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news
Leavers vs Remainers? Labour vs Tories? Nope. Radio host calls on UK to unite against cyclists; Video DPD driver knocks penny farthing rider off bike; cyclist could be jailed after allegedly pushing child out of way + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
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London cyclists at traffic lights (copyright Britishcycling.org_.uk).jpg29 December 2020, 19:11
Who’s next on the hitlist now Brexit is ‘done’? Cyclists, says Talk Radio host
If you're on social media, you don't even need to follow certain media outlets, or their columnists or presenters, to know that "cyclists" - that catch-all group spanning kids riding to school to the likes of AA president Edmund King - are blamed for all kinds of ills.
And with cycle lanes and low traffic neighbourhoods apparently becoming the latest front line in the so-called culture wars, it's hardly a surprise that a certain breed of 'shock jock' might target people who choose to undertake certain journeys by bike.
Step forward and take a bow, Talk Radio's Cristos Foufas, who tweeted this seasonal message over Christmas:
Listen up.
It’s been stressful for a while. Labour versus Tory, Remain versus Leave, deal versus no deal, even lockdown versus everything open.
Now we’re approaching 2021, can’t we all just unite and do all we can against the one common enemy we can all agree on?
Cyclists.
He was quickly called out on the tweet on social media, with one user flagging it up to Edmund King and asking if the AA was happy advertising on Talk Radio.
Hi @AAPresident just wanted to check, as @TheAA_UK is an advertiser with @talkRADIO, is this the kind of message your OK to associate with for our roads?
98 cyclist were killed on our roads last year. @theJeremyVine
@London_Cycling pic.twitter.com/EKhiID3a07— Damian Clark (@dclarkuk1) December 27, 2020
He's subsequently said that he does not see “all cyclists as the enemy,” which begs the question, why lump all “cyclists” in the same group in the first place, as he did?
Foufas has insisted he was joking, which has echoes of The Sunday Times insisting that Rod Liddle's column earlier this year in which he said he was tempted to stretch piano wire across roads at head height to target cyclists was not meant to be taken seriously.
The problem, however, is that such comments DO fuel anti-cycling rhetoric, and DO encourage aggression against people riding bikes (most of whom, on other days, or for other journeys, might be using a car).
29 December 2020, 15:59
Colombian UCI WorldTour pro Winner Anacona sustains facial injuries in mountain bike crash
Pro cyclist Winner Anacona has undergone an operation for facial injuries after coming off his mountain bike at the weekend while training in his native Colombia.
French sports daily L’Equipe reports that the Colombian rider’s Arkea-Samsic team said in a statement: “Our rider underwent an operation on his face, with aesthetic stitches inserted on the outside of his eyelid.”
According to the statement, Anacona did not lose consciousness, although it added that he also needed stitches inserted in his left knee.
“Practical examinations also revealed lesions between the ribs, as well as a contusion to the kidney, which caused a temporary haematuria as a result of the impact.”
Anacona has been a key support rider for Nairo Quintana for several years, joining his compatriot at Movistar in 2015 and moving with him to Arkea Samsic at the start of 2020.
He made his UCI WorldTour debut with Lamore-ISD in 2012 and two years later landed a stage win at the Vuelta a Espana.
His other professional victory came with Movistar at the 2019 Vuelta a San Juan Internacional in Argentina, where he won a stage as well as the overall title.
29 December 2020, 15:14
E-scooter rider arrested in Hyde Park for drunk-driving
An e-scooter rider was arrested in London's Hyde Park on suspicion of drunk-driving after he fell off, according to a tweet from the Metropolitan Police Service's team that polices the Royal Parks.
The tweet added that the scooter rider had been carrying his dog, which sustained a broken leg in the incident, and was said to be recovering after being taken to a vet for treatment.
Rider of e scooter came off in Hyde Park last night. Had been drinking and was carrying his dog. The dog suffered a broken leg. Rider arrested drink driving and the dog was taken to the vet. Rider charged drink driving and no insurance. The dog is recovering.
— Royal Parks Police (@MPSRoyal_Parks) December 27, 2020
While a number of towns and cities throughout the UK are trialling e-scooters for public hire and subject to strict rules under a government pilot scheme, privately-owned e-scooters are not legal for road use here.
29 December 2020, 13:57
90-year-old Korea veteran’s e-bike stolen – for second time
An electric bike belonging to a 90-year-old who served in Korea has been stolen from outside an Asda supermarket in Totton in Hampshire – the second time the owner has suffered such a theft.
The Freego Hawk bike, similar to the model pictured above but in white with black panniers, was taken from the bike shed in the store’s car park at around midday on Wednesday 23 December, reports the Advertiser & Times.
Six years ago, an identical model had been stolen from Derek Stevens, for whom it was his main form of transport since losing his driving licence due to poor eyesight.
