Chapeau to the A4 commissaire today.

michael196

Des Hanlon A4 race stopped today, 20K in, by the Commissaire for riders riding over the continous white line.

Pre race safety asked riders not to cross the white line on the wide N80 and the N78 back to Castlecomer.

Race stopped on the N78 after an oncoming car had to pull out to way of riders on the wrong side of the road.

3 minute stoppage applied.

slap/dash

I dont race, but big up for making rules and manners matter

doozerie

I'd agree that stopping the race was a good thing if one or more of the culprits were disqualified from the race, but to the best of my knowledge that didn't happen at all (I'd be delighted to hear that I'm mistaken in thinking that though). So all it may have achieved was to reinforce the view that you'll get away with riding like an idiot while even those that were working hard to ride within the rules bear the brunt of your action by the nature of the race being changed around them - people who were dropped get to rejoin the group today and some people moved to the front to take spaces that some people had fought hard for.

There were some ridiculous antics in A4 up to that point, with significant numbers of riders spending lots of time on the other side of the double solid white lines. There was plenty of good reason to apply the warning which had been given earlier that people doing exactly that would be disqualified, but as far as I am aware that simply didn't happen at all.

pprendeville

Agree with above, hoping in holding up a race unless culprits were disqualified. Wouldn't it be very easy just to get a phone and make a video from the commissaries car to show the riders why they were disqualified?

Were riders allowed cross a broken white line if there as no oncoming traffic or was it simply no crossing whatever the line? Can't see how you could get to the front otherwise. I suppose normal rules of the road applied?

Beasty

If the race is on a road that is not closed normal road laws apply. No going over solid white lines and if you do go ove a broken one it should be temporarily while overtaking

The big question becomes whether the 2/3 abreast rule should be applied (as race organisers /commissaires have no power to override road traffic laws):eek:

Inquitus

Beasty wrote: »

The big question becomes whether the 2/3 abreast rule should be applied (as race organisers /commissaires have no power to override road traffic laws):eek:

That would kill racing in its entirety

morana

The racing fields are so big its almost impossible to NOT go over the white line. Realistically races will need to be on a one-way circuit to ensure there are no oncoming cars. I know thats difficult but I think its the reality.

VanhireBoys

Fare play to that Commisare .. I done the Loughrea GP a few weeks ago and we were told not to cross the line..

The motorcycle marshal was parked on the right of the road because the surface was potholed - Some numpty with his head down and over the line ran into the parked motorbike ... !

Its for your own safety as we all have family and work commitments and just cant afford to get broken up

Lumen

morana wrote: »

The racing fields are so big its almost impossible to NOT go over the white line. Realistically races will need to be on a one-way circuit to ensure there are no oncoming cars. I know thats difficult but I think its the reality.

Wouldn't that just result in eight abreast?

If staying near the front but not at the front was easy, everyone would do it. Unfortunately spacetime doesn't permit it.

Morrisseeee

Have a look at this and tell me should the Commissaire stop this race ?
7 mins in and in particular 7:34 !!

godtabh

Morrisseeee wrote: »

Have a look at this and tell me should the Commissaire stop this race ?
7 mins in and in particular 7:34 !!

What ****ing idiots. That should be sent to the gardai for their own safety

Beasty

Inquitus wrote: »

That would kill racing in its entirety

To be clear there are absolutely no "arrangements" in place allowimg cyclists to ignore any road law unless roads are closed (and to date attempts to get CI fully engaged to try and get some have failed). Any racing is entirely at the discretion of the local Gardai who may choose to ignore certain breaches. That's exactly the issue being faced by both road racers and triathletes in Fingal.

(sorry but in one of my grumpier moods at this moment in time!)

Inquitus

Beasty wrote: »

To be clear there are absolutely no "arrangements" in place allowimg cyclists to ignore any road law unless roads are closed (and to date attempts to get CI fully engaged to try and get some have failed). Any racing is entirely at the discretion of the local Gardai who may choose to ignore certain breaches. That's exactly the issue being faced by both road racers and triathletes in Fingal.

