So it really happened, Bradley Wiggins exceeds everyone, except perhaps his own expectations by winning the tour de France and the Olympic time trial in imperious style. How can we use cycling's current stellar popularity to get the cycle lobby taken more seriously on the nations Roads? The CTC's approach to politely criticise Lord Wiggins of Modshire when he comments on the tragic death of a cyclist near the Olympic park seems to be a mistake to say the least.
We need our national cycling lobby to be working with UK cycle sport to see everyone as a cyclist, not pigeon hole cyclists as some mutant sub-species. We are all potential cyclists most of us are pedestrians and motorists too, if the Olympics can pull us all together as a nation and watching Brad tear up the field yesterday seemed to do that, then we need to seize cycling's moment in the sun and make political and popular hay while the Olympic flame lights us all up. It will be another four years before it shines this bright again.
Come on CTC you should be on the phone to Wiggo's people now asking if he will help, if he will issue a one paragraph statement saying he supports better cycling infrastructure. Maybe even lobbying in private and explaining why you disagree with his views, but to rush out something that criticises him the day after a great victory looks like sour grapes.
Forcing cyclists to wear helmets is what...
ReplyDeletea) ...turns them into the separate sub-species, blaming the victims.
b) ...decreases the popularity of cycling overall. http://www.ipa.org.au/publications/2019/australia%27s-helmet-law-disaster
Sports cyclists should know where their expertise ends. You have this all back to front.
The Dutch, who arguably do everyday cycling best, can understand the difference between people who cycle to get from a to b and racers. http://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/lycra-on-the-streets-of-the-netherlands/
Thanks for the comment. I am not in favour of Helmet Laws as you seem to suspect. Rather I thought the CTC having a pop at Wiggo who will be the media's Go To cyclist of choice for a while yet, risked making them look petty and won't move their campaigns forward. All this after someone died and Wiggo was put on the spot. Better I still believe to have a quiet word with Wiggo and get him informed and onside.
ReplyDeleteHe and other UK performance cyclists will have impact beyond their sport and the Cycle Lobby needs to use this Halo effect to bring about the change that we all agree is needed. The CTC seem to lack any developed awareness of how the news agenda unfolds and operates. Perhaps then they should think for longer before they put their views forward?
Me again. I would imagine that there was some concern in a lot of parties due to Wiggins very public and potentially misguided comments made so soon after his big win, and personally I wouldn't blame some of those parties for making their damage limitation efforts equally public. See also Boris and the government very quickly explaining there will be no helmet law any time soon. Trying to nip it in the bud if you like.
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame if some of the general enthusiasm for cycling which this success could instill got redirected instead into enthusiasm for helmet-law.
I would of course also blame the media who got rather over-excited about the tipsy rambling comments in the first place. As you say he was put on the spot, but I guess that goes with the territory, as much as he might not like it.
Unfortunately, what Wiggins said was complete nonsense, at least the soundbites that were picked up by the national media.
ReplyDeleteI for one am glad that the CTC take these matters seriously, I'm not sure how long Bradley has been helping shape policy but I'm sure the CTC have been doing it for at least one hundred years longer.
Hopefully, as you say, the CTC will be able to have a quiet word with him and Fran Millar to explain the easiest and most straightforward way to deal with these types of questions.
People DO listen to him, so it would be good for him to be on message and looking at the bigger picture.