“Designed by car commuters”: New station cycle parking mocked as cyclists are forced to push bikes up flight of stairs; Archibald secures silver in Track World Championships; Subconscious cycling + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The latest 'who is at fault here?' to hit the internet
Who do you think is to blame here? 🤨 pic.twitter.com/4PlliMqpvZ
— 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 (@Matt_Pinner) October 24, 2025
In the clip shared on X, an SUV driver passes close to a cyclist, who strikes the vehicle’s window before being knocked off their bike by the driver.
“If the cyclist hadn’t tapped the window initially, it would be 100% on the driver,” Steve Peterson commented.
“Dual fault, though mostly the driver due to share the road laws. Cyclist had plenty of room to start but cyclist didn’t need to tap the window of the vehicle. Vehicle also slowed its acceleration as the leading car moved ahead. The driver then assaulted the cyclist after the cyclist got in front of it at the intersection.”
jerichsen66 said: “Surely, the real question is – If something goes wrong on the road between a motor vehicle and a cyclist, who gets injured?”
Archibald secures silver and women’s team pursuit brings home bronze in UCI Track World Championships
Josie Knight, Meg Barker, Jess Roberts, Anna Morris and Maddie Leech win bronze in the women’s team pursuit at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships (Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix)
It was a day of mixed fortunes for Great Britain, as Katie Archibald celebrated her return with a silver medal in the women’s elimination race, while the women’s team pursuit squad secured the bronze medal.
In the sprint events, Matt Richardson and Harry Ledingham-Horn were both eliminated in the men’s keirin quarter-finals, and Emma Finucane went furthest among the British women, reaching the sprint quarter-finals before being knocked out.
In Archibald’s first world championships elimination race, which required three restarts due to early crashes, Archibald managed to stay safe from elimination for the bulk of the race.
Once she secured her place in the final four, she eliminated France’s Victoire Berteau before facing Ireland’s Lara Gillespie for a head-to-head sprint for gold.
Archibald didn’t quite have the legs to contest Gillespie, and took home a well-earned silver medal. “Once we got going, I had a couple of close calls and then got into the swing of things and got to where I was comfortable,” Archibald said.
“I’m really happy to get to that point to contend when it’s a different race in the final two; you do an elimination race and then a match sprint.”
“So, I feel like I did well in the elimination race and then I just didn’t have the legs! Rationally, I’m very happy, physically in my legs I’m a bit disappointed, but I guess that’s the mark of respect for a world championship title; you want to be on the top step.”
Josie Knight, Meg Barker, Jess Roberts, Anna Morris in round one of the women’s team pursuit qualification at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships (Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix)
In the Women’s team pursuit, Anna Morris, Josie Knight, Jess Roberts and Meg Barker qualified second fastest, but never quite hit their qualifying pace with Germany in the first round. Germany took the win by 1.677. In the bronze medal ride-off, the British team dominated Belgium to claim third place.
In the women’s sprint, all three British riders, Iona Moir, Lauren Bell, and Emma Finucane placed inside the top 24 for progress to the next round.
Moir left the competition in the 1/16 finals after a fierce battle with Ukraine’s Alla Biletska, missing out by a narrow 0.023 seconds.
Bell advanced after out-riding USA’s Kayla Hankins, where she would face compatriot Finucane in the 1/8s. Bell tried to use the height of the track to overtake her teammate, but Finucane held her line to secure a place in the quarter-final.
Lauren Bell vs Emma Finucane in the women’s sprint at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships (Credit: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix)
Facing Iana Burkalova in the quarters, Finucane took the first win, thanks to a well-timed spring after forcing her opponent to take the lead. In the second round, Finucane led from the front but lost momentum in the closing stages, allowing Burkalova to level the score.
In the deciding heat, Burkalova led early before Finucane launched a powerful sprint, gaining metres with half a lap to go. However, the British rider was later relegated for entering the sprinter’s lane illegally, bringing her campaign to a frustrating end.
