Il Lombardia winner Paul Seixas forced to pose with “idiot” mayor who banned all cyclists from city centre and called for bike licence plates; Lachlan Morton breaks Pony Express record; Healy on Pogačar-less racing; Safety protest + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“He has a face like a…”: Il Lombardia winner Paul Seixas forced to pose with “idiot” mayor two months after he banned all cyclists from city centre and called for bike licence plates and insurance
If you hadn’t realised by now, Paul Seixas is the real deal.
On Saturday, the 20-year-old Frenchman became the youngest ever winner of the Tour of Lombardy (or Il Lombardia, if you must), clinching his maiden monument victory with a devastating long-range solo attack along the shores of Lake Como.
In the absence of five-time Lombardy winner Tadej Pogačar, Seixas put on his own Pogi-esque display, casually burning everyone off his wheel on the Civiglio, before building a commanding advantage over the final 19km. By the finish line in Como, in-form Vuelta winner Enric Mas was the only rider within a minute of the flying French wonderkid.
The Decathlon star’s triumph at the Race of the Falling Leaves makes him the fourth youngest winner of any of cycling’s five most prestigious one-day classics, just two weeks on from his 20th birthday.
It’s also his eighth victory of a season that also saw him win atop the Mur de Huy at Flèche Wallonne, clinch the overall at the Tour of the Basque Country, finish second to Pogačar at both Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and finish fourth overall at his debut Tour de France. The future is here.
But if Seixas is to continue his precocious, mind-bending run of success in 2027, he’s going to have to get used to all the obligations that come with it. Like posing with local, publicity-hungry politicians.
Around three hours after he raised his arms in triumph at Il Lombardia, Seixas was still fulfilling his post-race duties, which included a photograph with Como mayor Alessandro Rapinese, as captured here by Domestique’s Barry Ryan:
If you’re wondering why Rapinese’s name rings a bell, he’s the mayor who just two months ago announced a ban on all bicycles in the historic centre of Como, after he was hit by the rider of an ‘electric bike’ earlier this summer.
“People act based on their own experiences and I know what it’s like to be hit by one of these beasts,” the independent politician said back in August.
According to Rapinese, the ban applies to all cyclists because the Highway Code won’t let him differentiate between electric and non-electric bikes. Nevertheless, he also hinted at the possibility of bringing in mandatory licence plates and insurance for bikes in the northern Italian city.
“I think it’s madness to have required scooter owners to insure their vehicle and equip it with a licence plate, but not to have done it for bicycles which are perhaps even more dangerous,” he said.
The irony of Rapinese posing proudly alongside Seixas (and his bike) a matter of weeks after he banned cyclists from the centre of Como hasn’t been lost on some online observers.
“That guy just banned bikes from the centre of his city because he was hit by one. Rapinese is an idiot,” Magolly wrote on X.
“He has a face like a…,” Gianluca added, leaving you to fill in the blanks.
“Imagine winning a race, then you’ve got some political obligation. Must be pretty corny,” noted Omar.
He’ll have to get used to it, however, if he keeps riding like that.
“Given what’s happened this week, especially this summer, I think there’s a consensus in the peloton that not enough is being done, particularly by the UCI, and we’re standing together to show we’re not happy”
Away from Paul Seixas’ history-making solo raid, the other big news from the weekend at Il Lombardia was the rider protest held on the start line, as the peloton united to call for greater safety measures at races.
The protest, which saw the start of the final monument of the season delayed by around 15 minutes, was organised by Ben Healy and Tom Pidcock, after drivers entered the course during three of the four Italian one-day races last week, with one member of the public crashing into two of Pidcock’s Pinarello-Q36.5 teammates at Tre Valli Varesine.
Those incidents came just weeks after the tragic death of Finlay Tarling, who was killed by a van driver who made his way onto the race route at the Volta a Portugal, sparking heavy criticism of the safety measures currently put in place at many events and the lack of progress made by the sport’s stakeholders.
During the protest in Bergamo, which I witnessed from the side of the road, Remco Evenepoel was handed a microphone, the European champion telling the crowd that “we cannot accept the fact that people are dying”.
“Given what’s happened this week, especially this summer, I think there’s a consensus in the peloton that not enough is being done, particularly by the UCI, and we’re standing together to show we’re not happy,” Pidcock, who helped orchestrate the protest through a rider WhatsApp group, told Daniel Benson after the finish in Como.
“Three of the last four races have had a car on the course, and today was the same. There was a group of sixty riders off the back at one point, and there was a car on the course again,” he added.
“It’s a joke. We understand the risks of what we do, descending, crashing, but we don’t need anything added to that, like cars on the course.
