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“That was really exciting!” Longridge local tries out Lancashire’s ‘shortest cycle lane’; Police target speeding cyclists in Toronto parks; Drum and Bass on a Bike… or “some sort of disruptive demonstration”?; Cycling hairstyles + more on the live blog

It’s Wednesday, the longest day of the year is already a distant memory, and Ryan Mallon is in the hotseat for your middle-of-the-week live blog
Wed, Jun 22, 2022 09:49
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“That was really exciting!” Longridge local tries out Lancashire’s ‘shortest cycle lane’; Police target speeding cyclists in Toronto parks; Drum and Bass on a Bike… or “some sort of disruptive demonstration”?; Cycling hairstyles + more on the live blogLongridge cycle lane 2 (screenshot via Lancashire Post)
22 June 2022, 16:29
Longridge to host 2024 Tour prologue?

Forget Florence, a 5.5 metre bike lane time trial as part of a Lancashire grand depart – that’s what the people want…

Or maybe we could pitch the bleak beauty of this Highlands ‘cycle route’ to ASO?

Micro-TTs – that’s the future of bike racing right there.

22 June 2022, 16:20
22 June 2022, 15:30
Ineos Cycling Academy, Kaptagat, Kenya
Ineos launch new cycling academy in Kenya

Ineos Grenadiers are partnering with Eliud Kipchoge to set up a cycling academy at the marathon world record holder’s training centre in Kaptagat, Kenya.

Kipchoge, a double Olympic champion who became the first man ever to run a sub-two hour marathon as part of the Ineos 1.59 Challenge in 2019, hopes the expansion of his centre to include cycling will allow Kenya to identify and develop a generation of cyclists similar to the country’s world-class distance runners.

 “I'm proud that we are expanding our Kaptagat based training camp from a purely athletics focussed training camp towards a wider kind of sports academy,” Kipchoge said.

“The Ineos Eliud Kipchoge Cycling Academy is a very natural fit with great potential to enable our young talented cyclists to make the next steps towards the top level of cycling."

Ineos Grenadier’s team principal, and the chemicals company’s director of sport, Dave Brailsford said: “This is a significant and exciting development in world cycling - it has the power to drive lasting change by developing new riders from Africa.

“We all know the talent is there – we’ve seen it this year with Biniam Girmay’s history-making successes at the Giro d’Italia and Gent-Wevelgem, and I saw it first-hand in the inspiring young athletes I met in Kaptagat.

“Their passion, dedication and love of sport is a perfect fit with the INEOS Grenadiers’ spirit of giving it all to race and be your best. Together I believe we can achieve something unique and important for cycling in Kenya, Africa, and the sport itself.”

Ineos Cycling Academy Kaptagat, Kenya 2

The new cycling academy will be overseen by Valentijn Trouw, who has 30 years of experience managing and nurturing Kenyan athletes.

Two of Trouw’s athletes, Susan Chepkemei and former world indoor 1,500m champion Abeba Argawi, have tested positive for banned substances, though in both instances their bans were either reduced or struck off completely.

Kipchoge himself has never tested positive or been implicated in any wrongdoing. In 2016, he welcomed a new anti-doping law which allowed the country’s athletes to compete in that year’s Olympic Games, after Kenya missed two WADA-imposed deadlines to establish a funded anti-doping agency which complied with the world anti-doping code.

Despite 40 Kenyan athletes testing positive for performance enhancing drugs between 2012 and 2016, Kipchoge insisted that most of his compatriots were competing clean.

“I invite you guys to Kenya, come to our training camp, see our sessions,” he told journalists at the time. “You will see that people are working hard.”

22 June 2022, 14:47
22 June 2022, 14:46
Couple goals
22 June 2022, 14:03
“That was really exciting!” Longridge local tries out Lancashire’s ‘shortest cycle lane’

Move over, Breaking Away and A Sunday in Hell.

This clip from the Lancashire Post, showing pensioner Irene Prescott trying out a new cycle lane outside her home in Longridge, has already shot straight towards the top of road.cc’s list of favourite cycling films.

It has everything you want really: a stupidly short bike lane (measuring approximately 5.5 metres), impeccable comic timing from Irene (“It wasn’t as tiring as I thought it was going to be”), and some brilliant unintentional gaffes (Irene wearing her helmet backwards throughout the video while also trying to pump up her tyres without taking the dust cap off).

