This video is doing the rounds this morning, attracting more than a million views on a certain social media platform...
Someone might want to remind this cab driver of Highway Code Rule 219. Nowhere does it say that if you see/hear an emergency vehicle, then pull into the cycle lane and slam your brakes on. pic.twitter.com/WqNXpc4rVH
— Chapona Bike (@ChaponaBike123) September 24, 2024
It's certainly got people talking and was uploaded with the caption, "Someone might want to remind this cab driver of Highway Code Rule 219. Nowhere does it say that if you see/hear an emergency vehicle, then pull into the cycle lane and slam your brakes on."
For context, that Rule 219 in question states:
Emergency and Incident Support vehicles. You should look and listen for ambulances, fire engines, police, doctors or other emergency vehicles using flashing blue, red or green lights and sirens or flashing headlights, or Highways Agency Traffic Officer and Incident Support vehicles using flashing amber lights. When one approaches do not panic.
Consider the route of such a vehicle and take appropriate action to let it pass, while complying with all traffic signs. If necessary, pull to the side of the road and stop, but try to avoid stopping before the brow of a hill, a bend or narrow section of road. Do not endanger yourself, other road users or pedestrians and avoid mounting the kerb. Do not brake harshly on approach to a junction or roundabout, as a following vehicle may not have the same view as you.
The cyclist involved also shared the London Ambulance Service's advice, which states: "If there is no safe place for you to pull into, rather than immediately stopping, it is better to continue as you were at a safe speed until there is a safe place to pull in or until the ambulance vehicle can safely overtake. Please avoid pulling into bus lanes or cycle lanes."
The video, the rider's reaction and stance online since has not been a popular one and it has attracted plenty of comments and replies, including some from people saying they are fellow cyclists, questioning the complaints and defending the taxi driver pulling in to let an on-call emergency service vehicle through.
CyclingMikey re-shared the footage, writing: "I think this is the time to brake and stay out of the ambo's [fire engine's] way. I don't think the cab driver did anything wrong."
Sky Sports broadcaster Sanny Rudravajhala also weighed in: "Ok, so I ride my bike and even have a cycling podcast. But… this sort of post makes things worse for all of us.
"There are some on here who seem to have zero understanding of hazard perception. The law and its real life application may be different. And I don't think the taxi has done anything wrong here and is not a 'f*cking lunatic'. An ambulance [fire engine] is coming through and in good time, with enough space they've stopped out of the way. It's not like you wouldn't be aware of a blue light vehicle coming from behind.
"The cyclist could easily have also slowed or moved over for the ambulance too, cycle lane or otherwise. All this does is detract from actual bad drivers. More than 100 cyclists a year die on our roads in the UK, and many more are injured. The close shaves are countless. What this sh*tposting does is embolden the gutter people of the culture wars. Sorry."
However, not everyone agreed. One account, named Cycling Bob, wrote: "It's a fire engine. It's a solid white line. It's a dedicated cycle lane. You can not break the law just because there's an emergency vehicle behind you. Many red light infringements have been upheld when drivers move out of the way of emergency vehicles. This is no different."
Thoughts?
Silver for Sebastian Grindley, but how about this for a story about the winner...
If anyone watching the junior men‘s road race is wondering how an Italian gets a surname like ‘Finn’, I believe his dad, Peter, is English. Think he grew up in Sheffield, now works for Ericsson in Genova & is married to an Italian.
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) September 26, 2024
Challenging times at Simplon are continuing, the Austrian bike brand having had its management replaced at the end of 2023, before this year suffering revenue hits as the bike industry's recovery remains slow. Bike Europe reports the brand, Austria's second-largest bicycle manufacturer which employs 155 people, has applied for Chapter 11 status, meaning it can proceed with the 'debtor-in-possession restructuring procedure'.
It is believed this will maintain its operations and solvency, with the company also getting 90 days to continue discussions with possible investors.
"We embarked on a sustainable restructuring course and have been involved in intensive negotiations with several interested investors for some time," CEO Jakob Luksch said in a statement. "The outlook of these discussions are very promising as Simplon is known as a brand with a strong reputation and great potential for the future.
"As a team and through our joint efforts, we have renewed around 40 per cent of the product portfolio and rejuvenated our brand message. Thanks to a strategic realignment of sales, we have been able to expand the dealer network and gain major premium retail chains as customers. We have also achieved a significant reduction in the costs of staff. In addition, the existing shareholders have made great financial efforts to further secure the future.
"Simplon's business has recently developed consistently and in line with the sales forecast but only until the first half of this year. After that, the market experienced a downturn which was not expected. Like many other market players, Simplon is also feeling the pressure of increasing costs."
Cycling in the UK in the last week of September...
Decathlon Sports Limited Ireland has ordered a recall of ROCKRIDER Helmet MTB EXPL500 and ST500.
The brand stated the product "presents a risk of injuries" and a defect has been identified on the plastic part at the back of the helmet holding the chinstrap. It is believed there are 121 affected products in Ireland.
"This can compromise the helmet's ability to stay securely on your head which may lead to the risk of injury in the event of a fall," a statement on the Competition and Consumer Protection Comission says.
