“Use COMMON SENSE”: Woman on mobility scooter hit by onrushing peloton, causing spectacular crash + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
A racing crash to forget
We start today with what can be diplomatically described as some “underthought out” spectator behaviour. You’re using a mobility scooter, you’ve popped out to see the local junior race and you think “I’d like to move forward to get a better view.”
Only you make the decision to reposition yourself as the peloton is flying past you. The outcome, I suppose, is inevitable.
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The video was shared by FirstCycling’s Eemeli, who follows the European junior scene closely and could provide some useful context…
“This older spectator caused a seriously dangerous incident today at Saarland Trofeo Juniors by trying to get a better look and entering the course while riders were flying past at full speed.
“Fortunately, the riders involved escaped without serious injuries despite some spectacular crashes.
“…but it should go without saying: please NEVER enter the RACE COURSE while riders are approaching. Even a small step onto the road can have serious consequences at these speeds. This was not even the first incident of this kind during the race. Junior racing is already dangerous enough without spectators making it even more dangerous.
“Obviously, incidents like this are almost impossible to eliminate entirely, which is why spectators also have a responsibility to use COMMON SENSE and stay off the race course.”
Hear hear!
Dutch react to 12mph cycle speed limits
Remember the story of 20kph (12mph) speed limits in the Netherlands? Well, the trial has started and residents aren’t yet decided on how they feel.
The Guardian has been to Houten, near Utrecht, which was the first town to volunteer for the trial. The town’s transport chief told the ‘paper one of the reasons the town put its hand up was the difficulty they had re-organising the urban environment to maximise bike safety.
“Here, you can’t widen the cycle lane, otherwise you’d be in people’s living rooms.” Wouter van den Berg said. 80-year-old JanPeter Westein from the local cycling association also supported the trial.
“I avoid the busy times because I’m an older chap. But pretty much all of the primary schools in Houten are on the bike paths … and you don’t want parents to say they will take their children by car because it’s not safe.”
Others are annoyed however that they’ve been lumped in with ‘motorised cyclists’, one wondering why the authorities can’t “Make a rule for them and not for all cyclists.”
Another campaigner warned that “Safer cycling requires a package of measures, including a minimum age of 16 for e-bike riders, e-bike registration and licensing, better infrastructure and greater use of cycle helmets.”
No mention of speed limits there though. Amsterdam’s trial is due to start in September, whilst fines could at some stage be introduced for speeding cyclists, though authorities for now are settling on additional signage and cameras.
“Sometimes I wish I had died”
Judge Cohen told Craig Frewin, “You were fly-tipping asbestos to avoid having to pay to deal with it properly. I am satisfied that you committed this offence deliberately and cynically.”
Love in the Ventoux air
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It remains embarrassingly notable that no male professional cyclist in the peloton has come out as gay, a statistical improbability that means its highly likely many people in the peloton are continuing to lead closeted lives.
It’s notable therefore that Uno-X Mobility have, across all their teams, acknowledged and celebrated Pride this June, with their riders bringing rainbow flags onto the podiums during their recent rider presentations.
Such displays of allyship in pro cycling are rare. Notably, former lead-out man Jacopo Guarnieri wore a wristband in the colours of the trans flag during the Giro d’Italia’s 2022 Grande Partenza in Hungary, a country which has rolled back various LGBT+ protections in recent years, as well as banning the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality to under-18s.
On the podium at the Giro team presentation in Budapest, Jacopo Guarnieri wore a trans rights wristband. #Giro105
He spoke with us about it on the Giro’s rest day. https://t.co/t7H8QmYfKs pic.twitter.com/JRznBfpYDh
— CyclingTips (@cyclingtips) May 9, 2022
Thankfully, in the women’s peloton, attitudes are much better with several ‘out’ riders, perhaps most notably the best rider of them all, Marianne Vos. And yesterday we received some rather lovely news that Belgian champion (and former mountains jersey winner at the Tour de France) Justine Ghekiere has gotten engaged to her girlfriend Charlotte. That in itself is cause for celebration, but the choice of location truly is the icing on the cake…
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If you can think of a better place for a pro cyclist to propose than Mont Ventoux, I’d like to hear it. And yes I know Quinn Simmons proposed on the Champs-Élysées. I said what I said…
Naked Bike Ride London returns!
If you were in the capital yesterday, you might’ve noticed some cyclists baring all. If not, then Euronews have put together a very delicately edited short montage that passes all our pre-watershed checks.
This year’s ride took place on a Sunday for the first time to avoid clashing with Trooping the Colour. I know which one I would have rather watched…
Brompton rust
I presume the original poster’s question is rhetorical. But it’s the internet in 2026 so who knows…
Bike advert of the year!
