Welcome to road.cc’s first live blog of 2019, brought to you by Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and contributions from the rest of the road.cc team (assuming they’ve recovered from New Year’s Eve hangovers by now!)
Live blog: Mail columnist examines “crazed prejudice” against cyclists, Farmers Weekly in e-bike review, 12 speed Campagnolo EPS spotted on Valverde’s new bike? Strava reveal ‘Quitter’s day’ when we give up on New Year fitness resolutions + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond as we start 2019 with a two-wheeled bang…
Wed, Jan 02, 2019 16:45
SUMMARY
2 January 2019, 16:45
Meanwhile...
Dude is simply amazing. Mind-blowing save from @mathieuvdpoel #GPSvenNys #cyclocross #MVDP pic.twitter.com/kN3Wfy0qXq
— Cycleboredom (@Cycleboredom) January 1, 2019
Check out this save from Matieu Van der Poel, as he straddles his saddle and somehow manages to dismount with the ground crumbling beneath him. That’s why they say he’s ‘too good’ for cyclocross.
2 January 2019, 16:45
Mesmeric CX stair climbing skills
Thibau Nys rode the stairs in the race! #skills pic.twitter.com/IdTdZBua94
— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) January 1, 2019
Thibau Nys decides to ride the stairs instead of make a run for it, and it works a treat. Somehow don’t think the result would be quite the same if I tried it!
2 January 2019, 16:45
Battle on the Beach and the Peaky Grinder open for entries (and lots of other sportives no doubt)
The 1st of Jan and with it all the New Year’s promises we make to ourselves mean that inevitably, sign-ups to sporting challenges will have gone through the roof in the past 24 hours. Two cycling events that have caught our eye include the Battle on the Beach, returning to Pembrey in South Wales for the sixth time in 2019. It involves three laps of a very gnarly course that features sand dunes and lots of fun singletrack, with entrants tackling it on everything from mtb’s, to cyclocross bikes and everything in between with a cash prize of over £1000 for the winner. It takes place over the weekend of 6-7 April, you can enter here.
Entries are now open for the Peaky Blinder. Our reliability ride taking in some of the Peak’s most iconic climbs. Something for you to aim for in ’19 ! https://t.co/TVoKoPG3FF @roadcc @100Climbs @cyclingweekly @BritishCycling pic.twitter.com/JFePv1r4L8
— Velotastic (@Velotastic) January 1, 2019
The Peaky Grinder takes place in Derbyshire’s Peak District, incorporating some of the county’s most fearsome climbs (trust us, the Peaks ain’t for the faint-hearted). There are 115km and 85km routes to choose from, and feed stations are purposely omitted until the finish line to encourage riders to support local businesses on route. It’s probably the polar opposite of the above event in that there are strictly no winners and it’s totally unsupported… “the challenge is riding up some of the Peak’s iconic climbs within the 9 hour time limit”, say the organisers Velotastic – it’s happening on the 15th September, entries here.
For a comprehensive list of every type of cycling event you could wish to do/not do in 2019, from 25 mile countryside pootles to outrageously long self-supported audax epics, head over to road.cc’s events page.
2 January 2019, 16:45
Chris Froome heading out for first training camp of the year in prep for 5th TdF victory attempt
Big goals for 2019! Going for @letour win number 5 #TDF #TDF2019
Heading to my first training camp of the year today
“Before anything else, preparation is the key to success” https://t.co/pLIeljYt83— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) January 2, 2019
Froome confirmed earlier this week that he’ll skip the Giro in 2019 to focus on going for a fifth Tour de France victory, with teammate Geraint Thomas doing the same in a bid to defend his yellow jersey. Definitely not at all awkward…
2 January 2019, 16:45
A couple of lumps on route...
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico, USA pic.twitter.com/R4aaNTZ1Bi
— Back To Nature (@backt0nature) January 1, 2019
Wonder how far we could ride up this?
2 January 2019, 16:45
Got a cycling-related New Year's Resolution? You'll have packed in by the 17th of Jan, according to Strava...
The world’s foremost social media platform for cyclists analysed data from nearly 100 million UK uploads in January last year, and discovered the day that shown a significant drop in activity was the third Thursday in January (which falls on the 17th this year)… dubbed ‘Quitter’s Day’ by Strava. The data shown that women are in fact better at keeping to their New Year’s fitness resolutions, keeping it up for two days longer than men on average. When it’s broken down by age, the 18-29 age group tend to stick to their regime longer than older folk. The graph below also shows that group activities tend to help us stay motivated for longer, say Strava, with cyclists riding 13 extra miles per ride with a group than alone.
If this all sounds like doom and gloom, then in mitigation Strava do say this year’s Quitter’s Day is five year’s later than it was projected to be last year… meaning its users are clinging on to their fitness plans/uploading things to Strava for a little longer than in the past. Will you be proving them wrong? Perhaps a very long ride on the 17th is in order to give the data a good old shake-up…
2 January 2019, 16:45
Mayor of San Jose Sam Liccardo recovering in hospital after being struck by a motor vehicle while cycling
At 12:30 p.m., Mayor Sam Liccardo was cycling when he was struck by a motor vehicle. He suffered minor fractures, but his injuries are not considered overly-serious. He is currently resting & in good spirits. Please find his statement below.
