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Insulate Britain confirms protesters sat in major London bike lane to stop motorists using it; Cav calls fan with Manx Missile tattoo; What does it take to be a pro?; Marginal pains; Belgian beef; Follow the sign; Pic of the week + more on the live blog

Hope everyone had a nice weekend...it's time for another week of live blog action, starting with Dan Alexander in the hotseat...
Mon, Oct 25, 2021 08:58
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Insulate Britain confirms protesters sat in major London bike lane to stop motorists using it; Cav calls fan with Manx Missile tattoo; What does it take to be a pro?; Marginal pains; Belgian beef; Follow the sign; Pic of the week + more on the live blogInsulate Britain bike lane (screenshot via Damien Gayle Twitter video)
25 October 2021, 16:10
You've heard of hamster wheels, now check out this...possom-bly the strangest thing you'll see today

You see what I did there? Possibly, possombly? I can see the tumbleweed rolling across the live blog. Don't all have a go at once...

25 October 2021, 15:52
25 October 2021, 15:29
Crazy fence action in Cambridge halts fleeing drug dealer
Funny headline typo

Here's your screenshot before the admin changes it...don't know how they build their fences in Cambridge, but that's one crazy crime prevention tactic...

25 October 2021, 15:04
Italian national team bikes stolen at UCI Track Cycling World Championships

 Thieves stole 20 bikes from the Italian track cycling team during this weekend's UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Roubaix. 15 track bikes and 5 others were taken on Friday evening from a hotel in Lille where the squad was based. Filippo Ganna's gold Pinarello, and the bikes of the fellow team pursuit winners were also taken.

The bikes were in a minibus in the carpark, ready to be returned to Italy when they were taken. Some of the stolen machines were valued at around £25,000 and had titanium 3D-printed handlebars worth £8,500.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, police believe the theft was the work of professionals who knew which vehicle to break into and who managed to evade hotel security.

"They were well organised," Italian delegation head Roberto Amadio told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"We knew how difficult the trip could be from a [safety] point of view, so we chose to stay in a hotel with a private, monitored car park even if the commute each day was a bit more demanding. Evidently, even these measures didn't stop the perpetrators."

25 October 2021, 14:12
What does it take to be a pro? New study digs deep into the numbers you would need to hit

Click on the photo to go through and see what sort of numbers you'd need to clock to be a pro rider. Yeah, not sure I'll be hitting them anytime soon (ever)... 

25 October 2021, 14:04
25 October 2021, 13:41
Insulate Britain confirms protesters sat in major London bike lane to stop motorists using it

Insulate Britain soon got back to us to address the images of protesters sat in a bike lane on Southwark Bridge this morning. The group said it "certainly wasn't to stop cyclists" and emphasised that riders were allowed through at all their protest sites. 

One of our readers also reported cycling through at 9:30am without any problems. The group's press team said they were "pretty sure it was to stop motorists". In fairness, most people assumed this was the case anyway...

Although some questioned if even blocking part of a cycle lane was acceptable, considering people on hand cycles, cargo bikes, trikes and trailers would struggle to get past.

25 October 2021, 13:36
Photo of the weekend: The Bunny Hop
25 October 2021, 14:03
25 October 2021, 11:27
Questions asked as Insulate Britain protesters sit in major London bike lane

We were happily scrolling Twitter, watching videos of Insulate Britain protesters blocking the northern end of Southwark Bridge, when something caught our eye...they're sat in the bike lane too? It wasn't just us who noticed it either, plenty of others replied with jokes and questions about why they'd block one of the greener forms of transport. 

We've dropped Insulate Britain a line for a comment, although we suspect it might be to prevent drivers using the lane to get past as in the clip a cyclist rides past the protesters without issue.

News editor Simon pointed out this is a particularly popular route for London cyclists and is the cycle lane just before it crosses CS3, a major cycleway connecting central London with the east of the city. Met Police confirmed 53 people have been arrested this morning, including some who had glued themselves to the road.

We'll wait to see what Insulate Britain says, in the meantime here's some of the reaction:

25 October 2021, 11:51
Reader Rob's breathtaking Sir Dave Brailsford tattoo...

Fair play, Rob. That's some tribute. Was the needle a marginal pain or more serious?

25 October 2021, 11:49
25 October 2021, 10:29
"He has to learn when he can and cannot say things": Jasper Stuyven reveals Remco Evenepoel did not show up to Belgium's post-World Championships debrief

The fallout from Belgium's home World Championships continues...Jasper Stuyven, who finished fourth at the event in his home town of Leuven, has spoken to Het Nieuwsblad and shone further light on Remco Evenepoel's behaviour during and after the race.

