Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Surrey Road Cops slide into DMs to educate angry driver; "Road hogging cyclists" video; Disc or rim brakes for Froome?; Team director guilty of sexual harassment; 3.3 million bikes sold in UK; Cycle lane scrapping protest + more on the live blog

We're halfway through the week and through the group, so while Dan Alexander takes a well-earned break, Jack Sexty and Liam Cahill will be live blogging you through Wednesday...
23 June 2021, 15:53
Bradley Wiggins: Team GB will bring A-game on track at 'unpredictable' Tokyo Olympic Games

Bradley Wiggins has said that the lack of international track racing in the build-up to the Olympic games means that the competition is "unpredictable" but the five-time gold medalist believes that 

Part of the unpredictability, Wiggins believes, is that, unlike for road riders, the access to competition and also training facilities through the bulk of 2020 was heavily restricted. There is also the fact that nations eased restrictions on training facilities, such as velodromes, at different rates.

Interestingly, Wiggins points to the equipment side of track racing. It has been the case for a number of Olympic cycles that Team GB aims to hold its most innovative bikes, skinsuits and helmets back for the games so we'll be keeping a close eye out for shiny new kit.

Speaking to Eurosport Wiggins said "Britain always brings their A-game to the velodrome, that’s what the whole program is about, it’s a medal factory. You can be sure nothing will have phased them. The best athletes are the ones who aren’t phased. It’s ones who can adapt quickly. This is a big delay but you will find the best athletes are the ones who can deal with these setbacks.”

Wiggins also joked about being haunted by the beeps that sound to count riders down to the start of their event. This will be the first games where Wiggins has been on the other side of the fence but given the tension of those pre-race moments, we'd imagine that he'll still get a shiver running down his spine.

23 June 2021, 14:54
SunGod now does the Airas in a frameless design
SunGod Frameless Airas

Claiming to offer a completely unrestricted peripheral and vertical field of view, the frameless Airas centre around a new 8KO cylindrical lens that is said to provide the sunnies with the rigidity needed to keep them securely on your face.

The sunglasses are customisable as standard and cost upwards of £130 depending on the lens you select, so if they're anything like the Vulcan Full Frame sunnies that we reviewed, they'll be a good buy. A set is on the way to the office for testing, so if you can hang on for a bit, we'll have a full review soon.

sungod.com

23 June 2021, 14:39
Specialized and Quick-Step partner up until 2027
Specialized Alaphilippe
You've got to be good to get this paint job (Etienne Schoemann​)

Specialized and Deceuninck Quick-Step have a good thing going. The Belgian World Tour team regularly finishes the season with the most wins and they've already won 32 races this year.

Funnily enough, Specialized seems rather happy with this exposure and so a deal has been done that covers the next 6 years. As part of the deal, Specialized will supply its bikes to the team along with saddles, tyres and the Roval wheels which started life as Specialized's subsidiary brand but now (officially at least) stands on its own two feet.

Mike Sinyard, Founder and CEO of Specialized Bicycles, said: “For over a decade, Deceuninck Quick-Step has been instrumental in the development of cutting-edge technology for our bikes and equipment, which has resulted in some of the most monumental victories for Specialized. We are honoured to continue the close partnership with Patrick and this special team, to drive the future of our sport.”

23 June 2021, 14:16
"We've DM'd you": Surrey's Roads Policing Unit offers to educate driver who is angry at cyclists for taking the lane

On the subect of 'road hogging', the often cycle-friendly Surrey Road Cops Twitter account has been taking to Twitter once more to educate people who tend to get angry about cyclists on the roads. 

The tweet above, which accuses cyclists of being in the middle of the road as "a dickhead", led to numerous replies suggesting the middle of the road may actually be referring to the middle of the lane. 

We're not sure what Surrey's Road Policing Unit had to say in the DMs, but we do know it has form when it comes to educating social media about cycling and cyclists. In 2017, a video was produced showing drivers how to overtake cyclists safely, and once the Twitter account's admin told someone they were "too childish to drive" after objecting to a post about close pass enforcement. 

23 June 2021, 14:04
Protest planned against removal of Edinburgh cycle lane
Cycle lanes - 9.jpg

Edinburgh Council's proposal to remove "a very recently and expensively installed segregated cycle lane" according to the road.cc reader who contacted us about the issue has resulted in a protest, planned for 6pm this evening. 

