Welcome to Monday's live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team...
16/09/2019, 17:40
Sensible place to wear a helmet, there doesn't seem to be too much headroom there ...
Best part of riding The London Orbital is the weird Gravesend Passenger Ferry. It's like a floating 1960s Transit van at the edge of the earth pic.twitter.com/SKQzZzHdmt
— Rob Hyde (@rob_hyde) September 16, 2019
16/09/2019, 17:08
40th birthday beer brewed for Bristol & Bath Railway Path
A limited edition beer is being brewed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Bristol & Bath Railway Path.
The pale ale, called Route 4, is a collaboration between Sustrans, which developed the route as its first major infrastructure project, and Bath Brew House, and will be on sale there from 5 October.
Last week, James Cleeton, Sustrans England Director South, helped weigh out the ingredients and mix the mash for the brew, with 20p from every bottle sold at the Bath Brew House benefiting the charity.
“The Bristol and Bath Railway Path is a true community asset, loved by so many people,” he said. “Its development came about through grassroots action, and we’re dedicated to working with the community to maintain and enhance this green and biodiverse corridor for the benefit of current users and future generations.
“The £1.1 million Department for Transport funding we announced last week will enable us to do this.
“Developing this limited edition beer with The Bath Brew House is something fun we’ve been able to do to celebrate the path. I’m looking forward to sampling a pint when we launch it in October.”
Bath Brew House head brewer Max Cadman added: “I regularly use the Bristol and Bath Railway Path to commute from Bristol to Bath and am really grateful for having such an enjoyable way to get to work. It’s also a popular tourist attraction and we see many people in the pub who have been out enjoying the path for leisure.
“One day I was riding along the path and it struck me that I could help celebrate and promote the path to others by creating a beer in its honour. The 40th anniversary celebrations were just the excuse we needed to get the process started.”
16/09/2019, 16:37
Met Police Cycle Safety Team say half their enforcement is on cyclists in tweet
PC Christian and PC Darren have been dealing with cyclists going the wrong way down Beeston Place SW1 this morning. Please stay safe and abide by the traffic signs. pic.twitter.com/tOUN0B95sw
— Cycle Safety Team (@MetCycleCops) September 16, 2019
The Met Police Cycle Safety team have had their use of resources called into question, after they posted a tweet saying two officers had spent today dealing with cyclists going the wrong way down Beeston Place in central London. They also said in the thread that half of their enforcement is against cyclists, which led to further criticism...
@MetCycleCops enforce on all road users, on average about half our enforcement is on cyclists.
— Cycle Safety Team (@MetCycleCops) September 16, 2019
What ridiculous priorities, motorists kill 1000x more than cyclists do, yet half of your enforcement is focused on cyclists! That's not a sensible use of finite resources.
— pickwick (@pickwickpick) September 16, 2019
You cannot be serious. 2% of journeys in London are made by bike. In 2015 two people in the entire UK were killed by cyclists..
Yet "on average about half our enforcement is on cyclists"
I'm frankly astonished. Where and to whom do I report this?
— Alec James (@AEWJ) September 16, 2019
Do you think such enforcement is necessary, or wholly disproportionate?
16/09/2019, 16:10
Vintage bike restorer opens pop-up shop in Edinburgh
An Edinburgh business that restores vintage and classic bikes has opened a pop-up shop in the city’s Stockbridge district.
Velow Bikeworks, which is based in Portobello, will be trading for the rest of September at Seventeen, 17 St Stephen Street.
The business restores and sells bikes from the 1950s through to the 1990s and founder Walter Hamilton told Edinburgh Live: "I got bitten by the cycling bug in 2013 and wanted to learn some basic bike maintenance skills.
“So I rescued an old steel bicycle that was bound for the bin, took it apart, cleaned it up and put it all back together.
"I soon realised that there was something very satisfying about bringing a discarded bike back to life and the idea for Velow was born.
“There's something very pleasing about classic steel bicycles both aesthetically and functionally.
"It's true that they don't make them like they used to and the bikes I bring back to life are not only nice to look at but great fun to ride and have so much life left in them.
“It's incredibly satisfying knowing that I'm keeping old bikes on the road and helping to get more and more people riding bikes."
