Dutch rail operator pledges more space for bikes; Huge anti-pollution bicycle wheel artwork stolen in Bath but no-one knows when or how; Roglic wins world’s biggest yacht race; Merckx in hospital; CX rider v mud; Nico Roche Xmas pud tip +more on live blog

An anti-pollution artwork made up of 69 bicycle wheels covered in red textiles has been stolen in Bath – but no-one seems to know exactly when or how thieves made off with them.

The installation was put in place on the city’s George Street last month, with the number of wheels matching the 69 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre measured at the location – 60 per cent above the limit of 40 micrograms per cubic metre limit set by the EU Air Quality Directive.

They were stolen between 2 and 4 October, the latter being the day one of the team who installed them noticed they were missing.

Batheaston-based artist Alison Harper, who created the installation, told Somerset Live: "It's like a piece of me has gone. I have been a bit immobilised the last week and it’s still not sunk in that someone would do this.

"I feel a sense of loss. They had been a part of my life for 18 months and so much work went into them."

She added: "The artwork is really difficult to remove, as it was all attached by cable ties to one another and to the railings.

"The artwork is really big and bulky, it fills two cars when we move it around the city so it must have been very well planned."

The piece was commissioned from Harper and environmental campaign group Transition Larkhall by Bath & North East Somerset’s Liberal Democrat cabinet member for transport services, Joanna Wright.

"I was very shocked to hear that they had been stolen. Obviously people just don't want to know that air pollution kills people,” she said.

A spokesman for Avon and Somerset Police said: “There are no further lines of enquiry and the matter has been filed, pending any new information.”

Frozen foods retailer Iceland has sacked a driver who was fiddling with his mobile phone when he almost hit a cyclist - with the incident, back in December 2016, caught on camera.

Mobile Moron sacked after he narrowly misses hitting a cyclist.https://t.co/1fodk4HBFm

— 4 Chords No Net (@4ChordsNoNet) October 14, 2019

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) today announces that it has imposed a series of measures on the organisers of the Binck Bank Tour due to safety failings noted during the 2019 edition.

The UCI has imposed a series of measures on the organisers of the Binck Bank Tour following complaints by riders about safety during this year’s race, held over nine days in August in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Several riders complained publicly about the race last August. Also UCI fines the organisers and says "other procedures are ongoing", presumably other races https://t.co/XpTLozlnhb

— the Inner Ring (@inrng) October 14, 2019

The news comes after world cycling’s governing body met with the professional cyclists’ organisation last week to discuss a number of safety-related incidents in races in recent weeks.

A fine has been imposed on the organisers of the race, which remains on the UCI WorldTour calendar for next year, subject to the following requirements:

The presence in 2020 of a Technical Advisor, appointed by the UCI and at the cost of the organisers.

The implementation of a plan of action devised by the UCI and approved by the Professional Cycling Council (PCC) in preparation for the 2020 Binck Bank Tour.

An evaluation of the standard of quality and safety of the organisation of the event, which will remain part of the UCI WorldTour Calendar in 2020. A decision regarding the status of the event will then be made based on that evaluation.

 

 

 

 

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What an awesome experience at @regatabarcolana with @ewol_wayoflife! Had a great time and also-we won! Congrats! #thanks #wayoflife #sailing

A post shared by Primoz Roglic (@primozroglic) on Oct 13, 2019 at 12:51pm PDT

Is there anything this man can't do? The former pro ski jumper turned Vuelta-winning cycling champion is also apparently a sailor now, as he was part of the team that won the Barcolana Regatta yesterday. Starting in Trieste, it's the world's biggest sailing race with more than 2,000 boats and 15,000 sailors taking part in yesterday's edition, which was the 50th running of the event.  

We understand that the winning boat, called 'Way of Life', was sailed by Zan Luka Zelko from Slovenia and Gasper Vincec from Finland, completing the course in 1 hour, 54 minutes and 10 seconds. We're not too sure what Roglič' role was on the boat, but it's not like he'd have added too much weight in any case. He made the trip from Lombardy to Trieste to take part a few hours after his 7th place finish at Il Lombardia, and he also won Giro dell'Emilia and Tre Valli Varesine in Italy last week. 

Looks like Roglič will be bowing out of the 2019 season on a high with the wind in his sails after a season that's saw him ride a wave of great form. Here all week etc etc...  

The start of cyclo-cross season inevitably means videos surfacing of riders struggling in the mud - and the unfortunate cyclist in this clip from the weekend's round of the Coupe de France is Arnaud Jouffroy, who was having a very hard time getting up that hill.

c'était comment le cyclo-cross de la Mézière aujourd'hui @arnaudjouffroy ? #CX #CoupeDeFrance pic.twitter.com/CBe7NJ9cBZ

— Franck H (@francky1978) October 13, 2019

He wasn't the only one either - take a look at the poor kids in the junior race below.

Chez les cadets le matin ! même sans la pluie ... pic.twitter.com/2yfqk1dCz1

— Franck H (@francky1978) October 13, 2019

@greateranglia @camcycle Using the pedestrian / cycle path goimg past Cambridge north paid for by our tax quid as a coach park is not ok. pic.twitter.com/42KRxlEHyI

— Ivan Pedersen (@TheIvanP) October 13, 2019

Here's a sign snapped in Beeston, Nottingham, by road.cc user mike, and it's difficult to now where to start with it.

Is it addressed to cyclists, or drivers and their passengers? It could be either, going by the wording.

The council does seem though to have put down broken white lines on the shared-use path to let cyclists know where the door zone is.

What do you think?

Speaking to the Irish Independent about his nutrition and training, Roche says that's it's not essential to carry specific energy bars because muffins, cakes and even good old Christmas pudding can perform the same job of providing fuel: "At the national championships in 2015 I forgot my energy bars and won the title on some mini muffins and cakes that I bought at a petrol station on the way to the race.

"Even now, my Auntie Carol makes me a Christmas pudding that I'll cut into slices and wrap in tinfoil to bring with me out training. I'll have a slice of that after two or three hours and it keeps me going for the rest of the spin. I'll have it in my pocket on every long spin from December right through to April. My Sunweb team uses banana bread as a recovery food sometimes and I like that for training too."

Roche swears by a mid-ride coffee stop to fuel the second half of his training even though dad Stephen disagreed because he said he would "catch a cold". He also reveals that he eats yoghurt and cereal post-race instead of pasta and vegetables because it's hard on the stomach after consuming so many carbs in the saddle. 

Here are some of our top stories from the weekend: 

Nearly 10,000 cyclists in Netherlands fined after mobile phone ban – in four months

Sir Dave Brailsford and Team Ineos help Eliud Kipchoge run first ever sub-2 hour Marathon

School tells cyclist that she should have moved over into parking bays after close pass by school bus driver

Close pass case where police told cyclist "maybe you should trade your bike in for a Hummer" ends with conviction