“Philipsen has to work so hard not to win, it’s a thing of beauty”: Cycling fans react to Mark Cavendish’s emotional ‘win’ at ‘last race’, as Manx Missile ‘outsprints’ everyone at the Tour de France Singapore Criterium + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Endura posts huge £14m loss after “large reduction in sales” and inventory “impairment” – first time Scottish cycling brand has been in the red since 2019
In the latest worrying development for the UK’s cycling industry, British cyclewear manufacturer Endura – which in recent years had appeared to be weathering the storms devastating the cycling market more ably than most – has posted a huge £14m loss, the brand’s first time in the red since 2019.
“Luckily, there’s a stem mounted phone to show them where to go…”
The skeleton’s back in the closet, the bear’s out: Strava ‘Artist’ creates Pudsey for Paddy McGuinness’ BBC Children in Need challenge
You might remember the slightly jaded and mangled skeleton, brought out of the attic with some cobwebs (no, not the decoration ones) still on, that we had on our live blog ahead of Halloween a couple weeks ago by Leicester-based cyclist Rebecca Laurel.
“Following the success and popularity” of her skeleton-shaped bike ride for Halloween, Laurel has now taken the paintbrush (or, shall we say crayons) back in her hand and drawn up the Pudsey bear on the popular activity recording app by cycling 50 miles around the roads of Leicester, after BBC Radio Leicester “challenged” her to do a Pudsey Strava Art for BBC Children in Need.
“After a quick bit of planning, that’s what I did today – less turning around than the skeleton but more riding around in loops and all for a great cause,” she wrote on Instagram sharing her work.
This one’s much better than the skeleton, at least in planning and ideation, in my opinion, even if the final product does look a bit ragged. Chapeau for the execution, regardless.
It’s part of TV presenter Paddy McGuinness’ “Ultra Endurance Challenge: How Will You Roll?” challenge in which he’ll be cycling 300 miles from Wrexham to Glasgow on a Chopper bike, with him encouraging others to get behind him with their own fundraising challenge.
McGuinness himself has been training with Sir Chris Hoy for his 300-mile jaunt, with the Olympic gold medallist pushing him to his “absolute limits”.
“Chris Hoy has been absolutely, as you can imagine with someone like him, outstanding, first class, brilliant with his advice,” he told the BBC. “When I go on a bike ride with Chris, I really know about it, because he pushes me to my absolute limits.”
You can donate to Rebecca’s Pudsey Strava Art fundraiser here.
Zwifters, your time is now! road.cc is once again looking for riders to race in the Zwift Racing League
If you’ve sulking about stashing your good bike in the shed, I might have an offer for you. How about you join road.cc’s team and race with us in the Zwift Racing League?
We’ve already done it for one season and Season 2 starts tomorrow with six races between now and Christmas, and we’ve got space for a few extra riders in both of our teams, road.cc Baller Division B team and the Chopper division C.
Want to be a part of it? Let us know by filling in this form. You don’t have to available every Tuesday – the more riders we have the more you’ll get a week off here and there – but the races are always Tuesday, and our league has a start time of 1845GMT, so you’ll need to be able to race then. Come race with us!
Don't try this at home: British bloke powers e-bike with discarded vape batteries and does 20 miles on it with barely any pedalling
“At the end of the day, a battery is a battery and with enough of them, you can pretty much power anything”
In a “what on earth?” moment, YouTuber Chris Doel has managed to create an e-bike battery out of waste disposable vape batteries. And not only that, but it managed 20 miles with barely any pedalling.
Chinese city authorities place restrictions on cycle lanes and share bikes after 100,000 students block highway with night-time rides for “famous” soup dumplings
In a bizarre turn of events, officials in Kaifeng city have decided to impose restrictions on the use of cycle lanes and rental bikes, with universities even banning cycles and asking students for passes to leave the campus after a viral trend of night-time riding led to 100,000 students coming together in search of some soup dumplings, ending up blocking a highway.
As crazy as it sounds, the trend began with four Zhengzhou University students decided to ride 50 kilometres and several hours to Kaifeng on public share bikes on a pilgrimage for the city’s famous oversized soup dumplings, guan tang bao, with posts from their ride going viral on social media with people saying: “Riding a shared bike from Zhengzhou to Kaifeng for breakfast. Youth is meant for enjoying, going wild and having endless energy. Kaifeng has it.”
(I don’t know about you, but this sounds like grand fun to me, count me in!)