Stuyven questioned those around the young Belgian and said he needs to learn when "he can and cannot say things". Milan San-Remo winner Stuyven also revealed the 21-year-old didn't turn up to a debrief in the days after the race. 

"Everyone was there, except Remco," Stuyven explained. "He was aware, but didn't think it was necessary. I think that is a shame, especially because he thought it necessary to say things on TV. That stuck with some of us. I think that Remco should sometimes be slowed down by his entourage. He still has to learn when he can and cannot say things. Also, a super-strong rider – which he certainly is – should realise that some things should remain internal.

"In the first place, he should have ridden a different race. What he did – ride full in the early break, gesticulate and be omnipresent until the final started – any sub-topper can do. But even if he had spared himself, he would never have ridden away from Alaphilippe."

Last week, Belgian cycling legend Eddy Merckx downplayed talk he dislikes Evenepoel, insisting he's a big fan and doubling down on his assertion that the young talent should not have been selected for Belgium's team when the goal was solely to help Wout van Aert. Evenepoel raised eyebrows by attacking early in the race, going in the breakaway and subsequently getting dropped when the group returned to the peloton.

25 October 2021, 10:27
25 October 2021, 09:45
Follow the signs...
25 October 2021, 09:25
UCI Track Cycling World Championships round-up: Ethan Hayter caps incredible season (+ Katie Archibald back on the podium)

The weekend action in Roubaix was dominated, from a British perspective, by Ethan Hayter's emphatic win in the omnium and Katie Archibald's ever-growing trophy cabinet. Just the two national titles, Olympic silver and rainbow jersey for the 23-year-old Hayter this season. Not bad at all...

Archibald also rounded off a superb week in northern France, winning two more medals to take her tally to four for the week. First up was the women's omnium on Friday where the Scot won gold ahead of track and road stars Lotte Kopecky and Elisa Balsamo. Then on Saturday, Archibald and Neah Evans took bronze in the madison — Sunday's points race brought a first silver of the week. One gold, one silver, two bronze. Again, not bad at all...

Elsewhere yesterday, Elia Viviani became world champion with victory in the elimination race, a happy end to two difficult seasons with Cofidis. If the rumours are to be believed, he and Hayter could be teammates next year.

25 October 2021, 07:40
Mark loved my tattoo so much he called me! Cav calls fan who got tattoo of his face

 Paul James made a bet at the start of 2021. If Mark Cavendish won a race he would get a tattoo of the great sprinter somewhere on his body. As we all know, Cav won once, and nine more times afterwards, giving Paul plenty of time to decide where he was going to put his new splash of ink.

He wasn't disappointed about it either, proudly calling the artwork "[An] Ode to my idol Mark Cavendish who overcame adversity to prove he's still the GOAT. Hopefully he likes this". Well, he did like it. Cav called Paul on FaceTime and said he loved it. 

Paul shared the news on social media: "Mark loved my tattoo so much he called me. Not every day you get to FaceTime your hero. Thank you so much Peta (Cav's wife) for setting it up and for Mark for the call. Still in a bit of shock and awe. Wow!!"

Seems there's no motivation like making someone look at your face for the rest of their life...

Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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42 comments

Avatar
mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Re. 'mental fence' - would that be a psychological barrier?

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chrisonabike replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

mdavidford wrote:

Re. 'mental fence' - would that be a psychological barrier?

Frankie Fraser trying to shift some things that fell off the back of a lorry?

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mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

You see what I did there?

I can.

Avatar
mdavidford | 3 years ago
3 likes

Quote:

Thieves stole 20 bikes from the Italian track cycling team

...

"They were well organised,"

Police have appealed for anyone who saw a perfect paceline in the area to contact them on...

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rkemb | 3 years ago
9 likes

"Although some questioned if even blocking part of a cycle lane was acceptable, considering people on hand cycles, cargo bikes, trikes and trailers would struggle to get past."

Is there anything to suggest that if anything like this had come along they wouldn't simply have got out of the way? They're just sitting there: this isn't some kind of permanent and immovable blockade.

 

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Dicklexic | 3 years ago
5 likes

Pure assumptions here, but do the Insulate Britain protesters actually care how 'green' the transport system that they're blocking is? They seem to just want to cause maximum (localised) disruption to raise maximum awareness. Not sure the mode of transport has any bearing on it. After all their ultimate goal is to get the government to commit to cover the costs insulating all of Britain's housing, firstly social and then privately owned. I think their chosen method/tactic of protesting has somewhat backfired as instead of raising maximum awareness of their insulation targets, many people just think they are more interested in getting rid of cars and lorries. Maybe some of the individuals protesting do indeed want that too, but that isn't the goal of IB officially as far as I can tell. Ultimately their goal would see us ALL having warmer more efficient houses, but the protest tactics have somewhat alientated most of those homeowners.

