“Selfish cyclists” in Richmond Park have been blamed for dropping litter
which can kill deer by clogging their stomachs.

A new warning from park conservationists has slammed the “dangerous” new
phenomenon of cyclists discarding gel packs during recent races held at the
park.

Litter is one of the major threats facing grazing deer in the park, with an
estimated five deer killed by eating discarded rubbish each year, wildlife
officers at the park say.

The warning comes after two major cycling events, the London Duathlon and
Ride London, saw hundreds of gel packs left lying at the nature reserve.

Richard Gray, trustee of the Friends of Richmond Park, told the Standard:
“It’s a real health issue. What we have identified with these two
particular races is this phenomenon of the gel packs.

“Lots of our members are cyclists, I’m a cyclist, but you get a number of
slightly more selfish cyclists who aren’t getting rid of it responsibly.

They are doing the Tour de France thing, seeing people tear off their gel
packs and spitting them out.

“But unlike other races, it doesn’t get picked up. It’s a new phenomenon,
particularly because so many more people are taking up competitive
endurance cycling and use gel packs.”

A photo released shows one of the park’s wildlife officers holding up the
gruesome stomach contents of two deer which died from eating rubbish.
Recent post-mortems of deer have shown their stomachs “full of litter”.

The London Duathlon, on Sunday, saw litter from more than 160 empty gel
packs left behind on just a 600 metre section while Ride London, on July
31, saw over 180 discarded in the same area.

Litter eaten by deer clogs their digestive systems, meaning they are unable
to eat properly and starve.

“Everybody loves the deer,” Mr Gray said. “But it’s a nature reserve and
people tend to forget that.

“It’s not your local race track. It’s a site of special scientific
interest.”

The biggest threat to the park’s famous deer was historically cars, but
over the years speed limits and the number of accidents have been brought
down. Mr Gray said this is a sign “things can improve” and there is hope
cyclists will change their behaviour.

The group’s chairman Ron Crompton said: “Following a similar survey after
this year's event, the organisers of Ride London are committing to much
greater prevention measures to ensure offending competitors are spotted
littering and either disqualified or banned from participating.

“We do hope that the Duathlon organisers will adopt a similar approach and
ensure that all competitors are clear that this sort of behaviour is
unacceptable.

“Finding this large extent of litter 24 hours after the event is very
worrying for the Park's wildlife and particularly the deer.”

<https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/selfish-cyclists-slammed-for-dropping-litter-after-richmond-park-deer-deaths-a3350046.html>

--
Spike

On 04/02/2023 10:23 pm, Spike wrote:
>
>
> “Selfish cyclists” in Richmond Park have been blamed for dropping litter
> which can kill deer by clogging their stomachs.
>
> A new warning from park conservationists has slammed the “dangerous” new
> phenomenon of cyclists discarding gel packs during recent races held at the
> park.
>
> Litter is one of the major threats facing grazing deer in the park, with an
> estimated five deer killed by eating discarded rubbish each year, wildlife
> officers at the park say.
>
> The warning comes after two major cycling events, the London Duathlon and
> Ride London, saw hundreds of gel packs left lying at the nature reserve.
>
> Richard Gray, trustee of the Friends of Richmond Park, told the Standard:
> “It’s a real health issue. What we have identified with these two
> particular races is this phenomenon of the gel packs.
>
> “Lots of our members are cyclists, I’m a cyclist, but you get a number of
> slightly more selfish cyclists who aren’t getting rid of it responsibly.
>
> They are doing the Tour de France thing, seeing people tear off their gel
> packs and spitting them out.
>
> “But unlike other races, it doesn’t get picked up. It’s a new phenomenon,
> particularly because so many more people are taking up competitive
> endurance cycling and use gel packs.”
>
> A photo released shows one of the park’s wildlife officers holding up the
> gruesome stomach contents of two deer which died from eating rubbish.
> Recent post-mortems of deer have shown their stomachs “full of litter”.
>
> The London Duathlon, on Sunday, saw litter from more than 160 empty gel
> packs left behind on just a 600 metre section while Ride London, on July
> 31, saw over 180 discarded in the same area.
>
> Litter eaten by deer clogs their digestive systems, meaning they are unable
> to eat properly and starve.
>
> “Everybody loves the deer,” Mr Gray said. “But it’s a nature reserve and
> people tend to forget that.
>
> “It’s not your local race track. It’s a site of special scientific
> interest.”
>
> The biggest threat to the park’s famous deer was historically cars, but
> over the years speed limits and the number of accidents have been brought
> down. Mr Gray said this is a sign “things can improve” and there is hope
> cyclists will change their behaviour.
>
> The group’s chairman Ron Crompton said: “Following a similar survey after
> this year's event, the organisers of Ride London are committing to much
> greater prevention measures to ensure offending competitors are spotted
> littering and either disqualified or banned from participating.
>
> “We do hope that the Duathlon organisers will adopt a similar approach and
> ensure that all competitors are clear that this sort of behaviour is
> unacceptable.
>
> “Finding this large extent of litter 24 hours after the event is very
> worrying for the Park's wildlife and particularly the deer.”
>
> <https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/selfish-cyclists-slammed-for-dropping-litter-after-richmond-park-deer-deaths-a3350046.html>

