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Calls to ban motor traffic from Richmond Park after shocking crash; Litter pocket; Tour of Cambridgeshire postponed; The Killers' Brandon Flowers needs surgery on cycling injury; Pro back after heart scare; Extreme winter commuter + more on the live blog

It's Thursday and Dan Alexander is in the hot seat for all your live blog needs...
18 February 2021, 16:36
Caja Rural's litter pockets

With the UCI clamping down on littering, Caja Rural have a solution for their riders in the form of eco pockets. Presumably they don't want their sticky gel wrappers clogging up their back pockets so have an easy access side option. Sir Dave Brailsford will probably want to check the aerodynamics before jumping on board... 

The post said: "One of the commitments of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA this season is to take better care of the environment that surrounds us, with actions such as the #EcoPocket. It will not be the only one. Very soon we will announce more news related to sustainability and respect for the environment."

18 February 2021, 16:11
Your comments on Ever Ready Lights

I'm probably showing my age if I say I'd never heard of Ever Ready Lights before today, let alone used them. Didn't we always have LEDs? Anyway, you lot have been sharing some of your favourite, or more often less happy memories of using them...Take a trip down memory lane with our story.

18 February 2021, 11:58
Calls to ban motor traffic from Richmond Park after shocking crash

This was the aftermath of a shocking crash in Richmond Park this morning. Royal Parks Police says the crash involved a cyclist who suffered facial injuries and has been taken to hospital. The driver involved had minor hand injuries. Questions have been asked about how this happened on a stretch of road where the speed limit is 20mph.

The incident has also led to calls from the London Cycling Campaign and many others on social media for through traffic to be banned from the park, which is a notorious route for rat running drivers.  

Others were critical of Royal Parks Police's reaction to the crash, comparing it to another tweet where they warned cyclists to be careful when riding in the park after a cyclist hit a goose. By contrast, this morning their tweet said: "When driving, you must be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear[...] Wishing all a speedy recovery." The initial tweet also reported it was a crash between a car and a cyclist, rather than a driver and a cyclist. Royal Parks Police addressed this in the tweet below.

18 February 2021, 15:43
Prime puppy content for your Thursday afternoon

If this doesn't brighten up your Thursday afternoon I'm not sure what will...For more prime pedalling puppy content, take a trip back to November when we shared this clip of MotorbikeMilly having a pop at a close passing bus driver in Glasgow...   

18 February 2021, 15:26
Marc Hirschi left Team DSM because team management saw him as a risk to their reputation, according to reports
Marc Hirschi wins Tour de France 2020 Stage 12 (picture credit Alex Whitehead SWpix.com)

AD.NL reports Marc Hirschi's surprising early departure from Team DSM was down to a breach of trust and that the Swiss rider was viewed as a risk for the reputation of the team and its sponsors. The story cryptically claims Hirschi wouldn't have been transparent, nor would he have answered questions asked by the team about certain things. The topic of these questions and the information the team wanted remains a mystery but suggests that his departure wasn't down to the strength of the team or Hirschi's undervalued contract, as has been suggested previously by other reports.

Hirschi is managed by Fabian Cancellara and the story claims that as part of the termination of the contract Team DSM are unable to share what their concerns were. The Swiss pair declined to comment to AD.NL.

18 February 2021, 14:54
Decent CV...
18 February 2021, 14:10
Tour of Cambridgeshire postponed until September

The Tour of Cambridgeshire has been moved to September 24-26 because of the pandemic. The sportives, road races and Gran Fondo will now be staged on Sunday 26th Spetember. All entries will be automatically transferred to the new date. The organisers say that the pandemic and restrictions likely to be in place on the original date in June would make it impossible to responsibly host as mass-participation event.

The Gran Fondo was supposed to act as a qualification route for riders hoping to participate at the Gran Fondo World Championships in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina, from September 1st to 5th. With the new date for the Tour of Cambridgeshire coming after the World Championships the UCI has said they are considering their options and will communicate their decision as soon as possible.

