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news
“My first ride of the year resulted in five drivers reported”: Cyclist shares pictures of five close passes; 19-year-old British rider comes close to winning first stage at Tour Down Under; Peter Sagan does wheelies with fan + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
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Yorkshire close passes (images: Bikery on Twitter)21 January 2025, 09:33
“My first ride of the year resulted in five drivers reported”: Cyclist shares pictures of five close passes from one ride
If you’re a cyclist in this country, I can assume there would be very few rides or commutes where you manage to completely avoid being close passed by a driver. But imagine taking your bike for a spin for the first time in the year, and you end up getting close passed not once, not twice — but five times.
Unfortunately, that’s what happened to the cyclist who goes by the name of Bikery on social media user. They shared images of five different drivers passing closely while riding to visit a customer in Yorkshire, captioning: “My first ride of the year on Friday resulted in five drivers reported for close passes which in turn has led to five Notices of Intended Prosecution being sent to the owners/drivers.”
The cyclist also encouraged others with cameras on their bikes to share any instances of close passes or poor driving with the police, writing: “If you have video evidence of dangerous and inconsiderate driving you can submit it to the West Yorkshire Police OpSnap team who are dedicated to making our roads safer.”
They added: “As always on a post illustrating how easy it is to prosecute a driver for dangerous and inconsiderate driving the replies are mainly against it or disbelieving.
“TV, film and the media for decades hasve glorified car use and people getting away with road crime. Times change.”
The comments under the post were unnerving, with David Barker saying: “One of the reasons I don’t go out on my own any more. It’s a game to some of them.” Keith Fuller also commented: “So a normal day of biking then?” to which the cyclist replied: “Unfortunately yes.”
As always, if you do get close passed, our email (info [at] road.cc) and Facebook page inbox(es) are always open for submissions for the Near Miss of the Day series, regardless of whether the police decide to act on your footage or not. As we say, “The point is to make a point about driving standards and the lack of consideration for vulnerable road users on UK roads.”
> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?
21 January 2025, 17:35
Near Miss of the Day 919: Driver makes shockingly pointless close pass on cyclist... and is found not guilty in court
21 January 2025, 16:23
Rouvy acquires FulGaz from The Ironman Group, also announces multi-year partnership with Ironman
Indoor cycling platform Rouvy has acquired FulGaz from The Ironman Group, a strategic move to enhance its position in the competitive virtual training market. The integration brings FulGaz’s extensive collection of immersive ride simulations to Rouvy’s augmented reality platform, offering riders more variety and realism during their training sessions.
The deal also coincides with a multi-year partnership naming Rouvy as the Official Digital Sports Platform for Ironman events. This partnership will provide triathletes with courses replicating Ironman events, tailored workout plans, and realistic training environments.
Former users of FulGaz — the indoor cycling app with thousands of real-world routes from around the world, including Ironman and Ironman 70.3 courses — will gain access to Rouvy’s augmented routes, interactive features, and gamified elements, enhancing their training experience. Similarly, Rouvy users will benefit from an even larger route library, offering lifelike race simulations and opportunities to prepare for iconic events like the Ironman World Championships.
Petr Samek, co-founder and CEO of Rouvy, said: “We’re at an especially exciting stage of development, growing organically due the engaging and high-quality riding experience our platform provides but also, fortunately, in a position to capitalise on pivotal opportunities as and when they arise.
“In our discussions with Ironman about forming a multi-year partnership, it became apparent that FulGaz would be one such opportunity, so we’re delighted to announce the news of this acquisition and the bringing together of two of the best-loved virtual cycling platforms in the world.”
Scott DeRue, CEO of The Ironman Group said: “We are on a mission to inspire our athletes and elevate their experience on race day and every day in between. In this pursuit, we are investing in innovation and partnering with leading brands that can help us enrich the athlete experience.
“Over the last few years, Rouvy has been on the leading edge of revolutionizing the indoor cycling platform, and with their technology and commitment to innovation, we will elevate the athletes’ virtual training experience to an entirely new level. Pairing our iconic Ironman and Ironman 70.3 routes with Rouvy’s seamless user experience, immersive technology, and unparalleled data analytics, we will help both novice and experienced triathletes perform at their very best and have a lot of fun doing it.”
