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Front door cam captures moment driver rear-ended cyclist; Which makes more sense? City cyclists stream past SUV; King G; Celebrity Cycling Champion Chart; Fixie feline; Bike tattoos; 'Allez Opi-Omi' debate; BikeisBest ad; New kit + more on the live blog

Happy Friday! One more day to go...Dan Alexander will do his best to drop you off at weekend in style with another day of live blog action
15 October 2021, 15:58
Women's Tour pays tribute to Sir David Amess a "passionate supporter" of the race
15 October 2021, 10:50
Front door cam captures moment driver rear-ended cyclist — motorist only handed awareness course

Some terrible driving for your lunchtime live blog fix...Gethin shared this footage of his mate being rudely rear-ended by a driver. We've watched it several times to try and work out why the driver could possibly have acted like that, but we're still at a loss...

The front-facing camera view is even worse...

Gethin partly blamed the road design, calling it "miserable". The outcome? An awareness course. The driver appears to beep his horn before going into the back of the cyclist too, leading some to say the responsibility is entirely with the driving, not the road layout. 

Either way, another shocker... 

15 October 2021, 15:36
Friday Night Lights: Lincoln ready for HSBC National Circuit Championships

Two more national champions will be crowned in Lincoln tonight. It's the circuit racers' chance to win a sharp new kit for the next year. British Cycling are promising fast racing and cobbles...that sounds like a bit of us. The women's race will be on GCN+, Eurosport and British Cycling's YouTube channel from 17:20. After that the men will be on the course at around half seven.  

15 October 2021, 14:34
Sorry, Travis and Sigrid...we've had a higher bid...

I'll believe it when we've got photographic evidence...but this would be the GOAT of bike pets, literally. 

15 October 2021, 14:24
World's best sprinters win golden ticket to UCI Track Champions League as first of the pre-qualified riders are revealed

Four Olympic gold medallists and two UCI world champions are amongst the 12 pre-qualified sprinters announced today as taking part at the inaugural UCI Track Champions League. The format will see six male and six female sprinters fight for equal prize money in a new series off events in Spain, Lithuania, London and Tel Aviv.

In the women's line-up, Tokyo Olympic champion Kelsey Mitchell (Canada) will be joined by current UCI world champion Emma Hinze (Germany), Olympic silver medallist Olena Starikova (Ukraine), European Championship podium finisher Mathilde Gros (France), UCI top ten ranked Simona Krupeckaitė (Lithuania) and Olympic Keirin champion Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands).

On the men's side of things, current Keirin and individual sprint UCI world champion Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands) will line up alongside Olympic Team Sprint champion Jeffrey Hoogland (Netherlands), Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup gold medallist Nicholas Paul (Trinidad & Tobago), top ten UCI ranked Vasilijus Lendel and top six Olympic sprinters Maximillian Levy (Germany) and Denis Dmitriev (Russia).

Rounds 3 and 4 of the event will be held at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London's Olympic Park on December 3 and 4

15 October 2021, 12:49
The joys of Swiss Cottage...

For some context, in 2019 the Court of Appeal upheld Westminster's legal block to Cycle Superhighway 11 and judged TfL had acted unlawfully in commencing work on the Swiss Cottage section before consent for the whole route from there to the West End had been granted.

I guess this is much better...

15 October 2021, 12:36
"I am coming home to my team": Miguel Ángel López rejoins Astana after explosive Movistar exit
Miguel Angel Lopez at 2021 Vuelta - Copyright ASO, PhotoGomezSport

Miguel Ángel López will be back in the sky blue of Astana next year after completing contract negotiations following an abrupt exit from Movistar. López dramatically abandoned the Vuelta a España during the penultimate stage when he was caught behind a split, losing his place on the podium.

The Colombian's contract was terminated in the aftermath, leaving him free to rejoin the team where he enjoyed much success earlier in his career. López described the move as a "return home".

