Anyone else had a really crap weekend sales

[Chris Ashdown]

This weekend was really bad, and the same last year on this weekend, anyone any idea of what caused it

 

[Mitch3473]

This few weeks are our quiet time. Possible the calm before the summer holidays maybe.

 

[David Griffiths]

It might have been bad for you, but round here we had a cycle race that closed over 150 km of roads yesterday. Some businesses, including two garden centres were right on the route and were shut all day and a few pubs lost all of their Sunday lunch trade. The arrogance of the organisers to businesses affected was astonishing.

 

[Darryl Wright]

Was it just a bad weekend or a bad week asa well?

 

[simon field]

It might have been bad for you, but round here we had a cycle race that closed over 150 km of roads yesterday. Some businesses, including two garden centres were right on the route and were shut all day and a few pubs lost all of their Sunday lunch trade. The arrogance of the organisers to businesses affected was astonishing.

Maybe the organizers were a bit pissed off that some Kock decided to scatter tacks all over the road?

I think the cyclists would say it's one day a year, businesses have 364 other ones on which to grab their money!

 

[silvermusic]

Maybe the organizers were a bit pissed off that some Kock decided to scatter tacks all over the road?

I think the cyclists would say it's one day a year, businesses have 364 other ones on which to grab their money!

I wonder how you would feel if it were your business that was stopped trading through no fault of their own by a few idiots who wanted a push bike race. These businesses pay rent, rates, taxes, employ people, etc. for 365 days a year.

 

[simon field]

I wonder how you would feel if it were your business that was stopped trading through no fault of their own by a few idiots who wanted a push bike race. These businesses pay rent, rates, taxes, employ people, etc. for 365 days a year.

Hey, wonder no more, i shall enlighten thee.....

a) I'd feel great, because:

b) it`s a day off work!

c) I'd be taking part in it me, you know, having fun?

d) there's always tomorrow (unless you die)

e) cycling's the best buzz ever and life's too short to chase money every day.

Hope this helps!

 

[silvermusic]

Hey, wonder no more, i shall enlighten thee.....

a) I'd feel great, because:

b) it`s a day off work!

c) I'd be taking part in it me, you know, having fun?

d) there's always tomorrow (unless you die)

e) cycling's the best buzz ever and life's too short to chase money every day.

Hope this helps!

In other words screw everyone else it affects. The sport people annoy me when they seem to think everything should be brushed aside for their benefit.

A trip to my local hardware shop for some tacks may be a good idea, assuming they haven't decided to close off roads to inconvenience everyone. .

 

[simon field]

Yup, screw everyone else.

Didn't you learn when you were very young that you can't always get things your own way?

 

[Mitch3473]

I'd be looking at more than tacks across the road if some shaven, lycra clad wannabees closed my business for a day.

 

[simon field]

Ooooh it's a hard man!

 

[David Griffiths]

Maybe the organizers were a bit pissed off that some Kock decided to scatter tacks all over the road?

I think the cyclists would say it's one day a year, businesses have 364 other ones on which to grab their money!

The organisers were caught telling outright lies before the event. They didn't publicise details of the road closures until about ten days beforehand, obviously aware of the stink that it would cause.

Sure the people who scattered tacks were wrong. That doesn't make the decision to close all the roads right.

And as for your glib answer about there being 364 other days to make money, tell that to a garden centre that loses a whole Sunday's trade in spring. You expect that they take the same on 14 June as 14 January? Or the pubs who've lost their entire Sunday lunch trade. Their customers will obviosly fast on the Sunday and come out on Monday night to make up the loss. The pub trade is hard enough as it is.

To take the focus off the business owners, how about their employees? Regular workers would presumably still get paid but there are a lot of students and part timers who rely on bar and restaurant work. Shaft them in the attitude of the organisers.

 

[simon field]

Slightly, Yes but cyclists, unless riding to work are the devils spawn.

Ah, right. I think you'll find it's actually cars that kill & maim, not pushbikes

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Why can they not use proper race tracks like other race activities, plenty of motor race tracks spread around the country or are they to tight to pay to use them

 

[sirearl]

Hey, wonder no more, i shall enlighten thee.....

a) I'd feel great, because:

b) it`s a day off work!

c) I'd be taking part in it me, you know, having fun?

d) there's always tomorrow (unless you die)

e) cycling's the best buzz ever and life's too short to chase money every day.

