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Live blog: Chris Froome shares photo from training camp; Someone is trying to sell this 'bike stand' on Facebook Marketplace; Derry judge says some roundabouts "too big and complicated" to man who hit cyclist; Gino D'Acampo rides Bianchi e-road bike +more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
10 January 2020, 15:08
Chris Froome (appears to be) on a training camp... and what's going on with that kit??

His tweet doesn't exactly settle the matter, but it looks like Froome has joined his teammates on a new training camp, less than a week after reports from Italy claimed he had left another camp early. 

The report in Bicisport magazine quoted Team Ineos' sports director Dario Cioni as saying, "“He is not well and who knows if he will recover?”; however Froome responded via his Twitter account saying that his recovery is in fact going well. 

Whether he will make it to the Tour de France in 2020 remains to be seen, but this photo is certainly promising. On another note, is this the Ineos away strip or does this indicate a complete departure from the blood red and black kit of 2019?

 

10 January 2020, 15:20
Can we just talk about that training kit...
10 January 2020, 16:06
Behind the scenes of 'that' Danny MacAskill video

Remarkably the Scot said he'd never came close to landing this trick before nailing it perfectly in his epic Gymnasium vid - watch the full thing here

10 January 2020, 13:51
Not a bike stand

To be fair it's an absolute bargain, and anyone who manages to pick up what is actually a Tacx turbo trainer for a tenner will probably be very pleased so long as it works. 

As Real Gaz points out on Twitter, as an item that you a secure your bike to, technically a turbo trainer is sort of a bike stand...

10 January 2020, 16:00
New £1 million cycling and walking route to be built in Northern Ireland
Cycle path (CC licensed by C:Flickr)

Derry City and Strabane District Council have approved the new route in Strabane, a 3.5km route constructed in the town, connecting the A5, Derry Road, Canal Basin, River Mourne Flood Wall and Strabane Retail Park.

Further proposals include changes to exisiting kerb alignments, new road markings and new path lighting. 

10 January 2020, 13:37
The future of e-bike batteries? Scientists claim they've created a battery that offers five times more energy than a lithium-ion battery
lithium sulfur - wikimedia commons

Causing quite a stir over on our sister site eBikeTips is the news that a team of scientists say their lithium-sulfur rechargeable battery design is far superior to lithium-ion. If you're not an e-biker, they also say it could power a smartphone for five days or allow an electric car to drive over 1,000km on a single charge - full story here. 

10 January 2020, 12:36
Judge in Derry says some roundabouts "are too big and too complicated" as man charged with careless driving for hitting cyclist
Justice (Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons)

Derry's district judge made the comments as 42-year-old Matthew Horner admitted the charge of careless driving, for knocking a woman off her bike on 15th June last year. She told ambulance staff when they arrived that she was on the roundabout when Horner's car entered and hit her. 

Horner's defence said that he "did not see" the cyclist and tried to avoid hitting her when he eventually did. The judge Barney McElholm said that some roundabouts with "too many exits" could cause problems for drivers, noting that Horner offered to stay and help the woman and appeared "very remorseful". Horner was £175 and given three penalty points on his driving licence.  

10 January 2020, 13:35
Sad but true

The reality of cycling outside a school in the UK too often looks like the scene on the left; but it should be far more like the journey Dutch children used to making on the right. 

10 January 2020, 11:28
That's not a pothole... THIS is a pothole
huge pothole - credit shaun wyllie on facebook.PNG

Although the crater that caused injuries to the unfortunate cyclist in San Diego reported on below (see it on the NBC News San Diego website) was a bad one, over on our Facebook page Shaun Wyllie appears to have topped it with this absolute beast he happened across on a ride recently. 

10 January 2020, 10:39
Cyclist settles for $500,000 with San Diego County after suffering brain injury due to pothole
highway 8 - wikimedia commons

NBC San Diego reports that the woman suffered 'a traumatic brain injury' after being thrown from her bike while riding on U.S Highway 8 in August 2017. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, hit a broken section of tarmac that had risen from a tree root, creating a large pothole in the road. 

According to public documents, the road near the city of El Cajon had been in disrepair for years, and this particular section was only fixed after the incident; some potholes were filled on the road following complaints from motorists, but the bike lane was left in disrepair.   

Records now obtained by NBC show that the woman settled the case for $500,000 in October 2019​. Her attorney Daniel Petrov said: "The County worked diligently to repair the rise in the concrete in the bicycle lane after the fall.