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Brussels bans hired e-scooters
A bit of cycling-adjacent news that dropped on Friday was that Brussels is to ban the use of hireable e-scooters from the new year. French-language DHnet reports the decision is due to rising accident rates and their frequent use by suspected criminals. Hired e-bikes will remain.
Given that e-bikes can also be crashed and used by suspected criminals, could this be a first warning for restricting active travel options in cities? After all, we reported last week on Barcelona announcing a ban on e-bike hire.
> Barcelona to ban private bike share schemes from 2027, as mayor slams e-bike parking “mess”
Or is it the opposite, is this the bike cementing itself as the micromobility mode of choice for locals and tourists alike?
Reacting to the news, industry insider Prabin Jones criticised the decision, writing on LinkedIn, “While safety and enforcement are important issues, it’s difficult to understand why the conversation focuses so heavily on e-scooters when other transport modes with higher accident rates are rarely subjected to the same scrutiny.
“Brussels has long been viewed as a model city by policymakers and mobility leaders across Europe. This decision risks setting a troubling precedent for other cities considering the future of shared micromobility.
“If we want cities that are more livable, accessible, and less dependent on cars, we should find ways to improve and integrate new forms of transport, not banning them altogether.”
Wes Streeting slams "bad policy" of £4.5bn cycling and walking investment
Of all the places to get your latest dose of Labour leadership drama, I’m not sure you had road.cc on your shortlist. In all honesty, neither did we. But, when a former Health Secretary is dismissive of the health benefits of cycling, and the public spending which has been shown to encourage it, we’re on the case.
I hope for (y)our sake that the people of Makerfield don’t get drawn into this debate between now and Thursday.
Incidentally, Ryan reliably informs me he spent far too long trying to find a photo of the former Health Secretary on, or even near a bike, hoping that he might have once encouraged people to cycle. Alas, the above will have to do. I mean if we could find a photo of the Prime Minister on a bike, surely you’d have thought the Secretary of State might’ve touted the credentials of the velocipede? But no.
Bodge quality out of 10?
Is it a bodge if it works?
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Romain Bardet's return?
I miss Romain Bardet. The plucky French climber who tried to topple the Sky train, fell short but delivered some spectacular stage wins and finally got his hands on the yellow jersey in his final Tour de France in 2024. Good times.
The good news is he’s back! Not content with rocking around on the gravel train, L’Equipe report that the Frenchman is set to join Decathlon CMA-CGM in a staff role supporting Paul Seixas as he prepares to tackle the Tour de France for the first time, with aspirations on the overall title. Bardet knows a thing or two about carrying the nation’s expectations on his shoulders and, be it as a coach or mentor, might be a useful friend to the 19 (Nineteen!) year-old.
Bardet rode for the team for several years under its AG2R-guise, but the team has since internationalised and become one of the wealthiest in the peloton – thanks to all those trampolines, squash rackets and *checks notes* international shipping demands. The team has already moved to sign a squad of experienced domestiques and climbers, and might even drop their star signing, sprinter Olav Kooij, for the big race in July to accommodate Seixas’s rider support. Meanwhile, the team has also made moves off the bike to support Seixas, hiring a veteran L’Equipe journalist to be the Frenchman’s personal press officer. Bardet’s appointment would represent the next step on that journey.
A viral finish line photo
There was one another notable result from the weekend, over at the GP Gippingen in Switzerland. I’ve got a feeling the photos might not end up on Liam Slock’s wall anytime soon, despite it being his first pro victory.
Still, if you’re named after Liam Neeson, how else do you expect to win a race?
Weekend racing round-up: Dauphiné drama, Sprint honing and Blasi's not so blasé rise.
It’s that time of year where there’s loads of racing happening, but it’s all viewed through the prism of the bigger race in a couple of weeks time.
The race formally known as the Criterium du Dauphine wrapped up on the weekend and Isaac Del Toro made history, becoming the first rider in history to win both Tirreno-Adriatico and the *Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes* in the same season, taking back to back summit finishes in a way that reminded me of Mark Padun – something of a deep cut there.
🏆 #TourAuvergneRhoneAlpes 2026 💐
🥇🇲🇽 Isaac Del Toro
🥈🇬🇧 Luke Tuckwell
🥉🇪🇸 Juan Ayuso👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/Y9GPvaMHef
— Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (@tourauverhalpes) June 14, 2026
The weekend was dampened somewhat by a crash involving Paul Seixas, with the Frenchman spending most of the penultimate stage chasing on before losing time to his rivals on Grand Colombier. He abandoned the race not long into yesterday’s final stage. Instead Juan Ayuso was the weekend’s main combatant. First to attack on Saturday, he was caught and passed by the Mexican before riding a more measured race the following day to again finish second up to Plateau de Solaison.
But it wasn’t enough to try and overtake Luke Tuckwell, who started the weekend in yellow after a fantastic ambush on Friday, and then excellently limited his losses to finish second. An outstanding result for the young Aussie.