Member of the CityCyclingEdinburgh forum have been urging others to object to the removal of the lane on Lanark Road, a surprise decision made by SNP and Labour councillors just months after the lanes were installed under the Spaces for People scheme. The person who organised the protest says that the council meeting about the lane is on the 25th June, so the ride two days before "will be a good message to send to them."

Ewen Maclean told The Scotsman: "The point of this protest is to point out the people who didn’t have a voice in this decision – our children. 

"These cycle lanes, and this goes for others across the city, are so important in the long term for the children in this city.

"They help reduce traffic volume by offering children and adults other ways to travel, but they also provide a safer way for kids to travel by bike. Not only is this a more green way of getting about, but it’s also encouraging physical exercise for children in a country where this needs to be a focus."

23 June 2021, 13:39
Berlin policewoman shown clearing bins from the cycle lane

Why don't cyclists use the cycle lane? Before this officer intervened on this one in Berlin, it would have been because of a huge wheelie bin blocking it. Luckily for Berliners, it looks like the police are making it a thing to remove unwanted furniture from the lanes so cyclists can safely get on their way. 

While praising police for doing something about it, one local commented: "I also had to do this every week in front of my office. Unfortunately, nothing will change if you don't point it out. I also think it is a dangerous, especially at night because the bins are not illuminated."

23 June 2021, 13:39
Cargo bike rideout in the capital

Starting at London Bridge, London Cycling Campaign representatives joined cargo bike delivery firms such as Zedify and Pedivan on a zero-emission rideout. 

23 June 2021, 13:22
"Road-hogging" cyclists: video resurrected by Daily Mail with questionable captions added

We now understand this video has done the rounds before, but has been resurrected by the tabloid with the captions added - some of them rather questionable. 

One says: "The cyclists should be riding single file on the left side of the lane"; however, the Highway Code states that cyclists should "never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends."

To 'balance' the first incident, a second is shown where a driver angrily honks his horn at a cyclist, before forcing him into the curb, stopping and calling him a "f**king idiot". The video caption claims the driver was found guilty of using threatening behaviour and received a fine of "almost $2,000" (around £1,430). 

23 June 2021, 12:49
André Greipel weighs in on average Tour de France weight stats

ProCyclingStats has crunched the numbers to tell us the average age, weight and height of this year's Tour de France. André Greipel seems to be pretty happy with his new 69kg frame according to the average... reckon we'll see the German duking it out with the climbers this year?

With the Tour being defined by the youthful exuberance of Pogacar and Bernal in recent years, it's easy to forget the average rider is pushing 30. Replying to a question about historical Tour rider stats, ammattipyöräily said: "Peloton averages have been very similar throughout 21st century - ~29 y, 180 cm, 69 kg. In 1990s, riders were heavier. There is, of course, already a little uncertainty here, as the available sources are less reliable..."

23 June 2021, 12:18
Pensioner reunited with much-loved vintage bike after it was found abandoned outside builder's merchants
dawes bike close-up.PNG

78-year-old William Shine was furious after his bike - a 40-year-old black Dawes city bike that used to belong to Olympic rower Charles Wiggin - was stolen from outside his home in Henley... however there has now been a happy ending for Mr Shine and his vintage bike after it was discovered abandoned in front of Jewson's building merchants, reports the Henley Standard

"I was so glad it was not left in pieces. I’ve now bought two locks, one for the front wheel and one for the back, to make sure this doesn’t happen again", he said. 

Mr Shine was told he could have Wiggin's bike after doing some work in his garden a number of years ago. Nowadays only three gears out of ten work, but nevertheless he said he was "absolutely delighted to be reunited with my old friend."

23 June 2021, 10:53
Froome can use disc or rim brakes at the Tour, says Israel Start-Up Nation founder

Chris Froome will be given the option of using disc brakes for the Tour de France after earlier this year criticising some of the functionality of disc brakes.

The Israel Start-Up Nation rider has been spotted training on a rim brake bike as well as testing out a set of Lightweight disc brake wheel, a break from the Black Inc wheels that Factor provides.

Speaking to Cyclingnews, Israel Start-Up Nation co-owner and founder, Sylvan Adams revealed that “Factor produces a rim-brake bike so this is about Chris’s preference for rim or discs.” 

