How about a nice, light-hearted social media furore to kick off your week, eh?
But before we get to the latest anti-cycling attention seeker, a bit of context first. On the next episode of the road.cc Podcast – which will be on all good, and some rubbish, streaming platforms from this coming Thursday – I chat to Will Cubbin, the manager of the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, who is currently undertaking a PhD exploring the relationship between cyclists and motorists on the road.
As part of his research, Will has found that many drivers – particularly those with limited or no knowledge of cycling or, worryingly, the Highway Code – view certain actions by cyclists, like taking up primary position in the middle of the lane, not as the result of external factors (such as the sudden narrowing of the road or the upcoming presence of a traffic island) which force them to adopt a safer position, but as a result of “defects” or flaws in the cyclist’s character.
Which is why, then, social media is inundated with angry motorists spewing anti-cycling venom for the simple reason that some people were riding bikes on a road. And which brings me to our new friend Donny.
Posting a photo of two cyclists riding single file on a rural road (a photo which may or may not have been taken from behind the wheel), Donny wrote: “Had a brilliant time passing these w*****s as close as I could, almost clipped one with my wing mirror.
“They definitely knew I was there unless they were hard of hearing #beepbeep. Hopefully upset a few w*****s. #muppets.”
Hmmm. Never has the muppet hashtag been more appropriate. (Warning: Probably best to steer clear of Donny’s other Twitter posts. Frighteningly, this close pass one is probably the tamest of the lot.)
Anyway, Donny’s dangerous driving confession was mostly met with bafflement by Twitter-using cyclists, while some were concerned about the long and steady rise of this kind of irrational hatred towards other road users.
“There seems to be an increase in people incriminating themselves on social media because of their deep hatred of other road users,” wrote CyclingInASkirt. “Bizarre behaviour.”
“It’s truly bizarre,” agreed Chris. “I really hope someone has footage of this close pass and Donny gets an NIP through his door very soon.”
“Assume you’re trying to generate clicks but that’s a really weird thing to say and or do. Imagine they were your friends/parents/kids etc,” said Fingers McGurty (probably not their real name).
You’ve picked a right one there.
He’s a proper one!
He’s not the sharpest tool in the box…..will be telling his mates down the yoof club how he’s triggered the cyclists.— Rate My Rant 🚴♀️ (@rant_rate) January 21, 2024
“What is he annoyed about exactly?” asked Tom.
“Using a mobile phone while driving and being distracted is more likely to cause an accident than those cyclists,” noted Ian, rather helpfully.
“Pretty sure we can add that to list of things that didn’t happen,” added CBikeLondon.
Which, thankfully, is almost certainly the case with this one. Well at least I hope so, anyway.
I feel like we’ve been here before.
The debate around children riding their bikes on the road has proved a prominent one over the last few years, popping up more than a few times on road.cc (and that’s before we get on to whether kids should be able to cycle on the pavement. Yes, really).
Last May, we reported that a motorist received a fair amount of criticism online after she exited her car (which, incidentally, was parked on the road) to scold a group of schoolchildren for riding their bikes “in the middle” of the road– on what was at that point an extremely empty residential street.
That peculiar incident came just six months after perhaps the most famous ‘child rides bike on road’ furore of recent times, which saw practically half of the Conservative Party – including former Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, peer Baroness Foster, and Tory London Assembly leader Susan Hall– weigh in on a clip of a motorist failing to stop to let a five-year-old cyclist past on a road lined with parked cars, before narrowly passing the youngster.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the party’s current stance on the so-called ‘war on the motorist’, Javid and co. leapt to the defence of the driver as the clip went viral, with the Bromsgrove MP responding to a tweet from the Jeremy Vine on 5 Twitter account (who else?), which asked viewers who they thought was “in the wrong”, by writing: “The five-year-old’s father”.
> Sajid Javid blames father of five-year-old cyclist for letting child ride on road in viral video
And then, a video of another five-year-old boy picking his way safely through traffic and parked cars again went viral, with most commenters (for a change) praising the young cyclist’s skills and road awareness.
However, over the weekend, the same young lad earned some more online notoriety – and ushered in a much more divided response from the Twitter hordes.
