Etape Caledonia sabotaged
Comments
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I see no one has complained against road closures for the Jim Clark Rally in the Borders this weekend. :? This is a total road closure, and not a rolling one.Explore, Dream, Discover.0
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diamondles wrote:I was at Etape this year (wasn't riding) and really enjoyed the atmosphere until I heard about this sad turn of events. However, these wreckless people have not discouraged me. I've already signed up for next year!
I do agree with a lot of people with regard to letting the Police and Courts do their jobs. The best way to show your anger at this sorry state of affairs is to ride it next year. Lets make a statement by making the event even bigger and better. ( Please remember the money goes to charity!!)
Maybe someone can clarify this, but of the entry fee how much goes to Macmillan? Is it not that only the money you raise on top of this goes to Mcmillan if you sign up for team Mcmillan?0 -
snowcycle wrote:I see no one has complained against road closures for the Jim Clark Rally in the Borders this weekend. :? This is a total road closure, and not a rolling one.
of course the people of the borders aren't complaining - Jim Clarke 's a local hero.blog: bellevedere0 -
And most importantly, he's not riding a bike...LittleB0b wrote:
of course the people of the borders aren't complaining - Jim Clarke 's a local hero.snowcycle wrote:I see no one has complained against road closures for the Jim Clark Rally in the Borders this weekend. :? This is a total road closure, and not a rolling one.0 -
aurelio wrote:...are you telling me that under Scot's law there is no chance of him receiving no significant penalty other than having to agree not to do it again?
Does not Scot's law allow for small fines, suspended prison sentences and so on?
Scots Law allows for fines. It does not allow for suspended sentences. Nothing at all about agreeing to not do it again.
As I said it is being heard under Solemn procedure which is the highest level of prosecution in Scotland. Only those cases which are viewed very seriously are heard under Solemn procedure.
I would say that this case it is being viewed as causing serious disruption and will involve a penalty beyond a slap on the wrist if he is found guilty - however, it depends on whether you view community penalties e.g. community service as punishment or a slap on the wrist. There are new guidelines for community service being introduced in June 2009 which are far more stringent than currently. It may involve a fine, but I would envisage it would be a significant financial penalty rather than a small fine - the civil action side may hit him harder. And I'd imagine his 'character' will no longer be quite as highly regarded as it appears to have been prior to this episode, whether or not he is found guilty.
I would say that given the serious disruption caused by the actions it is a possibility he may be given a custodial sentence.0 -
I was at the Etape ,was lucky enough not to puncture and in my opinion the organisers did a fantastic job in dealing with a difficult situation.
All of the locals that i encountered seemed positive about the event and there were large numbers of householders cheering from their gardens, and the group of ladies with the cowbells were fantastic,it was reallly encouraging.
However i dont think that i will go back,With the ammount of single tracked roads on the current Etape Caledonia route there is very little other option than for them to be closed and until the situation with the local protest group is fully resolved its just too far to travel and too big a risk to take that it may be disrupted again,especially when there is no shortage of other events on the calendar.0 -
How about 'Admonition' and 'Probation' are these not possibilities?Noodley wrote:Scots Law allows for fines. It does not allow for suspended sentences. Nothing at all about agreeing to not do it again.0 -
aurelio wrote:
How about 'Admonition' and 'Probation' are these not possibilities?Noodley wrote:Scots Law allows for fines. It does not allow for suspended sentences. Nothing at all about agreeing to not do it again.
They are available as sentencing options. However, there is no way that anything heard under Solemn procedure would result in admonition. And probation does not seem appropriate as it is designed to support and challenge those with offending history and/or social need related to their offending.
IMO the options should he be found guilty are:
Fine
Community Service
Restriction of Liberty Order
Custody
Of those I would say Community Service might be the favoured option as an alternative to custody. Under Solemn procedure the maximum penalty is 300 hours. So maybe Perth and Kinross criminal justice services could find some cycle-related or McMillan Cancer related community service for him to undertake. And if he fails to undertake it then custody would be the outcome.
