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Live blog: Terrifying BinkBank Tour near miss; No bike lane = “no biking” in NYC; Fiona Kolbinger to "recommence normal life"; London bike parking in the movies; Cape Wrath Fellowship+ more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
15 August 2019, 16:02
Near miss
Near Miss of the Day 297: Bus driver cuts in on cyclist because he wasn’t on the (crap) bike path

The driver’s explanation when challenged about this one was that there was a cycle path – a line of reasoning which apparently made sense to him in some mysterious way.

Watch the video here.

15 August 2019, 15:46
Alastair Campbell's taken a fall
15 August 2019, 15:38
Yes he Kante

If you watched the European Super cup tie between Chelsea and Liverpool last night, you'll know the indefatigable Frenchman was everywhere and didn't deserve to be on the losing side as the reds triumphed on penalties. He is partial to a bike ride if the pic below is anything to go by...

15 August 2019, 15:28
Amazon delivery driver steals girl's bike from driveway

A clip from the US that will make you wonder if there's any good left in the world, as an Amazon delivery driver steals a child's bike from a driveway then rides away on it. 

The homeowner Kristin Casey told WNDU: "I was furious and then after that, I was just, I was almost appalled that someone would do that."

The bike belonged to Casey's 11-year-old daughter, and she said that after reporting the incident the driver was identified by police. He claimed he thought the bike was unwanted because it was placed next to a recycling bin. 

Amazon announced in a statement that the man is no longer working as a delivery driver for them. 

15 August 2019, 15:22
13 of the newest bikes launched this year you might have missed

There have been so many new bikes launched this year that you might have missed some of them, so helpfully we've pulled together 13 of the most interesting, from road racers to gravel munchers. 

Read the feature here.

wilier zero slr disc
15 August 2019, 14:23
Hire bikes in Montreal (via StreetView)
Montreal police issued 12,285 tickets to cyclists in 2018

Montreal Police issued cyclists with 12,285 tickets in 2018. That’s 42 times more cycling tickets than Toronto.

The most common infractions were for running red lights, riding with headphones and failing to stop at stop signs.

Samaki-Eric Soumpholphakdy, commander of road safety for Montreal Police, told the Montreal Gazette that enforcement was about keeping cyclists safe.

“We do believe that when a person gets a ticket, it can increase their awareness (of traffic rules),” he said.

He went on to highlight the fact that there hasn't been a cycling death in Montreal this year as proof of this.

"In Montreal, what we've done in the last couple of years is really put the emphasis on road safety, and when you look at the annual reports year after year you can see that the results pay off," he said.

“It’s mainly because of the fact that the SPVM (Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal) is carrying out operations that specifically target cyclists,” said Suzanne Lareau, the president and director of Vélo Québec.

Last year, campaigners protested amendments to the Highway Code that saw fines for some cycling violations quadruple.

“Right now, it costs you more if your bike is missing one of its reflectors than if one of the headlights on your car is burned out,” said Lareau. “It’s ridiculous.”

15 August 2019, 13:57
Velo Birmingham and Midlands 17
Petition launched to cancel Velo Birmingham

Organisers counter concerns by pointing out all road closures are approved by the emergency services.

Full story here.

15 August 2019, 11:52
Terrifying BinkBank Tour near miss: riders disagree about organiser's responsibilities

An unusual exchange has emerged on Twitter between Edward Theuns, wh uploaded the clip, and Marcus Burghardt of Bora-Hansgrohe. Burghardt, although writing in quite broken English, appears to be suggesting it was due to organisational failures that the person crossing the road was put in danger. 

Do you think Burghardt has a point, or is there only so much race organisers can do to protect the riders and the public?

 

15 August 2019, 11:42
Canyon launch the new Roadlite:ON 'fitness bike' with Fazua Evation system
canyon 6.JPG

The Roadlite:ON comes in three spec levels priced from £2,499 and all with 1x drivetrains, with a Fazua Evation removable power unit that is now controlled via a remote located on the downtube. Full story on eBikeTips

15 August 2019, 11:02
broken bike.jpg
Carol Boardman ghost bike removed by council after complaints it was distracting drivers

Council ‘sympathetic towards roadside memorials’ but says sites need to be appropriate for the tributes being left.

Full story here.

15 August 2019, 10:08
Well this was close...
15 August 2019, 10:04
Black bear (CC licensed by janetandphil via Flickr)
US cyclist crashed into a bear

News 12 Connecticut reports that a local cyclist escaped with just a broken finger after crashing his bike into a black bear.

Jim Triano came round a corner and the bear was eating berries at the side of the road. He couldn’t avoid it and went over his handlebars. The bear then ran off into the woods.

"People said, 'Holy cow, at least the bear didn't come at you,'” said Triano. “And God forbid it had, because I was not in any condition to fend off a several hundred-pound black bear."

Triano’s Cervelo fared less well.

(No, it’s not *that* John Craven.)

15 August 2019, 09:19
Are you a member of the Cape Wrath Fellowship?

Cycling UK’s looking for you.

Cape Wrath is the most north-westerly point of the British mainland and one of its most remote roads.