But... but... but... fairy-cyclists are allowed to do anything they like
and can do no wrong!

JNugent <jenningsandco@mail.com> wrote:
> On 04/02/2023 10:23 pm, Spike wrote:
>>
>>
>> “Selfish cyclists” in Richmond Park have been blamed for dropping litter
>> which can kill deer by clogging their stomachs.
>>
>> A new warning from park conservationists has slammed the “dangerous” new
>> phenomenon of cyclists discarding gel packs during recent races held at the
>> park.
>>
>> Litter is one of the major threats facing grazing deer in the park, with an
>> estimated five deer killed by eating discarded rubbish each year, wildlife
>> officers at the park say.
>>
>> The warning comes after two major cycling events, the London Duathlon and
>> Ride London, saw hundreds of gel packs left lying at the nature reserve.
>>
>> Richard Gray, trustee of the Friends of Richmond Park, told the Standard:
>> “It’s a real health issue. What we have identified with these two
>> particular races is this phenomenon of the gel packs.
>>
>> “Lots of our members are cyclists, I’m a cyclist, but you get a number of
>> slightly more selfish cyclists who aren’t getting rid of it responsibly.
>>
>> They are doing the Tour de France thing, seeing people tear off their gel
>> packs and spitting them out.
>>
>> “But unlike other races, it doesn’t get picked up. It’s a new phenomenon,
>> particularly because so many more people are taking up competitive
>> endurance cycling and use gel packs.”
>>
>> A photo released shows one of the park’s wildlife officers holding up the
>> gruesome stomach contents of two deer which died from eating rubbish.
>> Recent post-mortems of deer have shown their stomachs “full of litter”.
>>
>> The London Duathlon, on Sunday, saw litter from more than 160 empty gel
>> packs left behind on just a 600 metre section while Ride London, on July
>> 31, saw over 180 discarded in the same area.
>>
>> Litter eaten by deer clogs their digestive systems, meaning they are unable
>> to eat properly and starve.
>>
>> “Everybody loves the deer,” Mr Gray said. “But it’s a nature reserve and
>> people tend to forget that.
>>
>> “It’s not your local race track. It’s a site of special scientific
>> interest.”
>>
>> The biggest threat to the park’s famous deer was historically cars, but
>> over the years speed limits and the number of accidents have been brought
>> down. Mr Gray said this is a sign “things can improve” and there is hope
>> cyclists will change their behaviour.
>>
>> The group’s chairman Ron Crompton said: “Following a similar survey after
>> this year's event, the organisers of Ride London are committing to much
>> greater prevention measures to ensure offending competitors are spotted
>> littering and either disqualified or banned from participating.
>>
>> “We do hope that the Duathlon organisers will adopt a similar approach and
>> ensure that all competitors are clear that this sort of behaviour is
>> unacceptable.
>>
>> “Finding this large extent of litter 24 hours after the event is very
>> worrying for the Park's wildlife and particularly the deer.”
>>
>> <https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/selfish-cyclists-slammed-for-dropping-litter-after-richmond-park-deer-deaths-a3350046.html>
>
> But... but... but... fairy-cyclists are allowed to do anything they like
> and can do no wrong!

