The Bugle | Blast 327

Friday 23rd March 2018
Edición Española


 

QUOTE  OF THE WEEK

"While I am very well physically, I could not know exactly how many years I could compete in the grand tours. I would like to retire at the top.” – Alberto Contador 2015

 

BICYCLIST  OF THE WEEK

Alberto eventually retired in August 2017 on completing appropriately for Spain's greatest rider - the Vuelta a España.

Contador rode an aggressive race in search of a stage victory, placing fifth overall, winning the combativity award in his final Grand Tour, as well as winning the final mountain stage atop the iconic Angliru after attacking on the penultimate climb of the day.

A controversial career as the successor to Lance Armstrong and the stripping of his 2010 Tour de France title for drug misuse. But his record in the noughties stands supreme and he was still the rider to beat for Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

More: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Contador

 

BICYCLE OF THE WEEK

Orbea's Orca Aero.

Orbea is Spain's premier bicycle manufacturer. OK some of its top flight models are built in Portugal but its been in business in the Basque Country since 1840 as a rifle and gun producer and began making bicycles in the 1930s.

Not all are jaw dropping racers. Here is a 1970's model:

Explore their model range here: https://www.orbea.com/gb-en/

 

UBER IS 'SUPER' IN SPANISH BUT DEATHLY IN ARIZONA

This is a still from the video released on Uber's fatal collision with a cyclist during driving trials of their autonomous cars in Arizona this week. The video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RASBcc4yOOo

It show the cyclist crossing the road. Its a wide road so she must have been crossing from the far side across at least one lane for some time before this point. It wasn't an unpredictable moment. Remember the camera is not picking up the ambient light from the surroundings which should have made her visible to the human eye during that time.

Not that matters because the autonomous car is using laser detectors so she should have been seen as clearly the moment she stepped on the road as if it was bright sunshine. It didn't, it didn't brake. It her at the full 38mph. A speed apparently in excess of the speed limit giving less time to analyse and compounding the impact of the crash.

One can speculate the software may have become confused between seeing a cyclist and a pedestrian. But there was something in the way and it didn't slow or try and avoid or give the driver any warning.

This is the 'driver' just 1 second before impact. He is consistently not paying attention to the road ahead. Unless this was a unique few moments by this particular driver the monitoring indicates that Uber are knowingly sending unsupervised autonomous unproven car technology onto public roads in defiance of the law. 

An accident waiting to happen. And it did!

Does this come as a surprise from a company that in a panic to catch up with its rivals allegedly 'stole' Google's Waymo technology (now subject to an out of court settlement), has shown scant regard to the law or treating its employees and drivers fairly?

This is worse than than Uber just being a direct threat to cyclists and other vulnerable road users. It undermines the case for bringing autonomous driving to our roads. Christian Wolmar, the author of Driverless Cars: a Road to Nowhere, was quick to use this incident to say:

“Driverless cars will not be accepted if there is a perception that they are not 100% safe."

Except that as any software engineer will tell you 100% is not possible. But more than 90% of accidents involve human error. Responsible autonomous car control should be able to do much better than that. To require driving within the law (ie not speeding) to leave sensible distances between vehicles and much more to significantly reduce (but not eliminate) deaths and injuries.

Uber didn't do that  and consequently has this week set the responsible autonomous industry back. In the end its the vulnerable road user like us who will suffer. Think about that next time you open an Uber app.


 

FROM UBER'S DOPE IN A MOTOR TO UCI'S MOTOR DOPING?

Can you see Vivax's little motor in that pic? Thought not. Only a dope dopes himself these days in our sport so the bad boys are moving on to the surreptitious use of electric motors in road bike racing at both the amateur and professional level.

UCI are intent on stamping it out. Hopefully not at our club level where it could help the more mature end to keep up with the young guns:

Get a Vivax here: https://www.vivax-assist.com/en/index.php
Or check out UCI's campaign here: http://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/4467/uci-introduces-tougher-laws-against-motor-doping

[Thanks to Frank for the lead]

 

GOT A NON-CYCLING FRIEND? - FREE CYCLE TRAINING IN CROYDON

RIDE REPORT

Tuesday 20th March: Ten 'B' riders brave the remnants of snow at the top of Marden Park  to welcome spring on the equinox ride to Horne Golf Club:
https://anerleybc.org/tuesday-ride-20th-march-2018/

UPCOMING RIDES

FINALLY

Southern Spain is a good place to be when the Beast from the East made hay in England.

A wonderful 2,000km tour by car and the only problem was - cyclists! Everywhere. Old, young, locals, foreigners. All were making a beeline in front of us for the climbs that sometimes distressed our little VW Polo. Over 5,000ft (higher than Ben Nevis) was not uncommon with views and countryside that were truly breathtaking.

Just as breathtaking were the local motorists. Fewer exceeded the speed limits than obey them in the UK. Everywhere were signs like the above reminding us to leave space. Even the remotest narrow ride across a wild area had a perfect velvety surface. As for the road and bridge engineering - if Brunel were to be born again I think he might choose to be a Spaniard.

Finally as we set back home we were stopped at the bottom of the road because no one gets priority over these folks.

Happy Cycling [and special thanks to Captain Corner for standing in on my absence]