Ricky Gervais goes cycling, says stop “acting like t*wats” (no, not you); Zwift peaks at 35,000 users… but are pros spoiling the fun?; Motorbiking Zwifter goes viral; ‘Coolest car in cycling’ stolen; Kitchen CX with Frank Schleck +more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Weekend catch-up
Too busy watching the (virtual) Tour of Flanders to catch up on the rest of your bike-related news over the weekend? Here’s what you missed…
Luke Rowe buys new bike for Cardiff doctor whose bike was stolen
Oldest Tour of Flanders winner Andrei Tchmil reveals he has been operated on for cancer
Virtual Race Across America to take place in custom Zwift environment
Mail accused of distorting truth in “MAMIL madness” Regents Park cyclists story
CCC Team slashes rider wages and suspends support staff contracts in battle to survive
Greg Van Avermaet emerges victorious from virtual 'Tour of Flanders'
The Belgian and 12 other pros including Thomas De Gendt and Jasper Stuyven ‘faced off’ for the last hour of a virtual Tour of Flanders course using Bkool’s training app from the discomfort of their homes, with Van Avermaet clinching the victory. Oliver Naesen beat Irishman Nicholas Roche for second, while De Gendt was fourth.
The race was set to be held yesterday, but instead took place over the final 30km of the course in Bkool’s virtual world because of the coronavirus pandemic. There was also a Zwift version that Mathieu Van der Poel took part in, because he has contractual obligations with Zwift.
CCC rider Avermaet was thrilled with his victory in the ‘Lockdown’ version of the race, but hopes it will be the last nonetheless…
Happy with my 1st victory (and hopefully the last) in today’s lockdown @RondeVlaanderen! Slightly different but I enjoyed it. Stay safe you all! 🤞 #RideForMore pic.twitter.com/8RuPoHKOoP
— Greg Van Avermaet (@GregVanAvermaet) April 5, 2020
Zwift vs Bkool: who did the Virtual Ronde better?
Both training platforms staged virtual versions of the Tour of Flanders yesterday. If you watched the action, which did you prefer? Does it pass for reasonably entertaining entertainment?? There are definitely worse things on TV on a Sunday morning, we reckon…
Almost 35,000 people were using Zwift simultaneously over the weekend
Last Sunday we hit a new high of 28,305, then yesterday we broke the 30k mark for the first time in Zwift’s history.
But this morning we blew away our record again – hitting a peak of ~34,940 at precisely 2am PDT, or 9am GMT. Ride… https://t.co/9Mjkz12kIp pic.twitter.com/NARihcpDdY— Zwift Insider (@zwiftinsider) April 5, 2020
The already popular virtual training app has hit new heights since the coronavirus pandemic has forced many cyclists indoors; and according to Zwift Insider, a peak of almost 35,000 users were riding simultaneously at 8am yesterday morning. Considering that is double what the peak was in January – and Zwift Insider also claims the number has grown by over 6,500 in a week – its popularity is still very much on the rise.
However, it’s not all virtual hugs and kissed in Watopia, as a number of users on the Zwift Riders Facebook page have expressed their frustration at pro riders stealing their thunder and making it impossible for mortals to compete in the game’s ‘A-Grade’ rides.
One says: “With the number of pros jumping on Zwift I think we need a new grade above the current A grade. I used to be competitive now I have no chance to even hold on to the top tier despite being 4w/kg.”
Another has even started a series on Instagram documenting getting dropped by pro avatars on Zwift, and another has counted that 131 known pro cyclists are now signed up to the game. Does it need a level above the current four for the elite, or are Zwifters being too precious? Tis only a game after all…
Frank Schleck's household CX course
What it lacks in mud it makes up for in some very tricky twists and turns, as the Luxumberger does som cyclocrossing in his kitchen.
What to do if you're getting rinsed by pros on Zwift
10 percent of the dudes on @GoZwift are trolling 😂 pic.twitter.com/qGOJac6lWH
— Chris Carlson (@Kiss_my_Panache) April 5, 2020
So as a solution to our earlier question, it looks like this gentleman has nailed it by overtaking the competition at warp speed using a motorbike. In all seriousness, please don’t really do this…
Another pro gets flagged on Zwift for a superhuman effort
Hello @GoZwift can you please help me? I’ve just been flagged for super human numbers while doing my VO2 max intervals in Watopia? I promise it’s the real deal 💪🤣 pic.twitter.com/HSRNaD5dvt
— Ashleigh Moolman (@ashleighcycling) April 3, 2020
We’re going to need a separate Zwift live blog at this rate… as after the same thing happened to Thomas De Gendt last week, another pro has had their ride flagged for producing numbers that the system flagged as unrealistic.
