Rider allegedly ‘shoved’ into hedge during race; Speedcam app reaction; Netflix confirms new Tour doc; Ill Van Aert a doubt for Flanders; Pidcock pens new Ineos deal; Travel with the Wolfpack (kind of); MVDP breaks Strava + more on the live blog

There were bizarre scenes in the closing kilometres of yesterday’s women’s edition of Dwars door Vlaanderen, when Canyon-Sram’s Soraya Paladin suddenly appeared to lose control of her bike and veered across the road into a hedge.

That Soraya Paladin crash into the hedge looked so weird in real-time. It’s the sort of one where a chain goes or you accidentally unclip a pedal whilst out of the saddle.#ddvwomen #ddv22 pic.twitter.com/JPfAa9tK2T

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) March 30, 2022

The incident led to speculation online about the cause of Paladin’s violent jolt from one side of the road to the other. While some argued that she simply may have lost control after clipping a wheel, others – almost inevitably, it is the internet after all – dived straight into the sport’s seedy underbelly, with unsubstantiated accusations of concealed motors (that presumably whisk riders away in different directions) making the rounds…

However, one of Paladin’s fellow pros had a perhaps even more shocking explanation for the crash.

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope’s Australian rider Brodie Chapman, who says she was “right behind” Paladin when she crashed, claimed the Italian “was shoved by another rider”.

I was right behind she was shoved by another rider

— Brodie Mai Chapman (@Brodie_Mai) March 30, 2022

That explanation was backed up by Paladin herself, who said in a statement released by her team that “one rider just went full gas into my handlebar and I couldn’t do anything to control my bike. I veered off the road suddenly and crashed. Luckily, I’m okay.”

A crash in the final 8km brought @SorayaPaladin‘s hopes to a halt in #DDV22 today:
“I was trying to save as much energy as possible for the sprint but in the last climb one rider just went full gas into my handlebar and I couldn’t do anything to control my bike….” pic.twitter.com/bRMuUdgyx6

— CANYON//SRAM Racing & CANYON//SRAM Generation (@WMNcycling) March 30, 2022

“I veered off the road suddenly and crashed. Luckily, I’m okay. Elise did an amazing sprint and I’m really happy for her podium and also for the top ten of Shari! Again, we had again a good race as a team.” @SorayaPaladin #DDV22

— CANYON//SRAM Racing & CANYON//SRAM Generation (@WMNcycling) March 30, 2022

Mid-peloton argy-bargy isn’t uncommon in professional cycling of course. Last month, Bahrain-Victorious’ Jonathan Milan came under fire after he was caught on camera shoving Ag2r Citroën’s Paul Lapeira at the UAE Tour, nearly sending the 21-year-old into another rider.

That’s a clear DQ for Jonathan Milan. #UAETour.pic.twitter.com/i4O30Fwpsg

— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) February 20, 2022

While the rider everybody loves to hate, Gianni Moscon, has had his fair share of scraps and violent outbursts during his career (and that’s before we get on to the racist abuse…): 

Gianni Moscon exclu du #TDF2018 après avoir frappé un coureur Fortuneo ! pic.twitter.com/JzwOi5l8To

— Tout Le Sport (@toutlesport) July 22, 2018

Moscon werpt boos andermans fiets in de beek na deze valpartij. De gevolgen zijn zwaar: diskwalificatie pic.twitter.com/QHb3L94RHk

— sporza (@sporza) March 1, 2020

In the women’s peloton, Rally Cycling’s Heidi Franz claimed she was “mocked and bullied” during last year’s Giro Donne just for trying to make the time cut on the race’s hardest stage. 

Unfortunately, yesterday’s unseen act of aggression was enough to rule Paladin out of contesting the sprint for the win at the Flemish semi-classic, where she had been looking to build on her third-place finish at Trofeo Alfredo Binda the week before.

Valcar-Travel & Service’s Chiara Consonni won the bunch gallop ahead of Julie de Wilde, Paladin’s teammate Elise Chabbey and British rider Pfeiffer Georgi, sparking joyous celebrations at the finish.