Rouvy also said that it will be present onsite at Ironman and Ironman 70.3 races throughout the season, serving as the naming partner for transition areas and aiming to provide an enhanced experience to athletes.
21 January 2025, 16:00
Police force admits bike thefts "unlikely to ever be solved" after spoof sign pokes fun at station's "Bicycle Redistribution Point"
21 January 2025, 15:13
Cameron Mason, Zoe Bäckstedt, Imogen Wolff, and Cat Ferguson selected to represent Great Britain at 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Liévin
The 2025 UCI Cyclocross World Championships are just two weeks away from kicking off in Liévin, France from Friday 31st January to Sunday 2nd February, and British Cycling has announced 11 riders to represent Team Great Britain.
Three-time national champion Cameron Mason will spearhead the elite men’s race. The 24-year-old rider, who has had three top-10 world cup finishes so far this season, will be joined by Thomas Mein, who delivered a world cup best position of sixth place in Besançon in December.
The under-23 women’s category is stacked with Zoe Bäckstedt aiming to defend her U23 women’s title. The 20-year-old is already on the back of a terrific season, having finished in the top 10 of every world cup race she’s entered, even finishing on the podium thrice.
Having missed a chunk of the cyclocross season due to injury, Cat Ferguson will be looking to make her mark in her first year at under-23 level, after securing the junior women’s silver medal in 2024. National bronze medallist Imogen Wolff will also be pushing for a podium position, alongside Ella Maclean-Howell.
Back-to-back national champion Oscar Amey will compete in the junior men’s category, having had a promising season so far with three top 10 performances in the junior world cups. Making his world championship debut alongside him will be national championship silver medallist Milo Willis.
All three of Great Britain’s junior women will be making their world championship debut in Liévin, with Arabella Blackburn, Zoe Roche and Ellie Mitchinson looking to earn their stripes on the world stage.
Matt Ellis, Great Britain Cycling Team Cyclocross Co-ordinator, said: “We have a fantastic squad of promising riders heading to the world championships this year, ready to take on an interesting course and show their talent on the world stage.
“We have a fantastic range of experience from cyclocross veterans to debutants looking to gain experience on the biggest stage, all supporting each other and ready to represent Great Britain with pride and determination.
“Having this level of strength and depth across the programme to take 11 riders to a world championships is a credit to the talent teams and coaching staff that support these riders to become the best in their sport and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can deliver in competition.”
21 January 2025, 14:46
"The strategy suggesting that cyclists 'should be more courteous and move to the left for faster-moving traffic' has strangely never been adopted by drivers"
The strategy suggesting that cyclists 'should be more courteous and move to the left for faster-moving traffic' has strangely never been adopted by drivers.
— Bob From Accounts 🚲 (@bobfromaccounts.bsky.social) 20 January 2025 at 12:15
21 January 2025, 13:35
“This is deeply disappointing but unsurprising”: Labour councillors call for “halting” of traffic filters, claiming they have “turned neighbours against one another”
Traffic calming systems have always been a sore point in Oxford, with acts of violent vandalism and arson such as setting planters on fire and ripping apart bollards a frequent occurrence in the last few years. In October 2023, anti-low traffic neighbourhood took the streets to ironically block traffic, with angry protesters claiming that the traffic-calming measures have increased congestion and that they “can’t get on bikes”.
Now, Oxford Clarion has shared on Bluesky that Oxford Labour’s local leader Liz Brighouse has called for the process of installing traffic filters in the city to be “halted”.
She said: “Oxford residents are united in recognising that traffic is a major problem. But debates on what to do about it have turned neighbours against one another.”
Labour has called for the upcoming Oxford traffic filters to be “halted”. Its local leader Liz Brighouse said “Oxford residents are united in recognising that traffic is a major problem. But debates on what to do about it have turned neighbours against one another.”
— Oxford Clarion (@oxfordclarion.bsky.social) 21 January 2025 at 07:25
Labour said that there needs to be “continued conversations on the future of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, implying “in the first instance, that means removing the Crowell Road LTN”. The party also suggested that “the county council needs to speed up re-opening the Cowley and Witney railway lines to passengers”.
Green party candidate for Parks division, Oxford and sustainability researcher at the University of Oxford, Emma Garnett, said on social media: “This is deeply disappointing but unsurprising from Oxford Labour. You can’t tackle traffic without tackling the number of cars on the road and improving public transport.”
