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Live blog: Wout van Aert’s joy at debut Tour de France stage win; Kiwi Tour de France star’s Cricket World Cup Final frustration; Extinction Rebellion protester cycles onto military airshow runway; Sagan the magician + more
SUMMARY

Weekend catch-up


In a huge weekend of sport with one or two little things happening yesterday, we could forgive you for missing out on some of our top cycling stories from the last couple of days. So without further ado…
Tour de France Stage 8: De Gendt wins, Alaphilippe back in yellow
Tour de France Stage 9: Daryl Impey wins on Bastille Day
Italian cyclist, 16, recovering after being impaled on two huge track splinters
Deliveroo cyclists short of work as company prioritises cars
Solihull councillors agree to ride cycle route and discover it’s rubbish
Is there anything this man can't do...
Only @petosagan could stop a team bus so that he could cross the road
Il n’y a que Peter Sagan qui peut arrêter un bus pour traverser la route#TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/atyrUnQ8Er— Tour de France (@LeTour) July 14, 2019
First we see Sagan deploy God mode, as he calmly stops a bus in its tracks so he can cross the road…
People ask me what I do during my free time at @letour… Well, here it is, I like solving Rubik’s cube. I’m not very good yet but I’m getting there. Can you beat my time? Don’t forget to watch more of these episodes every day on @eurosport pic.twitter.com/LKdz9SOw6f
— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) July 12, 2019
…and here he is casually solving a Rubik’s cube in 26 seconds.
Daryl Impey "lost for words" after his first individual Tour de France stage victory
This is how a Sunday should be spent. Lost for words. Days like this are rare. Soaking it all up. First stage win in @LeTour Thank you to everyone who has backed me and sent through so many amazing messages already @GettyImages @MitcheltonSCOTT @bikeonscott pic.twitter.com/h6W5NWdAYb
— Daryl Impey (@darylimpey) July 14, 2019
The 34-year-old South African broke away from the breakaway to win his first stage at the Tour de France, and couldn’t contain his emotions after he crossed the line. Impey also shared some of the juicy details of his ride on Strava, and he’ll be even more thrilled that he’s bagging three KOMs along the way…


Extinction Rebellion protests close streets in London, Bristol, Glasgow and more as action kicks off with cyclist disrupting military airshow
That moment you decide to disturb an airshow by riding your bike on the runway, your chain breaks and you actually have to run on the runway trying to dodge full-on rugby tackles. Rebel Christopher is a legend! #RebelForLife #ExtinctionRebellion #Yeovilton19 pic.twitter.com/MTBi3f7xRK
— Extinction Rebellion Nederland (@NLRebellion) July 14, 2019
A bizarre 20 minute-long chase ensued at a Navy airshow in Yeovilton, Somerset yesterday as Extinction Rebellion protester Christopher Maunder cycled onto the runway and was chased by members of the military and firefighters. It’s been reported that Maunder has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass for the stunt, which he claims was in protest at the “immoral display on military might.”
Extinction Rebellion have taken over the Strand, parking a huge blue boat outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
This is not just in London – one campaigner tells us “there’s going to be boats all over the country today.” @LBC pic.twitter.com/ljhmGS4pSk
— Rachael Venables (@rachaelvenables) 15 July 2019
Meanwhile, the group are promising prolonged action all over the country as numerous city streets were blocked off with large colourful boats this morning. Is your city affected, and if so is it for the better without the motor traffic? We’re about to go see for ourselves on Bristol Bridge, where protesters are promising to be for the whole week…
We appear to have new neighbours…for the WHOLE WEEK. Extinction Rebellion have taken over Bristol Bridge, right by huggg HQ.
Have you seen them? pic.twitter.com/evFVgErwv7— huggg (@huggg_uk) 15 July 2019
BREAKING Extinction Rebellion Scotland have installed a 25ft purple boat in Glasgow city centre as part of the #SummerUprising. The boat is blocking the intersection of Glasgow’s Gallowgate and High Street, by the Merchant City clocktower. It bears the demand ACT NOW to UK gov pic.twitter.com/nCSKLpzdgL
— Extinction Rebellion Scotland (@ScotlandXr) 15 July 2019
Extinction Rebellion Bristol: cyclists welcome


The atmosphere is pretty cordial on Bristol Bridge, with a large pink boat appearing and families chilling out in the road while it’s void of cars.


