Welcome to Wednesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Watch as Alaphilippe and Fuglsang slug it out at Fleche Wallonne, Chris Froome on Tenerife training and making yourself hurt, NYPD “harassing” youngsters by fining cyclists without bells, confiscating bikes + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Wed, Apr 24, 2019 15:36
SUMMARY
24 April 2019, 15:36
Cyclists in Aberdeen plan to demonstrate in the city over lack of proper cycling infra
Less than a week to go until the Aberdeen mass bike ride for #PoP2019.
We will be cycling laps around the city centre. Join us for one lap or many! Start at 11am on Sunday 28th April outside Marischal College. pic.twitter.com/AcncuB23Dz— Aberdeen Cycle Forum (@aberdeenCF) April 22, 2019
As part of the Pedal on Parliament movement that has long called for better cycling infrastructure in Scotland, the Aberdeen Cycle Forum plan to ride into the City Centre of Aberdeen on the 28th April to highlight the need for segregated cycle lanes. It will start at 11am and riders will complete laps of the city.
24 April 2019, 15:36
A cycling club and restaurant in Hackney are working in tandem to fund bikes for refugees
Cycling club and local restaurant team up to fund new bikes for refugee riders@cyclinghackney and @ItalianVenerdi launched rebranded bikes and kits in #Clapton earlier this monthhttps://t.co/zLvmt39eCB#Hackney #cycling #refugees pic.twitter.com/VL9ByEZ4N0
— Hackney Citizen (@hackneycitizen) April 23, 2019
The Hackney Citizen reports that Cycling Club Hackney and the Italian restaurant Venerdi are raising funds to kit out local refugees with new road bikes. It’s part of the club’s Aspiring Rider Development Programme to help young cyclists to compete at a high level. The scheme also includes youths from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as refugees who have been riding with the club for over a year.
Cycling Club Hackney’s manager Keir Apperley has coached at youth level for ten years, previously mentoring Team Sky’s Tao Geoghegan-Hart who won his first WorldTour stage win at the Tour of the Alps over the Easter weekend.
The new bikes have been rebranded with Venerdi logos before being given to aspiring young racers, and there is also custom kit.
24 April 2019, 15:36
New York City Cops, they ain't too smart...
We should be encouraging cycling by making people feel safe biking on our streets, not targeting cyclists for overly punitive crackdowns. We have to do better than this. https://t.co/rVth8o8inJ
— NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson (@NYCSpeakerCoJo) April 22, 2019
New York Police Department is renowned for its occasional ‘crackdown’ on certain behaviours and petty crimes that might seem heavy-handed to the rest of us; and recently, photos and videos emerging on social media of cops surrounding youths and fining them for not having bells on their bikes appears to be the latest use of resources that could probably be best exercised on more pressing issues. There are also reports of officers seizing bikes, and the image below allegedly shows “at least 20” police officers surrounding BMXers and telling them to leave for having the audacity to sit in Union Square.
At least 20 NYPD officers here telling about 8 kids on BMX bikes to leave Union Square because they were…sitting on the steps #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/AFWxiPcbsK
— Christopher Robbins (@ChristRobbins) April 20, 2019
Streets Blog NYC reported that New York Mayor De Blasio knew nothing of the heavy-handed approach or of the four tickets that were handed out to youths for not having bells on their bikes. He dismissed it as precautionary due to the perceived spike in marijuana use on ‘4/20 day’ (the 20th of April), although it’s difficult to see what that has to do with confiscating bikes.
Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who is planning to run for mayor, commented: “We should be encouraging cycling by making people feel safe biking on our streets, not targeting cyclists for overly punitive crackdowns. We have to do better than this.”
24 April 2019, 15:36
Ritchey launch 25th anniversary edition of the Swiss Cross frameset
Tom Ritchey designed and built the first steel Swiss Cross cyclocross bike a quarter of a century ago for the Swiss CX champ Thomas Frischknecht, and now they’ve updated it to mark the occasion. The new Swiss Cross has flat-mount disc brake compatibility, thru-axles, a full carbon fork and updated geometry for a slightly more aggressive position. It also has clearance for up to 40mm tyres for off-road forays away from the CX race course.
100 limited edition framesets will be launched and there will be a normal production run of the standard black version (below). Check them out on Ritchey’s website here.