Given all his 'fine upstanding citizen' commitments I reckon it would be a real PITA for him :twisted:0 -
No news is bad news, it seems...
http://news.stv.tv/scotland/98041-recor ... race-2010/
Encouraging to see people refusing to give in to this idiot Grosset.0 -
What is it with this country eh? :x
Tonnes of races happen in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain throughout the summer with road closures lasting all day. And no one bats an eyelid...
One single sportive in this country with a few closed highland roads and the local are going off their nuts.
I know there are idiots in every country but I think the UK as a whole needs to change its attitudes to cycling events as they are very beneficial to the local community.0 -
> “How refreshing to see that the public has taken direct action to halt an unwanted event forced on them by the local county council." [/i](Paul Bright on the BBC website, Perthshire Advertiser etc.)
Hmmmm.....does Paul Bright know that Scotland doesn't have County Councils and hasn't had any for at least 35 years?
They DO of course have them in the leafy shires of England, though. Nothing like a bit of cultural sensitivity when you decide to grace the provinces with your presence :roll:0 -
chaz_27 wrote:What is it with this country eh? :x
Tonnes of races happen in France, Italy, Germany, and Spain throughout the summer with road closures lasting all day. And no one bats an eyelid...
One single sportive in this country with a few closed highland roads and the local are going off their nuts.
I know there are idiots in every country but I think the UK as a whole needs to change its attitudes to cycling events as they are very beneficial to the local community.
Perhaps that's part of the problem
This belief that we deserve or have a right to be supported. Why?
We let our sport/leisure pursuit/mode of transport to be denegrated over the decades. Our corner wasn't fought however now we are at tipping point in our ability to effectively carry out our chosen activity and suddenly we are starting to panic. Well the problem is that it may actually be too late. Let's hope not.
If in the era of sustainable transport and ballooning obesity problems we still have problems trying to get our message across it really does say a lot about how we are viewed. We aren't really taken seriously and who do we really have to blame for that other than ourselves.
What exactly does cycling do for a community? How do people actually see the benefits of it? We do a lot of charity rides however how many people actually know about those outside the cycling community and those in charity industry so the majority have no idea about it and in reality they are pretty apathetic about that sort of thing anyway unless there is something personal in it for them and isn't that our problem. Our moto should be engage not enrage.0 -
Stories like this don't do our side of the argument any favours:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tay ... 068476.stm
I rang CTC today - their legal firm are sending me a small claims pack. I will wait until the criminal law runs its course before considering my position. I am pretty annoyed that somebody wrecked my Etape - but let's keep our response legal and beyond reproach by neutrals.
At the moment people (rightly) see cyclists are the injured party - it should not end up as "they are as bad as each other" in public opinion.0 -
It's worth pointing out that the bbc has consistently focused on, you could say promoted, the ACREists for the last 2 or 3 years.AlunP wrote:Stories like this don't do our side of the argument any favours:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tay ... 068476.stm0 -
Sjaak wrote:diamondles wrote:I was at Etape this year (wasn't riding) and really enjoyed the atmosphere until I heard about this sad turn of events. However, these wreckless people have not discouraged me. I've already signed up for next year!
I do agree with a lot of people with regard to letting the Police and Courts do their jobs. The best way to show your anger at this sorry state of affairs is to ride it next year. Lets make a statement by making the event even bigger and better. ( Please remember the money goes to charity!!)
Maybe someone can clarify this, but of the entry fee how much goes to Macmillan? Is it not that only the money you raise on top of this goes to Mcmillan if you sign up for team Mcmillan?
Your money does NOT go to mcMillan cancer support, they only get money because some riders (1 000 of them apparently) go round collecting "sponsors" or otherwise fundraising. tYour money entry fee goes into the event expense and profit for the organising company
I don't know why McMillan don't just organise their own event to do this really, those 1000 fundraisers could be accomadated without the road closure when you think about it. A big thing seems to be being made of this charity link, but personaly I think it's a bit of a cycnical move by the commercial organisers to paint themselves as a charity, the confusion of diamondles serving to prove the point. This is an event I will never do to be honest, untill the tack attack I even had some sympathy with the protesters.Sportives and tours, 100% for charity, http://www.tearfundcycling.btck.co.uk0 -
McMillan wouldnt be interested in promoting their own event. Its pricey to do - and no guarantee that they'll get their money back.
