Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Fan-tastic DIY e-bike goes viral after cyclist spotted with paramotor on his back; Family pens open letter to council over bike shed planning breach; Surprise Giro win; Ingenious infra; Pro bike handling; Search for hero cyclist + more on the live blog

It's Monday and Dan Alexander will be sharing the best bits from the cycling world on the first live blog of the week...
10 May 2021, 16:17
17th May lockdown lifting: rides of up to 30 back on from next Monday
Castle Combe Severn Bridge Sportive

...and if British Cycling confirms that its own easing of restrictions will take place as outlined in The Way Forward doc, British Cycling-affiliated club rides will have no limits on numbers at all. 

Are you looking forward to riding in increased numbers from the 17th onwards, or will it not really change things for you? Do let us know your thoughts in the comments as always. 

10 May 2021, 15:40
10/10 post-stage interview
10 May 2021, 15:00
Taco van der Hoorn wins stage three of the Giro d'Italia from the breakaway

Dutch rider Taco van der Hoorn earned the biggest win of his career, holding firm against the surging peloton to win by four seconds in Canale. The Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert rider making his Grand Tour debut was part of the day's breakaway and attacked the final escapee standing, Simon Pellaud, with 8km to go.

Despite the desperate efforts of Cofidis and UAE Team Emirates, Van der Hoorn rolled over the line seconds before Davide Cimolai won the sprint for second. Peter Sagan, whose Bora-hansgrohe team did most of the early work, was third with Elia Viviani fourth. 

Filippo Ganna keeps the maglia rosa, which means Tobias Foss will become the interim white jersey wearer in place of his teammate Edoardo Affini who slipped out the back of the peloton during the toughest climbing section of the stage. 

10 May 2021, 13:51
How's your bike-handling?

 

10 May 2021, 13:40
"Not really a big fan to be honest": Reaction to our fan-tastic live blog story

We have been blown away by the fan-related puns rolling in since this morning's video went up on the blog...a strong start from Captain Badger who is "not really a big fan to be honest." PRSboy quickly followed up with: "he deserves props for his ingenuity, even though as an idea it'll never take off." 

Some more general comments on our Scottish cyclist now...IanMK was glad to see him wearing Hi-Viz, but thought a helmet might help. Each to their own, I guess.

On a more serious note, Nature's Eye was not impressed: "And so we all get tarred with the same brush as this clown! Good job...paint us in a great light this does!!! This guy is not a cyclist...well not a real one anyway."

10 May 2021, 13:08
New research from University of Wisconsin-Madison confirms cycling can positively impact global health and climate crises
commuter-5339073_1920

New research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in partnership with Trek Bicycles showed that cycling can positively impact the global health and climate crises. The newly released paper showed that replacing car journeys with cycling or walking is one of the most effective ways of improving human health and mitigating climate change.

The research found that in US metropolitan areas, less than one per cent of journeys are made by bicycle, compared to the 40 per cent of journeys made by bike in Amsterdam. If American cities were to reach that 40 per cent level then approximately 70,000 deaths due to chronic diseases related to sedentary lifestyle could be averted each year.

"The benefit of being a bike company is that we make a product that can make a positive impact on the world," said Eric Bjorling of Trek Bicycles. "Riding a bike is not only fun but has enormous physical health benefits and can offset carbon emissions when you replace a car trip with a bike trip. It’s always been our mission to get more people on bikes, especially since riding is climate action and it’s an easy, low-impact way to stay physically active."

10 May 2021, 12:53
What would it look like if we built roads the same way we built cycle lanes?
Cycling infrastructure meme

 

10 May 2021, 11:29
Three-time Olympic gold medalist Ed Clancy one of six 'Founding Riders' competing at UCI Track Champions League
Ed Clancy.jpg

Ed Clancy is one of the first six riders to be announced for the UCI's new track competition, the UCI Track Champions League. The inaugural event will be staged in November after the World Championships and will involve male and female riders in the sprint and endurance categories battling it out across six back-to-back rounds of competition. 

As a founding rider, Clancy's progress will be followed by Eurosport and GCN, two of the broadcasters of the event. I am sure we will find out more of what this will involve as the event gets closer, but for now we know Clancy will be on the startline. Emma Hinze, Harrie Lavreysen, Mathilde Gros, Sebastián Mora and Simona Krupeckaitė are the other five 'Founding Riders'.

