Are ‘petrolheads’ safer drivers around cyclists?; Jeremy Vine tells drivers: “Their safety is more important than your punctuality"; Drones - the future of cycling on TV?; Should TT bikes be banned?; Cav hits the deck in Oman + more on the live blog

On a rainy February day, huge crowds turned out to demand change, from 6 months to 94 years old. Families want to get around safely. These roads are unsafe.

Councillors, our lives are in your hands. Make Salthill safe. Build the trial cycleway.

See the potential.#iBikeSalthill pic.twitter.com/5mSwaxSt5K

— Galway Cycling Campaign (@GalwayCycling) February 13, 2022

Here’s a story to warm your cold, cynical heart this Valentine’s Day.

It may have been miserable and wet in Galway yesterday, but that didn’t stop hundreds of cyclists getting on their bikes to demonstrate their support for new, safe cycling infrastructure.

Galway City Council is meeting today to discuss the future of the proposed Salthill Prom Cycleway, a new temporary bike path located in the seaside resort just outside Galway city.

While councillors voted almost unanimously in favour of the cycleway last year, a campaign opposing the plans has led many in the council to waver in their support for the project, which would cost €1 million to install.

Yesterday’s mass group ride was organised by Galway Cycling Campaign in a last-ditch attempt to convince the council to go ahead with their plans for safe cycling for all ages in the area.

With a seemingly endless line of cyclists, from toddlers to pensioners, shouting “What do we want? Safe cycling! When do we want it? Now!” – how could they disagree?

"What do we want? Safe Cycling! When do we want it? Now!" Is it really too much to ask for? I've seen it work well in several cities across Europe. Why not here? I do agree though that it needs to be well thought out. @GalwayCycling #Galway @villagesalthill @NUIGSU @gbayfm pic.twitter.com/1yxqtcU4db

— PictureDiaryGalway (@PicDiaryGalway) February 13, 2022

Yesterday we reported that Nicolas Roche, who is currently training in the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin, fears that he could be a high-profile target for bikejackers operating in the area. 

The former DSM and Sky rider, who retired at the end of 2021, is staying in Dublin while he competes on the Irish Dancing With The Stars (an update for all those interested – he’s still going strong midway through the competition, just like the good old days at the Vuelta).

Roche told the Sun that he was concerned that he would be targeted by bike thieves who reportedly "knock cyclists over" before they "throw the bike into the back of their van and drive off".

It seems that these bikejackers are also working elsewhere – last week it was reported that a cyclist in his sixties was attacked by four men on mopeds in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. 

The thieves stole the man’s bike before fleeing in the direction of the town. While the bike was later recovered, the victim required hospital treatment for his injuries.

Investigator Linda Bunton said: “This was a violent and completely unprovoked attack on a vulnerable victim, who was left requiring hospital treatment. Thankfully, his injuries were not serious.

“I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to please come forward as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information can contact Investigator Bunton directly via email at linda.bunton [at] herts.police.uk.

🤕

🟢@MarkCavendish & 🇱🇹@ignatas suffered a hard tumble during today's stage, but both of them got back on their bikes and made their way up Jabal Al Akhdhar (Green Mountain ⛰️)💪#TourofOman pic.twitter.com/MxJMC3sBM0

— Tour of Oman (@tourofoman) February 14, 2022

Ooof.

Mark Cavendish’s flying start to 2022 took a hit today, with the Manx Missile crashing heavily during the penultimate stage of the Tour of Oman.

The QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl rider, who took his first win of the season on the race’s second stage, hit the deck after a touch of wheels towards the back of the pack, but doesn’t appear to have suffered any serious injuries.

"I am lucky that my injuries seem to not be too bad and I was able to get on my bike, with just some bruising and external abrasions,” Cavendish said after the stage, which was won by Jan Hirt atop Green Mountain.

Cav will be hoping he’s fully recovered in time to challenge for the win tomorrow, in what promises to be a nailed-on sprint at Matrah Corniche.

Cavendish’s impressive come-from-behind victory on stage two – on only his second race day of the year – marked his best start to a season since 2013.

When we ran #OpClosePass we very rarely had any offending from car enthusiasts or what people wrongly call "boy racers or petrol heads". This group of drivers very often take great pride in their cars & their standard of driving. They also grew up riding bicycles, mopheads, https://t.co/ONJawcXi88

— Mark Hodson (@markandcharlie) February 14, 2022

Are so-called ‘petrol heads’ more conscientious drivers? Well, that’s the view of Mark Hodson, one of the two officers who devised West Midland Police’s pioneering Operation Close Pass. 

In a Twitter thread posted this morning, Hodson claimed that during his close pass initiative – which led to a 20 percent reduction in the number of cyclists killed or injured on roads patrolled by the force – motorists who could be described as ‘car enthusiasts’ were less likely to commit offences.

Hodson says that these drivers took great pride in their cars and standard of driving, and had experience of being a vulnerable road user in their youth, either on bikes or mopeds, so therefore took more care when driving.

