Josh Quigley abandons seven-day cycling distance world record attempt due to injury; Cyclist films close encounter with alligator; More than 100 stolen bikes donated to NHS staff; Cav reflects on recent wins; Sagan to the Giro + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Met Police donates stolen bikes to NHS staff
This week #HereEast hosted a Bike Drive for @NHS staff in collaboration with @metpoliceuk and Pro Bike Service CIC.
NHS heroes were given free bikes as part of the Met’s recycling scheme to support those supporting us. More on @standardnews: https://t.co/6g8WoaLeNJ pic.twitter.com/IguVqSMN97
— Here East (@HereEast) April 29, 2021
More than 100 bicycles were given to NHS staff for free this week thanks to the work of bicycle charity Pro Bike Service CIC and the Metropolitan Police. The Met donated the bicycles, which were all believed to be stolen and had been in police storage unclaimed.
Pro Bike Services CIC restored the bikes, giving them a service and doing any repairs for free, while representatives from Bike Register and Sold Secure registered the staff’s new bicycles and provided locks.
Andrew Attfield from Barts Health NHS Trust was grateful for the donations: “If you’ve ever had your bike stolen or borrowed without your permission, you’ll know how upsetting it can be. Barts Health staff are incredibly grateful to the Metropolitan Police and Pro Bike Service CIC for organising this contribution.”
Bike theft from hospitals has become a significant problem, especially during the pandemic as more staff cycle to work to avoid public transport. In February, the London Cycling Campaign slammed poor bike parking facilities at University College Hospital after a recent spate of thefts.
Founder of Pro Bike Service CIC Lawrence Mohammed said he hopes more will be done to prevent bike thefts but was also keen to help support NHS staff who have given so much during the last year. “I believe it’s vital we tackle crime at multiple levels,” he said. “From early intervention with disadvantaged children, restorative justice and effective rehabilitation for offenders, to prevention through bike marking and the return of stolen bikes where possible.
“All of the bikes gifted need servicing, repair and new parts to be brought back to their former glory and the number of bikes the Met have secured exceeded my expectations. As a result, I am now calling on other bike shops to offer their support to this initiative.”
Aggressive cycling
Some very aggressive cycling in Putney tonight. pic.twitter.com/YjbDJ9x4Ag
— Jo Rigby (@Jo_Earlsfield) April 29, 2021
Florida cyclist captures close encounter with alligator on camera
There are times you just have to be grateful the worst wildlife we have to deal with in the UK is often just a bike-seeking pheasant…going off-road in Florida left one cyclist in this less-than-ideal spot. What do you do in this situation? Try and speed past before it notices or turn around? I am going for the latter…
Obviously the correct answer is stand a couple of metres away filming the gators until they move and you have yourself a viral video. According to NBC, Brenda Stelzer came across the reptiles on a trail at Bird Rookery Swamp near Naples in the south of the state.
“I guess I was a little afraid but not where I panicked,” Stelzer said. “I was like I either have to shut my phone off, back up and get a running start to bike past him quickly or just dismount the bike and put the bike between me and the alligators.”
A professor of ecology and environmental studies at Florida Gulf Coast University told the news outlet that cyclists should not be concerned if they see an alligator on a trail. “If you see a gator on a trail he is not there waiting to catch you and pull you off your bike he is just getting sun and doesn’t want to be disturbed. I feel like I need to be a gator length farther away from the front end of a gator. It’s a really really low probability that you are going to have a bad interaction with an alligator.”
Fair enough, professor, good advice for Floridians but I can tell you now, if I ever come across a trail-blocking gator here in England I will be turning around and sprinting back to the cafe…
ChiswickChaos Twitter account against LTNs and cycle lanes claims Strava is evidence of cyclists "racing" in Chiswick
Local #cycleflake keeps tellling people that there is no lycra cycle racing at #Chiswick However #strava shows a different picture. The roads (usually bridges and straight stretches) are popular. Each section is divided into segments. https://t.co/ur4EJheVXt pic.twitter.com/ThNWJuznNC
— ChiswickChaos (@chiswick_chaos) April 29, 2021
Sadly this account seems to have missed the point of the vast majority of rides uploaded to Strava and why cyclists use the app. The tweet leaps to the assumption that every time anyone records a ride they are going hell for leather to top the segment leaderboards, rather than possibly just wanting to track their rides, use maps, follow new routes or see where their mates have been riding…
I placed gold and silver in my race yesterday.
It was a three stage utility race. Haircut – food shop – hill climb.