21 January 2025, 13:19
road.cc Recommends Bikes of the Year 2024/25: the best road bikes
From sportive bikes to full-on race bikes, it’s time to find out which are the best road-focused bikes we’ve reviewed over the past 12 months...
> road.cc Recommends Bikes of the Year 2024/25: the best road bikes
21 January 2025, 12:51
Israel-Premier Tech cycling team face more protests at Tour Down Under as campaigners call for "no sport with apartheid"
21 January 2025, 11:49
A Colnago road bike and two Specialized mountain bikes amongst other valuables stolen by thieves from Juan Sebastián Molano’s house in Colombia
UAE Team Emirates XRG rider Juan Sebastián Molano was the latest victim of a robbery as thieves raided his house in La Trinidad, Boyacá in Colombia, stealing three bikes and other valuable items, totalling up to thousands of euros.
The two-time Vuelta a España stage winner is preparing for the next season with his brother Julián in Dubai, and the house was empty when a bunch of thieves broke into it, according to El Tiempo.
> UAE Team Emirates pro Juan Sebastián Molano hit head-on by motorist while training
The Molano family later reported that a Colnago road bike belonging to UAE Team Emirates XRG and two Specialized mountain bikes were among the stolen items, which also included household appliances, cycling jerseys, and various other accessories. They called on the cycling community to at least recover the three bikes that were taken from their home.
21 January 2025, 11:33
Dylan van Baarle suffers broken collarbone in Tour Down Under crash
After the dramatic crash which overshadowed pro cycling’s return at Tour Down Under crit, the first stage of the men’s Tour Down Under was a relatively tumble-free affair. However, there was one crash with just a few kilometres to go, and the victim was Visma–Lease a Bike’s Dylan van Baarle.
The team said this morning: “Dylan van Baarle was involved in a crash in the final kilometres of today’s stage. Examinations after the finish line have revealed that he has broken his collarbone and he will not be able to start tomorrow.
This is a tough setback, but we know Dylan is a fighter who will come back stronger than ever. Looking forward to that moment already.”
21 January 2025, 10:49
“He came zooming past me”: 19-year-old British “super talent” Matthew Brennan almost pips Sam Welsford for victory at stage one of Tour Down Under
After a thoroughly entertaining women’s race in the scorching Australian sun, the men’s Tour Down Under kicked off last night, and Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s Sam Welsford picked up where he left off in 2024 — smashing the doors down of the 2025 men’s road racing season with a well-taken victory in the bunch sprint.
The home rider, who won the points jersey last year with three wins in the six-day tour, never looked in doubt before the final few hundred metres of the finish line, with the peloton making their way through a tricky serpentine section before the riders geared up for the sprint.
Sam Welsford wins stage 1 of 2025 Tour Down Under (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Although Welsford looked in control of the sprint, the 19-year-old British prodigy Matthew Brennan came very close to raining on his parade, the Visma–Lease a Bike rider who was promoted from its Continental to WorldTour squad this year, announcing himself to the world in stellar fashion.
“I had someone on my wheel and I was keeping them in check, and I didn't actually notice the left,” Welsford said after the race. “I went to stop and salute, but I [had gone] pretty long, so I didn’t have much legs left. I should have realised that it was a really fast downhill sprint at the end.
“I thought I had it, but [Brennan] came at such a pace — I thought my front wheel was over the line, but then he came zooming past me, and I thought ‘maybe I mucked that up’, but I was happy to get it.”
FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON 🔥
Sam Welsford takes the first WorldTour win of 2025 at the Tour Down Under 👏 pic.twitter.com/RkeGB1BOoo
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 21, 2025
Meanwhile, Brennan is already proving himself to be a top talent at 19 years of age (I swear they keep getting younger), the Giro Next Gen stage winner even feeling “a little frustrated” not to come away with the win.
“It’s a really nice result but it would be nice to win,” he said. “It’s really nice being the young riders’ jersey. That’s something that we're going for this year as a team. But it would always be nice to come first.”
“Sprinting is freakin’ hectic, innit?”
Well, get used to it, young lad!
21 January 2025, 10:15
“He hasn’t forgotten how to do a wheelie”: Fan meets Peter Sagan and does wheelies with him
It’s not every day that you meet a pro cycling legend, and not just that — but also get to do wheelies with him.
