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“Want safety? Don’t use parks as through roads”: Cyclists slam Royal Parks for “weak” move of cancelling London Duathlon but allowing rat-running drivers; UCI shows British pro yellow card for “teasing” fan with bidon at Vuelta + more on the live blog

It’s Friday and Adwitiya’s your host with all the cycling news and views on the road.cc live blog (yes, he’s still Confused, Hurt, and In a Lonely Place after New Order’s Cardiff gig cancellation yesterday)

SUMMARY

23 August 2024, 08:00
Richmond Park time trial (London Dynamo CC)
“Want safety? Don’t use parks as through roads”: Cyclists slam Royal Parks for “weak” decision of cancelling London Duathlon but allowing drivers to use it as rat-runs

If you had missed this news from earlier this week, the London Duathlon, billed as the world’s largest running-cum-cycling event supposed to take place at the Richmond Park on 8 September has been cancelled by the organisers, citing “a number of unforeseen factors this year” and “an increased focus on the security and logistics of cycling events in public spaces” as the reasons.

The event saw participation of around 4,000 people run and cycle the event distance last year. In the previous years, Richmond Park has been closed off to motor traffic to facilitate the event.

The news came after the somewhat controversial cancellation of the smaller-clubs organised early-morning cycling time trials this summer, following the announcement that the Royal Parks, the charity responsible for maintaining London’s parks, was reviewing its cycling policy, claiming these events “directly encourage cyclists to go faster than the 20mph speed limits”.

The news wasn’t well-received by many cyclists, at a time when organising cycling events such as time trials has admittedly become harder. Now, London Cycling Campaign has hit back at the Royal Parks for the cancellation of Duathlon over safety concerns, but allowing drivers nonetheless to use the parks as through roads.

“We're disappointed, yet again, by the behaviour of Royal Parks charity. Having Regent’s & Richmond Park as daily rat-runs while cancelling London Duathlon is weak,” the campaign said.

Tom Fyans, London Cycling Campaign’s CEO, speaking to ITV said that while he agrees that cyclists should stick to speed limits, he believed that cancelling the London Duathlon had little to do with safety.

He said: “It feels like a bit of a knee-jerk reaction. There needs to be a conversation with Royal Parks about how cyclists and other park users can co-exist, and how we can make it a safer place for everybody, including from cars and drivers that are allowed in the Royal Parks at the moment.”

> Cycling group and Royal Parks disagree over cyclist speed limit advice in Richmond Park

The sentiment seems to be shared by other cyclists on social media. One Twitter user commented: “Royal Parks is extremely anti-cycling. Cancelling an event in Richmond Park for something that happened in Regents Park while allowing cars to drive through, even though there's been many, many incidents involving cars, tells you all you need to know about that lot.”

Meanwhile, William Davies wrote: “Wait a second. Have Royal Parks cancelled a cycling *race* because some people cycle *too fast*? I’m really struggling with this one.”

After the cancellation of the Duathlon, we contacted the Royal Parks for further information about the decision, but were only told: “A range of factors, including significant operational challenges, have meant that the London Duathlon will not be going ahead in Richmond Park this year. We will work closely with potential event organisers to determine the future of the event.”

The situation comes at the end of a summer when the Royal Parks have come under scrutiny for its cycling-related policies and communication, the charity in June stating that the inquest into the death of a pedestrian — killed in a collision involving a cyclist back in 2022 while crossing Regent's Park's Outer Circle — widely reported by certain sections of the UK's print and broadcast media, had prompted it to review its cycling policy.

23 August 2024, 09:49
Soudal Quick-Step's British pro James Knox receives yellow card for “improper, indecent and dangerous behaviour” after teasing spectator with bidon at the Vuelta
James Knox at stage four of Vuelta a Espana 2024 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

James Knox at stage four of Vuelta a España 2024 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Is this the cycling equivalent of Eric Cantona kung-fu kicking Palace fan in the stands? Maybe, but a lot tamer, at least in my opinion…

If you weren’t aware, cycling has yellow cards à la football now. So far, the first strike of the card system, which is being trialled by the UCI with virtual cards handed out by race officials for a safety violation, was made at the Tour de France Femmes, with SD Worx’s Barbara Guarischi shown one when she stopped pedalling and took her hands off the handlebars after completing her lead-out for Lorena Wiebes.

