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Chris Froome suffers stem staring envy; "Get your bike fixed'…Theresa May gets post PM advice from an ex-PM; Bottle snatching badness at the Giro; Walking is faster; Plus – Rapha, Fizik & lots more

All the cycling news from this site and beyond…
24 May 2019, 15:24
Froome keeps tabs on the Giro

As he says himself...

24 May 2019, 15:18
Just Eat Cycles in Edinburgh
Vandals target Edinburgh hire bikes – 100 trashed in a fortnight

Most bikes repairable but some dockless bikes more badly damaged.

Full story here.

24 May 2019, 14:08
Pedal like a Movistar pro with new Fizik Vento Powerstrap R1 shoes

Fizik is launching its new Vento Powerstrap R1 Movistar Team racing shoes on the 7th June so you can get that pro look. They’ll cost £224.99.

VENTO-POWERSTRAP-R1-movistar-light-blue_top

They first debuted in the Tour Down Under earlier this year and are being worn by the Movistar Team and Movistar Women Team riders throughout the 2019 racing calendar

The shoes use a new twin Velcro strap arrangement, the lower one crossing the foot twice. This Powerstap design is claimed to provide a more secure fit with a great range of customisation.

They’re also very light thanks to a full unidirectional carbon fibre sole and lightweight fabrics.

VENTO-POWERSTRAP-R1-movistar-light-blue_side

If you like the look of the shoes but are wondering if any other colours are available, you’re flat out of luck I’m afraid, as this Movistar colour is the only option.

“Like all equipment at the level we race, we all need to totally rely on our shoes – to be comfortable, predictable, and always perform as we need, whatever the race, the time of day, the effort, the incline. The Vento R1s just suit me beautifully. I put them on, and I forget all about them,” says Movistar Team’s Mikel Landa.

“The popularity of this new shoe with the Movistar Team riders led us to look at producing them for general sale to the public,” added Carlo Maria Ferrero, fizik’s Marketing and Communications Manager.

“We always like to give our athletes the choice of the best equipment and it’s an interesting experience to discover what suits which rider – it’s part of our ongoing feedback and development program. We ask them to try different shoes and stick with what works for them.

“It’s a generalisation, because everyone’s different, but there’s a consensus that some riders prefer the new Vento Powerstrap R1 because of the predictable practicality, while others may prefer the Infinito R1’s double-Boa closure system so they can easily tighten mid-ride for intense effort. Whatever shoes each rider prefers, we wish them the best of luck this year.”

24 May 2019, 14:01
Chris Boardman pleads for national cycling infrastructure standards

Relating to the story below...

24 May 2019, 13:57
St Pancras (TfL)
Sadiq Khan reveals quality criteria for new Cycleways and criticises boroughs ‘wedded to the status quo’
24 May 2019, 13:17
Rapha has launched a new commuter backpack

Rapha has launched a new backpack aimed to meet the demands of commuting cyclists.

Rapha_Commuter_Bag SS19_27

The Roll Top Backpack is made from tough hard-wearing fabrics, the roll top opening provides large access to the contents and is secured by a retractable clip. A single loop of webbing over the front provides a handy place to hang light and locks. The back panel features three padded panels to provide comfort and prevent too much heat buildup, and the straps are similarly padded.

Visibility is a big concern when battling through busy streets on the commute so Rapha has given the backpack reflective tabs on the straps and the entire bottom panel is reflective.

Rapha_Commuter_Bag SS19_47

Luggage capacity is 15 litres and extends to space for a 15” laptop inside a dedicated padded sleeve, and there are smaller pockets for essentials and an external pocket. Pink lining inside the main compartment apparently makes it easier to locate things.

One neat detail is the base which ensures the backpack will stand up without falling over.

If you like what you see it’s available now from www.rapha.cc and costs £100.

24 May 2019, 12:49
Tao Geoghegan Hart abandons the Giro

A crash on a descent early on in the stage forces the Londoner out of the Giro.

Ineos says that he is being accompanied by a team doctor and his injuries don't appear to be as bad as first thought.

