“F*ck you” – Aussie (and ex-GB) coach responds to online critics; Underwear selfies row – team accuses rider of exploiting #MeToo; Is your stolen bike here?; Pinot v crosswind; Wahoo launch Stealth version of Elemnt Bolt + more on live blog
SUMMARY
Video: Mitchelton-Scott struggling to contain competitive instincts after withdrawing from racing
Mitchelton-Scott have withdrawn from all men’s and women’s racing until March 22 because of coronavirus.
As well as racing fans on Zwift in its ‘BikeExchange – Where the World Rides Series’ they’ve apparently been trying to keep the mechanics sharp too.
⭕️⚙️ Mechanic vs Mechanic ⚙️⭕️
Who can change a disc brake wheel the fastest?? ⏱
We put our team mechanics to the test…Practice makes perfect 🏁@bikeonscott @ShimanoROAD @SyncrosBike @Pirelli @GiordanaCycling @tacx @Topeak_Intl @GarminCycling #TechTuesday pic.twitter.com/k2pM2nGa87
— Mitchelton-SCOTT (@MitcheltonSCOTT) March 10, 2020
Thibaut Pinot v crosswinds
Everyone loves a cross-wind… except Thibaut…
In this video we see the French rider, in blue and white FDJ kit, visibly struggling to hold the wheel of a team-mate who’s attempting to position him in crosswinds during Paris-Nice.
No sé si acierto con la “banda sonora”, pero el planazo que se han currado el operador de wescam+piloto de heli ha sido sublime. #ParisNice #Ciclismo (📺 @Eurosport / 🎶 Carmen) pic.twitter.com/UDBHRTJJml
— iker gallastegi (@ikguallas) March 9, 2020
Belgian team accuses rider of exploiting #MeToo – but admits sports director asked her to send selfies in her underwear
The French Cycling Federation has asked the UCI to launch an investigation after two female riders on the Doltcini-Van Eyck team made allegations of inappropriate conduct against sports director Marc Bracke.
The riders claim that they were asked to send pictures of themselves in their underwear so that he could check that they weren’t “too fat”.
One of them, Marion Sicot, claimed: “He said I was too fat. I had to send pictures of myself in underwear every week. Front and back. He said he’d delete them afterwards but I can’t be sure”.
In an astonishing statement, Doltcini-Van Eyck have decided to attack Sicot’s credibility, arguing that she is motivated by a desire to blame them for her positive test for EPO.
This is despite admitting that Bracke did indeed request the photos, as alleged.
The full statement is below.
Lowlights include:
- “To justify for her “mistake” she launches the next lie : her sports director is the one to blame”
- “There are many girls riding for our team, girls that not have been caught for doping. You can contact any of them. They will all confirm that in our team there’s a very high, not to say perfect, discipline on the field of respecting privacy or sexual abuse. And they will not be lying.”
- “[Underwear selfies] is a practice that was normal in earlier times”
- “If she would have said one single time she felt uncomfortable about this it would never have happened again”
- “Sicot was not really a team-player. In races she frequently abandoned the team strategy and let her team members down”
- They weren’t going to give Sicot a contract for 2019, but she kept “begging and crying” and promised to start the season at “the right weight”
- Sicot is making use of the “#MeToo-mood” to concoct “a story full of emotion”
- Sicot ‘invented’ being depressed
TL;DR – We have extremely high standards when it comes to privacy – but yes, our DS did ask for photos of riders in their underwear…
Journalist says Belgian team were reluctant to let him speak to DS accused of inappropriate conduct
Marion Sicot’s allegations (see below) were reported by Thierry Vildary in Stade 2 on French TV.
In its statement, Doltcini-Van Eyck accused Vildary of failing to provide balance.
“We have proposed, in writing, to the journalist Thierry Vildary to meet with him in Paris, but without result. This has made the report in Stade2 not the story of Marion Sicot but the story by Marion Sicot, with no possibility to react or to see the evidence she claims to have.
“The attempt in the report to interview Marc Bracke took place 10 minutes before the start of the cycling race “Le Samyn”, when the riders had left already to the start and the sports director had to take his place in the line of cars of sports directors.
“The aggressive approach and the timing for the interview fit perfectly with the style of the hard investigative journalism, not at all an indication that Thierry Vildary was trying to make an objective report of facts.
“We can believe however that his intentions for making this program were positive, that he did this to improve the position of women in cycling, but believing Marion Sicot was a big mistake.”
