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Impatient driver hits cyclist after rushing overtake...but it's not his fault (apparently); Doull's ink-redible tattoo mishap; What's Cav scared of?; You shall not pass!; Alaphilippe's sweaty pain cave; Cyclocross VAR; Cool new app + more on the live blog

It's the start of a new week and Dan Alexander is here your Monday live blog ...
29 November 2021, 16:43
Wine, beards and cycling...a hipster's paradise
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by QUOC (@quocshoes)

Not quite as intimidating as a gangster's paradise...

29 November 2021, 15:39
Taking n+1 to the nth degree (two n's for the price of one)
29 November 2021, 15:09
Cav proud to have Quick-Step's 800th win but takes more pleasure from Fabio Jakobsen's comeback
2021 Mark Cavendish Tour of Turkey Stage 2 Victory - credit Stuart Franklin Getty Images

Cast your minds back to April, before the disbelief and emotion of the Tour de France, when, at the Tour of Turkey, Mark Cavendish won his first bike race for more than three years, then he won again the next day, and the day after that, and once more four days after that...it was a sign of things to come at the Tour, but also his team Deceuninck-Quick-Step's 800th win — a milestone befitting one of the sport's most decorated names.

"It was an unforgettable week for us and it goes without saying that I was extremely proud to have racked up the team’s 800th victory," Cav reflected on the success which kickstarted one of the most significant seasons of his career. "Just when you think about this, it’s mind-blowing. This team is always there, fighting for the win in every race, and this achievement says a lot about the mentality and ambition of being among the best teams in the world. That’s another reason why being part of this family is an honour for me.

"But to be completely sincere, the most important thing about that day wasn’t my stage victory and the milestone we reached together, but the fact Fabio made it so far into the stage. It was his first race with the squad since Poland and having him there, doing a phenomenal job, working hard and enjoying racing was just beautiful and emotional at the same time. That motivated me to finish it off."

Cavendish is back home in Essex recovering from a crash at the Ghent Six Day which left the Manx Missile in hospital with broken ribs and a punctured lung. Over the weekend he revealed the impact had ripped a hole behind his heart.

29 November 2021, 15:04
So you think you know how a bike works...

Pretty impressive this is the eighth highest trending video on YouTube at the moment with more than two million views in the last 24 hours...think you know how a bike works?

29 November 2021, 14:49
Catnip 303s or DT Swhiskers? Feline like a new set of wheels...

You've checked the road.cc wheelset guide, but don't forget to consult your four-legged friend before grabbing yourself a Cyber Monday upgrade... 

29 November 2021, 14:17
Mr Tickle riding a bicycle...+ all the rest of the reaction to our main live blog story of the day

Right, let's kick off the afternoon with some reaction to our big story of the day...THAT video of a motorist colliding with a cyclist before making some questionable claims in the argument that followed...

Stuart Spencer said the Merc driver's logic is the perfect example of "the sense of entitlement that has invaded so much of society today."

On Facebook, Jackie Fraser said she had experienced something similar..."I once had a driver complete a high speed u turn into me, and then berate me about his paintwork."

Seems a decent time to pull up this exchange between the driver and cyclist in the clip..."Bro, that's my property..."..."Yeah, this is my life..."

Liam Pike commented: "He knows he is too close and just wants to have a pop at the cyclists. You don't rush a overtake like that and spend six mins arguing about."

Plenty of discussion under the live blog too...

BigE said: "Surely if driver gives 1.5m as in Highway Code cyclist would not be able to touch the car!"

Mungecrundle added: "Mercedes Man - The old 'It's your own fault, you forced me to overtake when it was dangerous to do so' routine. I'm not sure if this is some sort of Vulcan mind link thing that cyclists use to force bad driving or some sort of remote control over vehicle steering and speed functions."

And one final thought from wycombe wheeler, "I'd hate to be a delivery driver if people react like this to people knocking on their doors. Or is it just car doors that are super sensitive?"

29 November 2021, 12:57
Who'll be getting one of these for Christmas?
29 November 2021, 12:21
Winning Olympic gold is a day you'll never forget...or not...Owain fooled by wrong date tattoo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Chris Auld (@cauldphoto)

It's a very popular trend these days — Olympic Games tattoos. A permanent reminder that you achieved the pinnacle of your sport. A memory, achievement and ink-based memento that will be there forever...

Poor Owain Doull made a bit of a mishap, however, when getting his date of glory inked on his arm...the mistake? Doull won gold on the 12th of August, not the 13th.

The Welsh cyclist, who is leaving Ineos Grenadiers for EF Education-Nippo this winter, told his soon-to-be ex-teammates Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe all about the blunder on their Watts Occuring podcast...

