Wiggle Sportif and a professionally offended UKIP candidate!

Wiggle Sportif and a professionally offended UKIP candidate!

Author
Discussion

jesusbuiltmycar

Original Poster:

4,535 posts

253 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
Some Ukipper numpty is threatening to start a riot if a Wiggle sportif takes place on remembrance Sunday.

See: http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/14809289.The...

echo said:
"I’m particularly worried about the event in Lulworth as that is the one I attend every year,” said Mr Shakesby, who served in the Merchant Navy for 25 years.

“What we could have is a situation where thousands of cyclists ride past as the community stands at the cenotaph in Lulworth.”

He claims that if this happens he will stand in the road to stop the cyclists from being able to pass until the service is over.

“If the riders taking part in this event try and steam through these villages while Remembrance services are taking place there’s going to be a riot,” he added.
I am not sure why the local newspapers are giving him a platform for his view and I don't really see how a Sportif will ruin remembrance Sunday but I guess some people are just looking for a reason to get angry. Its bad enough with the anti-cycling brigade in the New Forest - looks like the same attitude is present in the Purbecks as well.

RCBRG

603 posts

140 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
whilst his threats are a bit much, i dont think its unreasonable to not want hundreds of cyclists racing past during a memorial service?

callmedave

2,686 posts

144 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
Im a keen cyclist. But i can understand the chaps view, however he does come across as a bit of a knob about it. standing in the road when 100+ cyclists doing 20+ come charging towards you, not the right way to go about it if you ask me. has he approached the organizers?

Im sure a compromise can be reached, start the Sportive 1 hour later, or a small diversion?

daddy cool

3,996 posts

228 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
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You could argue that those people gave their lives so that others could live in freedom, and decide how they want to live their lives, rather than being dictated to, and told a) they should spend that time in remembrance, and b) exactly how they should act during that remembrance.

How does he know the cyclists arent internalising their gratitude and expressing it in a way that they seem fit, rather than following this modern obsession with "look at me, and see how hard i am publicly expressing my feelings on a given subject, and tell me what a great person i am for doing it".

louiebaby

10,651 posts

190 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
callmedave said:
Im a keen cyclist. But i can understand the chaps view, however he does come across as a bit of a knob about it. standing in the road when 100+ cyclists doing 20+ come charging towards you, not the right way to go about it if you ask me. has he approached the organizers?

Im sure a compromise can be reached, start the Sportive 1 hour later, or a small diversion?
And how do you think that would make the headlines?

Sportive organisers and remembrance service organisers sit down, have a pint and work out a simple solution that inconveniences neither party!

hehe

S10GTA

12,645 posts

166 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
Whenever I've been on a club ride on Remembrance Sunday (admittedly not a sportive) we've always stopped at 11am and paid our respects. I'd expect a vast majority of these riders will too.

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
What an idiot.i wouldn't give a toss if I was at a service and people were cycling by or doing any other normal activity. I don't expect others to go to a service or to stop their lives because I might want to go to one.

What makes him think he can inflict his world view on everyone not going to a service. It's totally up to individuals how or even if they remember dead from the wars. There's far too much of this nonsense going on in the UK. It's like all the idiots telling others to wear poppies.

wotnot

383 posts

173 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
Every remembrance service I've attended has involved closed roads in the vicinity to allow various organisations to march/walk in and attendees to take part. Therefore I doubt very much whether the sportive riders will be cycling past during the service.
Even if the roads aren't closed, will his ire also extend to car drivers, pedestrians or anyone else who chooses not to attend this particular service but happens to be in the area? Git.

ecsrobin

17,023 posts

164 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
RCBRG said:
whilst his threats are a bit much, i dont think its unreasonable to not want hundreds of cyclists racing past during a memorial service?
I also think this.

55palfers

5,893 posts

163 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
ecsrobin said:
RCBRG said:
whilst his threats are a bit much, i dont think its unreasonable to not want hundreds of cyclists racing past during a memorial service?
I also think this.
Me too. Not a big ask to show some respect and observe the silence is it.

What a poor piece of planning by the organisers

tr7v8

7,186 posts

227 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
ecsrobin said:
RCBRG said:
whilst his threats are a bit much, i dont think its unreasonable to not want hundreds of cyclists racing past during a memorial service?
I also think this.
I quite agree!

Rich_W

12,548 posts

211 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
Have Wiggle responded to this?

Guessing it's this one

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wiggle-super-series-bitter...

Seems a bit shabby by them!

SteveSteveson

3,209 posts

162 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
I'm sorry, but you can't expect the country to come to a standstill. This remembrance bullying is getting rather over the top, with people on TV being attacked for not wearing a poppy, people getting angry when the world does not come to a stop at 11 on the 11/11 now people demanding that a sporting event be stopped on Remembrance Sunday. If you are forcing people to be involved it loses its point.

