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Police warning as cyclist garroted by rope in woods; Pimlico Plumbers 'make citizen's arrest' of alleged Bentley bashing cyclist; Vine calls for end to "traffic sewer" on Brighton seafront; Evenepoel sick of Eddy Merckx comparisons + more on the live blog

It's Friday! Jack Sexty is here to provide your lead live blog coverage today with other members of the team chipping in intermittently.....
28 August 2020, 16:15
Deceuninck Quick-Step selling 'Wolfpack' baby clothes
deceuninck quick-step baby clothes.PNG

After their 'Back to School' range launched recently, Quick-Step's merchandise push appears to know no bounds with their new Wolfpack Baby collection. There are baby socks, bibs (as in a bib bib, not bib shorts) and a romper available, with the latter featuring 'TheLittleWolf' embroidered across the front, with a number on the back just like the pros in races. 

All are for sale now on the Deceuninck Quick-Step website.  

28 August 2020, 15:39
Police warning in Thetford after cyclist is garroted by a rope
edinburgh way thetford - via google street view.PNG

In yet another depressing incident of extreme violence that appears to be aimed at cyclists, Norfolk Police have issued a warning after a cyclist was garroted by a rope strung between trees. 

Police say the 25-year-old man was left with "extensive lacerations" across his neck after falling victim to the trap in woods next to Edinburgh Way in Thetford. Shockingly, wood containing nails was also placed at head height down alleyways that are regularly used by cyclists from Edinburgh Way and Durham Way used by cyclists.

PC Nike Harris commented: “We are concerned as these throughways are sometimes used by cyclists on their way to from work. We do not know why the rope and wood has been put in place but it may be in attempt to discourage cyclists and bikers.

“We would ask you report anti-social behaviour in the areas to police rather than take matters into your own hands if this is the case. Although we know these routes are not strictly meant for cyclists or bikers we do not want to find people are being seriously injured.”

Norfolk Police have asked anyone with information to contact PC Harris on 101, quoting crime reference 36/60081/20.

28 August 2020, 15:07
Great Britain para-cyclist Liz Clarke-Saul dies from rare bone cancer

British Cycling say in their statement that Clarke-Saul passed away on 20th July, having suffered from a highly rare bone cancer called adamantinoma since the age of 12. After having her leg amputated because of the cancer age 14, Clarke-Saul joined the Great Britain para-cycling team in 2014, competing in the 2015 and 2016 Para-Cycling Track World Championships. Her cancer returned in 2018 and was incurable, which prevented her from competing at the 2018 UCI Road World Championships. 

British Cycling's Head of Para-cycling Jon Pett said: “Liz was a valued member of the para-cycling squad since she joined us in June 2014, and I know I speak for all of the para-cycling staff when I say she was a pleasure to work with.

"She was a great person to have on the team – always happy, always upbeat and an amazing attitude towards life, despite everything she was facing.

“The Great Britain team riders and staff who worked with Liz have been saddened by the news, but I know it will make us more determined than ever to perform to the best of our ability, in Liz’s memory. Our thoughts at this time are with Liz’s husband Jack and her family.”

To find out more about the Liz Clarke-Saul fund to raise money to support pioneering research into adamantinoma, click here

28 August 2020, 14:41
Tour de France socially distanced team presentation ceremony

Compared to the party that road.cc attended in Brussels last year, things were obviously quite different at the 2020 ceremony in Nice, with spectators and media sat apart at a safe distance. Find out all your need to know about the Tour that nearly never happened in our stage-by-stage guide

28 August 2020, 15:04
Could this self-charging battery revolutionise e-bikes? NDB's nano-diamond creation could last years without needing to be charged
ndb battery - via ndb

Could charging your phone, e-bike and electric car become a thing of the past? Read more about this potential battery breakthrough from US tech company NDB over on eBikeTips

28 August 2020, 14:01
Cycling UK unveil new 350km off-road cycle route in southern England
cycling uk king alfreds way launch photos.PNG

The King Alfred’s Way loops takes riders on an adventure through Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, featuring gravel tracks and trails with plenty of ups and downs. If you decide to make an epic weekend/week of it and take on the whole route you'll pass Stonehenge, the Avebury and Iron Age hill forts at Old Sarum and Barbury Castle while taking in some quintessential English countryside.

Cycling UK say they've spent three years working on the route, which connects the North Downs Way, South Downs Way, Ridgeway and Thames Path. Some sections were upgraded to allow cycling on existing footpaths, and existing bridleways, byways and quiet country lanes were also added in.

