It doesn't seem like Western Australia Police are having much luck catching their pavement defacing e-bike artist...More helpful Facebook commenters have come forward to help the investigation. Chris Collier said: "I confess. It was me that did the electric bike burnout dicks. Throw the book at me." Martin Willott has a new hero.... He posted: "Guy sounds like a legend to be honest."
At least the police could rely on Reddit to aid their very serious inquiries into the man's identity... Or not. Reciting that famous line, one person said: 'Not all heroes wear capes, some wear suits and draw dicks'...
Mario Cipollini is angry. Here he launches his water bottle (both bottles) at the race commissaire in the 2003 Ghent-Wevelgem. Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen were impressed by his accuracy. #cyclingpic.twitter.com/vFUc6Uj4Y8
— Pro Cycling Memories (@ClipsCycling) December 15, 2020
The vintage bike auction that we shared with you yesterday is underway. This Raleigh sign went for £2,200, more than three times what was estimated. Among the interesting lots coming up at The John Maitland Archive of Motor Racing Photography & Library, Automobilia, Aeronautica & Historic Cycling sale is this Marriot & Cooper 'Olympia' Tandem Tricycle from around 1899. It has an estimate of £5,000-8,000.
'A man has used an electric bike to draw explicit images on the ground in Perth City' is not a sentence I expected to read this morning... Police in Australia seem concerned about this offender who has taken to drawing cocks on the street with an e-bike. It's the grown up version of what kids do at school on the desk when the teacher isn't looking however, Western Australia Police didn't see the funny side, releasing a statement that said: "At approximately 4:50pm on Monday 30 November 2020 a man has caused damage to the ground on Murray Street in Perth.
"The man has appeared to spin the wheels of an electric bicycle in order to draw explicit images with the rubber from the tyres. This has resulted in multiple images drawn on to the ground. Police have released a CCTV image of two men who they believe may be able to assist them with their investigation."
Social media has been as sympathetic to the police's appeal as you might expect...Callum Mclachlan replied: "You're never too old to draw 'doodles'."
Another commented: "Whilst I do not condone graffiti, I give him points for technique and ingenuity. An electric bike, very creative."
And perhaps the best one, Allen Bell wrote: "When you order Banksy from Wish."
This guy's artwork is a good effort but it's got nothing on Wanksy, the British pot hole vigilante, who graffitis pot holes with penis drawings so the council notice them...
Forbes published this article over the weekend which shows how a small number of individuals on Twitter can convince others and councils that their opinions are mainstream. Speaking to the website, social media analysis expert, Jimmy Tidey said: "Factions often present themselves simultaneously as an oppressed minority and the silent majority.
“The filter bubble phenomena makes users feel that every right-thinking person agrees with them, and factions can build self-reinforcing logic uninterrupted by interactions with people they disagree with.”
Using his own social media analytics tool LocalNets, Tidey collected data on LTN arguments. He found that 20 of the most engaged users were responsible for half of the total for and against activity about LTNs. The article also suggested that council's are being persuaded into acting on LTN complaints based off some of these accounts' posts.
"A small number of people can make a lot of noise," Tidey continued. "Some Twitter users engage in long threads with up to 40 users tagged in, allowing them to generate huge numbers of connections. Many anti-LTN campaigners couch their concerns in terms of their right to drive, or authoritarian threats to their freedom of movement."
Join our Christmas game show with star cycling guests next Friday at 7pm! ✨
Hosts @Anna_Glowinski and Lorraine Dixon are here to tell you about all the festive fun you can expect... 👇
Save the date: https://t.co/oKC9Fz2rjzpic.twitter.com/oEW7prKz3l
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) December 11, 2020
This Friday, Cycling UK are hosting a Christmas Games night with a festive online game show featuring some famous faces from the cycling world. Katie Archibald, Ned Boulting, Matt Stephens, Mani Arthur, Orla Chennaoui and Rebecca Charlton will be getting quizzed on their cycling knowledge with those watching at home able to join in too.
Hosted by Cycling UK's Anna Glowinski and DJ and cyle leader Lorraine Dixon, the event will also showcase some of Cycling UK's campaigns and projects. The event is completely free to watch and will be broadcast on Cycling UK's Facebook page and YouTube channel.
After yesterday's shenanigans at this junction, this happened today.
I completely accept that they had priority I was happy to slow to let them have it, but the verbal abuse was totally unwarranted and unprovoked. pic.twitter.com/w4jaquAUtg
— Robert W (@Chutzpah84) December 15, 2020
I'm all for a bike hack and most of these seem like a bit of innocent fun, who hasn't considered sticking glow sticks to their spokes? But stashing a wad of notes inside your handlebars seems like a quick way to lose some money...
