Welcome to your Wednesday live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Peloton (who threatened to sue cycling fan over trademark) sued for copyright breach, bike shop staff assaulted in Brompton theft, people protected bike lane vid, nasty crash at Nokere Koerse + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Wed, Mar 20, 2019 19:23
SUMMARY
20 March 2019, 19:23
Royal Mail e-trikes are on the road
We’re working with industry to reduce road danger, congestion and air pollution whilst keeping goods moving in London
A pioneering trial of zero emission e-trikes by @RoyalMail could reduce the number of vans on London’s streets and help to clean up the capital’s toxic air pic.twitter.com/vSTMLI0KC0
— Transport for London (@TfL) March 19, 2019
Eight have been deployed across three cities, and if successful Royal Mail will extend the scheme. Read more on eBikeTips.
20 March 2019, 19:23
It's officially the first day of spring...
…so what are you waiting for, get on yer bikes and ride!
20 March 2019, 19:23
Dvid Millar defends INEOS sponsorship, but cycling world is still divided on the ethics
This is the best news professional cycling could have right now – if they’d shut down it would’ve been back to the dark ages – and chapeau on losing the biggest sponsor in professional cycling and replacing it with the biggest sponsor in professional cycling @franmillar et al https://t.co/efqVMjzq0W
— David Millar (@millarmind) March 19, 2019
Millar says cycling would “return to the dark ages” if its biggest team ceased to exist, and congratulated them for scooping such a big sponsorship deal; however many commentators on social media can’t get over the irony of the team being backed by a chemicals company, especially as Team Sky back the Ocean Rescue movement that advocates a reduction in plastic waste. What do you think?
So Team Sky becomes Team Ineos now. Changing bad publicity to worse publicity, the controversial team is now financially supported by a petrochemical company owned by a Brexiteer, living in Monaco. You can’t script this. https://t.co/UjdqYpWbuS
— Roy (@RoyagonInfinity) March 19, 2019
BBC News – @TeamSky set to name new sponsor as (fracking company) #Ineos owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe
This is such a bad decision
They really haven’t thought this through, have they?!https://t.co/Xz4yaf7OUc
— Craig Bennett (@CraigBennett3) March 18, 2019
“Fossil fuel pollution=largest killer of people cycling”
It’s hard to imagine a less appropriate owner of a cycling team than @INEOS. Air pollution, a lorry fleet. It’s like Katie Hopkins sponsoring the Refugee World Cup. https://t.co/wbXtYCpVMJ
— Simon Whitmore (@betterberunning) March 19, 2019
20 March 2019, 19:23
Still going strong...
“My Shimano cycling shoes are 27 years old. That’s right, I got them in 1992, trained for a year, did several years of triathlon (Olympic distance) while training 6 days a week, and have ridden three times a week since then.
Thanks to Aaron Burns for sharing this photo with us! pic.twitter.com/wN9xLqsIbJ
— RideShimano (@RideShimano) March 19, 2019
It seems Shimano’s triathlon shoes from the early 90’s were certainly built to last… if you like your shoes to look a little fresher then why not consider your choices by perusing our guide to performance road shoes.
20 March 2019, 19:23
Liam's head is 4,928 Skittle-sized
Hexo Helmets came into the office a few weeks ago to scan Liam’s head for one of their new 3D printed helmets which is coming in for testing.
The results are in and his head has a volume of 4,928 Skittles (that’s 308 fun-sized bags), a weight of 5.421kg (full of good ideas) and a roundness index of 1.2, whatever that means.
You can find out more here – hexohelmets.com
20 March 2019, 19:23
Toughest bike race in the World? Mike Cuming explains how he "obliged" after rider asked him to warm his hands during comfort break
It may not be the best-known race on the calendar but the Tour of Normandie certainly has some of the best stories from those tough enough to take it on.