And to cap it all off, a motorist decides to test out Lancashire’s shortest cycle lane just as Irene enjoys her well-deserved cuppa:

Longridge cycle lane (screenshot via Lancashire Post)

The Facebook comments were, as ever, a joy to behold. While most users simply enjoyed Irene’s comic stylings and unique two-wheeled fashion sense, some thought her approach to riding her bike would “promote unsafe behaviour” and others pointed out that the five-metre lane would make the junction safer for cyclists.

Dave, however, hit the nail on the head: “Some poor buggers in the council had to fill in thousands of forms to do this...”

But what does Irene herself think of the new pocket-sized bike lane?

“I thought it was a bit strange myself,” the 76-year-old told the Lancashire Post. 

“One day we woke up and were quite surprised to see this cycle lane in front of the house. We were all a bit gobsmacked. I don’t really think there’s a need for it. I just can’t understand it.

“It’s just a bit silly I think just to put a short one like that. There’s room for a cycle lane but not like that one. I just want it to be all the way along. It’s common sense.”

Irene’s partner Steve, however, thinks the new lane “hasn’t done any harm”, while making it easier for him to get out of his drive.

Charlie Edwards, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport, defended the lane, pointing out it “replaces an area of hatched markings which were previously at the same location and, by narrowing the road width for vehicles, encourages drivers approaching from Longridge to slow down as they enter the junction, as well as offering increased protection for cyclists.

“While I agree that this may not be a long cycle lane, sometimes it’s the smaller improvements we can make to junctions that have as much of an effect on everyone’s journeys as installing miles of cycle paths on country roads.”

It’s the little things that count, after all.

The new Longridge lane (or should that be Shortridge? Alright, I’ll stop now) is a monster compared to some of the UK’s other offerings, such as this 3.9m one in Wolverhampton or Leeds' classic merry-go-round right into a puddle:

Although this absolute whopper in Stroud, Gloucester, unveiled in 2015, may just have the beating of them all, totalling a massive 2.4 metres (or one whole pedal stroke…):

Caminada Stroud bike lane.png

 

22 June 2022, 13:13
Park Tool do an Ed Balls…
22 June 2022, 12:08
Now that’s how it’s done…
22 June 2022, 11:59
Adventure cyclist aims to visit 22 countries in seven days

Now this is what you call a cycling holiday.

Ultra-distance cyclist Craig is currently in the middle of a mammoth week-long trek between Greece and what he hopes will be his final destination, the Netherlands.

He’s attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most countries visited in seven days by bike. The record currently stands at 15 – if Craig makes it all the way to the Netherlands, he’ll have passed through 22 countries (he has to make it to Italy at least to break the record).

“The distance I am planning to cover is just about 2900km om paper (1800 miles) which means I am planning to cover 410km/256 miles per 24 hours,” Craig told us.

“I am doing this self-supported, carrying everything I need along with me on my bike. I'm hoping it will make for a great adventure.”

As well as his world record attempt, Craig is also raising funds for the housing and homelessness charity Shelter.

“It occurred to me that I have decided to voluntarily sleep in the cheapest hotels and rough all week, so I thought it would be nice to try to raise some money for those who have no choice in where they sleep next week,” he says.

You can donate on Craig’s JustGiving page.

You can also keep tabs on the adventure cyclist’s progress on this tracking site, which tell us that he’s currently close to Hungary’s border with Austria, on his way north to Slovakia.

Craig's hopefully record-breaking ride was almost over as soon as it started, however, as his Di2 decided to call it quits during the flight to Greece and his new valve core snapped soon after he arrived, leaving the rider with no wheels or gears before he’d even cycled a mile.

Fortunately, a local mechanic was on hand to save the day and – quite literally – keep the show on the road, allowing Craig to set off from Greece as planned on Sunday morning. Phew...

22 June 2022, 11:20
E-bike brand Mycle offers £100 discount to commuters affected by rail strikes

E-bike brand Mycle (from what I gather, not an homage to the infamous ‘No Bycles’ message featured on the blog last month) are offering a £100 discount on all their electric bikes to commuters affected by this week’s national rail strikes.