With other students catching on the fad, it all culminated in a total of 100,000 students coming together to block the highway between Kaifeng and Zhenghzhou, the capital of Henan province, on Friday night.
Kaifeng, a much smaller ancient city just south of the Yellow River, quickly was overfilled with people — accommodation, restaurants and public spaces, all packed to bursting according to officials. Videos circulating online shows tens of thousands of cyclists filling the six-lane Zhengkai avenue, the expressway between Zhengzhou and the streets of Kaifeng, as police used loudhailers to ask students to leave, by bike or on a free bus.
And to avoid a repeat of the events, authorities announced temporary restrictions on roads and cycle paths for the weekend, and bike share apps warned they would remotely lock any bikes taken out of designated zones in Zhengzhou.
It should be noted that the Chinese media wrote about the act in positive light initially. A report carried on the English website of the People’s Daily, the flagship newspaper of the Communist Party, said: “What began as a spontaneous trip for dumplings has turned into a symbol of youthful energy and the joy of shared experiences, making the early-morning streets of Henan come alive in a new and unexpected way.”
However, Kaifeng residents quickly turned against the fad, with one person commenting on Weibo: “At the beginning, it was hyped up, but in the end it all ended in collapse and failure. You media should reflect on yourselves. At the beginning, you all encouraged and praised this behaviour.”
Despite the backlash and the bans, the Guardian reports that some students still managed to escape their uni dorms and set off to Kaifeng on foot. “I followed my boyfriend on a night ride to Kaifeng, now the traffic police don’t let people go to Kaifeng by bike any more,” one student wrote on social media. “There are so many bikes parked on the side of the road, and so students have started walking. It’s so good to be young, this is youth!”
Cycling one short journey a day enough to lower blood pressure, new research finds
New research has further highlighted the health gains that can be achieved simply by switching your mode of transport from something sedentary to cycling, with blood pressure shown to reduce with as little as a few minutes of exercise.
> Cycling one short journey a day enough to lower blood pressure, new research finds
A little late for Halloween: Police deploy “Scarecrow” bikes to ward off thieves and keep cyclists secure
Did Hertfordshire Constabulary miss the Halloween memo?
The Welwyn Hatfield Neighbourhood Policing Team have planted brightly coloured “scarecrow” bikes contain warning messages at bike racks outside The Galleria, Asda and the swim centre in Hatfield in a bid to promote bike security.
PCSO Mark Randall said: “We’ve placed the bikes in hotspot locations and we will be rotating them around the various bike racks.
“We want the bikes to be a visible reminder to cyclists to ensure their bikes are secure. The bikes also contain warnings to thieves that we are patrolling in the area.
“A top tip for securing your bike is to double lock it. Using two locks slows thieves down and makes your bike less of a target. We recommend using two quality locks and at least one should be a D-lock. Thieves are less likely to carry multiple tools, so please use two different types of lock if possible.”
From then to now: How cycling has changed during Mark Cavendish's illustrious career
Controversial cycle lane wands go viral as furious residents lash out at "blocked" driveways, but local cyclist suggests outrage "overblown" and bike lane bollards only necessary because drivers park in it
In the past week a cycle lane in the Dorset seaside town of Poole made national newspaper headlines after upset locals claimed they had been “blocked” in their driveways by wands installed to segregate the route from traffic. However, the council says it will create a safer environment for people using it, preventing drivers from blocking the bike lane with parked cars, and others from the town have questioned the “overblown” outrage.
“Philipsen has to work so hard not to win, it’s a thing of beauty”: Cycling fans react to Mark Cavendish’s emotional ‘win’ at ‘last race’, as Manx Missile ‘outsprints’ everyone at the Tour de France Singapore Criterium
“Emotional”, “grand”, and “perfect”… but perhaps, a bit “comical” too,
Beating the likes of Jasper Philipsen and Biniam Girmay, points winners of the last two editions of the Tour de France, Mark Cavendish really did get the send-off he deserved in his final race, after that record-breaking 35th stage win in Saint-Vulbas. The greatest sprinter to have graced the sport and back on the bike, racing (in its loosest sense) his peers officially for the last time, it was like you were back in the late noughties/early 2010s, as the Manx Missile got his head down and ‘outsprinted’ everyone to win the Tour de France Singapore Criterium.
But of course, the race wasn’t really a race… as cycling fans familiar with the long, eminent history of crits, essentially semi-scripted cycling events meant to put up a show for the fans, would know.
