despite dropping off the leaderboard.
‘Rinny’ is now set to race in Zwift’s SRAM Women’s Tour at 11pm BST today, and will be keeping her clumsy husband well away…
Breakfast is served to a cyclist in quarantine
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) April 7, 2020
For any Twitterers out there, cycling out of context is well worth a follow.
Lazer launch design-your-own helmet contest, and the winner gets to see their lid come to life
“Have you ever dreamt of winning your own customised helmet?” ask Lazer on their design-your-own helmet competition launched this week to quell boredom during the lockdown… for us the answer is no, but if you ever have had this rather specific dream then Lazer say they can make it come true.
In the next few weeks, they’re organising a series of competitions with the winners getting their own customised Lazer Bullet 2.0 helmet. It’s a completely blank slate/helmet, and to enter you simply download the blank PDF file and get drawing; you then send it back to Lazer as a jpg or PDF for scrutiny. Lazer believe in these troubling times the comp is about way more than winning a fancy bike helmet, saying:
“In these difficult times we are currently living, some of you have been learning how to paint, others have been busy reading a lot of books, making puzzles… We believe that there are lots of ways to express yourself, the most important thing in life being to stay true to who you really are and not being afraid to show it to the world. Here is a brand new expression field!”
You can enter the contest and start playing around with your helmet on Lazer’s website, and it closes on the 11th April. Keep it clean please…
Straight Outta Brompton: folding bike brand trialling direct home deliveries in response to coronavirus pandemic
Brompton have launched a trial direct-to-home ‘Brompton To You’ service, which gives customers the chance to buy a bike direct from the Brompton factory, and have it delivered to their front door:
“In these uncertain times, where public transport services are reduced or to be avoided, and many people are restricted to essential journeys and limited exercise, a bike such as a Brompton will continue to play a key part in some people’s lives”, so say Brompton.
“In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, and having experienced increased customer demand for home delivery due to minimising personal interaction, Brompton will be trialling a new service, called ‘Brompton To You’, in order to keep those essential journeys possible.”
Brompton’s Covent Garden store has remained open as an essential retailer, but says they appreciate many of their dealers are on reduced hours so home delivery is a decent option for many customers. Delivery with Brompton To You is free, you can still get 0% finance and bikes arrive almost ready to ride, with Brompton claiming set-up should take 10 minutes or less – more info over on Brompton’s website.
Start 'em young: brothers training for the Le Tour on 'improvised turbo trainers'
The ‘improvised bike trainers’ using stabilisers and shoes were masterminded by the manager of Pedal Cycles in Ferndown so his boys can train through the lockdown. We’ll see them at Le Tour 2040…
Five-year-old given a breath test in Taiwan after crashing his bike into a Tesla
Some bizarre news coming out of the Taiwanese municipality of Taichung, as the Taipei Times report that a five-year-old boy was reportedly breathalysed by police after crashing his bike into a parked car in an alley.
The owner of the white Tesla that the boy crashed into posted a photograph of the breathalysing, captioned: “The little boy was really brave and faced up to the problem. Luckily, the boy is OK.”
The boy’s parents were reportedly called, before the owner then demanded they come to an agreement to pay for the repairs to his car. Some observers derided the police for breathalysing the boy, while others were baffled why the car owner called the police over the matter; he claims he did so in order to have a police report to send to his car insurers.
The Taiwanese National Police Agency responded to the images by claiming it’s standard procedure, and that everyone involved in an RTA – including those on bikes regardless of age – have to be checked for booze; therefore, there was no misconduct on the part of the officer who attended the incident. It’s reported that the boy’s mother questioned why the breath test was necessary in this instance, and called for the cops to be more flexible.
7 April 2020, 08:45
"I'll have two please"
Starting bid is £16,000 as Passoni auction Limited Edition bike for charity
The Italian brand aims to raise £20,000 to help fight Coronavirus in their home region of Lombardy
7 April 2020, 08:45
The UK is seeing its lowest traffic levels since 1955, when there were seven times fewer cars on the road
UK road traffic falls to lowest levels in 65 years due to lockdown
Traffic returns to levels last seen in 1955 – when there were more than seven times fewer licensed motor vehicles
7 April 2020, 08:45
A four week delay is being considered by organisers
Late July start for Tour de France according to latest reports
Organisers ASO tight-lipped for now, but no logistics problem forecast if race is delayed
7 April 2020, 08:45
Lighter, stiffer, more aero... you get the idea
Giant launch 2021 TCR Advanced – the “fastest TCR ever”
New bikes are lighter, stiffer, and more aero than key rivals, according to Giant – range also includes new wheels and saddles too
7 April 2020, 08:45
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I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
25 thoughts on “Boy, 5, given breath test in Taiwan after crashing bike into a Tesla; Lazer’s design-your-own lid comp; Straight Outta Brompton; Triathlete loses virtual race because husband tripped over trainer cable; Cyclist caught riding on M69 + more on the live blog”
AntoineJustabit is getting
AntoineStJustabit is getting royally roasted for posting a picture of the TdF and claiming it’s Richmond Park. Either they really are that stupid or they are deliberately stoking hatred for cyclists. What is Twitter’s policy on deliberately dishonest tweets?