In the late 1940s, Cycling’s touring correspondent, Rex Coley, established the Cape Wrath Fellowship for riders who had made it to the Cape with their bikes.

An estimated 2,000 cyclists are members, but many of the early records have been lost.

Cycling UK, who are custodians of the fellowship, want folk who’ve made the journey to Cape Wrath by bike to get in touch.

15 August 2019, 09:06
Fifth Avenue, New York (via StreetView)
NYPD tickets cyclist, tells him there is "no biking anywhere in the city unless there's a bike lane"

Patch reports on a cyclist who was ticketed for riding down New York’s Fifth Avenue outside the bike lane.

The main issue confronting Alex Goldmark was that this particular stretch of Fifth Avenue does not actually have a bike lane.

When he put this to the police officer, she told him there was no cycling anywhere in the city unless there's a bike lane.

Bicycles are not barred from roads without bike lanes confirmed a spokesperson for the city's Department of Transportation.

An NYPD spokesperson said the bike lane summons will be voided.

"The Commanding Officer is aware that the bike lane summons was issued in error, that summons will be voided and the officer will be instructed on proper summons-able traffic offenses."

15 August 2019, 07:18
Fion Kolbinger "to recommence her normal life as a doctor" after TCR victory
Fiona Kolbinger Transcontinental win_Credit AngusSung.co_.uk for Transcontinental.cc

In an in-depth interview on the Transcontinental Race podcast with plenty of fascinating insights into her victory, the winner of the 2019 TCR Fiona Kolbinger has said she will continue in her profession as a doctor, and has no plans to take up cycling "as a commercial activity or as a professional rider." She will now "ride Paris-Brest-Paris before returning to Germany to recommence her normal life as a doctor", according to a press release from The Transcontinental Race.

Asked if she thinks a level playing field is brought about in ultra-distance events, Kolbinger said: "It doesn't only come down to the physical ability to ride your bike fast and far, it comes down to good route planning, it comes down to being able to sleep little, only having very short rest stops, being organised about your food choices, being quick in supermarkets and gas stations. Just not losing time, and also being good at bike maintenance. There are so many aspects to it that have nothing to do with testosterone levels or physical circumstances that are bound to gender. 

"This is actually less than a miracle than it might seem to people who have only watched the Tour de France and shorter races where it comes down to being able to ride fast for a short amount of time."

15 August 2019, 07:36
Bike parking: only in the movies...

This (questionable-looking) upcoming festive film shows one of the main protagonists parking his bike on a Sheffield stand in London's Cecil Court... although in real life they don't actually exist. 

15 August 2019, 07:42
Not surprising...

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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9 comments

Avatar
Liam Cahill | 4 years ago
0 likes

They've found the bear...

via GIPHY

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

I had wondered if the fact that Fiona Kolbinger, being a young medic, had given her an advantage when it came to ability to survive without sleep, but I couldn't believe that the German state could possibly treat their trainee doctors quite as badly as the UK treats ours.  Removing them for the European Working Time Directive doesn't seem to be what I think of how Germany treats it's workers.  You know, life and death decisions when on no sleep.  Our paramedics have 12 hour shifts too, I don't know about anyone else, but I'm shattered after 8 or 9 hours of not trying to save lives. 

Avatar
Rick_Rude | 4 years ago
4 likes

//pics.me.me/police-in-america-be-like-police-the-police-remember-if-29003280.png)

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

Why was Newsround covering a cyclist colliding with a bear?

Avatar
Bentrider | 4 years ago
3 likes

"Normal life as a doctor"

 

Now, there's a contradiction in terms!

 

Or does it mean life as normally lived by a doctor, in which case getting used to prolonged physical effort and severe sleep deprivation is actually very good preparation.

Avatar
burtthebike | 4 years ago
3 likes

"NYPD tickets cyclist, tells him there is "no biking anywhere in the city unless there's a bike lane"

Was he perhaps guilty of the heinous crime of cycling whilst black, similar to driving whilst black?  Or maybe he wasn't quite deferential enough to her uniform.

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
3 likes

Quote:

NYPD tickets cyclist...

I rather get the impression that the NYPD just makes things up as they go along...

In particular, I've lost count of the number of stories about people getting ticketed for not wearing a helmet (when that's not actually a legal requirement for adults in NYC).

Avatar
ChrisB200SX replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
3 likes

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

NYPD tickets cyclist...

I rather get the impression that the NYPD just makes things up as they go along...

In particular, I've lost count of the number of stories about people getting ticketed for not wearing a helmet (when that's not actually a legal requirement for adults in NYC).

I saw a video yesterday of 11 of them pulling over a motorcyclist and trying to ticket him for having a camera attached to his helmet. When one of them let another mototrcyclist go (they were clearly targetting victimising mtotrcyclists) a bunch of them got angry at him for not ticketing the biker for anything, like all people on two wheels must be punished!

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

Fiona Kolbinger "to recommence her normal life as a doctor"

I imagine it is quite difficult to 'come down' from an activity like the Transcontinental and get back in gear for normal life.  Or do you just go to sleep for six days or something...? 

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