“Instant karma”: Driver close passes cyclist on blind bend towards oncoming car… and immediately gets pulled over by police officer, who asks him: “What’s your problem?”; Cycling’s boring war: Is Tadej Pogačar “destroying” racing? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Instant karma”: Driver close passes cyclist on blind bend towards oncoming car… and immediately gets pulled over by police officer, who asks him: “What’s your problem?”
If only all close passes and dodgy overtakes ended up like this one.
Dublin-based cyclist Hermann Wilken was riding on a busy road near Blanchardstown, northwest of the Irish capital, earlier this week when he was overtaken by a BMW driver on a corner, near the brow of a hill, and on a continuous white line. And, most dangerously, towards an oncoming motorist.
Luckily for Hermann and all involved, the BMW driver managed to swerve back into his lane in time, avoiding what would have been a nasty collision.
And then something truly miraculous took place. Just as the motorist completed his ropey, dangerous manoeuvre, a Garda officer appeared, as if by cycling road safety magic, and stopped him:
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Talk about instant karma.
“You nearly hit him. Overtaking on a f***ing corner, what’s your problem?” the officer asked the clearly bemused driver, who could only whimper back: “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
Brilliant stuff. Hermann muttered his thanks in the direction of the officer and continued on his way.
“Instant Karma. Thank you. The Gardaí do indeed care about cyclists,” Hermann posted on Instagram.
“It is not my fault that there is no bike lane and the signs clearly ask the car drivers to maintain 1.5m distance.
“If a car driver has to wait because there is a red light or a right turner for example, it is never an issue. But if a car must wait 20 seconds due to a bicycle rider it is always a catastrophe.”
However, while happy with his instant karma, Hermann also called for both motorists and cyclists to give peace a chance on the roads, writing: “To be honest, most car drivers drive carefully and we can all coexist on the roads.
“And to be honest again, most cyclists in Ireland don’t obey the rules and that is the reason why car drivers are so aggressive. I stop at every red light, because in Germany you will lose your driving licence if you get caught, even as a cyclist.”
“Take your hobby off public roads and let the rest of us get on with life”
You didn’t think I was going to share Hermann’s video without taking a deep dive into the comments section, did you?
And yes, rather inevitably, and depressingly, there’s a whole lotta victim blaming goin’ on. In fact, quite a few motorists are fuming at the idea that someone on a bike may need to commute to work on a busy road (hey, maybe they could start campaigning for some safe cycling infrastructure?).
“Can’t understand cycling on a road like that with loads of bends with no hard shoulder, you would want to have a death wish,” said camp440445.
On a similar theme, John also asked: “Has he got a death wish cycling on such a narrow road?”
“I’m a cyclist, but I would never EVER cycle on a road like that, holding drivers up, plus it’s dangerous,” added James.
“Cyclist on the f****** road,” complained Noely, while Damo pointed out, helpfully, that “cyclists are a pain in the hole”.
“Why are you on a road where big cars, buses, trucks, motorbikes live? Take your hobby off public roads and let the rest of us get on with life,” said Paulie, sparking some fierce criticism of his ‘drivers first’ stance to the roads.
“Some people don’t drive and still cycle to work and school,” Karl hit back. “A couple of minutes here or there to allow them to live without some clown like yourself killing or maiming them won’t matter to you.”
“I cycle so I can ‘get on’ with my life,” noted Meimer. “Takes me 12 minutes to cycle to work but 30/40 minutes in the car.”
And Bog Shuffler (I presume that’s not on their birth certificate) concluded: “Public roads are for everyone.”
Ironically, another fissure opened up in the comments, this time when it came to Hermann’s road positioning.
“As someone who can’t really stand cyclist entitlement, I do have to commend the cyclist here for being as tight to the side of the road as possible,” said Paul.
Greg, on the other hand, offered some friendly advice to Hermann: “Sit further away from the edge mate, primary position!”
