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news
Surrey traffic cops call out safe driving campaign spouting "dangerous advice" about riding two abreast; Disgusting scam profiting from NZ cyclist's death exposed; Gold Pinarello; Pro Brexodus?; Froome embraces 'leisure rider' life + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Jeremy Vine two abreast cyclists video screenshot12 August 2021, 16:16
Katie Compton's husband raises concerns with suspension - says both have suffered huge mental health implications
‘Developing story’ is a huge understatement. This just in from Katie’s husband: the inference is dark, and UCI/USADA need to revoke the suspension pending an independent inquiry. pic.twitter.com/qeuOJyC2in
— Mike Stead (@tweetymike) August 12, 2021
This reaction to yesterday's big story that 15-time US cyclo-cross champ Katie Compton has been handed a four-year ban comes from the athlete's husband...
12 August 2021, 15:32
Grieving brother of New Zealand Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore exposes online scam that tried to profit from her death
Words can’t express how saddened we are to hear of the sudden death of Rio 2016 Olympian, Olivia Podmore.
Our thoughts are with her family, friends and @CyclingNZL. RIP 🤍 pic.twitter.com/i1sKCI1CsM
— UCI Track Cycling (@UCI_Track) August 9, 2021
The brother of New Zealand cyclist Olivia Podmore, who tragically died earlier this week, has urged people not to donate to an online scam posing as a fundraiser for the family of the athlete who competed at the 2016 Olympics. The page claiming to be created by 'Team Podmore' and titled 'Help Olivia Podmore' has been exposed by the athlete's brother Mitchell.
He shared the scam on Facebook, saying "I hope this is not what I'm seeing, the Podmores have not started a gogetfunding or give a little page. Do not react to this." Yahoo Sport reports the now-deleted fundraiser had a target of $50,000.
Podmore died suddenly, just hours after posting a message on her Instagram warning of the "struggle" of elite sport. The 24-year-old competed at the Rio Olympics and the most-recent World Championships but was not selected for the Tokyo Games.
12 August 2021, 14:38
Fabio Aru to retire at the end of the Vuelta a España
Celebrating Fabio Aru! @FabioAru1 has announced that @lavuelta 2021 will be the final race of his cycling career... and what a career it has been! 🥰
Details: https://t.co/LP0RYsTSVF #BicyclesChangeLives 🖐 pic.twitter.com/qNsePTIr0p
— Team Qhubeka NextHash (@QhubekaAssos) August 12, 2021
Fabio Aru will retire from pro cycling after the upcoming Vuelta a España. The 2015 winner of the race has struggled since 2017 and has said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family. Aru shot to prominence at the 2014 Giro d'Italia where he finished on the podium, a feat he repeated in 2015. The Italian achieved his best result at the Tour de France in 2017, winning the stage to La Planche des Belles Filles and finishing 5th on GC in his national champion's jersey.
"Reaching this decision has not been easy but it is something that I’ve been thinking about and discussing with my family for some time. I’ve been racing my bike for 16 years and for more than a decade as a professional, but the time has come now to prioritise other things in my life, my family," Aru said.
How better to remember Aru than with his many pain faces...
Fabio Aru: The man of a thousand faces. A thread. pic.twitter.com/ngXwkSHvZF
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) December 3, 2020
12 August 2021, 10:54
Aaannnd it's gone...1-0 Surrey traffic cops
Oh dear, never mind... #fatal5 #cycling pic.twitter.com/KFrzqwvEJl
— Bang Average 3rd Cat (@BangAverageCat3) August 12, 2021
That went well. Bashing cyclists about riding two abreast turned out to be...fatal...for Fatal 5's road safety 'campaign'. Despite claiming to be targeting the five main reasons for death and serious injury on UK roads: speeding, distractions, carelessness, no seatbelts and intoxication, Fatal 5 found the time to bash two abreasters too. Blasting cyclists as "ridiculous" and "downright dangerous" for doing so.
Surrey traffic cops then got involved, did their best to educate the so-called road safety page, before giving up and reporting it instead. Whether the account was deleted or removed by the powers that be, we don't know...either way Fatal 5 is no more...
12 August 2021, 14:19
Chris Froome embraces the 'leisure rider' lifestyle
At least Chris saw the funny side...If you missed it, he was amusingly mistaken for just a leisure cyclist by French TV yesterday. Just a leisure cyclist with four Tour de France titles, all won during a time France 2 broadcast the race...
