“Some TLC for the pavé”: Students start repair work on Paris-Roubaix cobbles; Conservatives claim “Labour and their lycra clad lobbyists are slowing Wales” with 20mph speed limits; Penny farthing hill climb world championship + more on the live blog

I wondered on the live blog yesterday, if the Volta was also going to be an "easy spin with some friends" after the Slovenian called the fastest ever Milan-San Remo as such.

And by the looks of it, it seems that's the case partially once again — stage two, with a treacherous summit finish atop the frigid, wet, and snowy mountains, at the Vallter 2000, the highest road climb in Catalonia, looked to be an "easy spin", although he was missing a few friends. In fact, all of them.

> Fastest Milan-San Remo ever just an “easy spin with some friends” for Tadej Pogačar as not one, but TWO riders sport white shorts

Because at ten kilometres to go, Pogačar who was pacing the peloton by leading in the front, blew the rest of the field to bits with another of his smooth, effortless attacks, leaving the rest of the riders staring in awe. 

🏆 @TamauPogi, imperial a @Vallter2000!

🏔️Tadej Pogačar @TeamEmiratesUAE, el rey de Vallter!

💥No rival for Pogačar at Vallter!#VoltaCatalunya103 pic.twitter.com/x0NVi0wWSd

— Volta a Catalunya (@VoltaCatalunya) March 19, 2024

Soudal Quick-Step's Mikel Landa and Bora-Hansgrohe's Aleksandr Vlasov were the only two who could follow although the young and ebullient Frenchman Lenny Martinez did make a few valiant attempts to keep up.

Pogačar conceded that the climb wasn't too easy though. "It was tough, you could feel the altitude and the weather made it more difficult," he said after finishing the race. "I was just riding at my own pace. Nothing special."

I would like to disagree. I think we are witnessing something quite special, in fact.

The Welsh Conservative party seems to have performed a miracle: They have posted something so absurd and asinine that Twitter, the graveyard of coalition and reason, has united in shaming and lampooning their remark that “Labour and their lycra clad lobbyists are slowing Wales down with their blanket 20mph speed limit”.

The Welsh Government, which is in the process of electing Vaughan Gething as its new First Minister after the surprise resignation of Mark Drakeford, introduced a 20mph speed limit not to a rapture of applause, but raised eyebrows, controversies and conspiracy theories (the last one seems the natural public reaction to most things now) last year.

Despite the directive just calling for roads and streets with a 30mph speed limit to be reduced to 20mph, with local councils still ultimately holding the power to have the final say on it, Conservatives have taken up the issue as if people are being forced to drive down the M4 or the A470 at 20mph speeds.

> "Far more pleasant for walkers and cyclists": 20mph speed limit analysis hailed "astonishing", with drivers' journeys just 45 seconds longer

And while the Westminster Tory Government continues to pledge its allegiance to drivers to halt the so-called ongoing “war on motorists” and continue its “angry rhetoric” on traffic calming measures like low traffic neighbourhoods, 20mph speed limits, and even public transport schemes, the Welsh wing of the party has taken it upon themselves to mount an assault on the 20mph warriors — you know, road safety campaigners, transport experts, and mums and dads who want safety for their children.

And the next step in its assault has come in the form of a Twitter post yesterday, with the most shoddy use of Photoshop I’ve seen in a while, and that’s bearing in mind the Princess of Wales’ latest endeavours with it.

🥀 Labour and their Lycra clad lobbyists are slowing Wales down with their blanket 20mph speed limit.

💪 We will SCRAP Labour and Plaid's blanket 20mph speed limit and get Wales moving.

🚨 Enforcement begins today. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/htzXERsm73

— Welsh Conservatives 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (@WelshConserv) March 18, 2024

The Welsh Conservatives wrote: “We will SCRAP Labour and Plaid's blanket 20mph speed limit and get Wales moving,” with a cyclist wearing a jersey and a helmet, made to seem as if they’re holding a speed gun pointing at a car.

And cyclists, not just the lycra clad ones, mind you, have blasted the post.

