To start the day with, I have a video for you all, shared by a cyclist showing him navigating his way through a traffic queue, with the caption: "I'm posting this just so some motorists can get mad".
And lo and behold, it seems to have hit a nerve with motorists, or rather most people, so much so that in usual social media (Twitter) fashion, some were even found wishing bodily harm upon the cyclist.
I'm posting this just so some motorists can get mad 🤣 pic.twitter.com/eEDJp4YaOH
— Cycling In Kilkenny 🚲 (@CyclingInKK) November 29, 2023
The video posted by the account called Cycling in Kilkenny has been viewed almost 20,000 times, and the top reply right now, posted by Neal O'Kelly reads: "The bit that amuses me is that the principal benefit of cycling (not having to queue in traffic) is achieved only by risking life and limb, but then cyclists complain that motorists put them in danger."
Oh my! So if I'm getting this right, the chief advantage of cycling is to not have to queue in traffic? And you can only actually reap the rewards of this by having to risk your "life and limb"
I'm happy to cycle on the inside beside the footpath but most of the drivers road position made that impossible.
They should stop slowing down faster traffic.
— Cycling In Kilkenny 🚲 (@CyclingInKK) November 29, 2023
A few insidious comments too...
Of course they miss me, I'm that great. They love me 👍
— Cycling In Kilkenny 🚲 (@CyclingInKK) November 29, 2023
Typical, want 1.5 metres for a car to overtake. But happy to go against the flow of traffic on the wrong side of the road at much less than 1.5 metres.
— Vanquish Rider (@SteveVanquish) November 29, 2023
But of course, there was some banter too.
Imagine how much quicker the trip would be if there was a dedicated bike lane.....
— Ger Murphy (@Gerard_Murphy) November 29, 2023
Car drivers tell cyclist yo ride in the gutter so they can get by but won’t do it to let cyclist by,
— james (@mhh02) November 30, 2023
But after all is said done, is it actually a good idea to go past drivers on a not-very-wide road with oncoming traffic from the opposite side, with one person also pointing out that overtaking on the the Belisha beacon crossing was not a very "clever" idea, or is it just natural, and maybe even more efficient and quicker for everyone if cyclists were to filter past slower-moving traffic in this sort of situation?
What do you think? Let me know in the comments!
'David Plowie'& 'Spready Salted' are also part of @tfl's fleet that help keep London's bike routes open and safe whatever the weather. pic.twitter.com/kVKcEMDOCd
— Will Norman (@willnorman) November 30, 2023
Finally, some good news to cut through the usual doom and glow on this live blog!
Cycling UK has won a legal challenge against Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council over the latter’s decision to keep a narrow road underneath a railway bridge in Poole open to motor vehicles – and says that the decision underlines the need for local authorities to properly evaluate the benefits of temporary restrictions on motor traffic before removing them.
Earlier this year, the charity applied for a judicial review of the council keeping Keyhole Bridge in Poole Park open to motor vehicles, with drivers regularly using it as a rat-run, thereby posing a danger to vulnerable road users due to the narrowness of the road.
You could say that your live blog host isn't too keen on a lot of the AI art you see popping around, but what I've just seen takes the cake as the best use of it. I almost want to say I'm okay with this sort of use as long as it's only relegated to memes and laughs.
Bram Wulteputte asked ChatGPT to design a pro cycling kit, and normally it came out without any of those things know as, sponsors. However, he wrote on Twitter that for every 10 likes, he'd ask the AI to add more sponsors.
Now while some of them are quite nice to look initially (I really hope teams don't start designing their kits using this technique), but by the team this trainwreck reaches its conclusion, it's an acid-fuelled, nightmarish, bizarre trip. Anyway, here goes the most unhinged cycling thread ever...
I asked ChatGPT to design a pro cycling kit. For every 10 likes, I'll ask it to add more sponsors 🧵 pic.twitter.com/LZXgQZwiif
— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
These actually look good.
Even more sponsors, but this actually feels quite realistic pic.twitter.com/ePca9zGHMX
— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
Skip a few, and here we are.
