🚴 New research just dropped that might give us some optimism on improving cycling for everyone…but can we actually do anything about it? We hear from one of the authors, who explains how the “loud majority” in local activism doesn’t always reflect what most people want. What role might this play in cycling? 👀
Plus, we’ve got scary news on car crash prevention systems, an epic comeback story, the end of Netflix’s “Unchained”, and a roundup of the most hipster gravel and ultra races from last week!
⏱️ Timestamps: ⏱️
00:00 – Welcome to the GCN Show!
00:48 – This week in the world of cycling
02:08 – New research on the “motonormative” mindset
03:15 – Our interview with Professor Ian Walker
08:02 – What do we make of this?
12:46 – Cycling Shorts
15:30 – Netflix’s “Unchained” cancelled
15:09 – New research on safety tech in cars
16:34 – Do Airtags work for bike tracking?
17:15 – New Silca tubeless sealant 🎉
18:11 – Road, gravel, & ultra racing news 🏁
22:15 – Hack/Bodge of the Week
30:03 – Caption competition
32:24 – Comment of the week
41:05 – This week on GCN
Useful Links:
The study referenced in the show: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959378025000172
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Has what Professor Walker shared made you feel more optimistic, or surprised you? 🚗 What do you think? Do you think things will ever change? 🤨 Let us know in the comments!
Watch more on GCN…
📹 The Competition To Find Cycling’s Next Superstar | Zwift Academy 2025 Ep. 1 👉 https://youtu.be/m5RPtIhn8hM?si=ItzETQV9S8iD7s1y
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📸 Photos – © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Sirotti Images
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46 Comments
Has what Professor Walker shared made you feel more optimistic, or surprised you? 🚗 What do you think? Do you think things will ever change? 🤨 Let us know!
This definitely isn’t new. I saw an article on cycling industry news several years ago about how a study showed that most people wanted better bike lanes but thought no one else did. This has probably been going on for decades. Since conservatives forced cars on everyone I would think.
Caption Competition "The owners coming, LEG IT!!!"
Man lot of rambling going on… sorry GCN. The dude next to Si sounded like was in the toilet at times… anyway. Sorry for the negative comment…
Getting safer. For discussion. Zwift adnd Strava and Rouvy etc. develop a defensive riding program based around a set of videos which have the real dangers of riding on a public road instead of a perfect clear road for racing. Parked cars with opening doors, left turning truck across the bike lane (other side for rh drive countries). Glass or rocks in bicycle path. Pedestrians, especially elderly and mothers with a pram and a dog. If you sign up for the program, you suffer a real downtime if you crash. Look at all the "who is right" reels to get the other scenarios. The idea behind the concept is that riders training on virtual and infinitely safe roads indoors might actually be programming riders to care more about the fitness goals than staying safe on public roads. The main goal of the defensive riding program would be to instil a survival reflex in riders where the number one priority is avoiding injury or damage to the bike, no matter which vehicle has the right of way on public infrastructure. A secondary goal would be to give priority to a riding attitude of being a good road citizen when sharing public infrastructure, irrespective of who has right of way. So maybe slowing behind pedestrians until it is safe to pass, and even getting off and walking across really dangerous intersections? Definitely stopping at red lights and crosswalks that have pedestrians crossing, never riding into a narrow space in a truck's blindspots and so on?
Caption: oi!! You are supposed Tullet me hop on my bike!!!
The other aspect of politics that Ian Walker didn’t bring up because he’s I guess less jaded than me, is that most elected politicians do things the way they do for a reason. They don’t want to build bike lanes for the most part, and so tools like consultations with voters (that will attract the angry ones almost exclusively) are indispensable. And this tactic has infected genuine socialist and social democratic politicians who previously would have just gone ahead and greenlit the projects that they know to be beneficial. They feel pressured or maybe even bullied into calling for consultations by their council opposition. Now they’re stuck in consultation hell and we’re stuck in Motonormativity.
Why don’t councils have money now Alex? What’s changed? Is the country suddenly poor? It’s because the main two conservative parties (red and blue) don’t want bike lanes. Among other things. They don’t want councils to have the means to make their residents lives nicer. They want to force them to sell off their assets to private companies.
You’ve not washed your jeans for FIVE years?
Out of curiosity, when are you going to do something about the appalling acoustics of your new studio? You both sound like chipmunks. Still worth listening to obviously, but not exactly easy to hear.
Did Dan take the GCN hair and make up assistant with him to the UAE tour? Joking aside I enjoy the informality of the show, feels like it's in my front room when I watch…..long may it continue.
While carbon fiber may not be a faraday cage, it surely can block rf. As a radio control pilot, I know that people that fly planes with cf fuselages have to make sure that their receiver antennas are clear of the fuse for good reception. I think that the layup has a lot to do with the amount of signal loss, but the effect is quite real. Love the shows, thanks guys!
While carbon fiber may not be a faraday cage, it surely can block rf. As a radio control pilot, I know that people that fly planes with cf fuselages have to make sure that their receiver antennas are clear of the fuse for good reception. I think that the layup has a lot to do with the amount of signal loss, but the effect is quite real. Love the shows, thanks guys!
#CaptionCompetition: Where I grew up we called it a push bike.
Are you telling me that a cyclist FROM UK is refusing to ride a bike IN THE RAIN???
