Cyclists Pay Tribute to the Queen—And British Cycling Reverses Advice

Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away last Thursday, and Great Britain has been in mourning since. Today, thousands flocked to Buckingham Palace to be part of the procession as the Queen's coffin journeys to Westminster Hall, where she will lie in state for four days until her funeral on Monday. British cyclists have been racing with black armbands around the world since her passing, and many have Tweeted tributes to the Queen.

The UCI shared an image of a young Queen Elizabeth II astride a bike:

Phil Liggett—best known as the voice of cycling—shared on Twitter, “The passing of our Queen was inevitable but, somehow, never expected. A catalyst for peace, the World will miss her. I met and shook hands with her in 2005 at the Palace. She said: ‘Cycling is getting very popular now, isn't it.’ How right (as always) she was.”

However, while cyclists are in mourning, they're also protesting the dangerous setup for cyclists that's been caused by the funeral processions and lineups for those who wish to see the Queen lying in rest. In Edinburgh, bike lanes were taken over by a long lineup of port-a-potties so that mourners could have restroom access while waiting in line for hours. The doors to the port-a-potties, unfortunately, were set up so that they would fling open into the bike lane, creating potential for cyclists to be doored with alarming frequency.

“It’s good to see that the portaloos are in place on the Meadows as we expect the area will be very busy over the coming week,” Morningside councillor Ben Parker told Edinburgh Live. “Regrettably, however, the current placement is dangerous and an accident waiting to happen. I hope that they can be moved back before there is an incident. I would urge all path users to be considerate of each other as the area becomes increasingly congested this week.”

Around Buckingham Palace, strict bans on autos and bicycles are currently in place due to the large crowds and planned processions.

British Cycling also came under fire this week for a since-deleted piece of advice recommending people abstain from cycling on the day of the state funeral. As per The Guardian, the statement read: “British Cycling strongly recommends that anybody out riding their bike on the day of the state funeral does so outside of the timings of the funeral service and associated processions, which will be confirmed later this week."

After facing much criticism from cyclists who pointed out that their alternative was driving to get to work, British Cycling deleted that suggestion, replacing it with one that recommends refraining from activities like group rides or other events.

In fact, last week after the Queen's passing was announced, The Tour of Britain was even cut short, with the final three stages cancelled as the nation mourned.

However, the Royal family doesn't appear to want cyclists to stop pedaling: According to Cycling Weekly, the Royal Household released a statement saying that there is “no obligation to cancel or postpone events during the period of National Mourning.”

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