10 May 2021, 11:05
Grand Tour veteran

Some quick maths (hopefully all accurate): 72 Grand Tours x 21 stages = 1,512 stages...Let's be conservative and say each Grand Tour means 25 days on the road (21 stages, two rest days, a couple for travel)...25 days x 72 Grand Tours = 1,800 days on the road. That is nearly five years of your life at Grand Tours...

10 May 2021, 10:56
Family pens open letter to council over bike shed planning breach
Leicester bike shed (Kavi Pujara)

Kavi Pujara got in touch sharing this open letter that his family has written to Leicester City Council. Last week, the family was told to remove its homemade eco bike shed from the front garden as it does not fit in with the Victorian character of the area. The family has since received 382 comments of support in the council's planning portal, with many pointing out that parked cars and converting gardens to driveways is not very 'Victorian' either. Here's the letter in full...

Dear Peter Soulsby and Leicester City Council,

I am writing to you in regard to the ongoing dispute over our cycle shed and to ask for your careful consideration in this matter.

As of last count we have 382 comments of support on the planning portal and one against. This is a clear message that the people of Leicester and the greater cycling community beyond do not consider our bike shed an eyesore that is disrupting the traditional Victorian context and character of the street. Rather, it is a sensitive eco-friendly solution to a real problem. There are cars parked on every driveway and available curb space on our street. So it seems absurd that these large, modern vehicles are not considered to be disrupting the character of the area, yet our little wooden bike shed is.

In 10 days the public consultation on our shed will close and your planning department will make a decision. In all likelihood it will deny us planning because the Town and Country Planning order states that structures like this cannot be located to the front of a property, and because we live in a conservation area we don’t have permitted development rights. But enforcement of these orders are a matter of the council’s judgement and ultimately you will decide if that enforcement is in the public interest.

Before you decide, we would warmly like to invite you to come over and see the shed for yourself. Come and see how visible it is from the street. Come and see how effortless it is for our kids to walk out of the front door, get their bikes independently, and cycle to school. Come and see how they will no longer be able to cycle should the bike shed be removed.

Leicester declared a climate emergency in 2019 and it has an ambitious and admirable transport strategy with cycling at the heart of it. You have built cycle lanes all over the city. We applaud you and everyone in the council for this – it is fantastic. But if we are forced to remove our cycle storage, it begs the question: Who is this multi-million pound cycling infrastructure development really for?

Is it only for those people fortunate enough to have a garage where they can store their bikes? What about those who live in flats? Or those who do not want, or are not able, to bring muddy bikes in through their homes? How can we support your progressive strategy if it excludes so many of us?

I put it to you that your permitted development planning policies are now inconsistent with your environmental aims. These polices need to be updated to encourage cycling and to include all cyclists. You have the opportunity here to extend permitted development to include bike sheds. I believe Leicester City Council has the imagination to find an innovative solution to make this happen, and to be flexible where other councils have been inflexible. It’s the opportunity to set a precedent.

Please don’t let us down.

The Pujara family
(Kavi, Mita, Milan and Anamika)

10 May 2021, 10:15
Sam Bennett to leave Deceuninck-Quick-Step at the end of the season, according to team boss Patrick Lefevere
Specialized S-Works Ares 6 Sam Bennett

Sam Bennett may be leaving Deceuninck-Quick-Step at the end of the season if team boss Patrick Lefevere's comments over the weekend are to be believed. Lefevere told Het Nieuwsblad that although Bennett does not want to leave, the team cannot afford to pay him big money.

"He doesn't want to leave, but I don't have as much money as others," Lefevere said. "The fact that these types of riders leave is life. As pros they have to try to make as much money as possible in a short period of time. I have already warned some of them. Talk to the sprinters who left us, they would come back on foot. They should not opt ​​for the quick money, but rather look at what might be in their bank account at the end of their career."

Bennett is one of the many Quick-Step riders without a contract confirmed for next season. Lefevere has prioritised extending his star riders' deals with Julian Alaphilippe, Remco Evenepoel and Kasper Asgreen the only three to have signed new contracts for 2022.

10 May 2021, 10:08
Ingenious infra from Copenhagen
10 May 2021, 09:39
Search for Canberra cyclist who saved three-year-old boy from Lake Burley Griffin
Lake Burley Griffin (Flickr creative commons)

The family of a toddler rescued from Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin has asked for the hero cyclist who dived in after their boy to come forward so they can thank him properly. ABC reports that Ellie Carey was walking with her son, Miles, when he scooted into the lake. A passing cyclist dived in after the boy, pulled him out, checked Miles was alright and then quietly continued his journey. With no name or contact details, the mother is now hoping to find the cyclist and thank him.

