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Live blog: Egan Bernal and the benefits of the bunch (in watts); Huub-Wattbike aiming to blow Hour record 'out of the water'; Scottish MSPs reject ban on parking in cycle lanes; Echelon hire designer who sued Peloton (who are suing Echelon) + more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
10 October 2019, 15:08
Soooo how much energy can you save from sitting in the group again?
Egan Bernal Grand Piemont - credit LaPresse

Enough for a Team Ineos 1-2 at Gran Piemonte, as Egan Bernal absolutely stormed to victory with a solo attack on the uphill finish. Further down the page you'll see Velon recorded Bernal's teammate Filipo Ganna riding at 315 watts for the first two hours, mostly off the front, while Bernal only had to put out 160 watts in the group during this part of the race; in other words, he'd barely had to warm up.

It was to prove crucial for the latter stages of the race and Team Ineos dominated proceedings with supporting riders doing big turns at the front, and it meant Bernal had enough left in the tank to ride the last 1 minute and 28 seconds up a 10% gradient at an average of 460 watts; huge for a lad weighing a mere 60kg. His fellow Colombian and Ineos teammate Iván Sosa came second, with Bernal praising his efforts: "I won the race but he was almost stronger than me", Bernal said of Sosa according to the Team Ineos Twitter account. 

10 October 2019, 15:00
Asda Brighton Marina (via StreetView)
Teenager who rode through Brighton Asda charged with dangerous cycling

Charge relates to YouTube video ‘The Maddest Day Ever In Brighton’.

Full story here.

10 October 2019, 14:05
Harrogate Worlds 2019 fan zone mud (credit Simon MacMichael)
UCI insurers asked to pay compensation to local businesses and for damage to Harrogate park following World Championships

Several local businesses claim they were treated as "collateral damage" during the World Championships.

Full story here.

10 October 2019, 12:18
How much energy can you save by sitting in the pack?

This much. Our favourite number-crunching stattos Velon have revealed from the rider's on-bike power meters that Filipo Ganna of Team Ineos has put out 315 watts in the first two hours of today's Gran Piemonte; while his Tour de France-winning teammate Egan Bernal has averaged just 160 watts for exactly the same average speed sitting in the pack. 160 watts is barely enough to raise the heart rate above resting for a rider of Bernal's calibre, while 315 for two hours is going some; although Ganna weighs quite a bit more than Bernal at 76kg, so his numbers would be higher than the Colombian if the two rode side-by-side at the same speed, for example (we're not sure of their actual power-to-weight ratios). in any case, sitting in the pack makes a massive difference... 

10 October 2019, 11:09
Velodrome interior (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by Hugo Cardoso:Flickr)
Huub-Wattbike aiming to blow Hour record 'out of the water'

Another interesting element in that Derby Telegraph Huub-Wattbike story we mentioned further down the page is that they’re looking to break the Hour record.

Dan Bigham says: "One thing we’ve also discussed now for over a year is to go out and break world records. It’s always been an ambition and we’ve delayed it and delayed it for various reasons.

“Now, with the UCI and their possible change in regulations next year, it would be a nice end for us, much as we don’t want it to be.

“We can go up to altitude and we can take on the team pursuit, the individual pursuit and the hour record and, hopefully, put them on a shelf for some years to come.”

He says they’re looking into making their attempts in Bolivia.

“It’s 2,600m of altitude and, without going into details, means we will find 60 more watts of power.  It means the times we can do will be borderline outrageous. The team pursuit will be a big ask, as the Australians are head and shoulder above everyone else right now.

“In the individual pursuit (4km on the track), John Archibald has said he’s going to ride a 3.59 and we’re going to hold him to that.

“The Hour is held in high regard within the sport and we’re all going to have a go at it. We’ll be in peak form, with the best preparation and some outrageous equipment.

He adds, “We’re aiming to blow it out of the water, that’s the plan.”

10 October 2019, 11:03
Not wholly surprising news

Chris Froome says he'll be targeting a fifth Tour title next year.

But should he really be riding one-handed given his recent history?

10 October 2019, 10:58
Justice (Lonpicman, Wikimedia Commons)
Lorry driver whose view was blocked by dashboard tray table guilty of killing cyclist

Driver installed tray table to be "one of the lads".