Madison Genesis riders have been sharing their stories ahead of this year’s edition of the race and without doubt, the highlight comes from Mike Cuming:
If you want to check out tales from some other riders then you can read the whole thing here: https://www.madisongenesis.co.uk/tour-de-normandie-the-world-s-toughest-bike-race
Now, where is that meme about cyclists being tougher than footballers again??
20 March 2019, 19:23
Team Sky jerseys = vintage MAMIL
Spare a thought for the designers at @CastelliCycling today. They’ve come up with the best Sky kit since the team was launched 9 years ago… and it’s not going to worn outside Richmond Park from 1 May.
— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) March 19, 2019
20 March 2019, 19:23
Staff assaulted as thieves steal Brompton from London bike shop
20 March 2019, 19:23
Video: Take a look at yesterday's people protected bike lane on London's Old Street
Yesterday, campaigners from Cycle Islington and Active Travel Now formed a people protected bike lane on London’s Old Street calling for it to be made safer for cyclists – with Islington Council confirming only on Monday its plans to reduce the danger posed by motor vehicles, but work not beginning until 2021.
Our news editor Simon MacMichael went along yesterday and rode through the people protected bike lane, together with miniature schnauzer Elodie in the basket of their Elephant Bike – the sight of all that hi-vis making her a little bit excited, as you can hear.
Make the lane – #MakeTheLane pic.twitter.com/1jFPT2qXiZ
— filter more streets (@iambrianjones) March 20, 2019
And here’s what it looked like from their point of view – thanks to Sean Howes of Cycle Islington for the action camera loan.
20 March 2019, 19:23
The fastest bike for an hour?
This is the bike of Victor Campenaerts who is taking on the hour record next month.
The Ridley track frame is paired with double Campagnolo Ghibli Pista wheels, Vittoria tyres and what looks to be a 3D printed cockpit.
The gear looks huge so it’ll be interesting to see what setup he uses in the thin air at the Aguascalientes velodrome in Mexico. Campenaerts is currently on fine form having just won the TT at Tirreno-Adriatico.
The question is, can he beat the 54.526km set by Wiggins in 2015? Time will tell.
20 March 2019, 19:23
Thank god Eddie's wearing a helmet (to prevent damage to the tarmac)
Hopefully no drivers will take issue with 2018’s world’s strongest man Eddie Hall commandeering the road either, they will most likely come off worse! Hall was an elite swimmer before he started competing in strongman, but looks like he now turns to cycling when he needs to shift some pounds.
20 March 2019, 19:23
Nasty Crash in Nokere Koerse Sprint Finish
Chaos on the #NokereKoerse cobbles as Cees Bol takes a much-needed victory for @TeamSunweb pic.twitter.com/I7TtA1niXp
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) March 20, 2019
Today’s race in Belgium, that ends with an uphill cobbled sprint to the line ended with several riders hitting the cobbles hard.
Mathieu van der Poel looked to be in the worst state with concerned teammates staying with him before he was loaded into an ambulance. It wasn’t the ideal start to his cobbled campaign, but thankfully initial reports suggest there are no broken bones.
The other riders that came down included Trek-Segafredo’s Matteo Moschetti who has a badly pulled calf while Floris Gerts was taken away in a neck brace.
20 March 2019, 19:23
Whodathunkit?
Building cycling infrastructure in “Building cycling infrastructure gets more people cycling” shock https://t.co/XfINuAHcNA
— Mark Treasure (@AsEasyAsRiding) March 20, 2019
20 March 2019, 19:23
Peloton, who threatened to sue cycling fan over trademark ... get sued for $150m over breaching copyright
The at-home cycling studio brand’s intellectual property lawyers must be trousering lots of the green folding stuff at the moment …
— Sherine (@SherineUnk) March 20, 2019
Twitter user @Trudgin spotted the inconsistency …
Are these the dudes that tried to trademark the word “Peloton”? You’d have thought they understood copyright?
