2️⃣4️⃣ hours to go until our complete look and feel is revealed! 🔄 #KeepChallengingpic.twitter.com/LnbXc2wpwi
— Team dsm-firmenich PostNL (@dsmfirmpostnl) January 7, 2024
It seems that Team DSM–Firmenich PostNL’s long-winded attempt to build up some social media anticipation by teasing the release of their 2024 kit – including moody, darkly lit videos and countdowns – failed to take into account that one of their riders, Chris Hamilton, would in fact be debuting the new blue, white, and orange colours at yesterday’s Australian road race champs, a full day and a half before this afternoon’s official team presentation…
Oh my, I wonder what the kit will look like... Hmmmm.... https://t.co/efAqKblhgKpic.twitter.com/B4rj7klTAp
— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) January 8, 2024
Oops.
Anyway, all that unnecessary and poorly planned build-up eventually culminated in a dramatic 3pm reveal of this, ahem, busy new look, along with the announcement that Romain Bardet and Warren Barguil will party like it’s the mid-2010s at this year’s Tour de France:
Rood-Wit-Blauw 🇳🇱 🔄 Oranje-Wit-Blauw ⏳🔥
Orange stripes 🟧🟧, a white base⚪️and all the blue detailing 🔷 - we're proud to reveal our revamped look and feel for 2024! 😍
Let's go, Team @dsmfirmenich@PostNL💪🏻#KeepChallenging#WeBringProgressToLife#BijzondereMomentenpic.twitter.com/ZoEzKrmI57
— Team dsm-firmenich PostNL (@dsmfirmpostnl) January 8, 2024
Put your best suit on and get that red carpet dry cleaned, it’s road.cc awards season time…
> Check out the road.cc Recommends Accessories of the Year 2023/24: the very best helmets, glasses, tools, bags & more
Nope, the former world champion and Tour de France winner hasn’t decided to postpone her well-earned retirement – Van Vleuten was instead simply interrupting her most relaxing winter in years by lining up at a national-level cyclocross race in her hometown of Vorden.
Clad in all-black kit, the 41-year-old finished 17th as Mirre Knaven took the win. I suppose it’s comforting to know she is human after all…
Ah, looks like Brendan Gleeson has been left in charge of the police social media account again…
Because – less than a year after they were forced to retract a tweet wrongfully claiming that high visibility clothing was mandatory for pedestrians and cyclists – An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police force, has once again found itself embroiled in an online row over the clothing choices of vulnerable road users.
The row stems from a tweet posted by the Garda’s traffic and road safety account yesterday, informing us that “while on patrol, Naas Roads Policing observed this pedal cyclist in dark clothing with no front or rear lights”.
While on patrol, Naas Roads Policing observed this pedal cyclist in dark clothing with no front or rear lights. FCPN issued.
Remember, if you are cycling on public roads during 'lighting-up time', you must have lights on your bike.#SaferRoadspic.twitter.com/xYhfHiMpej
— An Garda Síochána (@GardaTraffic) January 7, 2024
Of course, having a front and rear light on your bike while riding on public roads during ‘lighting up hours’ – between half an hour after sunset and half an hour before sunrise – is a legal requirement in Ireland, with those found not using lights in that time period slapped with a €40 Fixed Charge Penalty Notice (the one our Grafton Street cyclist from the weekend got slapped with, before he indulged in some kicking).
However, as many – including politicians and cycling campaigners – noted on Twitter soon after the police’s post, wearing “dark clothing” is not against the law, as noted by the police itself when it responded “Oops, we got that wrong” following last year’s ill-advised hi-vis tweet.
“Disappointing to see Garda Traffic make reference to clothing here,” Ciaran Cannon, a Fine Gael TD for Galway East, wrote.
“There is no legal requirement to wear any particular kind of clothing when cycling. Making reference to clothing creates confusion about the law and leads to victimisation of cyclists, often in court.”
Referring to a careless driving case from 2018, when a judge and police officer in Kildare claimed that a cyclist was not wearing the “proper” or “correct gear” at the time a taxi driver hit them, Cannon continued: “Such confusion and misinformation allows judges to make [such] erroneous statements.”
> Ireland’s transport minister backs compulsory hi-visibility gear for cyclists
“When you observe cars and issue FCPNs, why don’t you comment on the colour of the car?” asked the Cycling in Kilkenny account.
“After all, black cars at night are harder to see. There's no legal requirement in relation to clothing colour, only lights. FCPN is justified but the mention of clothing is not.”
Meanwhile, Phil Skelton, founder of the Stayin’ Alive at 1.5 campaign, added: “Just so that we are clear here, the FCPN was issued for not using lights during lighting up hours – and not for the colour of the clothing?”
“No issue with the FCPN being issued here but let’s not cause further confusion. Will you issue a clarification post, Garda Traffic?”
Can’t wait for another “Oops, sorry about that” post, only for the same thing to be repeated next year…
(Oh, and for those who didn’t get the reference in the first line of this story, go watch The Guard. It’s brilliant.)
Now, here on the live blog we know all too well that certain corners of the internet suffer from severe irony deficiency.
