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Live blog: Demare wins at Giro as big crash takes out Ackermann; Flying doctors from UK break tandem round-the-world record; Pro cycling's most pointless route sticker?; MacAskill’s best video yet +more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
UPDATED Wed, May 22, 2019 10:38
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21 May 2019, 19:19
21 May 2019, 18:03
Flying doctors (based in Australia but from UK) break round--the world tandem record

Two British doctors based in Australia have set a new Guinness World Record for the fastest round-the-world tandem ride, though – in common with solo riders circumnavigating the globe – they experienced some unexpected hazards along the way, including an encounter with a bear in Russia and being robbed at knifepoint in Mongolia.

Lloyd Collier and Louis Snellgrove, who work as A&E doctors in Townsville, Queensland, finished their ride around the globe in Adelaide last Thursday, 283 days after they had set off, breaking the previous record by seven days – subject to ratification by Guinness World Records – and raising money for neurology research.

21 May 2019, 15:33
Pascal Ackermann after Giro d'Italia Stage 10 crash
Giro d'Italia Stage 10: Demare wins as crash takes out Ackermann

Groupama-FDJ’s Arnaud Demare has won Stage 10 of the 2019 Giro d’Italia in Modena this afternoon after a short stage across the flat roads of the Po Valley that, as expected, came down to a bunch sprint. Valerio Conti of UAE Team Emirates retains the race leader’s maglia rosa.

The Frenchman outsprinted Elia Viviani of Deceuninck-Quick Step to take victory, while behind a big crash took out a number of riders including one of the favourites for the stage today, Pascal Ackermann of Bora-Hansgrohe.

Arnaud Demare wins 2019 Giro d'Italia Stage 10 (picture RCS Sport, LaPresse)

As racing resumed following yesterday’s rest day, the 145-kilometre stage from Ravenna was raced mainly at a sedate pace, the speed only picking up inside the final 20 kilometres.

By that time, a two man break comprising Luca Covili of Bardiani-CSF and Nippo-Vini Fantini’s Sho Hatsuyama had long been caught ahead of what for once was not a highly technical finish to the stage, with the final bend coming 2 kilometres from the line.

CCC’s Fran Ventoso tried to spring a surprise from 3 kilometres out, but he was caught inside the closing kilometre, just as the crash that cost Ackermann the chance to contest the win happened.

Stage winner Arnaud Demare

“I knew it would be a fast sprint with the last 20km very nervous. To avoid any crash, I asked my team-mates to keep me in the first ten or fifteen positions. They have been excellent. Ramon [Sinkeldam] has been very strong and Jacopo [Guarnieri] exceptional. A sprint like this, at full speed with no need to brake, was perfect for me. I and my team would have liked to win a sprint earlier in the Giro. I was always placed but I wasn’t winning. It’s a relief today. My goal is to reach Verona. If I have the legs to overcome the mountains, I’ll be there till the end.”

Maglia Rosa Valerio Conti

“In some stages of this Giro we rode very hard but it wasn’t the case today. I don’t like this kind of racing because it makes the finale more dangerous as many riders are still fresh and too many believe they can win. I don’t want to take unnecessary risks. I repeat that I want to keep the Maglia Rosa as long as possible. My biggest fear is the attacks of Vincenzo Nibali. They’re unpredictable.”

21 May 2019, 15:03
The ultimate millennial bike? Cannondale's Treadwell has a built-in phone mount and the app tells you how much carbon you've saved by cycling
C20_C37150M_Treadwell_EQP_AGV_PD_low-res

Read all about it here. 

21 May 2019, 13:45
Indoor cycle lane claimed to be first of its kind to open in Singapore mall

When the Funan mall opens in June, visitors will be able to cycle on a 200 metre-long path that runs through and around it. The Straits Times report that the path will have LED's that light up whenever it detects movement, and will mostly serve working professionals who cycle to their office during morning peak hours. During the mall's shopping hours between 10am and 10pm, however, cyclists will be encouraged to dismount. 

It's claimed to be a "first-of-its-kind indoor cycling path"; we're not sure if that means in the entire world or not, but we don't know of any other examples. If you do, feel free to let us know in the comments...

21 May 2019, 13:32
Wiggo's looking suave in tribute to the Giro

Shame about that knackered old bike though Bradders, don't you know it's all about the F12 now? 

21 May 2019, 13:01
Giro d'Italia fans huff & puff at Team Ineos

The tweet translates as "They've changed name, but the popularity of Team Ineos on Italian roads remains very high."

