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Gel packets

Parchment

I was out for a walk today on a very popular cycling route (road cyclists) and the amount of used gel packets thrown into the hedge/side of the road was disgraceful.

Why do some cyclists think its ok to throw fling them away? Its as easy to put them back in your pocket.

(Disclaimer: i cycle pretty much daily so this isnt a cyclist-hating rant)

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TheBlaaMan

Parchment wrote: »

I was out for a walk today on a very popular cycling route (road cyclists) and the amount of used gel packets thrown into the hedge/side of the road was disgraceful.

Why do some cyclists think its ok to throw fling them away? Its as easy to put them back in your pocket.

(Disclaimer: i cycle pretty much daily so this isnt a cyclist-hating rant)

Fully agree.
There are scumbags in every pastime, and we clearly have ours. There should be zero tolerance of throwing away wrappers from food on the go.

robyntmorton

I don't know how anyone could bring themselves to do that. I end up at home with a pocket of empties, and any gel that remained has seeped into the jersey, but it would be due for a wash anyway. There's no need to chuck them to the side of the road.

ednwireland

no arguments here, totally unacceptable stick the empty in your pocket and bin it, you're washing the jersey when you get home anyway.

roads are full of fast food wrappers and coffe cups as well, just as annoying

CrowdedHouse

I bring one of those light sandwich bags for the gel wrapper - saves the pocket particularly if you have stuff in them

iwillhtfu

I walked down the road today and the amount of super macs rubbish littering the roads was disgraceful

Unfortunately OP some people just don't give a toss the same can be said for hobby hikers I regularly see trails littered with bottles etc.

It's poor form and on organised sportives etc it should be clamped down on. Particularly at feed stations.

Miklos

Not acceptable at all. I usually stick them under the leg of my shorts, saves whatever else you might have in your pocket getting sticky.

TheBlaaMan

It's not just food wrappers

On a local road where there are few opportunities to pull in if you get a flat, I had to do so recently and opted for the entrance to a farm - about the only safe spot to pull in off this road. After putting in a new tube and sorting out my stuff before pulling away, I noticed that someone else had a similar experience recently. How? Because the plastic wrapper, paper inner label and, yes, the punctured tube were just left behind, thrown into the verge at the same spot where they were changed. I'd love to know who was the pig who thinks this was acceptable.

ballyharpat

I stick them into the pocket or between the brake cable and bike frame.
There is zero tolerance in the USA, if you toss a wrapper during a race and you are caught, not only are you disqualified, but your whole team, that is one method that works.

I couldn't believe the rubbish in this country from cyclists, when I came back 5 years ago, ladies view and other parts of the county were covered in plastic bottles from the ring of Kerry. I emailed the organizers and they actually defended it saying how much was raised-they responded in the wrong way to the wrong guy. I said if the volunteers were that good, and that much money was raised, then put some of it back into cleaning up the country side.I also said that I would be contacting radio Kerry and the local newspapers over the matter and that whoever was responsible had not provided litter bins every few hundred metros on the route and would be liable for litter fines- Or the alternative, would be to provide ater from large containers at pit stops. you may have notice that from 2011 on, this was the norm

I am amazed sometimes by peoples attitudes and that things are so straightforward, but they only think of their own needs-charities included……..

Unknown Soldier

Galibier.cc had a piece on this recently.

http://galibier.cc/they-dont-decompose-you-do/

I think Lumen or someone (possibly the sarkey fella) had a really good post on gels here in the past, about how to use them properly so there shouldn't be anything left in the packet, or put the empties into your waterbottle and stuff.

Littering is disgraceful, no need for cycling related litter more so. Sadly cycling litter is is done on a lot of Sportives through some of the most beautiful parts of the country!

People who do it are not bad people, just need educating.

It should be the first rule on all Sportives.

I stuff them into my jersey btw, or into my water bottle if I have stopped to have one.

Parchment

Glad to know im not the only one who gets annoyed about this. I did a few sportives during the year and felt like smacking the people just dropping energy bar/gel wrappers off their bikes around some of the most beautiful parts of Ireland.