(sorry but in one of my grumpier moods at this moment in time!)

That may well be the case, but Road Racing has carried on in this Grey area for decades, it may not be ok to the letter of the law, but it's ok in Practice, at least for now, if it ain't broke, don't fix it I guess........

Inquitus

godtabh wrote: »

What ****ing idiots. That should be sent to the gardai for their own safety

Agree 100% that's just high profile idiocy and it being showcased does no cyclist any favours.

De Bhál

Just to add the A3 race in Carrick was stopped last weekend for the riders to be told off. No one in particular picked out but it seemed to have the desired effect.

fat bloke

I was delighted at the start of the race that the commissaires made a point of warning against cycling on the wrong side of the road, promising disqualifications if it was spotted.
I was similarly disappointed for the next 25k to see the bunch spread out across the road at every opportunity. If we'd been on the M50 we'd have been across the three lanes of it and the hard shoulder. Riders will fill the space given regardless. They will very quickly learn to stay within the boundaries if the boundaries are defined. After the 5th or 6th disqualification I bet dollars to cents that'd be the end of it.
Not enforcing the rules just does a disservice to riders who are endeavouring to obey them and ride safely within them. It also does nothing at all to endear Joe Public to road racing. Cars coming the other way were having to stop completely and pull into the ditch, even on relatively wide straight roads.

Slo_Rida

De Bhál wrote: »

Just to add the A3 race in Carrick was stopped last weekend for the riders to be told off. No one in particular picked out but it seemed to have the desired effect.

The A4 Commin same race rolled up beside us and lit on 2 or 3 riders. One was a very young looking guy (in all red I think) and he pulled in while the Comm spoke and pulled immediately back out - for no reason - he was actually face in the wind!! The same 3 guys were out all day, mad!

bikenut74

The biggest offender in that video is the Black umbrella camera bike. At no stage did he drive on the left. It's an age old problem with cycling on the public roads, you just can't squeeze 100 plus riders to one side all of the time. I remember being stopped by the commisaire in the Junior race at the 1992 Des Hanlon (I know, a separate junior race) for exactly the same problem. But riders, motorcyclists, team cars and even commisaires need to respect that the oncoming traffic has the right of way. The only complaints to come from the public at yesterdays Des Hanlon race was being forced off the road by the support vehicles. The vast majority of motorists are happy to pull over and allow a race pass by but there are some who will refuse to even slow down knowing the law is on their side and that's when it gets dangerous. If we keep testing the patience of motorists we could end up being banned from the roads as happened in the UK before.

fixie fox

godtabh wrote: »

What ****ing idiots. That should be sent to the gardai for their own safety

I agree that is highly dangerous and should be penalised. But ... there would be some uproar if the Com stopped THAT race or disqualified one of those riders.

ragazzo

fixie fox wrote: »

I agree that is highly dangerous and should be penalised. But ... there would be some uproar if the Com stopped THAT race or disqualified one of those riders.

The time for uproar has arrived. Small groups of 6/7 riders have even less reason to act the clown than larger groups.

All the ****e talk about taking opportunities and attacking the opposition in order to get the win means nothing in the greater scheme of things.

If two of those riders had been disqualified it would teach the lesson far quicker than picking an easy target in A4/3 to stop and lecture.
Chi ha le palle?

ytareh

Some of the posters here clearly have no concept of what a 'race' entails .What next ?Enforce speed limits!?

Lumen

ytareh wrote: »

Some of the posters here clearly have no concept of what a 'race' entails .What next ?Enforce speed limits!?

Speed limits do not apply to bicycles, regardless of whether they're racing or not.

Raam

I watched that vid and didn't think the transgressions were all that bad.

ragazzo

ytareh wrote: »

Some of the posters here clearly have no concept of what a 'race' entails .What next ?Enforce speed limits!?

Very aware of what a race does and does not entail. Certain things happen in race situations and I fully accept that. Riders need to be aware of life after the race, image, future, safety and the motorbike with a camera youtubing your every move.
Commonsense is something we should all attempt to utilise.

morana

Raam wrote: »

I watched that vid and didn't think the transgressions were all that bad.