It was a tougher outing for the men. Mark Stewart finished 22nd overall after a chaotic scratch race, which saw big hitters including Belgium’s Hesters, Canada’s Bibic and USA’s Koontz building a gap as the race broke up. Steward attempted a couple of early moves but was unable to get back into contention.
In the men’s keirin, Matt Richardson started the quarter-final in fifth position and worked hard to move towards the front. However, this attempt was not enough to make the top four, ending his competition for today.
Matt Richardson, in the men’s keirin at the 2025 UCI Track World Championships (Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix)
Similarly, Harry Ledingham-Horn, who finished first in the qualifying heats, was unable to rejoin the fray after dropping the pace and was also knocked out of the day’s racing.
The action continues with Joe Truman in the men’s kilo, European champion Josh Charlton in the individual pursuit, and Josh Tarling making his world championships debut in the points race.
Swiss Side launches new HADRON³ Ultimate 650 wheelset to work around UCI's new rim depth regulations
Will the Tour de France’s double Alpe d’Huez gamble pay off? 2026 routes analysed + Top tips for recovering from the cycling yips
On this week’s podcast, we dissect next year’s Tour routes and ask whether they’ll live up to ASO’s ‘crescendo’ billing, while Emily discusses how you can regain your confidence on the bike after a heavy crash.
Want to recreate Kraftwerk’s Tour de France music video?
For a current bid of $3,500, you can buy the Panasonic road bicycle, ridden by Florian Schneider in the music video of Kraftwerk’s 1984 remix of their single ‘Tour de France’.
Released as a stand-alone single in 1983, the song “focuses less on technological or industrial sounds and more on physical and mechanical sounds: human breath and sounds associated with cycling,” according to the auctioneers Julien*s.
“The entire band was interested in and inspired by cycling. The music video accompanying the single features black-and-white footage of the eponymous race.”
The music video for Kraftwerk’s remix features the four band members wearing black racing attire and helmets, riding bikes around their hometown of Dusseldorf. Florian can be seen grinning while riding the bike that is being auctioned, often to the rear of the paceline.
The road bicycle features “Gravelking” race tyres, a chrome finish, dual handbrakes, manually-operated gears located on the bike frame, and a lightweight construction.
It is estimated to be sold for between $4,000 and $6,000, and comes with three Polaroid photos of Florian on the bike.
Wilier ups the aero with Filante SLR ID2: “It’s a new benchmark”
> Wilier ups the aero with Filante SLR ID2: “It’s a new benchmark”
Do you ever "subconsciously cycle"?
Monument tube station (Credit: Google)
Reddit user nyderscosh has posted that on a rare commute to work by the tube, rather than by bike, they still were “subconsciously cycling”. Instead of acting like a typical commuting pedestrian, they admitted to treating obstructions as if they were a cyclist.
“On the way to the Waterloo and City, I saw a discarded cup on the stairs and instinctively signalled the obstruction to my fellow commuters as if I were riding. I sensed the person behind swerve to avoid.”
“Need to get back on the bike…”
They explained in the comments that the signal was “Deliberate pointing with a finger or two, normally with circular motion to draw attention to the specific thing…”
Commenters agree that they also “subconsciously cycle”. Mallardzz said, “I know I regularly shoulder check as a pedestrian. It’s actually not a bad idea on busy paths, but it can look like I’m checking people out…”
Ophiochos added, “When I rode a recumbent (relied on mirrors) I would sometimes look for the mirror when walking along the pavement…”
Alternative-Toe-4828 said, “I have stuck out my arm to signal while driving a car before (then remembered what I was in and put on my indicator light). You can tell what my usual mode of transportation is.”
“We cannot afford to lose this path”: Around-the-world cyclist urges locals to “stand up for urban green spaces” as controversial tram route plans pose “imminent threat to unbelievably successful walking and cycling link”
Controversial plans to install a tram line on a popular off-road active travel route in Edinburgh are currently under consultation, months after schoolchildren’s ‘save the bike path’ signs were vandalised.
Local Transport Minister saddles up with Oxfordshire Fire Service to get children active
Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood at Bikeability training (Credit: Gov.uk)
Oxfordshire schoolchildren were joined by Local Transport Minister Lilian Greenwood today for cycle training from Bikeability.