12 August 2021, 13:47
12 August 2021, 13:29
American BMX star Connor Fields missing multiple days from memory after Olympic Games crash
The number of comments I’m getting saying “Paris is in 3 years!”
Do people realize I nearly died? Brain hemmorage? No memory.... Maybe I’m not ready to commit to that yet? Can we chill for just a sec? Maybe focus on lunch next week first....
— Connor Fields (@connorfields11) August 7, 2021
US BMX racer Connor Fields has revealed the frightening days of treatment and missing memory that followed his crash during the Olympic semi-finals in Tokyo earlier this month. Fields, who won bronze in Rio five years ago, crashed heavily when his front wheel landed on another rider's rear wheel causing him to fall heavily.
The 28-year-old suffered a shocking list of injuries, including a brain haemorrhage, broken rib and a collapsed lung and was stretchered off the track and straight to hospital. Fields posted an update on his recovery to his Instagram followers and said he is still missing four of five days of memory.
"I have about 4-5 days that are completely missing from memory from competition day to the following few days," he wrote. "I am finally back home and on the road to recovery from Tokyo."
Fields was in second place at the time of the crash. Dutch rider Niek Kimmann recovered from a crash with an official during practice to win gold as Briton Kye Whyte won GB's first medal in the event.
12 August 2021, 13:19
One killed as driver strikes 11 cyclists in horrific incident near Tongaat in South Africa
A driver hit 11 cyclists, killing one, in a shocking incident on the R102, near Tongaat in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday morning. The South African reports the driver was allegedly overtaking several cars on a blind rise when they struck the group. One cyclist in his 20s was pinned under the vehicle and was declared dead at the scene. Three of the riders suffered "minor to moderate injuries".
IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson said the scene was chaotic. "IPSS Medical Rescue, together with IPSS Search and Rescue division, responded to the reports of a mass casualty incident on the R102 Frasers, Tongaat. It was reported that a vehicle had allegedly been overtaking several cars on a blind rise when the vehicle struck a group of cyclists," the official statement reported.
12 August 2021, 13:17
12 August 2021, 11:47
Ethan Hayter takes his silver medal back to the place where it all began
It’s @ethan_hayter paying a visit to @AzeusConvene track league 🤩 pic.twitter.com/kVpsPevIRa
— VC Londres (@VCLondres) August 11, 2021
Olympic silver medallist Ethan Hayter popped down to Herne Hill Velodrome on Wednesday to show off his bling at the place where he started training aged 13.
Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: "It's not really sunk in yet, it's a bit strange coming back here and I don't feel like I should be but I'm treated like a celebrity which is weird.
"I got back and my whole road was out and after getting back from the airport it's been really nice, in a way it's meant more to everyone else than it has to me. It's been really nice, everyone has been saying well done and coming up to see me and stuff like that. I feel like the same person, I was here eight years ago and the buzz around the Olympics was massive - this time it was me competing which was weird."
12 August 2021, 10:18
Richard Carapaz's stunning Olympic gold Pinarello Dogma
A bike fit for the Olympic champion 🥇
Watch @RichardCarapazM meet his stunning new @Pinarello_com DOGMA F for the very first time 🤩 pic.twitter.com/KeBfiNbRjW
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) August 12, 2021
How good is this?! It's what we've been waiting for since Richie C won gold a few weeks back. His new Olympic gold Pinarello Dogma is just about as good as it gets...well, maybe apart from if Top Ganna had won TT gold so his supersonic world champ's machine could be given a gold trim.
The Ecuadorian hero will debut his fresh new ride at the Vuelta a España when it kicks off this weekend. We'll have to wait until Sunday as the first stage is a TT. I wonder if Cervélo has anything special planned for Primož Roglič?
*takes money from wallet* https://t.co/1Bettm7dCL
— Liam Cahill (@liamcahill1) August 12, 2021
Filth. Utter. Utter. Filth. https://t.co/XfY6AIrKyb
— Wine & Wheels (@defence_on) August 12, 2021
12 August 2021, 09:55
Tour of Denmark crash has the critics criticising...