Hope this helps!

There is a difference between a masochist's sense of fun and normal peoples.

Think the bikers are bad try the state opening of parliment 2 hours to travel 1 mile on a bus from Victoria to westminster bridge.

Pompous ignorant berks.

 

[simon field]

Why can they not use proper race tracks like other race activities, plenty of motor race tracks spread around the country or are they to tight to pay to use them

They do. We went round Snetterton the other day.

When you say 'too tight' what do you mean? (bearing in mind that many cyclists do these events for charity)

*my correction in bold

 

[simon field]

There is a difference between a masochist's sense of fun and normal peoples.

Never had fun riding a bike Earl?

 

[simon field]

The organisers were caught telling outright lies before the event. They didn't publicise details of the road closures until about ten days beforehand, obviously aware of the stink that it would cause.

Sure the people who scattered tacks were wrong. That doesn't make the decision to close all the roads right.

And as for your glib answer about there being 364 other days to make money, tell that to a garden centre that loses a whole Sunday's trade in spring. You expect that they take the same on 14 June as 14 January? Or the pubs who've lost their entire Sunday lunch trade. Their customers will obviosly fast on the Sunday and come out on Monday night to make up the loss. The pub trade is hard enough as it is.

To take the focus off the business owners, how about their employees? Regular workers would presumably still get paid but there are a lot of students and part timers who rely on bar and restaurant work. Shaft them in the attitude of the organisers.

David, at the end of the day they'll get over it and go on to live happy, fulfilling lives won't they?

 

[TODonnell]

I'd come down on the side of the businessmen, on this. A pastime taking precedence over rate-payers? For a whole day?

If you want to know if something is right, imagine it being done to you e.g. losing a day's salary because X organisation wants to close the roads. Army manoeuvres, yes. Concerned Alienists Against The Abuse of Courgettes, no.

I'm getting the impression that cyclists are becoming more unpopular in the UK. Personally I've been shouted at at least twice, recently, as a pedestrian, because I was in the way. I've also seen some reckless cycling. The kind that tells me that the cyclists doing it don't understand physics: Man in lycra, on a flimsy machine, going at 20mph, through a red light, sharing a road with 2-ton metal vehicles = good odds for a trip to the hospital, over time.

I mean, you can shout at trucks all you want; your fists and harsh words will dent them not. [shrugs]

 

[sirearl]

Never had fun riding a bike Earl?

What type of bike are we talking about here.?

 

[simon field]

I'd come down on the side of the businessmen, on this. A pastime taking precedence over rate-payers? For a whole day?

If you want to know if something is right, imagine it being done to you e.g. losing a day's salary because X organisation wants to close the roads. Army manoeuvres, yes. Concerned Alienists Against The Abuse of Courgettes, no.

I'm getting the impression that cyclists are becoming more unpopular in the UK. Personally I've been shouted at at least twice, recently, as a pedestrian, because I was in the way. I've also seen some reckless cycling. The kind that tells me that the cyclists doing it don't understand physics: Man in lycra, on a flimsy machine, going at 20mph, through a red light, sharing a road with 2-ton metal vehicles = good odds for a trip to the hospital, over time.

I mean, you can shout at trucks all you want; your fists and harsh words will dent them not. [shrugs]

Yup, there are some reckless cyclists about, along with reckless drivers.

We are becoming more unpopular, you're right. This is because many motorists don't like sharing the road and see their journey a somehow more important than anyone else's. A good proportion are not even aware of how to behave around cyclists and will attempt to squeeze past when there's oncoming traffic (it's why I take the safer option of using the centre of the lane, at least a metre out from the road edge)

The problem (for motorists) is that we are becoming ever more common, so a little give & take is going to be necessary.

It's relatively rare to have closed-road cycle sportives - it's done to ensure the safety of all road users on that day.

Lots of cafes, b&b's, pubs, restaurants etc all benefit from the large influx of people gathering in the area, as do many charities as I mentioned above so it's not all doom & gloom and like I say - you can't always have things your own way!

