“I would always s**t my pants after races”: Tadej Pogačar says nutrition key to improvement (and claims Shimano power meters “are not so reliable”); Cat Ferguson TT win; Parlee Cycles founder dies + more on the live blog

> Iain Duncan Smith wants cyclists to know “they’re not above the law”, makes latest call for new laws to punish dangerous cycling

Just days after winning her first elite road race in Movistar colours, British teenage sensation Cat Ferguson has once again underlined her status as one of the most promising prospects in women’s cycling, by blowing away the field to win the junior world time trial title in emphatic fashion this morning in Zurich.

The 18-year-old British junior road race champion, who is set to turn pro with Movistar next year and is currently racing as a stagière at the Spanish squad, flew around the flat 18.8km course, leading by 14 seconds at the first time check, before securing victory by a massive 34 seconds over Slovakian Viktória Chladoňová.

In storming to her first rainbow jersey on the road (and her third world title of the year, after wins in the team pursuit and omnium at the junior track worlds last month), Ferguson averaged a lightning fast 47.34kph. To put that into perspective, elite world champion Grace Brown averaged 45.7kph when she won on Sunday, albeit on a longer, hilly course.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

While Ferguson’s superiority was never in doubt, GB’s strength in depth at this level was further highlighted by Imogen Wolff’s bronze medal.

Wolff, another multiple world junior track champion who is set to turn pro with Visma-Lease a Bike in January, finished just two seconds off Chladoňová’s time, and 11 seconds ahead of fourth-placed Dutch rider Fee Knaven.

“It’s incredible,” Yorkshire rider Ferguson, who finished second in the road race and 10th in the time trial at last year’s Glasgow worlds, told TV reporters after her win.

“The disappointment I’ve had before makes this jersey even more special. To put the ride in, the process that went into this… it’s incredible. I’ve got so many people to thank. I don’t have the words right now but I’m incredibly grateful to them all.

(Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

“It was helpful to have my coach in my ear guiding me through the whole race, that’s so nice. Having someone there to support you, back you. I had my ride, stuck to my plan. It was windier than I thought it would be, so I just kept my head down. I stuck to set watts and tried to do it throughout, so going out was as hard as coming back.

“My mum and dad have been through it all, to have them here with me is so special.”

Considering her dominance on the time trial bike, you wouldn’t bet against Ferguson emulating Zoe Bäckstedt’s 2022 successes and clinching the double in the road race this weekend, would you?

The future’s looking bright…

The founder of his namesake bike brand Parlee Cycles, Bob Parlee, has died following a four-year battle with cancer, his family announced yesterday evening. Parlee is survived by his wife Isabel and two sons. 

Bob and Isabel formed Parlee Cycles in the 1990s, with the first Parlee prototypes built in the year 2000. Always pushing the boundaries with carbon fibre, Parlee created the first sub-900 gram road bike frame in 2004 and went as low as 750g with a 2014 version of the Altum road bike, released numerous prototypes including this lovely cyclocross frame in 2011 and created the first time trial/triathlon bike with disc brakes in 2016. 

After Parlee Cycles entered bankruptcy proceedings last year, it was sold to John Harrison with Bob staying on in a part-time role as its head designer. 

A statement from Harrison supplied to US media reads: “Bob has been a real inspiration for the entire team here at Parlee, me included.

“His persistent and unwavering focus on pursuing an uncompromised and perfect product will continue to lead the identity of our business forever into the future. We are all extremely proud to continue the work that he started.”

Everyone at road.cc would like to pass on their condolences to Bob’s family, friends and colleagues during this difficult time. 

Sir Bradley Wiggins, just months after facing his bankruptcy ordeals and being forced to sofa-surf, has been a busy man of late. A week ago, he announced that he’ll finally get on the saddle after three years for a 50-mile meet-and-greet ride at the end of this month.

And just this weekend, the 2012 Tour de France winner could be seen on the latest edition celebrity edition of Catchphrase (to be fair, the episode seems to have been filmed in 2022 but was aired for the first time on Saturday — I know, television industry can be odd).

And now, Wiggo’s been invited by the French cycling kit and helmets manufacturer Ekoi to its headquarters in Fréjus, Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur to sign off on the company’s board of “Legends”. I would say that’s a fair place for him to be… “Get ready for an exclusive interview and some surprises!” the team added.