Now, Soudal Quick-Step’s James Knox has become the second recipient of the yellow card at the Vuelta a España for “improper, indecent or dangerous behaviour towards spectators”.

UCI shows yellow card to James Knox

In stage five of the Vuelta on Wednesday, the British rider, struggling in the Spanish heat of up to 40 degrees, seemed to have a little banter with one of the roadside spectators. As the fan jogged along Knox, it appeared that Knox was trying to hand him his bidon, but instead it was actually some playful teasing. But as soon as the camera crew caught up to the situation, the spectator stumbled and fell on the road, with any injuries sustained by the person not known as of now.

And for this offence, the UCI has decided to impose a fine of 200 Swiss francs (around £180) and a deduction of 10 UCI points, besides the yellow card. Wilfried Peeters, team manager at Soudal Quick-Step, has described it to HLN as a “justified sanction”.

The news comes after much was said about the UCI’s decisions to fine Lidl-Trek’s French rider Julien Bernard at the Tour de France for stopping to kiss his wife and child as the race passed through his home region of Burgundy. And from the reaction, it looks like fans aren’t too pleased with this latest decision about Knox as well.

Ryan Duff wrote: “You all thought the yellow card was brought in to improve rider safety? Wrong! We brought it in because we wanted a new way to f*** with the riders,” while another person said: “Turning this yellow card thing into a JOKE”.

23 August 2024, 16:31
🚨road.cc Podcast episode 84! Academic behind Shimano electronic gears hacking study on why “it’s hard to tell” if wireless doping has taken place in pro cycling – and why us amateurs shouldn’t be worried
road.cc Podcast episode 84

For episode 84 of the road.cc Podcast, we took a deep dive into one of the more curious, and headline grabbing, cycling tech studies of recent years – which discovered that your bike’s electronic shifters may be susceptible to hackers, who could even be lurking at the Vuelta a España, waiting to sabotage Primož Roglič’s next move to the big ring.

 

> “The Tour de France needs to do a proper security review”: Academic behind Shimano electronic gears hacking study on why “it’s hard to tell” if wireless doping has taken place in pro cycling – and why us amateurs shouldn’t be worried

23 August 2024, 16:24
Junior Tour of Wales cycle race rerouted due to 20mph speed limits, as local cycling club chair rues “sad state of affairs” that sport is “impacted by short-sighted policy” and governing body admits Welsh road racing is “unsustainable”
Junior Tour of Wales cycle race rerouted due to 20mph speed limits (Beicio Cymru)

Club cyclists in Wales have criticised the “sad state of affairs” that have led to three stages of the Junior Tour of Wales being rerouted and shortened due to the country’s default 20mph speed limit, as the sport’s governing body admitted that several factors, including the introduction of the 20mph limit, have made Welsh road racing “unsustainable”.

> Junior Tour of Wales cycle race rerouted due to 20mph speed limits, as local cycling club chair rues “sad state of affairs” that sport is “impacted by short-sighted policy” and governing body admits Welsh road racing is “unsustainable”

23 August 2024, 16:09
Wout van Aert bags another win at Vuelta a España, with a late surge in final hundred metres to deny Team UAE Emirates' Pavel Sivakov

After a horrible injury that derailed his spring classics season and spending six months without a win, Wout van Aert now has two in a week, thanks to his Visma-Lease a Bike teammate Sepp Kuss, and erm, Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe's Aleksander Vlasov.

The win meant that Team UAE Emirates, which first sent Mark Soler solo and then in the final two kilometres, Pavel Sivakov, lost the win in the final few hundred metres of the race, as the French rider who looked like had done just enough to grab a hard-fought victory, was engulfed by the chasing peloton led by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, with Wout van Aert tagging onto Vlasov's wheels — Lidl-Trek's Mathias Vacek and Equipo Kern Pharma's Pau Miquel rounding up the two podium spots.