No prizes for guessing which one of Paul and Greg is the cyclist…
Cycling’s boring war is back: Tadej Pogačar’s Tour de Suisse demolition reignites accusations that world champion is “destroying cycling”
It’s started a few weeks earlier than I was expecting, I’ll be honest, but after his on-a-whim demolition of the Tour de Suisse yesterday, it appears it’s already time for that biannual social media pastime: ‘Tadej Pogačar is making cycling boring, summer edition’.
And are you really surprised? The men’s Tour de Suisse was effectively, brutally, almost accidentally ended as a contest yesterday afternoon within the first two hours of racing.
Oops, Pogačar’s just slipped off the front there, silly lad. Oops, everyone’s too afraid to chase him. Oops, he’s now over two minutes clear on GC (and four minutes clear of everyone bar Richard Carapaz and Andrea Bagioli).
Granted, the stage racing A-list hasn’t exactly made the trip to Switzerland, but it’d be a disservice to characterise the world champion’s rivals as mugs. Carapaz is a former Giro winner. Primož Roglič is already almost five minutes down. After one lumpy, but not quite mountainous 144km stage.
The gulf between Pog and the rest is, let’s face it, quite scary. And people aren’t too happy about it.
“I have a pretty high tolerance for Pogačar domination (is it boring, is it impressive, blah blah ad nauseum) but this… come on bro,” my colleague in the press room, Matilda Price of Cyclingnews, posted on BlueSky after yesterday’s stage.
“Witnessing greatness, blah blah blah,” added Dan Challis, presumably fed up with some commentators’ willingness to contextualise Pogačar killing off all suspense two weeks before Paris.
> Was the 2025 Tour de France boring?
Some fans were even more scathing of Tadej’s brutal racing dictatorship.
“Well, this f***ing sucks, I’m not watching that,” wrote Matthias, while Lasse did concede that “completely killing the race on the first stage is impressive”.
“Sorry, but I am done with this s**t,” posted Eve. “This is destroying cycling.”
I fear we could be in for a long three weeks in July. And that’s just scrolling our social media feeds…
“Councils always reference installing bike lanes to make cycling more appealing, which is great. But these waiting lists are so, so long. As long as you can’t get a space in a hangar, you’re not going to be inspired to buy a bike”
The stage of the hunter: Romain Grégoire wins Tour de Suisse stage from breakaway as rampant Tadej Pogačar fails to bridge to leaders (just) in frenetic finale
Even at his most Cannibal-esque state, it doesn’t always come off for Tadej Pogačar.
For much of the last 20km of today’s Tour de Suisse stage in the hills around Locarno, the breakaway – at one point seemingly nailed on to contest the win – must have heard the Jaws theme playing ominously in their heads.
At first, it looked like UAE Team Emirates, fully locked into greedy stage-hunting mode, were attempting to tee up Jhonatan Narváez, in a bid to spread some love around the dinner table this evening. The gap to the break soon began to tumble and Pogačar, frighteningly, even took on a domestique de luxe role for his Ecuadorian teammate.
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But when the world champion’s pace on the final steep ramps of the Orselina proved too much for Narváez, Pogačar put the head down and continued himself, another stage win locked in his sights. No gifts, they say, not even for your own teammates.
With Lidl-Trek’s Mathias Vacek the only rider capable of holding his wheel on the uphill (the duo were joined on the run-in by Giro pink jersey hero Afonso Eulálio, dispatched from the break), the outcome appeared inevitable as Pogačar bore down on the leaders.
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But with the break in touching distance in Locarno, a late surge into the final corner from Jayco AlUla’s Finlay Pickering proved pivotal in keeping Tadej the Hunter at bay. Romain Grégoire took advantage of the young British rider’s acceleration to burst clear for his second win of the season (and a victory for the entertainment-loving neutrals, too), ahead of Pinarello Q36.5’s Marcel Camprubí.