In the comments, Vildary replied: “To answer one of your many lies concerning me and my work in your press release and to be very clear on my report: you never offered me an interview with Marc Bracke but only a meeting with Jan Morre who is not questioned and does not know the subject.
“I am at the disposal of the UCI to explain how the report and the communications I had with your team were produced. I will provide the evidence necessary to shed light on the behind the scenes of this report.
“I would like to point out that we have broadcast extracts from the response that Marc Bracke sent us by email when we sent him our questions.”
Wahoo's Eelemnt Bolt now available in Stealth colourway
If the grey-ish tint of the Elemnt Bolt never quite matched with your steed, then you’ll be pleased to know you can now get one in a stealthy black-on-black colourway. The RRP has also dropped to £184.99 – in any colourway – and a new firmware update means all Elemnt computers can now communicate with select Giant and Specialized e-bike models. You can buy one here and read our review here.
The atmosphere's building at Paris-Nice...
The crowd goes wild…or not!
A surreal atmosphere at the start of stage three of #ParisNice as organisers have restricted spectators at the start and finish of each stage to combat the spread of coronavirus. pic.twitter.com/FE18rbEIdP
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) March 10, 2020
PedalMe are trialling even bigger trailers
New @pedalmeapp big trailer. Experienced riders get bigger responsibilities. pic.twitter.com/1oZgtD66QG
— James Holloway (@JamesNonchalant) March 10, 2020
Police publish online gallery of stolen bikes - we suspect many of them weren't stolen locally
Are any of these bikes yours?
Going through the gallery, there’s some pretty fancy bikes and many of them look almost new.
It’s worth emphasising that bike theft is one of the original ‘county lines’ type crimes – bikes stolen in one location will tend to end up elsewhere – so this isn’t just for those in the Avon and Somerset area.
We’ve posted images of sus stolen 🚲🛠️ online to ID the owners. You’ll need to submit an online form with contact info & proof of ownership/purchase. The items may have been taken from our force area, Gloucestershire or Wiltshire since 2017. More 👉 https://t.co/MtXG60F0cb pic.twitter.com/Bu2iAAWoQy
— Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) March 10, 2020
Mads Pedersen is a world champion at cycling, not journalism
That said, his efforts still give us more than we get from the average pre-stage interview.
Whilst we wait for the live action at #ParisNice, we thought you’d enjoy this clip from yesterday’s pre-stage…@Mads__Pedersen shows off a hidden talent as a journalist 🎤
🎥 @tv2danmark pic.twitter.com/OuAjr7CloE
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) March 10, 2020
Seller's remorse - do you ever think about your old bike?
We saw this thread on Reddit where someone’s asking whether people ever think about the bikes they’ve sold?
How about you? Do you ever miss your ex?
City of London to crack down on idling vehicles
The City Corporation – the governing body of the Square Mile – has approved new powers that could see drivers fined £80 for parking and leaving their engines running.
The maximum fine for idling had previously been limited to £20 if paid on time.
The new Traffic Management Order will be enforced by the 35 civil enforcement officers who already patrolling the City’s streets monitoring traffic and parking contraventions.
They will first issue warning notices to drivers and this will be held on record, associated with the vehicle’s registration.
Subsequent idling of the same vehicle would result in a Penalty Charge Notice (£80 fine, or £40 if paid within 14 days) without further warning.
Jeremy Simons, Chair of the City Corporation’s Environmental Services Committee, said: “These new powers will take us a step closer to eliminating a completely unnecessary source of air pollution.
“Air quality in the City is improving, and by working with drivers, we will continue our progress.
“Cleaning up toxic air is an absolute priority.
“Londoners are determined to see a major improvement, and we will continue to take effective steps to make this a reality.”
The move is part of a wider clampdown on idling vehicles across London.
The current hour record holder is also a gent
Find someone who looks out for you like @VCampenaerts does for @yveslampaert.
Not teamies? No worries#ParisNice #couchpeloton pic.twitter.com/frhFIcrBpP
— CyclingCentral (@CyclingCentral) March 10, 2020
Hats off to Tom Devriendt
This morning, in Paris-Nice, Belgian rider Tom Devriendt set off on a solo break that could potentially be 210km long.
Less than delightful weather for it too.
