While it was to be somewhat expected, the cycling debate in the House of Lords did somehow manage to exceed out wildest expectations, adding new vocabulary to the anti-cycling bingo that we honestly could do without.
In the eye of the storm was Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick, who in a long-winded speech, touched on a number of bingo topics, blaming the rise in thefts on cycling, expressed his agreement with former Met chief Lord Hogan-Howe about enacting mandatory registration plates for cyclists, and culminated with comparing cyclists to a “plague of mosquitos”.
“I believe we need regulation for current cyclists because their behaviour is, at times, becoming a bit like plague of mosquitoes. You simply cannot get them away from you when you get to traffic lights,” said Hastings, who is listed as a Crossbench peer.
Lord Hastings of Scarisbrick said that the behaviour of cyclists is like a "plague of mosquitos"
Transport journalist Carlton Reid tweeted about Hasting’s comments, saying: “In effect, he's saying there are too many cyclists. (And they wait at traffic lights, as many videos on here attest.)”
“This othering is not new. Nor is the use of an insects metaphor any novelty. Here's town planner Thomas Sharp in the 1940s discussing the cyclists of Oxford, and calling them a ‘plague of locusts.’”
The comments of course have left cyclists horrified, with Julian Antoniewicz saying: “Blows my mind that I'm seeing dehumanising language in regard to cyclists all around the globe, in many languages. Worldwide bikes are causing insignificant amount of deaths or injuries, but it sure is trendy to farm outrage on someone who ran a red light on an empty street.”
Christopher Lang wrote: “You would think with someone with his experience, he would realise how dehumanising this language is. It using ‘mosquito’ conjuring up thoughts of disease carrying and plague something overwhelming to be controlled, rather than protected. He should know better.”
Meanwhile, another person wrote: “For a supposedly crossbench peer, he sounds remarkably right-wing. His language is appalling.”
The debate was started off by Lord Hogan-Howe, who of course began ticking off the classic, easy bingo number: “I want to make it clear at the beginning that I am not anti-cyclist, because some may allege otherwise. I cycle myself.
“I am not going to say that cyclists are the only threat because that would be quite wrong, but there is a case for making sure that pedestrians are protected from the behaviour of bad cyclists and cyclists who behave badly.”
He added: “There is a further offence, a very old one from the Offences against the Person Act 1861, called furious driving of a carriage. Obviously that law was for other times, but cycling can be pulled within it if there is a serious injury.”
Lord Hogan-Howe and Boris Johnson
In case you need a quick refresher on Lord Hogan-Howe’s previous trespasses, in 2013, the former Met chief, still in the role at the time, said that he wouldn’t ride a bike in London by choice and that many Londoners are forced on to two wheels by the cost of public transport.
A decade later, now relieved of his policing duties and sitting in the upper chamber of the Parliament, he claimed that cyclists should need "a registration plate somewhere on the back" in order to avoid being "entirely unaccountable”.
Just a few months ago, Hogan-Howe tried to reignite the insurance debate in the House of Lords, but his machinations were quickly shut down as “utterly ridiculous and unenforceable”.
Back to yesterday's speech, where he continued: “Cyclists are not even bound by speed limits. When I first raised this issue in the House, I mistakenly believed that they were; I had just forgotten that they are not. Cycles can go any speed in an urban environment, or any environment.
“Cycles can of course get to high speeds. For fit people, through muscle power, 30 miles an hour is easily attainable on the flat, and certainly downhill. With electric assistance, that is even easier.”
At least there was some levity provided by Lord Austin of Dudley, who continued his string of rebuking Hogan-Howe’s claims (he had previously shut him down during the insurance debate too — hear hear), this time saying: “I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, because if he thinks it is easy to ride a bike at 30mph on the flat, he should have been in the British Olympic team and not a Member of the House of Lords.”
The amusing state of railways has been highlighted by Markus Stitz, a cyclist from Edinburgh who posted a confusing picture of a pile of at least 30 National Rail tickets — all booked for just two people and their bicycles to travel from Manchester from Scarborough, who wrote: "Two people & bikes - two journeys from Manchester to Scarborough - This is the pile of tickets. It’s rather comical."
He told road.cc: "I think it is rather amusing, I actually bought the tickets for two German bike journalists, who are cycling a loop around the North York Moors NP and Route YC. This is what is needed for a return journey from Manchester to Scarborough with two bikes.
"It would be a bit easier if it could all be on a PDF - but that's what it is... On the positive side - I got bike reservations and it's a good connection, only changing once in York."
Things got a little too close for comfort at the European championships yesterday as the German mixed relay team had a heart-in-mouth moment, almost taking each other out at the changeover.
TOO CLOSE 😬 The German Mixed Relay Team almost collide on the changeover at the European champs! pic.twitter.com/ECXaqPs7s5
— Eurosport (@eurosport) September 12, 2024
The European mixed relay team time trial championships, taking place in Limburg, had two different routes for the men’s and women’s riders — the three men from participating teams riding pretty much the same course as the individual TT (won by Italy’s Edoardo Affini), before the women finished off with couple of more technical laps in the east side of Hasselt
But as the German men’s team finished their route, they continued going straight on after their finish line, eventually spilling over onto the women’s course with no barrier to stop them — and that’s when the what could have been a very embarrassing, costly and amateurish mistake took place — as the three women rides were already riding their circuit and came on from the other side, almost running straight into one male riders.
The cameras followed the men as they slowed down after finishing their course and kept riding ahead, with the commentators taken by surprise as well. “Oh! of course they already finished,” said the Eurosport commentator. “As the men finish, they go straight on and they end up on the women’s course which is why they were trying to stop them.
