Welcome to Friday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Alex Bowden and the rest of the team.
Live blog: James Hayden back on the road after attempted robbery; Cyclist has leg chopped off by lawnmower blade; Owain Doull set to ride first Grand Tour; London’s ‘safer junctions’ aren’t safe enough; Zwift announce Yorkshire Worlds course + more
All the news from the site and beyond…
Fri, Aug 23, 2019 18:40
SUMMARY
23 August 2019, 18:40
Less than ideal...
At ICA we believe in taking responsibility and facing the music . Why we say that? Because today , a confusion and mistake by our side has cost our Israeli rider @itamare890 a DNF at #tourofdenmark #pndkr19 . pic.twitter.com/RMSeaarILa
— IsraelCyclingAcademy (@yallaACADEMY) August 22, 2019
Itamar Einhorn of Israel Cycling Academy ended up being disqualified from the Tour of Denmark… because his Directeur Sportif told him the wrong start time for his individual time trial. Arriving ten minutes later than his designated 15:08 start time, Einhorn still rode but ended up outside of the time limit so is now out of the race. Although he says “I blame no one” in the tweet below, we’ve a feeling that might have been said through gritted teeth…
Their latest recruit Dan Martin will hope for some better organisation when he begins racing for the Pro Continental team.
Things like that can happen. Nicki tried to appeal but rejected. We Have zero complaints. It’s on us. Itamar: “I feel bad of course, not able to help the team here. But I blame no one”. pic.twitter.com/UBVoLVchbV
— IsraelCyclingAcademy (@yallaACADEMY) August 22, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Zwift to get Yorkshire World Championships course
It’s been announced this morning that the UCI have continued their partnership with Zwift, meaning we’re going to get the UCI Road World Championships course in game.
It will launch in early September, with Zwifters able to ride a virtual course based on the finishing circuit in Harrogate. Zwift CEO Eric Min said: “I’m delighted to be continuing our long-standing history with the UCI Road World Championships. Ours is a history that dates back to the Richmond in 2015 – a course that still produces some of the most exciting racing on Zwift. Like we have done with Richmond and Innsbruck-Tirol, we hope to bring more people closer to the action by being able to experience the Yorkshire course from the comfort of their own home.”
If you’re planning on visiting for the world champs in September, Zwift will also have a pop-up in the Cold Bath Brewery so you can do a demo, meet fellow cycling fans and take part in daily ride-outs. At least if you get a bit carried away demoing the course, you’ll be in the right place to get some post-ride refreshments…
23 August 2019, 18:40
All the pretty bikes
From the Enve Builders Summit held in the US recently. Pick your fave from these 20 bikes listed right here.
23 August 2019, 18:40
E-bikes aren't cheating, says Sir Bradley Wiggins
Our favourite part of the interview is actually the bit where he tries to make out like he’s really chilled out about his riding these days, but then says, “I have to do two hours. I can’t do 1h55. I’m quite… Two hours is two hours, you know?”
23 August 2019, 18:40
Contador tips Roglic and Lopez for Vuelta – Wiggo says watch out for Valverde
“If I have to choose, I would say that both [Primoz] Roglic and [Miguel Angel] López are two cyclists especially motivated for La Vuelta,” Alberto Contador told Eurosport. “I think that perhaps they are the two top favourites.”
Bradley Wiggins agrees.
“I think on paper you would say that’s how it’s looking to be shaping up, but in cycling, as we’ve seen this year really, anything can happen, crashes or just the form guide really.
“I would never discard Valverde either, he is so consistent over the years – oldest man in the race and I think he is going to be ever-present as World Champion, riding the Vuelta as World Champion of Spain, I think it doesn’t get much better for a Spanish rider.”
23 August 2019, 18:40
“I call for us to take back our roads. In acts of guerrilla warfare, we strike with no warning”
“I slow and stop my bicycle. And completely lose my shit.”
I had a terrible experience on the road today and I want to get it off my chest. We really need to do something urgently about the state of driving in our country. Our Children deserve better. #cycling #backtoschool #traffic #driving pic.twitter.com/HYB5soQhIh
— Joanna Donnelly (@JoannaDonnellyL) August 22, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
London’s Bank Junction to be turned into festival space for World Car-Free Day
Formerly notorious junction will become a picnic area with a sound stage as part of ‘Reimagine’ event.