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Steve K replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
12 likes

Nigel Garage wrote:
Dicklexic wrote:

They seem to just want to cause maximum (localised) disruption to raise maximum awareness. Not sure the mode of transport has any bearing on it. After all their ultimate goal is to get the government to commit to cover the costs insulating all of Britain's housing, firstly social and then privately owned.

If you think that is their goal, you haven't been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups' aims online, all the information is there.

Could you please point me to the information to show that Insulate Britain (or indeed Extinction Rebellion UK or Black Lives Matter UK) aim to impose a "Neo-Marxist totalitatian government globally".  I've had a quick google and couldn't find anything of the sort.

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chrisonabike replied to Steve K | 3 years ago
13 likes

Steve K wrote:

Nigel Garage wrote:

If you think that is their goal, you haven't been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups' aims online, all the information is there.

Could you please point me to the information to show that Insulate Britain (or indeed Extinction Rebellion UK or Black Lives Matter UK) aim to impose a "Neo-Marxist totalitatian government globally".  I've had a quick google and couldn't find anything of the sort.

Ah but that's always been their strategy, those Marxists! Their first and best trick is they never tell you their goal is to impose totalitarianism.

To be fair to the capitalists and the aristocracy I'm pretty sure that the Marxists pinched that idea from them.

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Steve K replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
11 likes

Nigel Garage wrote:

This is as good a primer on XR as I've seen:  https://policyexchange.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Extremism-Rebel.... Happy reading.

I'm not sure a right wing think tank - even a well respected one like Policy Exchange - is a reliable source for saying what the aims of these organisations are.  I've not read all the document (have you?) but skimmed the exec summary and done some quick word searches.  I can find no mention of XR trying to impose a "totalitarian government globally" - perhaps you could point me to that?  Could you also please point me to where any of this applies to Insulate Britain?

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Rendel Harris replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
17 likes

Mmm, quality reporting there by Richard Walton on the rightwing thinktank Policy Exchange. Policy Exchange and Walton refuse to reveal who commissioned and paid for that report, thereby breaching a key principle of academic neutrality which is that authors must reveal their paymasters to avoid bias.

Oh, and Walton is a former police officer who was deeply involved in the contemptible actions of the Metropolitan Police in spying on Stephen Lawrence's family after his murder, actions for which the IPCC concluded he had "a definite case to answer" but he managed to avoid the consequences by resigning before a hearing could be held. He was also the right-hand-man of MPC John Stephenson when it was decided that the Met wouldn't investigate phone-hacking allegations, something for which Stephenson had to resign.

So, what else have you got besides an anonymously-commissioned report written by a discredited ex-copper?

 

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mdavidford replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
17 likes

You forgot the bit about them then enslaving us all to their lizard people overlords.

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brooksby replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
3 likes

I think Nige thought that 'Inside Job' on Netflix was a documentary... 

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brooksby replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
3 likes

Nigel Garage wrote:
Dicklexic wrote:

They seem to just want to cause maximum (localised) disruption to raise maximum awareness. Not sure the mode of transport has any bearing on it. After all their ultimate goal is to get the government to commit to cover the costs insulating all of Britain's housing, firstly social and then privately owned.

If you think that is their goal, you haven't been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups' aims online, all the information is there.

They can't be part of the New World Order - where are their black suits and sunglasses?

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ReCycling Dave replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
8 likes

Nigel Garage wrote:

If you think that is their goal, you haven't been paying attention. Their ultimate aim (as part of the XR/BLM political project) is to impose a Neo-Marxist totalitarian government globally. Just look at those groups' aims online, all the information is there.[/quote]

You forgot ANTIFA, you can't make accusations of Marxist takeovers without blaming ANTIFA

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Rome73 replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
3 likes

Nigel fromage - are  you like the resident t++t? 

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brooksby replied to Rome73 | 3 years ago
4 likes

Lukas wrote:

Nigel fromage - are  you like the resident t++t? 

That's very unfair, Lukas.  Our Nige is not just like the resident t++t!

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Sniffer replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 3 years ago
4 likes

Twit?

Or are you just reading your own prejudice in?