Hi son Derek, who has done the main shopping for his parents during the pandemic, with his father doing smaller, top-up trips, told the newspaper: “It brings a tear to your eye because it’s so bloody sad to have it happen again.
“He’s got a lock for the bike, knows how to use it and used it. But that’s not much of a deterrent these days for someone with an angle grinder in their rucksack,” he added. “He’s not able to walk very far so his only alternative is buses or taxis, but in this situation with Covid you don’t want to get too close to anyone.”
He says his father, who served in Korea and Egypt in the 1950s and later became a scoutmaster, has managed to obtain a replacement bike to enable him to travel independently again.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact should contact Hampshire Police on 101, quoting crime reference number 44200484209, or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
29 December 2020, 13:10
France makes security marking mandatory in bid to halt bike theft
A law coming into force in France on 1 January will make it compulsory for all new bicycles to be security marked with a unique number that links them with their rightful owners, in a bid to halt bike theft.
Bikes being sold second-hand, including through online marketplaces such as Bon Coin, will also need to have a number engraved on the frame from 1 July next year so that details of the new owner can be lodged, reports France 3.
Details of the type, make, model and colour of the bicycle, as well as the name of the owner and their telephone number and email address, will be held on a central database, enabling the Gendarmerie to trace ownership of stolen bikes.
Bikes sold prior to the end of this year will be exempt from the new laws, as will children’s bicycles with wheels with a diameter of 16 inches or less.
However, France’s national bike users’ federation is urging people who previously had their bikes security marked to update their details in line with the new system.
More than 400,000 bicycles are reported stolen in France each year, with a further 150,000 found abandoned, but the lack of security marking means that only 2 or 3 per cent ever find their way back to their owners – hence, the new system that aims to trace ownership and, ultimately, thwart the thieves by making it more difficult to sell on stolen bikes.
29 December 2020, 11:51
Cycling bridge installation timelapse video
Infrastructure projects often lend themsleves to timelapse filming treatment, and here's a cool one from California of a $21.4-million cycling and walking bridge being put in place.
The website For Construction Pros reports that workers spent three days operating round the clock to put the bridge in place while minimising disruption to the busy rail corridor that runs beneath it.
Planned since the 1980s, the bridge is in Emeryville, which lies between Berkeley and Oakland on San Francisco Bay, and is home to Pixar Animation Studios.
29 December 2020, 10:58
DPD driver filmed knocking penny farthing rider from bike
A DPD delivery driver has been filmed knocking a penny farthing rider from his bike in Stoke Newington, north London, with the video posted to Instagram.
The footage was also shared to the London Cycling page on Facebook by Matthew Trott, owner of The Ordinary Bicycle Co., which supplies handmade penny farthing bikes.
He said: “I have been informed by the person that shot the video that the van stopped and details were exchanged.
“I have identified the bike as one that I manufactured and am now in the process of contacting my customers to find out who the rider was.”
29 December 2020, 10:21
Video: Cyclist could face jail after allegedly using knee to push child out of his way
A cyclist in Belgium who allegedly used his knee to knock a five-year old child out of his way on a snow-covered path could face up to one year in prison, according to a report in Het Nieuwsblad.
The newspaper’s report contains video of the incident, which happened on Christmas Day, shot by the child’s father and posted to Facebook, although it subsequently appears to have been removed from the social network.
The incident reportedly happened close to the Baraque Michel inn near Liege, with the surrounding countryside being a popular tourist destination and one of the highest points of the country.
The video shows the girl, named Neïa and wearing a red snowsuit, walking with her mother and another child when a cyclist on a cyclo-cross bike appears from behind them and shouts a warning, his left knee apparently moving out as he passes the child, who is knocked to the ground.
The rider, aged 61, presented himself to police on Sunday following a witness appeal and reportedly faces up to a year in jail for intentional assault and battery to a minor.
Prosecutor Vanessa Clérin said: “He was interrogated and subsequently received a summons to appear before the correctional court in February.”
When interviewed by police, he insisted that he had not pushed the child out of the way on purpose and indeed had been unaware he had hit her, Clérin said.
Het Nieuwsblad said that the cyclist called Neïa’s parents to give his version of events and urge them to retract their complaint.
The girl’s father, Patrick Mpasa, a soldier, said: “He asked us to withdraw the complaint, but showed no regret for what he did.
“What's more, he accused me of being aggressive. He claimed that he had not seen that Neïa had fallen, that he would otherwise have stopped … I have the impression that he thinks it is normal.”
He continued: “A lot of people tell me that I should have beat up that cyclist, but I didn't want to heat things up even more in front of my children, in front of the other passers-by. I don't want a witch hunt, just an apology.”
He said that the fall had resulted in Neïa experiencing pain in her back and wrists.