This was is a much better return for them and the race is organised by professionals, not amateurs.0 -
Seemingly the public and the Police don't want cyclists, racing or otherwise, on the roads, and it seems BC are happy to take your license money and go along with it.
See you lads in Belgium... "A cyclist has nothing to lose but his chain"
PTP Runner Up 20150 -
I spoke to Stuart Cochran today. He is a scots solicitor with Russell Jones & Walker and is familiar with the facts of the case. email is S.Cochran@rjw.co.uk 0131 718 4555
He was put in touch with me via CTC.
He is happy to represent anybody (not just CTC members) who has suffered a loss and wishes to make a civil claim. I am seeking to recover my entry fee, travelling and accom costs. Had my bike suffered damage I would be adding the cost of tyres etc. I would think many people will have a valid claim. If the person charged is found guilty it would appear that he would have the means to pay.
You will need to speak to him re costs etc. Economies of scale apply so the more claims the better!
It's worth some of us jumping throuh the legal hoops to make the point that if you wreck a cycling event by dangerous and unlawful means there will be (costly) civil as well as criminal consequences. I put a huge amount of effort into EC and I could have been seriously injured as a result of the tack spreading. That sort of behaviour needs to be seen to have serious consequences.0 -
Thanks for posting this. I'll be contacting this firm about recovering my expenses for this year's Etape. I encourage you all to do likewise.0
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dont know if this has been posted anywhere else so I stuck it here!!!:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tay ... 129185.stm0 -
shane515 wrote:dont know if this has been posted anywhere else so I stuck it here!!!:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tay ... 129185.stm
Sadly, this will just make the objectors even more bitter and twisted on the grounds that they cannot bear to see Pitlochry getting rich "at their expense". Never underestimate the power of pathetic parochialism.0 -
Is there any news on the prosecution? Is a date set for the case yet?0
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BenBlyth wrote:Is there any news on the prosecution? Is a date set for the case yet?
Interesting - I had a bit of a Google to see if there'd been anythign reported as to the case - nothing since May I could find.0 -
Unfortunately this seems to have gone very quiet since the event.
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That's normal0
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I did the route yesterday - absolutely fantastic!
See the other thread to read my report.
While stopping at Rannoch for a refill I noticed the local community newsletter on the stands.
The front page was reporting that the police are finally interviewing people about the sabotage - 5 months after the event :evil:
I didn't take time to buy it, or read it in full but I get the impression that after this amount of time people's memories may not be accurate and may be discounted as unreliable. Therefore I will not be surprised if it is thrown out before it goes to court and gets conveniently forgotten about - until May :?
You may call me cynical but watch this space.None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.0 -
Anyone heard anything on this????0
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Seems that Aurelio was (almost) right on this one.aurelio - banned wrote:
Good advice. But I wonder what are people going to do when - as I feel is very likely, especially given that he is a 'pillar of the local community' - the perpetrator gets a conditional discharge or a minor slap on the wrist.AlunP wrote:Forget the hothead stuff - lets resolve this in the courts via due process.
I hear that the locals have upped the 'stakes' a little this year!
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BigSpecs wrote:Anyone heard anything on this????
No further action is to be taken:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12672031
It seems that the overnight stay in Police custody and the national media humiliation is as much as Mr Grosset will get for his (alleged :roll: ) petty and vindictive little gesture.0 -
pneumatic wrote:BigSpecs wrote:Anyone heard anything on this????
No further action is to be taken:
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... t=12672031
It seems that the overnight stay in Police custody and the national media humiliation is as much as Mr Grosset will get for his (alleged :roll: ) petty and vindictive little gesture.
Oh I think he got considerably more than this in the form of all sorts of harrassment. It seems that if he did do this that he is not the only person that cannot live within the law 0