To take advantage of the voucher scheme, you just need to email Mycle (enquiries [at] mycle.co.uk">enquiries [at] mycle.co.uk) with a photo or screenshot of any rail ticket from June, up to yesterday, and they’ll send you a discount code.

22 June 2022, 10:35
Motorist with pint of San Miguel on dashboard arrested after being “too drunk” to take breath test

Merseyside Police later released a statement confirming that the driver was arrested “on suspicion of failing to provide a specimen for analysis, failing to co-operate with a preliminary test, possession of a controlled drug of Class A (cocaine) and using a vehicle without third party insurance. He is currently in custody.”

But at least he didn’t spill too much of his beer… 

22 June 2022, 10:06
22 June 2022, 09:56
Cycling Hair Awards, 2022

Looks like Shane ‘The Flying Mullet’ Archbold might have some competition…

RideLondon 2015 Bora Argon 18 Shane Archbold
22 June 2022, 09:39
Drum and Bass on a Bike takes over Sheffield… causing tram services to be delayed by “some sort of disruptive demonstration”

Roughly 1,000 cyclists took over the streets of Sheffield on Sunday for Dom Whiting’s latest two wheeled rave.

“It's all about bringing people together,” the pedalling DJ told the BBC.

“Everyone seems to take it in and embraces it. It's very rare we have motorists who get annoyed by it.

“It's just crazy, always brings a smile to people's faces and Sheffield has quite a big bike scene.

“It's quite surreal. I can't see the end of the line, everyone is always having it and there's smiles for as far as the eye can see.”

The local tram network wasn’t as chuffed with Whiting’s biking beats, however, blaming delays in the city centre on “some sort of disruptive demonstration of pedestrians and cyclist”…

22 June 2022, 08:43
“People are getting killed on the street next to the park. It does not make a lick of sense”: Lawyer blasts “targeted campaign” against speeding cyclists in Toronto parks

A Toronto-based personal injury lawyer and cycling advocate has criticised what he says is a “targeted campaign” by police officers to catch speeding cyclists in the city’s parks.

Police were spotted earlier this week using radar guns in the Canadian city’s High Park, a popular haunt for cyclists who ride through it to avoid the busy – and often dangerous – bike lanes in the area.

David Shellnut is one of a number of Toronto cyclists critical of the campaign, in place since at least the summer of 2020, which the lawyer argues is a waste of resources, citing the police’s own data on injuries caused by cyclists compared to drivers to support his case.

“A friend of mine [was] going through the park on his way to work and [was given] a $120 ticket,” Shellnut told blogTO. 

“The next week, he was biking in the bike lane adjacent to the park — he likes the park to keep safe — so he's like, ‘I guess I'll just go on the bike lane next to it,’ and gets hit by a right-turning driver who fails to yield the right of way and smashes his collarbone.

“The driver gets less of a ticket than my client did for speeding on his 70s Raleigh in High Park.”

Shellnut continued: “People are getting killed on the street next to [the park]. It does not make a lick of sense what they're trying to do.

“If your guys every year have to ask for another $25 million and resources are tight, what are they doing spending money on things that aren't actually a problem? There are no stats to back up what they're doing.”

The lawyer also told the website that cyclists, especially those from a minority background, were made to feel “sort of uncomfortable, terrorised” by the constant police presence – and the use of a gun-like object – in the park. Last week, Toronto’s Chief of Police issued an apology after a recent study found that racial profiling and discrimination is a systemic issue within the police force.

Shellnut acknowledged that pedestrians can “get a little unnerved when a cyclist blows by in the park. I'm sure that happens, and I'm not discounting anybody's feelings or experiences, but [seeking] solutions to those problems”, one of which is a possible dedicated morning slot for cyclists in the park to ride to work quickly and safely.

"Just because we have a billion-dollar hammer doesn't mean every problem is a nail,” he said.

A Toronto Police spokesperson defended the anti-speeding campaign in the park, claiming that it is being carried out “in response to concerns and to help keep the community safe.”

“Members have been working with City by-law officers by stopping vehicles and cyclists witnessed speeding or committing offences such as failing to stop at stop signs. Police officers and by-law officers educate the driver or rider on their behaviour.