“Finally got to meet Peter Sagan in San Diego, thanks for stopping by and riding with us!” the fan wrote on Instagram.
It’s no Alpe d’Huez, but a wheelie from Sagan? I’ll take one anywhere — maybe even on the dancefloor.
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after completing his 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 Cymru, and also likes to write 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.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 29 min ago
A tragedy - sounds like one of those robotaxis though, are they allowed here? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ce3le1z892vo
- Rich_M 30 min 37 sec ago
Great, thanks for your reply - much appreciated!
- PRSboy 34 min 50 sec ago
I enjoyed the America's Cup so much that I bought my own carbon-hulled racing yacht. Going to try F1 next.
- Natrix 51 min 37 sec ago
Lets not forget his role in the WW2 film 'Mosquito Squadron' . The director wanted him to have a 1940s haircut but he was still filming Man from...
- ErnieC 1 hour 58 min ago
No no no. Not unkind at all. Victim blaming perhaps (along with Tom_77) but certainly not unkind.
- ktache 3 hours 7 min ago
How's about, if you use active transport funding to fix a road it straightaway becomes default 20mph so everyone can use it in relative safety?
- ktache 3 hours 17 min ago
We have a new BKRY here in Cvrshm.
- pockstone 4 hours 3 min ago
Tried to like this and got 'threaded ' comments instead.
- Jakrayan 4 hours 18 min ago
Wouldn't they just charge your credit card rather than insist on a direct debit? And the cardholder's address is not shared with the merchant by...
- chrisonabike 4 hours 21 min ago
To be fair, he'd only be riding in a cycle lane where it wasn't a bus lane, a side road or a junction. Cycle lanes always vanish when one of those...
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45 comments
I was told by the met that because I didn't swerve they said that the close pass didn't affect me, and used that as justification for NFA. So it helps to swerve but not to swear. They expect you to react but only in specific ways that they deem acceptable. Does this apply to victims of other offences I wonder such as when someone is stabbed? Or is it entirely ridiculous police nonsense to avoid having to prosecute anyone because allegedly they can't actually be bothered.?
I was told by the met that because I didn't swerve they said that the close pass didn't affect me, and used that as justification for NFA
This is the police dodge recently described on here as 'cyclist must demonstrate that he has been inconvenienced by the close pass'. Start swerving as a result, and you'll be under the wheels- which is an outcome they'd be happy with because police officers are anti-cyclist bastards! If only I'd swerved eh?
https://upride.cc/incident/sk19evw_stagecoach42_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/sc19usu_brosterbuilders_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/yx74soj_greenpass_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/ca11abd_blackpoolboilers_closepass/
It can only be dumb police who've never ridden a bike who've come up with this swerving nonsense.
Unfortunately, you'll find the vast majority of the decisions made by the 'police' in these instances are actually made by civilians employed to deal with this kind of 'admin'.
the vast majority of the decisions made by the 'police' in these instances are actually made by civilians
Even if true, this is irrelevant - Filth aren't permitted to dodge out of trouble with "nothing to do with us, squire!"
I thought civilians processed all the work around the submissions,filtered the obviously no action ones, sent the letters out etc, but the choice of NIP or not had to be made by a police officer.
else they could just literally just hire more civillians to do this or even use AI to deal with it.
Interesting point ref processing resources. Just yesterday I had a phone call from an actual Op Snap review team member. I've spent a few years submitting footage, usually only doing the worst ones as I'd kind of worked out that the threshold for a response of "letter sent to keeper regarding driving standards" or "offence(s) identified, NIP sent, keep the footage" resulted from near death experiences. Usually nothing meaning NFA.
So I picked up, don't usually answer withheld numbers but I did because I'd been dealing with guarantor paperwork on daughter's student accommodation so thought it may be that. Anyway he introduced himself as Op Snap review team and asked if any of the other riders or I had front facing footage as the recent clip was "definitely reckless or careless driving" and before proceeding to next step, wanted to know if I'd be sure to attend court if it came to it, because, due to not just being "due care and attention" the driver would probably contest it because of the potential outcome.
