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British Cycling criticised for video showing 'distracted' team coach driving while celebrating win

The team were celebrating the stunning victory of Zoe Bäckstedt in the women's junior road race at the World Championships...

British Cycling has been criticised for releasing a video showing a 'distracted' coach who was driving while celebrating Zoe Bäckstedt's victory at the World Championship.

Clearly thrilled by the win, former professional cyclist-turned coach Emma Trott can be seen at the wheel of the car watching the action on a screen, while celebrating enthusiastically and taking both hands off the wheel. 

British Cycling shared the clip, which has now been viewed over 38,000 times, on its Twitter feed after the race, and people were quick to ask if the organisation thought it sent the right message.

Cycling Mikey, who regularly films his encounters with road users driving poorly or using their phone at the wheel, said: "Why are you endorsing such shitty driving?

"I spend far too much of my spare time catching bad drivers and reporting to the police, and now I see a cyclist/driver doing this, and I'm disgusted."

> Number of 'distractions' inside Trek-Segafredo team car at Giro d'Italia branded 'insane'

Another user Pompey Cyclist, added: "Yeah I don't get why everyone's alright about this.

"We rightly chastise drivers sitting still looking at their phones. This is... mad."

Others questioned whether it was a good idea to publish a video of a person driving while watching a race on a screen, while some questioned why teams don’t recruit someone to drive so that coaches can concentrate on the race. 

Stuart Baillie said: "Operating a motor vehicle while watching a video stream on in car screen?

"Driving without being in full control of the vehicle, I understand she's happy, but this kind of outburst at the controls of a powerful vehicle is extremely dangerous.

"Cyclists want drivers to be careful."

> Taxi driver hit cyclist then did factory reset to hide his use of two mobile phones

A British Cycling spokesperson told road.cc: "The team car was travelling on closed roads as a race support vehicle.

"Emma was rightly delighted by a landmark win for a group of promising young women she coaches.

"Spur-of-the-moment celebrations like this are part and parcel in men’s and women’s sport and the whole team shared in the victory."

British Cycling also posted a number of YouTube links alongside the statement showing other teams in similar situations, a few of which can be viewed via the links below.

> Davide Bramati Emotional After Matteo Trentin's Win

> Paris Roubaix | BMC Team Car Celebration

> Giro d'Italia 2020: INEOS Grenadiers celebrate Tao Geoghegan Hart's win on Stage 20

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59 comments

Avatar
Awavey | 2 years ago
0 likes

Well the Womens Tour have come up with a solution to this, just dont bother having live TV coverage, then theres nothing the DSs can watch,except maybe Bargain Hunt or repeats of the Saint to get their fix.

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rct | 2 years ago
2 likes

BC's own rules don't allow their officials to drive themselves on open or closed roads roads.  Why is this not extended to BC teams?

 

Indeed why despite several high profile instances in major races do the UCI still allow this?

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Velophaart_95 | 2 years ago
9 likes

The driver drives, the DS sits in the passenger seat. Simple. Driving requires full attention; not radioing riders, watching the TV screen, etc I'm not sure when the sport is going to get this. It's just a poor look - It matters not a jot that it's a closed circuit. 

Wasn't a rider knocked over in the Giro this year due to a driver not concentrating? 

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Awavey replied to Velophaart_95 | 2 years ago
6 likes

remember the Tour de Yorkshire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbec9vnqEdE

or La Vuelta  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6l9eApjmN0A

lucky there was no one in the way on these closed circuit roads at the time

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Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
3 likes

Expect no less from British Cycling.

Find them to be useless and totally woke, and a CEO who wrote back to me in an extraordinarily patronising manner.

Joined CUK today - hoping for better.

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Steve K replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
6 likes
Flintshire Boy wrote:

Expect no less from British Cycling.

Find them to be useless and totally woke, and a CEO who wrote back to me in an extraordinarily patronising manner.

Joined CUK today - hoping for better.

How is this story in any way 'woke'?

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eburtthebike replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
5 likes
Steve K wrote:
Flintshire Boy wrote:

Expect no less from British Cycling.

Find them to be useless and totally woke, and a CEO who wrote back to me in an extraordinarily patronising manner.

Joined CUK today - hoping for better.

How is this story in any way 'woke'?

It could be, but then, nobody I've asked has been able to define "woke" to my satisfaction anyway.

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Mungecrundle replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
11 likes

Doesn't woke mean that you have some awareness and understanding of social issues outside your own experience so that you can avoid upsetting other people due to ignorance? I'm not really sure how it is an insult.

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Hirsute replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
0 likes

On local paper websites where there are disagreements I have seen it used an insult eg 'typical woke reaction', 'you must be woke if you think that'.

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Hirsute replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
1 like

It means whatever someone wants it to mean.

Seems to be more of an insult currently.

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Simon E replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
3 likes
Flintshire Boy wrote:

Find them to be useless and totally woke

Is it the push for gender equality, an anti-racist position or the openness towards LGBT people that irritates you so much?

Even if being 'woke' is so dreadful I am at a loss to understand how anyone can link this incident with an organisation's policy. Do you think women shouldn't be allowed to drive? If a male rider is spotted having a mid-ride pee in a hedge do we go and burn Manchester velodrome because everyone at BC is therefore a flasher? FFS.

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barongreenback replied to Simon E | 2 years ago
2 likes

It's because the Daily Mail keep repeating it so often that its eroded his cognitive abilities to evaluate the actual meaning of the word.

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Flintshire Boy replied to Simon E | 2 years ago
0 likes

Golly gosh, what a LOT of straw men!!

You are are very good at imputing non-existent thoughts! Well done.

Not sure I can agree with you, however, on your contention that the head of an organisation does not in some way represent it. That's certainly a new one on me.