Full story here.

10 October 2019, 10:32
Laurent Jalabert to ride Look limited edition 'Eruption' 796 Monoblade at Ironman World Champs
look ltd edition 796 laurent jalabert

The French former pro cyclist Laurent Jalabert is competing in triathlon's Ironman World Championships at age-group level this weekend, and will ride the first edition 796 Monoblade bike with the Eruption paint job inspired by Kona's lava fields. The build also features Look’s all-carbon Aergo time trial handlebar, ZED 3 crankset and Aeropost seatpost. The remaining 49 frames will be available to buy from Look retailers on a first-come-first-served basis from 11th October, priced at £6,600. 

1995 Vuelta winner Jalabert's participation in Ironman hasn't been without controversy, as some fellow triathletes were unhappy that he is able to compete in the sport despite the French Senate finding in 2013 that his doping test from the 1998 Tour de France contained EPO. Convicted blood doper Alexander Vinokourov is also competing in the 45-49 age group in Kona. 

10 October 2019, 09:08
More on Scotland passing up the opportunity to close the cycle lane parking loophole

Jim Densham, Cycling UK’s Campaigns and Policy Manager for Scotland, said:

“This is a disappointing missed opportunity to finally close a legal loophole so it would once again become an offence to park, as well as drive or ride in a mandatory cycle lane, that is one marked by a solid white line.

“We want everyone to understand that parking in a cycle lane risks the safety of people riding bikes because a vehicle parked in a cycle lane forces them to move or swerve out into traffic, putting them in danger.

“And although the law has not been updated, we would urge all drivers to be considerate and not park in any cycle lane, either mandatory lanes, or advisory lanes which are marked with a white dashed line.”

10 October 2019, 09:20
Peloton Let's Go
More Echelon v Peloton developments

Peloton are suing rival spin bike brand Echelon, accusing them of selling "cheap, copycat products" and patent infringement.

Cycling Industry News now reports that Echelon has teamed up with Eric Villency.

Villency, the founder of VR-Optics, previously acquired a patent from Microsoft and subsequently accused Peloton of infringing on it. Peloton reportedly counter-claimed, accusing Villency of attempting to sell the patent to its competitor, Flywheel Sports.

Echelon is said to have licenced an Interactive Fitness patent from VR Optics.

10 October 2019, 10:18
Going aaah about the Ventoux*

We meant to run this the other day when Chris first made his appeal on Twitter… but we didn't. Anyway no need to worry, the cycling Twitterati came to the rescue…

*instead of the more usual aargh!

10 October 2019, 08:55
The Pursuit (via Vimeo)
Huub-Wattbike aiming to win three World Cups before change in regulations means they’re no longer allowed to compete

In June, the UCI announced a raft of changes to the track cycling season, one of which means the Derby-based amateur team Huub-Wattbike will no longer be eligible to take part in the Track Cycling World Cup.

Only national teams will be eligible from 2021.

Huub-Wattbike started out in 2017 as Team KGF, four amateur riders outside the British Cycling setup who decided to launch their own team based at the Derby velodrome.

Competing on an annual budget of £15,000, their innovative approach helped them become national champions and Track Cycling World Cup gold medallists.

The team have been speaking to Derbyshire Live ahead of their final season in the competition.

Their ambitions are typically modest. They’re aiming to win all three World Cups that they’ll go to and also break a bunch of world records.

10 October 2019, 08:05
Cycling UK say "safety of cyclists has been ignored" as MSPs reject call to ban parking in cycle lanes

Scottish parliament voted against closing up a loophole that means parking in cycle lanes is not always against the law. Cycling UK Scotland said: "We are terribly disappointed that MSPs have voted not to ban parking in cycle lanes. This is despite 6000+ emails being sent to them by members of the public asking for a simple law change in the Transport Bill. Unfortunately the safety of cyclists has been ignored." 

Cycling UK recently discovered that although cycle lanes built before a traffic sign regulations update in 2016 are still always illegal to park in, bizarrely those built after the change can be parked in unless there is a double yellow line. To look at most of the lanes will look the same, making it difficult and confusing for traffic enforcement officers to know if motorists are actually breaking the law by parking in a cycle lane. 