24 April 2019, 15:36
Mikel Landa to replace Vincenzo Nibali as Bahrain-Merida's star Grand Tour GC contender, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport
Mikel Landa apunta al Bahrain Meridahttps://t.co/4d8px9rvYm pic.twitter.com/2IrGU1u9xU
— Mundo Deportivo (@mundodeportivo) April 24, 2019
La Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Landa is on his way out of Movistar to be the new top dog at Bahrain-Merida. With Nairo Quintana and Alejandro Valverde already on Movistar’s roster, it’s a move that could help Landa to fulfil his potential shown at the 2015 Giro d’Italia, when he finished third.
24 April 2019, 15:36
Chris Froome on Tenerife training: “You have to make yourself hurt”
Team Sky’s Chris Froome says “you have to make yourself hurt” to get the benefit from training camps on Tenerife to be able to help you cope with the suffering and pain once you are racing.
The four time Tour de France winner was speaking during a camp at Mount Teide to the BBC’s Tom Fordyce.
“When I first started coming here, it felt like we were on the Moon,” he said. “I wondered what we were going to do for two weeks.
“It’s pretty desolate up here. It’s just the hotel. But that’s perfect. These training blocks, you can literally shut the rest of the world out.
“We’re out on our bikes almost all day, and when you come back to the hotel in the evening there’s nothing. Just peace and quiet. Massage, eat, sleep. Rinse and repeat. You do exactly what you need to get ready for July.
“It is going to bring pain. But that is what this is all about. We’re bike riders. You’re not going to get better by just cruising around, getting coffees every day.
“You’ve got to get out there and make yourself suffer. You have to make yourself hurt.”
Froome is currently racing at the Tour of the Alps and next month, rather than defend his Giro d’Italia title, will ride at the Tour de Yorkshire, his first race in the colours of Team Ineos following its takeover of Team Sky’s management company.
Read the full interview here.
24 April 2019, 15:36
Blues and twos (wheels)
Our colleagues from @WelshAmbulance have brought this cycle response unit, which incredibly can carry as much equipment as a car. The future of emergency response in Cardiff #healthytravelcardiff pic.twitter.com/9lJmKFqqEh
— Cardiff & Vale UHB (@CV_UHB) April 23, 2019
…and coming soon*: a trailer for patients and a helmet with built in blue lights and siren.
*in our imaginations
24 April 2019, 15:36
Julian Alaphilippe successfully defends Fleche Wallone title
Julian Alaphilippe, along with Mathieu van der Poel one of the two in-form riders of the early months of the season, has won La Fleche Wallone for the second year running.
Yeeeesssssssss!!!!!! @alafpolak is the king of the Mur de Huy for the second year in a row. What a beautiful victory in #FlecheWallonne for the most in-form rider of the year!#No25in2019
Photo: @GettyImages pic.twitter.com/bTNXxcBX88— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) April 24, 2019
The Deceuninck-Quick Step rider crossed the finish line on top of the iconic Mur de Huy this afternoon ahead of Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang, with Diego Ulissi of UAE Team Emirates third.
Victory in the women’s race went to another rider who is absolutely on fire at the moment – world champion Anna van der Breggen of Boels-Dolmans – her fifth successive win in the race.
24 April 2019, 15:36
Battle of the Bastard Climb
No apologies for the Game of Thrones reference.
Watch as Julian Alaphilippe and Jakob Fuglsang slug it out on the Mur de Huy at the end of today’s Fleche Walllonne.
Nothing to do against him on Mur de Huy…Julian Alaphilippe wins his 2nd Fleche Wallonne. In the shape of his life, Fuglsang was a hard nut to crack though, Astana is still flying close to Deceuninck. 25-22…
(by @mundociclistico ) #FlecheWallonne pic.twitter.com/E4ftEnDx5B— Mihai Cazacu (@faustocoppi60) April 24, 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
Mr Blackbird 11 minutes ago
@belugabob I've been in a few different hotels in recent years and never had any difficulties with keeping my bike in my room. I always take a couple of newspapers with me to spread out under the bike to stop any drips of oil/water etc getting on the carpet. One hotel even had a nice timber post in the room, for me to lock my bike to. One of the hotels had a secure lock up room for bikes, but were happy for me to keep the bike in my room because it meant I didn't have to drag away a member of staff to get my bike at busy breakfast / check out time. When I went to stay in N Yorks for the 2019 World Champs, the only inconvenience was breakfast being crowded because the Italian Junior women's squad's bikes were being stored in the main dining room! The only slight downer is looking like a bit of an eccentric as I carry my bike down the stairs and through reception in cycling kit.