16/09/2019, 15:18
16/09/2019, 15:17
Wiggins: Brailsford cancer diagnosis puts life into perspective
Sir Bradley Wiggins says that Sir Dave Brailsford’s cancer diagnosis puts life into perspective.
The Team Ineos principal revealed in an interview with the Times published on Friday that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer before the Tour de France and last month underwent a five-hour operation. He was due to receive the results of the operation last Saturday.
Wiggins, who rode under Brailsford for Great Britain and was then recruited by him when Team Sky was set up in late 2009 said on his Eurosport podcast: "I've known Dave since I was 18.
“We've had an up and down [relationship], but one thing I've always considered is Dave as like a big brother to me. Someone you can have an argument or a fight with, fall out with - at times frustrating, at times we probably disliked each other, but I spoke to him at the Tour and he was very reflective and we had quite a nice moment actually.
"It puts things into perspective really, it just shows how delicate life is. We all wish him well. What he has done for this sport the last 10 years will never be fully appreciated,” Wiggins added.
"He has single-handedly made British cycling one of the biggest cycling nations in the world. His vision and drive has single handedly, I would go so far as to say, been the main reason behind the success of the sport in this country."
16/09/2019, 14:12
Owain Doull to partner Mark Cavendish at Six Day London
Olympic team pursuit champion Owain Doull, who yesterday completed his maiden Grand Tour as the Vuelta finished in Madrid, will next month partner Mark Cavendish at Six Day London.
The event takes place at the Lee Valley VeloPark from 22-27 October, and tickets are available here.
Doull said: “I can’t wait to race alongside Mark at Phynova Six Day London, he’s a British cycling legend and I’m sure we’ll perform well together. I’ve heard great things about Six Day and will be determined to bring it home for Wales under the lights.”
Other riders confirmed include Lotto-Soudal’s Caleb Ewan, winner of three stages at the Tour de France in July, and Deceuninck-Quick Step’s Elia Viviani, who beat Cavendish to Olympic gold at Rio 2016.
16/09/2019, 13:54
Bloody cyclists, helping a sporting legend back into her chair
Thank you to all the lovely cyclists this morning who helped me back in my chair when I fell out. So kind
— Tanni Grey-Thompson (@Tanni_GT) September 16, 2019
16/09/2019, 12:48
"But no one uses the cycle lanes"...
A huge number of cyclists on C6 Farringdon Road this morning. pic.twitter.com/L92iWpDRnt
— Paul Allen (@MarsFlyerPaul) September 16, 2019
16/09/2019, 13:06
Welsh rugby legend Gareth Thomas completes Ironman Wales
Gareth Thomas hugs husband after finishing Ironman Wales to ‘break the stigma’ over HIVhttps://t.co/Y9ONvKmd1Wpic.twitter.com/hfLLFtzHV2
— ITV News (@itvnews) September 15, 2019
In a traumatic week for 45-year-old Thomas - who this week revealed that he is living with HIV after claiming that blackmailers threatened to expose his condition with his consent - he also smashed the notoriously tough Ironman Wales triathlon yesterday in a very impressive time of 12 hours, 18 minutes and 29 seconds.
The course begins with a choppy 2.4 mile sea swim in Tenby and is known for its tough bike and run courses, with well over 2,000m of elevation on the 112 mile cycle. Riding a regular road bike with drop bars, Thomas completed it in an impressive 6:18:50 before completing the marathon segment in 4:17:49.
16/09/2019, 11:49
A reported 25,000 people turned up to protest Frankfurt's IAA car show yesterday, with cyclists blocking the entrance
Sand im Getriebe, an environmental protest group, say an estimated 25,000 people turned out to protest against the German car industry at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt at the weekend, with protestors on bikes blocking the entrance on masse. With sales of large cars such as SUVs on the rise in Germany, Sand im Getriebe say on their website they are demonstrating against the damage caused to the environment by motor vehicles, and are campaigning for "car-free cities, more space for walking and cycling as well as developed and free public transport."
The German branch #SandImGetriebe (Sand in the engine) seems inspired by Edward Abbey.
