Welcome to Monday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
Live blog: Sheffield lifestyle magazine jokes about using razor wire on pavement cyclists, Herrada wins Ventoux Challenge, bonkers Chris Froome crash conspiracy theories on the internet, weekend catch-up + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Mon, Jun 17, 2019 18:48
17 June 2019, 18:48
Jesus Herrada takes the win on Mont Ventoux
Today was the inaugiural Mont Ventoux Denivele Challenge one-day race – and the victory went to Cofidid rider Jesus Herrada who raced away from AG2R-La Mondiale’s Romain Bardet to take the win on one of cycling’s most famous finish lines. Watch how he did it here.
Not a particular strong field but the way Herrada won on Ventoux was simply spectacular! More of a puncheur and than a climber but yet, he followed every attack from Bardet with ease before leaving him for dead with 400 meters to go. Tour stage win awaits. pic.twitter.com/0A1yRkmxHI
— Mikkel Condé v2.0 (@mrconde) June 17, 2019
17 June 2019, 18:48
Sheffield lifestyle magazine jokes about using razor wire on pavement cyclists
The editor of a Sheffield lifestyle magazine has penned an editorial in which razor wire is suggested as a way of dealing with pavement cyclists.
The editorial takes the shape of a – we hope – fictional conversation between Grapevine editor Ian MacGill and a friend going by the name of Mr Smith who demands razor wire “because I’m sick and tired of nearly being killed by cyclists speeding along the pavement here. They need to be taught a lesson.”
The editor expresses the reservation that cyclists may be decapitated,” receiving the response, “Exactly! Word will soon get around that there’s a high price to pay for anti-social behaviour.”
The reservation, however, turns out to be that “our pavements will become covered in red slime and gore, which raises all kinds of health and safety issues” – such as the magazine’s staff slipping on it.
In the final paragraph, the editor actually gets to the point of the column. “Eventually Smith calmed down,” he wrote, “and agreed that his plan was a bit too radical (and messy). Yes he is right to be concerned about a dangerous problem that will not be solved until bicycles are given licence plates that can be photographed by CCTV, and riders fined whenever they misbehave.”
Of course, it’s well-documented that bike licensing schemes don’t work – whenever they are introduced, they tend to be quietly dropped afterwards, but obviously it’s the razor wire references that are attracting attention on social media.
He’s not the first journalist to suggest something of that nature – Matthew Parris did that in The Times a few years back – but such comments, even if made in an attempt at satire are ill judged and inflammatory, and miss the point that some individuals do actually go out and set traps for cyclists, as has happened in Fife, Scotland in recent days.
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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
60somethingcyclist 20 minutes ago
Will he act against the Samar group in Williamsburg which uses it's political clout to get cycle lanes removed - even though they voted for him?
ktache 2 hours ago
I did have an internal clog on one of my Fillmore valves (with oil slick upgrade) a little while back, a quick search and watch of a YouTube video and I was set for taking them apart. Apart from the effort required to overcome corrosive seizing between the thumb nut and the thread of the shaft, hopefully mildly future proofed with the addition of a dab of grease, the valve service was very easy. Well designed for this I did think. Needed a small spanner and hex key. Only issue would seem to be with a little pin that could easily go missing. The peaty's apparently have a circlip, if there is anything designed to ping off around the work area it's a circlip. Or the shockingly expensive security magnet of a hexlox. I had a go on the display stand of the scwlabe click valve at the LBS last week. A simple joy to use. I forget how much I have to adapt to the quibbles that my bike pumps have, I'm used to them, I have lent my lezyne HV mini floor to people at work and they have had great difficulties. I will miss the rustic plank with 3 valve types screwed in on the LBS counter though. I will of course resist upgrading to the new standard for far too long, before eventually doing it to all wheels and pumps and wondering why I hadn't done it years ago...
belugabob 3 hours ago
@hawkinspeter the laws are there - and have been for some time - it's the enforcement that is tardy.
Mr Blackbird 3 hours ago
Excellent structured argument. Well done. Are you Kemi Badenoch's speech writer by any chance?
lees69 4 hours ago
@Mr Blackbird What a load of absolute twatwaffle...
rookybiker 5 hours ago
To be fair the principle is sound, the problem is in the execution. This specific attempt is especially ludicrous, but a century of efforts ranging from Oscar Egg's Velofusée to modern streamlined recumbents has not managed to produce a setup matching the practicality of the standard bicycle. If only the R.A.F. designers had waited until this year's Womens' TdF they would know to fill in the front rather than the back. Limited gains, but more attainable.