 

[Mitch3473]

The problem with cyclists is they clog up the roads with their 3 abreast having a chit chat totally oblivious to other tax and insurance paying road users on a sunday morning 10 mile shaven legged attention seeking glory ride out to nowhere in particular covered in pointless sponsor logoed tight lycra without the gimp mask usually just before or just after the Tour de France has been on the telly attitude.
Maybe my utter hatred for these skinny wierdos is bourne out of been dragged through the Catalan courts for allegedly knocking an off duty Guardia Civil officer off his (€3,500 plus expenses and damages to his little finger) bike.

I did win the appeal........

It's been a quiet week in general though.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

I have a few clients where their sales tend to slow down around this period and have done for the past few years in a row.

I think it's quite common. Why does it happen? I suspect it's a mixture of many things.

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

The problem with cyclists is they clog up the roads with their 3 abreast having a chit chat totally oblivious to other tax and insurance paying road users on a sunday morning 10 mile shaven legged attention seeking glory ride out to nowhere in particular covered in pointless sponsor logoed tight lycra without the gimp mask usually just before or just after the Tour de France has been on the telly attitude.
Maybe my utter hatred for these skinny wierdos is bourne out of been dragged through the Catalan courts for allegedly knocking an off duty Guardia Civil officer off his (€3,500 plus expenses and damages to his little finger) bike.

I did win the appeal........

It's been a quiet week in general though.

You do realise that it's against the law for cyclists to ride on most pavements, right?

I'm sure most of them would much prefer to ride on the pavement and avoid cars whizzing past one foot away at 30mph, but if they're caught, they get a fine.

And "Road tax" is actually a misleading name. It's Vehicle Excise Duty, which is the payment to obtain a license for your vehicle. It has nothing to do with roads. It isn't even specifically spent on roads. Road works are paid for through general and local council taxation, which cyclists also pay.

 

[simon field]

The problem with cyclists is they clog up the roads with their 3 abreast having a chit chat totally oblivious to other tax and insurance paying road users on a sunday morning 10 mile shaven legged attention seeking glory ride out to nowhere in particular covered in pointless sponsor logoed tight lycra without the gimp mask usually just before or just after the Tour de France has been on the telly attitude.
Maybe my utter hatred for these skinny wierdos is bourne out of been dragged through the Catalan courts for allegedly knocking an off duty Guardia Civil officer off his (€3,500 plus expenses and damages to his little finger) bike.

1) Highway code advises no more than two abreast. Some irresponsible ones go 3 abreast when there's traffic about. Two abreast is the ideal, as it's much safer for a car to overtake something six feet long than fifteen feet long, or even longer if it's a larger group. Even my 14 year old son can work that one out.

2) We pay tax, and insurance. Roads come from general taxation, your RFL is based on your nasty emissions. So you're wrong.

 

[MOIC]

I tend to agree with Simon Field that 1 day to close per year in the life of a business is no great shakes as long as they were given adequate warning (10 days seems fine).

Businesses can use that day to do any of the following:

1. Give all your staff (if you have any) a day off as gratitude to their work throughout the year.

2. Arrange an activity day off for all the staff in your business.

3. Clean up and organise your premises without the fear of interruptions from customers.

4. Take a day off and spend a day with the family, that you could never do if the shop is always open on a Sunday.

5. Do all the 'things" that you pile up and leave for "tomorrow".

6. Join in the bike ride and get sponsored by your regular customers for a local nominated charity (Which will bring attention and probably more business in future).

7. Spend a day visiting your competitors and see how you can improve your business.

8. Have a promotion for the 3 days leading up to the 'closed day". A few stickers in the window will probably make up for the "lost day".

9. Stay in bed for the whole day and catch up on lost sleep.

10. Stay open and hope for a rush of business from spectators & bike riders when the event is finished.

In short, use the "day off' in a positive way, not just complain and blame "others" that they have disrupted your business.

Happy cycling

 

[Scott-Copywriter]

It might have been bad for you, but round here we had a cycle race that closed over 150 km of roads yesterday. Some businesses, including two garden centres were right on the route and were shut all day and a few pubs lost all of their Sunday lunch trade. The arrogance of the organisers to businesses affected was astonishing.

Surely the pubs along the route could have taken advantage of the footfall from the spectators? I'm sure many people (especially those drinking alcohol) could have also parked nearby and walked into the pub (unless the entire footpath entrance was cut off, which seems unlikely).