That’s how you time a sprint!

Chiara Consonni emerged from the reduced bunch late to take the win at #DwarsdoorVlaanderen#DdV22 pic.twitter.com/X6hqKIj5zj

— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) March 30, 2022

Prize watch today sees Chiara Consonni take home a stuffed horse because the race is based around the horse course at Waregem.

Obviously the customary vegetable bouquet and some Lidl branded fizz.#DDVwomen #DDV22 pic.twitter.com/GSQZyqr7tS

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) March 30, 2022

Alright, last call on the can-can kicker jokes – and probably the Will Smith ones too, if we’re honest…

Too soon? pic.twitter.com/SzlRwZxxCW

— Clockwise (@Clockwisesss) March 30, 2022

He’s back, ladies and gentlemen, and judging from the Strava report of his win at yesterday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, he’s as scary as ever…

I’m going to talk to my therapist about this https://t.co/cZivuDRnWw

— Robyn (@robynjournalist) March 30, 2022

Roll on Sunday!

2⃣0⃣2⃣7⃣@Tompid 🤝 @INEOSGrenadiers pic.twitter.com/IPDQ9nzHXi

— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) March 31, 2022

Now for some breaking news nobody saw coming: the golden boy of British cycling Tom Pidcock has signed a new long-term deal with Ineos Grenadiers, tying him to the squad until 2027 – when he’ll be the grand old age of… 28.

Despite reportedly attracting the interest of rivals Trek, Bora-Hansgrohe and EF-EasyPost, the Olympic mountain-bike gold medallist and world cyclocross champion decided to stay with the squad he turned professional with just last year.

“Ineos Grenadiers is the right team for me,” Pidcock said in a statement.

“It’s become my home over the past year and it’s incredible to think it’s the team I grew up dreaming of joining.

“To have the trust of the team and Ineos is an amazing feeling. With the quality of staff and riders I’ve met and raced alongside, it’s been clear since day one that there’s no better team in which to spend the next five years of my career.

“Ineos Grenadiers have backed me all the way, across every discipline I’ve raced in. I couldn’t have asked for better support leading up to my mountain-bike Olympic gold and cyclocross world title.

“For my future goals – chasing Monuments, world titles, and one day a Grand Tour – this is definitely the best place to be.”

“There’s no better team in which to spend the most important years of my career.”

Get @Tompid‘s reaction to signing a new long-term deal with the Grenadiers. 🙌

🗣️ https://t.co/P3iNZnAI8q pic.twitter.com/M7cIGXTSeE

— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) March 31, 2022

Ineos supremo Dave Brailsford added: “Tom’s an incredibly talented bike racer but what sets him apart is his versatility. Already an Olympic gold medallist, cyclocross world champion and proven winner on the road, he’s at the heart of an exciting new generation of young riders who’ve grown up riding multiple disciplines and love full-on racing.

“I admire the values he brings to his racing, which fit perfectly with those of the Ineos Grenadiers. Given he is so young, easy going and fun, the intensity and determination he has is remarkable and he gives his all every time he gets on a bike.

“The length of the relationship we’ve agreed with Tom gives us the opportunity to enable his ambitious, multi-disciplined goals, while giving him the benefit of learning from the wisdom and experience of his many champion teammates. I’m very excited about what we can achieve together.”

So expect five years of racing all year round, on any terrain, superman celebrations, and (hopefully) a few more special kits… 

Ever walked through an airport, looked down at your luggage and thought “You know what this suitcase needs – a giant illustration of the reigning Tour of Flanders champion’s head”?

What, just me?

Well, just in case you were in the market for a new, attention-grabbing piece of luggage, Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl are auctioning off a one-of-a-kind Samsonite Proxis suitcase.

Not only does the suitcase offer “remarkable lightness and strength” (gotta sell this bad boy), it also – for some reason – features an extremely large portrait of 2021 Ronde winner Kasper Asgreen, spraypainted by street artist Puncheur, the person responsible for the striking road graphics you see dotted around Flanders during classics season.