Oh I would disagree. Continuous white line on a bend...suicide!!!

@Lumen I dont think it would be 8 abreast just give you more scope to attack from the bunch.Sure what riders like to get the fresh air on their faces....very few!

doozerie

ytareh wrote: »

Some of the posters here clearly have no concept of what a 'race' entails .

What does a 'race' entail then? Playing chicken by riding on a collision course with visible oncoming traffic? Riding into blind bends on the wrong side of the road in the blind hope that nothing is coming the other way? When oncoming cars have the audacity to not veer into the ditch to get out of your way, then throwing yourself back into the bunch in the expectation that space will magically and safely open up for you, and sure if a few people are taken down in the bunch as people scramble to create space then what harm as long as you are safe?

That version of 'racing' sounds a lot like reckless endangerment, but there are A4/A3/A2/A1 points at stake, dammit, so that's okay, right?

ytareh

The video showed a small breakaway group of riders not a huge peloton .The bend wasn't THAT blind .We didn't see it from same angle as rider/s .The car was slowing down and the two lads pulled in well before there was any risk of collision .
Seriously I was a nervous enough rider in my day but if this is what passes for terror on the roads ("The time for uproar has arrived"...)I can't imagine what's going through your heads stuck in the middle of a 150 'man' bunch snaking round some slippery boreen.
Lead car could have been a bit further ahead maybe .Posters suggesting sending video to GARDAI need to get a life big time !

ragazzo

ytareh wrote: »

The video showed a small breakaway group of riders not a huge peloton .The bend wasn't THAT blind .We didn't see it from same angle as rider/s .The car was slowing down and the two lads pulled in well before there was any risk of collision .
Seriously I was a nervous enough rider in my day but if this is what passes for terror on the roads ("The time for uproar has arrived"...)I can't imagine what's going through your heads stuck in the middle of a 150 'man' bunch snaking round some slippery boreen.
Lead car could have been a bit further ahead maybe .Posters suggesting sending video to GARDAI need to get a life big time !

'The time for uproar has arrived' was in reference to the reaction expected when some rider is suspended for his actions. Terror on the road is your own insight.

Back in your day there were different conditions and the general public were probably sport lovers and accepting of the spectacle.

Times are changing, unfortunately.

I have to agree with your last comment. Lots of people need to get a life.

letape

There were the exact same issues when I was racing as a junior (and that's not today or yesterday).

I remember a race going up the beehive climb being stopped after the same warnings being given - so I reckon we'll be having these same discussions in 20 years.

Although on that particular day the commissaire did single out riders he had seen consistently crossing the white line and they were warned that they'd be disqualified if they didn't heed the warnings.

killalanerr

Some super aggressive riding,just saying :rolleyes:

J Madone

Why oh why must this ammunition be put on a public forum? Agree with some of what's said, this chat will only be used against the general body of racing cyclists rather than the offenders, doesnt take much to find all these transgressions on boards. There is a time and a place for these sentiments, this is not the place

Quigs Snr

I don't see much terribly wrong with the highlighted moments on the black umbrella video. Momentarily swinging wide to try get the gap is racing and especially at the front of the race the lead vehicles should be at least calming the traffic to make that less dangerous. Its also hardly a blind corner despite what the camera angle shows and the riders also have other senses at their disposal.

What I do have a problem with, and what the comm in Carrick was quite right to stop is 150 riders 7 or 8 abreast taking up 3/4 of the road, sometimes the full road, both lanes, even around blind corners and often refusing to move in for cars. I was at the Betty Darcy in Gorey about 5 or 6 years ago when that happened and a rider ended up writing off a Toyota Celica.

ragazzo

Quigs Snr wrote: »

I don't see much terribly wrong with the highlighted moments on the black umbrella video. Momentarily swinging wide to try get the gap is racing and especially at the front of the race the lead vehicles should be at least calming the traffic to make that less dangerous. Its also hardly a blind corner despite what the camera angle shows and the riders also have other senses at their disposal.

