Hill-climbing king Andrew Feather amazes the world again… by riding a bike with bar tape; “It’s totally possible to enable driving, active and public transport together”: Tales from the Netherlands + more on the live blog

> “I fell asleep on my bike and crashed into a fence”: The final finisher from the 2023 Transcontinental Race recounts her epic ride across Europe

As you can see from my video, the Netherlands is certainly not a car-free utopia. It also shows it’s totally possible to enable driving, active and public transport together.

By providing genuine transport choices, it frees up space for when the car is the best tool for the job. pic.twitter.com/qDfZ1wPl8B

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) November 2, 2023

You don’t want to see how depressing a similar time lapse would be from my front door… rutted pavement ‘bike lane’ with lampposts, trees and roadworks, congestion etc. etc. 

Adam Tranter’s a regular on road.cc in his role as the Mayor’s Cycling & Walking Commissioner in the West Midlands. He points out: “The Netherlands’ transport system, in one of the most densely populated countries in the world, functions well because people [don’t] generally often use cars for short trips that can be safely walked or cycled. The would not be possible without infrastructure to make people feel safe. 

“Dutch cycling infrastructure is designed to be safe for ages eight to 80, improving independence and also avoiding traffic and congestion associated with short leisure trips or the school run.”

> Video of “busiest cycle path in the Netherlands” goes viral, where “private cars are not allowed”… and there’s “no congestion”

As Rihanna famously sings, “Shine bright like a Magicshine Ray 2600 Smart Remote Bike Light”… or something like that…

> Best bike lights 2024 — see and be seen with our selection of beams for your bike

マルセル・キッテルさん。このあと記事出します。 pic.twitter.com/2Ap20dVlEA

— 山口和幸 (@PRESSPORTS) November 2, 2023

Things we didn’t expect to see today. 

Kittel later wrote… “School hall floor + 1.5 bars tyre pressure isn’t a good combination for a quick ride. The kids were great though! We talked about the Tour and that Japanese Schnitzel (Tonkatsu) is the best!”

New research by the University of Bath, reported by the BBC, into London’s 2008 low emission zone for lorries and 2019 ultra low emission zone has found that the schemes significantly improved air quality.

The analysis showed that the LEZ’s introduction helped reduce particulate matter in Greater London by 13 per cent between 2008 and 2013, compared with between 2003 and 2007.

Nitrogen dioxide levels have fallen by 18.4 per cent in 2019 following the introduction of ULEZ in central London, compared with between 2016 and 2018.

The researchers said the clean air zones had helped save £963 million in Greater London, with 12 respiratory hospital admissions and 2.88 acute respiratory hospital admissions per 10,000 people avoided.

“With this analysis, our goal was to offer an objective overview of the impact of low emission zones in the capital and beyond,” Dr Habtamu Beshir said. “Our study compares London to cities like Manchester, demonstrating the effectiveness of LEZ and ULEZ in improving air quality, enhancing health and alleviating the economic burden of ill health.”

Professor Eleonora Fichera added: “Our analysis confirms the effectiveness of low emission zones in improving air quality and health — crucial for residents in large cities. It shouldn’t be a choice between health and affording schemes like ULEZ. We must explore innovative policy solutions to make these schemes viable and effective.”

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We love to have a moan about what it’s like to take your bike on a train here in the UK, then again it’s worth moaning about when it’s for the most part as bad as it is…

Well, perhaps a glint of hope here. ScotRail, whose specially adapted carriages with extra bike space is one of the better offerings on our island otherwise full of upright bike storage and restrictions. 

> ScotRail unveils forthcoming West Highland Line carriages with space for 20 bikes

Now, ScotRail has added the ability to book bike spaces to its app, the Helenburgh Advertiser reports, “making it easier for customers to navigate and secure their cycle reservations with just a few taps”.

“ScotRail is committed to promoting active and sustainable travel options, whilst delivering the best possible service we can for customers,” ScotRail’s safety, engineering, and sustainability director, David Lister, said. “The introduction of cycle reservations through our app will benefit the whole cycling community.”