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Simon E replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
1 like
Flintshire Boy wrote:

Golly gosh, what a LOT of straw men!!

Really? Or are you using that as a way to side-step the obvious question: what's so bad about an organisation or individual being 'woke'?

Maybe the idea of BC trying to make cycling more accessible and more welcoming to women, non-white and non-binary people is a problem for you.

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grOg replied to Simon E | 2 years ago
0 likes

In my experience, the sort of people that trumpet the issues you highlight, are quite happy to be very disrespectful about issues they disagree with.. woke? maybe; arrogant, obnoxious hypocrites? definitely.

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Captain Badger replied to grOg | 2 years ago
2 likes
grOg wrote:

In my experience, the sort of people that trumpet the issues you highlight, are quite happy to be very disrespectful about issues they disagree with.. woke? maybe; arrogant, obnoxious hypocrites? definitely.

It's difficult to parse your meaning here, but it seems to boil down to two points;

That you believe that people who "trumpet" (I presume that you mean dislike, rather than endorse) about racism, sexism, homophobia et al, are "arrogant, obnoxious hypocrites? definitely.".... Illuminating.....

In addition you believe they "are quite happy to be very disrespectful about issues they disagree with". Do you mean that , say, racist views should be treated with respect?

 

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dodgy | 2 years ago
5 likes

I'd love Chris Boardman to weigh in on this debate. You can rely on him for a sobre assessment. And I'm not taking the piss.

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Oldfatgit | 2 years ago
11 likes

That it was during a closed road race is irrelevant.

Poor show from BC for releasing it, and poor show from the teams and governing body that allow the drivers to be so active in tasks other than driving.

What kind of message does it send out?

Can't use a mobile phone while driving, but *they* can use a handheld radio (not allowed in the UK); we can't send a text while stationary at a traffic light ... but *they* can watch a full video stream?

The haters ain't going to care that it's closed road; it'll just be another hammer to hit is with.

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kettlenorth replied to Oldfatgit | 2 years ago
0 likes

You do realise that we also see cyclists littering, pissing on the side of the road, racing through red lights, cycling on the wrong side of the road and much more, on live TV.

Is it irrelevant that it is during a closed road race ? Should they set an example and follow the same rules as commuters cycling to work ?

I agree that the ds who is driving shouldn't hand out bootle, hold a radio, etc.. But saying that it's irrelevant that it was during a closed road race is just stupid.
The majority of comments condemning the video are from cyclists, not from the anti cycling mob.

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Captain Badger replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
0 likes
kettlenorth wrote:

You do realise that we also see cyclists littering, pissing on the side of the road, racing through red lights, cycling on the wrong side of the road and much more, on live TV.

Is it irrelevant that it is during a closed road race ? Should they set an example and follow the same rules as commuters cycling to work ?

I agree that the ds who is driving shouldn't hand out bootle, hold a radio, etc.. But saying that it's irrelevant that it was during a closed road race is just stupid.
The majority of comments condemning the video are from cyclists, not from the anti cycling mob.

Aaw dude, that was great! Tell us another one do

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kettlenorth replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes

Happy you liked it!

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Captain Badger replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
1 like
kettlenorth wrote:

Happy you liked it!

Aaaw yeah, top trolling.

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kettlenorth replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes

I am sure your response is genuine, and you mean what you said.
But in the off chance it is sarcasm, could you please explain to me what you didn't like about my response?

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Captain Badger replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
0 likes
kettlenorth wrote:

I am sure your response is genuine, and you mean what you said.
But in the off chance it is sarcasm, could you please explain to me what you didn't like about my response?

Not at all, loved every bit!

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mdavidford replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
2 likes
kettlenorth wrote:

You do realise that we also see cyclists littering, pissing on the side of the road, racing through red lights, cycling on the wrong side of the road and much more, on live TV.

We shouldn't see the first two - disposal of waste outside of designated zones, and urinating in public view are both race offences that are punishable with fines and, as a last resort, being booted from the race.

Regulations relating to normal use of the road, such as traffic lights and lane markings, will have been suspended by the order closing the road, so those are irrelevant.

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Oldfatgit replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
4 likes

"racing through red lights, cycling on the wrong side of the road"

And, unlike in the video clip, it's totally obvious that the road is closed.
What with the barriers, Marshalls or police cars across junctions, and not to mention the squadron of motorbikes calling around like flies.

If you watched a cycle closed-road race on TV , and could honestly think that it's an open-road event then there's no hope.

As for the pissing in public, I can't *quite* remember that being released as a celebratory video. Happy to be wrong though.

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kettlenorth replied to Oldfatgit | 2 years ago
0 likes

The point i am trying to make, is that its a closed circuit, so the road rules (ie not phone while driving) also dont apply to the ds driving the car.

"That it was during a closed road race is irrelevant"
You can't say that it is irrelevant just for drivers and not for cyclists. You can't have it both ways.

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mdavidford replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
3 likes
kettlenorth wrote:

The point i am trying to make, is that its a closed circuit, so the road rules (ie not phone while driving) also dont apply to the ds driving the car.

But no-one was arguing that it was illegal. The debate was over whether it was advisable, acceptable, responsible, or to be commended.

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Hirsute replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
0 likes

You don't think maybe that there is a policy/code of conduct/duty of care/race rules which they all sign up to ?

 

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Oldfatgit replied to kettlenorth | 2 years ago
0 likes
kettlenorth wrote:

The point i am trying to make, is that its a closed circuit, so the road rules (ie not phone while driving) also dont apply to the ds driving the car.

"That it was during a closed road race is irrelevant"
You can't say that it is irrelevant just for drivers and not for cyclists. You can't have it both ways.

Feel free to show me in that clip where it says "closed road".
Take your time, I'll go get a brew on while I'm waiting.

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