I’m training for the big shop invitational this weekend. https://t.co/tw7YS8wKF1 pic.twitter.com/w4q2RnM9FU
— Andrew White (@ABeardWalks) April 30, 2021
"The Tour of Turkey is not the Tour de France, but just to win again after some years of physical and psychological difficulties is something special": Cav reflects on Tour of Turkey wins
Mark Cavendish penned a blog on Deceuninck-Quick-Step’s website to reflect on his winning return at the Tour of Turkey. The 30-time Tour de France stage winner explained the emotion of being back on the top step of the podium, regardless of the fact it was not at a Grand Tour or WorldTour race.
“The Tour of Turkey is not the Tour de France, but just to win again after some years of physical and psychological difficulties is something special. Raising my hands is super emotional, as I felt a lot of people had just given up on me over the last years. But Patrick [Lefevere] believed in me, I owe him so much. He is my hero.
“I’ll work towards my next races now. I want to help the team where and when is possible and enjoy every day on the bike with The Wolfpack, because whatever comes from now on is a bonus.”
Cav won four stages of the race but was just as happy to see teammate Fabio Jakobsen back in the peloton. “It’s amazing seeing the guys work for me and afterwards celebrating together. Especially Fabio, having done this Tour of Turkey with him is incredible. I remember him as a neo-pro, I’ve seen him grow. I was there in Poland last year and to have him in the team with us now is great, it’s a big step seeing him back in the bunch after what happened.
“The pride for me that he was involved in the four wins is enormous. Deceuninck – Quick-Step is special, it’s a family. We win together and we lose together.”
Peter Sagan to ride the Giro d'Italia as Bora-hansgrohe announce line-up for first Grand Tour of the season
THE GIRO D`ITALIA IS COMING! 🇮🇹 👑
Check out our lineup for the first Grand Tour this year!
🇮🇹 Giovanni Aleotti
🇮🇹 Cesare Benedetti
🇵🇱 Maciej Bodnar
🇩🇪 Emanuel Buchmann
🇮🇹 Matteo Fabbro
🇦🇹 Felix Großschartner
🇮🇹 Daniel Oss
🇸🇰 Peter Sagan#GirodItalia #Giro #borahansgrohe pic.twitter.com/vY15viT6D0— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) April 30, 2021
As expected Peter Sagan will be on the start line in Turin next Saturday for the Giro d’Italia. Sagan debuted at the race last season, winning stage ten. The three-time world champion appears to be in good form ahead of the Giro having won Wednesday’s first road stage of the Tour de Romandie and he should get another crack at victory later today. Sagan will be joined by the team’s GC hopeful Emanuel Buchmann who finished fourth at the Tour de France in 2019.
Your Reilly, your way
Here is a fitting tribute to renowned framebuilder Mark Reilly who sadly died last month. Mark’s legacy will live on with every ride cyclists make using one of his frames. As you can see in this video, there are plenty of them.
Josh Quigley forced to abandon seven-day cycling distance world record attempt due to injury
With regret, Josh has had to abandon the attempt due to injury. More details will follow shortly, but we just wanted to keep people informed in the meantime.
7 DAY CYCLING WORLD RECORD 🚴🏻♂️🥇
Sponsor: @Thomas_Franks_
Charity: @Arthritis_ACTN
— Josh Quigley (@JoshQuigley2026) April 30, 2021
Unfortunately Josh Quigley had to abandon his seven-day cycling distance world record attempt this lunchtime due to an injury. Josh covered more than 1,200 miles in the first five days and was chasing down the 2,177-mile target by trying to ride 320 miles each day. His efforts were made more remarkable by the fact that as recently as January, he was hospitalised with multiple fractures following a training crash in Dubai.
That incident was just over a year since he was forced to abandon his around-the-world attempt after a horror collision with a driver in Texas left him with a punctured lung and multiple fractures. In September he broke the North Coast 500 record, covering the 516-mile route across the Scottish Highlands in 31 hours, five minutes faster than the previous best.
DAY 5: 15 MILES / 1215 MILES TOTAL / 56% OF RECORD
7 DAY CYCLING WORLD RECORD 🚴🏻♂️🥇
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS: GREATEST DISTANCE CYCLED IN ONE WEEK – UNPACED 🌍🏆
Sponsor: @Thomas_Franks_
Charity: @Arthritis_ACTN pic.twitter.com/jSJOtRxGPw
— Josh Quigley (@JoshQuigley2026) April 30, 2021
Primal Europe launches 'Shut Up Legs' collaboration with former pro rider Jens Voigt
Primal Europe has teamed up with Jens Voigt and his iconic ‘Shut Up Legs’ brand to bring out some flashy new kits with the former pro rider’s catchphrase prominent in the design. The range includes four striking jersey and bib short combinations, including a navy jersey with ‘Shut Up Legs’ literally written all over it to remind you what to do on that killer final climb of a long ride.
