As a road.cc reader, I think it’s fair to say that you probably spend quite a bit of time concentrating on cycling, thinking about cycling, daydreaming about cycling… So you’d probably agree that ‘concentrate on your cycling’ is pretty decent life advice that, if more people adhered to it, could end up making the world a better place.

It’s not, however, the kind of advice you’d normally want to hear shouted at you by a police officer, especially one attending to a motorist who appears to have made a pig’s ear out of parking their vehicle.

But that’s what happened to cyclist Louise Vardeman, who was sternly told by a police officer to “concentrate on your cycling” as she filmed a precariously parked car – and by that, I mean maybe one or two of the wheels were parked on the ground – in Richmond Park yesterday.

Vardeman, who has represented Great Britain at the Gran Fondo world championships, as well as setting team LEJOG records and riding the route of the 2019 Tour de France to push ASO to finally create a proper women’s Tour, posted the video on social media yesterday with the caption: “Me getting shouted at by a police officer as I cycled slowly and carefully past a motorist that had beached himself in Richmond Park. I don’t think I’m the issue here?”

Let’s just say that Cycling Twitter wasn’t too impressed with the officer’s advice.

“Wonder if they told the driver to concentrate on their driving,” Awesome Wells asked, while Sam pondered: “How does a driver capable of doing that manage to actually pass a test to get them a licence in the first place?”

Others, meanwhile, reckoned the officer was simply offering up some encouragement.

“I think he was urging you to put in a good Strava segment,” noted Gareth, while Stu said: “Maybe he was reminding you to shout the obligatory ‘Can’t park there mate!’”

Some, however, believed the words of advice were appropriate, and accused Vardeman of ‘rubbernecking’.

“At that moment in time you are because you’re ‘rubber necking’ – either not looking where you’re going or holding a camera in one hand which would impede your ability to brake. You also have no idea what caused the accident, may have been a medical emergency,” wrote Bill.

Brendan added: “Maybe the officer saw you getting closer to the middle of the road just as the cyclist coming the opposite way on the wrong side of the road got nearer. Whatever it was, you filming the scene, though perfectly legal, wasn’t helping the situation” – a response that, Louise replied, “makes perfect sense”.

What do you reckon? Was the officer right to call out the cyclist on their ‘rubbernecking’? Or should they be more concerned about the seemingly endemic poor driving on display in Richmond Park?

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-13-september-2023-303827#live-blog-item-49625

This story just goes to reinforce the hypocritical nature of the cycling
world.

A cyclist slowly cycles past a stuck car being attended to by the police,
she has a mobile phone in her hand, and is filming the scene.

Got that? Cycling while using a mobile phone in her hand!

The very thing that cyclists film drivers doing, and then report them!

An officer unsurprisingly tells the cyclist to concentrate on her
cycling…and she’s annoyed by this!

Cyclists, eh?

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> […] that’s what happened to cyclist Louise Vardeman, who was sternly told
> by a police officer to “concentrate on your cycling” as she filmed a
> precariously parked car – and by that, I mean maybe one or two of the
> wheels were parked on the ground – in Richmond Park yesterday.

> https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-13-september-2023-303827#live-blog-item-49625

--
Spike

Shame nobody told this clown to concentrate on his driving! :-0

https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/teasers/public/car-beached-richmond-park-louise-vardeman.png

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Shame nobody told this clown to concentrate on his driving! :-0
>
> https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/teasers/public/car-beached-richmond-park-louise-vardeman.png

This story just goes to reinforce the hypocritical nature of the cycling
world.

A cyclist slowly cycles past a stuck car being attended to by the police,
she has a mobile phone in her hand, and is filming the scene.

Got that? Cycling while using a mobile phone in her hand!

The very thing that cyclists film drivers doing, and then report them!

An officer unsurprisingly tells the cyclist to concentrate on her
cycling…and she’s annoyed by this!

Cyclists, eh?

--
Spike

QUOTE: Let’s just say that Cycling Twitter wasn’t too impressed with the officer’s advice. “Wonder if they told the driver to concentrate on their driving,” Awesome Wells asked, while Sam pondered: “How does a driver capable of doing that manage to actually pass a test to get them a licence in the first place?” ENDS

Looks like the copper was the first one the scene - he's talking to the driver in this video.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1701576476414427226

On 14/09/2023 05:31, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> Shame nobody told this clown to concentrate on his driving! :-0
>
> https://cdn.road.cc/sites/default/files/styles/teasers/public/car-beached-richmond-park-louise-vardeman.png

I bet you're under the impression that the driver did it deliberately.

I bet the chavette on the chav-bike "thought" the same.

Ride Primary TVL
@NthrnCyclistTVL
·
Sep 13
What makes you think it wasn't directed at the driver.
It sounds fair to tell a drivers struggling with the basics to do more cycling instead

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Ride Primary TVL
> @NthrnCyclistTVL
> ·
> Sep 13
> What makes you think it wasn't directed at the driver.
> It sounds fair to tell a drivers struggling with the basics to do more cycling instead

Google Translate is having difficulty with this one.

--
Spike

Mitsky
@TheMitsky
·
Sep 13
Maybe if...

the police concentrated on "policing"...

the courts concentrated on "courting"...

and judges concentrated on "judging"...

(and issuing proper sentences as a real deterent)

then drivers would actually concentrate on their "driving"..

FAT CHANCE OF THAT HAPPENING.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mitsky
> @TheMitsky
> ·
> Sep 13
> Maybe if...
>
> the police concentrated on "policing"...
>
> the courts concentrated on "courting"...
>
> and judges concentrated on "judging"...
>
> (and issuing proper sentences as a real deterent)
>
> then drivers would actually concentrate on their "driving"..

> FAT CHANCE OF THAT HAPPENING.

And cycling? Do tell.

--
Spike