A thoroughly good cove

Anyone on the road needs to earn respect. If we all behaved like that, perhaps the roads would be less dangerous.
Remember, it's a comment aimed at the small amount of cyclists who are thoughtless. Same could be said of drivers too

To quote Flight of The Conchords, 'this is where we break it down':

Quote:

When we talk later in the stalls of the velodrome, though, it emerges there is at least one thing that moves him to anger. Namely, cyclists who ignore the rules of the road. “When I’m out on a bike and I see someone doing something stupid I will absolutely have a word with them at the next set of lights,” he says.

Have a word with them? Cool, not going to argue with you on that one, but has Hoy just come out with this, unprompted, after some pondering? Hardly likely. Theo Merz, for whatever reason, has presumably needled his interviewee to lead him to that answer, Hoy's use of 'absolutely' gives this away for me.

Also, I really hope by 'stalls' he is just trying to incongruously use the language of theatre and isn't mithering Sir Chris whilst he is in the bogs. Though, it would not surprise me.

Quote:

The last time the he had a word with an errant rider was a couple of weeks ago in Edinburgh, where the athlete was born and much of his family still live. “There was a guy who was riding like an idiot, jumping lights, cutting up the pavement

Anti-social cyclists or anti-social clowns on bikes, whichever way you prefer the dog to be washed, exist. And, yes, they are bad bellwhiffs, but they aren't of such great numbers and posing such a great danger that they warrant anywhere near the column inches and hysteria that they provoke, but that's the smoke and mirrors we're dealing with. However, I don't see that *all* pavement cycling or that *all* red light jumping is wrong, but that debate get's covered over and over and nobody comes out any smarter.

Quote:

and I just said: ‘You’re not helping matters here.

Too right you are Chris, well done for letting him know he was in the wrong, as a very respected ambassador for cycling and sport it is well within his remit to have a word. And let's be honest, he's a pretty big sausage so most people are probably going to listen when he has a word.

Quote:

If you want respect you have to earn it.’”

That's the unnecessary bit. Why do cyclists have to earn respect? What logic is there in suddenly gaining more respect just because you have locked your bike up and started walking down the road? Why does sitting in a car suddenly mean that you deserve more respect that someone on a bike? We all have a responsibility to not act like whoppers, but deciding that certain humans don't deserve respect purely based on the fact they've chose to pedal a bicycle? It's nonsense, utter nonsense.

'They don't set back the cause of cycling'

They certainly do.

OK, I accept that Hoy is not generalising, but the subtext of the article is still that there are "bad cyclists" that set back the cause of cycling. They don't set back the cause of cycling, they're just bad cyclists. The Telegraph is clearly at fault here, because most of the conversation with Hoy is about the positive aspects of cycling, and nothing to do with the headline.

I've lost patience with the "Why do cyclists do such and such..." conversation. "Why so motorists kill 5 people every day on UK roads?" is the equally stupid response.
I was impressed with Boardman's approach to the parliamentary enquiry where he made it clear that cyclists were not the problem and he wasn't going to start by apologising for anything.

Having read the article, I don't see how you can disagree with him; he was referring to a specific incident where a guy did multiple things that should get you into trouble with the Law. I feel the same way when I see cyclists running red lights. I think he could have used the interview to encourage other road users to treat cyclists with more respect, give them more space generally, overtake better specifically and to be more observant of all other road users.

“When I’m out on a bike and I see someone doing something stupid I will absolutely have a word with them at the next set of lights,” he says.

He will catch you, and looking at his forearms, you probably wouldn't want to make him any angrier either. I suspect he's a really nice guy, I'd love to go for a ride with him.

I don't want to agree with him regarding respect - an idiot pulling a wheelie on the pavement has nothing to do with me - but I do think that while other road users perceive us (however wrongly) as a single homogenous group, he's kind of (struggling to say this) got a point.

The victim blaming, sports car loving planet murdering public schoolboy that he is.

(See, I'm coming around to the roadcc way of thinking)

I for one agree with Mr Hoy

Yes, he's wrong on this, assuming he was reported accurately. I don't have to "earn" the right to have my safety respected, and my right to safety is not dependent on anyone else's behaviour.
In Scotland, motorists are responsible for 95% of accidents caused by ignoring traffic lights, but I don't hear anyone saying drivers need to earn respect.

Seems like a lovely bloke, true, but he does need to be pulled up on the "respect needs to be earned" line. It's just plain wrong, and repeating it does cycling harm too.

Bez puts it far better than I ever could:

http://beyondthekerb.wordpress.com/2013/10/11/the-most-basic-respect/

The guy does seem like a thoroughly good bloke with a good sensible view of the world.
I hope he feels the need to get involved in teamGB coaching in the future as he has alot to teach and inspire