I Contacted my council (Leicestershire) about making a local overgrown path available for school kids to cycle to school on and they replied "we don't have any spare funds for this" that afternoon I received an email from said council to apply for a business grant from a pool of £500k to make 'green' improvements such as a car charger. So no money for something that benefits lots but money for something that just benefits one!
Let’s do this! Suggestion, head to cities where cycling is part of the culture. Davis, California.. And cities in Japan I believe..
The fishing line hack needs to be a BODGE, if someone yanks on it, it would damage the bike horribly, especially a carbon bike. I would expect the fishing line to cut right thru the tubing
That lock wouldn’t work if the Marlin carries some light snippers
To the photo:
Wer sein Rad liebt der schiebt (German Rhyme and means: who loves his bike pushes😊)
doesn’t surprise me at all that americans want freedom of movement. when people find out i cycle as transit, most of the time they say that they wish they could safely cycle in their neighborhood
16:54 while faraday cages are generally simplified as needing to be made of metal, that is essentially down to the fact that conductive materials are almost always metal. Graphite, and carbon fiber however are conductive non metals meaning they could act as a faraday cage. They probably wouldn't work as well as a copper one, but that could explain why the airtag worked in an open environment and not when moved to a different, possibly less ideal environment.
I was looking for a new sealant and at Silca but due to the non-injectable and how often it needed to be topped off, I went with another brand. Literally bought it this weekend, boom then they release this. Ugh! 🤣 now.. it will come down to price I think for the next round.. I paid $20 for a huge bottle of a competitive brand. Your move Silva
At the end of the day the UK is a decade into a populist era where the general response to anything other than the lowest common denominator is shouted down by the mob and it's getting worse. Can't see us coming out the other side without an enormous improvement in people's general standard of living and quite quickly too.
You must make your voice heard. Attend City Council meetings. Testify at all levels of government. Transportation is the highest emitting sector of greenhouse gases in the US. Cars are killing us with traffic violence, pollution and decades of terrible land use policies.
Bias constantly changing since being flooded with illegal immigrates who don’t understand how to drive in a new country. Bad news for cyclists
Now I need to rewatch Zwift Academy to check Si's clothes.
I’m actively agitating to get you chaps to wear hi vis in your videos, save lives!
Caption Contest:
"What are you laughing at? Everyone goes crazy when Cav sprints… HIGH KNEES BABAYYYYY"
Caption quote “stuff this hike a bike lark where is my domestique when you need them’
I think that Mr. Richardson has accidentally come across gold content. Having been in the fashion business for quite a while, I can easily say that the two hardest people to fit are skinny people and short people. So there you go the series on how to dress if you are a cyclist.
I am actively involved in promoting and implementing better cycling infrastructure. I sit on my cities Plan Commission where we consider and require cycling infrastructure for existing and proposed developments. This includes multiple use paths, improvements to roads and parking to name a few. We often receive push back but the Commission and our ordinances promote this infrastructure. It's working. Maybe not as much or as fast as I would like but progress is being made. People are taking notice because our community is becoming known for it's path network and how it promotes a more desirable environment that attracts people, tourism and business development. We're putting some of our roads on a diet to also promote a safer pedestrian environment. Progress has been incremental but steady which I believe encourages acceptance.
Regarding the main topic: I know this about sustainability and fair trade production in fashion, where the sustainability department of the big fashion brands are actually happy about people taking action and actively trying to push the companies or industry to change. With every letter, complaint or suggestions, they have more reasons to actually change something. Without peole speaking up, there would have not been this huge change and also shift of mindset in the customers.
If we want to change cycling, we also have to ask for it and bring complaints and suggestions to the government.
WHATTTTT…. I won I won…. I’ve finally won the water bottle!!!! I almost didn’t catch this weeks show, I’m a day late. I’m not sure what to do, I’m giddy. Lol
Hey, anyone else notice Dans not present on the day I won the caption comp.?! Hmmm
#CaptionCompetition: There was a time when road cyclists used the Cyclocross season to stay fit for their road season.., times have changed.
The best way to push improvements in cycling infrastructure is to go cycling. When people see the need they'll change the policy.
Alex's audio needs some work
Si There is nothing wrong with your Jeans, I think its just everyone else's is brand new. I dunno about the Baggyness with those shoes though, but i guess you have to hide your ankles! 😉
#captioncompetition "Oi! Tulett! When the DS yelled "Push, push, push!" this ain't what he meant!"
For the 'Caption Competition": Rider passing on the right says "Yes, my lad, it's technically a pushbike but it's much easier if you hop on and pedal it!"
#CaptionCompetition – I really hope this is what they meant by drastic steps have to be taken to win the race.
Caption contest this week: “The double espresso hit me a little late this morning.”
I have attempted to engage with my local council ,North Lanarkshire, as I am the president of a local club “Airdrie CC”. I have had no success in putting up warning signs at pinch points. And after handing video and photo evidence of fly tipping to our local “fly tipping hotline “ was told that there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed
As already active cyclists one easy thing we can do to drive change is to get out there and ride! One argument many objectors use is "nobody rides bikes here" while we know more people will ride if there are more safe routes, providing examples of people who already ride can help break the catch 22 of "no one rides a bike here"
#captioncompetition Ben Tulett was about to stop for a nature break until he saw Simon pumping at the side of the road
I write to my council and complain about shit all the time hehe