Jokes about Quick Step’s riders packing their bags after a below-par spring campaign aside, the auction is all for a good cause. The profits are set to go to the team’s #ItStartsWithUs project in the Bretagne region of France, a reforestation project where trees are being planted in collaboration with the climate change experts at environmental consultancy firm C02logic.

So if you want to own a… shall we say, unique, part of Flemish cycling history, you can enter the auction through this link.

And as if I needed an excuse to share this classic gag from Harry and Lloyd:

🇧🇪 #RVV22

Wout van Aert is not feeling well, so he will not join the Tour of Flanders recon. His participation in the Tour of Flanders is unlikely. pic.twitter.com/dxsZvPrWSh

— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) March 31, 2022

The dominant rider of the spring, Wout van Aert, is “unlikely” to ride the Tour of Flanders on Sunday after coming down with an illness, his Jumbo-Visma team have said.

Van Aert is the red-hot favourite to take his first ever Ronde title on Sunday, after already winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Bank Classic this season.

But the Belgian champion missed Jumbo-Visma’s pre-race reconnaissance ride today, and directeur sportif Grischa Niermann admitted that “there’s a chance” he will not line up in Antwerp on Sunday.

“Unfortunately Wout is not joining in for the recon ride today,” Niermann said today. “He’s not feeling really fit and he’s staying at home for that reason. We have to do it at least today without him.

“If we only miss him today for the recon ride it wouldn’t be too bad, but of course we have to admit that now there’s a chance he will miss the race.”

If Van Aert does miss out on Sunday, Jumbo-Visma will be relying on Tiesj Benoot and Christophe Laporte – who have both looked extremely strong while riding in support of their team leader this spring – to take the race to the other big contenders such as Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar.

When asked how Van Aert’s absence would impact upon his team’s tactics for Sunday, Niermann said: “Of course, if that’s the case we would have to change plans. It would be a very big setback, we cannot replace him of course.

“But on the other hand, we have the whole team in great form and two guys that are really up there with the best riders, and that’s Tiesj and Christophe.

“It will change the race a lot, not only for ourselves but for our competitors. We will still start the race with the goal of winning.”

Niermann confirmed that a final decision will be made on Van Aert’s participation in De Ronde tomorrow.

The world is currently heaving with bad shit but there’s still a corner out of the wind & in the sun pic.twitter.com/KKdcEJfvQ8

— William Fotheringham (@willfoth) March 31, 2022

More of this, please… 

This is ART. https://t.co/1d4pzrvOdb

— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) March 31, 2022

Tour de France organisers ASO has confirmed that an eight-part documentary series about the race will air on Netflix in early 2023.

First reported to be in the works at the start of the month, the series will focus on the behind-the-scenes trials and tribulations, as well the on-road action, of seven WorldTour teams and one Pro Tour team as they compete at the world’s biggest race.

The series, which will be produced as a joint venture between Quad and Box to Box films (who you may know as the brains behind the hugely successful Formula 1 docuseries Drive to Survive), will consist of eight 45-minute-long episodes, broadcast in 190 countries. France Télévisions is also involved, and will broadcast a bonus hour-long documentary before the start of next year’s Tour.

The eight teams to be featured in the series were also confirmed by ASO today. They are: AG2R Citroën Team, Alpecin-Fenix, Bora-Hansgrohe, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma, and Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl.

UAE Team Emirates, the home of two-time Tour winner Tadej Pogačar, declined Netflix’s invitation to take part in the series, at least for this year.

“It’s true that UAE Team Emirates, like several other teams, were approached to participate in the show. However, the terms for being protagonists for the first season were not agreed,” the team told Cyclingnews. 

“We like the general idea, but we’re not pressured to rush into anything. The door is open for participating in the future.”