After the stage, Van Aert said: ""I expected it to be a bigger group to go to the finish line. I knew the final climb on the circuit was hard bit I didn’t expect that the race would explode like this. On the top I found myself with Sepp along in the front group. It was very difficult to manage.

"Sepp did such a wonderful job. I don’t know if people know how hard it is to close a gap like that when you’re under 60 kilos. I just had goosebumps in his wheel and I wanted to finish it off. This is a really big one.

"In our team it’s not only about winning but about performing as a team making challenging plans. A part of that is that everybody is prepared to sacrifice himself for the others. To have the defending champion of this race pulling for you is a huge example of our team philosophy. Because of that I’m so proud."

In the general classification, no major changes other than Florial Lipowitz who dropped down four spots to eighth, while Primož Roglič cut down Ben O'Connor's massive gap by six seconds with the bonus seconds over the final climb. Despite that, the Australian rider still holds a comfortable margin of 4:45 right now, thanks to his heroics yesterday.

23 August 2024, 15:12
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe driving the pace at the front at stage seven of Vuelta a España

After yesterday's debacle of letting Ben O'Connor go solo and win the stage by an astonishing four and a half minutes, putting him in the red jersey with a massive gap to Primož Roglič, the team looks like it's going all out, guns blazing in today's stage as the peloton climbs over the brutal Alto del 14% — I'm pretty sure you can guess why it's got the name it has.

23 August 2024, 14:55
Tom Pidcock (CorVos/SWpix.com)
Tom Pidcock to race in 2024 Tour of Britain Men, as the Paris Olympic gold medal winner announced alongside two more British riders in Mark Donovan and Stevie Williams

Another rider has been confirmed for the upcoming Tour of Britain, and it's the Olympic gold medal winner for Great Britain in mountain biking, Tom Pidcock, who joins the likes of Julian Alaphilippe and Remco Evenepoel at the start line in Kelso on the Scottish border.

The Ineos Grenadier rider said, who'll be hoping to finish the race with two balls instead of three this time around, said: "The Tour of Britain is a really special race for me. Returning to the UK after a such busy year of racing and to pin on numbers in front of the passionate home fans, always provides great motivation. I can’t wait to get out there with my INEOS Grenadier teammates in our home race and we look forward to seeing you all out along the road."

> “I’ve got three balls, anyone need a spare?” Tom Pidcock laments Tour of Britain abandon due to infected saddle sore

Two more British riders have also been announced for the race besides Pidcock, last year’s Best British Rider Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling) and Stevie Williams (Israel-Premier Tech).

Williams, who took the biggest win of his career to date at La Flèche Wallonne in April, was the virtual leader on the road during the final stage of the 2023 Tour of Britain with his attacking riding on the south Wales climbs, before ultimately finishing 14th overall. The Welshman started this season by winning a stage and the overall of the Tour Down Under.

Wout van Aert, Damien Howson, Tobias Johannessen at Tour of Britain 2023  (image: Adwitiya Pal)

Wout van Aert, Damien Howson, Tobias Johannessen at Tour of Britain 2023 (image: Adwitiya Pal)

Meanwhile, Donovan will be lining up for his fourth Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain, having finished in the top 10 overall in both of his last two participations. The 25-year-old recorded his highest overall finish last year with fifth, earning him the Best British Rider prize.

Joining him will be Q36.5 Pro Cycling teammate Damien Howson, who finished third overall in the 2023 Tour, having picked up top five placings on the crucial pair of final stages. The 32-year-old from Adelaide will be returning for his second Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men, and joins Pidcock, and Julian Alaphilippe as podium finishers from previous editions to be racing this year.