What I do have a problem with, and what the comm in Carrick was quite right to stop is 150 riders 7 or 8 abreast taking up 3/4 of the road, sometimes the full road, both lanes, even around blind corners and often refusing to move in for cars. I was at the Betty Darcy in Gorey about 5 or 6 years ago when that happened and a rider ended up writing off a Toyota Celica.

That was on a narrow back road and it was a Yaris. Don't remember anyone refusing to move in.

Agree with Madone. Let's leave it there and move on.

pprendeville

Simply put, accidents happen for a reason, and there are plenty of reasons in the video. That blind bend at 7:00mins, even though the riders probably had a better view, was still a blind bend and it was a single white line. I'm not saint myself mind. That image is rather scary though. Would a car cross the white line on a single white line going round a bend?

Don't buy the idea of not highlighting these matters on a public forum. It's kinda like posting dangerous driving videos in the driving forum and being criticised by other drivers for highlighting potential problems.

ragazzo

pprendeville wrote: »

Simply put, accidents happen for a reason, and there are plenty of reasons in the video. That blind bend at 7:00mins, even though the riders probably had a better view, was still a blind bend and it was a single white line. I'm not saint myself mind. That image is rather scary though. Would a car cross the white line on a single white line going round a bend?

Don't buy the idea of not highlighting these matters on a public forum. It's kinda like posting dangerous driving videos in the driving forum and being criticised by other drivers for highlighting potential problems.

It is nothing like your second paragraph.
Those drivers would not bring the activity of driving into disrepute. They would alone be held responsible for their actions.
Your post shows a lack of knowledge of the present circumstances and ever increasing difficulties that we face regarding our sport.
As a member of a certain club you should be aware of that situation.
Highlighting some random acts on public forums is not really helpful at all and could become the ammunition that shoots us into the future.
Think twice, type once!

pprendeville

Yes I'm a member of Swords cycling club. I'm aware of the problems that the club has faced and how pro-actively the club has worked to address these issues involving residents and the gardai.

In this case I think the video footage clearly highlights some dangerous manoeuvres which could lead to to a loss of life, not only from a cyclists point of view, but also drivers. I think debates like these should be welcomed in the public eye as they clearly draw attention to what we are doing wrong in cycling.

Maybe us cyclists are not as angelic as we would like to think. I don't see where the attitude of "leaving it here and moving on" will get us. Is that not akin to forgetting that these blatantly dangerous incidents occurred and waiting until something more serious happens before dealing with the issue? But in a way you are right, I am fairly ignorant of the situation not being in the country and being a relatively new cyclist myself. I'm just posting my opinions and don't mean to offend anyone so apologies if I have ruffled any feathers.

morana

Solution: 1 way circuits.

pprendeville

Dopey Q. How do they work? Akin to closed roads?

J Madone

pprendeville wrote: »

Simply put, accidents happen for a reason, and there are plenty of reasons in the video. That blind bend at 7:00mins, even though the riders probably had a better view, was still a blind bend and it was a single white line. I'm not saint myself mind. That image is rather scary though. Would a car cross the white line on a single white line going round a bend?

Don't buy the idea of not highlighting these matters on a public forum. It's kinda like posting dangerous driving videos in the driving forum and being criticised by other drivers for highlighting potential problems.

When we are no longer allowed run races due to complaints from the public, whilst being highlighted on an open internet forum which is semi anonymous. It may well be used against all of us who race.

Beasty

morana wrote: »

Solution: 1 way circuits.

That's essentially rolling road closures which have to be policed by the Gardai. That's fine for a couple of Open races over a weekend (and will be pretty much the process adopted this weekend in Balbriggan afaik), but extend it to midweek/club racing and it becomes more of a logistical issue - essentially requiring the full support of both local Gardai and the local council.