Meanwhile in Denmark, Jasper Philipsen suggested he’s once again peaking nicely for July, taking victory at the Copenhagen sprint ahead of Tobias Lund. And he didn’t even have Mathieu van der Poel there to lead him out. It should be added though that neither Tim Merlier nor Jonathan Milan could contest the sprint after being caught up in a crash.
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Premier Tech) won the 2nd edition of Copenhagen Sprint ahead of Lund and Welsford! 👏🇧🇪 Sadly, Milan and Merlier were caught behind a crash and didn’t contest the sprint. Another ruined race.#CPHSprintpic.twitter.com/Z81NJWU8OM
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 14, 2026
In the women’s peloton, it’s been impossible to ignore the rise of ex-triathlete Paula Blasi. First came Amstel Gold, then an unexpected overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana ahead of Anna van der Breggen. And Blasi’s stock continues to rise with her latest victory at the Tour of the Pyrenees. Blasi made her move on Saturday with an attack on the Col du Tourmalet, and won by two minutes. Her teammate Dominika Wlodarczyk won the sprint of the small group of favourites behind and hung on the following day to complete a UAE 1-2. It’s all hotting up!
Paula Blasi wins Stage two of the Tour Féminin des Pyrénées! 👏
A superb ride on the Queen’s stage earns the Spanish rider a solo win over Col du Tourmalet 🗻 pic.twitter.com/whCxNQDTA2
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 13, 2026
No one tell Jeremy Vine
London’s Nocturne returned at the weekend and, for all the highlights of criterium racing, this might be the best achievement of them all: a 100-inch (2.54m) high penny farthing. I suspect some stilts are involved somewhere, I just can’t prove it…
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Your road.cc weekend
We may not run the weekend live blog but that doesn’t mean we were busy ruining our sleep patterns trying to watch people kicking pig’s bladders. Not all of us anyway.
Firstly, just as I was clocking off last week, Jill Scott was just getting her weekend’s party started, having finished her utterly bonkers Sport Relief challenge riding and running from London to Sunderland (via Liverpool) in just five days! Find out more about her challenge, and the customised Mercian bike used to do it, here:
Remember when we covered a Reform UK-run council endorsing active travel plans? Well the work has started and the residents aren’t happy…
Why accommodate active travel infrastructure when your car boot sale is being held in a car park that’s been there since before I was even born? Ryan tries to find an answer…
And we’ve got a blog on ebiketips from a rather unpleasant collision involving an illegal electric motorbike:
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Latest Comments
@eburtthebike One of my best mates, a former rugby teammate of mine, is a Kiwi and a teacher (over here). I can imagine him making precisely that joke and he's a mad keen cyclist! Honestly, if this is the whole story it's a hell of an overreaction to a remark that deserved a mild reprimand about appropriate conduct if that (different if it was coming from a police officer or a driving instructor or similar, maybe). Having worked in a number of schools it's my experience that when senior management take agin someone they'll grab any excuse to get rid of them, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the situation here.
Hi I wasn't implying the ramps were equivalent to a pump track. I was saying many forestry trails are pretty hairy rather than a well designed pump track. The ramps are definitely not suitable and need replacing, but they are replacing with a new design. I suspect much more tame.
Oh dear! With my sense of humour, I should have been sacked a dozen times: every year. The Kiwis I've met all seemed to have a reasonable sense of humour, and one was excellent, but perhaps they weren't working for a school.
"neither student laughed..." Well, it elicited a wry smile from me...
@60somethingcyclist Unfortunately there are a couple of problems with that: firstly in order to try to manage some of the chaos in the Italian political system, for several decades when a mayor wins an election in large towns they are automatically given a guaranteed majority of 60% of the council seats, and also if a decree of the mayor's is overruled by the council that automatically triggers a no-confidence vote which then dissolves the council and forces a new election. So in order to vote down this decree not only would opponents need to persuade a considerable number of the mayor's own party to vote against him but also effectively to vote themselves out of office with no guarantee of return.
My first road bike was a Raleigh, too. A 1976 Raleigh Record. I dragged it out of the shed a few years ago and got it working again. 14kg it weighed! A 52/42 crank and a 14-28 five speed 'cluster' at the back made hills pretty hard work...
@Destroyer666 Campag cranks use replaceable standard cartridge bearings, pressed onto the axles. They're a slightly unusual size but you can find them easily enough on bearing specialist sites or elsewhere.
More use of compulsory purchase is needed. Active travel route providers need the same kind of financial and legal power that Highways England and analogous bodies have. On the other side to the jam factory, by the junction in Histon, the busway path narrows as it goes past the bus stop and housing. It is the kind of pinch point where enforcement of the limit is most likely.