Just four seconds later, Pogačar cruised across the line, half a minute clear of all his GC rivals and proving, once again, that he can do whatever he wants in a bike race. Well, almost. And, to be fair, you can’t argue that one was boring.
Urška Žigart fractures jaw in Tour de Suisse crash
After an extremely positive start to the Tour de Suisse, some not-so-great news for the Pogačar-Žigart household filtered through this afternoon, with AG Insurance-Soudal announcing that Urška Žigart fractured her jaw after crashing hard in the closing stages of this morning’s stage in Locarno.
View this post on Instagram
“After her crash in the final kilometre of Stage 2 (Tour de Suisse), Urška was taken to hospital where a fractured jaw was diagnosed. She is also being monitored for a possible concussion,” the team said in a statement following the crash, which took place just under the flamme rouge.
“Fortunately, no other injuries were detected. Our medical staff are closely following her recovery process, with her health as the absolute priority. We thank everyone for their messages and support.”
Random celebrity cycling news of the day: Kylie Jenner heads out with Timothée Chalamet on hire bike… and the fashion mags are all over it
Get your ‘keeping up with’ puns ready, because it’s time for some Kardashian-themed cycling content!
(Yeah, there’s not a lot going on in the Tour de Suisse, if I’m honest.)
That’s because Kylie Jenner, one of the Kardashian reality TV clan, was spotted this week riding a Citi hire bike in New York with boyfriend and actor Timothée Chalamet, no stranger, of course, to being papped while riding a dockless bike.
And fashion website Who What Wear couldn’t get enough of Kylie’s shift to active travel.
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“What happens when a suburban L.A. person dates a born-and-bred New Yorker?” the website asked. “Well, for Kylie Jenner, that means getting coaxed out of her Range Rover-size comfort zone.
“Calabasas residents like Jenner are typically glued to their cars, but Hell’s Kitchen natives like Timothée Chalamet certainly know how to get around without four wheels. In New York City today, Jenner and Chalamet opted for one particularly popular mode of public transportation: Citi Bikes.”
Naturally, the site was extremely interested in Kylie’s cycling attire (which, considering it’s a hire bike, is what she was wearing the rest of the day), including her shows – a $1,050 pair of Maison Margiela Tabi Ballerina Flats.
And you thought your S-Works shoes were expensive… Right, that’s enough of that celebrity nonsense (until tomorrow, anyway).
Tour of Slovenia stage neutralised for almost 30 minutes after crash on descent
Today’s second stage of the Tour of Slovenia descended into chaos this afternoon, after the organisers neutralised the race with 27km to go due to the race doctor treating a number of riders who crashed on a previous descent.
The crash, which took place on a left-hand bend on one of the series of short, technical descents in the stage’s finale, involved around five riders. Shortly after the spill, the race director called for the riders to slow down and then, a few kilometres later, brought the race to a complete halt on safety grounds.
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The race only got back underway almost half an hour later, Serbian sprinter Dušan Rajović powering past yesterday’s stage winner Laurence Pithie to take a surprise victory after Modern Adventure’s in-form Ben Oliver launched – and faded – early during a chaotic sprint in Ormož.
Back to the future (of AI-using, safety-focused fancy road bikes)
I’ve seen the future of safe road bikes and its name is, apparently, the Canyon Predict.
With its cameras, radar, edge AI, and an integrated display to create a 360° system designed to identify risks, assist with group riding, and provide real-time guidance, Canyon says the space-age prototype could transform cycling safety by predicting hazards before riders spot them.
What do we reckon? Not sure it’s one for the commute, if I’m honest…
> Could this be the safest road bike ever built? Canyon thinks so
Nearly there… Dr Sarah Ruggins enters Norway as she hits the last leg of her mammoth 6,000km ‘One Way North’ ride – with three days to spare to break the record
Dr Sarah Ruggins, clearly, isn’t the kind of person to take her time.
Just under 13 and a half days ago, last year’s JOGLEJOG hero set off from Tarifa in Spain with another outright ultra-cycling record in her sights: to become the fastest cyclist ever to ride from the very bottom of continental Europe to the very top.