🌧 Contre le peloton et les éléments, 🇧🇪@TomDevriendt ne lâche pas et maintient son effort en solitaire. 💪
🌧 Despite the rain and the peloton chasing, 🇧🇪@TomDevriendt doesn’t give up his solitary effort. 💪#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/YIwr46RrqW
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 10, 2020
Cédric Vasseur won in La Châtre thanks to a 147.5km solo break in the 1997 Tour.
Tom Devriendt’s would be 210km if he brought this home. https://t.co/IdKfSDrL0c
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) March 10, 2020
Tom Devriendt update
He’s been caught. Just the 180km out on his own ahead of the peloton.
🚴🏻♂️ Fin de la belle échappée pour 🇧🇪@TomDevriendt, repris à 26 km de l’arrivée après avoir passé 180 km en solitaire. 💪
🚴🏻♂️ End of a beautiful breakaway for 🇧🇪@TomDevriendt, joined by the peloton. He spent 180 km solo in the lead. 💪#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/7ag1pNohBp
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 10, 2020
Ivan Cortina wins stage three of Paris-Nice
They call him “Ford”.*
🏆 🇪🇸 @ivan_cortina comme un grand ! 🏆
🏆 🇪🇸 @ivan_cortina a star is really born! 🏆#ParisNice pic.twitter.com/YC59PMQodG
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 10, 2020
* No-one calls him that.
Irish national champion Sam Bennett ended up in the barriers during today's sprint finish at Paris-Nice
¡IVÁN GARCÍA CORTINA! 🇪🇸🇪🇸🇪🇸
Espectacular victoria del asturiano para llevarse la tercera etapa de la #ParisNice 🚴♂️🇫🇷
Nos quitamos el sombrero, @ivan_cortina 👏👏👏
Lo has vivido en #E2 y y https://t.co/x56wEWoWvo 📲 pic.twitter.com/0TCjWd6ANh
— Eurosport.es (@Eurosport_ES) March 10, 2020
🚴♂️ | Wat een pech voor @Sammmy_Be 😰#ParisNice #SamBennett pic.twitter.com/ge72rJX9F0
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) March 10, 2020
He looked to be in some pain as he crossed the line.
That doesn’t look too promising for @Sammmy_Be 🤕
🚴♂️ Watch #ParisNice LIVE
📺 Eurosport 1
📱💻🖥 Eurosport Player: https://t.co/0Fa7uXMVB9 pic.twitter.com/s21eE3vnu9— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) March 10, 2020
New section of Cycleway 4 opened in London today
Brilliant to see the newly opened section of Cycleway 4 from Rotherhithe Roundabout to Bermondsey today. Delivered 5 weeks early and awaiting the planting of 25 new trees. @MayorofLondon @TfL @lb_southwark @kiergroup pic.twitter.com/K5Oq5nwBXd
— Will Norman (@willnorman) March 10, 2020
Sam Bennett update
Also from today’s finish, this isn’t directly related to the Irishman getting forced into the barriers, but we thought we’d highlight it anyway.
Bennett vs. Nairo.
Es como un tanque de guerra contra un Fiat Cinquecento pic.twitter.com/eIaTdgxzef
— Camilo Mazuera (@camilomazuera) March 10, 2020
“F*ck you” – ex GB coach now working with Aussies, hits back at critics
Cycling Australia’s performance director Simon Jones – former head coach at British Cycling and head of innovation at Team Sky – has been called “unprofessional” after responding on Twitter to criticism of the Cyclones’ recent performance in the UCI track cycling world championships with the words, “F*ck you.”
The tweet, since deleted, was in answer to users of the social network complaining that Australia came away from the event – the last major track meet before the Tokyo Olympics – with one silver and two bronze medals.
For context, Great Britain, who also had a disappointing championships, won four medals … but one of those was gold, thanks to Elinor Barker.
“To all those key board experts out there — F*ck you,” said Jones in the tweet that has subsequently been deleted.
“We got a great team of riders, coaches, support and sponsors. Bring on Tokyo Team.”
Ex-pro cyclist turned pundit Robbie McEwen said that post “is unprofessional if that’s your role.”
“I think you can have better chosen words. But I can understand his frustration, he’s under lots of pressure,” he added.
10 March 2020, 09:28
Yoinks! Not much change from eleven grand...
Video: Specialized S-Works Turbo Creo SL - the most expensive bike we've ever reviewed
Not a lot of change from eleven grand... but how does it ride?
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Latest Comments
Whilst I appreciate the idea behind Lime bikes/scooters and their ilk, the problem lies in that they can just be abandoned anywhere. If they required returning to a dedicated docking station before the ride was considered finished then that would cut down on this nonsense. Or even go a step further, it wont release your phone until its placed back in the docking station.