What I find humorous is that I wove a reference to fly-tipping into a
posting about recycling centres, and less than a day later there’s a
posting about fly-tipping from Mason!

I’m surprised he hasn’t made millions from his Google Groups killfile….

--
Spike

On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 02:12:09 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> On 04/02/2023 10:23 pm, Spike wrote:
> >
> >
> > “Selfish cyclists” in Richmond Park have been blamed for dropping litter
> > which can kill deer by clogging their stomachs.
> >
> > A new warning from park conservationists has slammed the “dangerous” new
> > phenomenon of cyclists discarding gel packs during recent races held at the
> > park.
> >
> > Litter is one of the major threats facing grazing deer in the park, with an
> > estimated five deer killed by eating discarded rubbish each year, wildlife
> > officers at the park say.
> >
> > The warning comes after two major cycling events, the London Duathlon and
> > Ride London, saw hundreds of gel packs left lying at the nature reserve..
> >
> > Richard Gray, trustee of the Friends of Richmond Park, told the Standard:
> > “It’s a real health issue. What we have identified with these two
> > particular races is this phenomenon of the gel packs.
> >
> > “Lots of our members are cyclists, I’m a cyclist, but you get a number of
> > slightly more selfish cyclists who aren’t getting rid of it responsibly.
> >
> > They are doing the Tour de France thing, seeing people tear off their gel
> > packs and spitting them out.
> >
> > “But unlike other races, it doesn’t get picked up. It’s a new phenomenon,
> > particularly because so many more people are taking up competitive
> > endurance cycling and use gel packs.”
> >
> > A photo released shows one of the park’s wildlife officers holding up the
> > gruesome stomach contents of two deer which died from eating rubbish.
> > Recent post-mortems of deer have shown their stomachs “full of litter”.
> >
> > The London Duathlon, on Sunday, saw litter from more than 160 empty gel
> > packs left behind on just a 600 metre section while Ride London, on July
> > 31, saw over 180 discarded in the same area.
> >
> > Litter eaten by deer clogs their digestive systems, meaning they are unable
> > to eat properly and starve.
> >
> > “Everybody loves the deer,” Mr Gray said. “But it’s a nature reserve and
> > people tend to forget that.
> >
> > “It’s not your local race track. It’s a site of special scientific
> > interest.”
> >
> > The biggest threat to the park’s famous deer was historically cars, but
> > over the years speed limits and the number of accidents have been brought
> > down. Mr Gray said this is a sign “things can improve” and there is hope
> > cyclists will change their behaviour.
> >
> > The group’s chairman Ron Crompton said: “Following a similar survey after
> > this year's event, the organisers of Ride London are committing to much
> > greater prevention measures to ensure offending competitors are spotted
> > littering and either disqualified or banned from participating.
> >
> > “We do hope that the Duathlon organisers will adopt a similar approach and
> > ensure that all competitors are clear that this sort of behaviour is
> > unacceptable.
> >
> > “Finding this large extent of litter 24 hours after the event is very
> > worrying for the Park's wildlife and particularly the deer.”
> >
> > <https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/selfish-cyclists-slammed-for-dropping-litter-after-richmond-park-deer-deaths-a3350046.html>
> But... but... but... fairy-cyclists are allowed to do anything they like
> and can do no wrong!

Please provide evidence from the peer reviewed literature to support this claim.