18 February 2021, 13:42
Milan-San Remo to follow slightly altered route this year due to landslide
Milan-San Remo 2021 (via Shift Media/RCS Sport)

The first Monument of the season, Milan-San Remo, will follow a slightly altered route with the Turchino Pass swapped out for Colle di Giovo because of damage caused by a landslide on the former. The traditional finale of Cipressa and Poggio before the hurtle home to Via Roma remains unchanged. At 299km the race remains by far the longest race of the year.

Paolo Bellino, the CEO and General Manager of the race's organisors RCS Sport explained the change: "The previous edition of the Milano-Sanremo was held on an unusual date and took place over an unprecedented route. The results were very positive for the sport, for the media and from the audience’s point of view too.

"This year, for the 112th edition of the race, we have decided to bring the Milano-Sanremo back onto its 'classic' route in the Liguria region. So most of the route will remain as it has traditionally been; with the Aurelia, the Tre Capi, Cipressa and Poggio before the arrival on Via Roma, but we will not be able to visit the Turchino."

Last year Wout van Aert won his first Monument, beating Julian Alaphilippe in a two-up sprint as Michael Matthews rounded out the podium, winning the reduced sprint for third.

18 February 2021, 10:34
How did it end up like this? The Killers' Brandon Flowers needs surgery after cycling crash

The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers is to undergo surgery on a shoulder injury sustained in a cycling crash. He told fans during an Instagram Live that he tore his labrum when he went over the handlebars in 2017 and the injury has never healed. At the time, The Killers tweeted a picture of Flowers bashed up after the crash with the caption "When mtn biking down hill, don't squeeze the left brake." Guess he should have used the Brightside instead...I'll see myself out...No Bones were broken, Everything Will Be Alright and he should be back On Top again soon...

"I went over the handlebars on my bike and an injury from that has manifested itself. I have a torn labrum on that shoulder so I am going under the knife in a couple of weeks to get that taken care of. Maybe one day I will play golf again. I will be in a sling for six weeks," he explained.

18 February 2021, 10:02
Pro rider given the all clear after heart scare

Diego Ulissi has been given the all clear to return to training following an enforced break due to cardiac abnormalities. The Italian hasn't raced or trained since completing the Giro d'Italia in October after doctors found the issue at a routine medical check up. In a statement, UAE Team Emirates confirmed that he underwent a cardiac biopsy in January and that no risky arrhythmias were found. Consequently, Ulissi is able to resume training. The initial diagnosis from the team's doctor was that it was a form of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. 

The statement explained: "The biopsy found the absence of risky arrhythmias for the athlete during the electrophysiological study, which will allow for the progressive resumption of training.In any case, a periodic monitoring period will follow before confirming any definitive return to racing."

18 February 2021, 09:52
Extreme winter commuting

For anyone like me who didn't brave the outdoors during the cold snap last week, here's a video to make you feel bad. Cycle commuting in Chicago during winter isn't for the faint-hearted...This cyclist's top tip for riding in all conditions: "28mm Gatorskin back and 28mm 4 seasons on front. Don't try this at home." 

At least that's more conventional than The Q's sawmill blade bike used to ride over frozen lakes...

18 February 2021, 08:49
The joy of winning a bike race experienced through a four year old

Here's a nice start to your Thursday morning...Just a kid delighted to be riding their bike and winning a race. After a week inside avoiding the cold and the snow, I might just sound this excited by the weekend...

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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37 comments

Avatar
Simon E | 3 years ago
0 likes

The Caja Rural litter pocket is an old idea, the Saur-Sojasun team had this feature on their jersey in 2011.

Wouldn't have hurt to include that MSR is taking place this Saturday. I had to go and search for it (or have I not been paying attention?).

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Awavey replied to Simon E | 3 years ago
0 likes

but what do pro riders put in their jersey pockets though that needs not to be covered in sticky gel wrappers?  bearing in mind the likes of Alice Barnes has her whole career I believe just used her jersey pockets for used gels and never discarded any and doesnt need an extra pocket.