Either way this is something where CI need to take a bit more of a lead on (as Triathlon Ireland have been doing for thr tri community who are facing similar issues, even though their "races" are more akin to TTs)

morana

Beasty wrote: »

That's essentially rolling road closures which have to be policed by the Gardai. That's fine for a couple of Open races over a weekend (and will be pretty much the process adopted this weekend in Balbriggan afaik), but extend it to midweek/club racing and it becomes more of a logistical issue - essentially requiring the full support of both local Gardai and the local council.

Either way this is something where CI need to take a bit more of a lead on (as Triathlon Ireland have been doing for thr tri community who are facing similar issues, even though their "races" are more akin to TTs)

i did say earlier its not easy. The day may come when we have no choice in what circuits to use etc. but I agree CI need to prioritise it rather than....oh lets leave it there

buffalo

J Madone wrote: »

Why oh why must this ammunition be put on a public forum? Agree with some of what's said, this chat will only be used against the general body of racing cyclists rather than the offenders, doesnt take much to find all these transgressions on boards. There is a time and a place for these sentiments, this is not the place

At least one commissaire reads this forum - perhaps he'll take the comments here back to the college of commissaires, and we'll see a crackdown on dangerous behaviour, before someone (e.g. Fingal Council) decides to start closing off races because of it.

Mind you, I haven't seen anything to suggest that CI or the CoC take on board suggestions from the 'everyman/woman' cyclist without calling an EGM or bringing it to the AGM, and even they'll fight things tooth and nail if they don't like it.

Morrisseeee

If a person's life, be it a cyclist, a motorist, a spectator etc is saved because of the commissaire's actions and in highlighting this issue in recent weeks, then is it not worth it ?

We're all adults, take your warning, learn from it, feel lucky that you're still alive & well and able to race next week and move on.

mcgratheoin

ragazzo wrote: »

It is nothing like your second paragraph.
Those drivers would not bring the activity of driving into disrepute. They would alone be held responsible for their actions.

Maybe you should have a look at the replies to a video of dangerous driving around cyclists - it inevitably leads to people listing their own experiences of bad driving and usually a few "taxis/buses are the worst, they're always pulling out/in right across cyclists". If there was a video of a garda car following somebody driving dangerously and not stopping them, then maybe we'd have an analagous video. I don't see how this brings cycling into disrepute any more than somebody posting about any level of bad behaviour by cyclists - RLJ/Footpath/salmoning

ragazzo wrote: »

Your post shows a lack of knowledge of the present circumstances and ever increasing difficulties that we face regarding our sport.

That's a bit much - PPrendeville is highlighting legitimate safety issues that could lead to serious injuries. Besides, I thought omerta was dead and we were allowed to discuss all aspects of the sport in public.

ragazzo wrote: »

Highlighting some random acts on public forums is not really helpful at all and could become the ammunition that shoots us into the future.

Do you think these are genuinely random acts? Do you think that this behaviour is not seen at a majority of races? Obviously it is not a majority of riders, but this is even more reason why it should be discussed, condemned and regularly policed. As for the ammunition that shoots us - see next paragraph.

JMadone wrote:

When we are no longer allowed run races due to complaints from the public, whilst being highlighted on an open internet forum which is semi anonymous. It may well be used against all of us who race.

If we're no longer allowed to race, the complaints which lead to that will be about first hand experience of cyclists riding dangerously, not what somebody saw whilst trawling boards. If commissaires continue to turn a blind eye to this behaviour then I can fully understand why various authorities would be reluctant to allow racing to take place. Any event organiser must have a level of trust with the authorities that they will ensure their event is run safely and securely within the parameters agreed. When that trust disappears, (e.g. MCD in the Phoenix Park) the authorities believe that they must impose ever more stringent requirements on the organisers (for us this will be closed roads/specific times & dates/garda presence etc.) which for a sport like cycling may be prohibitive.

ragazzo wrote: »

Think twice, type once!

Seriously? Perhaps this would be better aimed not at people who raise this behaviour as a valid concern, but at those who see nothing wrong with it. If any part of an internet forum discussion gets highlighted along with complaints it will surely be that a certain proportion of the cycling community don't have a problem with racing on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.