Or perhaps it was supposed to be funny?
I’d assumed they were being
I’d assumed they were being satirical, tbh. Pointing out that certain newspapers would publish any old photo if it appeared to support their opinions.
Indeed, tongue was firmly in
Indeed, tongue was firmly in cheek with that post I believe.
He might be better off
He might be better off elsewhere…
Harrogate xxxxxx, what’s the
Harrogate xxxxxx, what’s the Stray looking like after the recent dryish and warmish spell?
The Somme, went through there
The Somme, went through there recently. I reckon it will take a couple of years to mend.
brooksby wrote:
Thanks, you’re right. Self isolation seems to be upsetting my senses, what little of them are left that is.
No problem, I think we’re all
No problem, I think we’re all a bit weirded out at present…
“Never become separated from
“Never become separated from your lunch or your sense of humour.”
As a wise man once told me.
“The traffic officers said
“The traffic officers said they had also seen “more people than ever” taking their daily exercise, and had to engage a lot with groups out on bike rides to remind them to stay at home: “Another busy shift – lots of engagement and explaining with groups off out. [b]Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be going out for a ride on your bike.[/b]”
Non-sequitur at the end there. Why should you not be going out for a bike ride? If that is the “explaining” that they are doing then they have missed the point.
Sriracha wrote:
Agreed. What if the individuals were commuting to (essential) work?
Or shopping for food or medicines?
Or exercising?
All the above are permitted under current guidelines. Sounds like the cops are making up laws again.
If they want to do something useful, I suggest having a word with the twats on motorbikes and in cars who are using the empty roads as a racetrack.
Eton Rifle wrote:
I don’t disagree, but those people are only doing what fifty years of car adverts told them they could do
Just bad journalism from road
Just bad journalism from road.cc- the officers are referring to motorbikes: https://twitter.com/LeicsPoliceRPU/status/1246880670934347777
They should close some
They should close some stretches of motorway so we can use them as exercise spaces 🙂
I fancy the KOM of the descent from J1 to J3 of the M32.
So the Grauniad said earlier
So the Grauniad said earlier (10.38)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/apr/07/coronavirus-live-news-boris-johnson-intensive-care-uk-donald-trump-america-us-praying-recovery-latest-updates
Seems kind of
Seems kind of counterproductive – now, instead of being spaced out through the day, everyone’s going to have to go out at roughly the same times, cramming even more people into the same space.
‘The traffic officers said
‘The traffic officers said they had also seen “more people than ever” taking their daily exercise, and had to engage a lot with groups out on bike rides to remind them to stay at home: “Another busy shift – lots of engagement and explaining with groups off out. Unfortunately, you shouldn’t be going out for a ride on your bike.”‘
Unfortunately, going out for a ride on your bike is exactly what’s permitted under government guidelines and indeed recommended by doctors for good physical and mental health. The sad fact is that a significant proportion of police officers are vehemently anti-cyclist and have been using this crisis as an attempt to impose unreasonable and illegal prohibitions on them. I hope any enquiry into the handling of the crisis once it’s over will encompass a review of the way the police have deliberately misinterpreted and overreached their powers.
Here is the tweet in question
Here is the tweet in question: https://twitter.com/LeicsPoliceRPU/status/1246880670934347777
Road.cc seem to have misrepresented. The officer is talking about groups of motorcyclists, and is suggesting being out for a jolly on a motorbike is not essential travel. Poor form from road.cc as usual.
He’s right you know, the
He’s right you know, the tweet actually uses an emoji of a motorbike.
ktache wrote:
… And is reasonably positive about getting your exercise in. Amazingly different in tone when you look at the original tweet.
That said, some police have had a little too much fun with the new guidance. Derbyshire police drone stalking being a good example.
Apologies to that group of
Apologies to that group of cops – very poor reporting Road CC!
Rest of my post stands though – mate of mine out for a 10k spin in his neighbourhood (Kennington) yesterday for exercise was stopped by a cop and told that as he didn’t have a bag so clearly wasn’t going to work or shopping he should go straight home.
I reckon Wilfred Zaha is on
Hey Jack, I reckon Wilfred Zaha is on the classic and underated Ammaco Strada 700c Hybrid. A classic staple, only unlocked on level 24 on Zwift.
And what was the result of
And what was the result of the 5 year olds breath test?
It showed that sober 5 year
It showed that sober 5 year olds are as safe on the road as a Tesla using autopilot
The bike the footballer is
The bike the footballer is riding is an Ammoco.