“Early in my career, at some of my first races, I realised that attacking is just my nature. I am a person that acts instead of reacts,” Voigt explained. “It’s the same with a lot of things in life. If you come to a room where nobody knows anybody else, instead of having an embarrassing silence, I just break the silence and chat to the first person next to me. It’s the same in cycling. I like to make things happen.”
Well, that is the philosophy behind the man. The kits look quite cool too…
A video to make your legs hurt
Can’t stop. Won’t stop.
Rigo’s training in Colombia is going quite well these days 🇨🇴 🤜 pic.twitter.com/anocPz03yn
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) April 29, 2021
Oof, that is steep…wonder if this is Rigo training to finally drop that pesky backpack-wearing local in his baggy khakis…
British Cycling updates National Road Series calendar
British Cycling has updated us on their plans for the 2021 HSBC National Road Series. The rounds in Sheffield (14 July), Colne (20 July) and the Midlands (30 July) have been cancelled due to “ongoing challenges associated with Covid-19”. It is hoped the rounds in Otley and Barnsley, scheduled for 30 June and 9 July respectively will go ahead and British Cycling hinted at the possibility of adding a new round for both the men’s and women’s series.
The National Road Championships has not been cancelled but will move to a new date later in the year, which will be announced in the current weeks. The event had originally been scheduled for 24-27 June.
British Cycling’s head of sport and major events Jonathan Day explained the challenge for race organisers. “While we have been really encouraged by the appetite for racing since the resumption of activities on March 29, it is sadly clear that difficulties remain in securing the necessary local permissions required for hosting larger scale events.
“We are incredibly thankful for the efforts of all of our event organisers and look forward to welcoming those which have sadly been cancelled today back onto the calendar in 2022. The team is also continuing to support those organisers whose events remain on the calendar, and after a challenging 12 months we’re excited to get things underway at the Women’s CiCLE Classic on June 27th.”
Marc Soler wins stage three of Tour de Romandie
This Netflix episode will be glorious, I can feel it. 🤫 #TDR2021 pic.twitter.com/roZiTR88fo
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) April 30, 2021
One of the stars of Movistar’s Netflix documentary Marc Soler had a message for the haters as he crossed the finish line at the Tour de Romandie today…
The Spaniard attacked on the final climb and survived until the end in what can only be described as miserable conditions. Magnus Cort beat Peter Sagan in the sprint for second. Tomorrow’s summit finish at the 2,000m high Thyon 2000 climb has been brought forwards due to expected rain and snow. Sounds fun.
30 April 2021, 08:00
30 April 2021, 08:00
30 April 2021, 08:00
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@Rendel Harris you've painted a rather alluring picture of social harmony there, but unfortunately you've got my name wrong. I'm Jack, not Nigel. However, to return the compliment, I must think of a story for you. I imagine you sat outside a pub, real ale and pipe propped on the adjacent table, in a similar fashion to Nigel Farage at his populist best. You turn to your wife. "You know what dear? I think I've been a bit harsh in my time. I've shunned the politeness and wisdom of others for too long and want to change my ways.* "There there Rendel", says Mrs Harris. "You're not a bad old stick, it's just living in London that's emptied your soul of kindness and compassion. I've found a lovely new place where we can settle down in our later years. It's on a leafy cul de sac, surrounded by friendly neighbours and smiling faces. There's a guy a couple of doors down, a remarkable man. As well as his towering intellect and rapier wit, he's also a keen cyclist, holding severa local KOMs. Don't be perturbed dear - he'll ride with anyone provided they show other road users the kindness and courtesy they deserve." Rendel turned emotionally, voice shaking. "Oh my dear, thank you for this second chance", and with that the rest of the pub goers turned and applauded the couple, throwing garlands of petals in their wake. The end.
As a Councillor, Edward needs to be paying some attention to all that parking obstructing visibility and manoeuvres at the junction, and sorting out those radii.
Ed Hill was chucked out by Reform in 2025, though TBF to him it was about how to run it rather than ideology I think. He is now reportedly closer to Advance UK, which is distinctly more extreme than Reform. I'd call this Alan Amos style attention seeking.
Emily, thank you for such an insightful piece. I’m a man, but I enjoy watching the women’s races, possibly more than the men’s. The racing is so much closer, we rarely know who’s going to win. You painted a wonderful picture of how a true champion is able to ‘rise above’ setbacks and distractions, and focus their energy on the task in hand. ‘All’s fair in live and war -and sport, but always good to hear riders expressing their admiration for their competitors
@Nigel Garage ...and then everyone applauded my courtesy and I waved courteously to all the people who were courteously throwing flowers and cheering and courteously waving flags that said "Nigel is the best!"
The picture from street view clearly shows give way lines from the roads to the green painted cycle/pedestrian lane. The road user should give way (or must...) to the user of the green lane. This would of course apply to any cyclist on the roadway.
