http://www.rdrf.org.uk/2014/07/04/will-the-tour-de-france-be-good-for-cycling-in-the-uk
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!
"Will the Tour de France be good for cycling in the UK?"
(24 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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"the saintly Chris Boardman". LOL.
Anyway, good article methinks.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Generally, No.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm pretty certain that one of the BBC's pre-tour news segments on the preparations and decorations in Yorkshire included a ghost bike. It was a fraction of a second and merited no comment...
It might well raise the profile of sport cycling, but every report has mentioned MAMILs and I remain dubious that does anything for road safety or everyday cycling.
Robert
Posted 9 years ago # -
Yep - there was the term MAMILS on Breakfast news. It's a shame that there is so much lycra-bashing - it sells because it's comfortable on a bike. And at least those wearing generally are trying to do something about their health (and reduce the NHS costs - an issue continually in the news). Sometimes British snideness sickens me.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I think anything that suggests that cycling is more mainstream (as in we CAN close our roads for a sports event) is a good thing.
The council for example barely bats an eyelid for mass road closure every time there is a rugby match or concert at murrayfield, but then literally S***s a brick if you suggest having a cycle protest blocking north bridge on a saturday.
MAybe this will show that the roads are not just for cars, they need to be shared.
On another note it'll definitely be good for yorkshire. Some stunning helicoper footage!
Posted 9 years ago # -
"definitely be good for yorkshire. Some stunning helicoper footage!"
Did/does the plan for an Edinburgh Départ have a route - apart from 'leave Castle Esplanade and go down Royal Mile'?
A northern loop ending in Glasgow and day two through the Borders to Newcastle??
Posted 9 years ago # -
Heading north over the FRB would be pretty iconic and by the dates they're considering the Queensferry Crossing should be open so I can't see any reason it couldn't.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"I think anything that suggests that cycling is more mainstream (as in we CAN close our roads for a sports event) is a good thing."
Coming down off Buttertubs was fun but most had to walk most of the way due to the sheer weight of traffic (a bit hard on the feet in cycle shoes). Near the bottom, the organisers had made a boo-boo by letting some vehicles on the roads way before time. These poor and rather stupid souls were left stranded on the roads not being able to move while thousands of cyclists streamed past into Hawes. Why they didn't just give up and turn off their engines, I don't know (just driving mentality?). Anyway that was a superb inversion of the norm here in the UK.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I'm always skeptical of the effect of elite sport on the activity levels of us punters. When I've seen the Tour, the main impression I get is 'they can't really be going that fast...up this hill...oh my God they are...' I could imagine a non cyclist seeing that, giving it a go, sweating bullets on the level and giving up in frustration.
I guess a few people might move from transport cycling to sport cycling. I recently rode a road bike for the first time (on sunny French back roads) and the speed was exhilarating.
Posted 9 years ago # -
On Holme Moss yesterday it was great to see all shapes and sizes and ages cycling up the sort of hill that most people wouldn't even dream about cycling up. Shows what people might do if the roads were made safer for cycling.
What the TdF in Britain has shown is the sheer level of interest and enthusiasm for the sport in the country. I mean, it looks like interest in cycling is almost normal. It's surely not beyond the wit of people, campaigners and politicians to link that to the opportunity of decent cycle infrastructure provision. Keep the pressure on.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Hmm. That's what folk said about the Olympics, Wiggo winning Le Tour, etc.
This blogger is sceptical:
http://waronthemotorist.wordpress.com/2014/07/07/updated-that-cycling-revolution/
"there are two clear and present problems which bedevil UK cycling advocacy: one is the requirement to trumpet any and all gains, however minor or potentially imaginary, in order for us to legitimate and reproduce ourselves as advocates; the other is a rush to interpret any sign of growth in cycling as both ‘good’ and a clear sign that investments in cycling are paying dividends, when a wider and more critical analysis might concur with neither."
(Quote from D. Horton, 2012, source: http://thinkingaboutcycling.com/2012/01/30/who-is-cycling-for/ )
Posted 9 years ago # -
More from D. Horton (2012), link above:
"To who then, have we found cycling to be for? Primarily, for a hardy bunch of inadvertent elitists. People like me, perhaps like you, who ride despite the generally atrocious conditions which effectively discourage the big majority of people from doing likewise. Often we don’t notice conditions are atrocious because we’ve got used to them, and/or our skill levels have improved in order to deal with them.
We cycle, we take our capacity to cycle for granted, and we sometimes drift towards an expectation that other people should find it as easy, or almost as easy, as we do. We fail to understand how difficult other people find it.
The generally adverse conditions for cycling also explain, of course, why those of us who cycle are such a minority. We’re going against the grain. In a way, we’re doing what we’re not supposed to do. Not many people will successfully cycle in an ideological and infrastructural system which effectively designs cycling out, and makes car use sensible and ordinary."