“The environment should be secure so we can take the risks we know are involved. I think it was really powerful that all the riders came together and agreed. We all did something together, and we have a voice.”
Speaking to Cyclingnews, race organiser Luca Guercilena was generally supportive of the protest (despite only learning about it half an hour before the start), but suggested it could have been “done better”.
“We can all agree on the content of the action, it was very fair. We all support what the riders are asking for, and for us the safety of the riders is important as well,” Guercilena, now RCS’s cycling general manager after leaving Lidl-Trek, said.
“For sure we would have loved to have coordinated better and given them more voice. But more than fine with how it happened. It was very fair and correct, so we respect the riders.”
Guercilena said the organisers’ one request was to ensure a rider was given a microphone to inform the crowd of what was going on, arguing that the protest – which also didn’t involve the CPA riders’ union – could have had an even bigger impact.
“First, I would get a clear statement, and on top of that, instead of organising a straightforward microphone, we would have loved even to have them on a stage, to express their concern about safety,” he said.
“We are all in favour of supporting safety. My concern was simply ‘just let us help you make it better’.”
“We’re heartbroken for the team and all the staff that call this place home”
SD Worx rider Valentina Cavallar hits out at “disrespectful” anti-doping test carried out in room next to deceased mother, hours after her death
Austrian rider Valentina Cavallar has criticised what she describes as the “disrespectful” conduct of anti-doping officials, claiming she was forced to carry out a drug test at her family home just hours after her mother’s death.
In an emotional Instagram post, SD Worx-Protime rider Cavallar, who finished ninth overall at this year’s Giro d’Italia before her season was abruptly ended in a crash at the Tour de France, revealed that her mother passed away in September.
“Losing my mum in September has changed the way I see life forever,” the 25-year-old wrote.
“You can spend so much of your life chasing goals, pushing your limits, measuring success in results, victories and achievements. But losing someone you love makes you realise how little of that truly matters in the end.”
View this post on Instagram
She continued: “What made this experience even harder was that just a few hours after my mum had passed away, I had to undergo a doping control at home, in the room next to where she lay.
“I understand the importance of clean sport, and I have always respected the responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete. But in that moment, I was clearly not thinking about cycling, competition or my responsibilities as an athlete. I was a daughter who had just lost her mum.
“Having to navigate a doping control in those circumstances felt deeply painful, profoundly out of place and disrespectful towards my family. It was a moment that made me reflect on how easily we can forget that behind every athlete, there is a human being with a life, a family and emotions that do not simply disappear when the responsibilities of professional sport begin.
“I believe in clean sport. But I also believe that humanity, compassion and respect should never be forgotten.”
We have approached the ITA and the UCI for comment.
“I wasn’t desperate for it to end, which was odd”: Lachlan Morton officially faster than 197 horses as Australian breaks Pony Express record, covering 3,217km route in six days, 21 hours, and 15 minutes
A few hours ago in California, Lachlan Morton completed his latest long-range exploit, breaking the record for the Pony Express – proving once and for all that he is, in fact, faster than a horse.
In what may well be his final cycling adventure in the pink of EF, as he leaves the team at the end of the year, Morton decided to pay homage to the riders who carried post on horseback from St Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California back in the nineteenth century.
After riding for 3,217km riding on the trail, which included some stiff headwind sections, mud in the Nevada mountains, and a tough, cold slog across the Sierra Nevada, Morton reached Sacramento at 11.19pm last night.
His time of six days, 21 hours, and 15 minutes meant he covered the distance 19 hours and 45 minutes faster than the previous record, apparently set by the 197 or so horse riders who delivered Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address on the Pony Express in 1861.
Which isn’t the kind of sentence you write every day on the live blog. But I suppose that’s kind of the point for Morton and EF, who peppered their press release with somewhat overblown references to the American west and its constant state of becoming (or something like that). There aren’t many Morton pressers to come, they need to strike while the iron’s hot.
“I had an amazing time,” Morton said in his statement. “I wasn’t desperate for it to end, which was odd. I was really just having a great time.
“It was something I’d been dreaming about for years, so it’s great to be here. It’s great to have the community out here, too. It’s such a big route that it’s always hard to know what to expect.
“You look at a map, but you just see a line. You don’t really see what that line is going to mean. There was a lot that was intimidating, but I felt like I was able to enjoy it a lot more than I expected, even though it was really hard. There was so much riding that I loved, and it was a combination of the kinds of riding I really enjoy doing.
“On top of just being hard, it was really satisfying. I didn’t think I’d be able to enjoy the route as much as I did, given how challenging it was. It’s very satisfying.”