They could have even offered take-away Sunday lunches in cartons for spectators to enjoy whilst watching the cycling.

 

[David Griffiths]

Surely the pubs along the route could have taken advantage of the footfall from the spectators? I'm sure many people (especially those drinking alcohol) could have also parked nearby and walked into the pub (unless the entire footpath entrance was cut off, which seems unlikely).

They could have even offered take-away Sunday lunches in cartons for spectators to enjoy whilst watching the cycling.

You might be sure, but you would be wrong in many cases. Our local is about 1.5 miles from the route, so no hope of footfall from spectators. All of the roads that customers would use to reach it connect with the main A road that was closed. There's another pub only about 1 mile from the route, and that was shafted as well. Even pubs in towns were cut off from their normal customers. And from the shots that I saw, the number of spectators was negligible.

My wife's normal journey to her mother's house would be about 4.5 miles. Due to the layout of the roads, and the fact that two of them were closed, the journey would have been (and I am not exaggerating) 27 miles each way. If the direct route is closed, then the natural detour was also on the route. There are things like mountains and rivers in the way.

On a personal level, anybody with a house directly on the route, and many on roads adjoining it, couldn't even leave their home. There was one house not far from here that had a sign outside saying "Prison"

 

[MOIC]

You might be sure, but you would be wrong in many cases. Our local is about 1.5 miles from the route, so no hope of footfall from spectators. All of the roads that customers would use to reach it connect with the main A road that was closed. There's another pub only about 1 mile from the route, and that was shafted as well. Even pubs in towns were cut off from their normal customers. And from the shots that I saw, the number of spectators was negligible.

My wife's normal journey to her mother's house would be about 4.5 miles. Due to the layout of the roads, and the fact that two of them were closed, the journey would have been (and I am not exaggerating) 27 miles each way. If the direct route is closed, then the natural detour was also on the route. There are things like mountains and rivers in the way.

On a personal level, anybody with a house directly on the route, and many on roads adjoining it, couldn't even leave their home. There was one house not far from here that had a sign outside saying "Prison"

You had ten days notice of the event.

Why not make alternative arrangements ?

Prison? Is their home that bad? Could they have been a spectator or given out bottles of water to the poor thirsty cyclists?

Could you have invited your mother in law over for a day or two?

A 20 minute walk to a pub doesn't sound too prohibitive.

You seem very negative as well as putting your personal issues in front of what positives there may have been in promoting the event in your area.

 

[Mitch3473]

1) Highway code advises no more than two abreast. Some irresponsible ones go 3 abreast when there's traffic about. Two abreast is the ideal, as it's much safer for a car to overtake something six feet long than fifteen feet long, or even longer if it's a larger group. Even my 14 year old son can work that one out.

2) We pay tax, and insurance. Roads come from general taxation, your RFL is based on your nasty emissions. So you're wrong.

Your 14 year old son may well be able to work it out but he doesn't have to overtake them whilst they idle and meander around the leafy B roads of Cheshire on a sunday morning

 

[David Griffiths]

You had ten days notice of the event.

Why not make alternative arrangements ?

Prison? Is their home that bad? Could they have been a spectator or given out bottles of water to the poor thirsty cyclists?

Could you have invited your mother in law over for a day or two?

A 20 minute walk to a pub doesn't sound too prohibitive.

You seem very negative as well as putting your personal issues in front of what positives there may have been in promoting the event in your area.

Are all Welsh people that selfish?

Hope not!

It actually didn't affect me, If I'd wanted to get out that wasn't a problem and there were plenty of choices of routes to use. That's the way the land lies. I don't have to go in to work on Sundays, so that wasn't a problem.

My concern is for businesses who lost a complete day's trade with not a sniff of compensation. I've already given examples, so I won't repeat them.

Pray do explain how that makes me selfish? But feel free to keep on making uninformed comments when you apparently don't know the area or the issues caused.

 

[MOIC]

It actually didn't affect me, If I'd wanted to get out that wasn't a problem and there were plenty of choices of routes to use. That's the way the land lies. I don't have to go in to work on Sundays, so that wasn't a problem.

My concern is for businesses who lost a complete day's trade with not a sniff of compensation. I've already given examples, so I won't repeat them.