The Minister said, “Cycling to school is a great way for children to stay active, enjoy the outdoors and build healthy habits that last a lifetime.
“It not only supports physical and mental well-being, but also helps to reduce traffic, cut carbon emissions and ease pressure on the NHS – a key part of our Plan for Change.
“This government is supporting more active travel across the country, with a £300 million boost this year to build hundreds of miles of new cycleways and pavements.”
In Oxfordshire, the scheme is delivered by the county council’s Fire and Rescue Service Road Safety Team, and has trained more than 7,000 children in the county.
The national training scheme has helped thousands of children gain the confidence and life skills to enjoy cycling.
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Bikeability training (copyright Britishcycling.org.uk)
“Almost 6 million children have received Bikeability cycle training since the programme began in 2007,” said Emily Cherry, Chief Executive for Bikeability Trust.
“Our ambition is that no child leaves primary school without level 2 on-road cycle training, which we know has a lasting impact on safety, confidence and behaviour.
“With a record nearly half a million (over 430,000) children taking part in Cycle to School Week, this success reflects the government’s commitment to active travel and shows how cycling can be a safe, healthy and enjoyable choice for families across the country.”
School drop-offs make up a quarter of all morning rush hour trips in London and currently, around 43% of primary and 30% of secondary school children are driven to school across England.
Funded by the Department for Transport, the national training scheme is “on a mission to activate a nation of cyclists by ensuring every child can enjoy the independence, fun and health benefits of cycling.”
Lib Dems call for 'Operation Bike Bait'
The party says a dedicated team within the National Crime Agency should work with local police forces to target theft hotspots with bait bikes, to help “build a national picture of bike theft”
Car parking over everything?
parking over everything.
— Tom Flood (@tomflood.bsky.social) 24 October 2025 at 15:42
Commenters on the Bluesky post were quick to point out the parallels between this cartoon and when Chiswick’s Church of Our Lady of Grace & St Edward urged parishioners to pray against Cycle Superhighway plans.
They asked parishioners to consider “Sunday Mass congregations gathering on the pavement, the elderly, and families with children vs speeding cyclists.
“Funerals: no right of way for carrying the coffin, no right of way for First Holy Communion & other processions, Weddings: no right of way for Brides in their wedding dresses.”
It does seem that car parking is still “protected at all costs”, as this cartoon from Revelo Creative points out.
We have seen this again today with the Richmond Station Cycle Hub, forcing cyclists to wheel their bikes up a flight of stairs, just so the car parking on the first floor can remain.
As eburtthebike commented on today’s live blog: “Having been a cycle campaigner for over forty years, and complaining from day one about failure to consult, it is depressing to see exactly the same mistakes being made now as were made then.
“To add insult to injury is the reason why the stairs were necessary: car parking.”
Chirsonabike agrees “Apparently this is never spelled out as “because we have decided to give all the money / space to motor traffic needs”.
“It’s always the supposedly unique features of a place like “ah but we have weather” or “ah but we have driveways / narrow streets / people park cars in this town / unlike places on the continent, we have taxis and ambulances …”
“Designed by car commuters”: New station cycle parking mocked as cyclists are forced to push bikes up flight of stairs
After many years and a £664,000 investment from Richmond Council, the Richmond Station Cycle Hub has opened. Fitted with solar panels, a 60m² living green wall and space for over 650 bikes, it is supposed to be “helping residents make greener choices”.
However, the opening has been met with widespread criticism, as to access the majority of these spaces, you need to wheel your bike up a number of stairs. Even presenter Jeremy Vine said: “I refuse to believe this”.
You___Rang on X replied “Oh! Believe it, Jeremy. Designed by car commuters… for car commuters!”
This is the only entrance to the much vaunted new cycle hub for 650 bikes at Richmond station.
Only Alex Ehmann and Gareth Roberts could oversee the installation of inaccessible bike parking in the heart of their borough.