-Team Liccardo pic.twitter.com/7u4dTCuJaC
— Sam Liccardo (@sliccardo) January 2, 2019
The Mayor of the Californian city, the tenth-largest in the US, was cycling on New Year’s day when he was struck by a motor vehicle, and is currently recovering in hospital with his injuries not thought to be ‘overly serious’. Liccardo, who describes himself as a ‘cycling geek’ on his Twitter bio, joked: “All defects to the head were pre-existing conditions”.
2 January 2019, 16:45
Valverde's new Canyon Ultimate... with a little extra something?
The World Champ’s new bike has been revealed, and it appears its rocking Campagnolo’s new Super Record 12 speed components… it’s only available as a mechanical groupset at the moment to our knowledge, but we’ve noticed that front mech looks a little different. Something new coming soon perhaps? We’ll have more on this later… in fact we’ve got more on this now – you can read our full story here.
2 January 2019, 16:45
“Oi’ve got a brand new electric bicycle … “ – Farmers Weekly reviews … an e-bike
We wouldn’t normally flag up a review from another publication, but this one has been grabbing some attention on social media, given it comes from an unlikely source – Farmers Weekly, more likely to be found rating balers, combine harvesters, muckspreaders and other assorted items of agricultural machinery.
The bike in question is an MBM Metis, imported from Italy by Powabyke, and gets the verdict of being “a nippy farm runaround.”
The review says: “An e-bike obviously isn’t going to do any serious work on a farm, but it is a pleasant way of getting around the place and the exercise is a bonus.
“It could also be useful when ferrying machinery back and forth when there isn’t a spare person available to run you around.
“On rough ground, we found the lack of rear suspension made for an uncomfortable ride, so we would probably spend a little more and get a full-suspension version.”
While we may cover Raleigh Choppers here on road.cc occasionally, we’re unlikely to be reviewing mangelwurzel choppers any time soon.
2 January 2019, 16:45
Mail on Sunday columnist examines "crazed prejudice" against cyclists
We’re used to seeing anti-cyclist rants on Mail Online and its sister print publications, the Daily Mail and Mail of Sunday – so it makes a nice change to see one of the latter’s columnists penning a piece under the heading How Prejudice Against Cyclists Can Make Normal People Go Mad that comes from a bike rider’s point of view and in the process addresses myths such as cyclists “don’t pay road tax” and must ride on shared-use paths where provided, and not the road.
> 10 of the most hysterical anti-cycling Daily Mail headlines
We may not agree with everything Peter Hitchens writes (to put it mildly), but his column published on New Year’s Eve in which he recounts his experience of an aggressive bus driver (and passengers) while cycling in Oxford is well worth a read.
Hitchens says he wrote the story “as an illustration of two things. The first is the madness of crowds, the wild, irrational conformism that infects groups of otherwise perfectly sane people. The second is the crazed prejudice against bicycles and those who ride them, which has infected our country and which (I am sure) the comments on this article will faithfully reflect” (he was correct about that).
Being the Mail on Sunday, there is some unnecessary detail about how the bus driver “was not English,” but Hitchens concludes his column by expressing the hope that “after a bit of thought, he will know better in future” about how to share the road safely with cyclists.
“But will anyone else?” he adds. “Honestly, could this have happened in any country where a prejudice against cyclists was not raging?” He’s got a point.
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of road.cc including tech, news and video, and also contributed to ebiketips before being named editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town, and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master’s degree in print journalism, and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it’s a long story).
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Latest Comments
Rendel Harris 6 minutes ago
@mitsky I didn't say it was applicable in this case or that I thought it should be, I was simply answering your question as to whether anyone had ever shot someone and been charged with anything other than murder or attempted murder, to which the answer is yes.
Rendel Harris 15 minutes ago
@perce The new troll, my friend, is solely piss and wind, the new troll is solely piss and wind.
Xenophon2 49 minutes ago
Very correct price for a basic, no-frills frameset. Older and wiser -after a warranty case on a '100 year' Ti frameset that lasted 5 years before a drive side chain stay weld said sayonara- I'll never again purchase a really high cost Ti frame. If the replacement -3999 Euro at retail but I paid 800, which is what it took for them to +- honour the warranty- fails, I'm done. Firstly because they do fail. Titanium is very finicky where welding conditions are concerned and good luck with that warranty, better read the wording very carefully. Secondly, often the price is justified with 'it's a frame for life'. Errrr....yes, unless you decide you want something different after 5 years, it breaks or technology evolves to a point where your frameset becomes aa anachronism and after 10 years you can start hunting for spares(UDH and disc brakes, anyone?). Third: I'm getting a bit tired reading about these so-called 'magical' properties of Ti. The only magical thing about it is the corrosion resistance. All that absorbing of vibrations etc is mainly function of frame design/geometry. If you want vibration damping: larger tires, lower pressure, done.