“He’s right about some of the things that he’s said. The issues with rim brakes, they do heat up and there is some rubbing on the disc brakes on some of the long descents but if you look, everyone is on them. Chris himself, if he wanted a rim brake bike at the Tour, he’d be riding that."

That said, Adams was keen to point out that Froome is yet to ask for a rim brake bike during a race. "He hasn’t requested that and he’s happy to ride the disc."

"You’d have to ask Chris about this whole subject, which as you know he did start. He really did create the ripple about the disc brakes but I think that the comments that he made were honest and accurate, and they would be shared by a number of the riders in the peloton. At the same time, disc brakes work great in the rain, they have a lot more braking power and give you a lot more confidence in the descents.”

So, what will we see Froome starting the race on? We'll find out on Saturday.

23 June 2021, 10:49
How do you stack up?

 

23 June 2021, 10:01
The whole story? Video of 'road hogging cyclist' shared by Daily Mail sparks social media debate

A video posted to the Daily Mail's Facebook page, titled 'road hogging cyclist' has attracted the usual range of well-informed comments from the paper's readers.

The video shows one cyclist attempting to block the car driver from overtaking. The car driver hangs back a reasonable distance for some of the footage, but then gets dangerously close to the rear wheel of the cyclist before overtaking recklessly.

There is a debate on Twitter surrounding the reason for the cyclist riding in this manner. We would imagine that the video's caption which says that the driver "managed to overtake the cyclists at a junction...", could be alluding to a prior incident between the driver of the car and the person on the bicycle. 

However, this context is not shown and the video is instead filled with captions that prominent cycle safety campaigners have taken issue with. One caption says: "It's not going to end well if they [the cyclists] keep this up", while another incorrectly states: "The cyclists should be riding single file on the left side of the lane."

Some people on social media have suggested that the rider would have been better off just getting away from the car and its driver to get out of the situation. 

One said: "They were riding like dicks though and didn’t do cyclists or themselves any favours even though we didn’t see what was probably a dick move by the driver to make them react like this."

Another, referencing a recent petition calling for public awareness campaign to address driver aggression towards cyclists, commented: "These kinds of posts absolutely contribute to anger towards people on bikes."

Do you know more about the footage or the people in it? Get in touch at info [at] road.cc

23 June 2021, 09:56
Bora have a new kit for the Tour

Liam checking in. I've got a cup of tea, a biscuit and some big talking points coming up, but let's start off with some shiny new kit.

With just days to go until the start of the race, Peter Sagan's Bora Hansgrohe team has revealed a new kit just for the three-week race.

Thoughts? I'm thinking it's a winner, though maybe not as easy to spot on TV as the old design.

23 June 2021, 08:41
Former team manager Marc Bracke found guilty of harassment - but team defends him and insist allegations are false in fiery statement

Following allegations of misconduct brought by former team riders Marion Sicot and others last year, including an accusation that riders were asked to take selfies in their underwear, the UCI has banned former Doltcini - Van Eyck team manager Marc Bracke for three years, saying in a statement: "The Disciplinary Commission confirmed the Ethics Commission’s analysis that Mr Bracke’s conduct constituted sexual harassment according to article 6.4 of the UCI Code of Ethics and article 2.3 of Appendix 1.

"The Disciplinary Commission has therefore ordered the suspension of Mr Bracke from any role in cycling with immediate effect for a period of three years. As an additional measure and a condition of being granted a new licence after the period of suspension, Mr Bracke must take part in a harassment awareness programme delivered by a recognised professional institution.

"This decision sets an important precedent when it comes to the fight against sexual harassment. It is essential for the well-being of athletes that they can have confidence in the institutions and feel free to report any form of abuse."

The case has been defined by the team's insistence that Bracke is innocent, and in an explosive Facebook post published two hours ago, the team says that the allegations are false, and that the only reason Sicot made the accusations was to obtain a reduced suspension for doping. 

"Marc Bracke has never been heard in this case and not one of his universal human rights, including the right to defend himself, have in no way been respected", the statement says. 

"In the complete dossier there is not one act and not one word from Marc Bracke that suggest he had any sexual intention towards Marion Sicot."

"We stay convinced that Marion Sicot's accusations against Marc Bracke have no other intention than to obtain a reduced suspension for her use of doping, in which she has succeeded. Not only Marc Bracke but the complete team, its riders, sponsors and staff and women's cycling itself are her victims."