"The man was cycling towards us with a friend so he would have seen the whole thing unfold," she explained. "He didn't even hesitate. He jumped off the bike, ripped off his backpack and leapt straight in. It's about a metre drop down into the lake, so someone helped pull Miles out and then a few of us helped the man out.

"He stood there for a little while and asked me a few times if Miles was okay and I think I said 'thank you so much' at least four times. I was trying to rip everything off Miles because he was frozen, and then the cyclist just quietly left."

10 May 2021, 09:28
Science in Sport renews partnership with Ineos Grenadiers
Michal Kwiatkowski Science in Sport gel.PNG

As the Giro d'Italia kicked off over the weekend, Science in Sport renewed its partnership with Ineos Grenadiers to provide all their nutritional needs out on the road for the next three years. SiS says it is proud to have contributed to seven Grand Tour victories during the previous six years, including Chris Froome's 2018 Giro success which was fuelled in part by the now widely available Beta Fuel.

"Nutrition is a vital part of elite sport and in SiS we have a partner who share our ethos of continual innovation," Sir Dave Brailsford said. "Together, we’ve been using world-leading science to deliver a performance-first approach and build upon a 5 year relationship that has seen cutting-edge products fuel our team to win the biggest races in the sport. We’re looking forward to achieving even more with SiS in the future."

10 May 2021, 09:16
Bidon bullseye

Here is one the UCI's new litter zones in action at a Grand Tour for the first time. Cue every man and his dog lobbing the contents of their pockets into the nearest field.

The poor lady on the right of the picture probably just wanted an Androni Giocattoli bidon as a souvenir but ended up needing a towel.. 

10 May 2021, 07:44
Fan-tastic DIY e-bike goes viral after cyclist spotted with paramotor on his back

It is hardly a top-of-the-range e-bike, but it does the job all the same...we are just grateful his brakes work. This man from Plains in Airdrie went for a spin with a little extra help from the paramotor-style propeller strapped to his back, getting up to a sharp top speed pretty quickly...in the air, paramotors can get paragliders up to 60mph.

It is at this point, the hysterical cameraman chuckles the fantastically Scottish line: "Oh no way. That c***s no right. No f****g way man."

The video has been viewed more than 200,000 times on Twitter, where Conor McCue concluded, "Scotland is f****n' unreal." Poetic.

Dan commented: "This is definitely what I'm up against on Strava segments."

Dean wrote: "One wheelie and he's on his own flight to Turkey."

Last week a cyclist was fined after fitting a petrol engine to his bike to help him ride up steep hills. Lee Middleton admitted to using a motor vehicle without insurance, driving a vehicle without a licence and riding a motorcycle on a road without protective headgear at Teesside Magistrates' Court. No word yet on what punishment a paramotor strapped to your back gets you.

Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

Add new comment

44 comments

Avatar
Simonpatchin | 2 years ago
0 likes

I was married for 16 years to a loving mother and wife. We had 2 children together who are now 11 & 13. I reconnected with an old girlfriend from college on Facebook and we began an affair and I left my wife. The woman I had an affair with is a wonderful woman and I love her too and our kids had begun accepting the situation and my wife has kind of moved on, but not in love with the man she is seeing.  I thought I fell out of love with my wife and I felt terrible about what I did to her - she is a good woman and I don't know what came over me. I decided to try and get her back and I was recommended to Lord Zakuza for help to get reunited with my wife and within 48 hours after I made contact with Lord Zakuza my wife decided to work things out with me and now we are back together with our children living as one happy family. I really don't know the words to use in appreciation of what Lord Zakuza did for me but I will say thank you sir for reuniting I and my family back. For those in trying times with their marriages or relationship can browse through his website via: lordzakuzaspells.com or WhatsApp Lord Zakuza for help or text with this number +1 (740) 573-9483 or you can send him an email to Lordzakuza7 @ gmail. com

Avatar
Steve K replied to Simonpatchin | 2 years ago
2 likes

Yes, but can Lord Z get Ribble to build my new bike any quicker?

Avatar
Compact Corned Beef replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
2 likes

FFS. He's a wizard, not a miracle worker!

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
2 likes

Steve K wrote:

Yes, but can Lord Z get Ribble to build my new bike any quicker?

Or get it through customs!

Avatar
TheColster | 2 years ago
3 likes

Re: what would it look like if we built roads the same way we built cycle lanes?

- Correct on the narrow pinch point, correct on the poor surface.