This is why I don't like eBikes 😉 pic.twitter.com/b9dR2p5GNO
— Martin Toft Madsen (@martintoft) August 12, 2021
We've been here before: rider crashes, bike does something bizarre on impact...must be a peloton-wide conspiracy of motor doping. Okay, that's a bit of a straw man. I can't explain why Ryder Hesjedal's bike did what it did at the Vuelta in 2014, nor can I explain what happened here...maybe if I didn't ditch Physics after an extremely underwhelming GCSE campaign I'd have the answers.
Some are saying it's clear evidence the rider's bike has a motor, others that it was just the wind, others rotational energy? Anyone smart want to help me out here?
12 August 2021, 09:40
Ned Boulting launches 'make cycling infrastructure fit for purpose' petition
I have started a UK GOV Petition to “Make cycling infrastructure fit for purpose. Just like we have done with roads.” It's being moderated right now. When it is live, I'm going to need your help to spread it far and wide. To get a parliamentary debate we'll need 100,000.
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) August 12, 2021
You might have seen Ned's vid from the North East on the blog earlier this week. In it, the commentator and writer shared a familiar scene for cyclists across the UK: lazy, substandard token infrastructure - at most a white painted bicycle and a few lines...
The clip got a lot of traction, so Ned has decided to set up a UK Government Petition to 'Make cycling infrastructure fit for purpose. Just like we have done with roads.' The petition is in moderation at the minute so you might not be able to sign it for another few days.
Here's the link to it, we'll share it again once it's live.
Replying to a question about what a parliamentary debate will achieve, Ned said: "I'd rather is WAS debated than WASN'T. I'm hoping it can serve as a focal point for campaigners and will give us something to work with. I'm not expecting miracles, but it could matter."
12 August 2021, 09:50
12 August 2021, 08:52
Meet Jose Laverico...the British pro grabbing a Spanish residency card to bypass Brexit ball-ache
Just picked up my Spanish residency card. A little bit of relief as it wasn’t the easiest process. For the next 5-years I shall be known as Jose Laverico. As always, big up to Brexit for making life more difficult✌🏼
— Joe Laverick (@JoeLavo) August 12, 2021
Back in February we highlighted the situation facing British riders subject to visa rules in the wake of Brexit meaning non-EU citizens can only spend 90 days in Europe in a 180-day period. With the majority of WorldTour and Pro Conti races held on the continent, and with many British riders opting to make places like Girona and Andorra home due to the superior training options - it's become a very real problem for many.
Luckily for Hagens Berman Axeon pro Joe Laverick, he's found an alternative...introducing...Jose Laverico.
12 August 2021, 07:47
Surrey traffic cops call out safe driving campaign spouting "dangerous advice" about riding two abreast
Wrong.
Nobody is ‘forcing’ anybody to commit an ovetskecinto oncomjng traffic.
A safe, legal and sensible driver would need the opposing carriageway to overtake even if they were single file. It’s easier to overtake a peloton than a long line of single file riders.— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 11, 2021
We're back to this again...we thought it was done and said it will take something spectacular to drag us back into the 'debate'. Well, everyone's favourite police Twitter account caught our eye with this call out of a page posing as a road safety campaign...Fatal 5 says it is a: "Campaign against the biggest dangers whilst driving: inappropriate speed, distractions, carelessness, no seatbelts & drink/drug driving". Fair enough.
Interestingly Fatal 5 chose to tackle the road's biggest dangers by saying cyclists riding two abreast is "a ridiculous act to encourage" that is "downright dangerous", in reply to Jeremy Vine's viral vid. When challenged by the Surrey road cops, Fatal 5 doubled down: "Vehicles are being forced further to the offside than necessary with cyclists riding 3 or 4 abreast as demonstrated here, this in turn adds danger from hidden exits etc Are you advocating that cyclists ride 3 or 4 abreast, contradicting guidance as outlined in the Highway Code?"
We have reported the account to Twitter as it is impersonating an official account and providing dangerous advice.
— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 11, 2021
If you're new around here you might not know why we think the Surrey road cops are worth a follow...back in June its admin slid into the DMs to educate one person bemoaning "dickhead" cyclists riding away from the kerb...
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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41 comments
open_roads
|
3 years ago
1 like
educating people on social media might have wider reach and more positive impact than simply catching and punishing a small selection of wrong-uns
Either of these actions is better than nothing, which is what we have up here. Surrey does seem to be miles better for cyclists than most forces.