“She fell on her forearms,” her father said. “At first we were afraid that she had broken something, but fortunately that is not the case. She does ask herself questions: she said that this man is a bad guy. Why did he do that?”
The cyclist has been summonsed to appear before a criminal court in February.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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59 comments
Yep, he could easily have stopped, got off his bike and just lifted it round the child. Sometimes people get in your way when you're riding. It really isn't that hard to go round them without knocking into them.
> Yep, he could easily have stopped, got off his bike and just lifted it round the child. Sometimes people get in your way when you're riding.
That I agree with. This on the other hand...
> It really isn't that hard to go round them without knocking into them.
It isn't easy to go around on such a narrow path, with pedestrians taking up a large percentage of the path - especially with the path being potentially slippery and the presence of an unrestrained small child. Which is why you don't try to squeeze past.
Possible to be accidental in trying to balance in slippery conditions but (a) should have been prepared to stop and (b) there's no way you can't tell when you've pummelled someone in the back like that. Trying to deny that one is what really shows this person up for who they are. He won't get prison, obviously so casting around the max sentence for assault is just silly when this is clearly at the lower end of the spectrum. But he def deserves a penalty of some sort - community service and a fine maybe.
to be fair, it does look like the penny farthing rider turned into the direction of the DPD driver. I cant tell if the cyclist wanted to go down the road on the left, mount the pavement or developed a "high speed wiggle" and lost control because he didnt want to hit the DPD van. But he did seem a little unbalanced before the collision.
It could have been that the cyclist saw the van coming but couldnt stop in time because no brakes. Either way i dont think the DPD driver is completely at fault. Its not the van that hit the cyclist.
Or couldn't stop in time because the del driver cut across his path....
Really, the rider deviated cos he was trying to work out what to do. Are you seriously saying that as long a driver is travelling fast enough to get their nose past an oncoming vehicle's/rider's path before collision, it becomes their right of way??
HWC 180
[When turning right] Wait until there is a safe gap between you and any oncoming vehicle. Watch out for cyclists, motorcyclists, pedestrians and other road users.
The bit about brakes sparked my curiosity too. Found this for anyone who's interested in reading
Yeah, it is an odd one. I've watched it a few times. Maybe he was trying to turn into the side road and then with the van making the turn into him he was actually aborting? Or he saw the van turning, tried to turn himself to avoid it (I've done that successfully before), but then realised he wasn't going to.
I'm not sure why you would ride a penny farthing on open roads though, knowing how dangerous they are on a normal bike. Bumps/holes in the road would be enough of a concern to me, let alone other road users. While I'm not a "must wear a helmet" person, when you are that high up on a bike like that it seems a case where a helmet would be a very good idea.
He was travelling too fast to turn into the side road, clearly he was trying to avoid a collision. Expecting the rider to make decisions in the heat of the moment that you can see from a different angle to theirs, with none of the survival instinct kicking in, is unreasonable. From the riders perspective it's just a big van headed straight at them, turning left is the natural response here.
Yes, they're not the best thing to ride in today's city traffic - but no driver can use the SMIDSY excuse, surely?
The DPD driver cut the corner, into the oncoming lane possibly to avoid waiting for the cyclist to continue on their right of way and pass . Any lack of balance or what you perceive to be 'fault' was a result of the DPD driver's move. After the van's swerve any course of action was was dangerous for the penny farthing rider. An emergency stop would have sent the rider over the handlebars and possibly under the van; a sharp manouevre right might have sent him into oncoming traffic. As ridiculous as it looks,the rider took the safest option.
Victim blaming. Ever tried to stop a penny farthing in a hurry?
It looks more like the cyclist was hoping the van driver would stop, giving him a chance to veer onto the pavement, rather than trying to go around the back of the van and into on-coming traffic.
if the van driver stops at any point in their maneuver, the penny farthing is going to hit it, it just becomes a question of where on the van and being hit by its front is going to make a bad situation worse, though maybe theres an tipper truck about to follow the DPD van that we cant see which means left was the only option.
but Ive never ridden a penny farthing so Ive no idea how direct the steering is or how easy they are to control in these situations, but it seems an odd decision to want to go left otherwise, unless the bump in the road just by the corner turns the steering for them, because literally they could have carried on riding as they were and wouldnt have hit the van at all, and maybe it is the one example where in a panic you turn towards the thing thats suddenly presented in your way, rather than away from it, I dont know, but then Im not sure why anyone would be bothering videoing it anyway.
Isn't that a pretty good reason not to ride a penny farthing on the road?
It's surely better than riding them on the pavement.
What would be even better is if drivers made sure that their maneouvres don't force other vehicles to test their steering or brakes.
But yeah, penny farthings are not known for being the safest vehicle - hence the development of the 'safety bicycle'.