The event organisers should have a litter patrol just like they do for pedestrians who drop litter during the London Marathon
https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-council/20951500.london-marathon-leaves-20-tonnes-litter-tower-hamlets-sweepers/

On 05/02/2023 04:19 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
> On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 02:12:09 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>> On 04/02/2023 10:23 pm, Spike wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> “Selfish cyclists” in Richmond Park have been blamed for dropping litter
>>> which can kill deer by clogging their stomachs.
>>>
>>> A new warning from park conservationists has slammed the “dangerous” new
>>> phenomenon of cyclists discarding gel packs during recent races held at the
>>> park.
>>>
>>> Litter is one of the major threats facing grazing deer in the park, with an
>>> estimated five deer killed by eating discarded rubbish each year, wildlife
>>> officers at the park say.
>>>
>>> The warning comes after two major cycling events, the London Duathlon and
>>> Ride London, saw hundreds of gel packs left lying at the nature reserve.
>>>
>>> Richard Gray, trustee of the Friends of Richmond Park, told the Standard:
>>> “It’s a real health issue. What we have identified with these two
>>> particular races is this phenomenon of the gel packs.
>>>
>>> “Lots of our members are cyclists, I’m a cyclist, but you get a number of
>>> slightly more selfish cyclists who aren’t getting rid of it responsibly.
>>>
>>> They are doing the Tour de France thing, seeing people tear off their gel
>>> packs and spitting them out.
>>>
>>> “But unlike other races, it doesn’t get picked up. It’s a new phenomenon,
>>> particularly because so many more people are taking up competitive
>>> endurance cycling and use gel packs.”
>>>
>>> A photo released shows one of the park’s wildlife officers holding up the
>>> gruesome stomach contents of two deer which died from eating rubbish.
>>> Recent post-mortems of deer have shown their stomachs “full of litter”.
>>>
>>> The London Duathlon, on Sunday, saw litter from more than 160 empty gel
>>> packs left behind on just a 600 metre section while Ride London, on July
>>> 31, saw over 180 discarded in the same area.
>>>
>>> Litter eaten by deer clogs their digestive systems, meaning they are unable
>>> to eat properly and starve.
>>>
>>> “Everybody loves the deer,” Mr Gray said. “But it’s a nature reserve and
>>> people tend to forget that.
>>>
>>> “It’s not your local race track. It’s a site of special scientific
>>> interest.”
>>>
>>> The biggest threat to the park’s famous deer was historically cars, but
>>> over the years speed limits and the number of accidents have been brought
>>> down. Mr Gray said this is a sign “things can improve” and there is hope
>>> cyclists will change their behaviour.
>>>
>>> The group’s chairman Ron Crompton said: “Following a similar survey after
>>> this year's event, the organisers of Ride London are committing to much
>>> greater prevention measures to ensure offending competitors are spotted
>>> littering and either disqualified or banned from participating.
>>>
>>> “We do hope that the Duathlon organisers will adopt a similar approach and
>>> ensure that all competitors are clear that this sort of behaviour is
>>> unacceptable.
>>>
>>> “Finding this large extent of litter 24 hours after the event is very
>>> worrying for the Park's wildlife and particularly the deer.”
>>>
>>> <https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/selfish-cyclists-slammed-for-dropping-litter-after-richmond-park-deer-deaths-a3350046.html>
>> But... but... but... fairy-cyclists are allowed to do anything they like
>> and can do no wrong!
>
> Please provide evidence from the peer reviewed literature to support this claim.

When are you going to grow up?
>
> The event organisers should have a litter patrol just like they do for pedestrians who drop litter during the London Marathon
> https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-council/20951500.london-marathon-leaves-20-tonnes-litter-tower-hamlets-sweepers/

