As the busiest cycle path in the Netherlands, Utrecht's Vredenburg must be seen to be believed!
Private cars are not allowed.
đčHarri Vaarala pic.twitter.com/hVUsq4Fk39
â Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) October 21, 2023
Would be fascinated to see some stats on cycle clothing, helmets etc... just people getting around town by a convenient mode of transport, no dramas...
We're not too sure on the numbers behind if it is the Netherlands' busiest cycle path, some think rivals in Amsterdam or Groningen might have something to say about that, but what we do know is this video has been viewed more than 100,000 times this week thanks to two posts by the Dutch Cycling Embassy (a great Twitter follow for admiring a country that does cycling properly)Â and city planner Brent Toderian.
It even prompted a close-up angle...
Indeed! From March this year. pic.twitter.com/2RjHYVR1ay
â TallBikeGuy (@theTallBikeGuy) October 21, 2023
And the 21-hour timelapse (if you've got plenty of viewing time on your hands)...
I filmed a 21 hour long timelapse of this junction earlier this year https://t.co/EwoSXzqeU0
â Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) October 21, 2023
And as Debbie MacColl commented in reply, "Just imagine if all those people were in a car rather than a bike. It would be just like a UK city or town."
 A conservation group dedicated to protecting and supporting The Parkland Walk, the longest linear nature reserve in London, four kilometres between Muswell Hill and Finsbury Park, has expressed concerns about a Haringey Council consultation about resurfacing the off-road route with a hard surface to improve accessibility.
The Friends of Parkland Walk group says the "overwhelming majority" do not want the path, the chair Cathy Meeus warning that "all it will do is encourage faster cyclists", Ham & High reports.
"They'll make it accessible for one small group of vulnerable people but make it a hostile environment for young people, old people who are less mobile, dog walkers, the visually impaired and deaf community," she said.
"Will they honour the consultation and not make changes? We want the council to remember this is an official nature reserve, not a cycle route."
The group's website also warns that "a smooth path will facilitate high-speed cycling" that "could become considerably worse as e-bikes become more common".
At the consultation stage the council said there had been "misinformation and scaremongering" around the project, stressing it is an "absolute fundamental" that the surfacing will not create a 'cycle superhighway'.
However, the conservation group points to Sustrans' involvement, as one of four organisations invited to help manage the project, as a further problem sparking cycle route fears.Â
In reply, the council said Sustrans is "suitably qualified" and that "the council will follow this project through to its conclusion, which will be to agree a suitable resurfacing material and identify accessibility improvements in line with the co-production process that we have started."
"At this point, there is a blank canvas that will be developed, based on local community input and involvement," the council stated.
A magistrate in Wrexham has resigned, saying he feels "uneasy" about fining drivers and handing out penalty points for speeding offences in new 20mph zones.
The BBC reports former police officer and councillor Nick Colbourne quit after 18 years in the role, questioning the fairness of the speed limits, claiming that "if an idiot is going to drive through somewhere at 60mph, they're going to do it whether the speed limit is 20 or 30".
Apparently missing the fact that not all road incidents are caused by 60mph "idiots", but also by people travelling at the speed limit who will abide with the new limits, Mr Colbourne said punishing motorists made him "uneasy".
"If you get 12 points, you're looking at a six-month ban under the totting up scheme," he said. "We all accept 20mph outside schools, but I don't think blanket coverage across Wales was the answer."
The magistrate admitted that he had been considering stepping down, but 20mph speed limits were the final straw and that courts were sometimes facing 60-70 motoring cases a day.
It's Tour de France route announcement day! Simon will have something up on that shortly, but as a teaser here's L'Etape's route for 2024...
You were impatiently waiting for it, here it is: the profile of #LEtapeduTour 2024! đ„ The 32nd edition will take place on July 7th 2024 in the hinterland of Nice đ”ââïž
And we are already extremely excited to get there đ„° pic.twitter.com/du7Ti95GaMâ L'Ătape du Tour de France (@letapedutour) October 25, 2023
Perhaps the biggest one-day sportive in the world, thousands of riders will take on this full stage of the Tour de France a few weeks before the pros. Stage 20 has been picked this year. Not the final stage before Paris because as we've all heard by now... the race isn't finishing in the French capital because of the Olympics and will end in Nice (with a time trial) instead. This quadruple ascent monster will be the final mountain stage and has been picked for L'Etape.
