Muc-Off making sanitisers and donating anti-bac products to NHS; Piers Morgan slams “moron cyclist”; Bardet against lockdown exception for pros; Paris outdoor exercise ban; Ineos hosting Zwift ride on Sunday; Froome joins Tik Tok + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Caught on camera: the father and son riding round town dressed as Batman and Robin to 'cheer people up'
Father and son dressed like Batman and Robin spotted outside supermarket pic.twitter.com/04E4STR3kR
— The Independent (@Independent) April 7, 2020
We reported on Steve Smart and his buy’s daily rides dressed as the superheroes on Friday… and now it appears some footage has been tracked down. Mr Smart says they will continue doing the rounds in Trowbridge during the pandemic while they’re getting their daily exercise in an effort to bring a smile to those feeling the effects of lockdown.
G gets a fresh chop
Lockdown chop ✂️ @StevoCummings want it sending up mate? pic.twitter.com/77cElj6XkC
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) April 7, 2020
Speculation in the comments that it isn’t head hair… and who knows, because we haven’t seen the results of the home haircut yet!
"Cyclists are putting an extra burden on the NHS": oh wait....
Cyclists! Your lockdown reminder of the risk your riding places upon an overburdened NHS. You must stay home or cycling may be banned.
Drivists! Carry on as normal. You’re fine. https://t.co/0LR46HUxkd
— IBikeHorsham is mainly staying home (@ibikehorsham) April 8, 2020
Ineos are hosting a Zwift group ride on Easter Sunday, and also facing off in a pro race afterwards
If you’ve asked me to join you for a ride on @GoZwift here’s your opportunity 🚴🏻♂️
And what better way to burn off those Easter eggs? 🐰
See you on Sunday #StayHome #StayHealthy https://t.co/Ql5nCYIG9Y— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) April 8, 2020
Chris Froome and co are inviting you to burn off the Easter eggs at 3pm on Sunday with a ride of approximately 40 minutes in length on Zwift. You can also watch Ineos riders (well their avatars) competing in their own race at 5pm.
You can sign up here.
Paris bans outdoor exercise
After surpassing 10,000 coronavirus deaths, France’s capital has further tightened its restrictions by banning outdoor exercise between 10am and 7pm and making face masks compulsory.
Reuters report that the ban will come into effect today, and is in response to concerns iver seeing too many people outside getting exercise and congregating on busy streets. Mayor Anne Hidalgo – who recently launched a hugely ambitious cycling infrastructure scheme for Paris – is in favour citizens getting exercise, but only after 7pm to reduce numbers.
Countrywide, the French are only allowed out for an hour and aren’t supposed to go more than 1km away from their homes. 395,000 fines have already been given out by French police for flouting the rules, according to Forbes.
Is the UK heading the same way?
"This is not the time for selfishness": Romain Bardet against pros getting exemptions to continue riding outside through the lockdown
Pour @romainbardet, il n’y a “pas d’urgence” à rouler dehors et donc pas de nécessité d’une dérogation, à l’heure actuelle, pour les coureurs cyclistes.https://t.co/jizhNEJrlN pic.twitter.com/5I3DJnKf4C
— Clément Guillou (@JeuneGuillou) April 7, 2020
As his country’s capital has further tightened their restrictions, AG2R’s Romain Bardet has told Le Monde that he is against pro cyclists getting special dispensation to continue training outside:
“There is no urgency to have the right to ride on the road (requested by the French Cyclist’s Union according to the article). This will only be important when we have a recovery schedule.
“Right now it would be comfort and a personal pleasure, but everyone is tired of confinement. If pros are going to ride, amateurs will want to do it too. And while there is talk of a drop in respect for the rules, the message would not be positive. This is not the time for selfishness.”
Bardet also says that he hasn’t quite got to grips with online racing, catching up on the virtual Tour of Flanders on Sunday but saying it “didn’t attract” him.
Real or photoshopped? Crazy shot of Chris Froome in mid-air at Tour de Yorkshire
Is this real or photoshopped, @chrisfroome? #flyingfroome https://t.co/R398RxqzrE
— Tour de Yorkshire 🚴 (@letouryorkshire) April 8, 2020
Most in the comments are saying it’s real, while Chris Froome has retweeted but not shed any light… what do you reckon?
Chris Froome has took boredom to a new level and joined Tik Tok
@chrisfroome Crazy times at the Tour de France! Not one of my finest moments 😆 ##omg ##cycling ##tourdefrance ##throwback ##chrisfroome
The first person over the age of 16 to join the video-sharing app happens to be a four-time Tour de France winner, as Froome lets us in on his life in the most meme-tastic way possible… running up the Ventoux with a dubstep soundtrack anyone?