23 August 2024, 14:20
More golds for Team GB at the UCI Junior Track World Championships, as Cat Ferguson storms to second world title while Henry Hobbs claims impressive win in individual pursuit
23 August 2024, 12:33
Robert Stannard, 2018 Australian National Criterium Championships (Zac Williams/ZWP/SWpix.com)
UCI “surprised” by Bahrain Victorious’ “incorrect and misleading” statement about Australian rider Robert Stannard’s doping proceedings

It looks like Bahrain Victorious has picked up a dogfight with the UCI, pro cycling’s governing body, over the team’s latest signee Robert Stannard, the Australian rider who won the Tour de Wallonie, finished in the top ten of two stages of the Criterium du Dauphiné, and second in the mountains classification at the Vuelta a España while riding for Alpecin-Deceuninck in 2022 and 2023 — and was also provisionally banned last August for the “use of prohibited methods and/or prohibited substances”.

In June, the 25-year-old accepted a back-dated four-year suspension for what the UCI described as “unexplained” abnormal values in his Athlete Biological Passport in 2018 and 2019, when he was racing for Mitchelton-Scott, now known as Jayco-AlUla.

However, as soon as the rider was out of contract with Alpecin-Deceuninck, he was snapped up by Bahrain Victorious, with the backdated nature of his ban means Stannard is free to return to racing.

Now, in an email sent to road.cc, the UCI has made a point to make a statement regarding the team’s announcement of the Australian, in which it commented about the anti-doping proceedings against Stannard.

“The UCI is surprised by the content of the statement - even though this has since been removed from the team’s website - and wishes to clarify a few points,” said the organisation.

“First, the UCI wishes to emphasise that on 3 June 2024, the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal found that Robert Stannard had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method due to unexplained abnormalities in his Biological Passport in 2018 and 2019 and that his decision is now final.”

> Rob Stannard set to race Tour of Britain for Bahrain-Victorious after accepting four-year backdated doping sanction for biological passport abnormalities

The UCI also said that Stannard had the opportunity to provide supporting written explanations and expert evidence, both in writing and during a hearing. The Tribunal, however, rejected the rider’s explanations and held that he used a prohibited substance and/or method as evidenced by his Biological Passport.

It continued: “In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules (UCI ADR), a four-year period of suspension was imposed. However, the start of the period of ineligibility was anticipated by the Tribunal in view of delays in the proceedings not attributable to the rider or the UCI.

“Furthermore, the Tribunal also cancelled Robert Stannard’s race results obtained from 17 August 2018 (date of the appearance of the first abnormality) until 16 August 2022 pursuant to the UCI ADR and the Code, and imposed a fine corresponding to 70% of his average annual salary at the time of the ADRV.

“In line with the above, the allegations made by Bahrain Victorious, such as “it has never been specified whether the rider is accused of using a prohibited substance or a prohibited method” and “through our medical teams’ analysis we could not conclude any wrongdoing” are clearly incorrect and misleading.

“It is unfortunate that the UCI is put in a situation to correct statements by a UCI WorldTeam related to a matter as important as the fight against doping.”

23 August 2024, 11:30
Cyclist suffers puncture wound from hidden nail trap (Tich Kent/Facebook)
Police launch fresh appeal for person who laid a homemade nail trap on popular Scottish trail, slashing cyclist’s tyres and leaving him with puncture wound

In March, we reported that a mountain biker in Scotland had raised the alarm about home-made nail traps deliberately hidden on a popular trail, after he was left with a puncture wound from a trap which also slashed both his tyres.

Tich Kent, 50, shared a photo of the nail trap online, warning riders that it had been “buried at the bottom of one of the steep chutes” on the Philipstoun Bing trails in West Lothian. While riding the trails last weekend, both his tyres were slashed and his “rear wheel flung it up with so much force it went through three layers of clothes” and caused a puncture wound.

“I’m still somewhat in shock that someone actually welded this thing together and put it on a trail, [it] could have caused genuine serious injury,” he said. “Such a shame, I like the short and steep trails up there for a quick blast but will be unlikely to go back now. Police have been notified but suspect there's little they can do other than note the incident.”

Now, officers have issued a fresh appeal to trace the creator of the stinger, reports the Edinburgh Reporter. Sergeant Liam Arbuthnot said this week: “Inquiries are continuing but there have been no more incidents reported.” 

