Bike change sparks three-car pile-up at Tour of Poland; Can the Cycling World Championships help “clean up” Glasgow?; Christoph Strasser wins second Transcontinental; Michael Storer loses sprint… then crashes across finish line + more on the live blog

🚨 Belgian rider Victor Campenaerts is switching careers. From a PRT rider with team Lotto-dstny, he will become a Massey Ferguson Combine Harvester, a MF BETA AL4 with a grain tank capacity of 8,600-9,000 l and unloading speed of 10 l/s to be precise. Deal done, big contract🇧🇪🚜 pic.twitter.com/YeSe5aPiXd

— Danielle Baie-de-Somme (@mur_de_cuy) August 1, 2023

Poor Michael Storer.

Not only did the Groupama-FDJ rider miss out on a golden opportunity to take his first pro win in almost two years, on today’s second stage of the Tour de l’Ain, but his desperate and unsuccessful lunge for the line in Lagnieu also saw him bump into stage winner Jefferson Cepeda, sending Storer sprawling across the road like an unfortunate Aussie version of Superman.

pic.twitter.com/ARIddXo889

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 1, 2023

Karma, perhaps, for Storer’s teammate Thibaut Pinot’s testy treatment of EF rider Cepeda during the pair’s stint in the breakaway at this year’s Giro. Well, I couldn’t possibly say…

In any case, Storer wasn’t the only rider to unceremoniously hit the deck on today’s mountainous stage of the Tour de l’Ain.

Cepeda’s teammate Hugh Carthy, who was responsible for instigating the winning move on the Col des Portes, slid out in the rainy conditions with just two kilometres to go, while Alexis Vuillermoz crashed out of the chasing group.

Unfortunately for 26-year-old Storer, however, it’s the chaotic image of him sliding past the finish line that will ensure this stage of a minor French race lives long in the memory. Well, at least he still finished second, I suppose…

Former British road race and time trial champion Hannah Barnes has announced her intention to retire from professional cycling at the end of 2023, after a few years plagued by injuries.

The 30-year-old, who won the British road and TT titles in 2016 and 2018 respectively, also took a stage win at the Giro Donne in 2017, the same year she finished third on GC at the Women’s Tour, a race where she also won a stage in 2015.

Barnes, whose sister Alice is also a former national champion and rode last week’s Tour de France Femmes for Human Powered Health, has spent a decade in the peloton, turning pro with UnitedHealthcare before riding for Canyon-Sram between 2016 and 2021.

She joined Uno-X at the start of 2021, and in a heartfelt statement on Instagram, said that she was “grateful to finish my career in the red and yellow jersey”.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hannah Barnes (@barnesh93)

“2023 will be my final year in the peloton,” Barnes said. “I have found the final two years quite difficult, battling injuries and struggling mentally to accept that I am no longer part of the race but just making up the numbers.

“It’s in my nature to put everything into getting the best out of myself but unfortunately that hasn’t been possible lately.

“I grew up doing sport. Every day after school I’d be playing hockey, rugby, rounders, football, you name it I was doing it. But every weekend was spent riding my bike, I loved it and I am so lucky that it has been my profession for so many years.

“There are so many people that have played a huge part in my career and I will be forever grateful!”

✍️ cycling history was made today! ✍️

After this year's Tour de France, we want to refocus and give @MarkCavendish another chance to take the record. We will give him a one-year contract and strengthen ourselves with more sprinters to make it possible for him. #YallaIPT pic.twitter.com/omdXBvhrYh

— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech_) August 1, 2023

Remember to always check for the fake accounts (and the terrible photoshopping skills), everyone…

More details have now been released about the death of a promising 17-year-old cyclist who was due to represent the United States at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland next week.

Law enforcement in Colorado confirmed that Magnus White was hit from behind by a motorist as he used the hard shoulder of a highway popular with local riders.

USA Cycling had, on Sunday, first announced the tragic news, saying that White had died after being “struck by a car” while he was cycling near his home in Boulder, Colorado.

Yesterday, Gabriel Moltrer, a trooper from the Colorado State Patrol, released more details, confirming that the incident took place at around 12.30pm on Saturday as White rode along the north-south stretch of Highway 119 between Boulder and Longmont. It has been reported the route is so popular with bike riders there has been talk of building a separate bike lane.