23 August 2019, 18:40
It's 150 years since Auckland's first bike ride
Getting ready to reenact Auckland’s first bicycle ride exactly 150 years later, with Shane the Bicycle Chap and his 1869 velocipede, for @TheProject_NZ! pic.twitter.com/DrXHC8hiGV
— Bike Auckland (@BikeAKL) August 23, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Early entry for the Tour of Britain Land Art competition
All ready for @TourofBritain which starts along the road @LongridgeTowers 9th September #farm #tourism #cycling pic.twitter.com/W0Bshx2pmx
— Elliot Gray (@Elliott_DG) August 22, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Man who took up cycling to lose weight rides for Team GB
David Brewin from Stroud is heading off to Poland for the Cycling World Gran Fondo Championships where he will be competing as part of Team GB on Sunday, reports the Stroud News and Journal.
“I started cycling towards the end of 2014 when after a long look in the mirror I was horrified to see the reflection of someone who was without doubt overweight,” he said.
In 2017, a freak accident on a muddy road saw David break his leg.
“My muscles waisted away and walking was a struggle. It was a very tough time as I also lost my job because of the protracted rehabilitation period,” he said.
Instead of losing weight, David now had to gain it. He did so and is now ready to compete.
“The qualifier (this year) was a brutal race but I got through it and a week later I was invited to ride for Team Great Britain in the World Championships in Poznan, Poland on September 1,” he said.
23 August 2019, 18:40
"Safer Junctions" aren't safe enough say campaigners
London Cycling Campaign say that inadequate schemes are being brought forward simply for the sake of checking boxes.
The @MayorofLondon has committed to a “Vision Zero” of no serious/fatal collisions by 2041. But how will he get there with “Safer Junctions” that aren’t safe enough? Sign our petition, tell the Mayor to do safer, better junctions, faster: https://t.co/stKlLlkSgt pic.twitter.com/6atngpU7aB
— London Cycling Campaign (@london_cycling) August 23, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Any guesses?
The big question really is what constitutes “very soon”?
We have a special announcement coming up very soon…
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) August 23, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Sussex vying for coveted title of ‘most dangerous county for cyclists’
Earlier this month we reported how Hampshire had been labelled the most dangerous county for cyclists after police officers attended 567 collisions in which cyclists had been injured in a 12-month period.
The Argus now reports that Sussex is even more dangerous.
“Hampshire claimed to hold the record earlier this month with 567 crashes in 2018,” reports the newspaper. “But newly released data from Sussex Police surpassed that figure with a total of 600 crashes.”
For 140 of those, the cyclist was listed as “vehicle one.” They were listed as the second vehicle 442 times, as the third vehicle in 17 cases and the fourth vehicle in just one incident.
Sussex Police Freedom of Information officer Roger Brace said: “We cannot however report if the cyclists recorded as vehicle two, three or four were in collision with a car or not.
“It could be as simple as being knocked off by a car door opening or being clipped by a bus in Brighton.”
We’ve no real clue why he said this. Neither of those things sound any less dangerous to us.
23 August 2019, 18:40
James Hayden back on the road after attempted robbery
(1/2) “Back on the road today. Can’t say I’m too happy about it.. In fact, I’m really annoyed. I spent a whole year sinking everything into preparing for this race for it to be taken away from me. pic.twitter.com/77Uby9nIji
— James Hayden (@JamesMarkHayden) August 23, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Looks like ITV were just trailing this...
The Podcast is BACK for #LaVuelta19
We’ll have a daily podcast hosted by @millarmind and @nedboulting
R E V U E L T A
It’ll be in the same place as our TDF pod for those of you who have already subscribed pic.twitter.com/sBv96nBJN3
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) August 23, 2019
23 August 2019, 18:40
Marcel Kittel retires from racing at the age of 31
German sprinter says he has “lost all motivation to keep torturing myself on a bike”.
23 August 2019, 18:40
Cyclist has leg sliced off after lawnmower blade falls off truck
A cyclist whose leg was sliced off by a lawnmower blade that fell off the back of a passing truck has sued the Ford Motor Company reports the Metro.
The University of Maine history professor’s lawsuit says the mower was defective because its blade could drop from an upright position to a deployed position while being moved.
Godfried was struck with such force while out riding with his son that the blade severed his leg. His life was saved by Arica Gagnon, a nurse who was en route to the beach with her children when she saw the accident, and stopped to use a towel as a tourniquet.
The professor’s injuries were too severe to recover from, and he ended up losing his left limb above the knee.
23 August 2019, 18:40
Owain Doull set to ride first Grand Tour at Vuelta a Espana
Olympic track champion Owain Doull is preparing for what could well be the toughest challenge of his career after being picked for the Vuelta.
Speaking to the BBC, Doull said he hopes to emulate follow in the footsteps of fellow welshman Luke Rowe, who has proved a successful road captain for Team Sky and Ineos in the Classics and the Tour.