Would have thought it would be good publicity for Scott
She had one of the Scott custom Olympic paint jobs from squinting at the first image of her winning I could find - my bet would be that a gold ones on the way if she doesnt have it already. She's probably a Scott Brand Ambassador or similar regardless of her Pro status.
Conservation of Momentum. Back wheel is spinning at x rpm and as the brake hadn't been applied to it when he came off it was still spinning. As the bikes are so light and it landed with back wheel touching the floor, spinning momentum then carried on moving the bike until dispersed.
It would be nice if Surrey road cops actually took action when provided with footage of bad driving instead of garnering plaudits from the likes of Road CC. Actually it would be nice if they even acknowledged it.
Have you had a bad experience? Would you like to share with the rest of the class?
As I mentioned when JV had originally posted it, there was also no reason they couldn't have overtaken either on the video. Then it would have shown that cyclists like that can be overtaken and don't "hold up" faster vehicles in the main, that riding two abreast rather then 10 in single file is easier to over take and a demo of going across into the far lane as the best overtake for cars and cyclists involved.
Instead he decided to use it to troll car drivers, generate divisive responses and to do segments for his shows which just carried on the "fighting".
Instead he decided to use it to troll car drivers, generate divisive responses and to do segments for his shows which just carried on the "fighting".
I very much agree - not a fan of Vine, partly because he blocked me for politely disagreeing with him but also because I feel that although he's generally right his tweets etc are 25% about campaigning for cyclists and 75% about keeping Jeremy Vine in the headlines.
As I mentioned when JV had originally posted it, there was also no reason they couldn't have overtaken either on the video. Then it would have shown that cyclists like that can be overtaken and don't "hold up" faster vehicles in the main, that riding two abreast rather then 10 in single file is easier to over take and a demo of going across into the far lane as the best overtake for cars and cyclists involved.
Instead he decided to use it to troll car drivers, generate divisive responses and to do segments for his shows which just carried on the "fighting".
I think it's worth noting that it is the dangerous and/or ill-informed opinionated drivers that are choosing to "fight" rather than accept the facts they are being shown and having explained to them.
But he could have informed them and removed the opinion that cycling like that won't hold up drivers for long, still allows for SAFE overtaking and is easier to do. But instead he actually perpetuates the myth the ill informed opionated and dangerous drivers have by showing a long open road with seemingly plenty of room and time to overtake and bragging he won't bother and good on them.
I just feel it would have worked better if there were long lines of oncoming cars so not safe to overtake or if he had shown how easy a safe overtake would have been in the circumstances.
It's funny because those cyclists aren't riding more than 2 abreast, there are no corners in sight and the road is neither narrow nor busy.
so it's a shame that JV described them as 3 or 4 abreast, rather than ovrtaking to show a) these cyclists were in rows of 2 only b) it's really easy to overtake cyclists riding like this.
Point could have been "6 cyclists take up about the same space as a tractor and no harder to overtake", rather than "cyclists should ride 4 abreast to calm traffic"
One would be useful defence of cyclists, the other just looks like trolling.
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- Simon E 1 sec ago
It's the BBC. Institutionally anti-cyclist. Did you expect any different?
- chrisonabike 8 min 42 sec ago
Genuine question - what is the baseline? As in - what do transport secretaries get done on average in - say - 6 months? (Noting that the bigger...
- Saracen888 31 min 36 sec ago
That's a great price. Just bear in mind Import duty and handling charges will be applied pre delivery.
- Paul J 33 min 20 sec ago
It's a standard technique. See my longer comment....
- NotNigel 1 hour 4 min ago
My word, the comments don't get any better the further back in time the articles are.
- bikes 1 hour 17 min ago
It happens so often that people need to drive expecting it to happen. People walk / jog across the road without looking all the time, particularly...
- Griff500 1 hour 53 min ago
Yep, I appreciate your problem. I wouldn't buy a bike without at least sitting on the same frame configuration on a trainer in the shop, something...
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One less thing to clutter up your jersey pockets no? Though difficult to retrieve in a hurry...
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was it one of these? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411246675771?
- lesterama 4 hours 16 min ago
Houchen is utterly corrupt and morally bankrupt, as readers of Private Eye know all too well.