Well done lads (slow handclap) pic.twitter.com/heVvjmldok
— OpenChiswick (@OpenChiswickW4) October 22, 2025
The hub is supposed to be “encouraging more active forms of travel by providing facilities so people don’t need to rely on cars,” according to Cllr Gareth Roberts, Leader of Richmond Council.
Yet, the majority of the cycle parking spaces are on the upper floors to avoid the loss of car parking spaces on the ground floor.
There is no lift due to “fire and fire and safety requirements – including evacuation procedures – as well as the cost and ongoing maintenance this would require,” A Richmond Council spokesperson told LBC.
Zoe Kennedy commented, “The presumption that cyclists aren’t disabled is prevalent. I cycle because of my disability, and I would struggle to use those steps and a ramp.”
However, as Darren Barratt said, “Well, I suppose they have those rails to push your bike up at the sides, but as shit planning goes, this is pretty shit.”
> Much-criticised ‘bicycle gutters’ at Cambridge railway station to be replaced
As well as being inaccessible for those with heavy bikes or disabilities, the rail is set way too close to the handrail, causing the handlebars to collide with it. Did anyone try this after they fitted it?” Andrew C questioned on X.
Joe Golbt also criticised the rail being on the left, fitting with the SWR’s Keep Left rule. “90% of people are right-handed so will walk with their bike on their right for control. I know we travel on the left in the UK but seems like an obvious place for some logical thinking.”
Once you manage to get your bike up the stairs, the standard bike parking has a ‘novel’ design that doesn’t allow for a standard U lock to encompass the frame, rear wheel and stand, as Richmond Cycling Campaign reports.
> Worst bike racks — from the useless to utterly unusable places to park your bicycle
Maybe the inaccessibility is a way to slow down thieves, as Welsh Rabbit comments, “I would hope that this is a deterrent against bike theft.”
It may be more effective than the 24-hour CCTV, following news that British Transport Police will not investigate bikes stolen from train stations that were left for more than two hours.
Richmond Cycling Campaign have said: “ Members from Richmond Cycling met councillors and SWR at the station yesterday to discuss our disappointment. Hopefully improvements are going to be made to a number of areas, though that’s unlikely to include a lift.”
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@Bungle_52 Thanks, yes I am familiar with the various elements of the scheme and the local history - I refuse to click on the links for the local comic though! I would also agree that some parts do work well and the link to Bishops Cleeve is better - going through the racecourse and down Kayte Lane worked just as well though. One of my old commutes was over racecourse hill and it could could be a bit sketchy especially in the dark - will never forget being showered by the remains of two car sides mirrors one evening when they chose to pass at speed! My children do also benefit from some of the off road elements for their rides to school though it has to be said that most of that is historic stuff and where they have to use the new bits it is because other recent 'road improvements' have increased traffic capacity and speeds to the point that existing crossing points are too dangerous to use. Trouble is that two way cycle paths on one side of the road are just rubbish. You will always be on the wrong side at some point. In the dark you will end up riding into headlights in one direction often on the edge of the road. They even make a mess of cycle to cycle priority e.g. underpass at Arle Court roundabout, and everything seems to be done to impede progress. I simply do not understand how GCC manage to do it so badly! What's so frustrating is that they also refuse to listen to any advice or comments and just plough on regardless.
@flowboy no need to hold out for panaceas, nor give up because "change ... and that will take time..." "What works" in terms of infra / interventions is now *very* well tested and understood. (Indeed several starts were even made in different places in the UK, at different times, before being abandoned...) I think there's also some knowledge of the "human / political engineering" to facilitate change, albeit that's sensitive to local context. Certainly there's always the objection "but you can't get there from *here*" ... and that can be *incredibly* hard to overcome. But it has, in many different places in different countries (even if just looking at Europe). Even NL wasn't always as it is; it was on exactly the same "knock down the historic city / houses to make room for the motor vehicle" path as the UK. They just started a bit later and had a headstart in terms of existing walking / cycling infra. And hadn't lost cycling as a normal mode of transport by that point.