“Unfortunately, it took my client suffering a traumatic brain injury before the repair was complete. Our hope is that the county continues looking for the rises or potholes on public streets, and especially bicycle lanes, so that bicycle riders can feel safe riding in San Diego County."

10 January 2020, 13:00
Definitely true...
10 January 2020, 08:37
Gino D'Acampagnolo?
gino 3

Well actually, Gino was probably the only one not using the famous Italian groupset as he headed out with Treviglio locals who were kitted out in vintage kit and Bianchi bikes, while he rode one of their new Aria e-bike models in jeans and a shirt. 

gino 2

Treviglio is the location of Bianchi's famous headquarters, and the convicted house burglar-turned TV chef paid a visit to the factory as part of his new ITV series, 'Gino's Italian Escape'. He also stopped by Milan to check out some cocktail bars, and we were also treated to footage of D'Acampo licking a huge wooden stirring spoon used to whip up fresh Stracciatella gelato in Bergamo. 

10 January 2020, 09:06
Mud biker?

It's true that 'road cyclist' is largely a more accurate description, unless you're a mountain biker who genuinely rides up and down mountains. As a regular Bristol and Bath railway path commuter, I am now a proud path biker... 

10 January 2020, 08:30
That pontoon might need extending a bit?

Unless the Belgian national cyclocross championships have now introduced a swim section, either the course or this map may need a redesign...

10 January 2020, 09:29
Unfortunate...

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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20 comments

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
3 likes

One less psychopathic BMW driver on the road.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-51065720

A proper ban when he finally gets out too.  Shame it couldn't be lifetime

Odd that the BBC news website said that [the victim] "was hit by the car and thrown into the air."

Not that the perpetrator deliberately drove his car at the victim, as the judge said (which the BBC website doesn't mention) "You drove at him, in effect using your car as a weapon, causing him to suffer the injuries that led to his death, all in the sight of his family."

South Today managed to include the weapon thing and show cctv evidence of the car starting the fateful acceleration towards the victim.

Admitted manslaugher too, tried for murder, not causing death by dangerous.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

ktache wrote:

One less psychopathic BMW driver on the road.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-51065720

A proper ban when he finally gets out too.  Shame it couldn't be lifetime.

A shame also that he was still on the road to do this after 13 [courtroom vidiprinter: THIRTEEN] previous offences.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to mdavidford | 4 years ago
2 likes

mdavidford wrote:

ktache wrote:

One less psychopathic BMW driver on the road.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-51065720

A proper ban when he finally gets out too.  Shame it couldn't be lifetime.

A shame also that he was still on the road to do this after 13 [courtroom vidiprinter: THIRTEEN] previous offences.

 

Sorry - my mistake - 13 convictions - 28 [TWENTY-EIGHT] offences. cool

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes
Avatar
judda6610 | 4 years ago
2 likes

"It's true that 'road cyclist' is largely a more accurate description, unless you're a mountain biker who genuinely rides up and down mountains. As a regular Bristol and Bath railway path commuter, I am now a proud path biker..."

The French have a more apt description, VTT: Velo a tout terrain (All terrain bike). 

Avatar
werics replied to judda6610 | 4 years ago
0 likes
judda6610 wrote:

"It's true that 'road cyclist' is largely a more accurate description, unless you're a mountain biker who genuinely rides up and down mountains. As a regular Bristol and Bath railway path commuter, I am now a proud path biker..."

The French have a more apt description, VTT: Velo a tout terrain (All terrain bike). 

A stroke in MTB (mountain/trail bike) would also do, I reckon, unless you are being particular about what a trail is.

Avatar
werics replied to judda6610 | 4 years ago
0 likes
judda6610 wrote:

"It's true that 'road cyclist' is largely a more accurate description, unless you're a mountain biker who genuinely rides up and down mountains. As a regular Bristol and Bath railway path commuter, I am now a proud path biker..."

The French have a more apt description, VTT: Velo a tout terrain (All terrain bike). 

A stroke in MTB (mountain/trail bike) would also do, I reckon, unless you are being particular about what a trail is.

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
5 likes

I think it's a lovely shade of a very striking orange.  Any slight reduction in the chances of being hit by incompetent motorists to their significant investments would seem worthwhile.

Marginal gains...

Avatar
Cyclolotl | 4 years ago
1 like

That Ineos kit, did they just copy and paste from CCC? 

Avatar
Awavey replied to Cyclolotl | 4 years ago
1 like
Cyclolotl wrote:

That Ineos kit, did they just copy and paste from CCC? 