Turnpike Lane is one of the most tricky areas we cycle; there’s is a total lack of cycling infra.
This road is wide enough for some bike lanes, which would make for a safer & more pleasant journey for all vehicles.
I feel they would also enable more ppl get around by bike! 🚲 pic.twitter.com/mf02jaNoXU
— Francesca Savage 🚲💕 (@francesca_kms) January 20, 2024
The clip, posted by active travel advocate Francesca Savage, shows her cycling with her child on Turnpike Lane in north London, while calling for better protection for cyclists of all ages.
“Turnpike Lane is one of the most tricky areas we cycle; there’s a total lack of cycling infra,” she tweeted.
“This road is wide enough for some bike lanes, which would make for a safer and more pleasant journey for all vehicles. I feel they would also enable more people to get around by bike!”
However, many weren’t impressed by Francesca’s family-oriented active travel approach.
“Why not cycle with a child somewhere safer and go a different route?” asked James, prompting Francesa to reply: “Unfortunately we have to take this route and it’s the only way we can get to our destination. We use our bikes to get from A-B.”
Others, naturally, were even blunter in their appraisal of the video.
“As a driver I am required to have two hands on the steering wheel. It is required during my test, and ensures I am in full control of my vehicle at all times. Riding with one hand means you are not in full control of your cycle and pose a risk to other road users and yourself,” wrote Daniel.
“Cyclist mentality ‘kids dead but I had the legal right’,” added Matthew, while JibbaJabba said: “I would NEVER take my kids cycling on the roads. Far too many bad drivers out there. Terrible parenting” (which, as readers of the London Cycling Campaign’s recent report on women cycling in the capital, is an all too common accusation thrown at mums cycling with their children).
“Vid like this makes my blood run cold, as a father once I’d never ever put my family in danger like that,” added Fred, in a similar vein. “I cycle and motorcycle, I just feel you’re putting yourself and family in danger to prove a point.”
Despite the cold weather, it was nice to see so many people out on their bikes! 🥶🚲🥶 pic.twitter.com/WG8q8ud2tq
— Francesca Savage 🚲💕 (@francesca_kms) January 20, 2024
However, not everyone was as scathingly critical of a five-year-old riding his bike on the road.
“It's so great to see you occupying the road space and normalising cycling for your child. Keep going, we need to change the culture,” said Dan.
“Great to see a family cycling together, keep it up,” wrote Chris, while Sean said: “Some of the comments on here… More pressure needs to be put on local authorities everywhere to put proper infrastructure in place for cyclists.”
Finally, Dave concluded: “Why do so many people want to live in a society where riding to the local shop with your kid on a bike is considered such a bad thing to do?”
Well, exactly…
An Oxford councillor has called for the removal of all “conflict” between vulnerable road users and motorists after yet another cyclist was injured following a collision with a driver on The Plain, the notorious roundabout where Dr Ling Felce was killed by a lorry driver while riding her bike in March 2022.
However, despite a series of safety measures being introduced since Dr Felce’s death – such as the banning of peak-hour deliveries and left turns from Cowley Road onto Iffley Road, as well as the introduction of cameras – in an attempt to rid The Plain of its reputation as the UK’s “most dangerous junction”, cyclists are still being hit by motorists while navigating the junction.
On 18 January, a cyclist was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after being struck by a driver on the roundabout, the Oxford Mail reports.
“I did not witness the collision itself but saw the aftermath. The collision involved a vehicle and person on a bike and the emergency services were in attendance last night,” Katherine Miles, Liberal Democrat councillor for Summertown Ward, posted on Twitter.
“Another incident at the Plain reaffirms our collective resolve to continue to pursue Oxfordshire’s goal of Vision Zero, to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries on our city and county’s roads," she continued.
“To achieve this means we need to urgently remove conflicts between vulnerable road users and vehicles where ever possible.
“This will make it safer for people of all ages who can travel by bike to do so, which will reduce congestion and speed up buses.”
A council officer, responding to criticism and concerns from drivers about the quality of local roads at a time when the local authority is progressing with a project to build five new cycle lanes, has told councillors and constituents that “the new hierarchy is pedestrians first, cyclists, buses and everything else” and “cars are last”.