In the absence of such infrastructure, White was instead riding on the southbound hard shoulder of the highway when he was hit from behind by the driver of a Toyota Matrix. The authorities say there is no indication that drugs, alcohol or excessive speed were involved.

Read more: > Promising teenage cyclist killed after being hit by driver just days before World Championships

A neo-pro from AG2R Citroën has followed in the rather dubious wheel tracks of Nairo Quintana, after blood tests revealed the presence of the banned painkiller tramadol during the Giro d’Italia.

22-year-old French rider Alex Baudin, who turned pro with AG2R Citroën at the start of 2023, spent two days in the breakaway at the Giro, his debut grand tour, finishing tenth on the stage to Rivoli, and secured a top 30 placing at the Clásica de San Sebastián at the weekend.

Baudin tries to hold the wheel of Giro sensation Derek Gee on the way to Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

However, Baudin’s results from the Giro have now been rendered null and void, after two dried blood samples contained tramadol, the painkiller banned in-competition by the UCI due to its dangerous side-effects.

Nevertheless, just like Quintana, who tested positive for tramadol at last year’s Tour de France, losing his sixth place on GC, Baudin’s positive does not equate to an anti-doping violation and he can continue to race, as the use of tramadol falls under the UCI’s Medical Rules and because it’s the 22-year-old’s first infraction (though, unlike the currently exiled Quintana, Baudin is also likely to retain his spot on the French team).

> Nairo Quintana sanctioned by UCI for Tour de France tramadol infringement

A statement from the world governing body noted that Baudin has been “sanctioned for an infringement of the in-competition ban on using tramadol... with the aim of protecting the safety and health of riders in view of the side-effects of this substance”.

The statement continued: “The analyses of two dried blood samples provided by the rider on 24 May on the 17th stage of the 2023 Giro d’Italia revealed the presence of tramadol and its two main metabolites. In accordance with the UCI Medical Rules, and after a thorough examination of the case, the rider is disqualified from the 2023 Giro d’Italia. This decision may be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within the next 10 days.”

The UCI added that 64 dried blood samples were collected during the Giro d’Italia as part of its tramadol programme, equating to just over three riders a stage.

A big cycling event like the world championships (two days to go – places, people, places!) can act as an inspiration for those lucky enough to witness it while standing by the roadside, or at the track, or on the mountain bike course.

It can inspire the future stars of the sport, or even just nudge some spectators to ride their bike more often, to work or to the shops. It could even inspire some local authorities to prioritise cycling infrastructure, making the roads safer for all types of cyclists, and not just pros.

But can the cycling world championships help “clean up” a city, Batman-style?

Well, that was the question posed this morning by Labour MSP Paul Sweeney, who reckons the upcoming, multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships in Scotland has the potential to rejuvenate Glasgow, after years of cuts, he claims, have left the city centre looking “dirty and dilapidated”.

Following yesterday’s report that some locals are furious about the “selective” pothole repairs being made in the centre of Glasgow, in time for the road races, Sweeney said that the city is currently going through “managed decline”.

> Anger as "dangerous" potholes repaired on World Championships route while other roads nearby remain "abysmal"

“You need to be delusional not to recognise the challenges here,” the Glasgow MSP has told the BBC.

“It’s obvious to anyone who has lived in Glasgow for an extended period of time that the city has seen better days. As someone who loves this city passionately, I’m frustrated by it.

“Let’s get ourselves together and work collaboratively – to be honest about the scale of the challenges and fix it.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by 2023 UCI Cycling World Champs (@uci_cyclingworlds)

However, Sweeney’s claims have been rejected by Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken.

“I’m always concerned when Glaswegians feel the city is not putting on its best face but it’s an area we have invested a lot in,” the SNP politician said.

“We have deep-clean teams who we have put in place over the past couple of years, who go around every part of the city. I don’t think the city centre, as a whole, is a dirty place. I think Glasgow measures up to pretty much any city. But ultimately litter is caused by people and we’ve all got a responsibility here – it’s not the council that’s dropping litter.”

Aitken added that the council has recently doubled the budget to fix Glasgow’s roads, though she dismissed suggestions that Lotte Kopecky, Tadej Pogačar, and co are getting priority.

“I can understand why people might think that’s the case but I can absolutely assure them that it is not the case,” she said. “There’s a programme of resurfacing which is right across the city.”