Sicot took to Instagram to comment on the UCI's findings, saying: "The disciplinary commission finally gave its verdict after almost two years and found Marc Bracke guilty of sexual harassment against me. He was suspended for three years by the UCI.

"There remains the criminal complaint still in progress but it is progressing and it feels good."

23 June 2021, 08:33
Bike boom in numbers: 3.3 million bikes were sold in the UK in 2020
Richmond Park Cyclists 03

As we're all now well familiar with, cycling boomed at the start of the pandemic - and the numbers are now in from market analysts Mintel to reveal just by how much, in monetary value anyway.

That number is estimated to be 3.3 million units, a 22% rise compared to 2019. The value of the UK bike market also went over £1 billion for the first time, rising from £825 million in 2019 to £1.2 billion in 2020, with a further billion added throughout the year taking it up to a whopping £2.31 billion. It's estimated that bike sales alone surpassed £1 billion last year, and it probably would have been quite a bit more if there had have been any left... 

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.  

Add new comment

23 comments

Avatar
Eton Rifle | 2 years ago
0 likes

That meghutchy twitter thread is a joy.

Avatar
grumpyoldcyclist | 2 years ago
6 likes

One of the captions says 'London, England' but I'm fairly certain I spotted some bus stop markings written in welsh.
More lies from the Daily Mail?

Avatar
swldxer | 2 years ago
2 likes

KERB, not "curb" in the UK.

Avatar
mdavidford | 2 years ago
3 likes

Quote:

Bradley Wiggins has said that the lack of international track racing in the build-up to the Olympic games means that the competition is "unpredictable" but the five-time gold medalist believes that

Eh?

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
12 likes

I hope SH74 wsn't in London to witness the carnage caused by all those cargo bikes in one place. 

Avatar
brooksby replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
1 like

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

I hope SH74 wsn't in London to witness the carnage caused by all those cargo bikes in one place. 

 

Avatar
Bucks Cycle Cammer | 2 years ago
8 likes

however, the Highway Code states that cyclists should "ride in single file when drivers wish to overtake and it is safe to let them do so.

Not yet it doesn't.

Avatar
Steve K | 2 years ago
0 likes

In answer to the 'how do you stack up' question, like Trentin I am old, short and overweight.  But I knew that already.  (51 years and a bit; 170 cm; 72kg.)

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
4 likes

Lord knows what was going on between the cyclist and the driver. However it does seem to me as an extremely atypical interaction and absolutely not normal behaviour that a driver would be expected to deal with in terms of making a safe overtake.

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey | 2 years ago
5 likes

I can only guess at what has happened to the cyclists to make the one in blue behave like that, but he swerves across the road so violently he nearly comes off, and isn't far away from oncoming traffic, and he drags it out for what seems like an age.   I lose my rag with close passers, but you have to come back down and get on with your life.

Avatar
WiznaeMe replied to Daveyraveygravey | 2 years ago
8 likes

Is this not a video from a couple of years ago? The Daily Mail probably looked it out to keep the hate bubbling along for its readers.

Avatar
squidgy replied to WiznaeMe | 2 years ago
2 likes

Yes, it's been kicking around for while now. Not sure what the full background to it was ever disclosed.
Obviously the Daily Hate thought it worthy to resurrect it again.

Avatar
TriTaxMan replied to squidgy | 2 years ago
0 likes

squidgy wrote:

Yes, it's been kicking around for while now. Not sure what the full background to it was ever disclosed. Obviously the Daily Hate thought it worthy to resurrect it again.

The full background is on the Viral Hog Website

https://viralhog.com/v?t=ovw5i5xt34

Seems the driver pulled out of a junction in front of the cyclist.  Cyclist took exception to that.  I'm going to hazard a guess it was a "there was plenty of distance" for them to pull out but not plenty of distance for the speed the cyclist was travelling at at the time

Avatar
TriTaxMan replied to WiznaeMe | 2 years ago
0 likes

WiznaeMe wrote:

Is this not a video from a couple of years ago? The Daily Mail probably looked it out to keep the hate bubbling along for its readers.

Yes the original video is from 2018.

Avatar
ChrisB200SX replied to WiznaeMe | 2 years ago
2 likes

WiznaeMe wrote:

Is this not a video from a couple of years ago? The Daily Mail probably looked it out to keep the hate bubbling along for its readers.