If I recall there is a cave or two along the route - perhaps they were sheltering from the heat in one of those having taken it for a Golf bunker?
“So if there’s a cyclist travelling down the cycle path at the moment, from this position I can’t see them because my blind spots are too big on the left hand side of the vehicle”, claims Hill. Well, there's your problem, right there...🙄
First impression from the headline that he's likely a twit. Then the detail he was expelled from Reform makes you suspect that failing even their low bar requirements he really is. Then he clearly explains his vehicle is unsafe for the highway because he can't see to give way when turning. Any collision he now has should have that video run out explaining he drove a vehicle he knew to be unsafe. Advice for motorists; instead of thinking that pedestrians and cyclists are low risk 100kg objects, imagine them as a 300 Tonne trains that will crush you and your vehicle if you cross into their paths. You'd give way to the train, so you equally can to the others.
I've had a brief look on Facebook, and Ed Hill (who now appears to be affiliated with Advance UK) seems to have taken some useful road safety improvements under his remit, including an initiative to help local pedestrians on unpaved roads, where the wider council won't help due to planning failures. Regarding the cycle path, I think this is linked to a wider misunderstanding about giving way at junctions and I'm afraid I cannot agree with Mr Hill's conclusion. Regardless of the suitability of the cycle path, vehicles should give way at the junction to both pedestrians crossing and cyclists. It seems to be a poorly understood rule among motorists where some believe they have priority at junctions like this, where they certainly do not. I once had a similar issue myself, while leisurely walking to Waitrose to buy some lunchtime fripperies. A driver beeped their horn as I crossed the junction, despite me having priority, and was shocked and apologetic when I explained I had priority. A polite conversation later, the driver departed, educated and updated on the rules of the road.
11 thoughts on “Josh Quigley abandons seven-day cycling distance world record attempt due to injury; Cyclist films close encounter with alligator; More than 100 stolen bikes donated to NHS staff; Cav reflects on recent wins; Sagan to the Giro + more on the live blog”
The quote from Pro Bike makes
The quote from Pro Bike makes it sound like there is a still a backlog of bikes to refurbish?
There might be quite a few
There might be quite a few bikes to work on. A mate of mine bought an MTB from a police sale a few years back. I think this is a pretty good move by the cops.
In the current climate, I
I guess the police actually have the best stock availability and turnover. Which says something about how effective they are at their day job…
Sriracha wrote:
In fairness, that’s like me hog-tying you then criticising your ability to play football.
I didn’t criticise the police
I didn’t criticise the police. I commented on their effectiveness (at crime prevention). If there are loads of stolen bikes, that’s fair comment. As to why they are proving ineffective, that would need investigating further – you suggest possibly they are hog-tied.
OMG – the alligators!!
OMG – the alligators!!
I already thought he was getting too close to the one on the path – pan left and my bowels loosened
Gimpl wrote:
Looked like someone else had already run over its tail! Where’s Danny Mac at the mo?
The fella was a big wuss. I
The fella was a big wuss. I’d have accelerated and bunny-hopped over the tail…
Aligators – they’re just like
Aligators – they’re just like any other aggressive species on the road – they won’t see you unless you jump a red light, don’t ride in a cycle lane or ride two abreast.
In the British Cycling update
In the British Cycling update you refer to the National Road Series, but then list National Circuit Series races….To be far, BC have cocked it up themselves aswell.
The road series update is here https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/about/article/20210430-about-bc-news-BRITISH-CYCLING-UPDATE–NATIONAL-ROAD-CALENDAR-0
Updated calendar
HSBC UK | National Road Series (Men)
• Round 1: Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, Lincoln (9 May) POSTPONED
• Round 2: Beaumont Trophy, Stamfordham (4 July)
• Round 3: Lancaster Grand Prix, Lancaster (15 August)
• Round 4: The Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, Ampleforth (22 August)
HSBC UK | National Road Series (Women)
• Round 1: Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, Lincoln (9 May) POSTPONED
• Round 2: 5th Women’s CiCLE Classic, Rutland (27 June)
• Round 3: Curlew Cup, Stamfordham (4 July)
• Round 4: The Ryedale Women’s Grasscrete Grand Prix, Ampleforth (22 August)
HSBC UK | National Circuit Series (Men)
• Round 1: Property Development Men’s Otley Grand Prix, Otley (30 June)
• Round 2: Barnsley Town Centre, Barnsley (9 July)
HSBC UK | National Circuit Series (Women)
• Round 1: Pinsent Masons Women’s Otley Grand Prix, Otley (30 June)
• Round 2: Barnsley Town Centre, Barnsley (9 July)
How the French deal with
How the French deal with potholes…
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/may/01/the-artist-who-fills-potholes-with-mosaics-in-pictures