- However, road is way too wide and doesn't introduce any conflict with other road users. No glass or debris other than puddles. Also, no sign of repeated give ways to other paths or roads. It also appears to be built in a straight line and not deviating around more important road users.

Good start, but needs a little more work to be totally realistic.

Avatar
TheBillder replied to TheColster | 2 years ago
3 likes

No dogs on trip wires, either.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to TheBillder | 2 years ago
0 likes

TheBillder wrote:

No dogs on trip wires, either.

You mean like this?

Avatar
geomannie 531 | 2 years ago
5 likes

The story "What would it look like if we built roads the same way we built cycle lanes?" reminds me of this picture I put together a few years ago. If this were a cycle lane it would be just fine.

Avatar
geomannie 531 | 2 years ago
11 likes

Fixed it for Leicester City Council

Avatar
GMBasix | 2 years ago
5 likes

New research from University of Wisconsin-Madison confirms cycling can positively impact global health and climate crises

Watch out for more news from Wisconsin-Madison Uni regarding digestive habits of bears in arboreal habitats.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
2 likes

I've managed to fall into the rabbit hole of dashcam vids on Youtube

The UK one here has a stupid bit of infra where a marked cycle lane is also the car lane. Driver is a right asshat anyway trying to undertake etc and thinking he was doing nothing wrong (like alot of them on there). 

Avatar
GMBasix | 2 years ago
4 likes

The Pujara family risks clutching defeat from the jaws of victory.

The planning system can be tricky to navigate but, since it is a delegated decision (it could be called in, but otherwise it will be an officer making the decision; and if it is called in to the planning committee, the officer's recommendation will/should be significant to the outcome), the officer will make the decision, and will do so based on their experience and knowledge of planning legislation and the local and national policy.

The application is submitted.  If you had things to say, you do so at the application - and be thorough and factual but not argumentative.  Or you can do so on appeal.  Either way, stick to the material matters, don't play to the gallery.

The application is in the consultation phase.  Now, you keep quiet.

There's nothing wrong with the argument in principle, except it's not good planning, and it will only serve a) to prove their ignorance, and b) to antagonise the decision-maker(s).

"...In all likelihood it will deny us planning because the Town and Country Planning order states that structures like this cannot be located to the front of a property, and because we live in a conservation area we don’t have permitted development rights."

There is no need to prejudge the outcome.  Why weaken your own position?

National general permitted development orders do not stipulate they cannot have a structure like this to the front of the property; but if they did, that would take the decision out of the hands of the local planning authority (LPA), so why be critical about non-negotiable matters?

They are right that the Conservation Area status means an Article 4 direction has been made that revokes general permitted development rights in that area.  That does not mean they cannot have a shed in the front garden, it means they cannot put it there as of permitted development ('PD') - they have to apply for permission. 

That said, PD allows some things but doesn't permit others; building a shed in the front garden is not PD, so they would have to apply for permission regardless of the Article 4 direction.

I put it to you that your permitted development planning policies are now inconsistent with your environmental aims. These polices need to be updated to encourage cycling and to include all cyclists. You have the opportunity here to extend permitted development to include bike sheds. 

"I put it to you..." Don't do that. Don't ever do that!

More to the point, PD is national, not local.  The LPA has no control over it (except to revoke it for an area, subject to process).  PD is about saying what is permitted, not what is forbidden.  If development is not PD, it required planning permission, that's all.  The LPA does not have any opportunity to 'extend permitted development'.  It does have the opportunity to apply local planning policy when forming a planning decision, however.

The proposed development requires permission.  There are strong cases for supporting it already within the local planning policy (core strategy) and national policy (National Planning Policy Framework - NPPF).  The conservation area status is a spanner in the works in that, if the shed can be shown to cause harm, it should be refused unless the benefits outweigh any harm (which I personally believe they do).

It does not help that they have already installed the development.  That makes it very much more important that they do not fail the 'attitude test' at this stage (although the planning decision should really be based on the actual merits, not the timeline).

This sort of letter is harmful to their cause in that it does not invite sympathy from the organisation they are both applying to and criticising... openly.  It is a clear example of why you should not be your own lawyer planning agent.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
1 like

GMBasix wrote:

"...In all likelihood it will deny us planning because the Town and Country Planning order states that structures like this cannot be located to the front of a property, and because we live in a conservation area we don’t have permitted development rights."

There is no need to prejudge the outcome.  Why weaken your own position?

To be fair, the council already did just that. In the original story it was reported that the council had told them that they could apply for retrospective permission, but that it was unlikely to be granted - they're basically just repeating those comments back to them.