I feel like we're maxing out, but we'll have to run full length pants all season to display the extra sponsors. pic.twitter.com/pYWrxvx5Ig
— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
Now we are in crazy town.
Why should we limit ourselves to just the kit when we can put sponsors on the car too?
Standing on the hood does feel like an unconventional way of presenting a kit. pic.twitter.com/f0S4X3Gt00— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
We are NOT playing anymore. This is really serious now.
In hindsight, that felt more like a Hercules-level demigod. This is his daddy. pic.twitter.com/Fw10nQSGTN
— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
Galaxies, universes, wormholes... Cycling has gone cosmic.
We've gone through the wormhole. Things have gotten weird. Cycling is now only a mental construct. pic.twitter.com/P7fk5Ph5Ia
— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
THIS. This is what cycling will morph into. Ring the bells, for the AI has seen the future! Don't tell us we didn't warn you...
In this new universe, the kit is no longer where sponsors want to be. Sponsors want to be tattooed on every inch of the riders' skin. pic.twitter.com/6jRyCu6Ko3
— Bram Wulteputte (@CyclingBram) November 30, 2023
Halfords, the UK’s biggest bike retailer, has said that the downturn in the UK retail cycling market is worse than it expected, but adds that while its sales in the segment have fallen during the first half of its current financial year, it is performing better than its competitors.
Meanwhile, Crawley, West Sussex-based independent bike shop chain Balfe’s Bikes has published its latest full-year financial results, posting a loss for the year to end-March 2023.
Read more: > Cycling market downturn worse than expected, says Halfords
2025 Tour de France etape un à trois (image: ASO)
The 2025 Tour de France Grand Départ route has just been unveiled by the organisers ASO, and it doesn't bring me any joy to inform you that despite the peloton setting off from France's Lille-Nord, tucked away in the Flemish region bordering Belgium and ever-so-close to the fabled cobbles which feature in the Paris-Roubaix classic, we won't see the riders battle the brutal pavé.
If we can have 14 gravel sectors through the champagne vineyards in next years' Tour de France, we could have surely had the cobbles, especially when it's right there!
Anyway, the overall route does seem promising, with punchy climbs and the potential for crosswinds making things interesting in what is certainly going to be a sprinter's victory.
Stage two ends at the lush seaside Boulogne-sur-Mer, albeit with a tough summit finish where Peter Sagan won in 2012, and finally the stage 3 from Valenciennes will feature the Cote de Cassel climb before the riders finish at Dunkerque.
Nothing to do with cycling, but considering it's St Andrew's Day today, it's only fair I place this comical clip of Twitter boss Elon Musk trying to act vaguely amiable but failing hilariously on this live blog
"I am Andrew."
"Sorry!"
"It's okay..."
Musk: “The only reason I am here, Jonathan, is because you are a friend.”
Andrew: “I am Andrew.” pic.twitter.com/ZTz7t7h8hv
— Thomas B. Philly 🇺🇸 🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@TheeThomasB) November 30, 2023
Looking back at this, there would probably be much better ways to wish our Scottish readers and all those celebrating, but oh well, some might say there could be better live blog hosts but you all are stuck with me instead!
Oh this one brings back memories of another live blog post, possibly from this morning? So let me try and get this right, if cyclists jump a stopped vehicle (as was the case in the other video), it's dangerous behaviour which can cause (and even draw wishes of strangers online) of bodily harm, but if you do so when sat in a metal cage, it's all good and the cyclist is making something out of nothing!
Cyclists don't pay tax so it's only right that drivers can go onto the wrong side of the road and force them to stop..... 🙃🙃🙃 #cycleway4pic.twitter.com/0ZFkhuNNep
— Greg N (@n00dles71) November 30, 2023
London's finest, ladies and gentlemen!
London Taxi driver on his phone while driving. pic.twitter.com/JJ7SUnmk85
— Cycling via... (@cyclingvia) November 30, 2023
Flanders, one of the most historically rich and significant places for cycling in the world, has just approved a plan which will see the installation of unmanned, automated speed cameras in the bicycle streets of the Dutch speaking region of Belgium.
More importantly, a speed limit of 30km/hr will be applicable to everyone, including cyclists, and violation will lead to penalisation.