It has been pointed out on numerous occasions over the past month that two of F1’s most recognisable names, Mercedes and Ferrari, didn’t take part in the original series of Drive to Survive. If this new cycling iteration proves as successful as its motor racing counterpart – viewing figures for F1 reportedly increased by 53 percent after the docuseries first aired – it may not be too long before UAE jumps aboard.

> Netflix Tour de France documentary could take sport “to next level” says Patrick Lefevere 

That level of mainstream success is certainly something that ASO wants to emulate with the new series.

“We are proud of this partnership with Netflix, France Télévisions and the Tour de France teams, which will offer fans a unique immersion behind the scenes,” sASO managing director Yann Le Moënner said today.

“Through a narrative approach, which is additive to the competition itself, the public will be able to discover how the Tour de France represents the ultimate challenge for the competitors; in particular in terms of suffering, pushing their limits and team spirit.

“This project is part of our overall ambition to make our sport more accessible and meet an even wider audience.”

Normally a staunch critic of the Tour’s organisers, EF Education-EasyPost boss Jonathan Vaughters admitted that the new series will help the sport grow.

“It almost pains me to say this, but I think ASO is actually helping the sport in general with this project and I’m on board with that,” Vaughters told Cyclingnews.

“Their media rights contracts around the world are based on viewer numbers. So, if cycling as a sport becomes more popular, the Tour de France will become more popular, and therefore their viewer numbers will go up, and therefore their media rights contracts will go up. So of course, they’ll benefit.”

Filming on the project started earlier this month, so most of the footage should consist of ill riders scrambling for the toilet or Patrick Lefevere having the hump with his classics team after yet another defeat… (alright, I’ll ease up on the Quick Step jokes – Asgreen is going to win on Sunday now isn’t he?).

Powering more bike donations with @bolt…

We are still buzzing from our announcement about our partnership with Bolt.

Read about the ways Bolt will support our work on our blog 👉https://t.co/hMUpAnuzFS pic.twitter.com/WWawlDhwUX

— The Bike Project 🧡 (@The_BikeProject) March 30, 2022

The Bike Project, a UK charity which helps get refugees cycling, has teamed up with mobility provider Bolt to improve transport options for the country’s refugee population.

Based in London, the Bike Project takes in second hand bikes, refurbishes them, and donates them to refugees and asylum seekers. They also run programmes which teach riding confidence in the refugee community and have already donated over 9,000 bikes.

With a growing waiting list for bikes, the Bike Project hopes its partnership with Bolt will allow it to expand its work across the country. Working together, the two organisations will launch pop-up donation hubs in five new cities in 2022, starting in Manchester next month, while Bolt will use its existing infrastructure to facilitate bike donations, with the aim of sourcing an additional 1,000 bikes this year.

Bolt will also coordinate a new fundraising drive to support the Bike Project’s workshop, cycle programmes and ongoing operations.

While recognising that bikes “make a huge difference”, Bolt will also provide the Bike Project’s network with free credits for when they need other forms of transport.

Further down the line Bolt will also support training and qualifications for those with the ‘leave to remain’ to work with the mobility provider if they wish.

The Bike Project’s founder and CEO Jem Stein said: “Here at The Bike Project we’ve supported over 9,000 refugees get access to bikes in the last 10 years. But we still have many more waiting for help. Our partnership with Bolt allows us to expand on our work in London and Birmingham, and take our organisation to more cities across the UK.

“We’re so excited to work closely with Bolt and get more bikes to more refugees, starting with our Manchester launch. So look out for a Bolt drop-off point coming near you soon.”

Christian Berces, Director for Europe at Bolt, added: “Bolt exists to provide ‘on demand’ transport when you need it; one part of our community that needs that more than anyone right now are refugees and asylum seekers.

“The Bike Project provides refugees with vital help as they get themselves established and we hope this partnership will help their drive to improve social and economic mobility in many exciting ways”.

Speaking of behind-the-scenes Netflix cycling documentaries, the eagerly-awaited third season of the clumsily-titled but riveting slow motion crash that is Movistar’s The Least Expected Day was released earlier this week – but only on Spanish platforms.