And this morning, she hit the final stretch, and the ninth country, of her mammoth 6,000km ride, crossing the border into Norway after navigating some grim weather and lumpy terrain in northern Finland over the past 24 hours.
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The final route file of her trip loaded up, and a quick nap in the van ticked off, Ruggins is now just over 200km from the finish in Nordkapp, on the northernmost tip of the top of Norway.
She looks an absolute cert to break the record, with over three days and 13 hours left to surpass the current marker of 16 days, 20 hours, and 59 minutes, set by Bath-based academic and road safety advocate Dr Ian Walker in 2019.
Considering the Canadian-born, Gloucestershire-based rider covered around 350km in the past 24 hours, it’s highly likely she’ll reach Nordkapp in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
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I told you, Ruggins doesn’t hang around. We’ll be keeping a close eye on her progress and will keep you informed when – because let’s face it, it’s always been a matter of when, not if – she breaks the record tomorrow.
British Cycling extends longstanding deals with Lazer and Shimano to 2030
When it comes to helmets and gears, it’ll be more of the same for British Cycling over the next four years, after the governing body announced this afternoon that it’s extended its longstanding deals with Lazer and Shimano.
Lazer has supplied helmets to the Great Britain Cycling Tean since 2014, collaborating with the squad to produce designs for the past three Olympic cycles, while also providing helmets for grassroots racers.
Both Lazer and Shimano, BC’s groupset supplier for over a decade now, will remain on board until 2030, the governing body says.
“Long standing partnerships like ours with Lazer and Shimano don’t just happen by chance. They are based on an alignment in values, respect and commitment to a joint vision – to be the best in the world,” GB’s performance director Stephen Park said in a statement.
“Our partnership with the core slate of Madison brands has been a huge part of the team’s success over recent years. They have been there with us at all major competitions and milestones since 2014 and we look forward to continuing this trajectory through to LA and beyond.”
Cooking with Matthew Brennan
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Visma have gone all Ready Steady Cook on us with their latest ‘behind the scenes’ clip, where the team’s British wonderkid Matthew Brennan proved he’s more comfortable in a bunch sprint than he is in the kitchen. Those poor carrots…
Anyway, it’s just dawned on me that Brennan probably doesn’t even remember Ready Steady Cook. That’s depressing.
Flying Elisa Longo Borghini storms to solo stage win and yellow jersey as chasers Marlen Reusser and Kasia Niewiadoma head off course after missing turn in Tour de Suisse thriller
The men’s Tour de Suisse may be effectively over already, but no-one can accuse the women’s race of being boring. In fact, it’s shaping up to be a thriller.
After a difficult start to 2026 plagued by illness, Elisa Longo Borghini’s summer resurgence continued this morning with a stunning solo victory that catapults her into the leaders’ jersey.
What a ride! 🔥
Elisa Longo Borghini takes the stage win and the GC lead at the Tour de Suisse Women 👏 pic.twitter.com/Bm5OEDtfes
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 18, 2026
The Italian champion attacked clear on the steep Orselina climb with around 9km to go, after Kasia Niewiadoma whittled the bunch down to a small, elite group of GC favourites on the previous Fanghi ascent. Yellow jersey Femke De Vries – the victim of a crash earlier in the stage – was able to grittily hang on up the Fanghi but had to let go as the wave of attacks commenced on the final climb.
Over the top, Longo Borghini had built a 15-second lead over a trio consisting of Niewiadoma, Marlen Reusser, and De Vries’s Visma teammate Sarah Van Dam.
The Italian was then aided by a moment of madness on the run-in, as Niewiadoma and Reusser ignored the frantically waving arms of a marshal (and Van Dam’s correct reading of the race route) and thundered through a gap in the race tape, missing the left turn and heading 100m or so down the wrong road before realising their mistake.