CCC’s Ashleigh Moolman says Zwift was unconvinced by her V02 max interval numbers, and once again the virtual training platform has said they will be looking into it and “a fix will be coming very soon”…
Hey Ashleigh! We’re really sorry about this, it’s a bug we’re aware of and a fix is coming very very soon. 🙌
— Zwift (@GoZwift) April 3, 2020
Chris Froome spots Luke Rowe's RAOK
I see the legend @LukeRowe1990 has sorted him out ☺️
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) April 6, 2020
The four-time Tour de France champ saw that Rowe had bought a bike for a Cardiff doctor who had theirs stolen; although a nice yellow Pinarello wouldn’t be a bad idea for the commute surely?
"Stop sunbathing in parks or we'll ban exercising outside"
“Stop sunbathing in parks or we’ll ban exercising outside”….. Seems fair 🙄
— Duncan Shea-Simonds (@DSS123) April 5, 2020
Some are accusing the government of picking on the wrong targets by threatening to ban outdoor exercising as a way to stop those who were out catching rays in the park at the weekend… will tougher measures simply penalise those following the rules, while the rulebreakers will carry on the same?
The Times accused of using a telephoto lens to make it appear like cyclists are riding in a bunch on Box Hill
Excellent use of a telephoto lens by @thetimes, misleading image and reporting.
How about a photo of the 6 superbike riders at the top of the hill in conversation about how they don’t care about the rules because they can outrun police?Thx @_D415Y_ for the other perspective pic.twitter.com/ZgznnJrLNT
— Francis Cade (@Francis_Cade) April 6, 2020
The accusations were made by former pro cyclist-turned filmmaker Francis Cade, with The Mirror also accused of using the same technique to make cyclists appear like they are riding in a group in this article. Neither newspaper has confirmed or denied using a telephoto lens on their articles yet, although we’ll be contacting them for comment and publishing a full article later this afternoon.
Quarantined cycling bingo
While we’re here getting all memey, why not have a go at our very own social distancing game? You’ll find me having a post-race piss-up with Jeremy Corbyn…
Check out this 3D-printed cleat alignment tool
I made a thing! DIY Bicycle Cleat Fitting Alignment tool for SPD Pedals – 3D Printed! from r/bicycling
Could this be the thing to prevent the headache of making sure your cleats are spot on each time? An SPD-SL version wouldn’t go amiss either!
Pros on Zwift verdict: it's only a game
You’ll read further down this blog that some Zwifters were feeling a little miffed that they had fallen down leaderboards due to the influx of professionals (reportedly well over 100) getting their training fix on the platform while they’re in lockdown due to coronavirus. The general consensus is… lighten up!
We can strongly relate to this observation by Ant James…
Peter Sagan balancing on an exercise ball wearing a centurion mask says "stay at home"
Stay safe at home everybody pic.twitter.com/DVAuvKX4Cj
— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) April 4, 2020
No idea what we’ve just saw… but who cares it’s Peter Sagan and he wants us to stay at home, so we’ll do just that.
"Wouldn't it be nice if people would stop acting like tw*ts?" Ricky Gervais' observations from his socially distanced bike ride in London
The comic decided to go for a bike ride at the weekend – and during this YouTube vlog, opened to the tune of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys, Gervais exclaimed: “Wouldn’t it be nice if people would stop acting like tw*ts?”
Gervais was referring not to his fellow cyclists, but to families allegedly “blocking the whole pavement”, which he argued isn’t exactly conducive to social distancing:
“I thought the bike would be safer than running because you’re on the road, no one’s nearer except for cars… no”, he explains.
“Because there were so many people, like families going out – which is fair enough – but they block the whole pavement, and they dawdle. So people are walking in the street, in the road, to overtake them. So I have to keep stopping.
“And all I can do is tut. And even that you know. People go “who does he think he is?”. Oh god.”
He goes on to suggest that for the police to deter people who were reportedly out catching rays during the warm weekend, they should approach overweight sunbathers, record them on mobile phones and threaten to put the footage online. We’re not completely sure if that will become official government policy any time soon…
STOLEN TEAM CAR ALERT: Crit specialist Alec Briggs appeals for return of Team Tekkerz Mini Cooper
STOLEN.
Mini Cooper S works MPI with the official John cooper works conversion.