We've contacted Cycling UK for further comment, but as it stands this appears to be a baffling decision by Scottish Parliament, who had the chance to swiftly amend the law in their new Transport Bill. 

10 October 2019, 07:53
Wiggo x Adidas?

He's seems ro be getting around and putting his name to everything nowadays, so we wouldn't be surprised to see a Bradders and Adidas collaboration... would you buy em? 

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.  

Add new comment

17 comments

Avatar
Dangerous Dan | 4 years ago
5 likes

Imagine that you parked your car on the motorway and walked away.  The response would be that it would be towed away, and you would get the bill.

If that was what happened to cars  parked in a bicycle lane I have little doubt that the practice would end.

I spent 3 weeks in September touring Burgundy with my wife on our tandem.  Drivers there were much more courteous to us, weather we were riding or walking, than drivers are in the USA.  I understand that if you hit a cyclist in France you have to prove that the cyclist was at fault.  Same for pedestrians. 

Not too difficult to figure out: people respond to rewards and punishments.

 

Avatar
Sniffer replied to Dangerous Dan | 4 years ago
0 likes

Dangerous Dan wrote:

Imagine that you parked your car on the motorway and walked away.  The response would be that it would be towed away, and you would get the bill.

If that was what happened to cars  parked in a bicycle lane I have little doubt that the practice would end.

I spent 3 weeks in September touring Burgundy with my wife on our tandem.  Drivers there were much more courteous to us, weather we were riding or walking, than drivers are in the USA.  I understand that if you hit a cyclist in France you have to prove that the cyclist was at fault.  Same for pedestrians. 

Not too difficult to figure out: people respond to rewards and punishments.

 

Presumed liability.  Another missed opportnity that has been discussed in Scotland.

https://www.cyclinguk.org/news/20141031-pressure-increased-introduce-pre...

Avatar
Organon | 4 years ago
1 like

But who is this Huub-Wattbike fellow? I haven't heard of him winning any TTs, how is he going to smash the hour record?

Avatar
Philh68 | 4 years ago
4 likes

Huub Wattbike should seek nominations from countries to represent them as their national team. Like Tuvalu, just to stick it to the UCI… 

Avatar
Kendalred replied to Philh68 | 4 years ago
3 likes

Philh68 wrote:

Huub Wattbike should seek nominations from countries to represent them as their national team. Like Tuvalu, just to stick it to the UCI… 

Or just declare 'Derbados' a nation state, as in 'Passport to Pimlico'.

Avatar
RobD | 4 years ago
3 likes

Really hoping Huub-Wattbike manage to achieve great things on the track, just to show how the UCI are stifling grassroots racing. If riders can only compete by being part of a national team, then it really does make it a poor show. Especially when they clearly were able to compete at the required level.

Avatar
fixation80 replied to RobD | 4 years ago
0 likes

RobD wrote:

Really hoping Huub-Wattbike manage to achieve great things on the track, just to show how the UCI are stifling grassroots racing. If riders can only compete by being part of a national team, then it really does make it a poor show. Especially when they clearly were able to compete at the required level.

Just another UCI 'O'Bree' moment, 'you can't do that, it's not cricket'!

Avatar
StraelGuy | 4 years ago
10 likes

We all need to order some 'Congratulations for parking like a c**t' certificates and carry them when we're out on our rides no

Avatar
the little onion replied to StraelGuy | 4 years ago
3 likes

StraelGuy wrote:

We all need to order some 'Congratulations for parking like a c**t' certificates and carry them when we're out on our rides no

 

if these aren’t available yet, someone should start making them. I’d buy them.

 

in the meantime, I’d just scratch that message into the paintwork 

Avatar
dobbo996 replied to StraelGuy | 4 years ago
3 likes

StraelGuy wrote:

We all need to order some 'Congratulations for parking like a c**t' certificates and carry them when we're out on our rides no

You'd have to carry hundreds and be stopping every few metres.

Avatar
Philh68 | 4 years ago
14 likes

So in Scotland an empty stationary car is still seen as having more entitlement to public space than a person on a bicycle actually going somewhere. Idiocy of the highest level. It’s either a bicycle lane or it’s car parking. Stop pretending it can be both, it can’t.

