WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

 

What should we make of the first edition of the UCI’s marathon Super World’s in Scotland held over 10 days earlier this month?

~Tadej Pogacar on his way to the bronze medal in the
2023 Elite Men's World Road Race Championship in Glasgow.

This new format is to be held every four years, like the Olympics.

Over 200 rainbow jerseys were awarded – that iconic and most beautiful of them all worn by the king or queen of a particular discipline. In Scotland titles were decided on the road, track and in the para events, cross country, plus artistic cycling and cycle ball and I can't recall how many other events!  Only  cyclo-cross and gravel road were not represented.

My interest has always centred on endurance and sprint events, the rest don't hold my interest.

Each to their own.

You might imagine that combining so many events was a recipe for chaos yet it appears to have been very well organised and  entertaining. 

Certainly there was controversy, particularly concerning the extensive road closures leading to imprisoned residents complaining they were unable to leave their own homes on their own wheels.

But did this super cycling show cram in too many events? At the time it seemed there was too much going on at once. Barely had one event finished before TV viewers were whisked away to the next - be it track, mtb, time trial, plus artistic cycling! Something for everyone. Not me, though. That last one's for the circus.

There was hardly any time to savour the outcome of some events. TV missed showing the podium presentations for the Elite men's road race because it finished so late thanks to the climate change activists holding up the race earlier.  

For me, I have always rated the elite road races for men and women as the toughest of the championships, because of their sheer length and the pain that must be endured to be in with a chance.

They have always climaxed the World's road race series, being held  over  consecutive days at the end of the program. But in Scotland they were split up, the Elite men kicking off the proceedings on the first weekend, with the women's title race held a week later. 

Clearly, this suited the complex logistics of putting on so many disciplines.

I understand that there was such a crowded track program  medal ceremonies were held in back rooms unseen by the audience – so tight was the schedule.  Shame, for this robbed the riders of their moment of crowning glory and also the crowd of the big occasion. 

The greatest controversy and excitement was probably over the course for the new look Elite Men’s road race which started from Edinburgh and finished in Glasgow.  Some way down the course that morning we watched the race being held up  for nearly an hour by "stop oil" climate change campaigners. But the big story was to come.  When the race finally hit Glasgow after 120 kilometres,  it was transformed into a 10-lap "criterium"  which many  riders said was too technical. 

This sent the field orbiting the city on a dizzying tight circuit which included as many as 48 “turns” per lap. It was bit like long track speed skating switching to short track for the finish!  Required two entirely different skill sets.

It was unlike any previous World’s road race, where the endurance needed to go the extra distance intended to kill all but the best, now also demanded skills of a crit  or ‘cross rider  with the ability to accelerate again and again as they rushed into and out of the many  corners one after the other.

And of course, two of the best in the world at ‘cross were right in the thick of it Matthieu van der Poel and  Wout van Aert, together with Tour de France marvel Tadej Pogacar.

And they turned it into the probably the most thrilling title race we have ever seen.

Whether it was right or wrong to turn it into a criterium, many of the riders who were at first critical approved of it after riding it. It made a dramatic and exciting change.

And it was pointed out to me, rather pointedly,   that the three best men in the world dominated it anyway, as they most certainly would also have done on a conventional course.  

Van der Poel stunned us with his lone break to take his first road rainbow jersey risking everything with an effort that put him on the ground on one corner. He was back up in a second, hurt it was later revealed, but with adrenalin coursing through his veins nothing could stop him from finishing the job.

That other stunning piece of work, Van Aert took the silver while Pogacar took bronze. All three of them have delighted us with their brutal attacking riding in the classics and the Tours. And there they were, all together,  doing the business in Scotland, tearing each other up, and distancing the rest. 

These three  are worlds apart, as they demonstrated in Glasgow. Perhaps they are from another planet. 

You can read a full review of the ups and downs of the 2023  super world’s on Cyclingnews.com.