Gravel and a GOAT
The European racing season drew to a close yesterday with one of my favourite events of the entire calendar, the gravelly, punchy Paris-Tours (though I’m still undecided whether I preferred the older sprinters’ course).
At the end of a dramatic, attack-filled finale, which saw a super-strong 11-rider group battle it out for the win, Visma’s Per Strand Hagenes timed his move to perfection in the last kilometre, holding off Jasper Stuyven and teammate Christophe Laporte for a big, morale-boosting win heading into the winter:
View this post on Instagram
And speaking of gravel, the gravel world championships were on in the wee, wee hours down under, with Magnus Bak Klaris taking the men’s race ahead of defending champion Florian Vermeersch and Connor Swift, while Marianne Vos secured the 15th rainbow jersey (15th!) of her career with a dominant solo win:
View this post on Instagram
They don’t call her the GOAT for nothing.
If you love 31-inch wheels and delayed gratification, Newmen have just the release for you…
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In the second picture (above) of the VAGUS bike, what's the handlebar made of? It looks odd
As someone who is podiatrically girthy, I've always been forced to ride flats or toe clips. Even mtb shoes are hit and miss as to getting a good fit
Weird - what have they got against people from Enfield?
and I found that I had to tighten the laces more or less to the maximum to get my long and slim feet to feel secure - a nice 🖕 to e n 1 with wide feet
@kingleo Yep. Somehow a helmet prevented any serious head injury, in an impact strong enough to break an arm (a bone comparable in strength to the skull...) And people will quote this as proof, while ignoring that the person making the statement has relatively limited expertise. For useful data on effectiveness of helmets, see skiing - similar risk, similar level of protection (to the extent that some ski helmets are certified for cycling) and better data (usage tracked by lift gate photos; milage tracked by uplift from lift passes at lift gates; injuries tracked by piste patrol rescue against lift passes; recent massive changes in rates of helmet wearing). Oh; Huge reduction in all injuries; No impact on fatalities (and minimal impact on serious injuries); Basically for skiing, wearing a helmet is well worth it, because it means you don't lose half a day and pay a small fortune for the piste patrol to take you down to the clinic at the bottom to get your cuts bandaged. But the helmet isn't preventing death. Its preventing cuts that a decent first aider can treat. I suspect this is similar to why you should wear one mountain biking - the minor cuts and bruises become a LOT more serious when your in the middle of nowhere with access requiring specialist equipment or long hikes.
@markvr It is pearl clutching to want to try and ban something because of a danger that only exists in your imagination. Cargo bike stopping distances are not actually much higher, because most of them have 203 mm discs with four pot callipers, so although they are heavier they have much more stopping power. Additionally, a cargo bike carrying 100 kg of bricks is not going to be ridden fast and so the rider will often have a better chance of seeing, anticipating and stopping than a solo cyclist. You're just making up a danger that simply doesn't exist, where are your examples of people being put in danger or hit by cargo bikes? If heavily laden cargo bikes could be ridden in the same manner and at the same speed as a lightweight road bike you might have a point, but they can't. Your objection is like saying racehorses can be dangerous, a donkey pulling a cart can weigh more than a racehorse, therefore donkeys pulling carts are more dangerous than racehorses.
"AI spots nearly 19,000 'shocking' road offences" But cyclists. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39wzpegqgd9o As I've said previously, when it comes to road safety enforcement... "We have the technology. We just don't have the political will to make it happen."
@EK Spinner My guess would be because it means you can have a normal length chain. If the rear wheel was 1m further back from the normal position, it would require a chain 2m longer.
@Rendel Harris I'm surprised that they still have site access privileges given the racist comments about an MP the other day
@Rendel Harris what an absurd response. Of course I think of my children's safety. It's not pearl clutching to do that. They are much more vulnerable and less predictable than someone who is experienced at commuting every day. And whataboutery is not a valid argument. Just because something else is also dangerous doesn't negate my point. Your stopping distance is much higher on a heavy cargo bike, you are much less agile. At some point you shouldn't be mixing with vulnerable cyclists and should use the roads. Bike paths are for cyclist, not carrying heavy cargo around. At 15mph 100kg of bricks hitting you is going to do far more damage than a person would. At some point you should be on the roads, not weaving in and around pedestrians and other cyclists.
1 thought on “Il Lombardia winner Paul Seixas forced to pose with “idiot” mayor who banned all cyclists from city centre and called for bike licence plates; Lachlan Morton breaks Pony Express record; Healy on Pogačar-less racing; Safety protest + more on the live blog”
“AI spots nearly 19,000 ‘shocking’ road offences”
But cyclists.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39wzpegqgd9o
As I’ve said previously, when it comes to road safety enforcement…
“We have the technology.
We just don’t have the political will to make it happen.”