Piers Morgan berates "moron cyclist" in background as he interviews Health Minister on Good Morning Britain
This is quite the piece of live television. Health Minister Edward Argar on Good Morning Britain pestered by a lad swooping behind him on a bike, before police officer follows in pursuit #SocialDistancing #StayHome #lockdown pic.twitter.com/iENQ52tPHe
— Dan Sales (@ByDanSales) April 8, 2020
What is wrong with people!! Still ignoring the #SocialDistancing rules and thinks it’s funny to get this close Edward Argar just to get his 5 second of fame on @GMB What an utter tool! #StayHomeSaveLives #coronalockdownuk @piersmorgan pic.twitter.com/e4i2ujM9C5
— Scott Pudney (@ScottPudney2) April 8, 2020
The Good Morning Britain presenter appeared angry that the youngster on the bike appeared to be ignoring social distancing rules as he rode into the background behind Health Minister Edward Argar, who was being interviewed live.
Morgan said to Argar via video link: “I want to apologise for the complete moron that was cycling right up next to you with his phone during that interview.
“You may not have even been aware of it. He was ignoring all social distancing rules, trying to – I guess – make a little celebrity of himself.
“Morons like that are literally costing lives and I just want to say how sorry I am that that idiot did that to you in the interview.”
Lionel Sanders wins his first e-sports race
“You have an opportunity right now to race a World Champion, and you’re hmmming and harrring over it? So here I am…”
If you haven’t heard of Lionel, he’s a triathlete. A very good one. And he just beat World Cyclocross Champion and cycling superstar, Matthieu Van der Poel, in the Ronde van Zwift.
Here is his vlog from the day.
Contador auctions 2011 Giro/TdF race bike for charity
Hola a todos, seguimos luchando con este Covid-19 y quiero hacer un esfuerzo más. Voy a subastar esta bici, original de Giro-Tour 2011 muy especial para mí, lo recaudado irá íntegro para #cruzrojaresponde , lo haré a través de EBay, os dejo el enlace en mi Bio. Un abrazo fuerte pic.twitter.com/UOAJATNbg5
— Alberto Contador (@albertocontador) April 8, 2020
Spanish former pro, Alberto Contador is actioning the bike on which he won* the 2011 Giro d’Italia and rode to 5th* place at the Tour de France that same year.
The GC specialist, who rode for SaxoBank-Sunguard at the time was subsequently stripped of these results due to a backdated ban for a positive test.
The bike is a Specialized S-Works Tarmac with Zipp wheels, a Sram Red groupset and a Specialized crankset.
It’s certainly a bike that has seen some attacking riding and the money raised will go to the Spanish Red Cross to support their work against coronavirus.
Muc-Off now making sanitisers and donate anti-bacterial products to the NHS
To help out with the fight against coronavirus, Muc-Off, who usually makes pink bike cleaning products, has switched some of their production over to sanitisers. They’ve also pledged to provide 100,000 anti-bacterial products to the NHS and frontline workers.
To speed up production, Muc-Off is using product packaging for its existing lines. So your hand sanitiser will arrive in a chain lube bottle while hand and surface sprays will use bottles normally used for their bike and chain cleaners.
They have also donated unused bottles from their high-performance chain lube line to other companies who were experiencing a shortfall.
You can buy products from the anti-bacterial range here, with 10% of the profits going to the World Health Organisations COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
8 April 2020, 08:26
The organisation said that it was forced to make the decision for financial reasons as it faces a drop in income of up to £4 million in the coming months due to the cancellation of events - full story below
British Cycling to furlough a third of its workforce as it faces £4m drop in income
CEO Julie Harrington says "tough decision" will see 90 roles furloughed during April and May
8 April 2020, 08:26
Another lockdown edition of our Shiny Stuff series...
Video: Shiny Stuff episode 3 featuring Suplest, Giant, Fabric and Blackburn
Shoes, tyres, pumps and lights feature in this lockdown edition of Shiny Stuff...
8 April 2020, 08:26
The Royal Parks is reportedly discussing with media organisations the issue of how cyclists riding there are portrayed
Misleading press pictures of Regent’s Park cyclists reportedly lead to aggression from drivers
Royal Parks is said to be discussing with media portrayal of cyclists using its parks
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35 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)
35 thoughts on “Muc-Off making sanitisers and donating anti-bac products to NHS; Piers Morgan slams “moron cyclist”; Bardet against lockdown exception for pros; Paris outdoor exercise ban; Ineos hosting Zwift ride on Sunday; Froome joins Tik Tok + more on the live blog”
Are the French saying you
Are the French saying you have to exercise with a face mask ?
“Paris bans outdoor exercise
“Paris bans outdoor exercise between 7pm and 10am” – proof reader required for road.cc? I have some free time on my hands at the moment.
Quote:
How strange that the car
How strange that the car involved is an Audi?!
Jem PT wrote:
The clue is in the name. Another Useless Driver Inside
The hitch on that trailer
The hitch on that trailer-bike looks a bit loose.
We had one of those trail
We had one of those trail-gators, and they always tilt. The centre of mass of the child is above the towbar, so there is a turning moment twisting the bar. The linkages don’t have the torsional stiffness to keep things perpendicular.
However they enable you take your kids riding for miles, cos when they get tired you just hitch them back up and tow them. Only worry is if they fall asleep….. I even took mine on one of the trails at Dalby Forest
They dont always do that.