And I get us normies have keys, moneys,mobiles,airpump,tools, maybe tissues, I just put empty gels in my saddle bag tbf, but what are pro riders carrying that needs protecting, its not like they wear the same jersey the next day without washing it anyway.

just seems a roundabout way of them literally saying,hey we wont litter anymore, but rather than just saying that, it has to have an extra hook that shows their previous littering habits were just they didnt have enough jersey pockets before...

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Simon E replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
0 likes

Awavey wrote:

but what do pro riders put in their jersey pockets though that needs not to be covered in sticky gel wrappers?

I have no idea but if the little pocket means they don't simply toss their used wrappers away then it has to be a good thing.

I'd be happy to have a small 'litter' pocket in a jersey so that empty wrappers are stored separately from full ones (and anything else I'm carrying). If nothing else, it prevents the wrapper being removed accidentally when I pull out the next piece of food that I want to use.

But the topic of wrappers and bottles allows people to sidestep the much more significant issues of pollution and the environmental damage caused by pro racing.

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mdavidford replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
1 like

Possibly they just don't want to be wasting time and attention rifling through empty wrappers to find the unused one, when they need to be concentrating as much as possible on the race.

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Sniffer replied to Simon E | 3 years ago
0 likes

MSR is taking place on the 20th March.  Not this Saturday.

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Simon E replied to Sniffer | 3 years ago
0 likes

Sniffer wrote:

MSR is taking place on the 20th March.  Not this Saturday.

Doh!

Thanks for the correction.

Catching up late on a Friday evening, was beginning to think that the build-up had passed me by.

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SlowOldSteve | 3 years ago
4 likes

28mm Gatorskins in the snow, Goodluck with that.Speaking as someone with a  broken hip in a  4c dry crash, now in week 5 of non weight bearing,  I could only watch the first minute.  Clearly I  need to man up and invest in the saw blade wheels!

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wtjs replied to SlowOldSteve | 3 years ago
1 like

now in week 5 of non weight bearing

Best wishes with this- I am reminded how lucky I was with my own free fall.

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iandusud replied to SlowOldSteve | 3 years ago
2 likes

So sorry to hear of your broken hip. I've commuted in similar conditions this winter but I dragged my old mountain bike out with 2.1" knobblies. No way I would do that sort of thing on 28mm road tyres these days although there was a time when I would but as I get older I'm so much more warey of breaking bones. A good friend of mine came off his bike at low speed and broke the head clean off his femur. I few days later I came off on a diesel spill and landed hard on my hip. My first thought was have I done any serious damage. Fortunately nothing more than bruising and soem broken skin. Get well soon.

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Jem PT | 3 years ago
0 likes

Has anyone else noted that the revised Tour of Cambridge date is the same weekend as the revised date for the London Revolution? 

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Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
6 likes

Fingers crossed the RP cyclist is OK. For the car to get to that spot it has smashed through a solid metal rail and bollards and across the footpath. Simply could not have achieved that at 20mph. Absolute miracle nobody was killed.

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OldRidgeback replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
2 likes

I saw pics of this crash on Twitter first as the Royal Parks Police posted them. That car must have been going considerably faster than the speed limit. It would not suffer that kind of damage at 20mph. I hope the cyclist heals up ok. I also hope the police take proper action against the driver.

And on another topic, I hope Brandon Flowers from The Killers heals up ok too. I've seen them live and they were pretty good.

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Rik Mayals unde... replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
4 likes

Looking at the pictures on twitter, it looks like the driver could be an elderly lady, the Nissan Leaf will be automatic. She possibly floored the accelerator instead of the brake, which is frighteningly common.

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Awavey replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 3 years ago
1 like

a Nissan Leaf, so its electric and the torque at low speed on those electric motors, which is near instaneous no mechanical lag, is greater than some even well tuned sports cars, Nissan once unbelievably claimed it could out accelerate their Nissan GT-R, marketing hype for sure, but you get the idea.

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CXR94Di2 replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
3 likes

True the Nissan 2018 40kW Leaf will outpace many ICE from10mph to 40mph. I know because I own one, Ive embarrassed many a car with the acceleration.   The 60kW model has alot more 30-70mph grunt. 

