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Live blog: Froome loses 14 mins in Catalunya crash, German govt digs in over “sexist” cycle helmet ad, Jeremy Vine cut up by cab vid sees HIM get riding advice, Green MP takes aim at new Team Sky owner Ineos, Thomas de Gentd lays down the power +more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
26 March 2019, 17:35
Green Party MP takes aim at new Team Sky owner over pollution

Last week, Friends of the Earth accused Ineos and its owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe of "greenwashing" after it was confirmed the petrochemicals firm was buying Team Sky's management company from Sky and 21st Century Fox with effect from 1 May.

Today, its Caroline Lucas, the Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion who is taking aim at the Brexit-backing billionaire, referencing Team Sky in a tweet that links to a Greenpeace article claiming that Ineos will close a plant in Middlesbrough if forced to comply with EU anti-pollution laws.

Once secretive, Ratcliffe's backing of teams in yachting and cycling and an attempt to buy Chelsea FC last year, as well as his status as Britain's richest man, have seen the raising of both his and the company's profiles.

Anti-fracking campaigners are reportedly planning to protest against Ineos when the team debuts under its name at May's Tour de Yorkshire - a shape of things to come once Geraint Thomas, Chris Froome and their team mates sport the company's logo on their jerseys?

26 March 2019, 17:27
Balance bike toddlers - on a velodrome track!

Here's a terrific video from Japan - toddlers riding the track at the Izu Velodrome on their balance bikes.

According to Google Translate, the text says (roughly) "The senior team is great!"

26 March 2019, 17:02
Froome crashes and loses 14 minutes in Catalunya
Frome Catalunya Crash via Eurosport

With so many pinch points on today's stage, it was inevitable that there would be a few crashes but the hardest hit was Chris Froome who lost out on any potential GC hopes after a nasty crash inside the final 40km. He eventually rolled in with a small group 14 minutes down, though that should give him some freedom to go for a stage win should he recover sufficiently.

26 March 2019, 13:39
Jeremy Vine posts video to Twitter of getting cut up by cabbie - but replies say he should have held back

Broadcaster and cyclist Jeremy Vine has posted another video to Twitter, asking this time whether he "should mind" getting cut up by a taxi in the City of London.

But the general view of people replying on the social network is that with the lights changing and the taxi starting to pull away at a junction where all traffic has to turn left from Newgate Street into King Edward Street, he should have anticipated what was going to happen and held back, rather than put himself in harm's way.

What do you think? 

26 March 2019, 13:32
Relive THAT stage from last year's Giro

BLOWING UP THE GIRO from Science in Sport on Vimeo.

Science in Sport have released a video charting Chris Froome's legendary solo stage victory on the Colle delle Finestre on his way to Giro victory last year. Definitely worth 6 and a bit minutes of your lunchbreak...

26 March 2019, 13:23
Ekoi launch Stripe clothing collection
eki stripe.PNG

The French brand's new Stripe collection includes jerseys in blue, red, white and black colours, and also bib shorts with the stripe pattern in a choice of the same four colours on the leg grippers so you can go matchy matchy. All are available now on Ekoi's website, with the jersey and matching shorts bundle on offer for £128.60. 

26 March 2019, 13:01
Video: Yorkshire Worlds course suits Sagan, says ex-team mate after recce

Michael Kolar, who rode alongside Peter Sagan at Bora-Hansgrohe until he retired last year, has been out on a recce of the course of the men's road race at September's UCI Road World Championships - and says it will suit his fellow Slovakian, who won the rainbow jersey three times in a row from 2015-17. Here's the video from Yorkshire 2019.

26 March 2019, 12:53
26 March 2019, 11:53
Looks like  shit - But saves my life
German government digs in over "sexist" cycle helmet ad

The German government says it "stands by" an advertising campaign aimed at encouraging young people to wear cycle helmets but which has been accused of sexism.

As we reported on Sunday, an image in the campaign, shot by the acclaimed British fashion photographer Rankin, had come under criticism on social media since it showed a model wearing just a cycle helmet and a bra.

Other pictures in the initiative - which are accompanied by the slogan, "Looks like shit. But saves my life." have also attracted negative comments online.

But according to the Associated Press, transport ministry spokeswoman Transport Ministry spokeswoman Svenja Friedrich said yesterday that the whole point of the campaign was to grab attention, and she also highlighted that male models were involved.

“We can absolutely understand the criticism from various sides, but we still stand by the images,” she added.

26 March 2019, 08:32
Thomas de Gendt throws down huge power in impressive Volta a Catalunya opening stage victory

The Belgian Lotto-Soudal rider showed us what it takes to capture such an impressive victory via his Strava account, with a weighted average power of 352 watts over the 164km stage with over 3,000m of elevation. De Gendt weights 72kg. 

de ghendt strava 1.PNG

De Gendt broke away with about 60km to go and more than held on for the victory, now enjoying a three minute lead over his nearest rival. What's more impressive is that De Gendt's ride shows that the peloton were tanking it from the start in places, with plenty of his early segments in the 400 to 500 watt range. 

The second stage is slightly longer and could play into the hands of sprinters, although there are a couple of tricky climbs on the way. After yesterday's effort, it will be mighty impressive if De Gendt manages to keep his overall lead.  

26 March 2019, 08:28
Milan-San Remo from the EF Education First Team

In association with their kit sponsor Rapha, the team have produced this snazzy video to chart their 2019 Milan-San Remo journey...

26 March 2019, 07:53
Unbaa-lievable

Here's a lamb confusing a bike tyre for its mum to start your day...

