British Cycling’s cycle to work ad “not representative” and only aimed at “athletic people interested in sport”, say commuters; Police stop cyclist at night… and give him hi-vis vest and bag; “The future of cars is: not cars” + more on the live blog

Another week, another social media debate about British Cycling…

Our latest episode of ‘people criticising the national governing body’ (a regular fixture of 2023, it seems) comes courtesy of an Instagram post encouraging cyclists to commute to work by bike – an ad which, one commuter claims, presents cycling as a “niche” pursuit for “athletic people interested in sport”.

 

 

 

 

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The ad in question – put together as part of a paid partnership by cycling Instagrammer Biking Maz – lists some of the reasons cyclists might want to ride to work in the summer, including the fresh air and endorphins, the financial and environmental impact of not using a car, and having more time to spend in the evening with your dogs.

The video, because it’s a British Cycling advert after all, also advises commuter cyclists to join BC for the insurance benefits and the bonus of a free rucksack for new members (ah, the old perks for newbies trick, a British Cycling classic).

> "No prizes for loyalty": British Cycling's £99 smart light sign-up offer goes down well with existing members

However, while most cyclists could get behind the ad’s message, it was the way this message was presented – featuring a racing cyclist wearing cycling kit and riding an expensive bike – that attracted the attention of some commuters on Twitter.

“This Instagram ad for cycling to work makes it look like it’s only for athletic people interested in sport,” wrote Jack Fifield, a journo at the Oldham Times.

“Not representative of the people I see cycling casually in Manchester.”

Here's some photos I took today of people cycling in Manchester and Stockport pic.twitter.com/6uVVb3aXkU

— Jack Fifield 🐼 (@jackfifield) June 3, 2023

Jack’s criticism of British Cycling’s ad, it’s safe to say, divided the masses on Twitter.

Katy agreed that the video was “unhelpful for active travel” and claimed that it makes cycling “look niche, specialist, hard to identify with… makes it also far easier for any opposition to say exactly that. And it’s not true.”

“I cycle to work every day, no matter what the weather, spring, summer, autumn, winter. I cycle in my regular clothes. I never get dressed up in a special costume,” wrote Citizen Wolf.

Totally right @jackfifield.
We prefer:
* Buy any old bike that works (from £100 or so)
* Ride it to where you need to go
* Er, that's it pic.twitter.com/QHXZqlY7Ku

— Oxfordshire Cycling Network (@OxonCyclingNet) June 3, 2023

“Couldn’t agree more,” said Jamie. “The culture change necessary to cement cycling into commuter thinking needs all parties to have a look at themselves and how they portray what should be the most accessible of all travel options.”

However, not everyone agreed with Jack’s analysis.

“You’re getting angry at an advert,” Connor argued. “People cycle in all types of clothing on all types of bikes. British Cycling are constantly doing comms directed at more casual or beginner cyclists.”

“It’s just some budget Insta ad,” agreed Jacob. “God forbid they use a cyclist who does use cycle specific clothing. At no point does it imply this is the only way you can chose to cycle.”

Adverts by their very nature tend to be aspirational— I don’t really see it as that much of a problem, tbh

— Ian Wills (@ianjwills) June 3, 2023

However, one cyclist, Chris, decided to offer some much-needed balance to the whole debate (balance? What’s that? Never heard of it…).

“They're both right,” he said. “Most commuters aren’t roadies. But more roadies should commute. Selling commuting as an athletic pursuit for a specific audience that doesn't commute enough is good. I commuted like this when I was racing and loved it.”

What do you think? Should a cycle to work ad from British Cycling be more inclusive and representative of all cyclists who commute? Or does it really matter what a cyclist is wearing, either out on the roads or in a social media clip?

60-70 riders joined for the final day of the London to Ukraine bike ride which was just amazing. And we even got a police escort (!)

The ride was in aid of landmine removal in Ukraine, and we hit the 20k target this morning.