"I was super happy with it and thought it looked sick. I put a photo of it on Instagram. And then there were comments that said ‘did you not win the Olympics on the 12th?'

"My tattoo said the 13th. I was like ‘this guy doesn’t know what he is talking about - delete that comment.’ Another guy comments ‘you sure that is right date’ and by the third guy I thought I should check this now and turns out I was wrong."

Apparently the team pursuit gold medallist has since been back to get the error fixed. Changing a three back to a two sounds like it could be tricky though. Seven to nine, one to nine, three to eight — no problem, but three to two? We'll reserve judgement until we've seen the before and after photos...

29 November 2021, 11:45
CycleBump: How smooth is your route?
CycleBump

Some of the details here are a little sketchy considering our reliance on Google to translate Japanese but there now appears to be an app for measuring and viewing bumpiness of roads. Could we soon see Komoot and others giving you the smoothest possible ride option?

BumpRecorder was originally designed for use in cars, but has now also released the CycleBump, an app that measures road surface conditions. According to the app's website it has already accumulated 3.4 million kilometers of road surface ratings, allowing users to check the unevenness of roads before heading out the door.

29 November 2021, 11:33
Cyclocross VAR: Was there contact?

Let's slow that one down and get Roy Keane and Jamie Carragher to go at eachother...

Ultimately it didn't matter as Eli Iserbyt held off Toon Aerts on the final lap to win the World Cup event in Besançon by ten seconds. But what do we reckon? Foul? Yellow card? He was the last man...it could be red. 

29 November 2021, 10:49
Cav's banana phobia

Wise idea to avoid banana peels if you want to stay upright...

29 November 2021, 10:31
You shall not pass! A Monday blocked bike lane bonanza

We've enough blocked bike lane content to last the rest of the week...from fallen trees to a badly parked Vauxhall (and some help from Mother Nature). First up, in Manchester, where the snow has been making some wonder if the council could not give cycle lanes the same treatment as the roads...

And it's not just here in the UK...

The solution?

At least the snow gave an easy way of getting this message across...

Sophie said her hands were too cold to hang around for the 'and pavement' follow up. It even got a shout-out from Badly Parked Brum, an account dedicated to the art of badly parked vehicles in the Second City. You Park Like a C*** also gave it a retweet...we're sure that account is pretty self-explanatory...

And how about this one? 

Those guerilla cyclists must have been out chopping down trees again... 

29 November 2021, 10:04
A world champion's pain cave...Julian Alaphilippe shows off his sparkly winter set-up

A seasoned indoor trainer user, editor Jack's first reaction to Julian Alaphilippe's pain cave was to wonder if the world champ sweats? No towel or fan seems like a fast track to puddles and salty bar tape. In fairness, we've heard being unable to sweat is a pretty serious medical condition often accompanied by memorable trips to Pizza Express in Woking.

Also, if we're going to be really picky, has a world champion on the road earned the right to a rainbow band trainer? I know, I know, nobody wants another do you have to earn the rainbow bands argument...but if the answer's 'you have to earn it' then should the rainbow trainer be reserved solely for virtual world champs? Yes, I'm aware the actual correct answer to this paragraph is 'who gives a *insert expletive*?'...

This time last year, during lockdown, we had readers from around the world send in their pain cave pictures, and boy did you lot deliver...if you need some home trainer inspiration check out our 16 of the best lockdown pain caves and turbo training set ups feature.

29 November 2021, 08:49
Impatient driver hits cyclist after rushing overtake...but it's not his fault (apparently)

Perhaps if everybody had just seen their side, as recommended by TfL, this driver hitting a cyclist wouldn't have caused a roadside debate. Interestingly the driver's main concern seemed to be the rider touching his property..."Bro, that's my property..."..."Yeah, this is my life..." pretty much sums up the road safety stakes...

With a bit more explaining..."What I'm saying to you there is a car on the other side of the road, you're not on the edge..." the motorist tried to make the case for that pesky bike rider getting out of his more important Mercedes' way.

> Transport for London slammed for “victim-blaming” road safety ad (+ video)

And here we are..."So what, I have to drive slowly for you?" Ermmm yeah, pretty much. "Bro, you're lucky I'm controlling myself, I should be kicking your bike right now." How very considerate...

Mercedes man continued to show a surprising amount of disgust about someone hitting his car considering said car had just been driven into another road user...perhaps in true 'See their side' spirit, the pair exchanged apologies and got on with their journeys...oh wait, no, here we go again...

Mercedes man: "It would be a beautiful world if everyone took consideration, but just protect yourself first..."

The cyclist explained in the description of the video on YouTube that the incident was reported to Met Police and went to court, but was dismissed.

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

Add new comment

88 comments

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
3 likes

Re Owain Doull: He could have probably got away with it by adding GMT to the tattoo. 