The best, @jvgarciaacosta. #MaratónElDíaMenosPensado https://t.co/xIY6UJTaaU pic.twitter.com/go7TUmLjvT

— #Vamos por Movistar Plus+ (@vamos) March 28, 2022

Come on Netflix, get your finger out. I need some of that sweet, sweet Miguel Ángel López drama and I need it now…

The day is finally here!🤩 @UCI_cycling and @wollongong2022 have released the full race details for the 2022 UCI Road World Championships taking place on the 18-25 September. Watch our detailed course preview of the Women & Men Elite Elite Road Race here:https://t.co/6dqV5nTcTl

— Wollongong2022 (@wollongong2022) March 31, 2022

The UCI has unveiled the road race and time trial routes for this year’s world rod championships in Wollongong. The championships will be held in the Australian coastal city, located fifty miles south of Sydney, between 18 and 25 September.

While many assumed that the organisers would favour a flat if slightly punchy course (perhaps suited to home rider Caleb Ewan), the route seems fairly tough, taking in 3,945 metres of elevation over 266.9km for the elite men, and 2,433 metres over 164.3km for the elite women.

The riders will be greeted early on by the long and gradual Mount Keira climb, which averages 5 percent over 8.7km (with a stinging section of 15 percent in the middle), before taking on a tricky city circuit – the centrepiece of which is the 1.1km, 7.9 percent Mount Pleasant climb, to be tackled by the men 12 times and the women six times.

The course lends itself to the explosive puncheurs suited to the Ardennes Classics, though Ewan will hope he has the legs to hang on.

The time trial course is urban and technical, with both the men and women taking on the 34.2km test on the same day for the first time in world championships history.

Wollongong 2022 Race Director and former pro Scott Sunderland said in a statement: “Many people have a perception that Australia is flat, open and all about the ocean – in Wollongong, there are all the elements that make road cycling dynamic and difficult, from the Mount Keira climb through the escarpment to the urban ascent up Mount Pleasant.

“We’re going to see the riders really testing their strategic and athletic capabilities as they navigate the Wollongong City Circuit and Time Trial courses, which will be spectacular viewing for the on-ground crowds and broadcast viewers.

“If you think you know Wollongong and Australia, think again. The 2022 UCI Road World Championships will separate the challengers from the champions and put our coastal city on the map for fans worldwide.”

🇧🇪⛪️👑🔎 Join us on our first recon day @RondeVlaanderen, with 2021 title holder @AvVleuten and Arlenis Sierra taking on the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont, Molenberg and Taaienberg amongst many other grueling, famous climbs! #RodamosJuntos #RVV22@volvocares | @canyon_bikes pic.twitter.com/MAcekAQ4y0

— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) March 31, 2022

Today Team SD Worx did the recon of the final 95 km of the Tour of Flanders. The riders are pleased with the addition of the Koppenberg, which makes the finale even tougher. #wesparksuccess#RVV22

Photo’s: @raykerckhoffs pic.twitter.com/gELNCHPMLs

— Team SD Worx (@teamsdworx) March 31, 2022

Recon of Tour of Flanders today. DS’s @AnnavdBreggen and Danny Stam ride along. Lars Boom follows in the car. Only 3 days until Vlaanderens Mooiste. #wesparksuccess pic.twitter.com/MDGB1lqdOG

— Team SD Worx (@teamsdworx) March 31, 2022

let’s make a group chat and plan storylines @NetflixUK.

I would like a whole episode dedicated to @TamauPogi’s tuft, one episode dedicated to a fake rivalry between riders I just made up and then a whole new season on the FIRST EVER Tour de France Femmes.

thank you in advance.

— Robyn (@robynjournalist) March 31, 2022

Another pearl of anti-cycling wisdom from Facebook:

“If you want to ride a bike piss off to Holland”

— Stupid shit people say on Facebook about cycling (@AntiCyclingFB) March 31, 2022

Though I’m not sure the poster in question is advocating for a Dutch spring break…

It’s all been a wee bit race-heavy on the blog (hey, Flanders is coming up, give me a break), so we’ll sign off today with some reaction to the new smartphone app that will apparently allow members of the public to submit evidence of speeding drivers to police forces – by turning your phone into a “portable speed camera”.