Reg: R168DNP.
Would appreciate people Retweeting so I can make it too hot to handle and I get it back. pic.twitter.com/26zWXQpdbm
— AlecBriggs/ Pedaler (@Alec_Pedaler) April 6, 2020
Callum Skinner calls it ‘the coolest car in cycling’, and unfortunately it’s now in the hands of thieves who saw fit to steal crit champ Alec Briggs’ custom team car. Hopefully the thieves lack the brain cells to get the car resprayed and it becomes too hot to handle…
6 April 2020, 08:23
Cav has revealed he was diagnosed with depression as he struggled to overcome the Epstein-Barr virus - full story below
Mark Cavendish reveals "dark" struggle with depression
Bahrain-McLaren sprinter says he is "on the other side" now after August 2018 diagnosis
6 April 2020, 08:23
The roads may be much quieter than usual at the moment, but there's still every chance of experiencing a close pass while out on the bike, as road.cc reader John found out recently...
Near Miss of the Day 394: Bendy bus driver gets close on quiet road
Our regular feature showing close passes from around the country - today it's Hertfordshire
6 April 2020, 08:23
Molteni or La Vie Claire? Peugeot-Shell or Z-Tomasso? There are some excruciating decisions to be made in the Full Kit Ranker quarter finals... make sure your vote counts
Full Kit Ranker quarter finals: your chance to vote for the greatest cycling jersey of all time
Some absolute classics were knocked out of our initial 16-jersey shortlist... which four will make it through to the semi-finals? Be sure to cast your votes so your fave has the best possible chance of winning!
6 April 2020, 08:23
What have e-bikes ever done for us? Quite a bit actually...
What are electric bikes good for? Should you get one?
Need a boost away from the lights, or help on the hills? An e-bike could be for you
6 April 2020, 08:23
The challenge, which involves donating a fiver or more to the Strava JustGiving page(link is external) and uploading one 10 minute activity per day for 12 days, has already raised over £80K
Strava launches NHS Active challenge and it raises £80k before it even starts
The challenge asks Strava users to give a fiver (or more) and get active for 12 days in a row
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17 Comments
Latest Comments
@robgodd The poor guy himself suffered a traumatic brain injury and his skull was so badly shattered a significant portion of it had to be removed - do me a favour, have a look around cycling helmet manufacturers and see if any of them claim the foam hats they produce will protect against or even mitigate that level of injury. I'll wait if you like, but I can save us both the time and tell you what you'll find: none of them. Not a single one of them will. Because they don't, and they *can't* based on simple physics. Once the point of failure in a material is reached all(or as near as makes no odds) of the additional force beyond that necessary threshhold transfers through to the object beneath. Since bicycle helmets are rated for forces roughly equivalent to being dropped straight down from a stationary start 1.5m above a hard surface. Now, I'm not an expert in vehicle crash investigation, but I'm *fairly* sure that any impact or series of impacts powerful enough to render a quarder of your skull into gravel, put you in a weeks-long coma, give you massive amnesia, and leave you with ongoing symptoms of traumatic brain injury are a little bit, a teeny-weeny amount, a little smidgeon-widgeon more than what bike helmets are rated for. That's why none of the companies that make them claim they will help in such circumstances: because they know it would be a lie, and that unlike uninformed punters, carbrained journalists, or "medical professionals" who think wearing a helmet would save you from a broken arm(an actual scenario encountered by a mate, who's nurse at the A&E tutted and harrumphed her way through his whole treatment due to his lack of helmet despite his bonce having come through *being hit by a car* - another scenario bike helmets are worthless in - completely unscathed), the lawyers for those companies know their business and understand that if you lie in advertising you will get sued into the ground.
The Battle of Ypres April 1915. The German infantry division advanced using das Brumptstadt Fahrarden. The slow speed kept them behind the cloud of chlorine gas as it drifted towards the Commonwealth trenches. The offensive cleaved a two mile gap in the Western Front. The use of cycles was copied by the Japanese as they invaded Singapore and Burmah. By then war technology had embraced wider low pressure tyres, carbon frames and hydration gels. The German forces decided not to incorporate cycling as part of Operation Session, as bike theft in London and the South East was rife and would have caused huge casualties. Ironically superior advancement of tyre technology led to a British victory at El Alamein. This technology played a key part in the US Marines victory at Iwo Jima.
The appropriate response to Google pissing on your cereal is not a fancy new sugar that removes the taste of urine. Stop using Google products where you can. Firefox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine have had noticeable upticks in market share by explicitly NOT pushing AI.