— Trudgin (@Trudgin) March 20, 2019
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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
VIPcyclist 2 hours ago
Does anyone know if this trainer has a 'race mode ' , that's ten hertz transmission rate. Thanks.
Chris RideFar 5 hours ago
I have great news for everyone: as long as your derailleur has pulleys with proper bearings (i.e., not the bushings found in cheaper RDs) then your cage already has "almost zero friction". This is especially true because the return part of your chain has virtually no tension on it, so you don't need to spend any money on an "upgrade". Just go ride your bike, and "ride up grades" instead of buying them.
Chris RideFar 5 hours ago
This racing incident is certainly not what cost her the jersey, so she shouldn't be whining or placing blame anywhere else but with herself. She had plenty of time after the incident to come back, but she looked totally spent and was lucky to be with the Italian, who towed her to the line.
Mr Blackbird 6 hours ago
Even if she doesn't win the GC, she has had a terrific tour. A great win on Ventoux, Almost snatching a sprint stage and a super time trial performance.
chrisonabike 10 hours ago
@Rendel Harris indeed, but there have been a few other changes also eg. the protection of children. Sandboys are no longer employed, I thought? And thus not run over drunk in the streets. (But I may have missed a change when BJ was mayor?)
chrisonabike 10 hours ago
The basic upright bike is indeed supremely practical (ideally built with sturdy metal frame, equipped with mudguards, rack, perhaps baskets and kickstand etc). But that doesn't seem to be what most professionals are racing? It's an open question whether a modern pro would win eg. the TdF on a (faired?) recumbent benefitting from the developmental efforts that modern bikes have received. Would the aero and comfort benefits outweigh the likely weight disadvantage? Given what we know of the huge aero benefits of group riding perhaps uprights might still edge it? However the reason it's still an open question is that it was resolved on the flat a long time ago and as a result the UCI acted and amended the rules to effectively disqualify recumbents! (Perhaps in part to protect the interests of builders of upright bikes).
half_wheel79 10 hours ago
Thats racing, I like Kasia but she didn't position herself well nor have the legs yesterday.
Mr Blackbird 10 hours ago
Kasia should consider herself fortunate that Longoborghini (apologies for spelling). was willing to tow her to the line, or she would have lost even more time - she was not strong enough to do a turn on the front of the chase.
Rendel Harris 11 hours ago
https://x.com/hetiskoers/status/2086180569352716750
Rendel Harris 12 hours ago
I wanted Kasia to hold on but there's nothing conclusive on the video and even if she was baulked, intentionally or otherwise, it could only have cost her a couple of seconds, not seventeen. It's a very serious allegation; hopefully it was just made in the heat of the moment and in the cold light of day she might withdraw it. ETA Some extra fan footage on Twitter, it's a big load of nothing as far as I can see, Kasia and Gery were both trying to hold Vollering's wheel, they both went too fast into the corner side-by-side and Kasia, being on the outside, got the worst of it. No foul. Link in next comment.
6 thoughts on “Live blog: Peloton (who threatened to sue cycling fan over trademark) sued for copyright breach, bike shop staff assaulted in Brompton theft, people protected bike lane vid, nasty crash at Nokere Koerse + more”
Congratulations to Team Ineos
Congratulations to Team Ineos, I wish it well representing Monaco, with the best riders from Monaco and now a local owner too. I just wish we had something similar in the UK.
@ madison genises……..
@ madison genesis………seriously dudes its not hard or tough to piss on someones hands.Buy your riders some decent gloves.
john1967 wrote:
either that or design the domestiques’ bib shorts with a rear flap so the lead rider can at least stick his cold hands between their butt-cheeks.
Eddie Hall,
Eddie Hall,
doing his bit to make car drivers hate us even more…
PP
Eddie Hall,
Eddie Hall,
doing his bit to make car drivers hate us even more…
PP
Who’s going to tell that
Who’s going to tell that Eddie Hall that he’s a woos for riding an ebike?? A beast indeed!