I fear this appalling case won't shift the dial an inch in terms of empathy towards cyclists or better driving around them. People are appalled, and rightly so, at the murder element of the case, i.e. the fact that the perpetrator drove for so long with the victim trapped under his car, even after he had got out and seen that he was still there. If the incident had stopped at the original point, i.e. when Mr Mullins was hit by Richardson speeding through the junction, it probably wouldn't have been reported anywhere apart from a few local news outlets and maybe on road.cc. People then would doubtless have come out with the usual garbage about it was probably the cyclist's fault and if it wasn't so many cyclists break the law all the time how can they complain? The next cyclist to be killed by a driver who just wasn't concentrating or didn't look properly or was only driving a little over the sensible speed for the conditions, without the murder element, will bring the same filth out again, I'm certain.
@flowboy Refreshing frankness. Several folks here will know the location very well, Bath being the road.cc back yard. Alas, Yorkshire has some "UK standard" fairly terrible cycle provision - and I believe non "motoring-focussed" design is generally rare. (I've only experience of Leeds and York, and that mostly decades back; though i do occasionally look up what's changed). For "what we could win" I recommend a perusal of what happens in The Netherlands (the Bicycledutch blog is a good starting point, or notjustbikes on YouTube for a Anglophone perspective). But what they have done in NL goes way beyond "cycle infra" - indeed that is just the tip of the iceberg of what results from a different transport philosophy. For more a more believable "what the UK could start doing right now" see parts of Scandinavia, or (closer) Paris, or Seville. Or ... parts of London!
He was then photographed by the cyclist who spotted him and reported to the police. He was fined £430, and ordered to pay a £172 surcharge to support justice services and £130 in costs to the Metropolitan Police He should have gone to Lancashire, where the police condone 'phone-driving', especially when it's done by the driver of a flash car- they refused to act against this
My guess, regarding the different media/public response to this case, is that usually KSIs by drivers are usually accidental even if the driving itself that led to the collision was well below standard. Most people don't go out Thus the general (non-cycling) public might think that they themselves may have driven like that (or know that they usually do) and putting themselves in the shoes of the KSI driver in question will empathise with them rather than the victim. In this case, the reporting has detailed the full terrible actions of the murderer which most people won't be able to relate to.
@chrisonabike Yes around here they tend to 'encourage' cycling rather than support it!
To precis: Westminster Council are refusing to provide any alternative routes for cyclists despite both funding and the viable alternative plans being available. They are doing this out of sheer spite towards anything instigated by a Khan-controlled City Hall, the general and well-established antipathy of Westminster Conservatives towards cyclists, and due to pressure from wealthy vested interests in the area who all their natural constituency and funders. If any cyclists are killed or seriously injured as a result of this pettiness, the blood will be on their hands.
My one problem with this is IMHO, the mass protest needs to block up all the parallel routes for cars. As a mass protest dismount and walk along the road, making it impossible for cars to move for hours. (I don't feel safe driving, so I have dismounted to walk). Effectively Block every parallel route to all motor traffic for hours several days a week.... Though of course some twat will then ram cyclists rather than accepting the delay...
RE former transport minister George Freeman: Did he refer to them as eg Malacca, Sabah, Sarawak Magindanaw, Barunai etc? Or was he trying to trade opium for spices?
39 thoughts on ““Designed by car commuters”: New station cycle parking mocked as cyclists are forced to push bikes up flight of stairs; Archibald secures silver in Track World Championships; Subconscious cycling + more on the live blog”
Making good bike parking is
Making good bike parking is pretty much a solved problem. Find somewhere you can get to and from with a bike; slam in some Sheffield stands that are well-rooted; and for the cherry on top, add CCTV and basic shelter.
The problem is that you can’t pay vast sums to consultants and architects for that, so councils need to keep looking for Innovative Solutions.
Solved – but not solved (or
Solved – but not solved (or invented) *here*!
Apparently this is never spelled out as “because we have decided to give all the money / space to motor traffic needs”. It’s always the supposedly unique features of a place like “ah but we have weather” or “ah but we have driveways / narrow streets / people park cars in this town / unlike places on the continent, we have taxis and ambulances …”
That would suit short term
That would suit short term parking, but all-day parking – stations, workplaces, hospitals, etc – need secure locations or natural surveillance by people who care. CCTV does not get down of its pole and arrest somebody with an angle grinder; nor do distracted and busy ticket staff.
