Spanish women's team say it was THEM who 'mimicked' Bahrain McLaren jersey and apologise; Can distance measured in KM's still be called 'mileage'? Epic reindeer Strava art; Corbyn's 'Maoist bicycle' +more on the live blog

 

 

 

 

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Press/Media "The VIB-Natural Greatness UCI Continental Women cycling team would like to clarify that its proposed 2020 jersey design has inadvertently and mistakenly mimicked the jersey design of Team Bahrain McLaren and the Bahrain Cycling Academy. The team apologises for this error and will change its jersey design for 2020.”

A post shared by VIB SPORTS (@vib.sports) on Dec 10, 2019 at 6:50am PST

Remarkably VIB Natural Greatness have now admitted it was them who copied Bahrain McLaren, not the other way around as speculated by some on social media. The Bahrain McLaren jersey was only launched yesterday while the VIB Natural Greatness team unveiled theirs in November as far as we can tell, which may be why many assumed the 'mimicking' was done by Bahrain McLaren. 

VIB Natural Greatness said: "The VIB-Natural Greatness UCI Continental Women cycling team would like to clarify that its proposed 2020 jersey design has inadvertently and mistakenly mimicked the jersey design of Team Bahrain McLaren and the Bahrain Cycling Academy. The team apologises for this error and will change its jersey design for 2020.”

The forecast from Deloitte also predicts cycling to work will increase by 1% globally, and that e-bikes will continue to hugely outsell other electric vehicles in the 2020’s and beyond - full story over on eBikeTips.

Equipe espanhola Vib Natural Greatness (esquerda), que lançou seu kit 2020 em 29/11/2019, foi copiada pela @Bahrain_Merida ? pic.twitter.com/P0uJpNjezm

— País do Ciclismo (@DoCiclismo) December 10, 2019

We're saying nothing, but according to some cycling fans the newly unveiled Bahrain McLaren jersey looks more than a bit like the jersey that will be worn by the VIB Natural Greatness women's team in 2020. 

Bahrain McLaren's new kit is made by British brand Le Col, while the VIB Natural Greatness kit is from Spanish manufacturer Ulb Sports. The women's team is ran by the charity Funda Marcelino Oliver, which supports cyclists who have been in traffic accidents; their 2020 roster includes Irish talent Jennifer Neenan. 

What do you reckon, simply a big old coincidence? 

The UCI have announced that for this first time, Women's World Tour licences will be granted. Initially the period will run from 2020-2023, and the teams awarded the status are: 

Ale BTC LjubLjana (Italy)
Canyon//Sram Racing (Germany)
CCC - Liv (Poland)
FDJ Nouvelle-Aqutaune Futuroscope (France)
Movistar Team (Spain)
Team Sunweb (Germany)
Trek-Segafredo (USA)  

The maximum number of licences that can be awarded is eight, with space for another team at a later date. The UCI say they are "delighted to witness the development of women’s cycling at the highest level." 

Former Team Sky and British Cycling coach Ellingworth and Cavendish will link up once more at the newly-named Bahrain McLaren with Ellingworth as Team Principal, and he believes his former main man can rediscover the previous form that made him one of the greatest sprinters road cycling has even seen. 

Ellingworth told a news conference: "When Mark is in good condition, in good form and really motivated, he is one of the best in the world technically. It's a challenge, but a good one to have.

"I presume he still has the ambition of beating the Merckx record - actually I know it's there. He is such a winner, that's his mentality.

"I even believe in the last two years he has still gone into races thinking he's going to win and wondering why he hasn't. For me it's all about winning any race. Any race would be a marker and then we go from there." 

Ellingworth says he would "love to see" Cavendish at the 2020 Tour de France, if he is showing the form that will make him impossible to overlook. Cavendish said: 

"These people are good at what they do. I'm fortunate I've worked with these guys and they are some of the hardest working and most brilliantly-minded people in cycling. I'm excited and full of confidence."

In the last hour, Cavendish has publicly thanked his current team NTT (previously Dimension Data) and praised them for their charity work. 

My prime reason for joining was to have an impact on something much greater than bike racing. So proud on any difference I could make & what we’ve achieved in helping @Qhubeka deliver 100,000 bicycles to genuinely change lives. Thank you for the opportunity https://t.co/Y4W8fdsV1s

— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) December 10, 2019

The Rafa Nadal sports centre is the perfect spot for training. Not just cycling but any sport is welcome. It’s a great location and if you are lucky you can see Nadal playing with his balls.

— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) December 10, 2019

If yours are fluoro yellow and fluffy, please consult a doctor.

You can get your photo taken with E.T. on his bike in Edinburgh at Capital Sci fi Con 2020! https://t.co/VwpvIYKk9j

— Capital sci fi con (@Capitalscificon) December 9, 2019

If you're Edinburgh-based or happen to be visiting between 14th-16th February (maybe your spouse really loves E.T?) then be sure to check out the Capital Sci Fi Con, where a realistic E.T set will be recreated featuring the famous bike, complete with E.T in the basket. 

The event takes place at Edinburgh's Corn Exchange and some of the proceeds will go towards children's hospices across Scotland - find out more here.