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news
Transport minister Grant Shapps hospitalised (and thanks his helmet) after cycling crash; Giro d'Italia stages revealed; Homemade e-bike; Bernal denies Ineos rift; Insane climbing; Dear Deidre: Strava edition; Sagan looks to future + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Shapps08 November 2021, 16:46
Not another helmet debate...Grant Shapps reaction
Helmets do not reduce road danger @grantshapps. Safe space for cycling does. https://t.co/eIzEHIlugn
— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) November 8, 2021
Okay, just a few quick helmet-related comments...
If only he was the transport minister who could influence investment in changing road layouts to protect people cycling rather than using the comfort blanket of a little polystyrene hat. https://t.co/3A3C6Mimmk
— The Ranty Highwayman (@RantyHighwayman) November 8, 2021
if you're shouting about cycle helmets and not campaigning for safe cycling space instead then you're actually anti-cycling.
Helmets don't reduce road danger
They don't make the road space more inviting for ppl to start cycling.
They are an anti public health measure— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) November 8, 2021
And while a few people were put off by Shapps' comment about the helmet helping him out, especially considering how few details have been released about the incident, everything we know about the weekend's events is in the earlier blog post.
On Facebook, Tony IIes commented: "Glad he's not badly injured. Hoping this will focus his mind on a much better network of segregated cycle lanes."
We really don't want another helmet debate. Not everyone else did either...some just wanted to point out Shapps must be used to helmets, working so closely with them on a daily basis...credit to whoever dropped that zinger earlier (it has now mysteriously vanished). Step forward to take the applause...
08 November 2021, 16:31
Two men face seven years in prison over Italy's stolen track bikes and €400k of damage
Two men arrested by Romanian police face up to seven years in prison for their part in the Italian track cycling team having their bikes stolen while they competed at the UCI World Track Cycling World Championships in Roubaix. Police in Vrancea County located 21 of the 22 bikes, including Filippo Ganna's gold Pinarello, along with mobile phones, drugs and around £5,000 worth of cash.
Cycling Weekly reports two of the four men arrested, an 18-year-old Frenchman of Bosnian descent and a 20-year-old Bosnian, will appear before courts in Lille and face up to seven years in prison. Both men have admitted to the theft but have not given details about other possible perpatrators.
The men are in pre-trial detention awaiting their hearing on December 10.
08 November 2021, 16:25
Beethoven Strava art
Our Strava art archive is a bit of a rabbit hole...
- There was the Strava artist pedalling through London's streets to sketch a huge snowman...
- The Aussie cyclist who recreated Nirvana's inconic Nevermind album cover in GPS form...
- And the Bristol cyclist who took first place in the Bristol Cycle Festival competition for his 'Fowl Play'...
08 November 2021, 15:02
08 November 2021, 14:43
Get well soon messages for Grant Shapps
Really sorry to hear about your fall - we wish you a speedy recovery and hope to see you back out cycling again in the near future!
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) November 8, 2021
Labour's shadow transport team were among the well-wishers hoping for a speedy recovery, tweeting: "Hope you're OK Grant Shapps. Wishing you a speedy recovery."
Labour MP Karl Turner added: "Hope you recover speedily."
Glad to hear you're okay and hope you make a speedy recovery!
— Brent Cycling Campaign (@BrentCyclists) November 7, 2021
08 November 2021, 14:05
08 November 2021, 13:53
Dear Deidre, my cycling pals don't give me Strava kudos...what should I do?
The Sun's problem page has taken a break from affairs and office romances today...and it's cycling on the agenda.
One cyclist wrote in to say his riding pals stopped sharing their updates on Instagram and Strava, to the point where there are just three of them left. Now, however, the admin only comments on the other two riders' posts.
"It got me down so I blocked him and left the group. Why would he keep slighting me like that?"
