“This is a nightmare”: Instructor tells learner driver going 15mph behind cyclist in a 20mph zone; First of three Tour de France stages in the Alps + more on the live blog
A driving lesson you hope they'd forget...
There’s even something about the phrasing of this video’s title – “Dealing with a slow cyclist test” – that irks.
The idea that a road user going a similar speed in the same direction, faster than oncoming traffic in the other lane is such a nuisance is a difficult one to stomach, but here we are.
The video is published by Liverpool-based driving instructor Daniel Smith, who begins his video telling his student, “This is what would be a nightmare on a test. It’s something you don’t want but it’s here now so you’re gonna have to deal with it.”
“You’ve got a nice distance there [from the cyclist] but it’s painfully slow.”
In a crumb of comfort, Smith makes clear that his student should not attempt an overtake that would definitely count as a close pass, but his framing of the entire issue serves to stew resentment towards the cyclist.
After complaining that they’re not even able to go 20mph in a 20 zone, they start wishing for the cyclist to turn off. It’s strange because you would think the signs were for speed limits not speed targets.
It should be said the cyclist doesn’t look like the most confident rider, staying in the gutter and wobbling occasionally. This might be all the more reason to be more considerate, and remember that the speed is not any slower than the oncoming traffic.
But all the instructor appears concerned by is “getting the blame” from the cars behind. Blame presumably from people also in their cars who will face a similar ‘problem’ of a steady cyclist or learner driver at some point in their lives.
It’s quite a fascinating, and slightly bleak, insight into how the instructor is not only teaching his student how to drive, but how to think and assess other road users. Fellow driver’s wishes are to be upheld, for they should not be slowed, but the cyclist going a similar speed is to be harried.
When the speed drops to 10mph as the cyclist prepares to stop and turn off, the student shouts in frustration, before being reminded by Smith that “extreme patience” is required to deal with a cyclist, before making a throwaway comment about 20mph still being a rather pedestrian speed limit. Something tells me this might be among the better ads that exist for 20mph…
It’s also an encouraging sign that Facebook comments were also aware of the madness of this whole shtick.
A shoutout to Nigel Hooper, whose comment has garnered more likes than the original video…
“By telling your learner that ‘this is a nightmare ‘ is instilling a negative reaction to cyclists in her. Cyclists on the road are not a nightmare – but another road user just like you or I, and deserve to be treated with respect.”
And really that’s all there is to say. There are some other good comments though…
“As a cycling instructor I would be telling him not to ride in the gutter”
“The cyclist is doing 15mph in a 20 zone. If you were stuck behind the cyclist for half a mile without being able to overtake, how much time have you lost? The answer is 30 seconds. Less time than if you had to stop at a set of lights, and far less time than if you were caught in crawling traffic in a busy area.
“As an instructor you should not be instilling negative connotations and animosity towards other road users that are sharing the road correctly and legally. What you teach them now will shape their driving habits for the rest of their life. You need to do better.”
Our thoughts exactly…
Stage 18 preview: Alps arrive
A very happy Tour de France to you. It’s dawning on us that we won’t be able to say that for much longer, as today’s stage enters the Alps ahead of Saturday’s climactic day in the mountains before the whole race legs it up to Paris. Or should that be pedals it…
It’s a tough stage to read, I suspect the first 25km will see lots of one type of rider try and get in the break, before they’re brought back and a different sort of rider tries to get away on the category-1 Cote d’Engines, and on the 15km uphill that drags on afterwards. They might need quite a gap though to survive the long descent.
If the category-2 Cote de Monteynard can’t force a split then you can imagine the sprint teams controlling for the intermediate sprint, and then another UAE masterclass on the final climb up to Orcieres Merlette. Here’s what Ryan wrote pre-race:
“Orcières Merlette is a climb steeped in Tour history. It’s where Luis Ocaña (briefly) toppled Eddy Merckx in 1971, where Greg LeMond pulled on yellow in ’89, and where Primož Roglič won his last Tour stage to date, in 2020, before his heart was broken by Pogačar on La Planche des Belles Filles
“This year’s stage starts off lumpy before a long drag to the final climb which, at 7.1km and 6.7 per cent, isn’t the most intimidating of finishing finishes this year. It probably won’t decide the 2026 race, but it will – if the GC battle is still tight – offer us a glimpse into how the tougher tests in the Alps will play out. Expect a big fight for the breakaway on the early Engins climb, too.”
