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news
James May Drink at your Desk James May: “I can’t stand road sectarianism – it’s all b*llocks”
“I can’t stand road sectarianism – it’s all b*ll*cks,” says James May in an exclusive video interview with road.cc in which the Grand Tour and former Top Gear presenter also talks about his lifelong love of cycling, his favourite bikes past and present, and the common mistake many bike riders make that he believes should see transgressors “put in prison.”
In the latest episode of our Drink at Your Desk in association with SIDI series, the TV presenter and journalist also explains why he believes the bicycle is “mankind’s greatest invention,” as well as which item used by many cyclists he would happily consign to Room 101.
Speaking to road.cc’s Dave Atkinson and Liam Cahill, May reveals that “the thing I can’t stand, I’ve railed against this before [is] road sectarianism because it’s feeble minded.
“Supposedly bus drivers hate taxi drivers and car drivers hate cyclists, but cyclists hate people on electric scooters and so it goes on and on and on,” he says.
The us-and-them, cyclists-versus-motorists narrative is one of course that is played out regularly in the media, whether on radio chat shows, or indeed on TV or in newspaper columns – and certainly here on road.cc we’ve covered a few of the latter over the years penned by May’s Grand Tour co-host, Jeremy Clarkson.
May acknowledges the attraction for outlets in pitching such stories in those terms, but insists that there are more factors that unite all road users, whichever form of transport they are using, than divide them.
“It’s a great story for the media because they like to get a famous radio personality on there ranting about bikes and taxi driver ranting about how he or she has to make a living,” he says.
“It's a good story, but it's all b*ll*cks, frankly.
“People just need to accept the fact that we’ve got enough common enemies. To be honest, if you're riding a bike or driving car or using a motorcycle or a scooter, things like potholes, bad road markings, badly parked things, roadworks, bits being constantly dug up, all these things annoy all of us, and we have those in common.
“We don't need to fall out with each other about it,” he adds. “I find it very feeble.”
You can watch the full, hour-long interview with May on the road.cc YouTube channel by simply pressing play at the top of this article. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel of course, and comment on the video telling us where Sidi are from for the chance to win some stunning Sidi Shot 2 shoes!
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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19 comments
This is strikingly similar to the people who say footballers holding up Ukraine flags with 'peace' written on them before matches should also be holding Russian flags, as 'we all just need to get along'.
I saw the news today, oh boy.
Young cyclist dies after being hit by car in Manchester horror crash
Music boss dodges driving ban after being caught speeding for FOURTH time
Aye, this road sectarianism stuff is rubbish. Why can't we just learn to get along?
And I say bollocks to such utterances. Lets share the road, says the guy who brings over one hundred times the danger onto it than a cyclist.
And that's before we talk about how it's motorised traffic that causes potholes, and how it's motorised vehicles that are parked everywhere, badly or otherwise...
It's not just the roads where you get this sectarianism. Some power boaters hate sailors, who to them, inexpicably zig zag when sailing, and some sailors hate power boaters, noisy smelly things (the boats, not the drivers!) who speed all the time and rock other boats with their wake. And as for the power boaters who don't use the Kill Cord, they are a real menace to themselves and others. At least the sailors have legal priority over power.
I like James May a lot, but this rhetoric smacks of "Why can't we all just get along?"
If only it were so easy.
It's always easy for those with all the power to say that; not so easy if you are the ones being killed/injured/intimidated every day.
I was killed yesterday and I don't find it easy to say at all now.
Seance?
I went to one once, and the woman holding it laughed, so I hit her. I always like to strike a happy medium.
Excellent, I must remember that one.
May associates with Daily Mail devotee Clarkson, and that equally despicable little bloke- that's all I need to know. I won't be joining those prepared to waste an hour of their remaining lives listening to someone claiming 'we're all in it together- cyclists and motorists' when we hear only too often of 'celebs' like that haggard fashion journo proud to declare that they would like to kill cyclists and encouraging other hyper-junk press readers to carry out their threats. The only people ahead of the police in anti-cyclist sentiment are motorists like these.
I really like James May but come on:
Yes, we have those things in common, but around 4500 cyclists are KSI each year by motorists, 0 motorists are KSI by cyclists. Until there's the infra and a change in motorist attitudes to a point where that ratio is closer to 0:0 that sort of "we're all in it together" rhetoric is, in James' own words, "all bollocks, frankly."
Furthermore potholes, bad road markings, badly parked things and roadworks are "annoying" if you're in a car. If you're on a bike potholes can be literally lethal. You only need to lose control - not even fall off - if someone's driving close to you / in the opposite direction at the wrong time. Potholes can also write off your transport - unlikely in a car. Bad road markings can lead to consequence from frightening close passes to fatal crashes. Same with badly parked things. Roadworks with short timing or no detector for bikes can mean a choice between accepting this is impassable or being put at risk. Sometimes "get off and walk" isn't actually possible around roadworks and that's more common for those cycling with disabilities.
So we share "these things are bad" but the degree of "bad" can be so different as to be a qualitative difference not just a quantitative one.
Who? Queen guitarist?
Who? Pete Townshend guitarist. Brian May, Queen guitarist.
I thought Brian May was some sort of paid motoring joyrider. You're right about Pete Townshend though.
Obviously Queen won't be playing the Houses of Parliament ever again, and the Prince of Wales doesn't have quite the same cachet.
Brian May's trademark guitar was made by him and his father and includes the use of an old saddlebag uplift! See https://www.openculture.com/2014/08/brian-mays-homemade-guitar.html
They could get a bit meta and book The House Of Lords, though.
Prince (of Wales)? OK for a tribute act. Best were "Little Red Corwen" and "The Most Beautiful Girl in the Valleys".
I also like "Padarn Park" and "U Got The Leek"...
I'll get my coat.