“I was suffering in the heat all day and I just blew up,” Niewiadoma said after the stage, when asked what went wrong, the duo ultimately ceding 17 seconds to the switched-on Van Dam.
Wrong way 😮
Here’s the moment Kasia Niewiadoma Phinney and Marlen Reusser go the wrong way at the Tour de Suisse. How crucial could this be in the GC battle? pic.twitter.com/JVd3INSd90
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) June 18, 2026
“You go full gas, so you don’t have time to be like, oh what’s happening now? Then Marlen said we were in the wrong place and I just went, damn. But there’s nothing much you can do, you just turn around and try to minimise the gap.”
That gap, in the end, proved to be 47 seconds to stage winner Longo Borghini (who has her own history with high-profile wrong turns, remember?), the marauding Italian champion establishing a 27-second lead over Scottish sensation Lauren Dickson, who held onto her overnight second place with a strong sixth on the stage, just behind Kim Le Court.
The red-faced Reusser and Niewiadoma are now 57 seconds adrift of yellow, teeing up a tantalising last three stages. Now that’s what I call bike racing.
“They really upped their game”: Romain Bardet set to step into senior management role at old team Decathlon in 2027 – but he won’t be helping Paul Seixas at this year’s Tour de France
I know many of you, after last night, will have spent most of this morning daydreaming about football coming home. And while there’s a long way to go on that front yet (don’t get carried away, now), there’s at least one sporting story today where the ‘going home’ cliché can accurately be applied.
This morning, it was announced that Romain Bardet will take over as Sports Manager at Decathlon CMA CGM in January 2027, his first foray into a senior management role at a team.
Bardet turned pro with the French squad, back when it was known as AG2R La Mondiale, back in 2012, achieving the majority of his greatest successes with the team, including two Tour de France podium spots and three stage wins, before moving to what is now Picnic PostNL in 2021.
Since stepping away from the peloton in June last year, Bardet has dabbled, rather successfully, in the world of gravel racing. After a few more races on the dirt and fulfilling a couple of sponsor obligations, the 35-year-old will hang up the bike for good this winter.
However, despite reports in France earlier this week, he will not be joining the team to mentor its great young hope Paul Seixas at this year’s Tour de France.
And even when he does officially join in January, Bardet says his role will be much broader than focusing on one rider, and will see him dealing with Decathlon’s men’s and U23 and junior development teams, as well as a much-rumoured new women’s squad.
“It’s been a long reflective process for both sides, I would say. You never know when, after your career, you’ll be ready to step up and take on new challenges,” Bardet told Daniel Benson this week.
“I’ve always kept a close and special relationship with the team. It’s the one that helped me build who I am right now, even though I had a super time at DSM and Picnic. I’ve always been in touch with the team I spent 10 years with.”
Bardet also notes that, with Seixas on board and some big-money backing, the French squad is an entirely different beast to the one he spent almost a decade with as a rider.
“I’ve also seen how the team has built for the future and stepped up as an organisation. It was a really exciting challenge for me. They really upped their game,” he says.
“The team is always looking to bring some more people that can add value to the team in every department – that’s been the big role that’s been done over the last past few years, and you can see the results right now. It’s a constant process.
“The aim of the team is to really keep growing and improving. They’re sitting fourth in the world ranking, so now they get there, and the aim in the coming years is trying to show that it’s also our place in the ranks.”
Did someone say ‘sticker collection’?
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Don’t tempt me, Visma, don’t tempt me. I’m only a quarter of the way through my Panini World Cup book and I’ve had to remortgage the house…
From Cockermouth to Royal Leamington Spa: Host towns for 2026 Tour of Britain Women announced
Get those diaries out again, it’s Tour of Britain planning time…
Tuesday saw the unveiling of this year’s Tour of Britain Men’s route, and now it’s the turn of the women’s race, which will also feature five interesting, lumpy stages (bringing race-length parity to the two events for the first time), taking the peloton from Cumbria to Warwickshire, with a bit of Wales thrown in the middle.