 

 

 

BLAME JOHNSON FOR THE CLOSURE OF HOSTELS

 

LATEST BREXIT DISASTER – 20 YOUTH HOSTELS TO CLOSE

BREXIT and the pandemic – but mostly Brexit - has led to the sale of 20 Youth Hostels in England and Wales, it was reported last month.

This is the latest own-goal for those 17 million Leavers who voted for the UK to abandon the European Union in 2016, the consequences of which are still unfolding.

There are many reports charting Britain’s fall to impoverishment since then, which the Pandemic, the Russian war on the Ukraine and inflation have added to.

The opposite view – that everything is now rosy since turning our backs on Europe – is laid out in a wooly  government report which has the hand of the liar and architect of Brexit  ex-MP Boris Johnson all over it and seemed to me about as real as castles in the air.

So, fair to say the closure of hostels is Johnson’s fault. By the way,  it is reported that this silver spooned professional bull shitter has earned £1million from three dinner speaking engagements since leaving office this year.

Meanwhile, leaving the EU has cost the UK £40 billion in lost tax revenue and the benefits of trading as a member of the EU.

Despite the claim that the UK would no longer rely on the EU for trade, the  EU remains our main trading partner. However, the cost of importing and exporting goods has soared because we no longer enjoy the trading benefits that came with membership.

Complex bureaucracy to move goods across borders  has replaced frictionless trade and resulted in a number of UK businesses folding.

Our economy is now 5.5 per cent smaller than it would have been has we remained with in the EU.

Now Brexit is impacting on one of the jewels of the British tourist industry, the Youth Hostels Association (YHA), founded in England in 1930.

The YHA story broke a month or two ago in The Guardian with a story by John Harris, and in the Telegraph and across social media.

The Guardian learned from insiders how Brexit has hugely reduced the numbers of school trips from abroad, so hitting a crucial part of the Association’s revenue.

Since Brexit many foreign schools have found it too difficult to negotiate the complex bureaucracy now in place to visit the UK since the ending of free movement - a key proponent of the Leave campaign which wanted to keep foreign workers out.   

As a result the YHA may have to shut a third of its 150 hostels. There are 20 up for sale and 30 more listed as likely to go the same way.

It is hoped that buyers will want to keep running the facilities as independent hostels, but it is feared many will be turned into luxury homes. And that will be truly ironic,   disgraceful, given that the movement was originally formed to enable youngsters of limited means to escape the towns and cities and discover the countryside.

“Youth” hostels? Its misnomer these days for the Association has for years welcomed all ages and all nationalities through its doors. At one time the rule was you had to arrive under your own steam - on foot, cycling or canoe!

Falling attendances saw the Association relax this rule long ago in a bid to boost visitor numbers and now hostellers no longer have to get a sweat on and can arrive in cars and coaches.

This altered the dynamics of the hostel somewhat, as those of us arriving tired but fulfilled from our exertions and requiring nothing more than a good meal and the plain comforts of an armchair in the common room, came face to face with “others”, who arrived cold and looking for entertainment.

Yet the original spirit of the organisation still holds good, “to encourage young people (of all ages) to a greater knowledge, use and love of the countryside.”

The list of hostels to go on the market include: Patterdale in the Lake District, the Peak District village of Eyam, Poppit Sands in West Wales, the Somerset town of Minehead, Cheddar in the Mendip Hills, Kington in Herefordshire, and at Haworth, West Yorkshire.

Like many, I have enjoyed staying in hostels, mostly on cycling tours over the years, enjoying the simple pleasures. 

Castleton  Losehill Hall Youth Hostel
in the Peak District National Park.

I stayed with club mates at Capel Curig in the heart of beautiful Snowdonia in North Wales one December. That evening a thunderstorm knocked out the power, and we sat up by candlelight telling each other ghost stories.

We rode away the next morning on a light dusting of snow, forked lightning streaking across the sky and thunder echoing off the mountains.