Heal up fast Tao!

24 May 2019, 11:18
Advice for May - 'Get your bike fixed'

Former Danish PM Helle Thorning has some ways to beat the blues when you resign as Prime Minister. It's advice for a niche audience but we're all for shoehorning in a cycling reference!

Thorning was speaking about how she dealt with the period following her time as the Danish PM, saying that she started cycling around Copenhagen and figuring out how the bus system worked.

So who knows, Londoners, you might just see Theresa May pedaling around Parliament Square on the 8th of June...

Or she might binge-watch Game of Thrones. Spoiler alert, Brand the Broken wins...

24 May 2019, 10:40
A fast start to Stage 13 then...

Belgian breakaway specialist Thomas DeGendt's numbers are pretty impressive, especially given the climbs to come in today's stage.

24 May 2019, 10:28
Lance Armstrong (via NBC)
Lance Armstrong "wouldn't change a thing" about his doping – it’s all about learning and growth and all that…

“I was asking for them to come after me,” he said.

Full story here.

24 May 2019, 09:10
Spin to win

It looks like granny gears aren't just for us mortals, as Jhonatan Narváez of Team Ineos appears to be running a pretty big cassette for today's mountain finish of stage 13 of the Giro. 

24 May 2019, 08:27
Marco Haller wasn't in the best of moods yesterday

And fair enough really.

24 May 2019, 08:09
Summit finish in the Giro today
24 May 2019, 08:04
London traffic jam (licensed CC BY 2.0 by Garry Knight on Flickr)
Uber data shows it might be quicker to walk

The INRIX 2018 Traffic Scorecard showed that in a number of UK cities the quickest way of getting about is by bike. It found that last-mile traffic speed in London is just 7mph.

It’s a growing trend. Last year The Telegraph concluded that the average speed of an urban driver will be less than that of a cyclist within a decade.

We’ve now got Uber data that suggests the same thing. In fact Forbes points out that in some areas driving is slower than walking.

The company has released Uber Movement Speeds, which shows that London motorists trying to get through Trafalgar Square rarely exceed 4mph, while those on Northumberland Avenue average 3mph.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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13 comments

Avatar
Ad Hynkel | 4 years ago
0 likes

I think if I am going to carry a kilo of d-lock I would rather it was slung low on the bike somewhere rather than high up on my back.

Then again those 2kg I have put on since last year are being carried higher up than my bike...

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
0 likes

Former Danish PM who actually takes a massive salary from Save the Children and her husband is one of the Kinnocks children who are pro EU (though NK was against being in the ECC before his 'conversion'), especially since they'ce been in that gravy train for over two decades and raked it on very nicely, not to mentiion the lovely annual £1/4M pension pot from, most/all of it from the EU/public purse. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3636143/Greediest-snouts-EU-tro...

Avatar
matthewn5 replied to BehindTheBikesheds | 4 years ago
1 like
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Former Danish PM who actually takes a massive salary from Save the Children and her husband is one of the Kinnocks children who are pro EU (though NK was against being in the ECC before his 'conversion'), especially since they'ce been in that gravy train for over two decades and raked it on very nicely, not to mentiion the lovely annual £1/4M pension pot from, most/all of it from the EU/public purse. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3636143/Greediest-snouts-EU-tro...

Take your Euroskepticism and links to the Daily Hate elsewhere. We don't need politics on Road.cc. We come here to get away from it!!

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to matthewn5 | 4 years ago
0 likes
matthewn5 wrote:
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:

Former Danish PM who actually takes a massive salary from Save the Children and her husband is one of the Kinnocks children who are pro EU (though NK was against being in the ECC before his 'conversion'), especially since they'ce been in that gravy train for over two decades and raked it on very nicely, not to mentiion the lovely annual £1/4M pension pot from, most/all of it from the EU/public purse. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3636143/Greediest-snouts-EU-tro...

Take your Euroskepticism and links to the Daily Hate elsewhere. We don't need politics on Road.cc. We come here to get away from it!!