The 2026 race will get underway on Wednesday 19 August with a challenging loop around Cockermouth, twice a host of the men’s national tour in 2015 and 2018.
Stage two will give the peloton a sneak peek of what’s to come in Lancashire next July at the Tour de France, a stage start in Clitheroe heading through the Ribble Valley and culminating in what could be a majestic sprint finish along the promenade in Blackpool.
The middle portion of the race then ventures into Wales, Friday’s stage taking the riders from Mold to Llandudno, where Lotte Kopecky triumphed on the promenade in 2024. However, this time, the race will be finishing atop the Great Orme climb, promising some explosive GC action on the headland.
A second Welsh stage, from Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye, will take place on the Saturday, before a final outing in Warwickshire, with a loop around Royal Leamington Spa expected to decide things.
“We are excited to be bringing the prestigious Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to these fantastic locations in August,” Jonathan Day, director of events at organisers British Cycling Ventures, said this morning.
“For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men’s race a couple of weeks later, so it is a huge opportunity to create a real festival of cycling, with the women’s race kick-starting a brilliant few weeks of world class road racing.
“We are bringing new hosts and stages in Mold, Llanidloes, and Hay-on-Wye, and it is fantastic to return to previous hosts of the Tour in Cockermouth, Clitheroe, Blackpool, Llandudno and Leamington Spa, bringing real variety to each of the stages as we head across England and Wales.
“On behalf of British Cycling Ventures, I would like to say a huge thank you to our partners across the five stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this August’s landmark race and enabling us to bring a memorable and action packed five days of world class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route, and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives.”
The full list of stages is as follows:
Stage 1: Cockermouth – Cockermouth
Stage 2: Clitheroe – Blackpool
Stage 3: Mold – The Great Orme, Llandudno
Stage 4: Llanidloes – Hay-on-Wye
Stage 5: Royal Leamington Spa – Royal Leamington Spa
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane? #265,810
Tell me again about why cyclists should be forced to use “cycle lanes”.
16 cars parked in a very short stretch of cycle lane. A cycle lane that was installed to encourage the local kids to bike to the nearby schools.
All but 1 of those cars parked outside a driveway with space for them.
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Latest Comments
“An e-bike is deemed illegal if it travels at a speed over 15.5mph" - Sergeant Patterson This is still wrong. It is only illegal if assistance provided over 15.5 mph.
Even when he clarifys he gets it wrong . It's either an e bike or an electric motorbike . It's not difficult ,same as cars ,Motor car >EV ,they dont do it with cars so its willfully ignorance when it comes to e bikes
Oh.... There are not "some forms of e-bike". e-bikes are legal, and anything that is not an e-bike under the definitions of motor vehicles, would be an electric powered motorcycle. E-bikes were being bought and used in vast numbers by older people in our area, but they have literally disappeared off our streets, not helped by a war on "e-bikes used illegally" by the S Glos councillor responsible for all things infrastructure related (including transport). As the term e-bike has been misapproriated by those in power (but should have greater knowledge of things they have power over), I think that, perhaps, there needs to be a new name and remarketing for e-bikes that are perfectly legal, and hugely useful to many in our communities (including the 30% of people in S Glos who have no access to a car whatsoever).
The race organisers clearly must employ more police and official marshals. Leaving it up to spectators to tell drivers that the race has passed is not acceptable, especially in a society dominated by the culture of impatient motorists. Helmet design is another contributing but separate factor - why is it the title of this article? It’s barely mentioned.
It is perfectly legal to buy an electrically assisted pedal cycle that has a cut-off higher than 15.5 mph or a continuous rated motor in exces of 250W or indeed has a throtle. It just isn't legal to use it in a public place. The term e-bike has no legal definition; it can mean, in popular usage, an assisted pedal cycle (legal or not) or a moped or a motorbike. Likewise e-scooter is not legally defined, although the electric scooter legislation relates to the thing without pedals that you scoot, not a motor scooter.