"In the world of professional cycling, a rider who wants to keep on moving forward sometimes has to change something in his career, to gain new experience. Sometimes it is a good one, sometimes not," he said. 

"The main thing is that I am coming home to my team, the team that gave me so much and with which, I am sure, we will be able to live many more wonderful moments."

15 October 2021, 12:21
Feline good: Have you spotted London's fixie-riding cat transporter?

Have you got that Friday feline yet? I promise that's the last one...we're always keen to hear from readers, especially if it involves videos of pets going for a spin. We've had plenty of pups before, (and parrots) but I think this is our first cat.

Travis takes Sigrid all around the capital in a basket on the front of his fixie...check out their Instagram for more of their adventures...

15 October 2021, 12:16
Arise King Geraint

So basically we're saying G's more popular than the Queen? You wouldn't see her winning up Alpe d'Huez would you?  

15 October 2021, 10:08
Cycling tattoos: Peter Sagan, broken collarbones and terribly drawn bicycles (+ the Celebrity Cycling Champion Chart)

 We're talking cycling tattoos again this morning, and not the kind you might get on your right calf if you put your foot down in the wrong place. We mean actual, permanent art...

Comedian Stephen Grant has a cracker. A cracking tattoo to remember a cracking collarbone. It's better than this one, that's for sure...

Stephen's tat earned him a place on Jo Rigby's brilliant Celebrity Cycling Champion Chart. That top left corner of names marooned on a desert island would make great TV...just saying. Who wouldn't want to see Jamie Carragher arguing with Biggins about the best way to catch a fish? I'm sure Nigel Farage would have something to say about where they can and can't fish too...

Back to tattoos...Peter Sagan is leaving Bora-Hansgrohe this winter, but team boss Ralph Denk will always have something to remember the former world champ by. After the third of Sagan's three world champs wins, Denk got inked up with the Slovakian rider's brand logo after losing a bet... 

15 October 2021, 10:02
MAAP unveils Deep Winter collection
2021 Maap Apex Deep Winter Glove

MAAP’s Deep Winter clothing range includes all-new Team Bib Evo Thermal Tights (€260) from brushed Italian-made Bluesign approved fabrics. They feature a DWR (durable water repellent) coating and a 3D Thermo Moulded multi-density chamois.

The new Winter Glove (€95) features an inner Polar fleece lining paired with waterproof and windproof membranes. The Apex Deep Winter Glove (€165) is new too. MAAP describes this as its warmest glove yet, with Primaloft Gold providing the insulation. The glove has a DWR coating, foam palm padding, and touchscreen-friendly fingertips. 

2021 Maap Winter Glove

 

15 October 2021, 09:02
BikeisBest ad: When more people cycle, everybody wins
15 October 2021, 08:27
‘Allez Opi-Omi’: Jumbo-Visma manager suggests safety ambassador role — claims his team didn't know about the court case

It seems Jumbo-Visma general manager Richard Plugge saw our story, via The Cycle Collective, about the Tour de France spectator crash court case. Plugge claimed his team did not know about the court case, but that they would have suggested she takes on an ambassadorial role, raising awareness about fans' responsibility to keep themselves and riders safe at bike races. Thoughts?

Prosecutors ​in France are seeking a four-month suspended prison sentence for the woman who caused a huge crash at the opening stage of this year’s Tour de France in Brittany, causing four riders to abandon the race. Her sentence is due to be handed down on 9 December. 

15 October 2021, 07:46
Which makes more sense? Vid of city cyclists streaming past stationary SUV gets us thinking

The London Cycles account is great for clips like this and well worth a follow for some London cycling positivity on your timeline. They are asking: which makes more sense for a day trip in a city? One SUV, which can at most hold five people but probably has one or two passengers, or one bicycle? I'm probably asking the wrong crowd if I want a balance of answers...

But admittedly, I don't really want a balance of answers anyway. It's pretty clear, isn't it?