Getting it right is actually quite tricky, and is site-specific.
GMBasix wrote:
On the one hand yes, as you say. But on the other hand it’s actually impossible because there’s a neighbouring country with hundreds of examples of “cycle parking done right”, in site-specific ways, which the UK must reinvent incorrectly in every case! It demands great creativity to look at all those examples and still mess up (or effort burying your head in the sand). Especially when those show eg. dealing with the issues brought by high demand / providing high capacity in limited space, being useable by the public young and old and with particular needs , at stations but also in city centers, and indeed in local neighbourhoods…
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/tag/cycle-parking/
We should perhaps add the
We should perhaps add the detail that this has *also* been solved in the case of mass cycling (when it becomes genuinely hard to get through the forests of bikes). It’s “double-tier racks, with a few places which are for larger / non-standard bikes”. *
Of course the UK is no slouch and a few places have been reinventing those also! Waverley station leads the way, with racks that are not just really hard to use and almost impossible to lock to with a D-lock. They’re actively dangerous as the wobbly upper rack (itself heavy) has no spring / gas buffer so bikes practically fall on you. Plenty of loose metal parts to trap fingers in also.
Haymarket station near me gets close – there are Sheffields and a rack, the racks work and are very close to the station entrance. BUT they are outside and the area is neglected and has become seedy and sketchy to hang about in never mind leave a bike…
* And “mandatory provision for cycle parking” in building codes, plus “large supervised city centre cycle parking garages (with free or extremely cheap day-parking)”
Whats the betting that if you
Whats the betting that if you said about putting it on the ground level suddenly all the people would be wailing about disabled parking and people with mobility issues. That seems to be the go to when people want to protect the status quo when it comes to car infra.
mctrials23 wrote:
It is arguable that every driver is disabled!
650 bikes?
650 bikes?
That is a lot of theft cases for the British Transport Police to ignore.
mitsky wrote:
No – 650 spaces. They’ve solved the theft problem by making it so awkward to use that there won’t be any actual bikes in them.
I tend to block those who is
I tend to block those who is at fault things they only seem to attract depressing trolls!
for real? So not one cyclist
for real? So not one cyclist consulted about the design and access??
David9694 wrote:
I came here to say the same thing.
It beggars belief that, after the hundreds (thousands?) of cases of poor provision designed by drivers, the council didn’t include local cyclists and consult them from the very outset. Having been a cycle campaigner for over forty years, and complaining from day one about failure to consult, it is depressing to see exactly the same mistakes being made now as were made then.
To add insult to injury is the reason why the stairs were necessary: car parking.
This is another yet white
This is another yet white elephant designed by zealous bureaucrats. Driven by their acute green consciousness, they included solar panels that can’t power a cargo lift. A year from now, taxpayers are going to ask why commuters on two wheels don’t use this infrastructure. Because it was useless from its very inception. Clown world is a daily amazement, innit?
The designers have clapped
The designers have clapped back, claiming they did consult a cycling group and the main comment was “can you make the steps a bit muddy and slippery”
Re Van Der Poel’s. Running.
Re Van Der Poel’s. Running.
Around 13 km / hr should be effortless for an international cyclist. Unless it is a typo?
Mr Blackbird wrote:
I think they’re probably referring mainly to the 111 bpm average heart rate, which is pretty impressive.
In my running days I would
In my running days I would probably have a similar HR at warm up / jogging pace (7-8 min miles) and I was a county standard / decent club runner ie nothing special.
What really sets elite endurance athletes apart is the heart rates they can sustain for extended periods giving them a higher anaerobic threshold.