Deidre's advice..."It could be that algorithms meant he rarely saw your updates – and so was not ignoring you. What a shame. It sounds like you really enjoyed the camaraderie of this group. Could you join another group and all go out cycling together?"
Is Strava good for your mental health? A 2020 university study found the app can create “obsessive tendencies which need to be avoided".
08 November 2021, 12:21
Is no bike lane safe?
Is no bike lane safe?
(TikTok handle: spncrr) pic.twitter.com/UjNyhM12l1
— Sarah 🍓 (@SarahJ_Berry) November 6, 2021
Even on the trails you'll find someone in your way...
08 November 2021, 14:04
08 November 2021, 11:50
Peter Sagan: Part of the beauty of cycling has been lost because of Covid
It's not just Egan Bernal who spoke to Marca over the weekend. Peter Sagan shared the podium with the Colombian at the Giro d'Italia Criterium in Dubai this weekend and spoke to the Spanish outlet about his future in the sport. The three-time world champion will join TotalEnergies in the new year.
"I have new motivations, it will be good for me. Seeing new faces always makes you have to have a different mentality. I'm looking forward to it starting. the season, to start strong, and that is a good sign," Sagan explained.
The 31-year-old also spoke about the impact of Covid on the sport..."The only thing that the virus has done is to make everything difficult, I think that now it is much worse in this sense. I do not think that now the races are more fun, on the contrary, part of the beauty of cycling has been lost. It is difficult to travel, to meet, the emotion that people transmit, the fans that follow the races are lacking. Without people, cycling is different and worse."
08 November 2021, 11:39
road.cc Recommends Episode 8: All this month's top tested kit, a Salisbury Plain gravel ride + a cyclist-approved cafe stop
Want to know what's been top of the pile on road.cc in the last month? Becca and Liam are back with the products that have made it into road.cc recommends this month. We'll be picking our product of the month, and there's also a route around Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, and a recommended cafe stop in Sussex too.
And for the full list of bikes, kit and tech, head over to the Recommends section of the site...
08 November 2021, 11:16
The next Egan Bernal? How far would you get?
¡Cómo va tan sobrado este pequeño ciclista!
¡No hay quien lo pille! 😱😓 pic.twitter.com/0SoObIzoEx— ADN Ciclista (@adnciclista) November 7, 2021
Egan Bernal may be happy at Ineos, but how long until this young lad's a teammate...
08 November 2021, 10:58
"There is no problem. I never spoke to Israel Start-Up Nation": Egan Bernal denies Ineos Grenadiers rift
Egan Bernal has poured cold water on the rumours he is unhappy at Ineos Grenadiers and is looking for a move away from the team. Speaking to Spanish newspaper Marca, the Colombian said he has no issue with the team, nor Adam Yates, and has not spoken to Israel Start-Up Nation. It had been rumoured Bernal was posturing for a move to the team to ride alongside his former teammate Chris Froome.
"I never spoke to Israel," Bernal denied. "Obviously many things are said, there is news. But I didn't want to get into that game of saying 'I'm not leaving'. Nothing ever happened."
When asked if there had been a problem at the Vuelta, where Bernal finished sixth and teammate Yates fourth, the 24-year-old said: "No, no, no, no. But it is not, really. With Yates I got along super well. He seems like a super calm person to me. A classy cyclist. I really liked him. I think it was the first race I did with him and it was all great. There is no problem, really."
Looking ahead to 2022, the Giro champion said he would like another shot at the Tour de France, but admitted he is not yet back to 100 per cent after a back injury. "We have to wait a little longer to know the plans for everything," Bernal continued. "My idea is to go to the Tour and I don't know if to the Giro. If it is not in 2022, I will return to the Giro very soon because it is one of the races that I like the most."
08 November 2021, 10:33
The Monowheel: Making the strangest e-bike
08 November 2021, 10:09
Giro d'Italia sprint stages announced
Stage 6: Palmi - Scalea pic.twitter.com/8bMmxJ5lwz
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 8, 2021
The Giro is doing its route announcement slightly differently this year. No big buffet announcement. Instead, it's more like a starter, dessert, main course approach. Unconventional, but worth a try?