Chapeau, Mr Vaughters. …and why can’t everyone see that this example is also reflective of the general attitude by motorists towards cyclists on all our roads? It’s the same cause, whether racing, training or cruising with the family. The need for separated cycling infrastructure (and closed roads) only stems from one issue - arrogant drivers disdain for cyclists, breaking the law and putting cyclists lives in danger. In the absence of an AI algorithm that deletes all human ego, the solution is clearly in effectively policing the road rules that protect cyclists, not the wilful denial blind spot pervading our race organisers, police, city councils and courts.
@mctrials23 With a failed jump, you can sue whoever owns the field, who has the broken fence that "allowed" you in, the bike manufacture, the helmet maker, the knee pad maker, ...... and the list goes on! But who can you sue if you sit around eating junk all day?
Unfortunately, in this wildly litigious society, I have to side with the Forest Service. In the end, it's not the most culpable that are found the most responsible, but the deepest pockets.
It’s all half-arsed, from the clickbait title of this article, to the unsafe design of the bike track. …Why do we live in such a world? Capitalist fantasies of exponential growth vs conservative nimbyism - within the one Range Rover shopping cart world view! The Greens are trying to do it right. Everyone else has their knickers in a knot because their world view is small, and wilfully / selfishly half-arsed.
Yes ... although while still trying to remain in the middle (and thus offending everyone) from my limited knowledge Hamas won an election there. That was a long time ago of course * Hamas may well have been declining in popularity before the 2023 attack and killing of Israelis. I'm sure they've became even less popular after years of Israeli retaliation (and as their organisation was weakened / people became more desperate). Of course folks hating Hamas doesn't mean that they therefore have moderated any ill-will towards Jews, or Israel. * Exactly how "free and fair" is moot ... since shortly afterwards they had a civil war with / murdered the main opposition. And nobody in a position to will allow Fatah / the PLO back.
20 thoughts on ““Instant karma”: Driver close passes cyclist on blind bend towards oncoming car… and immediately gets pulled over by police officer, who asks him: “What’s your problem?”; Cycling’s boring war: Is Tadej Pogačar “destroying” racing? + more on the live blog”
I’m not blaming the cyclist in any way, the driver was clearly in the wrong here and the officer did a great job. However, I would be riding in a position to take a lot more of that lane. There isn’t enough room for a car to pass when another is oncoming, so why ride in a place that suggests that maybe there is?
@Chris RideFar Perhaps because he is worried that if he takes the middle of the lane he will meet another cockwomble like the BMW driver (there’s a lot of them about) performing the same sort of manoeuvre coming towards him? In which case it will most likely be goodnight Irene for the cyclist.
@Chris RideFar Completely agree. He should be riding out a bit on that road. It’s not a major road either and traffic is discouraged from going along it with traffic calming further down it, once past that little junction with Tinker’s hill (where the garda stops the car).
It’s a bit of a rat-run though for people trying to get northward though, they turn left up Tinker’s hill.
@Chris RideFar Isn’t the officer referring to the oncoming driver, not the cyclist, when he says ‘You nearly hit him’? Because tbf he was nowhere near the guy on the bike, he gave him loads of room, was just a daft place to do it.
@Zermattjohn That’s quite possible – the turn there left on to Tinker’s hill is very sharp and tight. Cars coming from the direction of the cyclist have to swing out to make that turn, and there are regularly conflicts between cars turning up Tinker’s hill and cars coming down. Which is almost surely why there was a garda already standing there.
@Chris RideFar I wouldn’t perhaps be quite so in the gutter but on windy country roads where people fly around corners I am somewhat scared that being in the middle of the road will get me killed.
I get far far far too many passes from people who don’t give a single shit that they are overtaking on a blind corner or on the crest of a hill. They simply don’t care. They overtake me with plenty of space but they are just rolling the dice.
I don’t want to be in a position where someone reacts to a car coming the other direction and that reaction is to plough into me in the middle of the road. I don’t want someone to be going far too fast around a corner and I am there in the middle of the road.
