Velo Birmingham & Midlands May 12 2019

kingrollo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

awavey wrote:

fwiw Sky rides always felt to me like the most dangerous rides to be on the route surrounded by hard metal barriers with sticking out legs and everyone seemingly attracted by an invisible homing beacon on your bike, and people who must have ridden twice the distance per lap simply because they couldnt hold a straight line, oh and the random kid pulling an emergency stop because they were bored and the pedestrians stepping in front of you because well b****y cyclists etc.

give me a sportive anyday

They are not designed with you in mind and they shouldn't be. I said it all above, if you close the roads, it has to be for the greater good, not for the benefit of those who already cycle regularly.

Without to a (greater or lesser degree) existing cyclists you wouldn't get the numbers to make this viable.

Lets not forget most people enjoyed the velo - riders and spectators - loads raised for charity - so it is why be no means all bad.

EagleDay

ugo.santalucia wrote:

awavey wrote:

fwiw Sky rides always felt to me like the most dangerous rides to be on the route surrounded by hard metal barriers with sticking out legs and everyone seemingly attracted by an invisible homing beacon on your bike, and people who must have ridden twice the distance per lap simply because they couldnt hold a straight line, oh and the random kid pulling an emergency stop because they were bored and the pedestrians stepping in front of you because well b****y cyclists etc.

give me a sportive anyday

They are not designed with you in mind and they shouldn't be. I said it all above, if you close the roads, it has to be for the greater good, not for the benefit of those who already cycle regularly.

Define the "greater good" and explain why "regular cyclists" should not have events on closed roads. Because up to yet you have failed to make a convincing argument.

ugo.santalucia

EagleDay wrote:

Define the "greater good" and explain why "regular cyclists" should not have events on closed roads. Because up to yet you have failed to make a convincing argument.

I've defined it earlier, I can't keep repeating the same stuff over and over... it's boring...

ugo.santalucia

kingrollo wrote:

Without to a (greater or lesser degree) existing cyclists you wouldn't get the numbers to make this viable.

Lets not forget most people enjoyed the velo - riders and spectators - loads raised for charity - so it is why be no means all bad.

You say that, but it works in London, why would it not work in Birmingham?
If there is a city in bad need of a cycling revamp is Brum. They are doing something, which is good, but you also need to build a critical mass of people who want to cycle to work. Getting the hang of going from A to B on a bicycle might be all it needs. For some people it's about fear of traffic, for others is simply that they think B is too far. Give them an opportunity to cycle to B in controlled conditions, surrounded by others and they might chenge their minds. Doesn't have to be Coventry, but it ties nicely with the city of culture thing.

As I am writing this, I can see the cranes at work to build yet another fuxxing car park

chippyk

ugo.santalucia wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Without to a (greater or lesser degree) existing cyclists you wouldn't get the numbers to make this viable.

Lets not forget most people enjoyed the velo - riders and spectators - loads raised for charity - so it is why be no means all bad.

You say that, but it works in London, why would it not work in Birmingham?
If there is a city in bad need of a cycling revamp is Brum. They are doing something, which is good, but you also need to build a critical mass of people who want to cycle to work. Getting the hang of going from A to B on a bicycle might be all it needs. For some people it's about fear of traffic, for others is simply that they think B is too far. Give them an opportunity to cycle to B in controlled conditions, surrounded by others and they might chenge their minds. Doesn't have to be Coventry, but it ties nicely with the city of culture thing.

As I am writing this, I can see the cranes at work to build yet another fuxxing car park

I’d start in Brum by locking up dickheads, usually young lads, in VW Golfs and Audi’s, or some private hire cars, who think the law doesn’t apply to them.

EagleDay

ugo.santalucia wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Without to a (greater or lesser degree) existing cyclists you wouldn't get the numbers to make this viable.

Lets not forget most people enjoyed the velo - riders and spectators - loads raised for charity - so it is why be no means all bad.

You say that, but it works in London, why would it not work in Birmingham?
If there is a city in bad need of a cycling revamp is Brum. They are doing something, which is good, but you also need to build a critical mass of people who want to cycle to work. Getting the hang of going from A to B on a bicycle might be all it needs. For some people it's about fear of traffic, for others is simply that they think B is too far. Give them an opportunity to cycle to B in controlled conditions, surrounded by others and they might chenge their minds. Doesn't have to be Coventry, but it ties nicely with the city of culture thing.