Today the 'flat' stages have all been released in one block. Stages 5, 6, 11, 13, 18. That's your starter.
Stage 13: Sanremo - Cuneo pic.twitter.com/qfLIiQ1XQC
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 8, 2021
There'll also be a sprint stage on the third stage of the race, the final day in Hungary. That was announced as part of the Grande Partenza reveal last week. Tomorrow, for dessert you'll be getting the medium mountain stages, before the main course of the high mountain stages on Wednesday. The final stage, expected to be a TT in Verona, will be revealed on Thursday, if you've got any space for a post-dinner coffee...
Stage 18: Borgo Valsugana - Treviso pic.twitter.com/g9GZpIUAKl
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 8, 2021
08 November 2021, 08:38
Transport minister Grant Shapps hospitalised after cycling crash
In and out of hospital after coming off my bike while out this weekend. Big thanks to brilliant NHS staff @enherts QE2 & Lister Hospitals who patched me up yesterday, followed by a minor op on my lip today. Thank goodness for bike helmet, without which it could have been worse!
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) November 7, 2021
Boris Johnson's transport minister Grant Shapps was in hospital this weekend after "coming off" his bike. Shapps said he was treated at the QEII Hospital in Welwyn Garden City and the Lister Hospital, where he was "patched up" on Saturday before "a minor op on my lip today [Sunday]".
The MP for Welwyn Hatfield in Hertfordshire took a moment to thank his bike helmet, "without which it could have been worse".
Perhaps inevitably, some of the reaction has been people pointing out that Shapps is in as good a position as anyone to influence people wearing helmets...one "public transport campaigner" replied: "Please publicise this more grant. Lots of people on pushbikes this weekend valued at £5k and yet won’t pay £20 for a helmet. Glad you are safe and recovering."
Despite the government repeatedly saying it will not mandate compulsory helmets, the issue has been raised on a couple occasions times by the party's MPs. In 2019, former Tory MP for Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock, Bill Grant, said the government should intervene to protect cyclists by making helmet-wearing mandatory.
Back in 2015, David Cameron's transport minister Robert Goodwill said he doesn't wear a helmet while cycling in London, but does when cycling "furiously" in Yorkshire. Goodwill pointed out mandatory helmet-wearing can deter people from cycling, and "the health benefits of cycling in terms of heart disease and obesity and everything else far outweigh the number of people killed and injured using cycles."
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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96 comments
brooksby
|
3 years ago
2 likes
Can this be linked to hawkinspeter or Cap'n Badger? 
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-bath-railway-pat...
A busy stretch of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path will close for two months after burrowing badgers blocked a ditch.
Cyclists and pedestrians have been advised that the key commuter route will be shut from next Monday (November 15), affecting a mile-long section running through the Staple Hill Tunnel.
South Gloucestershire Council is carrying out works expected to last eight weeks, meaning it is likely to remain closed until January 10.
Can this be linked to hawkinspeter or Cap'n Badger?
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-bath-railway-pat...
A busy stretch of the Bristol and Bath Railway Path will close for two months after burrowing badgers blocked a ditch.
Cyclists and pedestrians have been advised that the key commuter route will be shut from next Monday (November 15), affecting a mile-long section running through the Staple Hill Tunnel.
South Gloucestershire Council is carrying out works expected to last eight weeks, meaning it is likely to remain closed until January 10.
I don't think I've ever dug a sett, so clearly not me.
That's going to be an annoying detour for a lot of commuters but I can easily imagine it getting flooded - there's often rainwater dripping through the roof.
Well, y'know: squirrels/badgers - all small furry creatures, all the same, aren't they?