Invercycle Council officer Gordon Leitch responded to questions about the perceived disparity between the number, and quality, of cycle lanes being built in the area compared with the quality of roads in the district by insisting “cars are last in the list unfortunately”.
Read more: > “Cars are last in the list,” says council officer defending plan to build five new cycle lanes amid concerns from motorists about road quality
Well, that was something special, wasn’t it?
Yesterday’s 13th round of the 2023/24 UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Benidorm had almost everything you could want from a bike race (apart from designated cycle parking, of course, but that’s another story).
In a thriller of a women’s race on the fast, technical circuit bang in the centre of the much-maligned Spanish tourist resort, world champion Fem van Empel just about got the better of Puck Pieterse, diving past her eternal rival on one of the last few corners before holding her off in the sprint for the line, after a close-fought, blow-for-blow encounter.
(Zubiko/SWpix.com)
While Van Empel took the win in the rainbow jersey, World Cup leader Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado also earned her fair share of plaudits, recovering from a recent back injury and a difficult opening spell to claw herself back into contention by the final lap, only to be finally dropped by the dominant leading due on the course’s long and decisive road climb.
(Zubiko/SWpix.com)
And then, just when you were thinking you’d already been treated to a feast of ‘cross action, all hell broke loose on the Costa Brava in the men’s race, billed as this season’s unofficial world championships thanks to the presence of the so-called ‘Big Three’.
First off, Mathieu van der Poel – aiming for his 11th consecutive ‘cross victory during what had been an unbeaten winter – was forced off his bike in the opening corners, as a 20 second-plus gap quickly opened to the leaders.
Faced with this unexpected barrier to his normally serene path to victory, the world champion then unleashed the kind of shock and awe we all know he’s capable of, producing one of the images of the winter as he scorched through the field on the climb like a hot Dutch knife through ‘cross butter:
💬 "I didn't have the freshest legs."
- 🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel, Benidorm 2024.pic.twitter.com/n5Edq4Ty8D
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) January 21, 2024
But then, on the penultimate lap, after a frenetic, constantly evolving race where riders drifted in and out of contention throughout, Van der Poel’s unbeaten season finally came to a thudding end in a crash missed by the TV cameras, the world champion’s shoulder colliding equally as hard with a course-side pole (no easy bouncing off the crash protection while cutting the corner this time, Mathieu).
@mathieuvdpoel unfortunely crash.@AlpecinDCK@Ciclismoafondo_@UCI_CX@tompidcock#cycling#CXWorldCup#CXBenidorm#MathieuVanderPoel#ThibautNyspic.twitter.com/DCOX4xsfhn
— Pablo Jiménez del Río (@_pabloj51_) January 21, 2024
Now, that looked painful.
And that was that. Or so we thought. After dispatching the brilliant European champion Michael Vanthourenhout, Van Aert – racing his final ‘cross lap of the season – looked to have the win in the bag, and duly opted to take the final barriers a touch more conservatively, neglecting to bunny hop them in favour of a quick dismount.
Then, in a moment that will be played over and over again long after his career is over, the Visma-Lease a Bike star made a right pig’s ear of his remount, crashing to the ground, before – unbeknownst to most viewers at the time – kicking off his saddle as he scrambled back onto his bike.
Quite a way to end the race! Van Aert 🇧🇪 took the win but he did have some last gasp drama! #CXWorldCup#CXBenidormpic.twitter.com/tyxBCvtdnu
— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) January 21, 2024
Fortunately for Van Aert, he had already done enough to secure the victory just ahead of Vanthourenhout – but, judging by the post-race photos of his saddle-less bike, those last few corners couldn’t have been overly comfortable for the Belgian…
#CXWorldCup🚲 / Le vélo sans selle de 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert (TVL) lors de la manche de Benidorn. pic.twitter.com/EqsJzIcsOj
— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) January 22, 2024
Ouch...
Or maybe he’ll just jot it down as some much-needed practice for the discomfort of Paris-Roubaix? Anyway, they almost certainly explain his very upright, very careful celebration:
Careful, Wout (Zubiko/SWpix.com)
Oh, and what about the other member of cyclocross’s Big Three, Tom Pidcock?