As I am writing this, I can see the cranes at work to build yet another fuxxing car park

You make a couple of good points "fear of traffic" and "getting from A to B by bike". The number of times I have tried to explain how easy it is to cover a fair distance by bike is unbelievable. Just because I have covered a few centuries people think I am some superfit athlete (I wish, too many years of heavy smoking have put paid to that). Personally, I enjoyed watching the chain gangs go through (poetry in motion) I just made sure I kept myself safe. I am one of the 'slow' riders that started in the first pen, I completed in 08:53, as a consequence, I saw a great diversity of riders as they passed many of them looked just like any rider on their Sunday morning tootle along the railway walk. Overweight and riding heavy mountain bikes, baggage racks filled with whatever, backpacks stuffed with goodies, probably. The comment is not intended as an insult, many of them did it in a faster time than I. But I fail to see how the roadside spectators cannot be inspired by these and slower riders like myself that were making a meal of it over the Lickey Hills and thinking "I can do that". Maybe the answer is to treat these events as a mini-festival and have interactive activities around the event village and pitstops. Whatever scheme is used, if it involves closed-roads, no matter how well marshalled you will still have to convince local residents to accept it as it is for "the greater good" and also put up with aggressive motorists.

ugo.santalucia

EagleDay wrote:

Maybe the answer is to treat these events as a mini-festival and have interactive activities around the event village and pitstops. Whatever scheme is used, if it involves closed-roads, no matter how well marshalled you will still have to convince local residents to accept it as it is for "the greater good" and also put up with aggressive motorists.

Yes, that and get rid of the "grand depart", the finish line and the official timing. That alone will deter anyone who has any ambition to "win it"

EagleDay

ugo.santalucia wrote:

EagleDay wrote:

Maybe the answer is to treat these events as a mini-festival and have interactive activities around the event village and pitstops. Whatever scheme is used, if it involves closed-roads, no matter how well marshalled you will still have to convince local residents to accept it as it is for "the greater good" and also put up with aggressive motorists.

Yes, that and get rid of the "grand depart", the finish line and the official timing. That alone will deter anyone who has any ambition to "win it"

You are dreaming ugo, a race can be raced without a grand depart, without official timing, without an official start line and without an official finish line. I see it every week at some time or another. But wouldn't smaller Audax/Velo type family rides on closed roads provide the experience and confidence necessary for riding in groups or in traffic especially if more experienced riders who ride in the 'spirit of the event' are included?

kingrollo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

EagleDay wrote:

Define the "greater good" and explain why "regular cyclists" should not have events on closed roads. Because up to yet you have failed to make a convincing argument.

I've defined it earlier, I can't keep repeating the same stuff over and over... it's boring...

oh the irony !

kingrollo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

Without to a (greater or lesser degree) existing cyclists you wouldn't get the numbers to make this viable.

Lets not forget most people enjoyed the velo - riders and spectators - loads raised for charity - so it is why be no means all bad.

You say that, but it works in London, why would it not work in Birmingham?
If there is a city in bad need of a cycling revamp is Brum. They are doing something, which is good, but you also need to build a critical mass of people who want to cycle to work. Getting the hang of going from A to B on a bicycle might be all it needs. For some people it's about fear of traffic, for others is simply that they think B is too far. Give them an opportunity to cycle to B in controlled conditions, surrounded by others and they might chenge their minds. Doesn't have to be Coventry, but it ties nicely with the city of culture thing.

As I am writing this, I can see the cranes at work to build yet another fuxxing car park

But you're suggestion a few posts back - was to scrap velo midlands and replace with a closed road event from Birmingham to Coventry. Now you appear to backtracking (yet again).

I really don't get whats wrong with a group of cyclists enjoying a closed road sportive - If its not for you don't do it. But don't spin yourself as soon great cycling guru - who knows better than all the councils - route planners, route organisers etc - and jumping for joy at the slightest mishap.

ugo.santalucia

kingrollo wrote:

I really don't get whats wrong with a group of cyclists enjoying a closed road sportive

That might be the problem in a nutshell...

EagleDay

ugo.santalucia wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

I really don't get whats wrong with a group of cyclists enjoying a closed road sportive

That might be the problem in a nutshell...

Are you implying there is something wrong with nearly 20,000 participants plus roadside spectators enjoying themselves?

kingrollo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

EagleDay wrote:

Maybe the answer is to treat these events as a mini-festival and have interactive activities around the event village and pitstops. Whatever scheme is used, if it involves closed-roads, no matter how well marshalled you will still have to convince local residents to accept it as it is for "the greater good" and also put up with aggressive motorists.

Yes, that and get rid of the "grand depart", the finish line and the official timing. That alone will deter anyone who has any ambition to "win it"

So we had 17,000 cyclists in velo midlands - if they took away the finish line - you think that number would drop significantly ? - your dreaming
In any case the cyclist would to know where they finish !

kingrollo

ugo.santalucia wrote:

kingrollo wrote:

I really don't get whats wrong with a group of cyclists enjoying a closed road sportive

That might be the problem in a nutshell...

Who has decided there is a problem ?

......
Anyway back to closed road event - from Birmingham to Coventry - or actually it might not be Coventry - but it doesn't really matter - because there is no finish line.

you really don't have any idea at all.

N0bodyOfTheGoat

Just a heads up that a Velo Midlands 2020 e-mail just hit my inbox, with a link to pre-register for the 100 mile course, for the event happening on 28th June 2020.