Absolutely and I think the DPD driver is at least 80% to blame, but I personally wouldn't ride a vehicle on the road that I knew to have inferior braking capacity compared to more stable, easier/quicker-handling and more efficient alternatives.
Unless you rim brakes are hydraulic ceramic, with accompanying brake booster to add stiffness, and your disks are 203mm with downhill pistons then your brakes are somewhat inferior.
I'm guessing if you drive your car doesn't have the carbon ceramic upgrades either...
A fair point, there's always something more one could have. However looking at the video I'd say that on any of my three bikes (don't have a car), one with Ultegra rim brakes, one with good Shimano 203mm discs and one with bog-standard Specialized own-brand discs, I think I would have been able to come to a complete stop before hitting the van if travelling at that speed. That doesn't mean it wasn't the van driver's fault, seeing any vehicle that distance away s/he should have waited and let them past before turning.
I guess I'm just thinking of the reverse scenario, if I made a misjudgement and turned across a car and was hit by it, I'd be quite pissed off if it turned out that the car was a 1908 Silver Ghost that was using its original brakes and any modern car could have stopped in time. Does that make sense? It just seems foolish to me, when riding on busy roads, not to avail oneself of the superior protection offered by modern equipment in order to be cool and quirky.
There is a British Standard though for braking (although I guess it may not apply to such a bike). If you can't meet the standard, is it wise to use it in such a dense environment?
Agreed. They're just not safe for everyday traffic and if the worst happens so far up = so far to fall ;-(
Having watched the video a few times, it is a bit worrying the cyclist could not slow enough to avoid a collision.
They are going to end up in the wrong side of an insurance claim or worse.
33/67 for that collision.
The danger here about the penny-farthing is that you're drawing your own line about what is ok/roadworthy and what isn't. The law draws that line. Once that principle is established, you're into "that dad is irresponsible for taking his five old year out on bikes" territory before you can say Jack Robinson.
Before you ask, no I wouldn't ride one there either.
"I really think it's time we just ban all jokes. It's the only way we can stop people being offended or taking things the wrong way. Humour is evil" - Cristo Foufas on Twitter this morning, sounding like he was losing an argument somewhere along the line.
Fair point...but...I could let my disc pads wear down to the bare metal and as long as they had some stopping power I'd still be legal, wouldn't I? As far as I'm aware (happy to be corrected) the law just requires two functioning brakes, they don't have to stop the bike within x distance at x speed. I'd still say I'd be a damned fool to do so, whatever the law says.
Re Foufas, I'd never come across him before I saw his tweet and wish I never had. A truly despicable individual with no leavening intellect or wit, just colour-by-numbers hate bingo. Foul.
Look at the swam of angry bees coming at me lol.
I actually downloaded the video off IG and watched it through in slomo and it was very confusing to me as you only saw one side of the story. The DPD was never in the shot until he turned right
And no - I am not a victim blamer, nor have i ever touched or ridden a penny farthing but i did google if they had breaks or not and some of them actually do but this one probably didnt.
I am confused but of course please continue to white knight and come for my throat like a DM reader going to war on cyclists. It does your argument no favors.
Buzz buzz buzz
I don't think anyone's gone for you, just pointed out that you're wrong - the driver clearly caused the collision.
If you post an opinion, be prepared for disagreement. If that's not your thing, s'cool too, but if so best not to post .....
Completely disagree.
The DPD driver cut across the path of the oncoming vehicle, causing panic, emergency action and subsequently a collision.
You need to reconsider coming here with your ludicrous comments, clearly demonstrating your support for dangerous crash drivers, regardless of the vast death and destruction they cause, worldwide.
One day you, or someone you know, will end up a victim and you'll end up eating your own words.
Stupid driver. Stupid cyclist. Stupid argument.
That's quite unreasonable and slightly hysterical, I feel. RC has made some pretty reasonable comments and, as shown by the discussion above, it's perfectly possible to have a variety of nuanced perspectives of this incident. Accusing him/her of "...clearly demonstrating [their] support for dangerous crash drivers..." because s/he said "I don't think the DPD driver is completely at fault" (my italics) makes your comment, rather than hers/his, the ludicrous one.
No i do not,
The point of my comments were to try and fill in the gaps on what happend and how/why it happened.
you dont see me praising the driver for his contribution to road safety and taking back the roads from the the two wheeled menaces like a certain regular on this site normally would.
Im just simply trying to understand what happened from both sides and the video even though it recorded the collision didnt record the cyclists POV and that is what im trying to peice together. Parts of the story are missing.
He's seen the van starting to turn in and is trying to avoid a collision and hoping that the driver will have the sense to see his error and stop.
When trying to avoid a collision with a long vehicle turning across your path, is your instinct to go round the blind side of it into the oncoming traffic?! It certainly ain't mine!!
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