Littering makes my blood boil in general but i kind of expect cyclists to have a bit more cop on. As a group cyclists are generally really aware of road issues but the littering thing makes me sick.

dermabrasion

2 points;
1. We do not call out others for bad behaviour. It is definably an Irish trait. We should call out this and similar crap. Expect to be told to F##*-off. Thick skin required.
2. Wicklow is a flipping tip. The side of the road in the Garden is nasty. Its not just Wicklow CC job, but it is quite remarkable how much crap lies on the side of the road.

crosstownk

Maybe I'm a simpleton but I don't get the litter thing.

I cycle for lots of reasons - one of which is to enjoy the beauty of the countryside so why would I intentionally spoil that beauty by littering?

But a certain section of society are aresholes. Unfortunately, some of them cycle.

seanin4711

Parchment wrote:

I was out for a walk today on a very popular cycling route (road cyclists) and the amount of used gel packets thrown into the hedge/side of the road was disgraceful.

Banana skins okay? Biodegradable

iwillhtfu

seanin4711 wrote: »

Banana skins okay? Biodegradable

yup they're gone in a few weeks. Tried and tested on here

gaffmaster

Saw an empty bar wrapper fly out of a clubmate's jersey pocket today. He'd been a good boy and stuffed the empty into his pocket, but it grew legs, then wings... crawling out then flying away. Lost sight of it and no idea where it ended up (it all happened very quickly at about 40kph).

I guess my point is... sometimes mistakes like this happen too. Would like to see bio-degradable wrappers become common-spread.
Bananas are the the only short term solution methinks.

ballyharpat

this happens.......rarely....... yes a possible solution is biodegradable wrappers, and milk cartons and drink bottles, and drink cans, but until that day comes, which is not in the near future, lets just bring our rubbish home-No point in cyclists making excuses for not just tens, but hundred of wrappers sewn around each country mile of every sportive.....

gaffmaster wrote: »

Saw an empty bar wrapper fly out of a clubmate's jersey pocket today. He'd been a good boy and stuffed the empty into his pocket, but it grew legs, then wings... crawling out then flying away. Lost sight of it and no idea where it ended up (it all happened very quickly at about 40kph).

I guess my point is... sometimes mistakes like this happen too. Would like to see bio-degradable wrappers become common-spread.
Bananas are the the only short term solution methinks.

Statler

On a slightly related note, if I recall correctly an AG2R rider in a break in the Volta Valencia during the week was handed a gel from the team car, used it, and handed the empty wrapper back to the car. First time I've ever noticed that, you almost always see the gel wrappers being tossed in pro races, but I think there's been an effort by race organisers to cut down on littering in recent years, drop off zones after feed stations etc.

Jack the Stripper

Molls gap after the ring of Kerry cycle is some disgrace.

slow

A gel wrapper can be your best friend if you get a big hole in a tyre. I always take a gel for a spin, even if only going out for an hour for this very purpose.

1bryan

iwillhtfu wrote: »

yup they're gone in a few weeks. Tried and tested on here

that's a myth

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/24/bananas-litter-hikers-mountains-scotland

banana skins can take up to a couple of years to decompose

iwillhtfu

1bryan wrote: »

that's a myth

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/sep/24/bananas-litter-hikers-mountains-scotland

banana skins can take up to a couple of years to decompose

I appreciate your input and I to was once fooled by this.

Believe me they don't take anywhere near that to decompose. I'll try dig out the thread but they take about 3 months and that's not even allowing for natural vegetation to aid decomp.

Here ya go don't believe everything you read

Obviously if you dump one at sub zero temps then decomp will take longer. These places would be few and far between mind.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=101445071&postcount=129

Macy0161

dermabrasion wrote: »

2. Wicklow is a flipping tip. The side of the road in the Garden is nasty. Its not just Wicklow CC job, but it is quite remarkable how much crap lies on the side of the road.

I've done litter picks with the Tidy Towns/ PURE mile on a popular cycling route. Stuff that can be tied to cyclists is very much the minority, unless they're going for coffee, cigs and cig boxes, takeaways, drinking cans as on board nutrition rather than than gels... Takeaway coffee cups are the big one tbh.

Whilst I (now) accept that banana skins don't take 2 years to rot away, I still think it's better to leave no trace and bring them home with you. Or at least feck them into the ditch low, rather than the trend to go high and leave them hanging in a hedge!