But have they picked the wrong stage?
I wish the Etape could have used stage 19.
â Simon Warren (@100Climbs) October 25, 2023
'What's stage 19?'Â I hear you cry... just the small matter of this...
Etape 19 / Stage 19 - #TDF2024
đ© Embrun - @Isola2000_06đ 145 kmđ€© The ultimate giant is back on the Tour: the Cime de la Bonette and its đ.đđđ m of altitude!
đ€© Le gĂ©ant ultime fait son retour sur le Tour : la Cime de la Bonette et ses đ.đđđ m d'altitude ! pic.twitter.com/PqnLUjsnO2
â Tour de Franceâą (@LeTour) October 25, 2023Â
Registration opens next Tuesday (31Â October)Â at 4pm.
[CC BY 2.0 by DPP Law/Â Flickr]
New analysis of mobile phone data, reported by Bicycle Network and undertaken by mobile phone and GPS monitoring company Zendrive, concluded that more than one quarter of crashes on US roads are linked to phone misuse. The website also reports that number has risen by nine per cent compared with the same period in the previous year.
"We examined the number of phone use occurrences per trip for both collision and non-collision trips. The data revealed that, on average, drivers engaged in phone use about six times during a collision trip," Zendrive explained.
"Almost half of the drivers (45.8 per cent) involved in collisions used their phones at least once during their trip. Similarly, over 40 per cent of collision trips per month had rapid acceleration events, while all events â speeding, rapid acceleration, and phone use â are trending upwards month over month.Â
"These worsening behaviours are ultimately leading to more collisions, which further underscores the severity of the distracted driving epidemic."
Between January and May 2022, 19.2 per cent of collisions involved mobile phone use by the driver in the 15-second window before the crash. This year, that figure had risen to 28.4 per cent.
"Education and advocacy campaigns should continue to highlight the importance of safe driving practices, encouraging drivers to put their phones away while on the road,"Â Zendrive said. "Additionally, tech companies and insurers can play a vital role in curbing distracted driving by implementing features that discourage phone usage while driving."
đłđ± Demi Vollering wins the Women's VĂ©lo d'Or!đ
đłđ± @demivollering (@teamsdworx) remporte le VĂ©lo d'Or Femmes ! đ#velodorpic.twitter.com/IouRpQ2kjn
â L'ĂQUIPE (@lequipe) October 24, 2023
I think this one's going to be a bit more straightforward...
Demi Vollering's 2023 was about as good as it gets (some of these aside: From Coppi to Van Vleuten: Cycling's greatest ever seasons). The SD Worx superstar won *deep breath* Strade Bianche, Dwars door Vlaanderen, Amstel, FlĂšche Wallonne, LiĂšgeâBastogneâLiĂšge, two Vuelta stages (and may well have 'deserved' to have won that overall), the Dutch national champs road race, Tour de France Femmes and Romandie. Solid...
Vollering's teammate Lotte Kopecky's season wasn't bad either... Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Flanders, two national championship titles, a Tour stage, six days in yellow, the green jersey, World Championships road race. Exceptional, but Vollering levels of exceptional?
It wouldn't be a cyclist of the year discussion without Annemiek van Vleuten of course, just La Vuelta and the Giro (plus two stage wins) in her final year in the peloton.
Any complaints at Sepp Kuss' omission can be forwarded to the comments section...
đ©đ° Jonas Vingegaard wins the Men's VĂ©lo d'Or!đ
đ©đ° Jonas Vingegaard (@JumboVismaRoad) remporte le VĂ©lo d'Or Hommes ! đ#velodorpic.twitter.com/GGR2NwRfWm
â L'ĂQUIPE (@lequipe) October 24, 2023
Jonas Vingegaard the best male cyclist of 2023? This one has caused a fair bit of discussion... the more fan-friendly achievements and riding style of Tadej PogaÄar and Mathieu van der Poel beaten by the dominant, crushing efficiency of the Tour de France winner.
I'd say Van der Poel's done more than enough in 2023 to earn the title: MilanâSan Remo, Paris-Roubaix, World Championships, that's a titanic hat-trick, although admittedly facilitated by 'off' periods like at the Tour de France where we barely saw the watt-smashing Dutchman away from Jasper Philipsen's leadout.