The activists have made it clear bikes are free to go past, designating a path for cyclists with a temporary road sign illustrated with chalk.
Team Ineos will get through a f**k load of Muc-Off over the next couple of weeks


It’s the question that no one was asking, but is quite interesting to find out anyway… just how much bike cleaner, gels and caffeine do Team Ineos get through over the Tour de France? A lot actually, with the team revealing that their four mechanics, all working full-time each day, will spray 40 litres of general purpose cleaner and 4 litres of drivetrain cleaner over the three weeks. The riders also drink about 960 coffees, have their drinks bottles filled 3500 times and slurp through 2,200 gels.
Extinction Rebellion to hook up with Stop Killing Cyclists for national protest on 7th September


The action isn’t set to stop at the road closures this week, with Extinction Rebellion teaming up with Stop Killing Cyclists to jointly stage a ‘massive dramatic National Cycle Protest’ on Tuesday 7th September. The procession will begin at Lincoln Inn Fields with a ‘die-in’, using horse-drawn carriages carrying coffins to create a metaphorical funeral representing the claimed 280,000 children and adults who died prematurely from diseases related to air pollution in the last decade.
SKC’s co-founder Donnachadh McCarthy, who is very active on Twitter, says: “For too long the UK Treasury has promoted the lethal motor and fossil fuel industries. The 2019 budget must be a Climate/Ecological Emergency Budget that includes £6 billion a year for the creation of a national cycling network and the reversal of the toxic fuel duty cuts.”
Our kids deserve safe streets to cycle & play on and they deserve a safe climate to protect their futures. We really welcome this important collaboration with Extinction Rebellion on this national cycle protest. Cycle action is climate action.”
Kiwi Tour de France star's Cricket World Cup agony
Jumbo-Visma’s George Bennett, currently lying fourth overall at the Tour de France, is from New Zealand – and there was no way he was going to miss the climax of yesterday’s Cricket World Cup final, watching it on a laptop while getting a massage.
You've got to feel for @georgenbennett…#CWC19 #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/RfLpfGwTiv
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 15, 2019
His frustration as England edged out the Kiwis in a dramatic Super Over finale – the cricketing equivalent of a penalty shootout – was clear to see as he slammed the laptop shut afterwards.
Before the start of today’s Stage 10 to Albi, he revealed to ITV 4’s Daniel Friebe that he’d managed to keep up to date with what was happening at Lord’s during yesterday’s stage with a bit of help from Mitchelton-Scott sports director Matt White.
He spoke to @friebos the morning after that incredible match at Lord's
Watch:
@ITV4
https://t.co/mYOWLS1AvM #CWC19 #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/rVKB6C1QYz— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 15, 2019
Quite fast...