A huge thanks to everyone that has donated already -… pic.twitter.com/kGMyTY7GAI

— Tom Hashemi (@tomhashemi) May 14, 2023

It turns out that riding 1,300 miles to Lviv, Ukraine, while raising funds to clear landmines in the war-torn country and overcoming a tramline-induced crash and subsequent hospital stay along the way, wasn’t enough for Tom Hashemi.

Less than three weeks after completing his epic trip, Hashemi was back on his pimped-out Giant Defy, covering over 220km (at a decent speed too) over eight and a half hours… to draw Ukraine on Strava.

Drew the map of Ukraine today... with my bike. #GPSart #StravaArt pic.twitter.com/dcyFtKAsCk

— Tom Hashemi (@tomhashemi) June 4, 2023

I know we see a lot of Strava Art™ on the live blog, but that is very cool. Though I feel tired just thinking about it…

> Check out this restored Giant Defy with Ukraine & Union Jack custom paint that's on a 2,000km journey to Lviv

Shari Bossuyt has protested her innocence and likened herself to someone wrongly convicted of murder, after Canyon-SRAM suspended the Belgian rider following a positive drugs test.

It was revealed yesterday that the 22-year-old tested positive for Letrozole at the Tour de Normandie in March, where she won a stage and finished sixth overall, though she claims she is a victim of contamination.

Letrozole is primarily used to block oestrogen during the treatment of breast cancer, but can be used in a sporting context to help boost the production of testosterone. It is regarded by the UCI as a specified substance, meaning it does not come with an automatic provisional suspension.

However, like cyclocross star Toon Aerts, who tested positive for the drug last year, Bossuyt faces a two-year ban from racing if the UCI upholds an anti-doping rule violation.

> Toon Aerts set to receive two-year ban for positive anti-doping test

Speaking at a press conference this morning, the young Belgian – who signed a contract extension with Canyon-SRAM in April – outlined her determination to clear her name, and explain how Letreozole ended up in her system.

“I’ve ended up in an unreal situation. I have never come into contact with Letrozole and have never consciously used it. This was even the first time I had heard of Letrozole," she said.

“It feels unfair. I compare it to being put in prison for murder when you didn’t commit murder. That’s what it feels like.

“Everything indicates that we are dealing with a contamination. Hopefully we can quickly provide clarity to the necessary authorities. And above all that, we can prove that we are not cheaters.”

Aerts also attended Bossuyt’s press conference in Zwevegem, where the pair’s agent Yannick Prevost claimed that his riders were victims, and not dopers.

“We have been working on this file for a year,” Prevost said today, before providing a Contador-esque ‘tainted beef’ excuse. “It is very difficult to prove that it is a contamination from food.

“We are walking a track, but we cannot yet make it concrete. What we can say is that Shari and Toon both tested positive after competitions in Normandy, in Flamanville to be precise.

“Letrozole is used for the fertilization of cows and sheep. That is a relatively new technique. It is currently a hypothesis that we cannot yet substantiate. Because the food industry does not yet test for Letrozole.

“Shari and Toon are not doping users, but victims.”

I told you earlier today that road.cc’s Simon got on his bike in central London for the second weekend in a row to become part of the massive, sometimes fairly chaotic, bunch of cyclists bopping along to DJ Dom Whiting’s beats, as part of the by-now iconic Drum & Bass on the Bike.

Here’s what Simon had to say about yesterday’s sunny rave on the roads (now that’s a decent title, too), why it was different to the previous week’s RideLondon event, and why a humble DJ set can make you feel part of something big:

> Joining Dom Whiting for a Drum & Bass On The Bike ride – a glorious afternoon in every sense

Just another weekend in London, packed with people having a great time on their bikes…

A week after RideLondon took over the streets of the capital, yesterday saw the turn of DJ Dom Whiting and his portable decks, transforming central London once again into a joyous two-wheeled rave:

Drum & Bass on a bike today in London 🎧🚲 pic.twitter.com/jqNLGP0176

— Tooting Paradiso (@MandrakeRdChaos) June 4, 2023

What a sight it was yesterday! Thousands of people on bikes taking over central London - thank you to @domwhiting for an incredible day! pic.twitter.com/8ve7wg5YkE

— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) June 5, 2023

Lonodon not going anywhere fast! On the road with @domwhiting's Drum and Bass on the Bike #London #cycling pic.twitter.com/2bzjTOjaXT

— Sam Petherick (@sampetherick) June 4, 2023

> Drum & Bass On The Bike is coming to London again this weekend — and its creator is still trying to make sense of it all

A well-known music connoisseur, road.cc’s Simon was also there, enjoying the tunes and the group ride (and perhaps too much of the sun as well, judging by the colour of his face today)…

Absolutely fantastic afternoon riding around central London with @domwhiting on the decks and a couple of thousand fellow cyclists having a total blast, what a party 🥳 pic.twitter.com/2qV5IqDlpT

— Simon MacMichael 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇮🇹🇪🇺❤️💙🚲 (@simonmacmichael) June 4, 2023

Though I’m sure a certain octogenarian disc jockey felt conflicted by the sight of a pedalling disco on London’s roads yesterday…

predictably, that Rowan Atkinson piece is driving me insane. it's opinion, absolutely not fact and has some straight-up untruths in it.

it's true, battery-electric vehicles aren't going to be the future of using cars like we do now. because we can't use cars like that in future

— Hazel Southwell (@HSouthwellFE) June 4, 2023

You’ve probably all read by now Rowan Atkinson’s piece in the Guardian from the weekend, where Edmund Blackadder himself claimed that, despite being an “early adopter” of electric vehicles, he’s increasingly felt “duped” by them, even arguing that it may be better for the environment if people just keep hold of their old petrol cars for longer.

“Increasingly, I’m feeling that our honeymoon with electric cars is coming to an end, and that’s no bad thing: we’re realising that a wider range of options need to be explored if we’re going to properly address the very serious environmental problems that our use of the motor car has created,” Atkinson wrote.

Fair enough, you might think. That paragraph especially could have been written specifically for road.cc’s readership.

However, for those of the bike-riding and active travel persuasion, it’s the actor’s proposed solutions to the environmental problems of the motor car that left many scratching their heads in confusion.

Hydrogen. Synthetic fuels. Keeping your car for longer.

> Retired neurologist says increased weight and acceleration of electric vehicles will lead to rise in cycling-related fatalities unless 20mph speed limits are introduced

Having played a character synonymous with a famous bike riding scene, it may surprise you that cycling, or walking, or wheeling, or any form of active travel was missing from Mr Bean’s electric vehicle article (though, in fairness, he does point out, briefly, that one solution is using a car “as little as possible”).

Unsurprisingly, it’s taken a few cyclists on Twitter to point out where Atkinson may be going wrong in his analysis:

The wider response to the Rowan Atkinson piece is:
- Yes, we should aim to reduce car use as much as we can - primarily by promoting walking/cycling/wheeling and public transport
- No, there is not a lower carbon alternative to EVs on the horizon for people who need a car

— Andrew Sissons (@ACJSissons) June 4, 2023

It SHOULD do Susan, but no mention in this piece, plus little mention of most of the problems NOT solved by EVs.
Rowan, stick to the day job.

— CHAIRRDRF (@CHAIRRDRF) June 3, 2023

“Electric cars aren’t here to save the planet, they’re here to save the car industry,” wrote Real Gaz on a proper bike. “A lot of trips could be made via other means and that needs to happen as Rowan forgets about the other pollution, congestion, and danger.”

Meanwhile, motoring journo Hazel Southwell put together an interesting thread refuting much of Atkinson’s article, which she claimed had “some straight-up untruths in it”.

“I’m a car journalist but the future of cars is: not cars. Sorry, that's the difficult truth here,” she said.

“By far the most sensible thing for us to develop isn’t BEVs or synthetic fuel, it’s public transport to get vehicles off roads.”

.@totamagalhaes out of cycling pic.twitter.com/7YkP9XvkVB

— O País do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) June 5, 2023

I think Bizkaia Durango pro Ana Vitória Magalhães needs to work on her swing before this week’s Tour Féminin des Pyrénées…