“My goal is to do something similar to Luke; what he does every year is what I aspire to,” said Doull.
“To be able to race the Classics in a leadership role and then go to the big Grand Tours in a key support role is an ambition. Luke is definitely someone I look up to. “
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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
chrisonabike 7 hours ago
"All that's required is an to roads policing" - that's a big all... Although no doubt the "idiots just keep coming" aspect does apply: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz9lel2wz93o "Man charged after car crashes through bowling alley" - luckily they only skittled over skittles.
chrisonabike 8 hours ago
Almost any change to roads and streets is accompanied by a period of heightened danger, and in the UK "look out for cyclists" will need to be learned... practically. And over the time it takes for cyclists to become a regular feature. OTOH once (if...) good designs are in and frequent enough such that drivers encounter them AND the cyclists on them regularly (another big if) I don't think they should be much more difficult than a footway to deal with. These things are all over NL - don't have the collision stats but they should. (NL isn't perfect but collecting info on the safety of designs to feed back into better designs as required is part of the "sustainable safety" philosophy - if they're really a killer I think they'd be altering these.)
wtjs 9 hours ago
I'm in the happy position of agreeing with everybody here! I've never considered a bike with a stand, yet I'm impressed by the ingenuity and adaptability of this axle. I tow a Yak Bob with a Robert Axle, employing my El Cheapo Vitus gravel bike and I just have to be very careful where I stop. Hedges are generally a dead loss, and I seek walls, telegraph poles and signposts and generally lean the widest part of the Bob against it. One very awkward task is removing the two steel pins which lock the trailer arms onto the special mounting slots on the Robert axle, and when you have one out, the sodding weight in the trailer can twist the whole caboodle and bend the Bob fitting before you can get the other out and unhitch. I doubt if a stand would help with that. You can imagine that this combo is a real pain when you have to get it over the bridge at railway stations, and it nearly resulted in Merseyrail nearly parting me and the trailer on the platform from the bike on the train. It's a long story for another time. Another axle example recently featured on here, with a 12mm front axle bearing the Herculean weight limit of a monster American front rack.
HoarseMann 11 hours ago
This has nothing to do with the type of bike - it's the type of behaviour that's the problem. Banning the sale of such bikes will not curtail the behaviour. They'll just find another type of vehicle and continue to drive dangerously as there's such a lack of enforcement. I'd sooner see them ban the bally. But really, all that's required is an improvement to roads policing.
AidanR 11 hours ago
The EAPC Bill is welcome, but full of holes. What's to stop an overpowered but temporarily limited e-bike being sold and subsequently delimited? This is often a trivial process.
Sredlums 12 hours ago
@KiwiMike Yeah, in my over four decades of riding all over Europe I've never 'been for a ride in the countryside'. That must be it. Or, and I know this is a wild concept, you just accept that I just voiced my personal experiences and never missed a kickstand, like I wrote. Anyway, what's the big horror of laying your bike on its side for the very few occasions where there is nothing to lean your bike against?
mdavidford 12 hours ago
They may have looked, but did they see?
jackcycles 12 hours ago
Ds2025: where they are going wrong is that they are crushing the motorbike rather than the person sat on top of it. If they did the latter this issue would be solved in less than 24 hours.
Rod Marton 12 hours ago
I came this way today with the car boot sale in operation. There was a marshal at the entrance, who stopped a car turning right across the cycleway as I was approaching. So that certainly works. I think it necessary for the marshal to be there, I couldn't say if the driver would have turned if he hadn't been there but you always have to suspect the worst. Unfortunately there is no marshal at the exit, and there was certainly a car stopped across the cycleway as I was approaching it. But he pulled onto the road before I reached it, and the following car stayed off the cycleway as I went through. Ideally there should have been a marshal there too. On the whole, though, it's a really high standard piece of infrastructure. Just a pity it doesn't extend a bit further.
eburtthebike 13 hours ago
“absolute carnage” So right! Just look at the bodies piled up, blood running in the gutters and injured people limping away. It's a bit of a problem with a road, delaying some people for minutes at a time: it isn't carnage, let alone 'absolute carnage'. Anyone who exaggerates so ridiculously really shouldn't be allowed to comment in public, unless they want to demonstrate their idiocy to all and sundry.
3 thoughts on “Live blog: James Hayden back on the road after attempted robbery; Cyclist has leg chopped off by lawnmower blade; Owain Doull set to ride first Grand Tour; London’s ‘safer junctions’ aren’t safe enough; Zwift announce Yorkshire Worlds course + more”
Quote:
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Hawkinspeter photo-bombing
Hawkinspeter photo-bombing the lead image again
CygnusX1 wrote:
I get around