> "Why would someone do this?": Police investigate as boy's neck cut after cycling into wire hung across path next to school

The police ward report to the committee added: “Routine patrols continue to be carried out in and around the ward areas in relation to off-road motorbikes. Inquiries remain ongoing regarding the use of spikes being left on the ground to where off-road bikes are being driven within the Philpstoun bing area.  

“Foot patrols have been carried out where the majority of calls are received regarding illegal use of bikes. This has resulted in engaging with members of the public and dog walkers, providing reassurance required.  

“We urge members of the public to contact police with information regarding information and identity of the riders when possible. Inquiry remains ongoing at present to identify a suspect.”

23 August 2024, 11:00
Hundreds sign petition slamming decision to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” to make way for “dangerous, little used” cycle lane that “adds to pollution” – but council says more trees will be planted in their place
Binley Cycleway, Coventry (Coventry City Council)

The planned final phase of a cycle lane in Coventry – where a motorist was filmed last year speeding along the ‘protected’ infrastructure while undertaking another driver and which locals say could lead to collisions between reversing drivers and cyclists “aiming” at them at 30mph – has once again been the subject of intense scrutiny this week, after almost 1,000 residents signed a petition urging the council to stop the project “immediately” to save 26 trees along the proposed route.

> Hundreds sign petition slamming decision to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” to make way for “dangerous, little used” cycle lane that “adds to pollution” – but council says more trees will be planted in their place

23 August 2024, 10:32
Anyone entering the Brompton speed-folding Olympics?
23 August 2024, 09:40
Team GB ride to gold at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Luoyang

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

Add new comment

31 comments

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Hirsute | 3 months ago
0 likes
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dst | 3 months ago
2 likes

"running-cum-cycling"

Is this what they do during the transition? I always thought duathlon athletes were a bit weird, now I know why!

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Rendel Harris replied to dst | 3 months ago
0 likes

dst wrote:

"running-cum-cycling" Is this what they do during the transition? I always thought duathlon athletes were a bit weird, now I know why!

That's really puerile and vulgar. Love it!

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Hirsute | 3 months ago
1 like

" Any Disabled Cyclists want to take part in my research?

Looking for disabled people who own & regularly use any type of cycle, but must have made additional adaptations so it suits your needs.

£40 thank you voucher DM/email if interested h.larringtonspencer [at] westminster.ac.uk "

https://x.com/tricyclemayor/status/1826981159407906938

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Hirsute | 3 months ago
0 likes

Lancs road Police

This bike was stopped on M6 near to Preston. Rider using the hard shoulder as a route to deliver fast food [🤦‍♂️] Power output of bike falling into moped category & required licence, insurance etc which the rider didn’t have. Rider summonsed to court & bike seized #Team4RPU
//pbs.twimg.com/media/GVuBP3iW0AAHYRh?format=jpg&name=small)

Only they give no evidence of the output and appear to confuse the battery of 468Wh with the motor output

https://x.com/LancsRoadPolice/status/1827196190871502924

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wtjs replied to Hirsute | 3 months ago
2 likes

I admit it! Lancashire Police do occasionally go out of the station- but it's suspicious that just about the only enforcement they have been seen to undertake of late involves 'a bike'. Meanwhile...in its usual position outside the pub, 150 yards from Garstang Police Station. The problem must be the impossibility of tracing the vehicle- if only they had more to go on than the phone numbers, the agricultural works Facebook page, the registration...

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Clem Fandango | 3 months ago
6 likes
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chrisonabike replied to Clem Fandango | 3 months ago
3 likes

Andrew Gilligan was cycling commissioner under Boris so not surprising he's pointing this out.  (Although he was a spad for Rishi...).

I'm clearly out of touch with popular sentiment but I could imagine that the Conservatives could easily have jumped the other way and played LTNs as "making your streets nicer / keeping out all the passing riff-raff / increase your house prices" - cul-de-sacs for all!  OTOH perhaps when they went full "party of the motorist" they just felt they could benefit from the culture war side of things?

