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news
Live blog
"So much for hi-viz": Cyclist famous for riding with pet cat narrowly avoids collision with driver "looking me right in the eye" but who "decided to pull out anyway"; Tour Down Under action + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Travis and Sigrid video (Threads)08:55
"So much for hi-viz": Cyclist famous for riding with pet cat narrowly avoids collision with driver "looking me right in the eye" but who "decided to pull out anyway"
We're kicking off Thursday with some road safety chat, everyone's favourite. Travis and Sigrid, the page that shares the adventures of... well, Travis and Sigrid, the viral sensations who we've also spoken to for features and a podcast episode in the past too. Sigrid, a Norwegian Forest cat, and her owner, Travis Nelson, have been taking the internet by storm over the last few years since Nelson decided to take her for a ride during Covid.
> Meet Travis the human and Sigrid the cat, the viral sensations who have just switched to an e-bike
While many of their videos include pleasantly surprised pedestrians and wholesome feline fun, the reality of cycling on UK roads means some end up like this...
"So much for hi-viz," was Travis's takeaway from this one, the rear-view showing the bright yellow hoodie he was wearing at the time. It looks like a classic 'sorry, mate, didn't see you' situation where the driver saw the car in front go, saw the Tesco van stopped, and continued without a look right at the imminently arriving pet and pedaller.
As a side note, Threads is a lot more enjoyable for reading comments and replies. As Travis pointed out underneath this, the same Twitter video "got 40k views and about 50 comments blaming me". Anyway, some more pleasing Travis & Sigrid content followed... including a demonstration of just how visible that hoodie should have been...
Our scroll on Threads also brought us this discussion started by rock_n_donuts, a graphic designer and cycling kit designer based in the UK.
"Is cycling getting too dangerous?" he asked. "I used to ride 200-300 miles a week and now I'm starting to prefer running more than cycling! last year got hit twice by cars [drivers] which is maybe why I'm getting biased on the matter but I've ridden for 14 years now."
The comments made for pretty depressing reading, numerous people making similar points and raising the standard of driving, near misses and worse as the reason why they've been put off riding on UK roads.
A selection of the replies:
"Bigger cars with more distracted drivers between phones and touch screen monitors, I think for sure it's not as safe. I try and do as much MTB and gravel as possible to make up for it."
"That’s why I ride MTB/gravel pretty much exclusively now. Used to do a 70km round trip commute but not keen on the road any more."
"In a word; Yes. Will I ever stop? No. Here's to 14 more good years in the saddle."
"The local area is particularly bad, we train and race all over the country and this region has the biggest number of road rage and near misses."
Has anyone here reduced their mileage due to the danger of British roads? Has gravel and MTB become more tempting? As ever, let us know your thoughts in the comments and we'll round up some on the blog later...
13:01
Controversial cycling ban to be eased to "cut congestion" – less than a year after council claimed restrictions had "wide support"
12:52
Caleb Ewan signs for Ineos Grenadiers
Australian sprinter and multiple-time Grand Tour stage winner, Caleb Ewan, has signed a one-year deal with Ineos Grenadiers for the 2025 season. Ewan's future had been the centre of speculation in recent weeks and there was even a very short-lived rumour that he might be retiring from sport, although that was quickly rubbished.
"This is a really exciting new challenge for me and a fantastic opportunity to get back to my best," Ewan said. "In 2025, my goal is to return to winning big races. It's been a few years since I've won some of those major events but I firmly believe I have it in me. I'm still only 30, and with the right guidance and the expertise that Ineos brings, I believe I can rediscover my best form here."
11:06
"A very poor decision by British Cycling": Reaction to Cyclocross World Championships selection, as no British riders selected for elite women's race
British Cycling's selection for the next weekend's UCI Cyclocross World Championships has sparked plenty of discussion due to the fact Great Britain will have zero representation in the elite women's race.
Not even Xan Crees, the newly crowned national champion, has been selected for the biggest event on the calendar.
We'll have a more in-depth look at this later today and we've contacted British Cycling for clarification about the selection process, but for now here's some of the reaction.
Former national champion on the road Brian Smith has called it a "very poor decision". He wrote on social media: "I know the sacrifices to become a national champion... I think it's a very poor decision by British Cycling not to allow newly crowned national women's elite champion Xan Crees to test herself against the best at the upcoming World Championships."
Tagging British Cycling's performance director, Smith continued: "Don't even mention budget. Send our national champion."
On Facebook, Crees's team Spectra Racing commented under British Cycling's selection announcement: "We are incredibly heartbroken to publicly see the news that our Xan Crees (the new national cyclocross champion) was not selected for the World Championships. We also feel the same for Anna Kay. Both deserved to go!