Rendel Harris 39 minutes ago
Another one for the "just because we can doesn't mean we should" pile for me I think, my cheap (£35) photochromic glasses that I use for commuting at dawn and dusk may take 30 seconds to adapt fully to changing light but they start pretty much immediately and I hardly ever feel that they are too dark or not dark enough; if I hit a patch where they really are too dark, sudden tunnels et cetera, one quick hand swipe (same as with these) moves them down to the end of my nose so I can look over the top of them. No precious battery resources wasted, nor the price of a decent secondhand bike.
eburtthebike 48 minutes ago
Great report, sorry, yet another great report, about LTNs which the MSM will instantly leap into action, pens poised, recorder buttons pressed, camera shutters primed, to ignore completely. It's simply not controversial enough. The lurid claims of the anti-LTN mob, of congestion, pollution, danger, plague and pestilence, will however, be front page news. The media in this country actively works against the best interests of the population, with a few notable exceptions: the ITV expose of Reform was good, very good.
cardch 2 hours ago
This is the arsehole who insisted the Brexit would make the country (and world) a better place. The sooner we stop reporting on any bullshit that leaves his mouth the better.
cardch 2 hours ago
Undoubtedly this is clever technology, but I wonder about the safety aspect of having to take your hands off the handlebar to switch modes. I get that the rapid response rate improves things to a degree but if I go from sunlight to shade on a poor quality road (of which there are many, as we know) do I want to take one hand off the bar in order to lighten my glasses….? Photochromatic may be slower but will get there without intervention (and at far less than half the cost).
jaymack 12 hours ago
@Rendel Harris - perhaps there is a gap in the market for hyadrationpak.com?
Rendel Harris 12 hours ago
@kingleo I'm sure they may be but Lime's UK profits last year were around £4M; a standard 27-bike docking station costs around £100,000 installed and they have around 50,000 bikes in the capital. £185M would be a big ask for a £4M p.a. operation, even if you could find 1800+ suitable sites, which would be next to impossible.
Rendel Harris 13 hours ago
@belugabob At a certain Scottish branch that shall remain nameless just in case any of Premier's brass are reading we turned up shattered with filthy bikes, when we asked the manager if there was somewhere we could clean them he said, "Ach it's just mud, it'll hoover off in the morning, up ye go!"
kingleo 13 hours ago
@Rendel Harris, I would have thought that the e-bike companies' owners are mega rich; they can afford to put lots of e-bike docks in place. The problem is that they are an outstanding business success; they are too successful, from nothing a few years ago to what we see now.
belugabob 13 hours ago
With reference to a hotel where " You can take your bike right into your room" ... Premier Inn have been doing this for years and therefore have had lots of our custom, on multi-day trips. Not once has any member of staff batted an eyelid - in fact, on one occasion we asked if they had paper towels to clean our bikes before we took them inside, and they shrugged then gave us 2 enormous fluffy white bath towels (needless to say, they weren't white for long.
3 thoughts on “Live blog: Watch as Alaphilippe and Fuglsang slug it out at Fleche Wallonne, Chris Froome on Tenerife training and making yourself hurt, NYPD “harassing” youngsters by fining cyclists without bells, confiscating bikes + more”
American policy seems to
American policy seems to involve cracking down on the victim.
If people think London is
If people think London is crap, go cycle in NY, it’s fucking horrible and the plod there make the MET look like bobbies out of Z-cars.
Ticketing people for no bells, for fucks sakes, it’s NSW stasi state all over again. You can’t reason with these power tripping sub humans, they will just point a gun at you and arrest you the moment you try to ascertain your rights, like too many police in the US they aren’t interested in your lawful rights, they do what they want and they know that the system will back them up to the hilt even when they murder innocent people. Have you seen the one with the elderly person who was slightly over the speed limit who was shot in their vehicle, it’s fucking mental out there!
No amount of money could get me wanting to be a commuter cyclist in NY, not a cats in hells chance!
Great Fleche Wallone finish..
Great Fleche Wallone finish.. we are being spoiled with excellent bike racing at the moment!