Cycling UK's campaign officer Sophie Gordon commented: “The pandemic has understandably changed the British public’s appetite for foreign travel but with King Alfred’s Way we’re hoping to at least quench its thirst for adventure.

“There’s no need to fly or, for many, even travel far for a challenging trip. King Alfred’s Way is 220 miles of literal ups and downs looping through a quintessential southern England made up of thatched cottages, Iron Age hill forts and stone circles.”

You can find the online route map here

28 August 2020, 14:01
Cycling Mikey meets a cycling plumber

With a not-so-subtle dig at Pimlico Plumbers, the camera cyclist shows that a plumber can indeed trade without needing a van for the vast majority of jobs.

bristol pedal powered plumbing.PNG

For those based in the south west, there's also Pedal Powered Plumbing of Bristol - the website can be found here. Feel free to post more cycle-friendly plumber recommendations in the comments below. 

28 August 2020, 13:09
Extinction Rebellion activists arrested after blocking Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol

Avon and Somerset Police say two females were arrested at 11pm last night on suspicion of wilful obstruction of the highway and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance... and now the police are closing the bridge to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians for four days in response.

Extinction Rebellion (XR) are reportedly planning a four day protest, with the Bristol Post reporting that they plan to block motor traffic with an elephant and take over "key sites" in Bristol. XRYouth UK said on their Twitter account: "Police last night took the decision to completely close the Clifton Suspension Bridge, for potentially up to 4 days. XR Youth intended to close it from 7 - 4 for traffic while remaining open to pedestrians and bikes. As a result of the closure we are now by the bridge entrance." 

XR Youth are also holding 'socially distanced events' at the site of the Suspension Bridge, erecting a transportable stage and running workshops on the subject of the climate crisis. 

28 August 2020, 12:30
Scicon launch new Aerowing and Aeroshade sunglasses
scicon aerowing shades

The new shades have dropped on the eve of the Tour de France, with Team Emirates, Israel Start-Up Nation and NTT Pro Cycling all rocking Scicon eyewear for Le Tour. 

Both are wide and retro-looking as seems to be the norm nowadays, and the Aerowing has a 'rimless cylindrical shield' on the face with a vented brow construction to allow for extra airflow.

scicon aeroshade.PNG

Scicon claim the Aeroshade's Horizon Adapt system is the world's first height adjustable nose pad, which allows riders to tailor the field of vision depending on their preferred riding position with a push or pull on the nose piece. Like the Aerowing, they have interchangeable lenses that are impact resistant with 100% UV protection.

 

 

 

The Aerowing is priced at £160 and the Aeroshade is £170, both are available now through Scicon's website and numerous retailers. 

28 August 2020, 11:42
Jeremy Vine calls for an end to "traffic sewer" on Brighton seafront

The broadcaster didn't mince his words when giving his opinion on the future of Brighton's seafront, which controversially had a 600m section of cycle lane removed yesterday because of concerns over congestion. The council’s lead member for transport Pete West told The Argus: “Congestion on this stretch has had a knock-on for major bus routes and delays to bus journey times – that is unacceptable."

Of course another way to reduce the congestion would be for people to stop driving so much, but that appears to be a step too far and Brightonians remain bitterly divided over the issue... 

28 August 2020, 11:18
Protestors against London Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes accused of pouring oil on roads to injure cyclists

If true, it appears people who have a problem with lower levels of rat-running traffic in their neighbourhood have sunk to a new level of cowardice and stupidity, as there have been various reports of oil on roads where planters have been installed to prevent through traffic in London.  

Full story to follow.

28 August 2020, 10:08
Grant Shapps announces "first-of-its-kind" pothole mapping project, using data from Deliveroo and Uber

The Transport Secretary says that the government have enlisted the help of companies such as Uber and Deliveroo to combat potholes. Information published at midnight on gov.uk says that mapping data will be used from these businesses to identify hotspots for repairs, and the work will be accelerated ahead of schools going back next week to make roads safer for cyclists and motorists. They also claim 319 miles worth of resurfacing works have taken place during lockdown, made possible by the quieter roads. 

Not everyone is quite so enthusiastic... 

If you want to report potholes, you can go directly to the Highways Agency or use apps such as Fill That Hole and FixMyStreet

28 August 2020, 09:14
Pimlico Plumbers claim to have made a citizen's arrest on a cyclist who allegedly vandalised their CEO's Bentley

This strange episode has just got stranger, as Pimlico Plumbers have now published a blog post where they claim to have detained a vandal who allegedly damaged the Bentley that belongs to their chairman Charlie Mullins.