I spent a night at Slaidburn on the Lancashire Fells, where I was the only guest and invited to share dinner with the warden and his wife. They waived the usual requirement of overnighters, to complete a task before leaving, sweeping the dormitory for instance.
Or, as was the case in Castleton hostel, Derbyshire, where club mate Dave Davis and myself were landed with the washing up to spare youngsters in a school party. The warden thought it unfair to expect kids, mostly aged about 10 and 11, to wash  up heavy pots and pans of porridge oats and dozens of plates and dishes.

At Abergavenny I was again the sole occupant and after a hard days ride was perfectly content to take my rest alone in the common room that evening, listening to the solitary and solid tick of the grandfather clock towering in the corner.

And two and half miles from home is Tanners Hatch, a delightful old cottage on the edge of the woods reached by bridleways over the Surrey North Downs. Tanners was graded simple with one dormitory for men one for women at the time, although it looks to have been tarted up since then and is now classed as a “one star hotel” with apartments. There is also camping.  Back in the day you did your own cooking. The toilet block was outside and there was only ice cold water to wash in.

My family once spent an enjoyable night there with other parents and their children on a primary school nature outing. We listened to wild life expert tell us about the creatures of the night, owls, bats and badgers. We visited a badgers’ sett in the woods.

Our genial host was the warden, the late Graham Peddie MBE, a remarkable and generous character who also ran Pit Stop for the homeless in nearby Leatherhead.

Good times.

 

Surrey Police took no action because of staff shortages

 

|I have now received a response from Surrey Police to my complaint about their decision to take no action against the driver who crashed into me (see previous blog).

 I specifically complained that the police had left it too late (over 30 days) before obtaining CCTV coverage which may have shown evidence of the collision.  The tape was wiped after 30 days.

 The solicitors acting for me in my claim for damages tell me it is quite common for the police to take no action in “minor” cases.

The email responding to my complaint was sent to me from the Investigating Officer, Professional Standards Department, Surrey Police HQ.

 Basically it says staffing levels meant they were unable to get hold of the CCTV coverage in time, before it was wiped. 

 He suggested I seek redress through the driver’s car insurance for damages and injuries as he stopped, apologised and exchanged details with me.

I was told that it may not have been in the public interest to prosecute the driver for driving without due care and attention as the CPS are equally limited in what resources they have available to them.

The letter confirmed the first letter and said no further action will be taken, considering this explanation to be a reasonable and proportionate response.

They offered a sincere apology and wished me all the best.

 

I have responded to the Investigating Officer, thus:

 

  Dear Sir,

 Thank you responding to my complaint.

Clearly I cannot expect the police to take further action if, as you say, this minor road traffic collision case was dropped because of staff shortages and case overload at the CPS.

So much for the slogan once to be seen on the side your vehicles: 

“With you making Surrey safer”.

But hey, no one died. Possibly due to staff shortages in the Grim Reaper’s office.

Do excuse my bitterness. I do appreciate the difficulty faced by the police over staff shortages. So many vital services are adversely affected in this way, most notably by the NHS.

My solicitors have paid the police fee to obtain details of the driver’s insurance company and they expect to wait a few months before they receive the information. Due to staff shortages, probably.

How long does it take to press “copy” and “send”?

A number of unexplained issues trouble me. I would like to know if these were considered or not. 

According to the law negligence or carelessness while driving which leads to a crash may merit a prosecution.

If for no other reason than to, hopefully,  make the driver more aware of his/her responsibilities in the future, in a bid to make hazardous road conditions less so.

The disproportionate consequences of “careless” driving cannot be underestimated yet are not taken into account, except in extreme cases when the victim is either killed or receives life-changing injuries.

In my case I escaped with broken hands, cuts and bruises and a battered rib cage, not to mention the shock to my family where I am a carer.

The driver who caused this has got off scot-free. Although I imagine he may be troubled by the memory of what happened and relieved that I walked.