On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 16:27:58 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> On 05/02/2023 04:19 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
> > On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 02:12:09 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> >> On 04/02/2023 10:23 pm, Spike wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> “Selfish cyclists” in Richmond Park have been blamed for dropping litter
> >>> which can kill deer by clogging their stomachs.
> >>>
> >>> A new warning from park conservationists has slammed the “dangerous” new
> >>> phenomenon of cyclists discarding gel packs during recent races held at the
> >>> park.
> >>>
> >>> Litter is one of the major threats facing grazing deer in the park, with an
> >>> estimated five deer killed by eating discarded rubbish each year, wildlife
> >>> officers at the park say.
> >>>
> >>> The warning comes after two major cycling events, the London Duathlon and
> >>> Ride London, saw hundreds of gel packs left lying at the nature reserve.
> >>>
> >>> Richard Gray, trustee of the Friends of Richmond Park, told the Standard:
> >>> “It’s a real health issue. What we have identified with these two
> >>> particular races is this phenomenon of the gel packs.
> >>>
> >>> “Lots of our members are cyclists, I’m a cyclist, but you get a number of
> >>> slightly more selfish cyclists who aren’t getting rid of it responsibly.
> >>>
> >>> They are doing the Tour de France thing, seeing people tear off their gel
> >>> packs and spitting them out.
> >>>
> >>> “But unlike other races, it doesn’t get picked up. It’s a new phenomenon,
> >>> particularly because so many more people are taking up competitive
> >>> endurance cycling and use gel packs.”
> >>>
> >>> A photo released shows one of the park’s wildlife officers holding up the
> >>> gruesome stomach contents of two deer which died from eating rubbish.
> >>> Recent post-mortems of deer have shown their stomachs “full of litter”.
> >>>
> >>> The London Duathlon, on Sunday, saw litter from more than 160 empty gel
> >>> packs left behind on just a 600 metre section while Ride London, on July
> >>> 31, saw over 180 discarded in the same area.
> >>>
> >>> Litter eaten by deer clogs their digestive systems, meaning they are unable
> >>> to eat properly and starve.
> >>>
> >>> “Everybody loves the deer,” Mr Gray said. “But it’s a nature reserve and
> >>> people tend to forget that.
> >>>
> >>> “It’s not your local race track. It’s a site of special scientific
> >>> interest.”
> >>>
> >>> The biggest threat to the park’s famous deer was historically cars, but
> >>> over the years speed limits and the number of accidents have been brought
> >>> down. Mr Gray said this is a sign “things can improve” and there is hope
> >>> cyclists will change their behaviour.
> >>>
> >>> The group’s chairman Ron Crompton said: “Following a similar survey after
> >>> this year's event, the organisers of Ride London are committing to much
> >>> greater prevention measures to ensure offending competitors are spotted
> >>> littering and either disqualified or banned from participating.
> >>>
> >>> “We do hope that the Duathlon organisers will adopt a similar approach and
> >>> ensure that all competitors are clear that this sort of behaviour is
> >>> unacceptable.
> >>>
> >>> “Finding this large extent of litter 24 hours after the event is very
> >>> worrying for the Park's wildlife and particularly the deer.”
> >>>
> >>> <https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/selfish-cyclists-slammed-for-dropping-litter-after-richmond-park-deer-deaths-a3350046.html>
> >> But... but... but... fairy-cyclists are allowed to do anything they like
> >> and can do no wrong!
> >
> > Please provide evidence from the peer reviewed literature to support this claim.
> When are you going to grow up?

So no evidence to support your claim.

Mike Collins <cmike8828@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 16:27:58 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>> On 05/02/2023 04:19 pm, Mike Collins wrote:

>>> Please provide evidence from the peer reviewed literature to support this claim.

>> When are you going to grow up?

> So no evidence to support your claim.

Looks like the answer to JNugent’s question is ‘Never! Never! Never!’.

--
Spike

On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 19:28:35 UTC, Spike wrote:
> Mike Collins <cmik...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 16:27:58 UTC, JNugent wrote:
> >> On 05/02/2023 04:19 pm, Mike Collins wrote:
>
> >>> Please provide evidence from the peer reviewed literature to support this claim.
>
> >> When are you going to grow up?
>
> > So no evidence to support your claim.
> Looks like the answer to JNugent’s question is ‘Never! Never! Never!’.
>
> --
> Spike

I agree, you do seem to exist in fairy land.

Mike Collins <cmike8828@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 19:28:35 UTC, Spike wrote:
>> Mike Collins <cmik...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On Sunday, 5 February 2023 at 16:27:58 UTC, JNugent wrote:
>>>> On 05/02/2023 04:19 pm, Mike Collins wrote:

>>>>> Please provide evidence from the peer reviewed literature to support this claim.

>>>> When are you going to grow up?

>>> So no evidence to support your claim.

>> Looks like the answer to JNugent’s question is ‘Never! Never! Never!’.

> I agree, you do seem to exist in fairy land.

Then take more water with it.

--
Spike