[Alex Broadway/SWpix.com]Â
The case for Tadej PogaÄar, the sheer weight of victories, 17 in all. Flanders, Amstel, FlĂšche Wallonne, Lombardia, two stages of the Tour, Paris-Nice, but he was of course beaten comprehensively by Vingegaard at the big one.
[LaPresse/RCS Sport]
In comparison, Vingegaard's 2023 had more victories than I expected, 16, including the Tour de France, DauphinĂ©, Itzulia Basque, a Tour stage win, two Vuelta stages, and multiple more week-long stage race stage victories.Â
[ASO/ Pauline Ballet]
A few thoughts from fans on L'Ăquipe's post...
"I like how everyone is saying Pogi because he won more one day races but when it came to racing Jonas straight up in by far the biggest season race over 21 straight stages he got destroyed by over seven minutes."
"MvdP and Pogacar had better season."
[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]
"The whole season should be taken into account, not just the Tour de France. But the fact that L'Ăquipe and the Tour are both French says it all." (TOUR DE FRANCE IS FRENCH SHOCKER... who knew?)
"Everyone knows that Jonas could have won two Grand Tours if he wanted to â so well deserved â but MvdP is a strong contender."
Get in the comments with your thoughts, I'm interested to see where you lot stand...
 I might have to dust off the poll machine for this one...
Mark Groeneveld, a 20-year-old pro cyclist from the Netherlands, died after the Hong Kong Cyclothon in the early hours of Monday, his team has announced. Groeneveld suffered a mechanical during the race, Noordhollands Dagblad reporting that he collapsed while out in public, Canadian XSpeed United saying the circumstances are "under investigation" but "preliminary information suggests it may have been due to a heart attack".
"Mark was an incredible individual and a cherished member of our team. He had a remarkable spirit, always ready to lend a hand behind the scenes with his infectious smile and warm-hearted nature," the team said in a tribute.Â
"His presence brightened our days, and he will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege to know him. Take care of yourselves and each other during this trying time. With heartfelt condolences, Mark will never be forgotten by us."
Anyone remember the days before social media? The days before weekly live blogs about police forces putting their foot in it. It's Police Scotland today. Or should I say last week, but this one has only just come to our attention, the fallout and reaction still rolling on to last night, so technically this week I guess.Â
Much-criticised social media advice from public authority that should know better, reveal yourself...
(5) Cyclists: Must obey all traffic signs and lights (including stop lines)
At night must have white front and red rear lights
Advised to use cycle lanes to make their journey safer
Give extra space between larger vehicles to be seen
Never pass between the vehicle and kerbâ Road Policing Scotland (@PSOSRoads) October 18, 2023
It's the third and fifth points that are getting the most attention here (although it is also the prime time of year for telling vulnerable road users to 'be seen', rather than addressing the root cause of road danger, but that's a matter for another day)...
The last suggestion is not correct. Perhaps worth checking with legal?
â PhoneKills (@phonekills) October 24, 2023
So should a cyclist use this cycle lane or not, in your view? pic.twitter.com/YHLKdaAkwy
â closepassescardiff (@closepassescdf) October 24, 2023
So, what does the Highway Code actually say?
Rule 61:
Cycle Routes and Other Facilities. Cycle lanes are marked by a white line (which may be broken) along the carriageway (see Rule 140). Use facilities such as cycle lanes and tracks, advanced stop lines and toucan crossings (see Rules 62 and 73) where they make your journey safer and easier. This will depend on your experience and skills and the situation at the time. While such facilities are provided for reasons of safety, cyclists may exercise their judgement and are not obliged to use them. Â
Rule 67:
When cycling on the road, only pass to the left of large vehicles when they are stationary or slow moving and you should proceed with caution as the driver may not be able to see you. Be particularly careful on the approach to junctions or where a large vehicle could change lanes to the left.Â
Hmmm if you were hoping for a testing game of spot the difference I think you might be a bit disappointed...
Cycle lane use is optional & there are lots of situations where you shouldn't or cannot use them. We get enough "why aren't you in the cycle lane" nonsense without @PSOSRoads adding to the problem.
â Merton Cycling Campaign (@CyclingMerton) October 24, 2023