Triathlon star who wants to win Tour de France by 2028 slams "amateurish" Olympic organisation after missing out on medal; Cycling silly season underway; Hope for active travel and proper cycle infrastructure?; Supermarket wars + more on the live blog

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Kristian Blummenfelt (@kristianblu)

 Norwegian triathlon heavyweight Kristian Blummenfelt made headlines this week when the former Ironman champ and 2020 Olympic gold medal winner revealed his ambitious plan to win the Tour de France by 2028. Blummenfelt reportedly tested for the highest absolute VO2 max (as opposed to relative VO2 max, which factors in weight), ever recorded in history and is said to be joining UCI WorldTeam Jayco-AlUla to get his two-wheeled career underway.

> "Kristian Blummenfelt is not to be messed with": Tour de France stage winner backs 2020 Olympic triathlon champion's plan to win Tour by 2028 and says he'll "immediately claim his place" in peloton

He had the small matter of defending his Olympic crown yesterday, a task that did not go to plan, Great Britain's Alex Yee pulling off a stunning comeback victory as Blummenfelt finished a disappointing 12th. Afterwards, the soon-to-be pro cyclist was not happy and had a pop at the "amateurish" organisation of the event which was delayed by a day due to concerns about pollution levels in the River Seine.

He told the Discovery TV cameras: "That is not what we have worked for, I'm of course disappointed. I felt I got into a position where I could fight for a medal and victory, but I just didn't quite have the running legs I needed to keep up. I felt I had good control on the bike, and was excited about how my legs would be when I started running, but it was heavy.

"It is the same for everyone, but it is of course amateurish on the part of the organiser..."

We should point out he didn't claim the "amateurish" organising stopped him winning a medal and he was quick to praise GB's Yee and silver medal winner Hayden Wilde for their "aggressive" run.

"I felt ready this morning, that was probably not why," he said. "They go hard from the start. It was certainly expected that they go out quite aggressively in the first two or three kilometres to stretch out the field. It is probably what Alex and Hayden regretted after Tokyo, that they did not run more aggressively."

The "amateurish" aspect of the organisation was how the decision to postpone the races, initially scheduled for Tuesday but delayed until Wednesday due to the level of E. coli bacteria in the Seine where the swimming leg took place, was made and communicated to athletes (who have presumably spent months preparing to peak perfectly for one day). Early yesterday morning the organisers said they'd been given the green light and the races went ahead a day late, no doubt a frustrating exercise for many involved.

Norwegian teammate Vetle Bergsvik Thorn admitted it had "not been optimal", the athletes having to wake up early on both days to check if there was a competition to race. Sports director Arlid Tveiten said it was "unprofessional" to not have a back-up plan for if the Seine was not able to be used, but said with time they'd only remember how cool it was to race through central Paris.

"We think it is a bit unprofessional not to have a reserve arena, but at the same time we have to, so there is nowhere in the world where it is cooler to organise a triathlon. I think that's what we're going to remember when we get a little distance," he said.

Making (admittedly quite valid) complaints about dodgy race organisation after a disappointing result? You'll fit in just fine in pro cycling, Kristian...

Poll Maker

> Almost half of British people can't afford to buy a bike – and a quarter say it would take at least six months to save for one, new research for Cycle to Work Day finds

Intermarché–Wanty responded to the news that stage six of this year's Vuelta will begin INSIDE a supermarket... no, really...

> Hold on, what? Stage six of this year’s Vuelta a España to start inside a Carrefour supermarket

Cool story but Intermarché supermarkets are best 😎 https://t.co/2C16rDDH4D pic.twitter.com/XSNGZhRed0

— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) July 31, 2024

Cue Lidl-Trek getting in on the act... 

Cooler story but @lidl supermarkets are really where it’s at 🤠 https://t.co/PUj7ASwnfy pic.twitter.com/uWcTVbWb1p

— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) August 1, 2024

August 1 means pro cycling transfers can officially be announced. Two early big-name deals to flag. Ben O'Connor is joining Jayco AlUla (where he may soon be a teammate of a certain triathlon star) and Jhonatan Narváez has swapped Ineos for the UAE Team Emirates empire. These are deals which will begin on January 1 and naturally O'Connor's comes with the obligatory signing announcement vid courtesy of Jayco's social media team... 

🖊️ 𝘽𝙚𝙣 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙥𝙚𝙣! 🖊️

Let’s get this thing signed!

Welcome 👋🏼 @ben_oconnor95 🇦🇺 pic.twitter.com/HpjlRHmoTn

— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) August 1, 2024

UAE were more understated, Narvaez (a dark horse for this weekend's Olympic road race) saying he expects to "take another step in the coming years", whether that means classics glory, a place in Pogi's imperious Grand Tour set-up, or both, remains to be seen.