I counted 15 riders passing during this nine second clip. 15 riders in the space a couple of SUVs would take up. There's a glorious mix of bikes and attire too. We have helmet wearers, those without, Lycra, gym shorts, hi-vis clothing, jeans, cleats, trainers, Santander Cycles, road bikes...those bloody cyclists racing around thinking they're in the Tour de France...

Not everyone got the point. One reply to the question about day trip transport gave us a laugh...

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.

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101 comments

Avatar
Hirsute | 2 years ago
0 likes

Another sad death
https://www.facebook.com/EPColchester/posts/4868835516462387

Speed limit is 40 around there.
Another driverless car.

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chrisonabike replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
0 likes

"War on Some Drugs" * of course - unless you want to go further for religious reasons (you might be a Mormon for example). I agree that - as I posted previously - drugs are everywhere from the bottom to the top of society.

I'm happy to join you in wanting more effective enforcement against anyone driving poorly on our roads. As you know alcohol / drug driving is one of the few "impairments" which are currently socially unacceptable. Other less "triggering" causes like tiredness and phone use have been experimentally shown to be comparably debilitating. I'm still not sure why these - along with excess speed, demonstrable lack of observation or driving knowing you've a medical impairment that affects your ability - don't merit the same societal condemnation and indeed legal repercussions. It's not simply a matter of ease of being able to prove things in court. We have all read stories of people driving off following collisions and simply waiting for their levels of intoxication to fall so proving even these cases may need other detective work.

Perhaps you could shed some light on this? None of these seem the polite thing to do!

* "We are losing the 'War on Drugs,' which means there's a war going on and people on drugs are winning it." - Bill Hicks

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JLasTSR | 2 years ago
3 likes

There can be no excuse for the rear ending of any other road user when traffic is flowing normally. There isn't an excuse for it even if the first road user suddenly stops or swerves to avoid an obstruction but it is perhaps more understandable in that situation. This accident is just terrible driving. If it had happened to me I would be incandescent. I might become a lot less confident in other road users abilities to use the road safely as well. I do really believe that most road users while like me they make mistakes, they are generally minor ones that don't lead to accidents. While I grumble about close passes I rarely feel in danger because I believe most of us can control our machines pretty accurately and that like me nobody would deliberately drive into somebody or something if they could possibly help it. This incident is worryingly negligent, I cannot see how you can blame the road even in part. All the fault lies with the driver who demonstrated an incomprehensible level of incompetence.

 

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chrisonabike replied to JLasTSR | 2 years ago
0 likes

Not "negligent". You'd likely struggle to get a conviction without further evidence but more like assault than even "dangerous driving".

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EddyBerckx | 2 years ago
6 likes

How the fuck is that rear ender not assault?!? 3 months in prison should sort that c**t out

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mdavidford | 2 years ago
3 likes

Re. the rear-ender - looks to me like a case of not looking further than 3 foot down the road - the driver has thought "Great - I'm through the pinch point, so I can overtake this bike that's held me up for all of 0.034s", then spotted the oncoming car, panicked, and tried to swing back in to avoid it. I'm not sure it's clear that it's them hooting - could be the oncoming driver going "What the hell are you trying to do??".

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
4 likes

The road pinch points was not the issue, incident occurred after the pinch point. It actually looks like Gethins friend actually looks behind and remonstrates about how close the driver is(def a WTF shouted) and then the toot / hit happens. Why was that not careless driving charges?

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PRSboy replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
4 likes

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

The road pinch points was not the issue, incident occurred after the pinch point. It actually looks like Gethins friend actually looks behind and remonstrates about how close the driver is(def a WTF shouted) and then the toot / hit happens. Why was that not careless driving charges?

I'd be going for a dangerous driving charge.  I would argue that deliberately driving your car into the back of a vulnerable road user meets the threshold of driving far below the standard expected of a competent driver and presented clear danger of injury to the cyclist.

That said, pinch-points and give-way chicanes etc are generally detrimental to safety, and increase noise and emissions.  