Amadeus99 5 hours ago
Another bunch or corporate dickheads who are cycling enthusiasts first and business people second, who are now all amazed after being overpaid and underworked for making stupid overbuying decisions, that they dont have a job. Being paid to spend other peoples money and duplicating so many jobs , well what could possibly go wrong. Over valued by up to 10 times its real value, who on earth is going to buy a brand that is in a market flooded by bikes that all look the same with different labels on them. These morons were paying 110 000 euros a week a few years ago to warehouse all the bikes they over ordered and couldnt pay for after the covid boom. The industry needs pricks like this like it needs a hole in the head. There are companies failing everyday right now in the bike business and its what is called evoloution of dick heads in the bike business. Let this continue until only the strong survive and dont be surprised when you see some of the top 10 brands in the world vanishing up their own arse.
Terry Hutt 6 hours ago
@Blackthorne83 More fun than on group rides. Can you imagine how annoying it would be to listen to this drivel on a cafe ride?
rookybiker 6 hours ago
Oh, to be the dangling nether parts of a giant red swollen baseball-cap-wearing sky hamster!
10 thoughts on “Live blog: Sheffield lifestyle magazine jokes about using razor wire on pavement cyclists, Herrada wins Ventoux Challenge, bonkers Chris Froome crash conspiracy theories on the internet, weekend catch-up + more”
Something a bit like that
Something a bit like that happened to me some years ago. A screw went through my rear tyre and punched a hole in the bed of my Mavic Ksyrium rim. With the screw firmly locked in place the wheel did a couple of revolutions before I could stop and the screw head had put some horrible scratches along the seat tube. I think I was swearing to myself for the remaining six miles home.
About 15years ago, commuting
About 15years ago, commuting home through East London, near City Airport, there’s a big bang and back wheel locks solid. In rush hour traffic. Bit hairy. Screw through sidewall of tyre, out through top of tyre, right through mudguard (how the hell?) immediately screwing the tyre solidly to the mudguard. Took a while to sort that out. Needed a new tube, new tyre and new mudguard before we were finished.
Wondering – and clearly not
Wondering – and clearly not important with Froome because he’s out for a while – is there an immediate exemption granted for traces of drugs given in emergency medical treatment? Blood transfusions, adrenaline, steroids, opiods etc all widely used. Clearly you’re not gaining an advantage but are you allowed to ride on a big dose of painkillers following a crash like Roglic’s road rash in the Giro, or Dan Martin hitting the wall in the TdF?
kil0ran wrote:
I don’t think you’d be in any fit state to race if you’d legitimately needed a blood transfusion.
Think the rules on painkillers are pretty strict. Tramadol being a recent example of stricter policy.
That said, Froome’s biological passport will be all over the place now, conspiracy theorists will have a field day if he does make a comeback.
Ach, tubeless would have
Ach, tubeless would have dealt with that screw easily.
Miller wrote:
Depends how big the screw was.
Miller wrote:
I detect sarcasm. This happened to me exactly. Sent sealant mist spraying in all directions.
Let’s hope he’s filled in his
Let’s hope he’s filled in his ADAMS whereabouts correctly or when the testers come knocking at Froome Towers, Monaco there’ll be hell to pay.
Riding Vale lanes: PING, BANG
Riding Vale lanes: PING, BANG, PING, PING.
Rear flat.
I followed my usual routine of finding the hole in the tube and checking for a cause in the tyre. Nothing there, but for some reason, I plugged that hole in the tube with a finger, and blew it up again. And found another hole. And another. And another…
Inner tube looked more like a colander.
Eventually, I find a thin, rusty, bent nail in the sidewall of the tyre, caught under the rim. It must have been trapped between the tyre and frame, bouncing back and forth. Just glad I checked for more holes before I put a new tube in. Didn’t fancy the walk home. Rim was scratched to **** and a bit dented, but I rode it for a while longer.
Is it irony that the address
Is it irony that the address of this rag in Sheffield is London Road? The road which gave it’s name to the Planet X much lauded commuter/all-rounder?
Fuckwits.