“These members situate themselves at stop signs at various locations in the park. This has served as an educational piece for cyclists being advised of the HTA infractions they could face as well as the inherent dangers of going too fast. Toronto Police Auxiliary Officers have also been detailed to patrol the park as well.

“This has been welcomed by the local community as well those visiting the park.”

Ryan Mallon

After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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41 comments

Avatar
adamrice | 2 years ago
0 likes

A Canadian "thin blue line" patch. I wouldn't have imagined that would be A Thing, but there it is.

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andystow | 2 years ago
0 likes

I suspect that Irene does not normally wear a helmet while cycling.

That is on backwards, right?

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to andystow | 2 years ago
3 likes

andystow wrote:

I suspect that Irene does not normally wear a helmet while cycling.

That is on backwards, right?

She's having a chuckle, bless her, if you look closely you can see that she also clips her pump onto the valve without removing the dustcap. Legend!

Avatar
OnYerBike | 2 years ago
4 likes

What really annoys me about the Longridge cycle lane is they've stuck give way markings on the end of it.

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Bentrider | 2 years ago
1 like

What's the old (bad taste) joke?

"Don't Drink and Drive....you'll only spill it!"

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Awavey | 2 years ago
2 likes

That's exactly the kind of Dutch thinking for cycling infra I wanted to see last week and that we know wont ever be delivered in the UK, because UK road planners arent that bold enough to say let's completely rework this, it's always well got to keep the traffic on the road here, so let's just widen the path a bit for a shared space instead.

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Roulereo | 2 years ago
2 likes

Welcome to the Daily Outrage, travelling thousands of miles for an excuse to be upset like a Leftie on a Sunday night on Twitter...

Come on, back tot he actual cycling stories. We're about a week away from Le Grand Depart and you're too busy firing up the whining Leftie ranters to tell us what's happening in cycling. 

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Roulereo | 2 years ago
9 likes

Roulereo wrote:

back tot he actual cycling stories. We're about a week away from Le Grand Depart

You're confused - that's not 'actual cycling' - it's professional sport - a whole different thing.

Avatar
Bezzard74 replied to Roulereo | 2 years ago
5 likes

Bore off Nige.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Bezzard74 | 2 years ago
7 likes

Nah, he was here when Nige's last dud account was got rid off. And is also a Yank Republican Conspiracy Theorist so should be called Marjory or Cawthorne. 

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Moist von Lipwig | 2 years ago
0 likes

Theres something a bit odd about the Toronto story.  If the police are speed gunning cyclists then why are they doing it at a stop sign where anyone would be slowing anyway?  It seems from reading it they're actually there ticketing the stop infraction, the speed gun might be just habit?  Also, I'm not familiar with the Canadian highway code - are cycles even subject to speed limits as per the UK HC?

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Cupov | 2 years ago
2 likes

Nice piece of half-arsed research by the stagecoach supertram twitter person

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Patrick9-32 replied to Cupov | 2 years ago
0 likes

Some kind of complaining prole? who knows these days, I didn't want to risk them touching me so I didn't ask. 

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AidanR | 2 years ago
1 like

There's a 20km/h speed limit in High Park, which isn't unreasonable as it's a recreational space. I don't really see why anyone, cyclists included, should object to it being enforced every now and again.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to AidanR | 2 years ago
8 likes

AidanR wrote:

There's a 20km/h speed limit in High Park, which isn't unreasonable as it's a recreational space. I don't really see why anyone, cyclists included, should object to it being enforced every now and again.

Because the majority of purely recreational and commuting cyclists won't have speedometers, so won't be able to tell if they are transgressing or not. It would be much more useful in these sort of circumstances if the police forgot their obsession with trying to treat cyclists like car drivers and instead focused on promoting courteous and sensible cycling and stopping, speaking to and if necessary sanctioning those who aren't. Who is it more important to stop, a person riding 25 km/h when the path is completely clear of pedestrians or a person riding 19 km/h who is slaloming in and out of a crowd?

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AidanR replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
2 likes

It appears that there are Strava sections in the park and it's used by some for training rides, which is (a) inappropriate and (b) they clearly know how fast they're going. Also, the guy doing the complaining has a helmet camera. Do you not think he'd have a speedo too?

Moreover, the police *are* doing what you're suggesting, which is why they're at a stop sign. I don't see why that precludes them also checking how fast cyclists are going.