Pray do explain how that makes me selfish? But feel free to keep on making uninformed comments when you apparently don't know the area or the issues caused.

Uninformed comments?

Nope.

Your attitude is selfish as you have put yourself before any potential benefits to your area.

With regards to..............."It actually didn't affect me"

You have used the following phrases in your posts:

Our local is about 1.5 miles from the route . . . .

My wife's normal journey to her mother's house . . .

On a personal level . . . .There was one house not far from here . . . .

Again, as I have mentioned earlier, feel free to respond to the points raised in my post rather than finding something which is not related to the thread in which to criticise.

For the sake of the argument, my post should be taken in general terms and not specific to your area/circumstance, which I am sure most of my points could apply to.

Selfish, tetchy and critical . . . . .

Its a debate.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

Ah, right. I think you'll find it's actually cars that kill & maim, not pushbikes

While I agree with you that by and large it is idiots in cars that cause problems to cyclists and motorcyclists (I no longer ride)

This guy knocked over a toddler, then proceeded to give a mouthfull of abuse to the mother. he then road off when the father appeared.

It hit the TV and he gave himself up (before he was grassed up I guess).

In short there is wrong on both sides.

I do think though that the event should have been cancelled as the organisers failed to follow the law in giving notice of road closures etc.

I am a firm believer in play by the rules, or not at all.

 

[simon field]

Your 14 year old son may well be able to work it out but he doesn't have to overtake them whilst they idle and meander around the leafy B roads of Cheshire on a sunday morning

You're like my mum, she finds overtaking difficult as well!

 

[simon field]

While I agree with you that by and large it is idiots in cars that cause problems to cyclists and motorcyclists (I no longer ride)

This guy knocked over a toddler, then proceeded to give a mouthfull of abuse to the mother. he then road off when the father appeared.

It hit the TV and he gave himself up (before he was grassed up I guess).

In short there is wrong on both sides.

I do think though that the event should have been cancelled as the organisers failed to follow the law in giving notice of road closures etc.

I am a firm believer in play by the rules, or not at all.

Not exactly typical of your average club road cyclist though is it OWG?

I'm in three different large clubs and I've not seen a single member run a red, cycle on the pavement, or be disrespectful to other road users.

Safety is paramount to us

 

[MOIC]

Your 14 year old son may well be able to work it out but he doesn't have to overtake them whilst they idle and meander around the leafy B roads of Cheshire on a sunday morning

The "leafy" B roads of Cheshire are reserved for cyclists on a Sunday morning.

They can meander whist taking in the view of the beautiful property and gardens.

Didn't you know?

 

[miggygreene]

Last week was my bad week ever!!!

 

[Vectis]

I do think perhaps a few people should consider that they are posting on here using their company's name, and that others will associate their comments with that company.

It's happened before on here and, personally, after I've read some of the comments I've thought that I'd never want to deal with that particular company.

It's a business forum, be professional.

Sorry to lecture, but come on guys!

 

[OldWelshGuy]

@simon field I agree 100% Simon, most cyclists are decent responsible riders. I rode a motorbike for many years and pretty much it was a case of all the usual bad car driver problems, especially not looking before pulling out etc.

My daughter is almost 16 she will be driving within 12 months so to demonstrate how vehicles can impact on cyclists I pulled over for a few minutes at the side of a busy road. She was stunned how our car was rocked when a lorry went past (and it isn't a small flimsy car). She now realises why you have to give cyclists a wide birth when over taking.

We have time trials all the time near us, it is a PITA sometimes, but the main thing that gets to me is that the police regularly hassle people for walking across the roundabout to get to the pub across the way, yet on a bike time trial etc, they say nothing about people standing on the clearway, and /or sitting on the roundabout.

 

[Bill1954]

I agree there are some bad drivers about but MY GOD there are some bad cyclists and bikers about too. Just this week I was overtaken at high speed, on a hard left hand bend ( I was doing 40) in rural Northumberland by a group of bikers who couldn't possibly see oncoming traffic. My pet hate with cyclists and I see this every day, is those who come up to a queue of traffic at a red light, mount the kerb, ride to the front of the queue, and go back on to the road so that when the light goes green, all the traffic is stuck behind a bloody bike.
Apart from that, yeah we had a crap weekend as well