But never, perhaps, has that truth been more apparent than in the following video, posted on Twitter by “occasional cyclist” Darren, who – despite holding “nothing against cyclists” – was none too happy at the prospect of having to legally overtake two cyclists legally riding two abreast ahead of him…
Nothing against cyclists, I’m actually an occasional cyclist myself but this is ridiculous, move to the side at least. @EamonRyan@cllr_ginokenny please sort this. pic.twitter.com/XCRShrbdke
— Darren Gilligan (@d_gilly6) January 6, 2024
Oh, and while we’re on the subject of legality, more than a few social media users were quick to question Darren’s method of filming the two abreast cyclists:
Says the person using their phone while driving......perhaps @GardaTraffic should have a chat with you.
— Micar (@Micar2811) January 6, 2024
Though, as we’ve already gathered this morning, Garda Traffic may be more interested in Darren’s choice of clothing.
Anyway, Ol’ Dazza was quick to defend himself, repeatedly claiming (with an increasing use of the Caps Lock) that the easily-moved, portrait-filming device was, in fact, a dash cam. Yes, really.
DASH CAM
— Darren Gilligan (@d_gilly6) January 6, 2024
“Don’t worry Darren I have one of these self-adjusting dash cams too,” a disbelieving Niall responded.
“Nothing illegal about that,” added Phil. “However, using your mobile at the wheel is. You’ve just grassed yourself up. And no, it’s not a dashcam.”
“Two cyclists, riding safely and legally. Darren whips out his phone, films himself tailgating, and vents a whinge. There’s summat needing sorted there, Darren – and it's NOT the cyclists,” said Gavin.
And finally, since we’re talking about cyclists and phone drivers, it’s only fair that we leave the parting words to the expert himself, Cycling Mikey: “If you want to pass even a single cyclist safely, then you need to change lanes. They’re not affecting your journey, and you’re a hypocrite because you’re in your car alone with five lounge seats, and three abreast at your rear seats.”
But, but, something, dashcam, something, occasional cyclist…
A Transport for London (TfL) figure has maintained that protected cycle infrastructure remains “key to reducing” risk amid renewed calls for safety action on floating bus stops from blindness campaigners.
The comments come after leaked contents of a meeting suggested that while being “low risk” TfL is aware of concerns about the infrastructure, which requires bus users to cross a cycle lane to get to their stop, specifically that they can “feel dangerous” to some pedestrians, with research suggesting that up to 60 per cent of cyclists may not give way to pedestrians at the crossings.
"Plumbers can't use bikes," people say.
"I love using a bike," plumber says.
pic.twitter.com/3BtctZCd4K— Andy Boenau (@Boenau) January 6, 2024
Priorities.
Copenhagen, Jan. 4, 2024.
photo: Brian Eugen Nielsen pic.twitter.com/4pyu69ox6q— Peter Norton (@PeterNorton12) January 7, 2024
This morning on the live blog, we’ve already featured irony-deficient, two abreast-bashing phone drivers and questionable police social media posts from across the Irish Sea (or ‘down south’, if you’re this live blogger).
So I thought we should complete the Unholy Trinity of Irish cycling by featuring some shoddily-designed, accident-waiting-to-happen, Dublin-based infrastructure, courtesy of bike-loving comedian David O’Doherty:
nearly been ended twice here on my bike lately by cars thinking bikes can’t go straight on and have to filter left, so they cut across as they go left. There must be a better way to do this infrastructure? pic.twitter.com/wccHFEyq5m
— David O'Doherty (@phlaimeaux) January 8, 2024
CROWD! UCI World Cup Zonhoven #cyclocrosspic.twitter.com/7LEu87ikt7
— galibier (@galibiervelo) January 7, 2024
While the racing may not have been the most enthralling – with the brilliant Puck Pieterse and the irrepressible, unfathomably strong Mathieu van der Poel sailing to comfortable solo wins (though Pieterse was certainly aided by then-race leader Lucinda Brand’s nasty, race-ending faceplant on lap three) – the atmosphere at yesterday’s Cyclocross World Cup at Zonhoven more than made up for the predictable results on the famous sandy course.
Back home but one more of the Zonhoven roar. There is nothing like it. pic.twitter.com/lj4xR9Hg3c
— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) January 7, 2024
The raucous Zonhoven roar may, naturally, have been helped by, according to Nieuwsblad, the 10,000 litres of beer (that’s around 17,600 pints) consumed by the masses who flocked to yesterday’s race, with some even coming from as far afield as Thailand and Afghanistan.
Incredible atmosphere in Word Cup cyclocross Zonhoven 🤩 pic.twitter.com/X3lNOwUy0m
— Charles Liégeois Roastery CX (@CharLiegeois_CX) January 8, 2024
Now that’s proper dedication to beer, frites, sand, and gawping at Van der Poel’s latest imperious display…
Been too busy over the weekend to keep (two) abreast of all the latest cycling news? Well don’t worry, we’ve got you covered as always…
[Spoiler alert: Things still aren’t looking great for the bike industry.]
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