James O'Brien challenges “petrol head” who thinks cyclists “don’t have education"; Unmet demand for cycling in ethnic minority groups; Invisible bike stand fits in your back pocket; The longest bike in the world; Giro d'Italia route + more

Headline in today's Bristol Post:

Road rage driver 'wiped out' cyclists in 'deliberate' hit-and-run

https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/road-rage-driver-wickwar...

Quote:

A cyclist says an enraged driver rammed him off the road as he rode with a friend in South Gloucestershire.

Nick Stack, from Downend, suffered a broken collarbone and swollen head in the shocking hit-and-run near Wickwar.

The dad-of-two was out for a ride late on Tuesday afternoon (July 28) when the ordeal unfolded, and both he and his friend ended up in hospital.

They were cycling along the B4060 Sodbury Road just after 4.30pm, when they heard someone repeatedly beeping their horn in the distance behind them.

Nick, 45, said: "I thought, 'I'm not doing anything wrong'.

"We weren't in the middle of the road - we were riding single file, almost in the gutters, and they came alongside shouting obscenities out of the window.

"I ignored them but the truck or van was coming across, not giving us any room. "

The sales manager cannot remember if the vehicle was a truck or a van, but said it was definitely towing a trailer, which is what struck him.

He was unable to see the driver but said the passenger was a man, who hurled abuse at them and called them "w****rs."

Nick said: "They deliberately moved across to run us off the road - they were pretty much driving on the grass verge.

"The trailer that was on the back hit me and wiped me out."

His friend behind him hit into the back of his bike and "flew over the top of me," he said, leaving them both crumpled on the ground next to the ditch.

He added: "They [in the vehicle] slowed slightly then just drove off.

"I was in a lot of pain and cars stopped, and a witness tended to me with first aid and put my arm in a sling.

"My head was cut but my helmet took the brunt and split."

Police and ambulance arrived and the pair were taken to A&E at Southmead Hospital, where Nick was treated and discharged later that evening.

He suffered a broken collarbone, head injury and grazes, while his friend escaped with some grazing.

Nick said he is grateful he did not end up getting stuck under the wheel of the car or suffering a back injury.

The pair had been riding back from Wotton-under-Edge and Wickwar towards Chipping Sodbury, and had cycled the route hundreds of times before.

Nick said the road is wide enough to allow vehicles to overtake, although the speed of traffic might mean waiting until the other side is clear.

He added: "I've been riding for many years and people beep or drive closely, but other people are courteous and give you a wide birth.

"I always give a little nod or wave to say thank you.

"On this occasion they had obviously taken great offence to seeing two cyclists.

"At the end of the day, we were just out doing something we enjoy. Those people had no regard for me as a human or a father."

A witness told him that the vehicle had been "driving erratically" through Wickwar, and police have been searching for CCTV and dash cam footage to track them down.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "We were called at approximately 4.50pm on Tuesday, July 28, following a collision involving two cyclists and a vehicle towing a trailer in Sodbury Road, Wickwar.

"The two cyclists were taken to hospital. The vehicle was not at the scene by the time officers arrived."

Nick's wife Clare Stack has shared an appeal on Facebook, branding the driver and passenger "idiots" and saying her husband is "lucky to be alive."

Anyone with information about what happened has been asked to report it via the force's website, or to call 101, referencing log 793 of July 28.

I'm intrigued by the Vainqueur thing.  Could this be harking back to the old days when archers in the army would do the V sign to show they still had two fingers (a common punishment when captured was to have a finger cut off).  So, V = Vainqueur = winner, which has been contracted to W@nker?

Quote:

"If I see somebody riding well, I'll say to them when I come to the lights, ‘you're riding well.’ And they really appreciate that."

They appreciate it so much that they have to use all sorts of hand gestures, to emphasize just how much they appreciate it... 

Quote:

the top five challenges that novice cyclists face are…

Roads/other road users

Pretty neatly sums up a big part of the problem. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of people who said 'roads' don't actually think that roads are a challenge - rather it's the intimidating proximity and use of motor vehicles on them. Unfortunately it's become ingrained into our thinking that this is an integral part of what a road is.

Quote:

Although does n+1 apply to penny farthings? We presume it does.

Of course - as soon as you get a penny farthing you inevitably start craving a half crown sixpence.

Looks like all the Decathlon stores are the same then - the Warrington one looked like it had been hit by a swarm of locusts last time I wasted my time going to the cycling department there - says a lot about  their supply chain...

Sad that all that effort has gone into the longest 'bike' with no understanding of how steering allows you to balance. Can it still be called a bike with a roller at the back?

Wow, Mike Graham really is something else

Is that between extremities of front/rear wheels, or wheelbase?

Can you stop giving Mike Graham publicity.

Ah, Mike Graham, the Poundland Nick Ferrari.

The fix your bike website is currently live, I've just got a voucher.

I love the Italian National Anthem!