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Clem Fandango replied to chrisonabike | 3 months ago
5 likes

They bought fully in to the culture war BS

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ceebee247 | 3 months ago
6 likes

Ref Royal Parks 

Anybody have any data on how many people have been injured by motor cars/vans over say the last 5 years with the parks, and how many of those people injured were cyclists Surely thats where you start the counter arguement from ? 

and does anybody know who/how best to contact them , if they started to get multiple contact from the Public asking questions including via MPs then prehaps something will happen. 

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the little onion replied to ceebee247 | 3 months ago
5 likes

No, but I'd be VERY interested in seeing a Freedom of Information request to them along those lines

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mitsky | 3 months ago
6 likes

Given the look of that nail trap and the potential harm, it seems to me the criminals were attempting GBH/murder.
If the police were to consider those crimes, would they up their game in trying to locate the perpetrators?

I won't hold my breath as it only affects cyclists...

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andystow replied to mitsky | 3 months ago
1 like

mitsky wrote:

Given the look of that nail trap and the potential harm, it seems to me the criminals were attempting GBH/murder.
If the police were to consider those crimes, would they up their game in trying to locate the perpetrators?

I won't hold my breath as it only affects cyclists...

I don't know how legal it is, but if that happened in my area I'd be buying and installing 5-6 game cameras. They're available here for about $30.

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brooksby replied to mitsky | 3 months ago
1 like

Let's face it - it's probably a local farmer.  Not many people have welding equipment at home…

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Oldfatgit replied to brooksby | 3 months ago
2 likes

Ever been down "the middle at Liddle"?

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Oldfatgit replied to mitsky | 3 months ago
2 likes

I live not too far from where these were found.
The location is old bings [spoil heaps] from the heady days of Paraffin. In fact, unless I'm very much mistaken, these bings are from the very works of James Young himself.

The main issue [that I can see], is unlicensed scrambler motorbikes ripping through them, tearing them up and destroying the ecosystem as well as being *loud*.

I'm not defending the actions of the cockwomble that's done this, but can *almost* understand why.

The nearest cop shop is unmanned ... and its not exactly a priority for them; the noise from these machines can be horrifically loud, and the riders don't care how early or late it is ... if its light enough to ride, they'll be there.

The land owner has made repeated attempts to fence the bings in, but they are limited to what they can do to reduce the twats as locals also walk their dogs [and gravel ride].

Whoever made this absolutely needs punishment... but pushbikes are unlikely to be the real target.

///smashes.promising.flooding

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Cayo replied to Oldfatgit | 3 months ago
0 likes
Oldfatgit wrote:

The main issue [that I can see], is unlicensed scrambler motorbikes ripping through them, tearing them up and destroying the ecosystem as well as being *loud*.

I'm not defending the actions of the cockwomble that's done this, but can *almost* understand why.

Whoever made this absolutely needs punishment... but pushbikes are unlikely to be the real target.

I ride past there a fair bit and rarely do I not hear train bikes roaring around, so I agree it's probably they who are the intended target. But of course, that's like dropping a bomb on a public park to stop people leaving their dogs' mess uncollected whilst ignoring the chance you'll kill the kids also playing there. And bombing the irresponsible dog owners would be an extreme 'solution' too.

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hawkinspeter replied to mitsky | 3 months ago
0 likes

mitsky wrote:

Given the look of that nail trap and the potential harm, it seems to me the criminals were attempting GBH/murder.
If the police were to consider those crimes, would they up their game in trying to locate the perpetrators?

I won't hold my breath as it only affects cyclists...

It should be treated as terrorism and thus have a lot more police resources available

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john_smith | 3 months ago
0 likes

I vaguely remember Bernard Hinault talking about riders (I can't remember if he was one of them) stopping to eat ice cream on one Giro stage, and having stomach problems as a s result. I wonder what the UCI would make of that?

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mdavidford | 3 months ago
3 likes

road.cc wrote:

Soudal Quick-Step's British pro James Knox receives yellow card

[..]

 

Is this the cycling equivalent of Eric Cantona kung-fu kicking Palace fan in the stands?