Surely if anybody shouldn't be pre-judging the planning process, it's the council themselves?

Avatar
GMBasix replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
1 like

I agree.  However, at this point, you don't argue the toss, you write it down for the appeal.

It is quite possible for somebody to have given a view over the likely outcome; it happens all the time. They should leave reasonable room for looking at the details, however.  It is highly likely the view was from an officer not making the decision, in any case.

Avatar
Awavey replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
0 likes

totally agree, that summed up my thoughts on it as well,and alot clearer than Id have probably put it too

Avatar
melliott | 2 years ago
0 likes

A friend spotted this on Facebook the other day - it seems Lincs Police are cracking down on pavement cycling (or could be NIMBYism). Apparently other, similar signs are appearing elsewhere.

Didn't a transport secretary basically say it was okay to ride on pavements.

[Photo doesn't seem to appear - it's a don't cycle on pavements sign in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire]

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

melliott wrote:

A friend spotted this on Facebook the other day - it seems Lincs Police are cracking down on pavement cycling (or could be NIMBYism). Apparently other, similar signs are appearing elsewhere.

Didn't a transport secretary basically say it was okay to ride on pavements.

[Photo doesn't seem to appear - it's a don't cycle on pavements sign in Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire]

Ahh one of those famous HWC no no cycling signs, meaning that pedestrians can be fined if they don't cycle....

Avatar
sean1 replied to melliott | 2 years ago
3 likes

The Association of Police Chiefs did state that safe pavement cycling should not be prosecuted following guidance from the government minister at the time. (2014).

"....many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required."

https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/support-for-police-discretion-when-...

 

 

Avatar
GMBasix replied to melliott | 2 years ago
3 likes

It may or may not be an offence to ride on the pavement, it depends on the pavement.

It is an offence to ride on the footway.  However guidance has been given that cyclists should not be prosecuted if they do so out of fear of traffic and are otherwise not causing any problems.

The no cycling sign is misleading, since it only applies to the footway not to the carriageway of the road in the photo.  Since the act is already illegal (assuming it refers to a footway), the sign is redundant.

Avatar
Steve K replied to melliott | 2 years ago
2 likes

I've cycled through Woodhall Spa once in my life.  On the basis of that experience, I'd say the main reason for cycling on the pavement would be how filthy the roads were - here's a picture of my legs, (black) shoes and bike when I stopped for lunch at "Janet's Tea Rooms" there.

 

 

Avatar
Tired of the tr... | 2 years ago
8 likes

Brilliant letter regarding the bike shed.

I have a historical question. In Victorian times, what did these gardens really look like? I mean, I would expect that it was not uncommon that people actually had a shed in their front garden for garden tools or even for bicycles. As bicycles were common in the Victorian era, where did people store them? Perhaps one can even make an argument that a garden shed makes it more Victorian?

Our image of what historic towns looked like is often a bit of an idealised image. In Edinburgh we have lots of arguments that street vendors or market stalls destroy the historic character, when in reality the city would've ben full of street vendors in real historic times.

Avatar
Hirsute | 2 years ago
1 like

boy/buy/bouy ?

Avatar
brooksby replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
1 like

hirsute wrote:

boy/buy/bouy ?

... or even: buoy.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

hirsute wrote:

boy/buy/bouy ?

... or even: buoy.

booie

 

I hope they didn't dive into a lake to save a 3-year-old buoy - that would be an exercise in fotility.

Avatar
brooksby replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
0 likes

mdavidford wrote:

brooksby wrote:

hirsute wrote:

boy/buy/bouy ?

... or even: buoy.

booie

 

I hope they didn't dive into a lake to save a 3-year-old buoy - that would be an exercise in fotility.

yes

Avatar
Hirsute replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
1 like

Obviously I was referring to Bouy - a commune of the Marne department in northeastern France !!

They have corrected it now.

Avatar
mdavidford | 2 years ago
2 likes

I hope the lighting effect is an artefact of the video - otherwise photosensitive epilectic cyclists aren't going to have a great time with that container tunnel.

Avatar
Captain Badger | 2 years ago
9 likes

Re the paramotor, not really a big fan tbh.....

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

He deserves props for his ingenuity, even though as an idea it'll never take off.

Avatar
geomannie 531 | 2 years ago
13 likes

Chapeau to Kavi Pujara. That is an excellently worded letter demanding serious answers. Will he get them though? A Labour Council should understand modern realities, but I imagine that it will hide behind historical precedents for fear of scaring the horses, I mean voters.

Pages

Latest Comments