Using a Pringles tube as a bottle cage by cable tying your rear derailleur cable to the frame, instead of just buying a bottle cage was a personal favourite... I'll leave the rest to the Facebook comments...
Fabian Werner said: "Great idea, don't make your bike stand dirty, but run around with only one shoe."
Ainslie Holland commented: "Ok one, you now only got one shoe. Two, now if you lose that bike, you lose all that money. Three, why not lock the bike up outside, or carry it inside, they are not that heavy. Four, that mirror thing will block your vision for the front, that’s not good, and should have put it on the bike itself. Honestly don’t try this stuff. Lots of these things are just not good ideas, and many are definitely dangerous."
THREAD: A thread on research and sampling, and how the media use data and polling.
I can safely say from a decade of working with media, it is *highly* unusual for a newspaper to so heavily reference a self-selecting and homemade survey and present it as the views of all people. pic.twitter.com/mRfriUxmzJ
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) December 13, 2020
This thread by Coventry bicycle mayor Adam Tranter is a comprehensive look at the Daily Mail's use of the Fair Fuel UK survey. Last week, Cycling UK accused Fair Fuel UK of running a 'how much do you hate cycling' survey. Tranter explains how an ethical survey should be run, without self-selecting samples, and with representative demographics. It's well worth a read.
The work above took several weeks to assess and analyse by professionals, and we didn't close the survey early so that we could give an exclusive to the Mail on Sunday to suit the timing of their agenda.
Compare what you've read here with what you've seen from FairFuelUK. pic.twitter.com/iXwMddUWJP
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) December 13, 2020
Diego Ulissi won two stages of the Giro d'Italia this year but has been forced to take a break from racing after doctors found an irregular heartbeat during a routine physical check up. The 31-year-old felt fine and had not been experiencing any issues but has been diagnosed with Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. As a precaution, the Italian will undergo a period of rest for several months while his condition is monitored.
Ulissi said: "I cannot hide the feeling of worry and anger. I’ve never had any sign of it, I’ve always felt good; Fortunately, the team’s medical staff were quick to act and discovered this abnormality. I will take a break now which I hope will be temporary, bearing in mind that the priority is health, because life does not end with cycling.
"I have just finished what has perhaps been my best season ever, with a consistent run of high level performances from January to October which also earned me the Top Ten in the UCI individual ranking. I was already beginning my preparation for 2021 with the desire to build on last years results. Now, however, I find myself facing this unexpected situation. I think my state of mind is understandable for everyone."
In January, Ulissi began the 2020 season with three top-tens and second place overall at the Santos Tour Down Under, before finishing ninth at the UAE Tour. After racing resumed in August, he impressed on home roads, with an 8th place at Il Lombardia before claiming two stages of the Giro.
Sidi has launched these limited edition metal-shaded gold Shot 2 shoes for 2021. The legendary Italian brand said: "The slender structure of Shot 2 fits perfectly this semi-iridescent hue that has the power to make even the most grey winter days shine. A one-of-a-kind that cannot be missing in a cyclist’s collection."
Who is this absolute buffoon writing in the @spectator that cycling is right-wing? pic.twitter.com/GOcDkIOqyt
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) December 13, 2020
Jeremy Vine's article in The Spectator certainly got people talking... The broadcaster and cycling activist wrote: "Cycling is right-wing. When you buy a bike you are throwing off the shackles of the state. No number plate, no insurance, no compulsory helmet.
"People think cycling is left-wing because a lot of left-wing people do it [...] Cyclists are acting out of primal selfishness — we want to travel quickly and keep fit. If people cycled 'to save the planet', that would be left-wing. But in my experience most of us do it to save ourselves."
A second article, written by Paul Burke, was published yesterday on the topic. However, unlike Vine, Burke who also claims to be a cyclist — is far less comfortable with 'cycling being right-wing'.
Burke writes: "I’m mortally embarrassed by it. Cycling is the exclusive preserve of the very few and the very able. As for cycle lanes, which pander to a tiny and privileged elite at the expense of the vast majority, they’re undemocratic and wrong.
"This morning, as I sailed down a wide and empty cycle line, I again felt my rucksack weighing me down with guilt and shame at the sight of those poor people alongside me; squashed against their will into 50 per cent of the roads they paid for. Helpless, gridlocked and trapped by authoritarian policies which suggest that their time — their lives — aren’t as important as mine.
"I’ve often wondered who they are. Some might be teachers late for school or NHS workers trying to get home to sleep after an exhausting night shift. Sometimes I can see exactly who they are; firefighters, paramedics and delivery drivers prevented from carrying out vital, possibly life-saving work. But if you’re one of those right-wing cyclists, how much do you care? Isn’t shaving ten minutes off your journey time far more important?"
What do you think? Is cycling political? If it is, does it have to be classed as left-wing or right-wing?