Lumen

It is normal for human endeavours which involve risk to be discussed and reported on in public. That's how safety is improved.

Examples: plane crashes, shuttle disasters, skydiving fatalities.

Cultures of secrecy just store up bigger problems for the future.

Examples: paedo priests, garda corruption, Lance.

J Madone

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Maybe you should have a look at the replies to a video of dangerous driving around cyclists - it inevitably leads to people listing their own experiences of bad driving and usually a few "taxis/buses are the worst, they're always pulling out/in right across cyclists". If there was a video of a garda car following somebody driving dangerously and not stopping them, then maybe we'd have an analagous video. I don't see how this brings cycling into disrepute any more than somebody posting about any level of bad behaviour by cyclists - RLJ/Footpath/salmoning



That's a bit much - PPrendeville is highlighting legitimate safety issues that could lead to serious injuries. Besides, I thought omerta was dead and we were allowed to discuss all aspects of the sport in public.



Do you think these are genuinely random acts? Do you think that this behaviour is not seen at a majority of races? Obviously it is not a majority of riders, but this is even more reason why it should be discussed, condemned and regularly policed. As for the ammunition that shoots us - see next paragraph.


If we're no longer allowed to race, the complaints which lead to that will be about first hand experience of cyclists riding dangerously, not what somebody saw whilst trawling boards. If commissaires continue to turn a blind eye to this behaviour then I can fully understand why various authorities would be reluctant to allow racing to take place. Any event organiser must have a level of trust with the authorities that they will ensure their event is run safely and securely within the parameters agreed. When that trust disappears, (e.g. MCD in the Phoenix Park) the authorities believe that they must impose ever more stringent requirements on the organisers (for us this will be closed roads/specific times & dates/garda presence etc.) which for a sport like cycling may be prohibitive.


Seriously? Perhaps this would be better aimed not at people who raise this behaviour as a valid concern, but at those who see nothing wrong with it. If any part of an internet forum discussion gets highlighted along with complaints it will surely be that a certain proportion of the cycling community don't have a problem with racing on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.

Ever raced?

mcgratheoin

J Madone wrote: »

Ever raced?

If you're asking me have I ever been guilty of the transgressions seen in the video, then yes I have. Doesn't disqualify me from saying the commissaires should do something about it. On a side note, if you're worried about racing permits being rescinded by the authorities, then limiting the discussion to racers and ex-racers isn't going to get you very far. If the Gardai raise concerns about this behaviour, is that the response you propose?

**clarification edit**
BTW, I'm completely aware that as has been mentioned here, there are times when cyclists or parts of a peleton will spill over the middle of the road, and there are times when somebody on the limit when attacking will move wide and might drift over the line as well. I don't have a problem with this, and if there is a lead motorbike stopping (not just warning traffic, but actually stopping traffic), then I wouldn't be complaining about it. What's got me annoyed via this thread is;

1. Commissaires stopping a race because they decide it's too dangerous but not disqualifying anybody.
2. This sort of behaviour in a peleton sprinting for 23rd (or whatever) place.
3. The suggestion that we shouldn't be discussing this in public

As Beasty said, I'm in a grumpy mood this morning..

Koobcam

Fully agree with the three points mentioned by mcgratheoin. I reckon the only way to change what is pretty reckless behaviour is to disqualify riders-if the Commissaire says before the race that riders will be disqualified for crossing the white line and then fails to impose any sanction apart from a telling off, then it's all pretty meaningless. I agree with posters who suggest that riding o closed circuits would be better, but that is never going to happen, so I think we need to address the legitimate safety concerns properly with meaningful action. By the way, in terms of safely, I thought the DH circuit was really good-some of the roads could have been in better condition, but for minor country roads, they weren't too bad, plus there was hardly any traffic once we got off the main roads.

ragazzo

mcgratheoin wrote: »

Maybe you should have a look at the replies to a video of dangerous driving around cyclists - it inevitably leads to people listing their own experiences of bad driving and usually a few "taxis/buses are the worst, they're always pulling out/in right across cyclists". If there was a video of a garda car following somebody driving dangerously and not stopping them, then maybe we'd have an analagous video. I don't see how this brings cycling into disrepute any more than somebody posting about any level of bad behaviour by cyclists - RLJ/Footpath/salmoning



That's a bit much - PPrendeville is highlighting legitimate safety issues that could lead to serious injuries. Besides, I thought omerta was dead and we were allowed to discuss all aspects of the sport in public.