 

 

 

 

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A study from law firm and injury claims specialists Simpson Millar, analysing close to 180,000 cycling collision incidents in the country over the last 10 years, has revealed that Scotland and Wales are the two UK regions where cyclists should ideally be the safest.

The claim is also backed by data Department for Transport (DfT), which showed just 126 accidents per 100,000 people in Scotland and 138 per 100,000 people in Wales over the last decade.

On the flip side, West Midlands turned out to be one of the most dangerous regions, with a total of 15,984 incidents reported in the last 10 years, bringing its rate to 380 per 100,000 people. Warwickshire and Birmingham were the two places which came up as accident hotspots.

The study found that poor road conditions were directly attributed to 13,641 cycling accidents, while abrupt lane changes, an increase in the size of vehicles on the road, and a lack of awareness by motorists of cyclists were all major contributing factors to these incidents.

Simpson Millar said that these regions benefited from better road conditions, less traffic congestion, and more consistent cycling infrastructure. They said that as the West Midlands looks to enhance its cycling safety, “it could draw valuable lessons from the successes seen in Scotland and Wales.”

 

 

 

 

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Police have undertaken patrols and hope CCTV will soon be in place on the popular Bristol & Bath Railway Path following reports from users of “speeding” youths on “illegal e-scooters” intimidating cyclists and pedestrians, with one local suggesting someone may soon be “gravely injured” unless action is taken against the “group of two or three young guys” travelling “as fast as 50mph”.

> Fears cyclists could be “gravely injured” by “speeding” e-scooter gang intimidating users on popular Bristol & Bath Railway Path

If you can get past the brazen and vulgar Americanisation of sports lately, a Twitter account lately posted a picture of a 2020 Rose Bowl university “football” (read: American football) game between Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers (I know, I know) in Pasadena, California. And of course, there’s a B52 bomber flying at the top, for some indiscriminate reason.

The picture hosted a horde of other accounts posting what in their opinions were much better and more deserving candidates for the mantle of the “coolest sports picture ever taken”. So, it was only natural that cycling would have some in its repertoire too, and here are a few submissions (from very recent memory, to be fair), featuring Evenepoel in front of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Olympics, Vingegaard chasing Pogačar at Tour de France and Pogačar winning solo at Strade Bianche…

https://t.co/nijNzD63X0 pic.twitter.com/Vbf0e9SDeI

— Lewis (@VamosCiclismo) September 24, 2024

Feel free to comment what you think could qualify as the coolest sports picture…

What a year Remco Evenepoel has had. After winning the time trial rainbow jersey in Glasgow last year, the Belgian capped off 2023 with a dismal showing at the Vuelta last year, owing to that one off-day on the saddle. His start to 2024 wasn’t one he’d have hoped for either, as he was one of the many riders involved in the horror crash at the Tour of Basque Country, followed by a podium place finish at the Tour de France, but ending up almost 10 minutes behind Tadej Pogačar, who he was expected to pose at least a challenge to.

However, then came the Paris Olympics, and everything changed. Evenepoel became the first male rider to win both gold medals in the road race and time trial, and has followed up those splendid performances (and some glorious photographs in front of the Eiffel Tower) by successfully defending his time trial rainbow jersey at the UCI World Championships in Zürich. And if you were to ask him, he’d say he’s got a good shot at stopping Tadej Pogačar from winning the road race this weekend, and do an unbelievable double-double of Olympic gold and rainbow jersey in both time trial and road race competitions.

Remco Evenepoel wins men’s time trial, 2024 world road championships, Zurich (Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

So what’s next? Well, if the loud-mouthed and outspoken boss of his team Soudal Quick-Step is to be believed, it’s the Giro-Tour double…

In an interview with Dernière Heure, Patrick Lefevere spoke enthusiastically about Evenepoel’s chances of doing the two Grand Tours back-to-back, saying: “We had already aired the possibility this year and Remco was very taken with the idea, but his trainer changed his plans. That said, it’s a realistic option for 2025.”

“We saw it was possible to do both, because Pogačar managed it. The Slovenian’s example could act as a source of inspiration for Remco.”

The Belgian boss also discussed the interminable rumours surrounding Evenepoel switching teams in 2025, saying “Four years ago it was Ineos, now it’s Red Bull. Tomorrow it’ll be what, UAE? Honestly, I’m a bit fed up with the whole story.”