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
1 like

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Re Owain Doull: He could have probably got away with it by adding GMT to the tattoo. 

A pedant writes: he won his team pursuit gold around 7PM Rio time; Rio is (somewhat surprisingly) only three hours behind GMT, so he still took the medal on August 12th English time. I really, really must get out more.

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wycombewheeler replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Re Owain Doull: He could have probably got away with it by adding GMT to the tattoo. 

A pedant writes: he won his team pursuit gold around 7PM Rio time; Rio is (somewhat surprisingly) only three hours behind GMT, so he still took the medal on August 12th English time. I really, really must get out more.

3 hours behind now? or 3 hours behind in August when UK clocks will have gone forward and Brazil's might have gone backwards.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
1 like

Brazil doesn't observe daylight saving time now but it did in 2016, putting the clocks an hour forward in February and an hour back in November, so in August would have still been three hours behind UK time.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
4 likes

Is that an African or a European Swallow?

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
1 like

It's perfectly simple. If you're not getting your hair cut, you don't have to move your brother's clothes down to the lower peg. You simply collect his note before lunch, after you've done your scripture prep, when you've written your letter home, before rest, move your own clothes onto the lower peg, greet the visitors, and report to Mr. Viney that you've had your chit signed.

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wycombewheeler replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

Brazil doesn't observe daylight saving time now but it did in 2016, putting the clocks an hour forward in February and an hour back in November, so in August would have still been three hours behind UK time.

no, as they are in the southern hemisphere they would have put their clocks back in February and forward in November.

So, as with Austrailia the time difference from the UK varied by 2 hours summer to winter.

However, the last change was at the end of their summer putting their clocks back, so they are currently on the same time they would have been during the Olympics. (UTC-3) But the UK would have been at UTC+1 in our summer (when the Olympics happened). So during the Olympics the time difference would have been 4 hours.

Still leaving the event on the 12th of August.

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mdavidford replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
1 like

wycombewheeler wrote:

Still leaving the event on the 12th of August.

He could still have just added 'UTC+3' to the tattoo...

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bikeman01 | 2 years ago
0 likes

It's such a shame that thanks to easy finance anyone can now drive a Mercedes. I remember when driving a Merc meant something.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to bikeman01 | 2 years ago
7 likes

bikeman01 wrote:

It's such a shame that thanks to easy finance anyone can now drive a Mercedes. I remember when driving a Merc meant something.

Ooooh it still does......

Avatar
IanGlasgow replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
4 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

bikeman01 wrote:

It's such a shame that thanks to easy finance anyone can now drive a Mercedes. I remember when driving a Merc meant something.

Ooooh it still does......

It definitely means SOMETHING...

"The answers were unambiguous: self-centred men who are argumentative, stubborn, disagreeable and unempathetic are much more likely to own a high-status car such as an Audi, BMW or Mercedes."

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/good-society/fast-and-furious-research-s...

Avatar
Cycologist replied to IanGlasgow | 2 years ago
0 likes

The argument is probabmatic. If I get time later, I'll put a counter argument forward.

Also, is the vehical in the vid particularly 'high status'?

There's plenty of BMWs, Mecrs and Audi's out there that I wouldn't considered high status, not even close, many are just aging ****, with chipped and poorly modded engines.

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Cycologist replied to IanGlasgow | 2 years ago
3 likes

Appalling driving in the vid, and the drivers interpretation and evaluation of the highway code is very odd. It's almost like he's never read it?

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Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
6 likes

Prick would have been picking his teeth up off the floor if he'd tried that on me.
Utter arsehole. A good shoeing might actually make him learn something.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
11 likes

Owd Big 'Ead wrote:

Prick would have been picking his teeth up off the floor if he'd tried that on me. Utter arsehole. A good shoeing might actually make him learn something.

Did you not see the empathy memo that went round?

Avatar
Owd Big 'Ead replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
7 likes

Sod the memo.

TfL once again show that they have no idea what it's like being a cyclist around motorists hell-bent on MGIF.

They are very much part of the problem, not the solution.

He needs a slap for the constant use of 'bro'. That alone would be enough to tip me over the edge 

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IanMK replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
11 likes

I'm glad he kept his cool. The exchange shows how ill-informed the driver is. Perhaps if TfL see it they'll understand that road safety is better served by education of the the rules rather than showing empathy for ignorant and dangerous dicks.

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chrisonabike replied to IanMK | 2 years ago
5 likes

IanMK wrote:

I'm glad he kept his cool. The exchange shows how ill-informed the driver is. Perhaps if TfL see it they'll understand that road safety is better served by education of the the rules rather than showing empathy for ignorant and dangerous dicks.

Sounds like the empathy is strong in this one. Indeed Owd Big 'Ead is practically channelling the driver...