darnac 55 minutes ago
True,but I can't count thé number of times I've seen him on TV as an invited expert for comments since
MaxiMinimalist 1 hour ago
"...there was enough suspicion to warrant an out-of-hours knock on the door for the Tour’s then-top two." A generic statement that sounds like a cover-your-arse mumbling. Can they be more specific? Nope. Good to see Vaughters join Lefevere to add up some controversy to the very politically correct pro peloton. In the late 1990s and early noughties, when cycling was becoming a global phenomenom, officials, race organisers and team managers turned a blind eye on doping. Nobody wanted to slay the goose with golden eggs.
mctrials23 1 hour ago
Am I missing something. Pogacar would be firm favourite no matter what you did unless you made it a very flat edition which no one would want. Outside of Pogacar its all up for grabs. You can't build a good multi-week race with Pogacar in the form he is in. Take Pogacar out and this would be fine.
mctrials23 1 hour ago
Sounds a little like a pissed off driver decided to teach a cyclist a lesson by brake checking them after overtaking them. I hope I am wrong.
MaxiMinimalist 1 hour ago
Moronic coppers seize and destroy third-party property without notifying the actual owners. Not to worry, compensation to be paid by public money, i.e. the taxpayer. When did the Police openly become the English people's enemy?
perce 2 hours ago
@jackcycles What a coincidence! I was at my local bike shop only last week, a Tuesday I think it was. I'd been watching my tomato plants not growing all morning so I said to my pal "it ain't no use to sit and wonder why Dave" and off I went. On the way back two cyclists were approaching and the wind began to howl. I'd seen them earlier knocking on Evans's door so I invited them in to take shelter from the storm. After the idiot wind had subsided and one more cup of coffee they were on their way again.Anyway, I don't think I saw any e-bikes at all, just a bloke on his way to a cello class. I'll tell you what though - I ain't buying any plants from Maggies farm no more. No sirree Bob.
wtjs 2 hours ago
And again- looking like photos don't work on ebiketips. Take my word for it- Marcus Wright's Transit is shown just up the road from the Old Garstang Police Station with his gear outside, on a joinery job
8 thoughts on “Live blog: Mail columnist examines “crazed prejudice” against cyclists, Farmers Weekly in e-bike review, 12 speed Campagnolo EPS spotted on Valverde’s new bike? Strava reveal ‘Quitter’s day’ when we give up on New Year fitness resolutions + more”
Can’t help noticing the
Can’t help noticing the difference in the language used in the mayor’s collision with that used by our media in the UK. He was “struck by a motor vehicle” but the same incident in this country would be “cyclist collided with car”. Yet another demonstration of quite how car-obsessed we are in this country if even the Americans report car/bike collisions much more objectively.
burtthebike wrote:
Sadly, I’ve had cause to read thousands of US press reports on collisions involving cyclists over the past decade; I’d say this one is very much an exception, if anything the general standard of reporting them is even more prejudiced against the rider than it is here (and for some reason, even more so when the victim is a child).
Simon_MacMichael wrote:
Can’t help noticing the difference in the language used in the mayor’s collision with that used by our media in the UK. He was “struck by a motor vehicle” but the same incident in this country would be “cyclist collided with car”. Yet another demonstration of quite how car-obsessed we are in this country if even the Americans report car/bike collisions much more objectively.
— Simon_MacMichael “Sadly, I’ve had cause to read thousands of US press reports on collisions involving cyclists over the past decade;”
You have my sympathy. A dirty job but someone’s got to do it. I can only hope that it was sufficiently financially rewarding.
“I’d say this one is very much an exception, if anything the general standard of reporting them is even more prejudiced against the rider than it is here (and for some reason, even more so when the victim is a child).”— burtthebike
Thank you for sharing your experience; I doubt that many people have read that many USA cyclist/car collision reports.
Thibau Nys: Mesmeric stair
Thibau Nys: Mesmeric stair avoidance skills, shirley?
In defence of Hitchen’s ‘the
In defence of Hitchen’s ‘the bus driver was not English’ comment, this did come after explaining that he didn’t know if other countries had laws that require cyclists to use cycle paths, where provided, so it was actually relevant to his story.
The link to the Peter
The link to the Peter Hetchins article doesn’t work, but this one should https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2018/12/how-prejudice-against-cyclists-can-make-normal-people-go-mad-.html
Never thought I’d say this about a Mail article, but it describes perfectly the blatant prejudice which has been stirred up by……The Mail. Fortunately the comments return us to the sanity of the normal DM reader, in spades, demonstrating a prejudice and ignorance so massive that they would instantly be convicted of various crimes if the comments were about racial, sexual or religious groups.
And Peter Hetchins has a refreshingly realistic view of helmets https://hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2017/11/cycle-helmets-for-everyone-that-will-put-more-cyclists-at-risk.html
burtthebike wrote:
Don’t worry, normal service resumed in “Pedestrians, cyclists and bus passengers should get priority when new roads are built to help tackle the obesity crisis – not the motorists who paid for them, health watchdog says”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6555841/Pedestrians-cyclist-public-transport-users-priority-roads-built-upgraded.html
Jimbonic wrote:
Thanks, I think. Who could have predicted that?