I don’t think taking primary at times is bad and I do do it. I just don’t think its a panacea for people doing shitty overtakes and I think that in plenty of circumstances its more dangerous than sitting to the side.
I’ve seen a few of his videos and its left me thinking the same each time. Hugging the gutter just encourages such numpties, who see a space and instantly go without thinking.
Is it now 🤔?
Or… given that in the cyclist’s own account the driver was bleating that they couldn’t account for their behaviour, perhaps that is just one of the many justifications after the fact for what may involve little thought. And most of that of the autopilot / “push pedal car go” variety.
Where anger is a motivating factor I suspect that it’s generally coming from more immediate situational triggers like “you’re in my way” or “you’re cheating by moving through the traffic I’m stuck in”.
Looking another way – do all the Dutch people cycling obey the rules / scrupulously obey red light signals? Most certainly not! But does this engender high rates of “retaliation” by motorists? It seems not.
I’m not familiar with court reports from NL so I can’t say whether this is a frequently used excuse over there though.
@chrisonabike It’s “Stockholm syndrome” of cyclists – even if it isn’t your fault, some cyclists think that it is.
@the little onion I think that too many casual cyclists still identify far more with cars or at least the politics of anti cycling and their default point of view is “I hate cyclists but I’m one of the good ones that bows to the alter of the car”.
The same ones that somehow have apparently been cycling for 20 years and never had a bad overtake or an issue with a car because they are such a great cyclist. I would just love to go out with these people on their rides.
The instant karma video, that is not near Blanchardstown. That’s coming out of Lucan, the Lower road beside the Liffey going towards the Strawberry Beds and the Phoenix park. The garda stops the car at the switchback junction that goes left up Tinker’s Hill towards Westmanstown.
Nowhere near Blanch.
In fairness to our blogger, the map of the ride posted to Instagram looks like this, so you can see why they might have described it that way.
@mdavidford To be further fair to the blogger, Blanch is a sprawling mess of bland suburban hell that seems to keep expanding and consuming every townland around it. So… this will be close to Blanch one day, soon enough, if not today.
I love how many videos on road.cc prompt detailed local knowledge from readers! I don’t have any in this case, but the way we describe locations is context specific – if I was describing it for a police report, I’d describe it the way you have, but for the purposes of describing it to a cycling website, referring to e.g. the nearest large residential area (Blanchardstown seems to be c.7km away?) doesn’t seem unreasonable.
Pogačar isn’t the problem. On the contrary. He’s a great champion with immense talent and unlimited panache. He breaks the traditional pro racing script which makes him entertaining. Aged 27, he inspires a new generation of wannabe cyclists. Cool.
People old enough remember that watching TdF under Indurain’s supremacy was really boring. Five years in a row.
I stop at every red light, because in Germany you will lose your driving licence if you get caught, even as a cyclist
Don’t come to Lancashire, Hermann, because you won’t be improving your karma. Here, if a driver goes through a red light and is video-ed, the police do nothing.
ttps://upride.cc/incident/kn13aus_knausmotorhome_doubleredlightpass/
If you are treated to a considerably worse close pass than yours near Dublin, the police will do nothing either. They certainly wouldn’t have stirred from their own car for that BMW.
ttps://upride.cc/incident/px12dnd_stagecoach41_closepass/
There’s something about a BMW. Last year I’d finished a climb and had pulled up onto the verge of a narrow lane a some way before a tight bend.
Was just about to have a drink, take a photograph of the view when a shiny metallic blue BMW shot round the bend at about 60mph.
If I’d not stopped I’d have been at the apex of the bend and smeared across the bonnet of the car.
I’ve had some near misses but that one was really unnerving…
The driver?
Canyon’s tech bike of the future close passes etc. I’m thinking this from a few years ago could be scaled down, electrics powered off the di2 etc, gas from co2 , triggered by your Garmin radar?