Avatar
brooksby replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
13 likes

Owd Big 'Ead wrote:

Prick would have been picking his teeth up off the floor if he'd tried that on me. Utter arsehole. A good shoeing might actually make him learn something.

"And if that Jean-Claude van Damme came 'round 'ere, with his mayonnaise all over his chips and showing off his well-oiled biceps, then I'd be 'Oi!  van Damme!  Do not come here with your adulterated chips, instead of salt and vinegar like God intended, and go give yourself a proper wash'.  Grrrr..."

 3

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
4 likes

Owd Big 'Ead wrote:

Prick would have been picking his teeth up off the floor if he'd tried that on me. Utter arsehole. A good shoeing might actually make him learn something.

Right, and what then happens when they pull a knife or a gun? Or if you achieve your aim and end up facing court yourself? The rider handled this exactly right I thought, didn't back down, made his points forcefully and clearly but didn't give the idiot the excuse to escalate that he quite clearly would have been happy to have.

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Owd Big 'Ead replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
3 likes

Horses for courses Rendel.

Have you ever had anyone pull a knife, or gun on you while cycling? No, thought not.

We all deal with these situations in different ways and fair play to the cyclist for keeping his shit together.

Unfortunately for me, I'm not that cool headed, I'm far more likely to deal with the situation first, then worry about the consequences after.

I've tried the 'be nice' routine before and got nowhere. For me, going nuclear from the get go seems to get the message across in a way they won't forget anytime soon.

 

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
2 likes

Owd Big 'Ead wrote:

Horses for courses Rendel.

Have you ever had anyone pull a knife, or gun on you while cycling? No, thought not.

We all deal with these situations in different ways and fair play to the cyclist for keeping his shit together.

Unfortunately for me, I'm not that cool headed, I'm far more likely to deal with the situation first, then worry about the consequences after.

I've tried the 'be nice' routine before and got nowhere. For me, going nuclear from the get go seems to get the message across in a way they won't forget anytime soon.

 

I've had someone threaten me with a knife from the passenger seat, yes, fortunately we were both moving and I shot off down a sidestreet sharpish, and I was mugged at knifepoint whilst cycling once (in Bath, of all places!). An atrocious number of people do carry knives, particularly young people, is it worth taking a gamble on whether they have one or not? Equally, is it worth risking a prison sentence (possibly a huge one, more than one person has gone down for manslaughter after a single punch) by "going nuclear" on someone? 

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Owd Big 'Ead | 2 years ago
7 likes
Owd Big 'Ead wrote:

....

Have you ever had anyone pull a knife, or gun on you while cycling? >

If they did, I'd give them a SLAP. Oi knife wielding thug! NO!.... etc etc....

Avatar
BigE | 2 years ago
6 likes

Surely if driver gives 1.5m as in Highway Code cyclist would not be able to touch the car! 
 

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to BigE | 2 years ago
2 likes

BigE wrote:

Surely if driver gives 1.5m as in Highway Code cyclist would not be able to touch the car! 
 

You are correct in practical terns re 1.5 m, except that it isn't mentioned in the highway code. However most of the rules between 162 - 169 would scream that this was an illegal and dangerous over take, and should have been sanctioned.

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Sriracha replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
0 likes
Captain Badger wrote:

this was an illegal and dangerous over take, and should have been sanctioned.

Is there a special name for words which effectively mean their own opposite?

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
1 like

Sriracha wrote:
Captain Badger wrote:

this was an illegal and dangerous over take, and should have been sanctioned.

Is there a special name for words which effectively mean their own opposite?

You mean is "illegal" like "inflammable" / "flammable" in that it often apparently means the same as "legal"?

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
3 likes

Sriracha wrote:
Captain Badger wrote:

this was an illegal and dangerous over take, and should have been sanctioned.

Is there a special name for words which effectively mean their own opposite?

Contronyms.

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

Sriracha wrote:
Captain Badger wrote:

this was an illegal and dangerous over take, and should have been sanctioned.

Is there a special name for words which effectively mean their own opposite?

Aaaaarrgghgh it's already been a long week...

sanctioned? if so yes, I hesitated before using it

Avatar
Sriracha replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
4 likes
Captain Badger wrote:

Sriracha wrote:
Captain Badger wrote:

this was an illegal and dangerous over take, and should have been sanctioned.

Is there a special name for words which effectively mean their own opposite?

Aaaaarrgghgh it's already been a long week...

sanctioned? if so yes, I hesitated before using it

Indeed sanctioned. But nowt wrong with it. It's just that it could end up conveying either of two opposed meanings.

I'm told that the editor of one august journal was in the habit of replying to the legions of hopefuls that he would "waste no time in reading their paper". Clearly such behaviour should be sanctioned.

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