“Driving a car at me isn’t the solution”: Cyclists debate filtering through traffic; “Imagine listening to Sean Kelly”: Cycling commentator sends fans into hysterics with pony sounds; Chris Morris backs Brixton Cycles fundraiser + more on the live blog

The hot topic of the day seems to be filtering, and whether it's a safe practice.

Right off the bat, some may say that it's perfectly safe — after all, it's perfectly legal to do so a cycle or a motorbike rider in the UK — that is, until you come across a motorist who's red from being stuck in the traffic and seeing cyclists zip past.

BV13 GXY in Hatfield. She turns her car into me as I’m filtering past.
Reportable or nah? #shitDriver #cyclist #hatfield #filtering pic.twitter.com/XoPxtVpMiR

— BADPASSHERTS (@badpassherts) February 8, 2024

This is what cyclist who goes by the name of BADPASSHERTS on Twitter claims happened to him, on a route that he said he filters through twice a day everyday as part of his daily commute. "She turns her car into me as I’m filtering past," the cyclist wrote.

And there were some people who were downright against the practice of filtering and accused cyclists of being hypocrites for "not giving motorists 1.5m of space when passing them" (it's social media, what did you expect?). But some cyclists have also raised eyebrows at the safety aspect of the behaviour and questioned if there's enough space in the first place between the never-ending row of cars and the kerb for the cyclist to move through.

"If she tuned her car into a cyclist on purpose, that is not on. But that is a very very tight gap to be squeezing down," said one person, while another said: "I learned early on cycling to never undertake a vehicle. It’s a death wish not understood by many cyclists." Another cyclist said: "I always wait, it’s a lot safer when you have people like that around."

What is your take on this? Should cyclists continue filtering and report drivers like these, or is it a no-no for you?

It's not that serious, but watching this clip of Man United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane talk about doping with such conviction, of course the conversation had to turn towards cycling.

“I came off the pitch and thought, that’s not right!” 😬

“They looked like they hadn’t even played a match!” 🤔 pic.twitter.com/R305YckV4C

— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) February 8, 2024

Some have theorised the pair to be talking about Dr Agricola and Juventus, and maybe even Barcelona under Guardiola, calling doping as "European football's dirty little secret", but cycling, with cases of doping known far and well, it's interesting how you-know-who's impact on the sport and people's perception towards it still leaches into the present day.

But as much as Armstrong was involved in the EPO doping scandal, it was a sign of the times that so many professional cyclists were left with a big black stain, no one knows how many more were truly involved in rigging the game.

Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel at the 2009 Tour Down Under (licensed CC BY 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons by Paul Coster)

Case in point: Team Sky's former doctor Richard Freeman, who was banned from all sports for four years less than six months ago, for ordering testosterone gels at the Manchester Velodrome 13, yes, 13 years ago.

The sad part of the reality is that stories of doping still get injected into today's stream of cycling news (forgive the language). Just yesterday, we reported on the live blog about the many doping stories which have broken out lately, from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider Franck Bonnamour’s dodgy blood profile to spindly Dutch climber Antwan Tolhoek turning very old school, by testing positive for anabolic androgenic steroid and being slapped with a provisional suspension.

> Cycling, spawning doping stories like it’s 1999, or 2009, or…: Former Jumbo-Visma and Lidl-Trek Antwan Tolhoek pops steroid positive, as Nairo Quintana’s old doctor faces criminal charges for ‘possession of a prohibited substance or method

Amsuing as it is, on the same day, it was revealed that everyone's favourite Colombian (I'm sorry, Bernal) Nairo Quintana’s former doctor is set to go on trial in France later this year for alleged criminal doping offences following an investigation which saw the Colombian’s hotel room raided during the Tour de France.

Meanwhile, another longstanding doping investigation, Operation Ilex – focused on the activities of Quintana’s compatriot Miguel Ángel López – has faced calls from a public prosecutor to be partly shelved, despite a recent report related to the investigation claiming that many cyclists are still trying to game the anti-doping system.

So my question is, with so much bad rep garnered in the last two decades, and the current scenarios indicating that the pros have maybe not learnt their lessons, can cycling ever move past the doping links?

Off to work in the LTN pic.twitter.com/FFocYSov9n

— Liveable Streatham Wells (@LiveableWells) February 9, 2024

A legendary cycle shop and a legendary satire specialist teaming up wasn't on my bingo card this morning, but for once, I'm not complaining.

The Brass Eye star Chris Morris, after years of entertaining the British crowd with his deadpan and postmodern comedy (that's how I'd describe his immaculate style), has appeared in a video posted by the 40-year-old cycling co-op shop on Instagram to promote the crowdfunding campaign launched last week on its GoFundMe page.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Brixton Cycles Workers' Co-op (@brixtoncycles)

"It's a fantastic place. It's a co-op, a community asset. Twenty-seven years ago, they build that," said Morris, wearing a hi-vis cycling kit and helmet inside the Brixton Cycles shop, and pointing to white, steel framed bike with beautiful leather bar-tape and a Brooks saddle, along with mudguards and panniers.

He continued: "They've been looking after it ever since. Whenever I come to pick it up from a service it's so well tuned, it's like a musical instrument. The idea that this place won't be here for at least another 40 years is upsetting… it's wrong. So please, do what you can. And if you have already, thank you."