Maybe, but it's just training ride kit, Trek Segafredo do similarly with their dayglo yellow training version of their normal road kit.Ineos announced last year their main team coloured kit wasnt changing for 2020 except for the addition of the new uci world tour logo

Avatar
srchar | 4 years ago
7 likes

There's nothing wrong with being momentarily confused by a road layout - it's the driver's response to it that matters. Slow down, pay more attention to one's surroundings? Fine. Sail on through that confusing junction at 40mph without a thought for other road users? Not fine.

There's just as much, if not more, badly designed motor vehicle infrastructure as bike lanes.

Avatar
Awavey | 4 years ago
0 likes

I'd never consider my driving to be that perfect enough never to have found myself confused by a road layout,try driving on the new A14 section that opened before Christmas for instance,and some of the roundabouts here about rely on familiarity to use properly,rather than road common sense, and some just seem to be badly designed to begin with
https://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/motoring/norwich-northern-distributor-ro...

That aside theres no excuse for hitting anything that you should be able to see, even if you are confused by the layout

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
6 likes

Perhaps these drivers that find roundabouts a bit too complicated might want to avoid them.  Perhaps, and maybe going a bit too far, get on a bike, I've never found a roundabout "too complicated, and of course better vision, no need for a blind spot warning on my arse, or find a different route that avoids them.

Avatar
Hirsute replied to ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

ktache wrote:

Perhaps these drivers that find roundabouts a bit too complicated might want to avoid them.  Perhaps, and maybe going a bit too far, get on a bike, I've never found a roundabout "too complicated, and of course better vision, no need for a blind spot warning on my arse, or find a different route that avoids them.

You can get poor infrastructure that does lead to increased risk and needs to be redesigned. Can't say I have ever found a roundabout too complicated. Even if you have roundabouts around a roundabout, you just treat each one as you come to it and ignore the rest.

Perhaps the driver was one of these people who can't lose face by going around a roundabout more than once due to missing the turn or being in the wrong lane and instead have to force their way into the lane they want.

Avatar
JMcL_Ireland replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
0 likes

hirsute wrote:

ktache wrote:

Perhaps these drivers that find roundabouts a bit too complicated might want to avoid them.  Perhaps, and maybe going a bit too far, get on a bike, I've never found a roundabout "too complicated, and of course better vision, no need for a blind spot warning on my arse, or find a different route that avoids them.

You can get poor infrastructure that does lead to increased risk and needs to be redesigned. Can't say I have ever found a roundabout too complicated. Even if you have roundabouts around a roundabout, you just treat each one as you come to it and ignore the rest.

Perhaps the driver was one of these people who can't lose face by going around a roundabout more than once due to missing the turn or being in the wrong lane and instead have to force their way into the lane they want.

I know the roundabout in question (https://www.google.fr/maps/@55.0229519,-7.3388255,229m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en) and it's an odd one TBH. It's not the number of exits, which isn't excessive at 5, It's more the shape/orientation - sort of elongated/egg shaped as can be seen in the satellite view in the link above. It's a busy roundabout, and when coming on to it from the main approaches (Buncrana Rd either direction in the link above) it seems to have a fairly gradual bend which gets then gets suddenly and appreciably sharper at the apexes to the east and west and can come as a surprise to the unwary. I've no idea why it's not just round - it's not like it the don't have the space (could even do so in the current space it occupies)

I've never had the pleasure of going round it on the bike, but it doesn't strike me as a pleasant piece of infrastructure to negotiate at busy times

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 4 years ago
0 likes

Unfortunate...

To be fair, I have seen worse cycle parking infrastructure.

Avatar
dgmtc | 4 years ago
1 like

Here's that missing part of the Belgian CX Championship course...

 

Avatar
CygnusX1 replied to dgmtc | 4 years ago
3 likes

dgmtc wrote:

Here's that missing part of the Belgian CX Championship course...

 

I like how they've got someboy in the water waving their arms  about just after the corner. Presumably their bike is now on the bottom of the canal? 

Avatar
Liam Cahill replied to CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
3 likes
CygnusX1 wrote:

dgmtc wrote:

Here's that missing part of the Belgian CX Championship course...

 

I like how they've got someboy in the water waving their arms  about just after the corner. Presumably their bike is now on the bottom of the canal? 

So there's some bike riding. And some running. And now they've got to go swimming.
Kick your socks off and Sharpie some numbers on your arms, we've got a triathlon, people!

Avatar
Miller | 4 years ago
2 likes

...and not a helmet in sight. The 'real' cyclists were all kitted out in vintage style, to be fair, as if they were heading straight off to L'Eroica.

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