Someone like VdP would probably be able to sustain 190 – 200 BPM or more for at least 30 – 60 mins (my absolute peak during interval training was around 185 BPM). I would expect him to be able to run around 18 – 19 km/hr similar to Tom de Moulins half marathon times
Mr Blackbird wrote:
MVDP’s peak (not average) recorded heartrate is 198bpm during a climb in the Giro, so I very much doubt he would be able to hold 200 bpm for an hour, indeed he would do himself serious damage if he tried (the average person can only sustain max HR for about a minute or so, athletes probably longer but five minutes tops). Even during his absolutely ridiculous Ronde in 2021 in which he averaged 328 W for more than six hours his maximum heart rate (on the Paterberg) was 189bpm, with an average for the race of 138.
Ok. Maybe my estimate of his
Ok. Maybe my estimate of his sustained HR is a bit high. But if his absolute max is 198, he will almost certainly be able to sustain mid 180s. He may have averaged 138 in the Ronde, but in cycling you get recovery on downhills, riding in groups etc, which drags down the average. Running is not like this. An endurance runners HR will generally be steady throughout the event, with a slight upward trend.
Also if he averaged 138 in the Ronde, his 111 isn’t all that relaxed.
It does intrigue me as to whether an elite cyclist could change to being a runner and be a world class cyclist and vica versa. Ergonomics and different muscle group use play a major part.
Until somebody makes such a change in their 20s (and why would they) we will never know.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
More common than you might think – often due to an injury; sometimes just because they take it up for cross-training and find they prefer it.
Michael Woods is one example that springs to mind.
mdavidford wrote:
Didn’t know that, looked him up – actually a really impressive runner until stress fractures made him quit, Canadian junior mile record holder and Pan-American junior 1500m champion. The only person ever to have run a sub-4 minute mile and completed the Tour de France!
(I’m sure you know this, just sharing in case others interested)
Very interesting. I couldn’t
Very interesting. I couldn’t find his best mile time. But assuming he ran sub 4 as a junior, he may well have got to world elite level in his twenties (the world mile record is 3.43 and that has stood for many years). However, as a top TDF cyclist, it is likely that he would have been more suited to 5000m /10000m. So if he could have achieved around 3.50 for the mile, he would probably have been capable of a sub 13 minute 5000m, which is Olympic finalist / medal contender level.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
3:57:48 apparently, set when he was 18 in 2005; not only still stands as the Canadian junior record but apparently at that time was the fastest any Canadian had run a mile on Canadian soil.
In that case he could well
In that case he could well have run sub 3.50 in his twenties, with more potential at 5000 / 10000m.
Regarding the cyclist
Regarding the cyclist thumping the car window then getting knocked off by the driver…
100% the driver’s fault.
They appear to be moving right to follow the path of the driver/vehicle in front, with no regard to the cyclist.
It reminds me of the old incident involving CycleGaz where a taxi driver overtook close enough for CG to thump the taxi with his right fist.
The driver was annoyed at CG but failed to understand that he was at fault for passing way too closely.
If he had passed at a safe distance then CG would not have been able to reach the vehicle.
I can’t find the clip now.
mitsky wrote:
What about at the end where the cyclist swerves significantly off their line straight in front of the vehicle, which by that time has stopped moving in and is travelling in a straight line? The initial altercation, definitely 100% the driver, but I can’t see a reason or justification for the cyclist swerving across the vehicle after that.
It could be argued that the
It could be argued that the driver should have stopped completely when the cyclist expressed his anger with the fist bump to allow the cyclist more room and allow him to move ahead.
The cyclist could argue he was moving out, in front of the vehicle, to reclaim his rightfull space.
For the driver to, at that point, know the cyclist is alongside or to see him in front of the car and to then continue driving with the cyclist so close and then hit him is entirely the driver’s fault.
Cyclists are normally allowed to filter around slow moving drivers.
I would suggest wondering what would a driving test examiner do with this poor standard?
I cannot expect anything less than a straight fail, even before the collision
mitsky wrote:
Which was, I would say, a really stupid thing to do in the circumstances, no matter how much in the wrong the driver had put themselves. He’s literally a few centimetres ahead of the driver when he swerves across. If a driver was behaving like that towards me I would either put the hammer down to get well in front of them or slow up and let them go ahead (and make a note of the time for the purpose of sending the video to the police later). Deliberately swerving into the path of a driver who has already proved themselves both incompetent and aggressive is a pretty absurd action.