They reckon that a mile long section of the Path will be closed, with a detour adding an extra half mile (through, of course, the lovely suburban roads the Path is supposed to help you avoid). And: eight weeks of repairs??? Not exactly pushing themselves, are they?
Well, y'know: squirrels/badgers - all small furry creatures, all the same, aren't they?
They reckon that a mile long section of the Path will be closed, with a detour adding an extra half mile (through, of course, the lovely suburban roads the Path is supposed to help you avoid). And: eight weeks of repairs??? Not exactly pushing themselves, are they?
I always get more confused between stoats and weasels.
The detour looks awkward - I'd be more tempted to use Staple Hill Rd (north of that map) and at least go in a straight line even if that is busier.
I think this demonstrates that making roads safer for cyclists is still important. My suggestions are a default 20mph speed limit in built up areas and suitable punishments for inconsiderate, careless and dangerous driving.
Think how much cheaper it would be than cycle lanes.
I think this demonstrates that making roads safer for cyclists is still important. My suggestions are a default 20mph speed limit in built up areas and suitable punishments for inconsiderate, careless and dangerous driving.
Think how much cheaper it would be than cycle lanes.
20mph is still too fast, especially when most drivers ignore it. 12mph (20kph) is much better.
We figured it was a sat nav issue. It was a green lane, so technically a public road. The van was stuck at least a km in, halfway up a steep hill, so presumably they got so far along they felt they had to push on. On our way out we met the crew of the tow truck sent to get it. They had to abandon the truck some distance away and were scratching their heads about the rescue...
Awavey
|
3 years ago
12 likes
Tbf whilst we have no details about this crash,let's not immediately jump to the conclusion that Shapps is saying the helmet was the usual 'it saved my life' thing, if he cut his lip, it's possible the helmet did stop this from being worse in that it helped prevent road rash to his head, which is what we say helmets are useful for.
Though I doubt I'll stop this from turning into another 200 comment epic about helmets, but it was just a thought.
Jenova20
|
3 years ago
1 like
Call me sadistic if you like, but i've been hoping this epetition reaches 10,000 over the last month, just so MPs can debate licencing bikes again (For like the 50th time) and then the Government can respond with "No".
The epetition in question: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585474
Call me sadistic if you like, but i've been hoping this epetition reaches 10,000 over the last month, just so MPs can debate licencing bikes again (For like the 50th time) and then the Government can respond with "No".
The epetition in question: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585474
I'd rather they just get on with their jobs and improve things rather than pandering to whoever shouts loudest.
Call me sadistic if you like, but i've been hoping this epetition reaches 10,000 over the last month, just so MPs can debate licencing bikes again (For like the 50th time) and then the Government can respond with "No".
The epetition in question: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585474
I'd rather they just get on with their jobs and improve things rather than pandering to whoever shouts loudest.
Agree with that - we don't need them wasting time arguing over whether it's a WING MIRROR or a DOOR MIRROR.
Call me sadistic if you like, but i've been hoping this epetition reaches 10,000 over the last month, just so MPs can debate licencing bikes again (For like the 50th time) and then the Government can respond with "No".
The epetition in question: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585474
As much as I hate this government their response is the the correct one. We are trying to encourage more people to cycle for health and environmental reasons yet what you're proposing with your petition will discourage that. Which begs the question; are you a keen cyclist or are you just here to antagonise the cycling community. Either way I would suggest you drop your petition.
Call me sadistic if you like, but i've been hoping this epetition reaches 10,000 over the last month, just so MPs can debate licencing bikes again (For like the 50th time) and then the Government can respond with "No".
The epetition in question: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/585474
As much as I hate this government their response is the the correct one. We are trying to encourage more people to cycle for health and environmental reasons yet what you're proposing with your petition will discourage that. Which begs the question; are you a keen cyclist or are you just here to antagonise the cycling community. Either way I would suggest you drop your petition.
Not my petition, you've misunderstood. And i haven't signed it.
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