Avatar
Sniffer replied to Philh68 | 4 years ago
4 likes

Philh68 wrote:

So in Scotland an empty stationary car is still seen as having more entitlement to public space than a person on a bicycle actually going somewhere. Idiocy of the highest level. It’s either a bicycle lane or it’s car parking. Stop pretending it can be both, it can’t.

It is a missed opportunity and another example of where our politicians are not brave enough to move us to a new place.

  • Scotland knows it has an obesity crisis.  Many areas don't do well on other health statistics.  Pushing society to be less dependant on cars would be a significant change.
  • Scotland has already declared a climate emergency.  It has a target to be carbon neutral by 2040, 10 years earlier than the UK govenrnments target.

but even with those clearly identifed drivers of policy ther debate can't get past a car dominated society.

The move to allow local authorities to tax employer provided car parking spaces (like Nottingham has done) is positive although probably only Glasgow and Edinburgh are interested in using the powers.

Our leaders will need to lead society to a different place, but they can't see where that place might be and won't push a society stuck with private cars as the dominant transport imperative.

Every day I commute by bike I have to go round cars parked in a cycle lane.  For me it is not a huge inconvenience, but it is just a little indication that our leaders don't have the vision to change our car dominated society.

 

 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Sniffer | 4 years ago
3 likes

Sniffer wrote:

Our leaders will need to lead society to a different place, but they can't see where that place might be and won't push a society stuck with private cars as the dominant transport imperative.

Every day I commute by bike I have to go round cars parked in a cycle lane.  For me it is not a huge inconvenience, but it is just a little indication that our leaders don't have the vision to change our car dominated society.

Unfortunately, it appears that the vast majority of our politicians are paid to keep things as they are.

Avatar
maviczap replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
0 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:

Sniffer wrote:

Our leaders will need to lead society to a different place, but they can't see where that place might be and won't push a society stuck with private cars as the dominant transport imperative.

Every day I commute by bike I have to go round cars parked in a cycle lane.  For me it is not a huge inconvenience, but it is just a little indication that our leaders don't have the vision to change our car dominated society.

Unfortunately, it appears that the vast majority of our politicians are paid to keep things as they are.

Indeed, not representing the public but representing their paymaster.

It'd be refreshing for MPs to say fuck off and not take the pay check from big business and look after the health and welfare of their constituents, and reduce the burden on the NHS.

Avatar
Philh68 replied to Sniffer | 4 years ago
3 likes

Sniffer wrote:

It is a missed opportunity and another example of where our politicians are not brave enough to move us to a new place.

  • Scotland knows it has an obesity crisis.  Many areas don't do well on other health statistics.  Pushing society to be less dependant on cars would be a significant change.
  • Scotland has already declared a climate emergency.  It has a target to be carbon neutral by 2040, 10 years earlier than the UK govenrnments target.

but even with those clearly identifed drivers of policy ther debate can't get past a car dominated society.

The move to allow local authorities to tax employer provided car parking spaces (like Nottingham has done) is positive although probably only Glasgow and Edinburgh are interested in using the powers.

Our leaders will need to lead society to a different place, but they can't see where that place might be and won't push a society stuck with private cars as the dominant transport imperative.

Every day I commute by bike I have to go round cars parked in a cycle lane.  For me it is not a huge inconvenience, but it is just a little indication that our leaders don't have the vision to change our car dominated society.

 

 

I think we can make it simpler than that. Cycle lanes exist to separate road users for safety and improved traffic flow. It’s the same for any special purpose lane, bus only lanes exist to benefit both bus users and motorists by enabling each to travel without interference from the other. They’re actually preventing the cycle lanes from doing what they are meant to do by allowing parking in them - forcing cyclists out of that lane into vehicle traffic and disrupting the flow of both. And any traffic engineer will tell you that mixed traffic only moves as fast as the slowest vehicle.

So what they’ve done is continue to prevent efficient use of road space for all users. And in turn this will perpetuate the stereotypes as cyclists are forced out of their lane, where they will be blamed for hindering traffic. Because no politician has ever grasped the fact that parked cars move zero persons per hour, and that roads were not meant as storage space for private possessions, we have to find a way to put that into an economic cost to society before they will understand.