When dealing with an
When dealing with an aggressive motorist, take a deep breath, slow down or stop, let the moron go. Cyclist vs SUV-the-size-of-a-Panzer, guess who loses.
Devil’s Evil Cycling Lobby
Devil’sEvil Cycling Lobby advocate: (a) the cyclist actually returns to their line, having been forcibly deviated off it by the driver; (b) there is a sunken drain cover and broken road surface where they move out, that I would probably have wanted a bit more space around too; (c) we don’t know where they were headed – they may have been trying to make room for a right turn; and (d) they may have anticipated that the driver would have fully backed off, rather than adjusting their line a bit (they initially start braking, then change their mind and continue to try to make a slightly less bad pass than the original one).All that said, at the very least their manoeuvre seems to show a lack of awareness at a time when you might think it would be heightened.
FWIW I’d say the complete
FWIW I’d say the complete opposite of the Steve Peterson comment on the “who’s at fault” clip: the driver was cutting in on the cyclist at about a 20° angle and so the bang on the window as a warning was entirely justified, but the driver did seem to take notice and straighten up their line (albeit still not giving enough room) and I can’t see any justification for the cyclist swerving a considerable distance off their line to get in front of the vehicle. If they were trying to make a point and claim the line, fair enough, I do that myself sometimes, but you’ve got to get far enough in front and check there is room to do so first, the cyclist appears to be just centimetres ahead when he swerves across the front of the vehicle. The driver should be sanctioned for their initial driving and for being too close to the cyclist but I’m afraid the actual collision, in my opinion, is caused by reckless behaviour from the cyclist.
Also re the upstairs cycle
Also re the upstairs cycle storage. There is a railway footbridge near me with those troughs for wheeling the bike. And having them so close to the handrails is indeed a pain. Presumably putting the trough further away would make it a trip hazard for anyone ascending or descending without a bike.
Any design that requires people to walk up and down stairs while carrying a load is appalling. There is a huge risk of injury from falls.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
At the very least it’s going to exclude those using wheeled transport for mobility assistance needs (which of course isn’t currently recognised in the UK if the “mobility aid” is a bike…)
On the flip side – I think there are times when pragmatism and flexibility are needed *. Examples are some of the Dutch underground cycle garages (for reasons of spaces and capacity constraints – elevators would lack the capacity). I think some of those have brush-strip-lined channels that help slow bikes when wheeling them down the steps.
Or a few bridges which are either a “bonus” for cycling (there are other routes albeit perhaps slightly less direct) or where space really can’t be found for a ramp but simply not allowing cycles would mean a detour far worse than pushing the bike up / down.
* Although again noting in the UK that’s often applied unhelpfully as it’s interpreted as “after we have given most of the space over for driving which obviously we *have to* do, we’ll allow cyclists to carry their bikes (above their heads) through this narrow…”
“We have a strong commitment
“We have a strong commitment to human rights, and in that sense we can celebrate this change.”, says the Mayor of Barcelona. Israel out, but teams sponsored by GCC countries are welcome. Also, money that comes from chemical and petroleum companies has no smell.
Isreal has murdered tens of
Isreal has murdered tens of thousands of children and women in just 2 years by firing missiles into residential areas, starving people and deliberately and systematically destroying hospitals, homes, schools and all infrastructure that supports life. Israel is illegally occupying Palestine and has done so for over 70 years through a matrix of blockades, walls, checkpoints, apartheid laws, military raids, land theft, destruction of homes, entire villages bulldozed and the regular murder of Palestinians by illegal settlers and the occupation army. All with impunity. So, yes, Israel should be out of international sport.
When running to work on a
When running to work on a path where half is for cycling, half for pedestrians, I’ll often subconsciously start on the cycle half.
“Cyclists attacked by axe
“Cyclists attacked by axe-wielding bike thieves“
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjw9vgp72yeo
NMotD theme tune, anyone?
NMotD theme tune, anyone?
Got to be on a Critical Mass
Got to be on a Critical Mass mix list!