The app, called Speedcam Anywhere, can also be used on tablets and is currently being trialled by volunteers from the 20’s Plenty For Us charity, which campaigns for lower speed limits.

> New smartphone app to allow public to submit evidence of speeding drivers

Here’s what you thought about the latest technological advancement in the campaign to stop speeding drivers:

I’m no legal expert, but two reasons why I can’t see how this can be effective in obtaining a conviction, firstly there’s no chain of custody for the footage, e.g. what’s to stop it being speeded up or otherwise doctored between download from service and upload to the law.

Secondly, all equipment used for evidence of speeding in the UK must carry Home Office Type Approval.

This is very unlikely to be admissible in court as evidence of speeding.

Everyone’s favourite Road Safety Expert/Shameless Self Publicist (*delete as appropriate) would likely have a field day if anybody tried.

What would be far more interesting would be a privately run portal funded by the insurance industry.

I imagine they’d be very keen to see evidence of dangerous driving even if it didn’t meet the legal evidential standard. Premiums could easily (and legally) be adjusted significantly.

That might concentrate drivers’ minds far more than a warning letter and if the insurance industry also ended up with lots of evidence of uninsured cars being driven dangerously, they’d have a lot of motivation to push the police to prosecute for uninsured driving at the very least.

I will download the iOS version when available… some drivers treat our village as a racetrack and even if a video submission only results in a warning then at least I’ll feel like I’ve achieved something rather than yelling and gesticulating from the roadside, fun though it is.

I am more concerned this could be used as an excuse for the police to do less.

Although from their FAQ – “Speedcam Anywhere does not issue speeding tickets or fines like a conventional speed camera and has not been approved in the UK to be used as one. Speedcam Anywhere is the same as a dashcam, that can be used to gather evidence of motoring offences. As with a dashcam, any prosecution would always have to be done by the Police, and at the discretion of the local Police force.

“Speedcam Anywhere do not ourselves pass on any information to the Police. We may be requested to do so at some future date.”

Sooo pretty pointless then! May as well just photo/film it with your phone’s camera.

It’s unlikely the Police will do much. Enforcement and evidence are two different things after all.

It seems unlikely that this will be either accepted as evidence in court, or will be acted on by the police anyway.

But, it might just lead to some re-evaluation of road law policing, as if the police are inundated with vids of speeding motorists, the powers that be might just start thinking about how such a process could be automated to ensure that law-breakers are dealt with.  That in turn might have a knock on effect for videos like NMOTD,  and cyclists’ videos might be treated rather more seriously.

If (big if) the app can give approximate speed values to +/- 5 percent it could still have a use.

Obviously it won’t be any good for submitting footage of speeding to the police for a potential prosecution but it could enable community groups to prove there is a general problem with speeding cars and then demand enforcement on the back of that.

It’s a lot harder for the police / councils to ignore a problem when there’s some data to prove it – even if the data isn’t 100 percent reliable.

Nice idea in the concept, but even if you report drivers via their official website/portal, no action is taken and it is only for ‘statistical purposes’ only. The police are far too overwhelmed and underfunded sadly to bother with speeding motorists – sadly.

Of course, the driver narrative then says “money making scam” etc when they do carry out enforcement for speed.

Great, Pothole/Road in need of repair photos with geolocation also needed.

— Brendan McLoughlin (@Alert_Alarms) March 31, 2022

when many forces already have ‘mixed’ responses to traffic violations, I can’t see this working well on daymonthyear 1

— Ian (@iloveridge) March 29, 2022

 And finally…

Am I the first to coin the phrase “snitchware”?#Snitchware

— Tim (@T3c1) March 31, 2022

The lot of you are social rejects if you use this dont like speeding? go for a walk or get on a train

— WRistle (@RistleW) March 31, 2022