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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18 comments

Avatar
wycombewheeler | 5 years ago
0 likes

on approaching i can see the lights are changing, definitely tuck in behind the cab, might even get to draft it accelerating away after the bend.

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 5 years ago
1 like

Had the light changed just a little later I expect everyone would be blaming the taxi driver for dangerously cutting the corner.
Taxi driver isn't blameless even though JV shouldn't have put himself there as the light changed early enough to make the call.

Avatar
Zigster | 5 years ago
0 likes

I agree - JV should have anticipated the cabbie cutting the corner.  I wouldn't have undertaken (filtered, etc) at that point on a bike or in a car.

Avatar
alg | 5 years ago
2 likes

I'm with you alansmurphy - I know that junction very well - JV's moral indignation might be justified but from a self preservation point of view he got it wrong I'm afraid.  There is no cycle lane beyond that point so someone in a motor will go for the space.

Avatar
alansmurphy | 5 years ago
5 likes

Think JV is actually doing a good service here as he's showing we don't always get it right but it's always us that is vulnerable. Incidentally, taxi overhanging the ASL, the one to the right even worse...

 

It also highlights the shit infrastructure, why do we keep being funnuled down the inside of cars to potential death? 

Avatar
mikeymustard | 5 years ago
1 like

If Jeremy uses that junction regularly then yes, he should've realised its a pinch point on that corner. However, the road markings are badly designed: the cycle lane could lead someone to believe they can filter up to the front. If they carried on the cycle lane around the bend it would help drivers not cut the corner

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
2 likes

The German government may stand by its images, but does it stand by its words "But saves my life"  Surely they have an equivalent to our ASA?

Avatar
Awavey replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
0 likes

burtthebike wrote:

The German government may stand by its images, but does it stand by its words "But saves my life"  Surely they have an equivalent to our ASA?

they might who'd then ask why isnt it in Deutsch in the first place ?

Avatar
BIGWATTS | 5 years ago
1 like

I'll agree with BTBS there, ease off a bit and let the cabbie (high likelihood of being a... less forgiving driver) go off in front and go past in a more suitable situation/road section.

I'll say well done JV for putting this as a question, getting people to assess a situation and draw conclusions about the best line to take/riding techniques to use.

Avatar
BIGWATTS | 5 years ago
1 like

I'll agree with BTBS there, ease off a bit and let the cabbie (high likelihood of being a... less forgiving driver) go off in front and go past in a more suitable situation/road section.

I'll say well done JV for putting this as a question, getting people to assess a situation and draw conclusions about the best line to take/riding techniques to use.

Avatar
BIGWATTS | 5 years ago
2 likes

Oops!

Avatar
BIGWATTS | 5 years ago
6 likes

I'll agree with BTBS there, ease off a bit and let the cabbie (high likelihood of being a... less forgiving driver) go off in front and go past in a more suitable situation/road section.

I'll say well done JV for putting this as a question, getting people to assess a situation and draw conclusions about the best line to take/riding techniques to use.

Avatar
Awavey replied to BIGWATTS | 5 years ago
0 likes

BIGWATTS wrote:

I'll agree with BTBS there, ease off a bit and let the cabbie (high likelihood of being a... less forgiving driver) go off in front and go past in a more suitable situation/road section. I'll say well done JV for putting this as a question, getting people to assess a situation and draw conclusions about the best line to take/riding techniques to use.

 

tbf JV didnt say he was as put out as the rider next to him was about it, hence the question posed, but yeah thats one of those can see it coming,back off, nothing to be gained by rushing into the gap where angels fear to tread there.

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Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
0 likes

BTBS: why are you referring to JV as a magazine?

https://sonshinemagazine.com/

Or do you actually mean "sunshine"?

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
3 likes

Rapha Nadal wrote:

BTBS: why are you referring to JV as a magazine?

https://sonshinemagazine.com/

Or do you actually mean "sunshine"?

As in sonny, sonshine, 

deal with it, maybe just actually make comments on the subject matter at hand instead of just going off on a tangent just to cause an argument.

Avatar
Rapha Nadal replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
1 like

BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Rapha Nadal wrote:

BTBS: why are you referring to JV as a magazine?

https://sonshinemagazine.com/

Or do you actually mean "sunshine"?

As in sonny, sonshine, 

deal with it, maybe just actually make comments on the subject matter at hand instead of just going off on a tangent just to cause an argument.

Who's arguing here? I'm curious as to your made up words, sonshine.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 5 years ago
12 likes

Sorry Jezza, defensive riding sonshine so you're in the wrong on this one.

You can see the lights are changing, you can see it's a left only turn and you cannot get to the ASL before they are going to move off so why bother trying to go on the inside when this is not going to save you any time whatsoever but does put you into conflict in an entirely predictable situation.

In fact the cab driver had priority and you should have yielded to that, placed yourself central behind the cab 9just like the other rider did) and taken the lane through the lights and around the bend, safe as houses and you've 'lost' what, 1.5seconds if that and no dramas. In fact it probably would have been quicker for you taking the correct option given the person behind you actually comes past with ease!

Nope, you thought a MGIF was the right thing to do.

Should mr pollution have taken the correct line around the bend, yes, but it still might have been tight, should he have bothered to check his nearside mirror before moving off, yes, however you know and we know that that's simply not going to happen in this scenario a moton at the wheel.

Lesson learnt, just because there's a gap doesn't mean a you have a right to take it and b, defensive riding/driving is a thing, you need to be aware of 'what ifs' and in this case it was 100% predictable what was going to happen, so much so that another vulnerable road user actually took the correct line through the lights/bend.

 

Avatar
peted76 | 5 years ago
2 likes

Aw sheep iz qtist !

 

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