"Regardless of selection criteria, and whether either Xan or Anna met said criteria, which most cyclocross criteria is often times vague and elusive, the point and what should have been a factor in selection is *representation* in all age categories. Not just the elite women but also the U23 men.
"The UK's proximity to these World Championships (being in France) should have provided a perfect opportunity to really fly the GB flag with more than 2 riders in each men's race and only 3 in the junior women's. Where it is incredible to see the U23 women squad be the biggest, and there certainly is some incredible talent in that age category, we shouldn't have *just* 11 riders representing GB when we have some great talent!
"It should be more than just medals, it should be about providing lifetime opportunities because unless BC are going to invest Olympic medal funding into cyclocross, the criteria can't just be about medals."
We'll have more on this story later...
10:10
"Steve never thought of his own business, only other people and their property": Fundraiser launched for heroic bike shop owner who lost business to LA fires as he tried to save homes elsewhere
Steve's Bike Shop, an Altadena cycle shop that has served the cycling community for over 40 years, burned down during the LA fires — a GoFundMe campaign now being launched to support its owner who, along with his sons, had been fighting fires elsewhere and "ignored their own interests and safety in order to help save other people's homes".
The fundraiser states: "They saved other business owners' homes and structures under HORRIFIC high wind and heat conditions. Steve never thought of his own business. Only other people and their property.
"Due to the fire, he lost his entire bike shop. Tools, inventory, and the building he rented. In exchange he fought to save the community he cares deeply about. I worry about his financial future after this loss and am asking for help. It is something he would NEVER do for himself. That is why I am asking for him.
"My name is Kelsey Chapman and I've had the pleasure of being his mechanic for the past 11 years. He is more than my boss, but a mentor and a best friend.
Please help me help Steve. Altadena's original bike shop needs to stay in our community. We are far stronger with Steve here."
More than $15,200 has been donated at the time of writing and all the details can be found at GoFundMe.
09:27
Javier Romo lands surprise stage win at Tour Down Under
Javier Romo wasn't a name too many had on their lips coming into the Tour Down Under, but the Spanish rider earned Movistar their first victory of the 2025 season with a perfectly timed late attack on stage three.
Despite some desperate last-ditch pulling in the heavily reduced front group, Romo held on impressively and takes the race lead too. Behind, it was Jhonatan Narváez in his new UAE Team Emirates colours who was the fastest from the bunch; while a rider who left UAE this winter, Finn Fisher-Black, was third.
It all sets the rest of the week up nicely, a host of talented riders, including Jay Vine, Magnus Sheffield, Chris Harper, Luke Plapp, Juan Pedro López, Sergio Higuita, Bauke Mollema, and British pair Oscar Onley and Thomas Gloag all 15 seconds down on GC. Defending champ, Welsh rider Stevie Williams, has work to do having slipped into the second group on the day and now finds himself 35 seconds back on GC.
09:19
BBC claims its Panorama episode about e-bikes was "fair and impartial and clearly not an attack on the e-bike industry"
In the same letter they also refer to EAPCs as Electrically Assisted Peddle Cycles, so there's that too... now those pesky e-bikes are selling goods up and down the country as well as being a menace. Disgraceful.
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
Latest Comments
- Tom_77 2 sec ago
It's the number of crashes per 10,000 of that model on the road. AIUI it the information has come from STATS-19 data, so it's collisions resulting...
- Les Ed 5 min 14 sec ago
Hi Guys. Thanks to everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed playing since 2011 despite never having any major success. ...
- anotherflat 6 min 47 sec ago
Those aren't e-bikes (pedelecs) though, those are illegal electric motorbikes and yes, they should be properly policed.
- chrisonabike 45 min 36 sec ago
Perhaps - though a 10am-5pm ban is simply saying "OK - so we'll not discriminate against the cycle commuters. If you're a parent with kids, or an...
- SaveTheWail 56 min 20 sec ago
No drivers involved in any of this. I'm wondering if the journalist who wrote it is actually a car itself....
- thax1 1 hour 1 min ago
Would be good to get an idea of the supplied mount(s) suitability for D-posts in any rear-lights review....
- chrisonabike 3 hours 30 min ago
While its own mess, perhaps the recent US fandango should remind us of the limits to foresight in people's "enlightened self-interest" *. We have...
- brooksby 4 hours 18 min ago
If its on Aliexpress then it's probably exactly the same as the Beam Corky. One might say, suspiciously so…
- OnYerBike 4 hours 35 min ago
Agree this article does not explain it well. Hopefully DC Rainmaker or someone else sufficiently geeky will do a detailed review soon (DC Rainmaker...
- chrisonabike 4 hours 51 min ago
Some kind of link is a good idea (your national train card is used in many facilities in NL - indeed you can even hire bikes with that also)....