He said "I don't know where to start, overtaking when cyclists are turning right, on a blind hill summit, on a junction, forcing oncoming traffic to brake to avoid a head-on, they're definitely getting done for something" - and it's going to be processed anyway regardless of additional camera evidence.
We got chatting, he said he was a front line officer for many years, now back office staff and just started semi-retirement job on the Op Snap desk. Also mentioned he was a cyclist too (🤔) and in his experience, cyclists and motorcyclists make better drivers.
So it seems in my area at least, that the civvies on the Op Snap desk are not just footage review droids, they seem to be made up of former officers with experience who actually care.
In summary I was very encouraged by this, especially as he said "keep them coming, tell your club mates to use cameras if they can"
Result I think. Memory card removed, labelled and stored for the next 6 months.
Could you let us know which police force this is.
Dorset, and their Op Snap portal also covers Devon & Cornwall.
It was Gloucestershire and here is the link to the article
https://road.cc/content/news/close-pass-isnt-offence-says-police-officer...
And here are a few examples to confirm that the opinion is adhered to
https://road.cc/content/news/near-miss-day-786-293709
https://road.cc/content/news/near-miss-day-779-293395
https://road.cc/content/news/near-miss-day-603-overtaking-driver-squeeze...
And finally one where the police officer actually says I've been inconvenienced but still no action.
https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-674-driver-inconveniences-cyclist-288521
Although they have now admitted that that was a mistake when I questioned it.
Excellent group of links, Bungle! Thanks. They will go into my list for the probably doomed attempt to expose the bloody awful and anti-cyclist police.
It [the police dodge recently described on here as 'cyclist must demonstrate that he has been inconvenienced by the close pass'] was Gloucestershire and here is the link to the article
So, has Gloucestershire police actually prosecuted anybody for close-passing you? (This question is, of course, from Lancashire which has never prosecuted and has long since ceased responding in any way to reports from people who annoy them by keeping detailed records!)
Have the officers stated in writing that any of these dismissed cases resulted in the joke advice letter or the even more joke words of advice? Your series of links to stories and videos on here demonstrates the evolution and development of the Gloucestershire 'inconvenienced' dodge- where they have decided beforehand that there's going to be no prosecution for close-passing cyclists no matter how close or how fast, and they're looking for an easy formal way to write that down without much effort. They have invented the term because of a complete lack of cycling empathy- in other words, they're not cyclists and have no intention of either cycling or considering what it's like to be on the receiving end of attacks like these, or they wouldn't be using the dismissive word 'inconvenienced' and the stupid 'the driver had to close pass you because of the entirely unforeseeable event that traffic might come along in the other lane'
https://upride.cc/incident/ca70mkc_citroenvan_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/du61vhj_stuartbraithwaitebuilders_dwlcrossclosepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/pn14msx_coachcarpetsducato_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/g6noope10zvf_vwaudi_veryclosepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/yj60kgzar12way_brethertonsarchwaybuses_closepass/
Not as far as I know. The only points and fine I have been told about so far was a pass on a blind bend. I was out in the middle of the lane as I knew it would be unsafe to pass but sure enough a driver behind attempted it just before a supermarket delivery driver appeared round the bend. I had room to move in but the oncoming driver had to pull in and stop to avoid being hit. I strongly suspect that it was the inconveniencing of the driver that caused the prosecution but I can't be sure. I have had a few with warning letters and recently some advisory letters but not for close passes. There are quite a few reports where they have said they would take action but they were less than a year ago so I haven't asked for the outcomes yet.
Here is a still of a recent close pass that I reported hoping for an advisory. It didn't get one. I did question it and was told that the driver was on the other side of the road so what more could they do. I didn't reply saying that they should obey rule 153 and not overtake other moving road users in a traffic calming area and allow cyclists to pass through traffic calming measures. Not to mention leave enough room.
The difference between Lancashire and Gloucestershire is that Gloucestershire let me know what they have done and why. Their reasoning is wrong in the view of a great many people but at least they are doing what they believe to be right and judging by the outcomes of some court cases on here they may, unfortunately, have a point.
The only acceptable response is to pick yourself up, apologise to the driver for delaying them (if they stopped) and then report the incident when you get home.
...and i would imagine the Magistrates also didn't issue a warrant for the drivers arrest as he was 'driving whilst disqualified'. However, that should have been picked up by the prosecution!
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