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
I do not wish to diminish the personal tragedy, but one never hear calls for pedestrians or even hikers to wear clothing with integrated lightening rods.
RE Andy Burnam / Heidi Alexander - this is the best thing in many ways - set an example (even if currently it leads to lots of online name-calling). And imagine some of the political alternatives! The folks in the apparently second-placed party seem incredibly unlikely to be doing so. And even the current "new Greens" seem less interested in ... y'know, environmental things. OTOH I wish Heidi could be bolder. And I fear that like anyone ambitious enough to get to the top (exception B Johnson - well, I guess there was the Corbyn bicycle...) Burnam will be trimming his transport policy sails to fit the wind (should that be "bunker-fuel-burning engines"?)
@mattsccm Bull bars aren't banned, they just have to conform to regulations so they are deformable or have plates that allow crumple give on contact, rather than rigid steel bars that can smash into pedestrians and cyclists with no give at all, catch them and drag them under the wheels. If you think that's a problem, do one. Why should who is responsible for a collision remove the responsibility of people driving a tonne of machinery on the road from having safety features to at least mitigate some of the effects of a collision?
I'd be willing to bet that's lazy use of stock photography rather than deliberate misinformation, but the result is still the same.
@smallbeer You obviously don't realise how many bulls there are wandering around Chelsea, in and out of the china shops, that he needs to protect his Range Rover from.
I agree, it's bloody 'elf and safety overreach, can't help some people, I put some meat, sorry, neat decoration on the front of mine and the polis were round poking their noses in like that (mind you, that was a mistake...) (etc)
17 thoughts on “Ricky Gervais goes cycling, says stop “acting like t*wats” (no, not you); Zwift peaks at 35,000 users… but are pros spoiling the fun?; Motorbiking Zwifter goes viral; ‘Coolest car in cycling’ stolen; Kitchen CX with Frank Schleck +more on the live blog”
There might be 35k using
There might be 35k using Zwift at one tiime, but a big majority are orange jersey noobs smashing it around the flat looking for drops. So just like real world riding, if you want solitude head for the mountains. The Alpe is lovely at this time of year.
If you want solitude just
If you want solitude just turn your WiFi off after loading the course.
Bingo, a nice lonely ride.
“We’re going to need a
“We’re going to need a separate Zwift live blog at this rate”
Is it part of a commercial deal with Zwift? It’s mentioned so much here that I start to wonder why.
We have done commercial deals
We have done commercial deals with Zwift (a series of sponsored articles) but not here. To be fair I’ve got no outdoor cycling to report on, if you don’t like Zwift and memes you might be better off elsewhere…
Way to go Jack…’if you don
Way to go Jack…’if you don’t like what I write, f off’. Thanks. Mate.
Not actually what he said,
Not actually what he said, but don’t let that stand in your way.
I was paraphrasing accurately
I was paraphrasing accurately.
You weren’t.
You weren’t.
An accurate paraphrasing would have been more along the lines of “There’s not much to put on a cycling blog at the moment that doesn’t involve virtual cycling and/or silliness. If that’s of no interest to you, it’s not likely to have much to offer you at the moment, unfortunately.”
He certainly didn’t in any way tell you to ‘f off’.
Harrogate
Which is perfectly true; apart from the paraphrasing and accuracy.
Almost 35,000 people were
“Almost 35,000 people were using Zwift simultaneously over the weekend”
You should send the picture from the Zwift story to the Daily Mail, see if they publish it as evidence of cyclists breaking social distancing rules.
Far too many of them don’t
Far too many of them don’t wear a helmet either. I hope Zwift has made them sign a waiver to avoid any legal consequences.
I bet they weren’t wearing
I bet they weren’t wearing high viz either, terrible.
Franck Schleck may have great
Frank Schleck may have great CX skills but he has no skill whatsoever in putting on mudguards properly.
“no chance to even hold on to
“no chance to even hold on to the top tier despite being 4w/kg”
Fml…….with numbers like that you’d get dropped on a club run.
If you are OCD over your
If you are OCD over your cleat alignment: you can get SPD and SPD-SL alignment tools from Ergon
https://www.ergonbike.com/en/product.html?a=bikefitting
I use the SPD version, and I
I use the SPD version, and I have a different view. If you’ve spent good money on a professional bike fit, then it’s a simple way of achieving repeatability and getting the most out of what you paid for, without being OCD about it.
Quote:
It seems more like phishing to me