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16 comments
"So much for hi-viz"
Can I be the first to say "BMW driver".
Actually, it would be interesting to compare make, model of car with collision data. It might not just be my prejudice.
This is from 2016, not sure if there's anything more recent available.
I've previously owned a BMW 530D and a VW Bora. Never crashed either of them though.
Thanks. BMW has two models in the top five!
There's even an Insta channel for the "winner"...
https://www.instagram.com/badpriusdrivers/
I think you need to know the proportion of the total UK vehicles on the road for each model represents for that data to be meaningful.
Also, how did those collecting the data know that they were all "accidents"?
It's the number of crashes per 10,000 of that model on the road. AIUI it the information has come from STATS-19 data, so it's collisions resulting in an injury.
I was following a - I think - Tesla the other evening. With a big touchscreen display on its dashboard about the size of an iPad Pro?
Every time the car stopped in traffic, the driver reached across and started fiddling with Spotify (I recognised the icons, which were big enough that I could clearly see them).
Bigger than that I think, they look about eighteen inches at least to me. Had an amusing one recently, had a Tesla something or other Uber or other PHV cruising alongside me at 20mph down the Old Brompton Road and could clearly see the screen on which he had driver radar, it was brilliant, could see all the cars and me and Mrs H, who was just behind, showing up clear as anything on the screen. Well at least that's useful I thought, right up to the point he cut straight across me without indicating to get into a parking spot...
Looks like they're finally making a start on undoing the Clevedon seafront work…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g3eq0xdx8o
Seems a beginner error to believe a car driver actually sees you if they are looking through you?
If there was a collision, the sun was behind you & it blinded them, so they had to pull out.
In my (thankfully limited) SMIDSY experience:
a) Not looking at all (perhaps they dive have one look, or got distracted by something in the middle of their observation e.g. following a vehicle in another lane...)
b) Only looking for motor vehicles.
c) Eyes are open but nobody's home
Obviously I can't distinguish between b) and c) from my perspective - they're both "looked but didn't see". Can be difficult to choose whether you can avoid collision most safely by throwing out the anchors or trying to sprint to safety. The rider here perhaps chanced things (the driver could have accellerated) but they did at least spot that the driver wasn't stopping.
from an exchange with a WPC after the nearest of misses a few years ago;
plod "well of course they could see you, they just didnt see you"
me 'so you agree that this wasnt a vision, but instead a perception error?'
plod "well yes"
me 'which means they were driving without due care and attention'
plod "... NO! they just didn't see you!"
Suspect the Tesco truck signalled the driver to pull out, and the BMW driver is expecting you as the cyclist to be as charitable & stop. Seen that happen a few times the driver has definitely seen you, just expects you to give way to them.
TBH, I'm not sure - I had been talking to the Tesco driver just prior to this as he is a big fan and was excited to see us in person. He sped up ahead and then stopped, so I was assuming he wanted to film us riding by (not unusual, drivers do some very weird stuff when they see us). But you're right that drivers often just "take" priority from you because they know they can bully you.
The thing is...there's looking, and there's looking. Years ago I nearly took a cyclist out, I was driving, approaching an angled junction with a Give Way line, I glanced to my right, didn't "see" anything coming and was about to accelerate onto the main road. For some reason, I had another look, and I saw a cyclist who I would have either driven into or forced to take evasive action, but I stopped in time.
I was mortified, and have used it as an experience to improve my driving and riding, namely to always take the time to look properly.
Windscreen pillars are now 70-80 mm thick, they used to be around 20 mm when I learned to drive. But that's no excuse.
Too many people only look for another car, or something big enough to hurt them such as a truck.
If anyone says "Sorry mate I didn't see you" to me they get a full on rant. It isn't good enough.
Yeah... it's all these things e.g. making it a little harder to do proper observations. E.g. you actually need to move your head - though you should anyway...). Then we are continually (but unconsiously) training our brains to "look for motor vehicles" not "road users" *. Plus there is some measure of voluntary chancing it e.g. "they must have seen me so I'll just go" or "they're a cyclist so they're slow and they'll keep out of my way anyway" as stonojnr mentions.
Stuff the excuses... BUT at the same time I am for recognising "but humans" and trying to make it easier for lazy, entitled people (because humans) to do the right thing. (If we also did more road user training, and more than once per lifetime testing, that would be even better...)
* I don't think the brain is entirely absent, just trained to pay maximum attention to some things. Everything else which is "normal" gets neglected (human attention is *very* limited). My supposition is reinforced by my experiences on my old recumbent which did look a bit odd even for an odd vehicle (banana yellow tailbox). I got a LOT of attention on that, zero SMIDSY. (Of course this is hardly scientific - I rode that less than my uprights plus I rode it differently, avoiding the worst of the traffic).