They dont always do that. Just require lots of fettling to get them to stop it. Having a seat post you dont give a damn about helps too.
Squirrels are always better
Squirrels are always better fettlers than badgers. It’s the size of the claws.
Captain Badger wrote:
.
Morgan said to Argar via
Morgan said to Argar via video link: “I want to apologise for the complete moron that was cycling right up next to you with his phone during that interview.
“You may not have even been aware of it. He was ignoring all social distancing rules, trying to – I guess – make a little celebrity of himself.“
What a tosser! Eh, Piers….
“This is quite the piece of
“This is quite the piece of live television. Health Minister Edward Argar on Good Morning Britain pestered by a lad swooping behind him on a bike, before police officer follows in pursuit”
Pursuit??
No wonder the rozzers never catch anyone…
Was there any reason why the
Was there any reason why the Health Minister Edward Argar was in Westminster giving interviews, surely his office would be in Whitehall, shouldn’t he be working there and giving interviews by video link. Or indeed working remotely from home, and still giving interviews over videolink.
Has anyone else been obsrving qualities of bookshelves behind various talking heads, or bits of art. There was someone, probably on newsnight, could have been David Livington, about being May’s stand in, and he’d really not thought about it, high angle on the laptop camera, head obscuring small bookcase, but showing good views of a bad ceiling fault and a naked light bulb.
Compare this to the previous
Compare this to the previous videolink, showing a very impressive bookcase, with an equally impressive collection of books,
And even earlier IDS, and I
And even earlier IDS, and I don’t know about anyone else, but this is more of a display peice, and he doesn’t look as though he’s read those, unlike the very practical Jonathon Powell’s shelves filled with books that look as though he’s read them all. All from the same edition of Newsnight too.
Having a nosey at bookshelves
Having a nosey at bookshelves / picture frames has also become one of my lockdown pastimes when I’m not touring Watopia.
Piers Morgan – a man who is
Piers Morgan – a man who is to civilised conversation what David Irving is to historical evidence
When you even get lamped by
When even Jeremy Clarkson lamps you in the jaw, you need to have a serious word with yourself.
People are jumping to the
People are jumping to the conclusion that this is not the real Batman and sidekick.
And in other not at all Covid
And in other not at all Covid news
World’s steepest street: Harlech loses title to New Zealand
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-52215151
As someone who comes from
As someone who comes from Dunedin – Yay!!! I never doubted it.
I’ve ridden my motorbike up and down it but when
I took my wife there in dad’s ’67 Beetle I
decided (wisely, even now) that it wouldn’t
make the turn at the top without toppling over!
People pratting around in the
People pratting around in the backgroud while things are being filmed are certainly tiresome, but it doesn’t look like he was actually close enough to be breaking distancing guidelines. Unless he’s very tiny.
Small…. Far away….
Small…. Far away….
Aaah forget it!
To be fair to Piers Morgan,
To be fair to Piers Morgan, he said “the complete moron that was cycling”. That is not the same as “moron cyclist”.
Why should we be fair to
Why should we be fair to Piers Morgan?
There are lots of people he isn’t fair to.
Though I do like the idea of claiming higher moral ground.
Not many sentences start with
Not many sentences start with “To be fair to Piers Morgan…”
I think that’s an important
I think that’s an important distinction – to the anti-cycling brigade “cyclist” is a pejorative term, mostly used to associate us all with some arsehole who just happens to ride a bike.
For the record I think he’s a prick for many other reasons but Morgan actually got the language right here.
Whenever I engage with a
Whenever I engage with a mouth-breathing “fackin cyclists” type, I’m always at pains to use the term “person who happens to be riding a bike”, for that very reason.
“To help out with the fight
“To help out with the fight against corona[b]virus[/b], Muc-Off, who usually makes pink bike cleaning products, has switched some of their production over to [b]anti-bacterial[/b] products.”
Underrated reply. It’s
Underrated reply. It’s amazing that the public don’t seem to understand the difference between a bacterium and a virus – and the media don’t seem willing or able to teach it.
Indeed. Hopefully this catch
Indeed. Hopefully this catch all “Anti-Bacterial” branding doesn’t extend into their actual product development program. I’d hate to think that Muc-Off will end up marketing the clinical equivalent of car bomb detectors
One of the bridleways I ride
One of the bridleways I ride in the southern Chilterns was surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of bluebells today, they weren’t there yesterday.
And 2 days ago I heard a woodpecker.
Brilliant isn’t it. It almost
Brilliant isn’t it. It almost feels like we’re being deafened by birdsong. I was out for a run this morning and heard a woodpecker, I stopped, and after some looking in the tree found him – greater spotted I think. I waited and then he pecked. Amazing to see.
It’s great. I live in North London and am now being woken up by the “dawn chorus”. Lockdown brings many challenges, but it’s important to enjoy the positives that it brings, while we can.
That Batman and Robin – they
That Batman and Robin – they are not ‘getting their daily exercise’ the child is being dragged along. He looks as if he’s hanging on.