25.000 people took over the roads and blocked the entrances of the Frankfurter Car Show.
Yeah! #Monkeywrenching the machine!pic.twitter.com/2kz9U4GMZ8
— MonkeyWrenchGang (@M_WrenchGang) September 15, 2019
The Frankfurt car show blockage was the latest in a number of protests that have taken place in Germany recently against pollution and the damage to the environment/danger posed by large vehicles such as SUVs. Berlin mayor Stephan von Dassel recently tweeted that "such tank-like vehicles (SUVs) have no place on our streets" after a driver ploughed into a crowd of pedestrians, killing four. It's also been reported that anarchists have been burning luxury SUVs around Berlin in protest.
16/09/2019, 11:01
You've heard of mobile phones at the wheel. Now get ready for...
You’re not allowed to use phones while driving, but nobody said anything about Netflix on an iPad did they? pic.twitter.com/2bm019nsM9
— Matthew Sparkes (@Sparkes) September 15, 2019
Words fail us. The cyclist who posted the photos to Twitter, who also happens to be the UK editor of YouGov, said he didn't get the number plate of the driver, but her face is pretty clear to see.
I didn’t get her plate but look at her wing mirror! Dents and scratches are always a red flag for me - signs of a bad driver, and best given a wide berth. pic.twitter.com/UC1XfnelJj
— Matthew Sparkes (@Sparkes) September 15, 2019
16/09/2019, 09:03
Australian man dies in bike crash after trying to escape from swooping magpie attack
A 76-year-old man has died in Wollongong, New South Wales after veering off a path and crashing his bike while trying to avoid an attack from a swooping magpie. Wollongong Police said the man crashed into a fence post and suffered serious head injuries as a result. He was airlifted to St. George Hospital in Sydney and died later yesterday evening.
Magpie attacks on pedestrians and cyclists have become notorious in Australia, particularly around springtime in September and October when the birds become more territorial to protect their young. After a spate of magpie attacks in August due to an early spring back in 2016, a behavioural ecologist said magpies could actually remember their victims if they think that person is a threat.
Cyclists have been known to take precautions by attaching cable ties to their helmet pointing up vertically to stop magpies from getting their claws inside helmet vents. CNN report that there have already been 1,570 reported 'swoopings' already in 2019, with 189 resulting in injuries; incidents very rarely have fatal consequences.
While magpies are a protected species and it's illegal to kill them, local authorities will act if one is particularly aggressive. Earlier this month, Hills Shire council shot a bird after receiving 40 complaints about it in three years.
16/09/2019, 08:53
This has been coming for Primoz Roglic
Primoz Roglic in stage races and Grand Tours since April 2018 | #LaVuelta19
Itzulia Basque Country — 1
Tour de Romandie — 1
Tour de Slovenie — 1
Tour de France — 4
Tour of Britain — 3
UAE Tour — 1
Tirreno-Adriatico — 1
Tour de Romandie — 1
Giro d'Italia — 3
Vuelta a España — 1
Looking at these results together, the Slovenian was well overdue a Grand Tour win with that consistency over the last year and a half. Needless to say, the celebrations began last night after the victory was sealed...
When the job is done , it is time to celebrate #samenwinnenpic.twitter.com/kKYXYRuuzw
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) September 15, 2019
16/09/2019, 08:48
Ask Matt anything with Bradley Wiggins
'If a chicken and a pigeon made love, what would the animal look like?'
A glorious finale of #AskMattAnything is here courtesy of @SirWiggo and @RealStephenspic.twitter.com/lX8h5nwO1j
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) September 15, 2019
Eurosport's popular Vuelta segment saw Wiggo and Matt Stephens ponder life's great questions such as... which one is bigger, a Jumbo Visma or a Sunweb? Flake or Twirl?
16/09/2019, 08:33
Weekend catch-up
Not been reading road.cc this weekend? Tut tut, but here's some of what you've missed anyways...
Extinction Rebellion cycle protest halts traffic around Bristol Airport
Mathieu van der Poel wins in Manchester to seal Tour of Britain victory
Instagram urged to remove videos showing moped riders pushing London cyclists off bikes
Met Police say they can’t act on hit-and run driver due to cloned plates