“It’s not something we intend to happen, no way! And it’s been a while since there’s been any registered post on my desk saying that another team wants to talk. So that’s not even a subject for discussion.”

“On a sporting level, what can he gain elsewhere? We’ve maybe got less money than elsewhere, but he’s going well here and our relationship is built on trust. Look at the palmares. In 2026 he’ll be 26, That’d maybe be the good moment to go looking for money. But maybe by that time, we’ll have more financial backing too.”

A great day for British riders, with Cat Ferguson setting the stage and Felix Barrow following it up with a storming ride that saw him claim the UCI men’s T2 individual time trial world title, beating Belgium’s Tim Celen by 35 seconds.

Meanwhile, Fran Brown, silver medallist at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, retained her women’s C1 ITT world title, leading a British one-two ahead of team-mate Katie Toft, while in the C2 event Daphne Schrager won silver and Amelia Cass took bronze.

From 🥉in 2023 to 🥇 in 2024

Felix Barrow 🇬🇧 is the Men H2 Individual Time Trial UCI World Champion 🌈

🥈 Tim Celen 🇧🇪 +34.84s
🥉 Dennis Connors 🇺🇸 +35.73s

Full results ➡️ https://t.co/28n0K9SiUu#Zurich2024 pic.twitter.com/fHSymp40sn

— UCI Para-Cycling (@UCI_paracycling) September 24, 2024

World title defended! 💪@franrbrown goes back-to-back in the women’s C1 ITT! 🌈#Zurich2024 | @UCI_paracycling pic.twitter.com/cCCF1OB51K

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 24, 2024

A major active travel project in the West Yorkshire market town of Todmorden has divided opinion, Facebook comments sections, online petitions and fundraisers all part of the now-familiar controversy that often appears when councils make plans to change communities to improve walking and cycling access.

> Residents “outraged by having to walk an extra few yards from their car” accused of “trying to stoke fear and opposition” against major cycle lane project

Another instance of how far our cities’ cycling infrastructure needs to go in terms of not just being safe and secure but also accessible and inclusive, as a cyclist from Edinburgh has said that she’s had two of her adapted tricycles stolen and that now she’s even being targeted by thieves — because her cycles are too big to fit at the city’s bike hangars.

Edinburgh Live reports that Caroline Barr, a disabled cyclist and cycling campaigner is now urging Edinburgh City Council to install accessible cycle parking infrastructure after having two of her bikes stolen.

The St Leonard’s resident, who has had physical disability since she was 13, which limits her mobility, said that the current hangars’ slots aren’t wide enough. Without accessible storage, she is forced to lock her trike in the car park outside her building, leaving it vulnerable to bike thieves.

Caroline has had two trikes, each costing as much as £2,000, stolen in recent years. SHe added that she was lucky that insurance covered the cost of her PFAU-Tec adapted trike

She said: “Hangars are a place to leave your bike that is safe. Bike thefts are enormous in Edinburgh. Nearly all my friends have had at least one bike stolen unless they keep it in their flat. It’s really not great.

“I got a good lock, and I thought that would solve my issues, but my hands are affected by my disability and I have trouble turning locks.”

She continued: “The most important thing cycling has brought me is normality in getting around. People stop to talk to you, they tell me, ‘Great bike!’ They don’t say those things when I’m using my walker or scooter.”

“More and more people with disabilities are cycling and Edinburgh is an amazing place to cycle in. There are some wonderful cycle tracks… But it feels like I’m being discounted and that I’m not important enough.”

> “How exactly is a disabled person supposed to access this bridge?”: Campaigners call on council to remove “unlawful, discriminatory” barriers from National Cycle Route

The council said ground level bike hangars can accept many sizes and styles of bike, including various adapted bikes – but they said that larger trikes and cargo bikes may not fit. However, after Barr’s pleas, three larger hangars are being installed to increase options available to those with such bikes.

The Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I’m sorry to hear about the thefts, which must have been disruptive as well as distressing.

“We are rolling out cycle hangars as part of our Secure On-street Cycle Parking project, and the next stage of the project will include non-standard hangars suitable for larger bikes and cargo bikes. I’d ask the resident to get in touch with us at: cycle.hangars@edinburgh.gov.uk and the team can look into this further.”

It turns out that, after all, Tadej Pogačar is just like the rest of us.