Yes. Local users of the maintenance track have said such things. Continuing to say them to decision makers is likely to encourage better decisions.
A bit late to this article but I can sadly confirm what they found, since my daughter started riding out more on her own in the last year. The amount of comments shouted at her on most solo rides is thoroughly depressing. And it is all men/boys. I am glad it doesn't stop her going out, but what goes through their brains to think it is OK to harass her? It's beyond me, but I guess some of us seem revel in our ignorance.
17 thoughts on ““Use COMMON SENSE”: Woman on mobility scooter hit by onrushing peloton, causing spectacular crash + more on the live blog”
I think that’s a crown farthing, isn’t it?
Regulation isn’t required for the illegal e-motorbike issues – they’re already illegal to use on the roads/pavements, so it’s a question of enforcement. Tougher (or at least some) traffic law enforcement is required, but the police should focus on the biggest problems which to my mind are drivers who are not paying attention or speeding etc.
@hawkinspeter The scrotes will find a way around any rules regardless. I frequently see riders speeding along with bicycles with enormous motors in the rear wheels where the chainsets have been removed altogether and foot rests have been installed into the bottom bracket.
The bill being introduced under the 10 minute rule is about the marketing, sale and supply of them including conversion kits. I suspect it will be difficult to write a bill that simultaneously allows the sale of motorbikes whether electrically powered or not for private off-road use whilst restricting them for on-road use.
Better surely to make it really hard to buy any kind of motorbike without it being registered with the DVLA and the keeper having the correct licence and insurance.
But the police need play their part as well in stopping the riders and confiscating what they are riding. It is not like they are difficult to spot.
@Pub bike – stating “the scrotes will find a way around any rules regardless” is pretty much agreeing with me that introducing new rules around the sale/purchase is the wrong way to tackle the issue. With sufficient traffic policing, the scrotes will get nicked, whereas introducing additional rules is pointless without increasing the enforcement.
I’m all for converting the unlawful scrotes into lawful ones, but
a) that would appear to be an endless task which might simply absorb any (reasonable) resources thrown at it, and partly because
b) where it’s not manifestly clear that the illegal thing is really illegal AND people care about it, the continuum from the “outlaw and don’t care” via the “yeah it’s illegal but everyone’s doing it” to the “but I hardly ever / I didn’t know I was doing wrong” may be towards the latter end and thus we have far more offenders to deal with.
I hope amending the law in this case pushes mean away from “but you can buy it in Currys/PC world how was I to know?” end and perhaps that makes this illegal behaviour a bit less prevalent. Eventually…
(I don’t know if the forthcoming law changes are necessarily the *best* … and it isn’t the greatest issue we face. OTOH this appears to be a lot more useful harm reduction than stopping cyclists and handing out cheap lights or creating the “death by dangerous cycling” legislation – though I’m not *against* that…)
@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.
@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.
Accusing that penny farthing rider of using stilts is a bit of a stretch.
Re the mobility scooter / road race incident.
What are the chances of the Daily Telegraph running with this one? :
“Disabled Pensioner Mowed Down By 85mph Speeding Cyclists.”
“How many more pensioners must be killed or injured before number plates and insurance are made mandatory for cyclists, asked Nigel Farage, from his £5m crypto donation enquiry hideout?”
And a transponder
On the subject of rust – an ode to the shed bike: https://soundcloud.com/friko-music/dear-bicycle
More cars in playgrounds, alas.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy4eldkpxgwo
@chrisonabike and it takes a headline, a photo caption and four paras before there’s a driver involved. Two earlier opportunities to be clear but no, they went with “a car crashed” and “the vehicle drove”.
Thanks BBC.
@momove
You beat me to it.
Be who you are. Absolutely. Provided you don’t annoy the rest of mankind with pronouns and gender ideology.
As a side note. Last year we saw the Palestinian flag. This year, the trans rights colours. But no support for the brave Iranian people.
Haven’t you just contradicted yourself? As I understand it (not greatly…) the problem is exactly that some (few) want to be themselves absolutely (including pronouns etc.) and “mankind” (including yourself it seems) won’t have it because it’s “annoying”?
Actually I think a number of those people wouldn’t mind being left to be themselves quietly and eg. just not be harassed or worst… because some of *man*kind (much of the abuse and almost all the violence… ) sees this as far more than “annoying”.
(Though not all want tacit toleration – and there does seem to be irreconcilable conflict on eg. “who is a woman”)
Anyway – the law’s in now. There shall generally be male spaces for males, female spaces for females, and those who choose (or were given?) a gender divergent from sex “should be accommodated”.
@MaxiMinimalist Be who you are. Absolutely. Provided you don’t annoy the rest of mankind by blathering on a load of bigoted old shite regarding what people choose to call themselves and how they choose to identify when it doesn’t affect you in the slightest.