Brixton Cycles was founded all the way back in 1983, and today, it stands as the oldest and most resilient of all the workers-owned co-operative bike shops that popped up all over the country in the 1980s, winning London Cycling Campaign’s Best Small Bike Retailer award in 2014.

But the shop was hit by a massive power outage in the final few weeks of last year, costing the shop around £30,000 and bringing its worst financial year in the last two decades to a bitter end.

However last week, the shop once again turned to the crowdfunding method to ensure its survival. 

> Iconic London bike shop Brixton Cycles launches fundraiser after three week-long power outage brings business “to our knees”

On its GoFundMe page, it said: "Towards the end of 2023, the lights went out, literally. A three-week external electrical fault brought us to our knees. Our insurance has covered some of the loss of earnings and the damaged equipment but not all of it. We kept our doors open and did our best to repair bikes with the aid of head torches, but we are, in all honesty, struggling to bounce back.

"Now we are asking humbly for some help. Our target amount is 30k. This corresponds with about 3-4 weeks of loss of earnings from our power outage. This amount would help us to get through and bounce back.

"We have served the community for 40 years and would love to continue to do so and be at the heart of Brixton’s independent shopping experience."

As of now, the shop has managed to draw in close to £23,000 from almost 750 donations in just five days, leaving the shop short of £7k more to reach its target. So in Morris' words, do what you can!

A lot of words for nothing, or hope for some actual change?

Eamon Ryan, the Minister of Transport for Ireland from the Green Party, has spoken about his hopes and fears regarding the planet, climate change, and how active travel can make things a little bit better.

“Our planet is deeply in peril,” he said. “And there's real fear we have to act on climate change, because we don't you go over a tipping point where it turns into runaway climate change.”

> 20 per cent of Ireland's transport budget to be spent on cycling and walking under new coalition agreement in massive boost to active travel

Ryan added: “But there are also tipping points on the other side… I think we're going to see a tipping point in active travel with the money we’ve been spending, that billion euros we spent in the last four years. It reaches a certain point where it changes things on the ground.

“It makes it safe to cycle and when we make it safe to cycle, I'm absolutely convinced Dublin, just like Paris or London, is going to switch to cycling. And not just Dublin, Cork, Galway, Watford, Limerick, every town around the country. And we're very close to that point thanks to everyone in the NTA, designing it by good engineering putting networks together that connect jobs.

“That 82 per cent response yesterday in the consultation for change the city centre — I think the people are with this. Fingal and other councils around the country are starting to come around to reallocating space to making it safe to walk and cycle.

“It’s currently not safe. Talk to anyone who's cycling. It's not safe here to make it safe. And as we do that, it will change we will see a tipping point where there’s a massive increase in cycling and walking as a mainstream form of transport for a city. That's what we're celebrating here today.”

With a ban on private cars and commercial vehicles travelling through Dublin city centre to be in place by August, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan says there will soon be a tipping point where cycling will become the main form of transport. pic.twitter.com/ANwvHQimkE

— The Irish Times (@IrishTimes) February 7, 2024

While the words are good, the reaction has been, less than ideal, let's say. People on social media are enraged, with even The Irish Times changing Ryan's words in their own tweet — from "a mainstream form" to "the main form" to perhaps make people continue believing that the governments are here to unleash the bane of cycling upon its people.

And it seems to have worked, judging by the response under the tweet: "Eamon Ryan says in the video "our planet is in great peril" as he packs his bags to head off to Brazil on a long haul flight," said one person, referring to Ryan's St Patrick's Day government trip. "All while the Greens plan 1950s Chinese style cycling for Irish people."

There's a lot more vitriol, but I'm going to spare you all that but it does propose an interesting and maybe even significant point. While I'd be the last person to trust a politician's words, maybe there is something hopeful on the horizon?

Now let me get something straight: I am a huge, huge fan of Sean Kelly and he’s got nothing left to prove, whether it comes to cycling or commentating at the highest level.

…but, can Sean Kelly do a pony impression as good as this?

Victoria del Pony Osorio en la Et3 del Tour Colombia y Rodri Contreras es el nuevo líder!!#CiclismoRCN#TourColombia2024 pic.twitter.com/ZBK0gNlIlN

— Mario Sabato (@mario_sabato) February 8, 2024

This crazy moment came when Mario Sabato, commentating over the final sprint of the third stage of Tour Colombia, contested by the newly crowned Colombian champion Alejandro "El Pony" Osorio and his late-breakaway amigo Rodrigo Contreras.

As Osorio latched on to Contreras’ wheel and put up a powerful sprint to get to the finish line ahead of the rest of bunch following in just behind the two breakaway riders, Sabato, commentating for Colombian television channel Deportes RCN, decided to sprinkle some of his own magic to elevate the moment.

Spanish-speaking commentators never cease to amaze me with their romps and frolics! I’ll be back, just going to watch that Messi goal against Getafe with Joaquim Puyal’s commentary…

PS. RCN will broadcast Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España with Sabato on the mic for free! Just so you know, now that GCN+ is no more...

> What’s the best way to watch live cycling following the closure of GCN+?