The full list of affected batch/item codes can be viewed here, with the recall urging customers to stop using affected products immediately and to return their product to their nearest Decathlon Store for a full refund.
She's done it...
Cat Ferguson followed up her victory in the junior women's TT with road race victory today, sprinting to the rainbow jersey from a lead group of three. Not that we'll be seeing her in the rainbow bands next season, the 18-year-old from Yorkshire stepping up to the WorldTour with Movistar next term.
Fitting perhaps, given there was something very Yorkshire 2019 about the conditions in Zürich too, battering rain and sodden roads greeting the lead trio as they sprinted for the win, Ferguson getting the better of Spanish rider Paula Ostiz and Slovakia's Viktória Chladoňová after some twitchy cat-and-mouse antics in the final two kilometres.
It all means Ferguson's 2024 season reads: 2-1-1-2-2-1-1-2-2-3-1-1-1-2-7-1-DNF-1-1... bring on next year.
It was one of the stories of the Tour de France this summer... climbing times set by Marco Pantani more than 20 years ago being absolutely obliterated by today's best, Tadej Pogačar putting minutes into the times of the last rider to do the Giro-Tour double.
Well, speaking to AS, Alberto Contador reckons the faster times can be easily explained...
"Regarding the climb you mentioned [Plateu de Beille], simply because of the watts saved on bearings, the watts saved with tubeless tyres compared to the tubular used by Pantani… Pantani's bike would also have been a bit heavier, but it's not just that, we're talking about clothing, helmets, the road, and we're talking about how it was done like a team time trial.
"First, with Kelderman, then Jorgenson, who was a rider who was in the top-five in the Tour, and he took over for four kilometres. Then he was taken over by the second strongest rider in the world, Vingegaard, so he's not going to hold the record… In Pantani's case, when he started, he started in the peloton, there was still a group of 50 riders, when they had climbed four or five kilometres, then he started and went off alone. So, it's all very relative. That doesn't mean that he didn't climb incredibly, but that four minutes isn't as much as it seems."
British sensation Cat Ferguson is this morning again looking to show off why she is being touted as one of cycling's most exciting future talents, the 18-year-old from Skipton in the finale of the women's junior road race at the World Championships in Zürich as we speak, looking to double up and win a second rainbow jersey this week following her TT success on Tuesday.
With a little over 20km to go, Ferguson is in the lead group and has fellow Brit Imogen Wolff for company...
It's been a few days since we brought this into your lives, explaining how a road.cc reader had invented a "third type" of cycling shoe, a "walkable cleat" to enable riders to keep using their road pedals and cleats but also be able to walk freely as if using a mountain bike set-up.
Hugo told us he'd been working on it for 10 years and has so far tried and failed to engage any brand to take him up on his design, aimed at asking: "Why do millions of cyclists have to walk like ducks?"
Well, needless to say it got plenty of attention (and comments), Hugo now telling us that while he accepts the comments were "more 'no' than 'yes'", he has not been discouraged and will continue his quest.
As we alluded to in the piece, one of the most often heard replies from the cycling public was from those who just can't understand why, if your priority is being able to walk freely and you've gone to the trouble of creating several designs (pictured throughout), he is so keen to ditch mountain bike pedals and cleats, the set-up he had ridden for the past 30 years.
Jon Hughes called the idea "bizarre" and suggested: "If you need to do a lot of walking then don’t use road cleats. Problem solved."
Jock DeBoer: "So basically a mountain bike shoe."
Secret_squirrel: "This is solution looking for a problem. These do nothing that you can't get from a MTB SPD shoe. If you are worried about pedal surface area then you include a more platform style MTB pedal. I use Hope Union Trail pedals across all my bikes Road or Offroad as they have a small-med sized platform. It also means my waterproof SPD boots double as winter road shoes with no messing about with overshoes."
ubercurmudgeon: "If hot-gluing pencil erasers to the bottoms of his shoes makes it easier for him to walk in cafe stops, then all power to him. But I'm not sure there is a commercial product here."
It's at this point I'm again left ruing the fact Sidi, the brand Hugo has bought for his entire cycling life, opted out of offering up a product designer for interview or getting involved with the piece...
Anyway, in true comments section style, there was plenty of fun to be had away from the more earnest discussion, starting with Nick T who hopes Hugo will turn his attention to diving flippers next and "finds a way to make them less cumbersome to walk in"... tough gig, that one... not that it's deterred a few brands that pop up in a quick eBay search.
Adam Simmonite wondered if it's the branding of the "walkable cleat" that could be tweaked for major industry buy-in... "Stick the word 'gravel' in the pitch and they'll be the next big thing."
Ironically, Hugo told us a former Ritchey employee had apparently said his design looked like the "perfect" gravel shoe.
Dandi: "When you've got interval training at 6am and a Sunday league kick-off at 8am."
And finally...
Regardless of if you think they'd work as an industry-wide product, I'm keeping my fingers crossed Hugo can finally find a solution he's happy with... even if it takes a bit more badgering brands to create him a few pairs just for himself... and we'll of course let you know if they do...