If the driver wasnt expecting it by unintentionally accelerating hard, the car can lose traction being fwd and torque steer- if you're not quick to react.   

I guesswork until driver, witnesses and victim comment

 

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Chris Hayes replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
1 like

Perhaps electric cars with such rapid acceleration should have enhanced brakes?  

Reminds me of a mate in the early 80s who put a Porsche engine into his VW Beetle.  He couldn't wait for the upgrade brakes to arrive, so drove it. Let's say it wasn't very good at stopping, but luckily the engine survived the ensuant smash. 

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Hirsute replied to Chris Hayes | 3 years ago
1 like

He didn't follow the Hayes manual then ?

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Awavey replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

Refitting is the reverse of removal ?  3

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CXR94Di2 replied to Chris Hayes | 3 years ago
4 likes

The brakes are very good on the Nissan Leaf, vented discs front and rear.  My Tesla acclerates 0-60 in ~4 secs  It too has excellent brakes. 

 Its the right foot thats  connected to the slow brain reaction is the issue.  

I'm a advocate of driver retest every 5 years, both skill, reaction and physical assessment.  This would be a huge revenue earner for HMG and remove many poor drivers, either skill or phyical problems from the road.  

After a thorough re training or medical control should said driver be allowed to drive again.

We need a much, much higher standard of driving skill on UK roads

 

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Hirsute replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
2 likes

But, but driving is a right that cannot be taken away.

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David9694 replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

#irony

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OldRidgeback replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
0 likes

I agree with you about retesting. I took my car test a very long time ago. Curiously enough, it was doing my motorbike test a few years later that really taught me how to drive.

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Captain Badger replied to Chris Hayes | 3 years ago
1 like

Chris Hayes wrote:

Perhaps electric cars with such rapid acceleration should have enhanced brakes?  

Reminds me of a mate in the early 80s who put a Porsche engine into his VW Beetle.  He couldn't wait for the upgrade brakes to arrive, so drove it. Let's say it wasn't very good at stopping, but luckily the engine survived the ensuant smash. 

Sounds like he couldn't control the acceleration. The brakes weren't the issue....

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Rik Mayals unde... replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
0 likes

Yeah we have a couple of the bonkers Teslas at work plus a couple of the Porsche Taycans. The acceleration is beyond silly. It's like warp speed with no build up. Electric car and old lady equals disaster.

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CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
8 likes

No way was that car doing 20mph,  the damage is far too extensive, probably double the 20mph limit. 

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
4 likes

I clicked the Tweet link and related Tweets showed this beauty from a Taxi driver retweeted by Cylcing Mikey (and others)

https://twitter.com/MikeyCycling/status/1362088029314244611?s=20

So filming kids and women, 
Filimg whilst driving
Fiming whilst speeding (he is good enough to show the SL is 20 and goes up to 24 on his car before he stops)

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chrisos replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
1 like

Amazing. Clearly the kid has just learnt to ride a bike as well, can't imagine why they're not learning to ride on the road from day 1

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Awavey replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
2 likes

its so tempting just to reply to that taxi driver and say yeah Id ride on the flippin pavement too if there were people driving around on the road using their mobile phones to film stuff and not paying attention to the 1 tonne of lethal equipment they are in control of..

the mentality of some of these people, the worst thing is I bet even if you are riding on the road, theyd still give you a hard time just for being a cyclist.

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Awavey replied to CXR94Di2 | 3 years ago
1 like

you read that inital setup and it sounds just maybe a normal kind of rider gets bounced on to the road after a collision style incident,then you read driver hurt their hand & that sounds a bit odd...click through to the tweet...holy f*** what the hell, 20mph, are they serious !!!

Id guess the car is an automatic, and the driver panic stamped on the gas rather than the brake when faced with a sudden impeding collision with the cyclist, and just steered onto a fence or something, I doubt they pulled it out of the tree to take a the picture, that could so easily have been a fatal or serious injury on the cyclist(s) caught up in that.

wont ban cars through there will they though

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Velophaart_95 replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
3 likes

No chance of them banning cars.......imagine that. I'm not sure what would make them ban cars...

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