One man desperate to get up the road will be Valentin Paret-Peintre, mountains jersey wearer on Tadej Pogacar’s behalf, but no doubt keen to own it outright. One man dreading the start to today’s stage will be Adam Yates, as far as we know the Brit is still in the race but after yesterday’s stomach troubles he won’t be looking forward to today’s fast start.
Winds and weights...
For those of you worrying a feature on aerodynamic bicycles doesn’t mention Greg LeMond or Lotus, calm down. This quite a nice deep dive on the timeline of aero in the peloton…
Meanwhile, Emily’s done a very good deep dive on the UCI’s race weight restrictions for racing bikes…
> Is it time to reduce the UCI’s 6.8kg bike weight limit? We weigh up the pros and cons
Police stop using bogus e-bike speed test
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Latest Comments
@judda6610 Oh please Lord no, don't start telling them they can tell a dodgy bike by the rider not pedalling, I can already imagine the dimwitted local rozzers pulling me over and seizing my bike to crush as I desperately try to explain the concept of "riding downhill" to them.
This effects absolutely no one except professionals. Its like arguing the size of the engine on an F1 car. it only effects those who compete at that level. If bike brands want to they can and do make sub 6.8kg bikes. And there are many bikes in the pro peloton that sit above the 6.8kg mark still. So what is the fuss about? If anything it helps keep a technological level playing field so we know its mostly down to the rider not the equipment.
@OnYerBike If we're going with "Primacy of man/women over machine", there ought to be a minimum weight *in proportion to the weight of the rider*, as well as a minimum CdA for a bike. At that point though there's not much point in developing bike technology though, unless those limits are set significantly lower than what is currently possible, while maintaining structural integrity.
This one again? My answer hasn't changed: An overall weight limit is a obviously stupid way of ensuring bikes are structurally sound. Want to run super lightweight wheels//handlebars/frame/? Fine as long as the overall bike weight is >6.8kg. Hell, you can build a bike as light as you like, and it's fine as you glue some lead weights to the bottom. The opposite is true too - just because something is heavy doesn't mean it's structurally sound (see Bastion's Ti track handlebars in the Tokyo Olympics). If what matters is structural integrity, then the test should be of structural integrity. In some ways this is already enforced by the commercialisation rule, because in order to sell a bicycle component to the public, it needs to have met certain safety standards that relate to ability to withstand loads, fatigue cycles etc (e.g. ISO 4210). If the UCI believes compliance with the relevant standard is insufficient to ensure safety (slightly concerning for the wider public if true), then the UCI could mandate their own, higher standards along the same lines. There might be other reasons to keep the weight limit - for example it is in keeping with the principle of the "primacy of man over machine", and I think it is good for customers that most brands have moved towards a one-bike model for racing (rather than separate aero and climbing bikes). But just stop pretending it's doing anything for safety.
@lesoudeur I blame Marvel.
What is the difference between super predicable and predictable...why is everything "super"?
Kent Police confirmed that there are only 3 people working on these, and they get around 900 submissions every month, so they will only prosecute the most serious cases (though they didn't state collisions). The officer in charge did give me her email address to send links to private YouTube videos in case of any other incidents like this, however one I sent a couple of months ago of a punishment pass bounced back, so there may well be even fewer people in the department now.
Ignorance is not an excuse but it is a reason. A year or so ago, I was contracted by the Met Police in North London to do some free bike checks with them. We would set up on cycle lanes etc and the Police would offer advice on how to lock a cycle correctly and what types of lock to buy and they would offer to security mark the cycle. My small team would offer free bike checks. It was very well intentioned and all about ‘community relations’. However, the Police didn’t have a clue ..They were stopping illegal e-motorbikes and asking me to check the brakes (wot brakes? LOL) etc. I was pointing out to them - without causing any trouble for anyone - that these were not bicycles. The riders had no idea these were e-motorbikes. The police and riders all thought these were bicycles.
I'm curious about that saddle! Looks a bit like a Fizik Terra Argo but flatter from nose to tail, just what I'm after...
@GravelIsNothingNew If it doesn't catch any doping cheats then it shows it's justified as the threat of being tested at any hour has stopped people doping. Interesting logic though, investigations can only be justified if they're certain to discover a particular outcome, in which case there's no sense in having the investigation in the first place...