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Flintshire Boy replied to AidanR | 2 years ago
1 like

.

DO NOT, EVER, quibble with a point that Trendy makes.

.

Trendy is ALWAYS correct.

.

And when his isn't, then rule 1. applies.

.

 

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
11 likes

Do you actually ever post about bikes anymore Flint, or just come on to moan about the site and posters on the site? For someone who once posted not to denigrate other posters, you never seemed to follow that advice.

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Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
1 like

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Do you actually ever post about bikes anymore Flint

Did s/he ever? Admittedly I've only been round these parts four years or so but I can't ever remember them commenting on cycling except as a tangential means of whining about woke lefty libtard snowflakes.

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Rendel Harris replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
7 likes

.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to AidanR | 2 years ago
0 likes

I don't have a speedo on my commuting bike but have a helmet cam. However it does seem a bit of a storm in a teacup as the Police state they are there for the Stop sign enforcement for both cyclists and cars. And when asked if ticketed any cyclists, they replied "no, just educated them".

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
0 likes

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

I don't have a speedo on my commuting bike but have a helmet cam. However it does seem a bit of a storm in a teacup as the Police state they are there for the Stop sign enforcement for both cyclists and cars. And when asked if ticketed any cyclists, they replied "no, just educated them".

Though a quick Google shows that at other times they've been rather more stringent: on two days in February they apparently handed out 126 tickets to cyclists for speeding or running the stop sign in the same location, though reports don't say in what ratio.

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Mybike replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

It still a public road therefore the rules of the road need to be followed. I always stop at stop signs or light when I ride my bike Simply because that what I'm suppose to do on the road just as I do with my car

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

Mybike wrote:

It still a public road therefore the rules of the road need to be followed. I always stop at stop signs or light when I ride my bike

Quite right too, so do I. I was simply commenting on the fact that a cyclist without a speedometer has no way of knowing if they are transgressing the speed limit, that's why in the UK speed limits don't apply to cyclists (although excess speed can form part of a dangerous and furious cycling charge).

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vthejk | 2 years ago
5 likes

Quote:

Shellnut acknowledged that pedestrians can “get a little unnerved when a cyclist blows by in the park.

The Schrodinger's cyclist strikes again - too slow for motorists, too fast for pedestrians. Or is that the Goldilocks cyclist? I can't keep up.

I had fun having this very same discussion with the charming lady on the (shared-use) Greenway today, chiding me for 'racing past' her two tiny terriers walking off-lead despite me being visible for nearly 300m ahead of her, the route being straight and wide and my speed being.....16kph.

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Steve K replied to vthejk | 2 years ago
5 likes

vthejk wrote:

The Schrodinger's cyclist strikes again - too slow for motorists, too fast for pedestrians. Or is that the Goldilocks cyclist? I can't keep up.

 

The former.  Goldilocks would imply that there was a speed that was "just right", which we know isn't true.

Avatar
vthejk replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
4 likes

The implication of 'Goldilocks'  is that, somewhere, there is a 'just right' speed that will satisfy everyone, but finding it is tricky if not impossible and comes with a very high risk of being killed by angry hairy animals.

Avatar
Steve K replied to vthejk | 2 years ago
2 likes

I think it is supposed to be possible, though - as Goldilocks found a just right solution in each case.  The risk of being killed by angry hairy animals did not actually occur until after she'd found the right balance in each case.  It came from over-sleeping, which is never a good thing to do on your bike.

I may be over-thinking this.

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chrisonabike replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
5 likes

Applying 'elf and safety perspective - bears are a hazard to goldilocks when present.  When not present there is no risk from them.  However a risk assessment would have identified the likelihood of the bears will returning to their house.  This would show that going to sleep there makes it high risk as there is no monitoring for approach of bears.

Working up the hierarchy of controls Goldilocks could have carried a trauma kit, taken bear spray, posted a lookout, locked the bedroom door, gone to sleep in the one of the houses of the three little pigs instead or best of all arranged to have the bears kept in a bear pit.

Avatar
Steve K replied to chrisonabike | 2 years ago
0 likes

Do health and safety risk assessment rules apply to trespassers?

(We're both over thinking this, clearly.)

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