Marcin Bialoblocki broke the British competition time trial record over 100 miles yesterday, recording a blistering time of 3:13:37 – full story here.
Tour latest - some big GC names are getting dropped with 25km to go
Race situation : Nibali, Pinot, Fuglsang, Bennett, Porte and Uran have been dropped !
Situation de course : Nibali, Pinot, Fuglsang, Bennett, Porte et Uran ont été piégés ! #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/RsfaiGbV2b
— Tour de France (@LeTour) July 15, 2019
Will they get back on? Pinot is the biggest surprise in the group of dropped GC contenders after looking so strong on Saturday, at the moment they’re leaving it open for Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal to capitalise.
Canaries cool down with some cycling
It is that time of the year again where footballers start cycling as part of their pre-season training and Norwich City are no different. Not sure it bodes well for their campaign though if they have to ask what happens if they fall off…
Third full day in Germany
Cycling and stretching was on the menu #ncfc #CityOnTour pic.twitter.com/MyfuPPBWtv— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) July 15, 2019
Wout van Aert's joy at stage win in debut Tour de France
It was a dramatic day at the Tour de France, what with the crosswinds blowing the race apart and dashing the GC hopes of some big names – but at the end of it, there was a bunch sprint yo be had, and Wout van Aert, whose debut at the race is one of the most anticipated in recent years, revailed.
It’s an understatement to say that it meant a lot to him and his Jumbo-Visma team …
It was an incredibly tight finish to Stage 10, and @WoutvanAert was the lucky man to cross the line in front
He spoke to @mrendell after his first solo stage winhttps://t.co/ORoZ85zWco#TDF2019
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 15, 2019
That moment when… you hear you’ve won your first @LeTour stage pic.twitter.com/NQ1kyXXp9s
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) July 15, 2019
Explosion of emotions pic.twitter.com/9B821aapND
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) July 15, 2019
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@chrisonabike Yes does it mean those without it are intrinsically less safe because they don't appear on the motorists' "radar" (in both senses of the word)? This is the problem with bike radars - they aren't addressing the root cause. The problem isn't cyclists being informed just before a motorist smacks into them for which the cyclists can do very little. The problem is motorists not taking evasive action before they (almost?) collide with the cyclist. Radar should be mandatory for cars.
I watched it in thé Dauphiné but didn't get that feeling.
Incoming Betteridge's Law here ("No"). I don't know if this becomes a "thing" but let's say it did: Pro: see round corners etc. And and increasing number of bikes (not just ebikes) have batteries / wireless / other tech anyway... Con: could easily become yet another way to relocate responsibility for safety from drivers, without substantially or reliably improving safety for others. Why? Not guaranteed (both your system AND all the other road users' systems need to be exist / be working / be enabled). How well does the bike interface work anyway (vibration could be masked by road noise; does everyone have both hands on the handlebars at all times? If it becomes prevalent it's easy to see the police / lawyers reaching for "bicycle didn't have (the latest version of) this thus the cyclist was irresponsible / brought it on themselves". For those who are "chips-with-everything" / "Internet-of-everything"-skeptical (that boat has sailed...) this would be yet another driver for "you used to buy a bike now you buy another smartphone".
100% agree, I have Assos and they work a lot better for me, yes they’re more expensive but a lot comfier and last a lot longer. So cost per ride Assos win hands down over Le Col.
@mikecassie I bought a pair that lasted 2 rides before the stitching wore through. I complained about this and they basically said sorry, its your saddle, no one else has this issue. I've got various pairs of Assos bib shorts that have lasted me years with zero issues. They were just awfully designs. The stitching was loose and right over the location where your leg would interface with the saddle if there was going to be any friction. Looking at my assos bibs, all the seams are placed where your movement isn't going to cause problems and all of them are tight to the point of being recessed to make sure that any rubbing isn't on an exposed thread. Le Col offered me 20% off a new pair of their bibs which I politely declined as I didn't think 2 short rides was worth paying 80% of RRP for.
@darnac I know cycling is a team sport to a considerable degree but I have always thought that taking the time on the fourth rider gives too much advantage to the richest teams, the ones who can afford to have three or more Galácticos backing up their leader. Having individual times for each rider seems to me closer to the spirit of the race, i.e. the man who goes round the whole parcours in the lowest time wins. With the old system you could end up with a somewhat absurd situation where rider A actually rode the Tour a minute quicker than their rivals but rider B takes the title because their fourth man in the TTT finished 1.01 ahead of rider A's fourth man. Besides, having watched this format in the Dauphiné, it definitely does make it more exciting and at a time when the standard moan is that with one rider, or two at most, dominant the racing has become too boring that's not really a bad thing.