The Restore of lobby groups... TBF they pulled off a coup some time back with drumming up opposition around bus stop bypasses, but they have a ... particular view on this which speaks more to "concerns" (and not of everyone) than facts and stats. While the language is extreme, at this point (see campaign above) people are concerned so carefully "addressing concerns" (rather than dismissing) is important. But doing that the popular way and just blocking measures which are statistically safe won't move us forward though. Particularly while effectively ignoring the motoring elephants in the town - for which buses and bikes are part of the solution.
@ROOTminus1 I would argue that yes you can. You can unless you are paying zero attention to anything but the person ahead of you. For almost the entire video even if the persons bum you've decided to sit on is blocking your direct view ahead, you can see it on the other side of the lane. You should always be checking your surroundings on any mode of transport for hazards.
@mctrials23 Can you see the lines when it's that busy though? That's what the flashing beacons at a zebra crossing are for, as would a rumble-strip texture approximately 4m either side of the crossing give adequate alternative indication that there is a potential hazard ahead, with suitable braking distances. I'm not saying everyone on 2 wheels is a saint and innocent in that clip, far from it, but the design of the infra does encourage problematic behaviour. Just as most road infra fails to protect cyclists from drivers by not setting the expectation of the presence of cyclists, this fails to protect pedestrians by funnelling them to a crossing with the bare minimum of encouragement for cyclists to be prepared for pedestrians at that point. Most importantly though, none of this discussion excuses the choice of inflammatory language by Baroness Ludford.
Shocked not shocked about the first part (although it may be that in places the (by)law is such that they don't have to...) I believe some LAs have said that they can't stop the firms (Oxford IIRC), so the second is hopeful. Of course as others note "if only this happened with cars" - quite right. But that doesn't mean we should therefore tolerate other commercial interests grabbing public space for private profit.
Will the authorities of Penge do the same for drivers parking badly thus causing the same problem for disabled people? I won't hold my breath.
Two car crashes, 12 motorists killed ..... but hey, cyclists are the big danger on our roads.
As an aside, Baroness Ludford's dramatic sensationalist language is perhaps an illustration of why many of our politicians are so useless. So much easier to utter eye-catching statements and headline grabbing soundbites, rather than quietly working, getting things done and making a positive difference.
Given there is a marked crossing there, I do think the cyclists should be stopping. That said, there is a reasonable argument that the marked crossing is not necessary. Bicycle Dutch has a good post on the subject (I'm not going to post a link as otherwise this comment may never see the light of day, but just google 'Bicycle Dutch How hard is it to cross the cycle path'). In essence, forcing cyclists to stop wastes a lot of energy compared to a pedestrian stopping, and it's generally not hard for a pedestrian to find a suitable gap in which to cross. So not having a marked crossing, and simply expecting pedestrians to cross when it's sensible to do so, normally works pretty well and keeps everyone moving better. That aligns with what we see in the video - in all cases, it is only a matter of seconds before the pedestrians are able to cross despite cyclists not stopping. If the pedestrians weren't expecting cyclists to stop (because there was no marked crossing) then the pedestrians would not feel endangered.
@Smoggysteve Yes - the infrastructure is designed in such a way that it encourages people to speed through and ignore pedestrians. Though that doesn't absolve those who do so of any blame.
5 thoughts on ““F*ck you” – Aussie (and ex-GB) coach responds to online critics; Underwear selfies row – team accuses rider of exploiting #MeToo; Is your stolen bike here?; Pinot v crosswind; Wahoo launch Stealth version of Elemnt Bolt + more on live blog”
To be fair to Pinot his
To be fair to Pinot his teammate seemed on the point of ripping everybody’s legs off there!
Thats Stefan Kung (can tell
Thats Stefan Kung (can tell as he’s on the new unbranded LaPierre)
That Wahoo Eelemnt profile
That Wahoo Eelemnt profile looks very slippery…..
CHF800 fine for Sam “Tank of
CHF800 fine for Sam “Tank of War” Bennett. 4 stitches in a lacerated finger, will be back riding tomorrow.
The overhead shot showed him
The overhead shot showed him clearly pushing a rider (Quintana, I think) twice and that move almost caused another crash.
From what I could see he was already on a teammate’s wheel and didn’t need to do that. But then again, we didn’t see what happened previously…