Good news… and without the use of a shoehorned cycling-related slogan or metaphor. ScotRail continued: “With this new feature, we’re pedalling in the right direction toward a greener, more cyclist-friendly Scotland…” 

Ah, almost…

> “Hope is not a strategy”: Cycling UK slams government’s funding reductions holding back cycling and walking progress

[Alex Broadway/SWpix.com]

Jumbo-Visma’s Michel Hessmann, the German who finished third at Tour de l’Avenir last year and helped Primož Roglič win this year’s Giro d’Italia, is now facing a four-year ban after his B-sample also tested positive for a diuretic.

The exact substance has not yet been disclosed by the team or authorities, Badische Zeitung reports, however he was provisionally suspended by the team which won three Grand Tours with three different riders in 2023 after an out-of-competition test came back positive.

As is the procedure in such circumstances, a B-sample is then tested, Hessmann’s coming back positive also. 

[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]

Now, the rider faces a four-year ban by WADA, potentially reduced to two if proved the positive was due to contaminated food or supplementation.

Having won the final Grand Tour of the year with Sepp Kuss, Jumbo-Visma’s team boss Richard Plugge admitting the positive was a “black day” for the team which has continued to dominate the three-week racing discipline of men’s professional cycling in 2023.

“Wednesday, August 16, 2023 was a black day for our team. For the first time in ten years, we received the message that a rider from our team, Michel Hessmann, had a positive doping test. We had to look in the mirror ourselves, are we doing everything right?” Plugge said at the time.

“Everyone involved in and with our organisation must be aware of everything. Germany has a doping law, so the public prosecutor’s office is automatically involved. Criminal law has the presumption of innocence, while disciplinary law reasons the other way around. It is up to the athlete to prove that he has done nothing wrong.

“It is mandatory within our team to only use supplements and medicines that have been batch checked for doping substances, to minimise the risk of contamination. Many products contain remnants of other products.”

You might have heard the quite hilarious news from the Netherlands yesterday that the Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships was cancelled… because it was too windy. No, really…

> Dutch Headwind Cycling Championships cancelled… because it’s too windy 

Well, while exploring Strava segments across the storm barrier where the event is held (as you do) I stumbled across this ride from one hardy rider yesterday…

So what does a ride speed graph look like when you ride an out and back with and then into an orange wind warning? Something like this…

On the way out, Didier averaged 42km/h (26mph), taking a fourth-place on one 2km segment at 59.2km/h (37mph). On the way back he averaged… 17km/h (11mph)…

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You know the hill climb season is over when bar tape returns…

The — Feather by name, feather by nature — four-time hill-climbing champ has re-emerged to Strava for the first time since his Sunday Struggle success, going for what looks like quite a blustery spin into the countryside surrounding Paris. And while it was the venturing out during 70km/h+ winds that surprised one follower, the rest were seemingly (and with their tongue firmly in their cheek) stunned by the sight of bar tape on his Cannondale… A hill climber using bar tape?! First disc brakes, now this…

One follower suggested the featherweight machine must have been deepfaked or hacked… Those pesky bar tape companies, shoving their product in our face at every opportunity…

Other concerns included the expected lifespan of those white shoes given the weather, and whether Feather sat in the saddle just to take the picture and then got straight back out as we’re all so used to see him doing while munching double-digit gradients. I guess it’s nice to know your followers are looking out for you…

It’s been quite the week for the hill-climbing king, winning the National Hill Climb Championships on disc brakes for the first time in the event’s history. Cue Monday’s live blog… (please don’t take anything Ryan or I ever say too seriously, we’re far too facetious and unserious for that)…

> “A dark day for hill climbing”: Widespread horror as British hill climb champs won on disc brakes for first time

Jamie took a look at the tapeless Cannondale SuperSix Evo LAB71 Feather rode on Sunday for a video on our YouTube channel, the full feature can be read here.