Bicycle streets, a common road infrastructure in Flanders and other parts of Belgium, are intended for cyclists to cycle easily and safely. Although people in cars and other motorised traffic are still allowed to drive there, they are subordinate to bikes and are not allowed to overtake cyclists.
> Do cyclists have to stick to the speed limit?
The Brussels Times reports that the speed cameras are scheduled for spring next year, once the draft decision has been approved by the Flemish Government. The law will then take effect ten days after its publication in the Belgian Official Gazette.
Until now, violations of the 30 km/h speed limit within a cycling zone could only be detected by manned automatic devices, requiring police officers to detect violations and impose sanctions. But soon speeding violations will be detected with speed cameras or average speed checks, without the need for a police officer.
Lydia Peeters, the Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works, said: "In recent years, many local authorities have set up cycling zones to give cyclists more space. Cycling is becoming more popular and it is my ambition to get even more people cycling in the coming years.
"With this adjustment, we give local authorities and police zones more options to enforce the speed limit. This is good for road safety and to encourage bicycle use."
I'm sure this will be a civil and amicable discussion: What should be your winter bike? The same ol', trusty road bike, or is there a case for switching to a gravel bike?
road.cc writer Emily Tillet makes the case for the latter, and shares her experience of how having a gravel bike to tackle those harsh, wet, muddy conditions in the winter could be a better option for many...
Guess who - but cyclists hey… pic.twitter.com/Cr7QbQf3yz
— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) November 29, 2023
A Conservative MP who urged Transport for London to have a “rethink”, as she posted a Daily Mail article claiming that a famous palm tree in the city is set to be “chopped down” to make way for cycle lanes, has been criticised by walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman, who pointed out that the tree is simply being relocated in order to “make London’s most dangerous junction safer for road users.”
The online backlash against Nickie Aiken came after the Conservative MP for Cities of London and Westminster reposted on X, formerly Twitter, a Daily Mail story on the removal of the phoenix palm tree, located on the northern roundabout at Lambeth Bridge, with the caption “save our palm tree”.
However, Aiken’s tweet prompted a vociferous response from cycling campaigners in the capital, including London’s walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman.
“As you know Nickie, the tree isn’t being chopped down, it is being relocated to make London’s most dangerous junction safer for road users,” Norman wrote. “We do not want any more fatal collisions at this location.”
Oh the duality of cycling. Two riders enjoying a ride in the most beautiful weather on a sunny hill in Spain, while another drudges his way through the snow with a bike.
With the cyclocross season now underway, it's time for the roadies to let loose, but if you've chosen the double life of a cross and a road cyclist, there ain't no rest for the wicked.
The men's road racing world champion Mathieu van der Poel and the men's time trial champion Remco Evenepoel were filmed cycling together in Calp, a quaint little town on Spain's Mediterranean coast, with clear blue skies and a shining sun overhead.
Mathieu van der Poel and Remco Evenepoel riding together around Calpe, Spain. 🌈🤝🏼🇧🇪
🎥: Siebe Roesems pic.twitter.com/WMBiTmEybn
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) November 29, 2023
Evenepoel also posted the ride on his Strava, on which he was also accompanied by another Alpecin rider Siebe Roesems, with the activity titled 'FC Alpecin'.
And then on the other hand, there's Wout van Aert, fresh off the back of winning Tour of Britain and a road season which seemed to dazzle and burn too brightly at the start, only for it to flicker in the middle and end with not as many victories and goals as the Belgian rider might have wanted to achieve.
Wout van Aert, Dublin UCI Cyclocross World Cup 2022 (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
It's been almost 10 months that Van Aert has raced in cyclocross, and now the 29-year-old rider from Herentals, Flanders, was back in his home region to amp up his CX training. With temperatures below the freezing point, he completed a 146km ride yesterday, and another 68km on Tuesday, with the latter titled 'Annual wake-up call'.
Belgian rider Eli Iserbyt chipping in with a cheeky comment on Strava: "Please don't wake up too much."
And to add more to the misery, Van Aert also did a 10km run in wet snow yesterday, also part of training regiment for cylocross. Cycling, what a brutal sport.