The Slovenian superstar may be on the cusp of one of the greatest seasons cycling has ever seen, and could become just the third man in history (after Eddy Merckx and Stephen Roche! It’s Stephen Roche!) to seal the sport’s triple crown – the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and world championships in one year – if he triumphs on Zurich’s very hilly course on Sunday.

But while Pogačar burst onto the pro scene in 2019 all guns blazing, it’s comforting to discover that, just like us amateurs up and down the country after our weekend races, the future grand tour and monuments destroyer was also bent over with stomach issues after wolfing down all those energy gels and drinks.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

In a long and revealing interview with health author and physician Peter Attia, Pogačar dived deep into his changing carbohydrate intake during training and races – and why those changes have left him in not as much of a rush to the toilet after the podium.

“During training, for drink we have either 30 or 60 grammes of carbohydrate per bottle. I honestly like the 30g because then I can eat more, but when it’s a hard stage it’s better to have 60g in the bottle because you can eat less. For hard stages you need to get 120g per hour, but in easier stages 60 to 90 is enough,” the 26-year-old told Attia.

“At the start, five years ago, 120g an hour was impossible. But with good food, with good nutrition, and our nutritionist designed really good gels and drink that’s easy on the gut. So since they created this product I don’t have stomach problems.

“Five years ago I would always shit my pants after stage races or long races and now even eating 120g – no stomach problems. It needs to be a good balance between glucose and fructose in the gels, and good quality, and you get used to it for sure.”

> What is carbon monoxide rebreathing and why is the entire Tour de France talking about it? Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard insist it’s “nothing suspicious” and “just a simple test”, but others are less convinced

Not that Pogačar – unlike former pros such as Michael Rasmussen, who was known to weigh his dinners – is obsessed about making sure all of his food is “good quality”, however.

“My whole year more or less looks the same – I never restrict myself, I never say I can’t eat cake or chocolate, but only in moderation and when the time is right,” he added.

“But if you restrict yourself and don’t touch chocolate for a month or six months, one day you will break and go crazy. I don’t think that’s a good relationship with food.”

> “He’s ready for a rainbow jersey”: Tadej Pogačar records 400+ FTP on a 6.5 hour training ride paced by a Vespa, as cyclists say “he’s taunting us mortals”

The interview also, unsurprisingly, took a real nerdy look at Pogačar’s training methods, which include steady ‘Zone 2’ training at a heart rate of 150-155bpm when fresh, and a bit lower then fatigued, and an average of 320-340 watts, in case you were wondering.

However, while a criticism often directed at modern pros – but arguably less applicable to Pogačar’s swashbuckling style – is that they tend to focus on too much numbers and power output, the three-time Tour winner rather scandalously revealed that he doesn’t think his Shimano power meter is overly reliable, in any case.

Which, given the numbers we’ve seen emerge from Pogačar’s camp over the summer, may be because he simply puts put too much power.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“It’s always good to compare heart rate to power, but power meters are not so reliable these days,” he said.

“We have a Shimano power meter, but you always need to be careful with the temperature, the calibration, everything, and sometimes it can be off. And you need to be careful about this in my experiences. The best is to train on your home roads, where you know the speed and the VAM.”

Oof – it’s like Bauke Mollema and SRAM all over again.

> Tadej Pogačar’s power numbers are “mind boggling”, says Chris Froome, as four-time Tour de France winner reckons “any record is vulnerable” with “absolutely incredible” Slovenian around

And finally, after a season which has seen him win Strade Bianche, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the GP Montréal, the Giro d’Italia (plus six stages), and the Tour de France (plus six stages), it’s clear that Pogačar still has big goals left to tick off on the career to-do list.

With this week’s worlds the obvious next big goal, the six-time monument winner also says he’s hell-bent on adding Milan-Sanremo – where he’s been a nearly man for years already – to the list, before then aiming to complete the monument and grand tour collection at Paris-Roubaix and the Vuelta a España.

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“Sanremo is the one that’s going to send me to the grave! I’m getting so close, yet it’s so far,” he says, when asked about his remaining career ambitions.

“First I want to win the world championships, then Sanremo, then we’ll see if there’s space for Roubaix. The Vuelta was also a breakthrough for me with the podium in 2019, and I want to go back and seal the deal there for sure.”

To be honest, I wouldn’t bet against him ticking all those off by this time next year. As long as he doesn’t shit himself, of course…