I’m not Lycra clad at all but walk/cycle/usePT and applaud the 20mph rules. Have you seen how much carnage is caused by speeding? Lots #cycle, not your lazy clickbait types. pic.twitter.com/ecv26CcBQx

— Ruth Mayorcas (@RuthMayorcas) March 18, 2024

“Ahhh, so basically, you don't care about children being able to walk around their neighbourhoods or to school safely,” wrote James Stafford, while Nick Hawksworth wrote: “This is why nobody likes Tories anymore; Name calling nasty party.”

One person replied saying: “Playground comments about clothes are disgusting and fuel road crime. Shame on you,” while another commented: “Way to alienate people and the proof that you are finished as a government nationally, certainly becoming more and more irrelevant in Wales.”

Folks, do you think they may have read too much into its one-off win in the Uxbridge by-elections, opposing London’s ultra-low emission zones?

> Whose ULEZ is it anyway? Political chicanery as clean air zone set to expand to outer London

Here are some more replies on the tweet…

Seems you misunderstood what a 20mph speed limit on urban roads are about, I've put it in picture terms for you. pic.twitter.com/zs9YlzZgQo

— James Stafford (@Jamesdestafford) March 18, 2024

Are these Lycra clad lobbyists? pic.twitter.com/Krhj3JLKvz

— Ian Barnes (@Ianbarnes2001) March 18, 2024

This is what you're doing here, not just supporting the abuse but using it in your campaigning, you are encouraging and enabling people to take out their anger and frustrations on people cyclinghttps://t.co/4ZVD3Bqqyk

— ReCyclingDave (@cycling_dave) March 18, 2024

Despite me cynically looking for them, not a single anti-cycling or pro-Tory comment in the replies! Have the Tories managed to unite Twitter?

The irony deepens when you consider that just three years ago, senior members of the Welsh Tories were calling on the Welsh Government to bring in a 20mph limit calling it a “common sense” plan.

And funnily, some of the lycra clad cyclists they accuse of lobbying the government into making the nationwide changes are the same ones who are going to be somewhat negatively affected by the blanket speed limit, in losing many routes previously used for time trials.

In November last year, Cycling Time Trials (CTT) introduced a ban on events taking place on roads with 20mph speed limits, with existing courses in such areas going to have to be scrapped or modified to avoid the zones. Many cyclists feared that this would spell the end of safe time trial courses and could be the tip of the iceberg for British racing.

> All cyclists must adhere to 20mph speed limits during time trials in Britain – as governing body cites safety concerns and risk of causing “public outrage”

I think they’re giving us too much credit. If the lycra lobby were indeed so powerful, maybe they’d fix up all the potholes first…

Of all the places you could have put this @SheffCouncil you put it slap bang in the middle of a #cycle lane! pic.twitter.com/GZUSEmgiye

— CyclingInASkirt (@CyclingInASkirt) March 18, 2024

Just a moment, dropping a DM in Jeremy Vine's inbox...

Making its way to our list of wonderfully peculiar but lovely cycling competitions is the latest entrant: Beachy Head World Championship Penny Farthing Hill Climb TT.

Don't let the elaborate name get to you, it's as simple as it sounds. You climb a hill as fast as you can on a penny farthing with a wheel diameter in excess of 46 inches — come on, this is not the UCI, we take our rules and regulations seriously here.

Back for a seventh year, this is the only cycling event of it's kind in the world specifically for penny farthings, taking place in Eastbourne, East Sussex on 11th August. The course if 4.69km with an elevation gain of 150m, with riders setting off at an interval of one minute to tackle the climb to Beachy Head.

"The quickest riders take just over 13 minutes to reach the finish line", says Visit Eastbourne. "We expect around 25 to 30 riders this year, with the final rider arriving at the top at around 11am. A prize giving ceremony will then take place where the winner will receive the 'Block of Wood' trophy containing the names of past winners."

Won the lottery recently? Found €30,000 down the back of the sofa? Looking for a new bike to take you into summer? Well, Pope Francis might just be the man to call...

> Pope Francis ditches Dogma — Pinarello gifted by Egan Bernal put up for auction... if you've got a spare €30,000