 

 I don't.  Cycling is unavoidably involved with politics.  On the other hand, BTBS is going a long way off-piste here.  The politics of personal transport isn't the same as a general political discussion.

 

(And I doubt a leaver could come up with any negative comment about the EU I haven't said myself at some point, but personally I think leaving, at least now, in the current circumstances and context, is still going to go much worse, despite the EU being a bit rubbish).

Avatar
CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
3 likes

Froome should submit that picture to GCN's Hacks and Bodges feature .

Avatar
Ratfink | 4 years ago
2 likes

"Visibility is a big concern when battling through busy streets on the commute so Rapha has given "

..........The top cyclist  a rucksack that sticks up over  their shoulders???

Avatar
Butty replied to Ratfink | 4 years ago
2 likes
Ratfink wrote:

"Visibility is a big concern when battling through busy streets on the commute so Rapha has given "

..........The top cyclist  a rucksack that sticks up over  their shoulders???

Those rucksacks need a message on the back - "drivers keep your distance - Dlocks hurt"

Avatar
Organon | 4 years ago
2 likes

I suspect Haller has been learning English from some of the British riders.

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
0 likes

Lance Armstrong article in the Grauniad

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/24/lance-armstrong-it-wasnt-legal-but-i-wouldnt-change-a-thing

Quote:

“We did what we had to do to win. It wasn’t legal, but I wouldn’t change a thing: whether it’s losing a bunch of money, going from hero to zero,” said Armstrong

Discuss 

Avatar
Rick_Rude replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
4 likes
brooksby wrote:

Lance Armstrong article in the Grauniad

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/may/24/lance-armstrong-it-wasnt-legal-but-i-wouldnt-change-a-thing

Quote:

“We did what we had to do to win. It wasn’t legal, but I wouldn’t change a thing: whether it’s losing a bunch of money, going from hero to zero,” said Armstrong

Discuss 

Most people are salty with Lance because he was better at cheating than them. He was to cheating what Sky were to getting your shit together in cycling. 

It's not like anyone else wasn't one the sauce. Pantanti's mother can come up mafia theories and whatever but he was still on it and so were most of the other big hitters in that era. Some like Indurain just didn't get greedy and annoy people.

Avatar
portec | 4 years ago
3 likes

A totally understandable, but perhaps unwise, reaction from Haller in the heat of the moment. He was no doubt knackered after working hard in the break all day and then came away with nothing much to show for it so feeling a little disappointed, I'm sure. He probably regrets that reaction now, although the "fan" seems like a complete muppet who deserved to get an ear full.

Avatar
chuckd replied to portec | 4 years ago
2 likes
portec wrote:

A totally understandable, but perhaps unwise, reaction from Haller in the heat of the moment. He was no doubt knackered after working hard in the break all day and then came away with nothing much to show for it so feeling a little disappointed, I'm sure. He probably regrets that reaction now, although the "fan" seems like a complete muppet who deserved to get an ear full.

"perhaps unwise"? I think not.

This kind of crowd behavior deserves an immediate confrontation, and shame on the Tour for appearing to be protecting the knucklehead from the competitor. Bottle Boy got off way too easy.

Avatar
2old2mould replied to chuckd | 4 years ago
2 likes
ChuckD wrote:
portec wrote:

A totally understandable, but perhaps unwise, reaction from Haller in the heat of the moment. He was no doubt knackered after working hard in the break all day and then came away with nothing much to show for it so feeling a little disappointed, I'm sure. He probably regrets that reaction now, although the "fan" seems like a complete muppet who deserved to get an ear full.

"perhaps unwise"? I think not.

This kind of crowd behavior deserves an immediate confrontation, and shame on the Tour for appearing to be protecting the knucklehead from the competitor. Bottle Boy got off way too easy.

The tour steward wasn't protecting the fan, he was protecting the rider. If Haller had decked the guy then that would be it for Haller... Also, I don't recommend a confrontation, as who knows what kind of nutjob you're confronting. Report to the stewards and let them do the legwork.

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