@nick_stokie Pretty impossible to hide that in the last km of the Tour with maybe 100 cameras on them not to mention everyone's phones.
The "same time in the last kilometre" rule feels exploitable if a team was cunning. Given the last section is uphill then full team effort to the 1km red kite before the most powerful rider does the last 1km solo. If the others were to sit up and coast in they would get a slower individual time. If they had a 'soft' crash into each other or a mechanical (who verifies this?) then then get the better finish time of the more powerful rider. Not very sporting but...
Well you wouldn't want your tyres to be unstable, would you?
I get thé feeling that thé over-riding motivation for changing thé format is to mâke it more 'exciting' on TV
11 thoughts on “Live blog: Wout van Aert’s joy at debut Tour de France stage win; Kiwi Tour de France star’s Cricket World Cup Final frustration; Extinction Rebellion protester cycles onto military airshow runway; Sagan the magician + more”
Great that Extinction
Great that Extinction Rebellion are taking the direct action that we need, as all the rhetoric of the past thirty years has made very little difference. In the area we are interested in, cycling, the potential is massive, with a change from mass car travel to mass cycling. Sure the government, national and local make nice noises and say how important it is to shift people out of their cars, but they still spend all the money on roads and a pittance on cycling.
So well done ER, and keep up the good work.
burtthebike wrote:
The guy’s a moron, pity he didn’t break his neck.
keirik wrote:
Great that Extinction Rebellion are taking the direct action that we need, as all the rhetoric of the past thirty years has made very little difference. In the area we are interested in, cycling, the potential is massive, with a change from mass car travel to mass cycling. Sure the government, national and local make nice noises and say how important it is to shift people out of their cars, but they still spend all the money on roads and a pittance on cycling.
So well done ER, and keep up the good work.
— keirik The guy’s a moron, pity he didn’t break his neck.— burtthebike
Is his intelligence the main issue you have with him or is it his intent to cause disruption or the general Extinction Rebellion movement that you don’t agree with?
You post seemed to be somewhat dismissive and aggressive but not particularly clear.
Personally, I think it’s a shame that these kinds of acts are necessary because our “democratically” (for some values of democracy) elected representatives only seem to represent themselves and big business.
keirik wrote:
Great that Extinction Rebellion are taking the direct action that we need, as all the rhetoric of the past thirty years has made very little difference. In the area we are interested in, cycling, the potential is massive, with a change from mass car travel to mass cycling. Sure the government, national and local make nice noises and say how important it is to shift people out of their cars, but they still spend all the money on roads and a pittance on cycling.
So well done ER, and keep up the good work.
— keirik The guy’s a moron, pity he didn’t break his neck.— burtthebike
Thank you. I always appreciate well thought out, intelligent, considered, well argued criticism.
burtthebike wrote:
Got to be honest, ER closing Bristol Bridge IMO won’t affect that many people (a lot, but not as many as it could). They ought to have aimed higher, closed the Centre
, but I suspect if they had then the powers that be would have probably sent in the army…
brooksby wrote:
I think they did close the Centre – right by the Hippodrome – a couple of months ago. I’m not sure how long for.
Bmblbzzz wrote:
Really? OK, I think I missed that…
It might (just might) be that
It might (just might) be that the NYPD could (?) actually be getting it.
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/07/14/nypd-we-will-no-longer-target-on-grieving-cyclists-after-crashes/
ER are bellends just playing
ER are bellends just playing at doing something because they live in a country which allows them to be bellends and not get beaten to a pulp.
Take.their shtick to China or India, you know, those countries which produce about 50% of Earth’s green problems and they’d get beaten into a coma with a stick by the police. But hey protest what must one of the cleanest , most regulated countries in the world and ignore the real source of warming and pollution.
Notice any normal people among them? As usual it’s the unemployable and fringe dwellers, telling the people who pay for their subsidized existence what to do.
Rick_Rude wrote:
May I refer you to my previous post “Thank you. I always appreciate well thought out, intelligent, considered, well argued criticism.”
Let me know when you manage to establish any kind of reasoned case, rather than just ranting on about people with different values to you, assuming you have any that is.
Rick_Rude wrote:
So your problem with them is that they would be beaten in other countries so they shouldn’t protest here?
Also, if we’re living in one of the cleanest, most regulated countries in the world and we’re still having thousands of people die from air pollution each year, then how bad is the rest of the world?
As to the demographics of protesters, well it’s kind of obvious that people with more spare time are more likely to be protesting. Whether they are ‘normal’ people is up for debate as I don’t know what a ‘normal’ person is.
Unfortunately, we rely on people like these protesters to improve matters as politicians are firmly in the pockets of big business (and have been since forever). I bet you’d have the same complaints about the Suffragette movement or Civil Rights Movement or anti-slavery etc. etc.