The Singapore Crit, held by Tour de France organisers A.S.O, was a star-studded event at the Esplanade Park in Singapore. Last month, it was announced that the former world champion would be bowing out of the sport alongside the likes four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome, retired Italian and Tour champion Vincenzo Nibali, and 2024 Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič.
And if you really wanted to know how poor actors some of the world’s best cyclists can be, have a look at the finish… with one of the fastest sprinters in recent years Jasper Philipsen sticking to the wall and going egregiously slow, 2024 Tour de France green jersey winner Biniam Girmay taking the lane on the other side and leaving as big of a gap in the middle as possible, and everyone else behind waiting patiently (as patiently you can while sprinting at dizzying speeds) for Mark Cavendish to come through. And come through the Manx Missile did, punching in the ridiculous watts and torpedoing his way to the finish line, one last time.
Who else could it ever be? 🤩
On his final day as a pro, Mark Cavendish is the winner of the Singapore Criterium 🏆 pic.twitter.com/wmldWTjAjZ
— Eurosport (@eurosport) November 10, 2024
> “I want to stay in the sport, I still love it. I’ve been building up to the moment I’m not racing”: Mark Cavendish reveals he wants to step into management role – and take up running – after retiring from cycling (but remains coy about racing again)
But in case you forget how much it can mean, especially for someone bowing out after recording 35 Tour de France stage wins over 17 years and etching his name firmly as the “best ever” in the echelons of cycling, here’s what Cav said after “winning” the race: “I realised in the last 5 laps, it was the last 15km of my career, and I went past the flamme rouge for the last time in my career, and I felt that.
“I was so on the limit, the heat here is not nice for me. I didn’t race since the Tour de France, so I’m missing that sharpness. When the guys are here with the leadout teams, it’s always going to be difficult. You see the amazing job my team, Astana Qazaqstan, did, controlling the race and leading me out.
“I have to say I was nervous about crashing or something if I fight. Not because of anything wrong, but because I really wanted to finish, at least, my last race. I was lucky I was able to get on the wheel and come past him [Philipsen] for the final.
He added: “I really wanted that so bad. I am so proud to win the Tour de France Prudential Singapore Criterium as my last professional race.”
However, cycling fans couldn’t help but comment on the slightly amusing situation nonetheless, with one person on Reddit saying: “Philipsen has to work so hard not to win, it’s a thing of beauty”, while another wrote: “I love that our sport has this entire sub genre that is essentially WWE.”
A few more comments from social media: “Oh man, funny to watch how everyone is looking where Cav is to make sure he’s going to win”, “Project Singapore Criterium complete”, and “Come on nobody else is pedalling at the end”…
Some even questioned the BBC article’s choice to not mention the context of the situation, with the report at no point insinuating the nature of a crit.
“Why on earth is the BBC reporting a fixed post-Tour criterium like a real race? I have no problem with the tradition personally, but it feels like bad journalism to make no mention of it?”
And as noted by a few fans, a quick look at the BBC article’s comments would tell you, a lot of newer fans and those unfamiliar with the sport had no idea about it, some even arguing against that it was a exhibition.
Either way, nothing takes away from the greatest ever’s retirement, but hey, at least we told you…
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@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
6 thoughts on ““Philipsen has to work so hard not to win, it’s a thing of beauty”: Cycling fans react to Mark Cavendish’s emotional ‘win’ at ‘last race’, as Manx Missile ‘outsprints’ everyone at the Tour de France Singapore Criterium + more on the live blog”
Chinese crackdown on pesky
Chinese crackdown on pesky cyclists
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/11/china-midnight-dumpling-bike-ride-zhengzhou-kaifeng
Just wait until UK
Just wait until UK authorities find out about the Dunwich Dynamo…
Colchester man threatened
Colchester man threatened with knife after confronting bike thief
https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24710511.colchester-man-threatened-knife-confronting-bike-thief/
“During the altercation, the owner refused to hand over the bike, but the group, one of whom is reported to have shown a knife, did take an e-battery attached to the bike, which is worth about £300.
“The group left in a silver SUV-style vehicle.”
Should have worn hi viz and a
Should have worn hi viz and a helmet with a strap !
I know its vindictive but man
I know its vindictive but man I want that council to crack down on all the people who are illegally parking on their “driveways”. Maybe one night they come and put some proper safety poles to protect cyclists. About every 1.5m should do.
It’s not vindictive and the
It’s not vindictive and the council should crack down on it. There is an application process they should follow but in general it means you have to cough up a fee and it’s not guaranteed you will get a dropped kerb and I know in Suffolk around 60% are not successful in their application.