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Matthew Boswell replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
10 likes

So, I dont really agree with Gethin over the road design, but he is very reluctant to ride on the roads at all and will go out of his way to use "cycling infrastructure" whereas i'm entitled to use the roads, and will not be intimidated off them.

but thats by the by

Yes, the intention of the driver is to pass through the pinch point I then turn, and paraphrasing ' WTF, you're going to run into me'

the police were informed by him that there was an 'altercation' prior to the crash, which to me implys intent. so i cant see how they let him off

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
6 likes

Have you claimed off the drivers insurance for damages. 

If you can I would take it further then with the Police complaint. After all you have a front facing camera on which would have recorded any previous altercation, but even if there was, as you say it then becomes assault, not a minor driving offence. 

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wycombewheeler replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
8 likes

Matthew Boswell wrote:

the police were informed by him that there was an 'altercation' prior to the crash, which to me implys intent. so i cant see how they let him off

should not be considered as mitigation. The only possible defence against assault would be didn't see, which given the position of the bike in front of the car suggests a level of attention reaching dangerous rather than careless.

The fact the driver has admitted he knew the cyclist was ahead, proves the impact was deliberate and strong action needs to be taken. If I whack someone with a cricket bat following an altercation, will the police let me off because someone said bad words to me?

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Matthew Boswell replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
8 likes

Does it read that I think it is mitigating?

I completely agree

By "implies intent" what I'm saying is he has looked at the situation, fully aware of my presence (no SMIDSY here) and the fact I'm unhappy with his prior actions. Then deliberately run into me, using his vehicle as a weapon.

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wycombewheeler replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
0 likes

Matthew Boswell wrote:

Does it read that I think it is mitigating? I completely agree By "implies intent" what I'm saying is he has looked at the situation, fully aware of my presence (no SMIDSY here) and the fact I'm unhappy with his prior actions. Then deliberately run into me, using his vehicle as a weapon.

No, you were quite clear, but given the lack of prosecution, it seems the police  may have felt the cyclists is culpablke for provoking.

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mdavidford replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
0 likes

I wasn't suggesting that it was a pass through the pinch point - rather that they weren't able to pass through the pinch point, so then snatched at the first opportunity to do so as soon as it widened up again without looking to see if there was space to do so. I find stupid close and/or into oncoming traffic passes are particularly common on those stretches immediately following pinch points, presumably because they've enhanced the driver's perception of being 'held up'.

We now have from the horse's mouth, though, that apparently we were both wrong, and it was through the pinch point. To which the only reasonable response seems to be the same as his - WTF?!?

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GMBasix replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
13 likes

Nigel Garrage wrote:
  • There was an impatient driver behind the cyclist who was probably following closely. Possibly had been following for quite a while before the video was edited, hard to tell

Hard to tell, and irrelevant. It's not a reason to ram somebody off their bike. Nor is it a valid response to any kind of comment, whether or not they could hear.  The driver was not simply impatient.  Impatience might lead to a sigh of frustration, a tut, if you will. This was blatent aggression and a failure to separate emotion from the one job that driver had at that time.

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Steve K replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
15 likes

GMBasix wrote:

Hard to tell, and irrelevant. It's not a reason to ram somebody off their bike. Nor is it a valid response to any kind of comment, whether or not they could hear.  The driver was not simply impatient.  Impatience might lead to a sigh of frustration, a tut, if you will. This was blatent aggression and a failure to separate emotion from the one job that driver had at that time.

Spot on, but even when I cyclist is literally rammed by a car, Nigel has to find a way to find fault with the cyclist.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
7 likes

However his take does answer some things about our Boo.
I mean you can quite clearly hear the cyclist go "What the Fuck" as driver is literally brushing his back wheel. (easy to sync up the times between the two to show that was almost the frame he entered the other video at) but as our Boo definitely gets the insult thrown at him lots of times in his life, that is what he heard. It was probably how his mum ended the message to him where she linked the DM video of digusting cyclists. 
I would point out the Van in both videos pretty much disputes the "following for quite awhile narrative" but we all know Nige only sees what he wants to see. 