Last week, Pimlico published a video showing the alleged culprit in the act, asking social media to help them track him down. The male cyclist, on a Santander Cycle hire bike, appeared to kick out a wing mirror on the luxury car, but some people accused Pimlico of faking it following a number of anti-cyclist comments made by the company on their website and on social media in recent weeks. 

The statement says: "This morning the Pimlico security team made a citizen's arrest of the cyclist who made a ride-by attack on Pimlico chairman Charlie Mullins' Bentley while it was parked outside the company's Sail Street headquarters.

"Since the mindless act of vandalism last week where the man rode close to the parked car and kicked and damaged its passenger side wing mirror the team has been on the lookout for the criminal responsible and today they were able to stop and hold him as he rode past on another Boris bike.

"The police were called and the culprit is now being dealt with by the authorities after admitting his guilt to the responding officer." 

There has been no confirmation from the police that they are involved other than Pimlico's word, and some continue to accuse them of staging the act of vandalism; but their 'supporters' have hailed this as proof that it wasn't just a publicity stunt. 

28 August 2020, 08:43
Remco Evenepoel really doesn't like being called 'the new Merckx'. At all.

It appears the 20-year-old Belgian isn't too keen on the comparisons with the great Eddy Merckx, venting on social media for everyone to "please stop it" with the wild predictions: "Nobody can be a new version of something he or she has never been and will never be", he says. 

Perhaps a particular interview question or speculative media reporting pushed his buttons, but it's clear the Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider doesn't want the pressure and the expectation that will come with being tipped to emulate arguably the greatest cyclist of all time. Some fans aren't being overly sympathetic on his Twitter page... 

Is the young prodigy (as he'd hate to be called) being a little over sensitive here?

28 August 2020, 09:08
"Why don't you use the cycle lane?"

Another one for the archives. 

28 August 2020, 08:29
Garmin launches 'Pause Training Status' feature
garmin training pause

If you're injured or taking a holiday and don't want Garmin telling you how little training you've been doing as if everything was normal, you can now pause your training status completely and leave it paused until you start up again. 

Garmin say there are situations "when tracking your training status can be demotivating or even counterproductive", so rather than watching your status drain you can just get back on the horse when you're ready to. Selecting the pause function will also hide feedback such as your VO2 max, fitness trend, 7-day load and recovery time. Daily suggested workouts are also suspended until training status is resumed.  

To use the function on a Garmin Edge cycling computer, simply select 'My Stats' from the home screen, press 'Training Status' and then select 'Pause Training Status'.

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

66 comments

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
0 likes

 although I thought the superfluous comma in your second sentence was sacrilegious to the English language

Not as heinous as the crimes against spelling and grammar exhibited by the complainant.

Avatar
BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP | 3 years ago
2 likes

Couple of things. Councils must stand strong in the face of opposition to LTNs. The only thing that would improve active travel is political will. 

Second thing - that photo of the Pimlico Plumbers 'security team' looks a bit Village People. You can easily imagine a feathered headdress, a biker's helmet, a workman's tool . . . . . . Anyone any good with photoshop? 

Avatar
markieteeee replied to BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP | 3 years ago
3 likes

I'm lucky enough for my street to have become a LTN as part of these measures. All they have to do is listen to the residents, which they are doing via the ongoing online consultation during the trial.  Even those who initially opposed it or were against it in principle are now seeing the benefits of cleaner air, less noise and no fast/aggressive traffic in the neighbourhood, easier parking.

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
2 likes

King Alfred's Way: Excellent! I'll go and do it- it's several decades since I walked the South Downs Way, and I've hardly been round the area since. Surreptitious campsites may require all my clandestine skills.

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spen | 3 years ago
7 likes

Pimlico are now claiming that the perp has agreed to pay for damages so they will not prosecute him, thought that was the cps' job, conveniently. 

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Hirsute replied to spen | 3 years ago
5 likes

But they handed him over to the Police, so nothing to do with the Plumbers what happens to the alleged criminal.

Any news on the illegal parking ?

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

I don't know, I believe they, as alledged victims could tell the police not to take it any further. It does depend on the crime though but I think they also realised they could be looking at costs and potentially counter damages depending on how the Citizens Arrest was potentially performed. 

I'm treating the whole thing as potentially really happened rather then definitely fake though until proven one way or the other. However I would also like to know about the parking, but that is council enforcement and not Police.

Avatar
wtjs replied to spen | 3 years ago
7 likes

Pimlico are now claiming that the perp has agreed to pay for damages so they will not prosecute him

Still looks like an inept con. I wonder if the plumbing is as bad?

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
1 like

wtjs wrote:

Pimlico are now claiming that the perp has agreed to pay for damages so they will not prosecute him

Still looks like an inept con. I wonder if the plumbing is as bad?