Sounds about right.
The interviews I've seen on telly with "ordinary punters" from Yorkshire who went to see the Grand Départ were dominated by existing cycling enthusiasts, all lycra'd up, sometimes touting their children as getting into racing, etc. How do they get to their racing events I wonder? In a car, most of them, I'd wager.
Increased awareness of, and participation in elite sport cycling may well be a good thing. I'm all in favour personally. I suspect it will hardly have any effect on cycling as transport however. Indeed, it may even reinforce the existing perception that cycling is only for the ultra-fit, young, primarily male racing enthusiasts, all clad in lycra riding bikes costing thousands.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
one is the requirement to trumpet any and all gains, however minor or potentially imaginary"
"
I think that can be a problem - think the 'welcome' for the QBC...
(Though I don't understand this bit - "in order for us to legitimate and reproduce ourselves as advocates")
"
the other is a rush to interpret any sign of growth in cycling as both ‘good’ and a clear sign that investments in cycling are paying dividends
"
I think a growth in cycling is good, but 'investment' - in an infrastructure sense - is unlikely to have any relationship to 'sport'/TdeF (except the odd bit of road re-surfacing!)
IF a few of the TdeF watchers actually think 'we need to feel able to cycle safely every day' or if more drivers see cyclists and have warm(?) thoughts then there will be a "legacy".
But it won't be big, measurable or change transport or 'health' policies!
Posted 9 years ago # -
British Cycling and Leeds City Council have today unveiled a vision .
@PS, that's hardly "bottom-up pressure". It's an elite sport governiong body and a local authority lobbying central government. Nothing wrong with what they are lobbying for, mind you. I hope it happens.
Posted 9 years ago # -
It's bottom-up to the extent that it isn't coming from the top. :-) Perhaps middle-up would be more accurate. It's a good sign that (some) councils are siding with the cycling lobby.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
15m
bill lothian @rugbyhack
3 pages of grassroots sport 2nite in Eve News - climbing, gymnastics, yth footy, golf, cricket, tennis, table tennis, swimming, bowls.
Retweeted by Evening News"
Posted 9 years ago # -
I want to share this pic someone took at Le Tour de Yorkshire but can't remember how to do that. Anyway, idea for a new pagan cult
http://rosiebell.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341cac7d53ef01a3fd2de3fe970b-pi
Posted 9 years ago # -
As for the general argument, agree that leisure racing has probably very little effect on good cycling infrastructure for commuting etc. Mountain biking tho' is beneficial for cycling in general as that does mean as cycling repair shops in small towns like Innerleithen and Reefton (in the Dales).
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
When the Grand Depart took place in London in 2007, Transport for London conducted research to examine whether hosting a major sporting event has an impact on levels of cycling.
Survey results indicated that just over half of those attending the race and accompanying events said they were more likely to cycle as a result of the Tour de France, in particular for leisure.
"
Posted 9 years ago # -
Not sure about that. People say all kinds of stuff about what they are going to do.
Latest figures show the modal share for cycling in London:
Inner London 4%
Outer London 2%
Greater London 3%
Admittedly, these are up on the modal share for 2006-2011:
Inner London 3%
Outer London 1%
Greater London 2%
The figures are split this way to try and demonstrate Olympic legacy effects, but in fact other stats in the same report cycling modal share has been rising steadily since 2002. Cycling growth since 2011 has in fact slowed. I daresay the introduction of the Congestion Charge in 2003 had as much effect as anything.*
Hackney has a 7% modal share, the highest of any London botough, which is IIRC similar to Edinburgh?
* - Indeed if you look at Figure 3.12 in the report, it shows huge growth in cycling in central London from 2003 onwards. So the answer seems to be to remove heavy traffic from roads. Then people will cycle.
Posted 9 years ago # -
good to have data but on a more qualitative level I noticed last night on the ITV4 (all shows available on catchup - 13.07 and 14.07 both good uns) that Tony Gallopin has hired Alberto Contador's eyebrows for the remainder of the tour.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Saw this pushed out by spokes yesterday.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/19/britain-cycling-craze-myth-dawes-claud-butler-tandem-groupBasically Claud Butler and other bike brands struggling to sell depite the huge upsurge in bike buyng. They're suggesting that it's about Mamils being the only people cycling more.
I wonder if they ramped up their marketing budget over the summer? Did they sponsor any events?
I think this quote was particularly telling:
"Tandem's cycle brands also include Falcon, Boss, Townsend and British Eagle. Shears said the bike business usually benefited from a fine summer but that record temperatures in July and August were too hot.
""Without making excuses, if it's baking hot would you go and get on your bike? You would probably want to sit in your garden and have a barbecue."
He also warned that independent bike retailers, Tandem's "bread and butter", were being squeezed by Halfords, online retailers such as JD Williams and Littlewoods, and the supermarkets.
Posted 9 years ago #
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