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Rendel Harris replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
12 likes

The cyclist quite clearly shouted "what the fuck?" New low in lying victim blaming even for an expert such as yourself.

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Matthew Boswell replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
15 likes

NO!

The guy who hit me wasnt even close to the flatbed, let alone being held up by me. its a 20mph zone, had it not been for the roaring headwind. i'd have been comfotabley doing above that (checked strava, was doing ~18).

I actually said "what the fuck" as I couldn't comprehend someone thinking of making such a ridiculous manoeuvre, i wasn't actually abusing him.

Even after the crash, (in my high piched squeally voice after the wind is knocked out of me ) it's disbelief at what has happened more than anything else 

 

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Steve K replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
14 likes

Thanks for coming on here and posting, Matthew.  I hope you're ok after this horrible incident.  And ignore Nigel's sanctimonious rubbish.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
10 likes

Ignore Boo, he is called a twat so often by people in his life that he automatically hears it when trying to blame cyclists for bad driving. He was trying to "score points" on other posters on here using your misfortune. He should offer a grovelling apology to you but based on his reponses to other people who have proved him wrong I doubt you will get one. 

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Hirsute replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
9 likes

Nigel (booboojmooj/tt danger/youareallcyberbullies) is the resident Wind Up Merchant and did promise to leave the site and never return. Although they did manage a 2 week ban.

It is a waste of time taking any notice of their comments as his MO is to blame the cyclist regardless.

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stomec replied to Matthew Boswell | 2 years ago
8 likes

As others have said, Nigel comes on here to be wrong, usually by several orders of magnitude (although he doesn't know what this actually means). It would have far more disturbing had he supported you.

Thank you for your positive contributions and may you always have a tailwind. 

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Ramz replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
5 likes
Nigel Garrage wrote:

To be clear, I stated in my first post that I hold the driver culpable, and don't consider you at fault for what happened. However, it's useful to understand what can trigger angry drivers.

On the contrary: It is actually quite useless to speculate about this or to think that a cyclist could have any influence over someone who behaves irrationally in this manner.

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chrisonabike replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
1 like

A point for neck-winding-in and (possibly) acknowledging one's own biases. Your story's still the same but then everyone holds on to their own. I couldn't apologise for judging you - even if I wanted to because you'd been more empathetic - because I think that might offend you and you don't seem to be on here for solidarity. But it is an internet forum...

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wycombewheeler replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
4 likes

Nigel Garrage wrote:

Here's what happened:

  • There was an impatient driver behind the cyclist who was probably following closely. Possibly had been following for quite a while before the video was edited, hard to tell - could be solved by posting a longer clip from the cyclist's video camera.
  • Cyclist shouted the gendered abuse "fuck off twat".
  • Car driver got angry and knocked him off his bike.

Driver is guilty, but that, in a nutshell, is why I don't shout gendered insults as I cycle along.

you think the respose would be any different to "fuck off moron" (a non gendered insult.)?

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Hirsute replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
8 likes

And all they got was a course.

No wonder I am losing my faith in the Police.

 

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eburtthebike replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
1 like

hirsute wrote:

And all they got was a course.

No wonder I am losing my faith in the Police.

Was it the police or CPS?

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
5 likes

Police offer a course don't they instead of prosecution? Didn't think the CPS do those but correct me if I'm wrong.

It seems the Police saw this as the same as a close pass or minor speeding offence. Not an RTC where the driver decided to ram into the vehicle in front causing injury and damage. 

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Hirsute replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
4 likes

Too many NFAs for me

I spoke to a cycle club/group bloke who said they had visted essex police and showed them a set of 9 photos of very similar close passes. The police job was then to pick out the single one that they took any action on.

Despite their safer roads policy when it comes down to poor driving, they are not very interested.

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