Well, after a plucky ride throughout the race, and some attacks off the front, the bike handling boy wonder of cycling was let down by his, ahem, bike handing, crashing out of the top five after misjudging the kind of bunny hops he eats for breakfast.
Carnage, pure carnage. But at least we can all laugh about it now…
Apparently these 3 are the “big 3 of cyclocross” pic.twitter.com/XrhJgXOumn
— Cyclocross Social (@Cyclocrosss) January 21, 2024
Cyclocross. What a sport.
#CXWorldCup🚲 / Le vélo sans selle de 🇧🇪 Wout van Aert (TVL) lors de la manche de Benidorn. pic.twitter.com/EqsJzIcsOj
— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) January 22, 2024
Wout van Aert’s ability to navigate the final few corners yesterday in Benidorm with a broken saddle – while remaining seated most of the time – may have certainly been impressive, and rather wince inducing, and was enough a World Cup victory, end Mathieu van der Poel’s unbeaten streak (or should be that be Van der Pole? I’ll get my coat), and ensure that he won’t be forever haunted by that post-barrier remount fail.
But the Belgian superstar has a long way to go if he wants to emulate the sans saddle skills of Cindy Whitehead, the American mountain bike hall of famer and multiple world champion, who secured a famous win at the Sierra 7500 race in 1986 – despite snapping her saddle less than a mile into the 50-mile race.
“The Sierra 7500 was a race named for the 7,500 feet of elevation changes from the desert floor of Bishop to the 13,000-foot mountaintops of the Buttermilk mountains of the Eastern Sierras,” Whitehead told Mountain Bike Action several years ago.
“I began the 50-mile race fast and hard. It was a drought year, and there was lots of sand. The first sandy wash, which was about one mile into the 50-mile race, was too difficult for me to cross and ride out of, so I dismounted my bike and ran with it to the top of a small hill. I ran alongside my bike and jumped onto it, cyclocross-style, only the binding bolt broke and my seat came off.
“After watching many riders pass me by, as I stood there sad and stunned, since I never moved my seatpost up or down, it was stuck inside the seat tube. I rode the next 49 miles climbing with it that way [with no saddle].
“I had the top female rider, Jacquie Phelan, in my sights. Instead of quitting, I chased her down and passed her. Jackie said, ‘I knew you wouldn’t quit,’ and she passed me again.
“We traded the lead several times before I finally broke away from her close to the summit and won that race.”
Blimey. Puts a few turns in Benidorm into perspective, eh Wout?
There’s a new SRAM Red-a comin’, and the drip drip of information (and some interesting new images) is beginning to gather pace…
> Our best look yet at the new 2024 top-end SRAM road groupset
We’re on to lap six and @tompidcock is up into third place at #CXWorldCup Benidorm.
He’s being cheered on loudly by this super fan @kwiato🙈🎧 pic.twitter.com/0vsWh7u4xO
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) January 21, 2024
I’m not sure what would have been worse: Standing beside the former world champion churning up whatever that contraption was anytime Pidcock flew by, or having to put up with the relentless Euro techno blaring out of some drunk Belgian’s speakers…
Didn’t I say cyclocross is fun?
The Association of Cycle Traders, a body representing independent cycling retailers in the UK, has called for the extension and restructuring of the Cycle to Work scheme to include self-employed workers and those on low incomes, as part of the group’s ongoing campaign against the recent “flawed” changes made to the initiative.
In December, the ACT released an initial statement calling for reform of how the Cycle to Work employee benefit scheme– the government’s tax-friendly initiative which enables people to buy a bike and accessories through salary sacrifice – is implemented, in order to enable the scheme to “engage all parties in the supply chain” and to grow the initiative “in a manner that allows the cycle trade to make some retained profit”.
The ACT – along with its parent company, the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) – also said it was approached by a “large volume” of cycling retailers throughout the UK calling for change to Cycle to Work, the majority of whom they claim “are unwilling to speak publicly for fear of being excluded from business opportunities” by the scheme’s established providers.