Yes, it's a couple of years old. Daily Heil trying to stir up hatred by dragging up old videos and stoking the same hatred again.

Avatar
Compact Corned Beef | 2 years ago
0 likes

I tried watching the embedded video but all I got was glitchy weirdness. Is it working for other bods?

Avatar
qwerty360 replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
7 likes

Watching the full video (or at least the one I have seen).

1. The passenger has had time to get a mobile out and start recording (so what happened before...)

2. For the first minute overtaking opportunities are limited due to parked cars, visibility lines and oncoming traffic.

3. At no point in the entire video is the driver >2 seconds behind the cyclist. I.e. for the WHOLE of the footage they are tailgating...

 

While ~1 min in the cyclist should definately have pulled in as the road had a section that was clear and long enough to comfortably overtake, I suspect they had at least some red mist due to extended tailgating (and probably other aggression, both before and during (note the audio not being from the camera (which is handheld so probably a mobile phone...)). It might have been possible to overtake before that, but given the tailgating, I suspect the driver had already demonstrated that they couldn't be trusted to pass safely...

Avatar
HLaB replied to qwerty360 | 2 years ago
5 likes

I couldn't bear to sit through the full video (I got bored) was there anything to suggest that it wasn't staged 😐

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to HLaB | 2 years ago
3 likes

HLaB wrote:

I couldn't bear to sit through the full video (I got bored) was there anything to suggest that it wasn't staged 😐

I'm not surprised. I did, there's a few minutes of my life I won't get back.

Not sure that there is anything to suggest that it was staged as such. 

The possible reason behind the riders' mildly annoying behaviour was stated (not in so many words) in the first few seconds. The driver inflicted a close pass at a junction - the overtake was clearly unnecessary as the driver is again behind. I suspect "must get to the back of the queue before the cyclists" followed by riders filtering to the front.

Silly from the rider's perspective (if only for the self-preservation aspect - film it and submit) and I wouldn't trust any twunt who'd made one crap move not to make another. But it's hardly road hogging, the driver is unable to pass safely at any point on that road so may as well suck it up and be patient. The riders are going at an appreciable fraction of the speed limit.

However of course this particular driver tailgates and "manages" (read forces) another overtake, in what clearly is an unsafe situation. O/taking being the most dangerous manouver you'll make on the road, even when done carefully, considerately and legally.

If i was that driver, I'd have hung back and waited until safe. But then, I've never got close to being in that situation with riders, even belligerent ones, cos I don't make close passes....

 

Avatar
fwhite181 replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
5 likes

From the full video it seems very likely that the driver had done something to illicit the lane-holding from the cyclist. Given the parked cars/oncoming traffic I suspect the driver had done the classic 'I'll try and make a gap oh sh*t there's an oncoming car, I'll just swipe left rather than hit the brakes'. Cyclists are incredibly aware of how badly they will come off in a collision with a badly driven car. 

On top of that - it's entirely legal to ride 2 (3, 4, or 5) abreast. If a safe overtake cannot be carried out for 2 riders side by side then a safe overtake *cannot be carried out* full stop. It's complete whataboutery to argue otherwise.

Avatar
hairyairey replied to fwhite181 | 2 years ago
0 likes

I reckon you could get 5-6 abreast on the former M10 (now A414) in Hertfordshire without stopping cars from overtaking. https://goo.gl/maps/We9nogJeSwCZFgDx7 - possibly the widest unofficial cycle lane on an A road in the whole country.

Avatar
TriTaxMan replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
5 likes

When the cyclist was actually riding on their side of the road, they were maintaining primary position because they knew they could do that and prevent the driver overtaking.  So in that instance they were perfectly entitled to ride primary.

BUT the second they start aggressively swerving to block the road then they had zero right to do that and were stupid to endanger their own life by doing so.

The other point is that the Daily Heil have dragged out a nearly 3 year old video to stir up anti-cyclist sentement treating it as if it is new news.  They have pushed this video at least 3 times as if it is new news since it first came out in October 2018.

Avatar
hairyairey replied to TriTaxMan | 2 years ago
0 likes

I've moved over to the other side to allow a car to pass on the inside before from what I see he has a clearer view up the road than the driver does.

Latest Comments