We need someone in the security office to leak.

Avatar
TheBillder replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
1 like

The truth needs to be flushed out.

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AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
9 likes

Quote:

PC Nike Harris commented: “We are concerned as these throughways are sometimes used by cyclists on their way to from work. We do not know why the rope and wood has been put in place but it may be in attempt to discourage cyclists and bikers.

Funny, being as it caused serious injuries and could have lead to a death, I would suggest it is there to kill and not to discourage and when the culprit is found, they should be charged with attempted murder. 

And anyone sent the story to Rob Liddle yet? I'm sure he might reward the offender.

Avatar
Eton Rifle replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
6 likes

With those powers of deduction, he's not going to make detective any time soon, is he?

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Awavey replied to Eton Rifle | 3 years ago
0 likes

I would read that as the police are aware of some local tensions about use (or should that be misuse) of that part of woodland, and the cyclist was unfortunately caught up in whatevers been going on there of late. I dont beleive its an anti cycling thing fwiw.

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wycombewheeler | 3 years ago
0 likes

Surely the biggest question us why is the person taking photos of the cycle lane kerb trap wearing odd shoes?

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to wycombewheeler | 3 years ago
1 like

Literally first post in the comments wycombe.

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brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

On the King Alfred’s Way, there was an article about it in today's Grauniad.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/aug/28/like-cycling-throug...

My favourite bit was

Quote:

Gordon and her party had to cross a shallow ford because a footbridge was blocked.

I mean - this new route has just opened, with the Cycling UK imprimatur no less, and the journalist reporting on it had to walk through a ford because a footbridge was blocked?

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

Not the journo, the press officer for Cycling UK.

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HarrogateSpa replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

There's a place for rough, off-road rides, but I really wish they would concentrate their efforts on accessible-to-all traffic-free tarmacked paths.

They would have a much wider appeal and draw more people into riding bikes.

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ktache replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
0 likes

The Route along the cyclable part of the Thames Path from Reading to Goring has some proper off road sections, there is a valley just after Whitchurch that is stepped on one side, almost unrideable up or down.  And the Ridgeway, I'm very pleased I had 2 inch knobblies and it was almost bone dry when I rode it.

I like the idea of the route and will at some point ride south from Reading to Farnham, easy train back from North Camp.

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TheBillder replied to ktache | 3 years ago
0 likes

NR 68 in Northumberland has some very tricky areas which for my tiny level of off road skill needs chunky tyres. Even on my gravel bike, admittedly with quite a worn rear tyre, I had to walk up from one ford a few weeks ago. I was with my son who had his road bike with 25mm slicks and road shoes - he didn't even bother trying to ride up.

What it would be like with a laden tourer, or recumbent or something, I can only imagine. It would be useful to have more information on route signs if the path is unsuitable for road bikes. But then the signage needs a lot of improvement across the network and that isn't cheap.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
1 like

HarrogateSpa wrote:

There's a place for rough, off-road rides, but I really wish they would concentrate their efforts on accessible-to-all traffic-free tarmacked paths.

They would have a much wider appeal and draw more people into riding bikes.

can't it be both? the budget for constructing and maintaining tarmac cycle routes will be barely touched by creation of this route which is mostly research and discussions with landowners.

certainly they could not create a route of this scale in the manner you suggest, without major government funding.

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brooksby replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
0 likes

I like tarmac.

Every time I ride on the Pill Path out of Bristol I think "I'm sure its not as bad as I remember" and every time, it is.

Did I say I like tarmacced surfaces...?

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TheBillder replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
0 likes

Isn't that place the Stray after the world championships set it all up for ungrateful locals?

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brooksby replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

My bad  2

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muhasib replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

The route goes right past my front window in Farnham and there is a permanent locked gate at the end of the street to stop rat running which means getting off to go round on the pavement. It was put in ten years ago and still most days there is traffic that has to reverse to back out. There is also a subway crossing under the A325 they appear to use that is cycling prohibited as well. I'm quite looking forward to trying the route as I have a natural start and end point.

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swldxer | 3 years ago
1 like

It's a DOOR mirror, not a "wing" mirror.

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quiff replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
5 likes

Are we really going here again, so soon?

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giff77 replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
0 likes

swldxer wrote:

It's a DOOR mirror, not a "wing" mirror.

i see the needle is still stuck. 

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mdavidford | 3 years ago
2 likes

All normal Bristolians want. Is to understand. How to use punctuation?

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brooksby replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Punctuation? Difficult, it is.

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