The call for reform came in the wake of the decision by Cyclescheme, the UK’s largest provider of access to Cycle to Work, to update its retailer partner agreement, which came into effect on 22 December and prevented retailers from charging additional fees on bikes purchased under the scheme – a decision described by traders as “incredibly short-sighted” and “infuriating”, and one that could lead to bike shop owners losing money.
And in an update to their campaign, the ACT has said that 400 retailers have signed up in support of their protest against the changes, and that the first in a series of meetings over the coming weeks between the ACT and Cyclescheme has been scheduled.
The cycling retailers group also confirmed that it will be making representation in Westminster this month to members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking.
According to the ACT’s update, the group says its campaign calls for the “extension of the scheme rules to apply to the purchase of bicycles and not just for cycling to work”, and that the scheme is “restructured to engage all possible workers (including the self-employed, and those on low incomes)”.
The ACT is also calling for a “significant” reduction in commissions charged to participating retailers, a more equitable split with suppliers sharing in the funding of any essential costs incurred by cycle to work providers, and an improvement of payment times from providers to retailers, along with retail sector involvement in changes to scheme terms and conditions.
You’re twistin’ my melon, man…
So, it turns out that when Happy Mondays frontman Shaun Ryder was imploring us all to ‘step on’ back in 1990, he was actually advising us to step on our bikes.
In an interview with the Guardian yesterday, in which he was asked to describe his typical Sunday, the Madchester legend confirmed that his love affair with cycling – which began as a way to kick his drug habit (funny, usually it happens the other way around…) – is still going strong.
Asked about his Sunday exercise routine, the 61-year-old said: “I’m out on my bike as much as I can be, in the woods and trails around Salford. I’d be out on my bike now if I wasn’t talking to you.”
Excellent stuff.
> Shaun Ryder: Cycling got me off drugs
Back in 2017, Ryder explained in another interview with the Grauniad that “it was cycling that got me off drugs”.
“I’d get on my bike very early in the morning and keep cycling until very late at night, day after day, until it was out of the system. I was pedalling from 8am until 11pm,” he said.
Oh, and before you ask, where’s Bez in all of this?
Well, judging by this 2021 clip, he was busy getting the miles in a few years ago – and ‘pulling a Van Aert’ (as crashing while getting back on your bike will henceforth be known) on occasion too…
The family of a cyclist from London who died having collapsed due to heatstroke and dehydration while competing at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in France in 2017 have received a six-figure settlement from the event insurers for the sport’s governing body.
Barry Covington passed away in hospital a week after collapsing while taking part in the Gran Fondo based in Albi, Languedoc, in the south of France in August 2017, which went ahead during a heatwave which saw temperatures reach 39°C.
There were complaints from participants about the lack of water and hydration points available on the route, with feed stations reportedly lacking the volunteers to staff them properly. Some riders relied on spectators to keep them hydrated while others allegedly resorted to picking up discarded bottles on the roadside in the hope of finding water.
Read more: > UCI insurer pays six-figure settlement over British cyclist’s heatstroke death at Gran Fondo World Championships
It may not be 700 tonnes of sugar beet, but this latest entry to the coveted ‘Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lanes?’ list – courtesy of Wimborne-based Andy – earns extra plaudits for its rather artistic inclusion of an ironically-felled ‘Go’ sign…
Omg roared laughing 🤣 the send skit 😅 pic.twitter.com/IiBqso22ux
— northern monkey (@stephaniemain2) January 19, 2024
Unfortunately, since it’s 2024, the line between satire and real-life terrible opinions is alarmingly thin and blurry. But most people – even the most vehement anti-cycling aficionados – are bound to know this is a joke. Right? Right…?
Too busy feasting your eyes on one of the greatest days of cyclocross we’ve seen in years (more on that in a bit) to keep up to speed with all of the weekend’s non-Benidorm related cycling news?
Well, don’t worry, because as ever the Monday morning roundup – which may feature budgie smugglers – has got you covered (unlike Valtteri’s pants)…
> Race organiser handed three-month suspended sentence after death of up-and-coming Belgian cyclist
> Stay cycling fit over 60 — all the tips you need to enjoy riding into your 60s and beyond