It's not like they are planning to cycle down the middle of Whitehall. I bet they won't even notice the small groups of people cycling through the villages with their numbers on. I bet he is expecting a TDF style peloton.

s3fella

10,524 posts

186 months

Wednesday 19th October 2016
quotequote all
SteveSteveson said:
I'm sorry, but you can't expect the country to come to a standstill. This remembrance bullying is getting rather over the top, with people on TV being attacked for not wearing a poppy, people getting angry when the world does not come to a stop at 11 on the 11/11 now people demanding that a sporting event be stopped on Remembrance Sunday. If you are forcing people to be involved it loses its point.

It's not like they are planning to cycle down the middle of Whitehall. I bet they won't even notice the small groups of people cycling through the villages with their numbers on. I bet he is expecting a TDF style peloton.
It's two minutes a year....
I think everyone should expect that people should be able to spare that and show some respect.

Kermit power

28,634 posts

212 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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Yes, the people who are being remembered went to war to ensure that we had freedom. They didn't go to war to ensure that we had the freedom to piss on other people.

If the ride is actually going straight past the monument, then it's totally out of order, and the organisers should show a bit of respect and reschedule.

When we're at rugby on Remembrance Sunday, we always tell the parents and kids that we'll be respecting the 2 minute silence at 11:00, and I actually find it more moving looking over the pitches at 600-odd people of all ages standing in silence just for those two minutes than I ever do being at a full service.

A couple of years ago, however, we had a tournament at the club, which meant we trained the kids at a secondary location which has kids' Sunday morning football in the neighbouring field. They didn't stop at all at 11, and whilst we'd got everyone stopped for the two minutes, we had a barrage of shouting coming from next door as parents were exhorting their kids to tackle, drop back, score or whatever.

Sure, the football families weren't deliberately setting out to be disrespectful, they just hadn't given it any thought, but the net result was a real intrusion into the Remembrance. Not everyone on our side was interested in the actual Remembrance, but a little bit of respect for just 2 minutes to be quiet to allow others to remember is hardly much to ask, is it?

If the organisers had any respect, they should've just said they'd have marshals on the road a couple of hundred yards before each memorial to stop the ride between 10:58 and 11:03, and job done. It wouldn't exactly be difficult.

Zigster

1,636 posts

143 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
quotequote all
wotnot said:
Every remembrance service I've attended has involved closed roads in the vicinity to allow various organisations to march/walk in and attendees to take part. Therefore I doubt very much whether the sportive riders will be cycling past during the service.
Even if the roads aren't closed, will his ire also extend to car drivers, pedestrians or anyone else who chooses not to attend this particular service but happens to be in the area? Git.
Same here. I usually take part in my village's Remembrance Day parade and service and the High Street is closed to all traffic.

Would be interesting to see if he is also willing to step in front of car drivers or, as I suspect, he just has a particular issue with cyclists and cycling.

callmedave

2,686 posts

144 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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I wonder if Wiggle named the ride ' the remembrance sunday sportive' and made a small donation to the poppy appeal the bloke would have the same attitude?

Amateurish

7,697 posts

221 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
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Cancelled? It's not on their events page:

https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/events/

ecsrobin

17,023 posts

164 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
quotequote all
SteveSteveson said:
I'm sorry, but you can't expect the country to come to a standstill. This remembrance bullying is getting rather over the top, with people on TV being attacked for not wearing a poppy, people getting angry when the world does not come to a stop at 11 on the 11/11 now people demanding that a sporting event be stopped on Remembrance Sunday. If you are forcing people to be involved it loses its point.

It's not like they are planning to cycle down the middle of Whitehall. I bet they won't even notice the small groups of people cycling through the villages with their numbers on. I bet he is expecting a TDF style peloton.
It's not bullying though is it, people don't have to stop for remembrance (I'll be racing a yacht at the time) but if a memorial service is taking place then it is disrespectful to interrupt it.

Also to suggest small groups of people during a sportive is a bit of a joke, sportives are big events and certainly the few I have encountered it's more a constant stream of big groups.

LimaDelta

6,507 posts

217 months

Thursday 20th October 2016
quotequote all
Hold the front page! Group of cyclists are inconsiderate tossers!


NB. Not that individual cyclists are tossers per se, but when a swarm of MAMILs with their beer guts and carbon bikes turn up anywhere the tosser factor goes off the chart. For extra tosser points make sure you queue up individually in a cafe to order your stupid slices of cake one at a time, and pay with a card just to make sure everyone else suffers maximum inconvenience. Yes yes, poor rant, first world problems etc. hehe

PS. There are probably worse groups out there, like ISIS or something, but I don't think I have ever witnessed anything remotely resembling courtesy or politeness by a group of cyclists.

PPS. I am a cyclist, but don't ride in a group.