I thought the post was very courteous if the slur was twit.

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chrisonabike replied to Sniffer | 3 years ago
1 like

Sniffer wrote:

Twit?

Or are you just reading your own prejudice in?

I thought the post was very courteous if the slur was twit.

No, as well you know the accusation was that he was a tart! Lukas was trying to make a pastry out of him.

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brooksby | 3 years ago
6 likes

My thoughts on the Insulate Britain protests, from reading some news sites, is that it's all about Decent Hardworking Motorists (tm) grabbing the protesters and pulling them out of the way.

Now, isn't that the job of the police?

I mean, if some random member of the public grabs someone and pulls them aside while screaming in their face about how they just have to get past then couldn't that be counted as an assault?

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eburtthebike replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
6 likes

brooksby wrote:

My thoughts on the Insulate Britain protests, from reading some news sites, is that it's all about Decent Hardworking Motorists (tm) grabbing the protesters and pulling them out of the way.

Now, isn't that the job of the police?

I mean, if some random member of the public grabs someone and pulls them aside while screaming in their face about how they just have to get past then couldn't that be counted as an assault?

There's a video of a Karen dragging protesters out of the way of her gigantic 4x4, all the while hurling abuse at them, then driving it at them; no action from the police as far as I know.

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Hirsute replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
0 likes

Ah, but she was a 'family support worker' so she knows all the protocols and how to stay within them.

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brooksby replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
4 likes

Yeah, I saw that video.  Disgusting behaviour.  She surely can't have even been able to see those sitting-down protesters from her driving position, so cannot possibly argue she was 'doing it safely'...

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Captain Badger replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
7 likes

brooksby wrote:

Yeah, I saw that video.  Disgusting behaviour.  She surely can't have even been able to see those sitting-down protesters from her driving position, so cannot possibly argue she was 'doing it safely'...

She was also given a slot on some morning TV or other to allow her a platform to rant about how it was everyone else's fault.

Seems facking obvs to me that she should have lost her licence

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DoomeFrog replied to Captain Badger | 3 years ago
8 likes

I think I read it was GBNews.

What more is there to say.

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eburtthebike replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
0 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

brooksby wrote:

My thoughts on the Insulate Britain protests, from reading some news sites, is that it's all about Decent Hardworking Motorists (tm) grabbing the protesters and pulling them out of the way.

Now, isn't that the job of the police?

I mean, if some random member of the public grabs someone and pulls them aside while screaming in their face about how they just have to get past then couldn't that be counted as an assault?

There's a video of a Karen dragging protesters out of the way of her gigantic 4x4, all the while hurling abuse at them, then driving it at them; no action from the police as far as I know.

found it https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/insulate-britain-protesters-drive-...

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Secret_squirrel replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
6 likes

It may be a video resolution thing but it also appears that Karen has an illegally bald front tyre.  If she was late for anything but the school and a futile personal trainer appointment I'll eat my hat.

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TheBillder replied to Secret_squirrel | 3 years ago
4 likes
Secret_squirrel wrote:

It may be a video resolution thing but it also appears that Karen has an illegally bald front tyre.  If she was late for anything but the school and a futile personal trainer appointment I'll eat my hat.

But in that case how can she do all that off roading that her vehicle is for? With a bald tyre, you surely can't traverse the Serengeti / steppes / tundra between your executive home on an exclusive Barratt estate and the school almost a mile away.

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hairyairey replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

My thoughts on the Insulate Britain protests, from reading some news sites, is that it's all about Decent Hardworking Motorists (tm) grabbing the protesters and pulling them out of the way.

Now, isn't that the job of the police?

I mean, if some random member of the public grabs someone and pulls them aside while screaming in their face about how they just have to get past then couldn't that be counted as an assault?

The law on assault is clear - you can assault someone even without hitting them if they believe that violence is going to be used against them (eg raising a fist). However, dragging someone out of the road who is passively accepting it is neither assault nor an offence. My thoughts are why have none of them been tied to lampposts with cable ties? Maybe motorists are waiting for snow and/or rain, when this method will be more effective?

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Hirsute replied to hairyairey | 3 years ago
1 like

"However, dragging someone out of the road who is passively accepting it is neither assault nor an offence."

How did you reach that conclusion ?

Does this also work for domestic abuse ?

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FrankH | 3 years ago
1 like

Insulate Britain: "We're illegally sitting in the cycle lane to stop motorists using it illegally while our friends illegally sit in the road, stopping motorists using it legally".

Yeah! That makes sense. Can't have those dastardly motorists breaking the law.

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