21/05/2019, 13:54

Meanwhile, the latest test bike getting reviewed at the moment is this Merida Reacto Disc 4000. It's a lot of bike for £2,000, but will it have the performance to match the looks? Review is coming soon

21 May 2019, 12:54
21 May 2019, 12:53
Today's Giro d'Italia stage is as flat as they come, as noted by Thomas De Gendt
21 May 2019, 12:40
British Cycling and HSBC give bikes to children in Birmingham (picture ctedit British Cycling)
British Cycling and HSBC give 600 free bikes to underprivileged kids in Birmingham

British Cycling and HSBC have begun distributing 600 free bikes to underprivileged kids in Birmingham with the help of Birmingham and West Midlands cycling and walking champion, the former BMX and track cycling world champion Shanaze Reade.

Under the scheme, which is being delivered by The Active Wellbeing Society, children will also receive a bike a bike pump.

Reade said: "Initiatives like this are fundamental to ensuring that children – regardless of who they are or where they come from - are given the opportunity to learn how to cycle.

“It’s easy to forget that a lot of kids simply don’t have access to a bike and schemes like this help to break down these barriers and ensure that cycling is something that can be enjoyed by all, no matter what your background.

“There are so many benefits to riding a bike – from physical and mental health, to the environment – and by providing hundreds of free bikes and equipment to children across the city, HSBC UK and British Cycling are contributing towards a healthier, fitter and greener nation which is something that should be applauded.”

21 May 2019, 12:26
Old Street Roundabout impression
London's Old Street roundabout switches to two-way traffic next week

London's Old Street roundabout will switch to two way traffic next week as part of the overhaul of one of the capital's most dangerous junctions by Transport for London (TfL) and the boroughs of Islington and Hackney.

Nick Fairholme, TfL’s Director of Project and Programme Delivery, said: “Our work at Old Street will transform journeys for thousands of people in the area and make it much easier and safer to walk, cycle and use public transport.

The road layout will switch to two-way traffic from 0001 on Monday morning.

"The switch to two-way traffic is a major milestone for the scheme and some road closures and changes to travel are needed for work to progress. I’d encourage everybody in the area to take extra care as traffic gets used to the new road layout.”

RoadPeace campaign co-ordinator, Victoria Lebrec, commented: “I’m really pleased to hear that works to Old Street roundabout are starting.

"The current layout is unsafe and we’ve seen some really horrible collisions happen there over the last few years.

"People walking and cycling should not feel like they are taking their lives into their hands when travelling through Old Street.

"At RoadPeace we see the devastation that road danger causes, and welcome TfL’s commitment to addressing it.”

21 May 2019, 10:44
Giro d'Italia Stage 10 starts at 12.45 BST

It's a flat 145km stage today, which should mean a battle between the sprinters at the finish line in Modena. Barring a miracle/disaster Primož Roglič will still be in the Maglia Rosa at the start of stage 12 tomorrow, where things are about to get hilly. 

21 May 2019, 10:28
£22,000 well spent

Plus hopefully a bit more in the form of a fine and enough points to get this idiot off the road. 

21 May 2019, 09:01
Dogma F12 Red and Black RIM
Pinarello’s Dogma F12 goes on a diet

Just a short while after launching the latest Dogma F12, Italian company Pinarello has unveiled the even lighter Dogma F-12 X-Light and Dogma F12 Disk X-Light via the UCI’s list of approved equipment.

We don’t have any details about these new bikes yet, but we have asked. All bike companies that want their bikes used by WorldTour professionals must pay to get their bikes approved by the UCI, and this process means new bikes often get revealed ahead of any planned marketing material by the company.

pinarello dogma f12 x-light

With the last Dogma F10 X-Light, the frame was 60g lighter than the regular model due to using a higher grade of carbon fibre with a lower resin content, along with a new layup and new dedicated moulds. Could we see similar weight savings on the F12 Dogma X-Light?

The new bikes were only just approved on the 17th May 2019. More details when we get them.

 

21 May 2019, 07:45
"What is the point?" - Jeremy Vine records another dangerous close pass

The presenter and broadcaster has published enough criminal driving for a feature length film over the years on social media, and his latest involves a lorry that overtakes him on Shaftesbury Avenue as a bus and a van are coming the other way. Vine then catches up with the lorry at a later junction, who appears to have saved all of no seconds by making the dangerous manoeuvre. No word on identification of the driver yet, but the plate appears to be visible from the footage. 

Still some in the comments tried to suggest that the incident could have been avoided, with the one above being particularly unpopular. 

21 May 2019, 07:33
No rest for Chris Froome as he celebrates his 34th birthday with six hour ride

How much does Froome want a fifth Le Tour win? A six hour ride on his 34th birthday, that's how much. Team Ineos are out in Majorca on a training camp in prep for their assault on the Tour de France, although it looks like they backed off on the intensity a little yesterday with time to take so many selfies...

21 May 2019, 07:00
ICYMI...

...over on off.road.cc, here's Danny Macaskill being Danny Macaskill, this time putting his own unique spin on babysitting. It's wracked up over a million hits on YouTube in a little over 24 hours, watch this four minutes of pure joy and you'll see why! 

Jack Sexty

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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