The officer then pointed out that motorists aged over 50 were more likely to commit dangerous overtakes on cyclists, as they hadn’t received any training since their driving test and in most cases had gone decades without being a vulnerable road user.

However, Hodson also claimed that in both instances, offenders represented the “odd one” in a sea of safe and courteous drivers.

“Across the spectrum of drivers you find lots of people who are part of the solution, not the problem,” Hodson wrote.

He also observed that there were similarities between the “odd idiot in a nice car” and the “type of person who rides the 5K bike at the weekend in the same manner (there's one in every club)”.

Incidentally, this idea of a ‘crossover’ in mentality between certain types of obsessive cyclists and drivers was pointed out in an opinion piece written for road.cc by a ‘reformed petrolhead’ in November 2020. 

However, while our blogger AJ agreed with Mark that "as with cycling, there's always a subset of drivers who are twats”, he crucially noted that “the difference is that a cyclist rarely kills anyone except themselves with their twattishness."

The reaction to Hodson’s thread was also somewhat divided:

That’s generally what I’ve found over the years. These people put a lot of time and effort into making their vehicles unique. Get more hassle form people who’ve bought “off the shelf” status cars or are professional drivers.

— Richard Goucher (@rgoucher) February 14, 2022

My perception is they fall one way or other; very many pass well and courteously, but I've also had several scary near misses from drivers of high power cars overtaking towards me.

Not sure if they're enthusiasts or just owners of powerful cars though.

— Liam M (@liam_mealey) February 14, 2022

perhaos the “boy racers” were travelling too fast to catch ?

— cycleoptic💙💚 (@cycleoptic) February 14, 2022

What do you think? Do motorists who take greater pride in their cars drive better? Or is there a correlation between high performance vehicles and dangerous driving?

Also, any ideas on what a ‘mophead’ could be?

Still putting off cleaning your bike after the weekend’s club run? Well, Peaty’s has the perfect Valentine’s present for your beloved machine.

The Wrexham-based company has launched a new Bicycle Cleaning Kit plus cloths made from organic bamboo.

Peaty’s Premium Bicycle Cleaning Kit is made from 100% recycled plastic and comes with an aluminium carry handle.

It comprises: 1 x 1 litre Loam Foam, 1 x 500ml Foaming Degreaser, 1 x 60ml Link Lube All-Weather, 1 x Bog Brush, 1 x Drivetrain Brush, 1 x Bamboo Bicycle Cleaning Cloth (see below), and 1 x Wham Heavy Duty Box with removable parts tray.

The price is £74.99.

Bamboo Bicycle Cleaning Cloths are available separately. The bamboo fabric is said to be durable and highly absorbent as well as being naturally hypo-allergenic, antimicrobial and antibacterial.

Peaty’s says that it hasn’t chosen microfibre cloths because they can leak tens of thousands (even millions) of tiny microplastics into washing machine water waste which eventually makes its way into local waterways.

A pack of three cloths (two grey and one blue, 32cm x 32cm) is £14.99

Peaty’s products are available from www.silverfish-uk.com.

Amazing footage😍 Unfortunately, this was the only flight, UCI banned it during our race. But a big shoutout to the people who introduced this to our sport! I think a drone like this is an amazing feature to make the broadcasts even more interesting! (1/2) https://t.co/ZZQUo0D91i

— Lucinda Brand (@lucinda_brand) February 12, 2022

Is this the future of bike racing on TV?

On Saturday, during the Superprestige cyclocross race in Gavere, a drone swooped down onto the course to film European Champion Lucinda Brand en route to her nineteenth win of the season.

The footage it captured is certainly spectacular, following race leader Brand as she showcased her own stunning skillset, swooping, diving and accelerating around the course.

The UCI commissaires, however, didn’t agree and within minutes the drone was grounded, abruptly ending its debut broadcast.

According to UCI regulation 1.2.065, “the use of drones is prohibited above the course and within 10 meters from the course.”

Brand took to Twitter after her win to praise the “amazing footage” shot by the drone, while her Trek Baloise Lions team manager Sven Nys said that the drone images “added value for our sport. If you want to innovate, this is the right direction.”

The crew contacted me before the race and I know they are all about safety. The drone is small and it looks like the propellors are protected to not hurt someone😀 Hope to see these shots again in the next races!! So what do you think BAN or FAN? (2/2)

— Lucinda Brand (@lucinda_brand) February 12, 2022

Did you see the drone today at the cross? Because the drone in your video is totally different and a 100 times bigger😅 The drone from your video following me that closely would be scary🤭 But today was something different!

— Lucinda Brand (@lucinda_brand) February 12, 2022

Others pointed out the speed at which the UCI acted to ground the drone, from an organisation not often associated with getting important things done quickly:

So the UCI can ban drone footage of races within hours, but it takes 3 years to introduce an U23 women's World Championship race? pic.twitter.com/HjsVVkvgsa

— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) February 12, 2022

What do you think? Could immersive drone footage like Saturday’s herald the future of live race coverage on the telly?