I can never forget what happened. After 66 years of cycling I can no longer go riding. I’ve been scared off the roads.

His apology to me while appreciated might also be considered as admittance of guilt.

Among the actions considered careless  are: “pulling out from a side road into the path of another vehicle” – as more or less happened in this case.

Was he not concentrating? Was he in a hurry?

Did the attending officers speak to the people who kindly helped me while I awaited the ambulance? Did any of these people witness the crash?

Was the driver tested at the scene for drink/drugs?

Had he been using a mobile phone?

In short, just what was it that caused him to drive his ton of metal into me?

I didn’t just fall out of the sky! 

Perhaps too many drivers are far too laid back these days in cars which are too easy to drive.

I will sign off with this old news story about a doctor in A&E who, sickened by the daily carve up regularly served him, came up with a solution  to help concentrate the minds of drivers, to reduce the risks they often inadvertently take.

He recommended cars be made of plywood and have a six-inch steel tungsten spike fitted in the steering column.

 

 

 

 

 

 

SURREY POLICE - A GROSS DERELICTION OF DUTY

Part 2 of this saga coming soon...how Surrey Police responded to this criticism

Easter Sunday morning was the last time I cycled in the fresh air. I was hit broadside by a car which swung across onto my side of the road. Into my periphery vision, at speed, rushed a windscreen looming larger than life. 

The bonnet seemed to go under me. WHAM I was struck by a weight, a force so great I cannot describe it. A force which reverberated through my entire body. I am on the ground on swollen hands and knees….what the? Lots of people all around me, helping me. 

 An ambulance is coming, someone says. 

 The police turn up. 

Why did they bother? Pa

The police let me down.

 Four months later I am shocked to learn from Surrey police that they will not be taking any action on this case….! Did those people who came to my aid not see anything? I discover that the police failed to take a look at available CCTV coverage before it was wiped! 

I have accused them of gross dereliction of duty. A former officer tells me he is not surprised, he knows them as “Sorry Police”. 

 My formal complaint is in the post….as follows… 

 The Chief Executive Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner PO Box 412 Guildford Surrey GU3 1BR Dear Madam or Sir, I am lodging this complaint in writing as well as via your formal online procedure because I have lack of faith in the IT system which managed to record an incorrect address for me. 

This concerns RTA collision ref: 0196 SYP-20230409-0196, which details a collision between a car and myself riding a bicycle – I was hit broadside on by the vehicle swinging at right angles from one side of the road to the other, directly into my path and hitting me side on. The Police have informed me no action will be taken in this case. 

My complaint concerns what I consider to be a gross dereliction of duty in police enquiries into this collision, which took place on London Road, Dorking, adjacent to the ESSO filling station at 09.35 on Sunday, April 9, 2023. Easter Sunday morning. 

I am in receipt of an email from a gentleman at Surrey Police HQ who signs it on behalf of the chief constable and he informs me that the CCTV at the garage was not checked by the officers and I quote: CCTV “was not checked by the attending officer as the manager was not present. CCTV for such premises has a sell-by date of 30 days, our unit picked this file up well over a month later by which time the CCTV had been wiped.” 

He added, on behalf of the chief constable, that he was sorry if this is not what I wanted to hear.

 To which I will say, no, it is not what I wanted to hear. 

Because of this inefficiency, possible evidence was lost. I will add that Dorking police station is approximately 200 metres away from the Esso Garage. 

 I received two broken hands, various grazes including a cut to the head – my helmet was smashed - and severe bruising to my rib cage. I am full time carer for my daughter and my injuries required me to employ professional care for some essential duties my role as carer demands. The bike escaped serious damage. 

 The stress to my family is considerable.

 I will add I am a former competition cyclist with over 60 years riding experience who until that Sunday morning had never been in a collision. Fear of a repeat has obliged me to hang up my wheels. At the very least the police owe me a full explanation as to why they have failed to give me justice.