road.cc recap: ten of our favourite stories this week

1. Bristol's poor cycling infrastructure now has its own Twitter account

Bristol Shit Cycling Infrastructure, with the Twitter handle @shitfrastructure, has been posting frequent photos and retweeting others to show examples of badly planned cycle lanes and motorists blocking the paths. The account admin describes the page as "a showcase of terribly shit cycling & pedestrian infrastructure (abused by motorists) in the city of Bristol, once (allegedly) the UK cycling capital."
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2. Near Miss of the Day 128: Driver follows up close pass with a punch

Definitely not one of our favourite stories this week, but certainly one that caught our attention; the incident took place on Portswood Road, Southampton on March 26, when the cyclist in the video stopped at a pedestrian crossing and a driver overtook him as he pulled away, passing sufficiently closely that Dan first waved to warn him and then tapped his car when that had no effect. Some 30 seconds later, the driver pulled into a side road and got out, walked up to Dan and punched him as he passed.
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3. Aston Villa fans to ride single speed penny farthings from Pride Park to Villa Park for charity

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4. Quarq’s new Tyrewiz sensor gives tyre pressures in real-time

SRAM’s data and digital technology brand Quarq has unveiled a Tyrewiz tyre pressure sensor that sends data via Bluetooth and ANT+  to a cycling computer or smartphone every second while you ride. "A fool and his money are soon parted", said one of our commenters. Ah well, tough crowd...
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5. Bespoked 2018: five of the best accessories and components spotted

Check out this cool round-up of bits we spotted at Bespoke, showing off the latest and greatest in new, fascinating and quirky bike innovations. 
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6. Smart bike light identifies danger hotspots

A University of Sussex student is developing a smart bike light that allows cyclists collectively to identify danger hotspots so that other riders can avoid hazards and local authorities can identify areas that require attention. The Flare system, designed by Jake Thompson in his final year of a Product Design BSc degree, uses a three-mode, 300 lumen light that’s linked to an app via Bluetooth. When a rider encounters a pothole or poor road surface they press a button on the back of the light to ‘drop a flare’ – a GPS location – that is later uploaded to a map. 
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7. Giro d'Italia says Lance Armstrong not welcome at Israeli Big Start

Organisers of the Giro d’Italia have told Lance Armstrong that he will not receive accreditation for the Giro d’Italia after the Texan, who has a lifetime ban from cycling, said he planned to present his Stages podcast(link is external) from Israel when the race starts there next month.
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8. Naked cyclist spotted riding through Somerset thunderstorm

Residents of a Clevedon saw more than they asked for last weekend, as a naked cyclist was spotted defying the stormy weather as he rode through the streets. Somerset Live reported that the intrepid rider used balloons to try and cover his modesty – but according to one poster on the Everything Else Clevedon Facebook page, they didn’t quite do the job.
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9. Kanye West - Singer-songwriter, philosopher, and collector of retro cycling gear

Kim Kardashian’s fondness for wearing cycling shorts is well documented – and now, husband Kanye West has revealed he’s into retro cycling kit, with a tweet that attracted the attention of none other than former world champion, Mark Cavendish. The 40-year-old singer-songwriter West returned to Twitter last week after an absence of a year, and among the dozens of self-promoting tweets and philosophical musings he has since posted, was one that caught Cavendish’s eye.
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10. Policeman who told superiors he could no longer ride a bike skipped work for cycling holiday and competed in road races

A police officer who told his bosses that he could no longer cycle or travel by plane due to a back problem was found to have skived work for a cycling holiday in Mallorca. Nick Corbett deleted his Strava account upon his return but was later convicted of gross misconduct. Covering up evidence, officer? 
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