 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Philh68 | 4 years ago
4 likes

Philh68 wrote:

Sniffer wrote:

It is a missed opportunity and another example of where our politicians are not brave enough to move us to a new place.

  • Scotland knows it has an obesity crisis.  Many areas don't do well on other health statistics.  Pushing society to be less dependant on cars would be a significant change.
  • Scotland has already declared a climate emergency.  It has a target to be carbon neutral by 2040, 10 years earlier than the UK govenrnments target.

but even with those clearly identifed drivers of policy ther debate can't get past a car dominated society.

The move to allow local authorities to tax employer provided car parking spaces (like Nottingham has done) is positive although probably only Glasgow and Edinburgh are interested in using the powers.

Our leaders will need to lead society to a different place, but they can't see where that place might be and won't push a society stuck with private cars as the dominant transport imperative.

Every day I commute by bike I have to go round cars parked in a cycle lane.  For me it is not a huge inconvenience, but it is just a little indication that our leaders don't have the vision to change our car dominated society.

 

 

I think we can make it simpler than that. Cycle lanes exist to separate road users for safety and improved traffic flow. It’s the same for any special purpose lane, bus only lanes exist to benefit both bus users and motorists by enabling each to travel without interference from the other. They’re actually preventing the cycle lanes from doing what they are meant to do by allowing parking in them - forcing cyclists out of that lane into vehicle traffic and disrupting the flow of both. And any traffic engineer will tell you that mixed traffic only moves as fast as the slowest vehicle.

So what they’ve done is continue to prevent efficient use of road space for all users. And in turn this will perpetuate the stereotypes as cyclists are forced out of their lane, where they will be blamed for hindering traffic. Because no politician has ever grasped the fact that parked cars move zero persons per hour, and that roads were not meant as storage space for private possessions, we have to find a way to put that into an economic cost to society before they will understand.

One way to prevent people from parking in cycle lanes is to allow members of the public to submit photos of badly parked vehicles in return for a "finders fee". Couple that with an increasing scale of fines for repeat offenders and sooner or later drivers will avoid known blackspots as there'll be people just waiting for the vehicle to stop in the wrong place.

Avatar
Sniffer replied to Philh68 | 4 years ago
0 likes

Philh68 wrote:

Sniffer wrote:

It is a missed opportunity and another example of where our politicians are not brave enough to move us to a new place.

  • Scotland knows it has an obesity crisis.  Many areas don't do well on other health statistics.  Pushing society to be less dependant on cars would be a significant change.
  • Scotland has already declared a climate emergency.  It has a target to be carbon neutral by 2040, 10 years earlier than the UK govenrnments target.

but even with those clearly identifed drivers of policy ther debate can't get past a car dominated society.

The move to allow local authorities to tax employer provided car parking spaces (like Nottingham has done) is positive although probably only Glasgow and Edinburgh are interested in using the powers.

Our leaders will need to lead society to a different place, but they can't see where that place might be and won't push a society stuck with private cars as the dominant transport imperative.

Every day I commute by bike I have to go round cars parked in a cycle lane.  For me it is not a huge inconvenience, but it is just a little indication that our leaders don't have the vision to change our car dominated society.

 

 

I think we can make it simpler than that. Cycle lanes exist to separate road users for safety and improved traffic flow. It’s the same for any special purpose lane, bus only lanes exist to benefit both bus users and motorists by enabling each to travel without interference from the other. They’re actually preventing the cycle lanes from doing what they are meant to do by allowing parking in them - forcing cyclists out of that lane into vehicle traffic and disrupting the flow of both. And any traffic engineer will tell you that mixed traffic only moves as fast as the slowest vehicle.

So what they’ve done is continue to prevent efficient use of road space for all users. And in turn this will perpetuate the stereotypes as cyclists are forced out of their lane, where they will be blamed for hindering traffic. Because no politician has ever grasped the fact that parked cars move zero persons per hour, and that roads were not meant as storage space for private possessions, we have to find a way to put that into an economic cost to society before they will understand.

 

I don't disagree with you.  Just putting the lack of change into a wider perspective. 

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