Do you think these are genuinely random acts? Do you think that this behaviour is not seen at a majority of races? Obviously it is not a majority of riders, but this is even more reason why it should be discussed, condemned and regularly policed. As for the ammunition that shoots us - see next paragraph.


If we're no longer allowed to race, the complaints which lead to that will be about first hand experience of cyclists riding dangerously, not what somebody saw whilst trawling boards. If commissaires continue to turn a blind eye to this behaviour then I can fully understand why various authorities would be reluctant to allow racing to take place. Any event organiser must have a level of trust with the authorities that they will ensure their event is run safely and securely within the parameters agreed. When that trust disappears, (e.g. MCD in the Phoenix Park) the authorities believe that they must impose ever more stringent requirements on the organisers (for us this will be closed roads/specific times & dates/garda presence etc.) which for a sport like cycling may be prohibitive.


Seriously? Perhaps this would be better aimed not at people who raise this behaviour as a valid concern, but at those who see nothing wrong with it. If any part of an internet forum discussion gets highlighted along with complaints it will surely be that a certain proportion of the cycling community don't have a problem with racing on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic.

Indeed.

My concern is about the sport of racing. Posters may or may not be aware of the present difficulties.
Those who just cycle to work, go for a spin to the coffee shop or race all the best sportives would probably not realise what is currently happening.
When you have nothing at stake it makes no difference.

Open debate is great but sometimes it is necessary to box clever. That debate should, of course, be taking place within the committee and board meetings of the sporting body involved.
Maybe it is and they are formulating plans for implementation.

We are obviously working off different information and occupy different roles in the cycling world. If yours was the reality that would be nice.

doozerie

While I can understand concerns about the likes of the earlier video portraying cycling in a bad light, I believe that as far as many people are concerned that is a typical bike race in their minds already. In the three (A4) races I’ve done in recent weeks I saw close shaves between riders on the wrong side of the road and oncoming traffic in each of them. I was working hard to stay on the correct side of the road, as were the vast majority of the riders in the bunch in each race, but despite that balance in favour of those making an effort to ride safely, the bits that stick in my memory are those close shaves. For the non-cycling public, they will almost certainly register nothing at all except the most blatant dangerous riding, bike racing will be synonymous with wilful dangerous behaviour in their minds.

If we want to convince the public, and the gardai, that such behaviour is not representative, then we have to be seen to condemn it. It seems like the gardai have been quite casual towards bike racing in the past, to their credit, but they seem to be paying a lot more attention now if various club league experiences last year are anything to go by. If the cycling community is perceived as not being willing and able to police itself, then there is a far greater likelihood that it’ll be policed for us by people who may not share the same enthusiasm to keep the sport alive.

So I believe that we should condemn blatantly dangerous behaviour, for the safety concerns first and foremost but in doing so we might even paint the sport in a better light generally. From what I’ve seen it’s a minority of riders that behave so recklessly but if they are not ticked off by fellow riders and/or commissaires then they’ll keep doing as they have been doing and will likely encourage others along the way (it’s no fun fighting for space in a packed bunch only to see someone gain several places easily by riding on the other side of the road, even if they are riding into a blind bend the adrenaline-fuelled temptation is always to follow them).

It’s not the non-cycling public that may prove to be the nail in the coffin of the sport in this case, it’s a reckless minority within the sport itself. Peer pressure to behave from within the bunch may help to curtail the worst of their behaviour, but the commissaires need to step in too and make a few examples of people to force the point home. To do otherwise will be perceived, by the riders and the public, as essentially condoning the behaviour.