I'm pretty sure that resulted in (and followed) rather more than a yellow card.

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Steve K replied to mdavidford | 3 months ago
0 likes

mdavidford wrote:

road.cc wrote:

Soudal Quick-Step's British pro James Knox receives yellow card

[..]

 

Is this the cycling equivalent of Eric Cantona kung-fu kicking Palace fan in the stands?

I'm pretty sure that resulted in (and followed) rather more than a yellow card.

Yes - including the death of a Palace fan  2

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SimoninSpalding replied to Steve K | 3 months ago
1 like

@SteveK, I know you are a Palace fan and therefore I would bow to your in-depth and local knowledge, but I can find no reference to a death, "just" Cantona admitting assault.

I seem to recall the Palace fan involved was a bit of a "hot head" who ended up in jail for attacking lawyers in court?

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Rendel Harris replied to SimoninSpalding | 3 months ago
2 likes

Palace and United fans clashed at a pub in Walsall (they were travelling to an FA cup semifinal at Villa Park) a few months after the kung fu incident and a Palace fan, Paul Nixon, was killed. Apparently CP and MU fans had never been known for bother (with each other) before but the Cantona incident set them at loggerheads.

Yes, Matthew Simmons, the recipient of the kick, was fined £500 for his behaviour and when sentenced tried to attack the prosecutor, which got him a week in gaol.

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Rendel Harris | 3 months ago
17 likes

Quote:

Tom Fyans, London Cycling Campaign’s CEO, speaking to ITV said that while he agrees that cyclists should stick to speed limits

What speed limits would those be, Tom? There are no speed limits that apply to cycles, as presumably you know, and it's not compulsory for bicycles to have speedometers so how would cyclists adhere to them if they did? Disappointing to see someone representing cyclists pandering to a motornormative trope rather than explaining why the suggestion is a) impractical and b) a complete red herring.

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chrisonabike replied to Rendel Harris | 3 months ago
2 likes

Indeed.

Although some way of phrasing things that *doesn't* sound like "ha ha!  Don't apply to me, I'll go as fast as I like!" is the trick of it (which is what I suspect many non-cyclists hear, even if that is not what is said).

Unfortuately common sense is a highly contested thing.

I wonder if it is less triggering for many (to counter the the "what about..." and "it can't be right that motorists have limits but cyclists don't!") is to start by observing that in fact police and courts have long had powers to address dangerous cycling behaviours.  And use them - it certainly didn't prevent police stopping cyclists they felt were not riding safely as reported here.

And then go on to explain the "speed limits don't apply" (as you have).

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Velophaart_95 | 3 months ago
20 likes

Royal Parks are so concerned with safety, yet allow cars in their parks as a 'rat run'.....

Lets call a spade a spade; they're anti-cyclist. And not fit for purpose.

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Hirsute replied to Velophaart_95 | 3 months ago
15 likes

With drivers who ignore prohibitions on vehicle type, close pass cyclists, crash badly, ignore no entry signs and speed. All with regularity.

Just make it no through to motor traffic and you can only get to one car park from each entrance.

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Pub bike replied to Hirsute | 3 months ago
1 like

Another thing I've seen too many times at weekends when Sawyer's Hill is closed to unauthorised motor vehicles is cars esp. minicabs stopping on the Roehampton Gate roundabout in front of the gate leading westbound up Sawyer's Hill blocking cyclists from accessing Sawyer's Hill.  The last one I saw who was stopped there was on the phone and then moved off onto the roundabout and drove towards the cafe on Priory Lane still on the phone.    Unfortunately the camera on my bars was too low to catch it otherwise it would have been a report to the Met.

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Rendel Harris replied to Pub bike | 3 months ago
2 likes

Yes! Saw one today, not a minicab but a wankpanzer driver stopping to offload partner, kids and dog before proceeding on to the car park. Obviously walking the extra hundred yards (if that) back to the roundabout from the carpark could have killed them...

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chrisonabike replied to Rendel Harris | 3 months ago
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What a gent! Taking one (hundred yard walk) for his family...

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