“Luckily there are brakes on time trial bikes. An unpleasant… an undignified incident if you got knocked off by one of your own teammates who just finished. That would be… not good. I have the feeling a barrier wouldn’t have been the worst idea there.”
The race was eventually won by the Italian team, the men and women riders completing their course with a combined time of one hour and two minutes. Germany, despite their close encounters, managed to finish second, while Belgium came in third position.
Italy are the European Mixed Relay TTT champions! 👏🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/jYc7ETJdq3
— Eurosport (@eurosport) September 12, 2024
Nothing some duct tape won't fix...
Let me know if anyone else also got duped by the bizarre camera angles conjuring an illusion that the train was crossing a bridge over a ravine (my heart did skip a beat when David jumped off the train — only to realise there was nothing to fear).
It’s not a good time for Ineos Grenadiers fans — so you can only imagine what it would be like being an Ineos staff or a rider.
The “doom and gloom” stories surrounding the British team that won it all and dominated professional cycling for years in the 2010s have been on the news cycle quite regularly, with Luke Rowe sharing some damning assessments about the team’s results at the Vuelta last week.
Tom Pidcock, gold medal winner for Great Britain at the Paris Olympic mountain race and arguably the team’s biggest star also spoke up about his discontentment with the team after failing to impress at the Tour of Britain, saying that there are a “number of issues” with Ineos and that “they don’t help him to perform at his best”.
And now, the Welsh duo of Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas, chatting on their podcast Watts Occuring, have voiced similar concerns once again. Rowe said: “Whilst at the outside it’s a lot of doom and gloom at the moment, what I’d say is I’ve got a belief that the people within the organisation have the belief and passion to get back on top. But it’s a long process.”
A lot of you asked for G and Luke's thoughts on the INEOS Grenadiers' season in yesterday's pod. Here's what they had to say 👇 pic.twitter.com/c2hC9p59rY
— Watts Occurring (@Watts_Occurring) September 12, 2024
The 2018 Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, agreeing with his countryman, said: “I don’t think there’s just one thing. There’s a load of things but they all add up. There isn’t one silver bullet that is the reason why we’ve struggled a bit this year for results.
“For now, the main goal should be, as a team, we need to be the best and strongest and unified. We’re in it together, we’re all moving in the same direction. We’ve got these big goals and aspirations but let’s just get back to winning some bike races.
“Let’s face it, Pogacar and Vingegaard are going to be hard to topple, but there’s still a hell of a lot of other races and there’s still a lot of good bike riders in the team. You can still get a lot of success.
“It’s just been close but no cigar this year a lot of times, and it’s just turning that around a bit. But we’ve still got the right guys around to do that. But it definitely needs a few honest conversations in the mirror this November and December for sure.”
With rumours of Pidcock following in the footsteps of Dan Bigham to join Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rife in the peloton, following a pattern of big-name riders such Tao Geoghegan Hart also leaving the team, one would expect the British team to get its act together sooner than later. But with owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe finding himself between a rock and a hard place, in trying to steady the sinking ship of Manchester United on the football side of things, it doesn’t bode very well for the cycling team.
A pitiful situation for any cyclist to be in, but maybe just a tad bit embarrassing too when you get the good ol’ telling off from your local bike shop’s mechanic.
That’s what happened to Kate Corden, who runs the Hackney Bike Fit service when she took her Tern e-bike to London Bike Studio for a check-up, and sharing an image of the lump of grease mechanic Cameron managed to get off the jockey wheels, cyclists on social media were left horrified.
“I got told off today,” wrote Kate. “I was having my lunch when he came out and showed me. Another mechanic came out too, shaking his head at me.”
Ouch, not just one, but disappointing two mechanics at once… that’s going to sting.
I got told off today. Mechanic Cameron showing off the lump of grease he got off the jockey wheels of my Tern 😬 pic.twitter.com/Cssow3tprG
— Hackney Bike Fit (@HackneyBikeFit) September 12, 2024
She added: “To be fair to me, it’s a 33kg ebike with a chain protector plate, so actually getting it in a position to clean is pretty hard. Which is why I’ve never done it… It’s pretty hard to clean a massively heavy long tail e bike. Unless you have the kind of industrial bike lift that London Bike Studio has of course.”
Some didn’t miss this opportunity to have a little fun though, with replies reading: “I've seen worse, but it's a very low bar,” and “That's a few extra Watts gained.”
Kate also mentioned that the the dirt and grime accumulated is a result of the Tern replacing their family car. “It’s ridden over many parks and the Hackney Marshes with 2 kids on the back,” she said.
You know what, fair play, then! But nonetheless, down this goes in our list of bike servicing nightmares…
A motorist has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after hitting a cyclist, leaving the victim with such serious injuries that he later lost his leg, before driving off and selling their car to cover up their role in the shocking crash.
The WorldTour Pro-turned ultra endurance record breaker Lachlan Morton is continuing to make outrageous progress in his effort to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest 'lap' of Australia, and it appears his team's bike sponsor Cannondale has equipped him with a brand new steed to (hopefully) smash the record with.
On Wednesday evening, American ultra-endurance cyclist Lael Wilcox arrived back in Chicago 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes after setting off from the Windy City with the aim of being officially recognised as the fastest ever woman to circumnavigate the globe by bike.
In between, the 38-year-old Alaskan cycled 18,125 miles, through 22 countries and across four continents, complete with a total elevation gain of 192,024 metres (almost four times the climbing involved at this year’s Tour de France).
And she did so by covering around 168 miles, or 270km, a day, at an average moving speed of 14.42mph that saw her beat Scottish cyclist Jenny Graham’s previous around the world record of 124 days and 11 hours from 2018 by more than two weeks.