World’s fastest descender hits 65mph on bike… in the dark, complete with terrifying speed wobble; Red Bull riders tow plane to take-off; Pogačar snubbed (again) by BBC SPOTY; Movistar pro’s bizarre teacup injury; Picnic problems + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“This has been a year of focus and disciplined execution. We are not complacent and know the wider market remains tough, but we are confident that our brands are well positioned for the future”
> Prendas Ciclismo owner returns to profit and “proud to have stabilised” despite heavy bike industry downturn
“You ride about 30,000 kilometres a year on roads with trucks that pass you within two centimetres… Then a cup of tea falls on your foot and creates this little cut”: Davide Formolo to miss six weeks of training thanks to bizarre teacup injury
Now, if the BBC gave out a SPOTY award for ‘Most Bizarre Injury Suffered by a Sportsperson’, I reckon cycling would be in with a good shout almost every year.
Last year, of course, Team GB’s double Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald was forced to miss the Paris Games after breaking two bones in her lower leg, ripping ligaments, and dislocating her ankle – after tripping over a step and falling in her back garden.
And now, Movistar’s Davide Formolo has submitted a late bid for the 2025 Weird Injury prize, the Italian veteran revealing yesterday that he has been forced off the bike for six weeks… thanks to a teacup.
If that isn’t the perfect way to win over the British voting public, I don’t know what is.
In a post on Instagram, the 33-year-old Italian, a winner of stages at the Giro d’Italia and the Dauphiné, revealed that what initially appeared to be a minor cut, sustained after a teacup fell on his foot, has resulted in him being unable to move his big toe, affecting his mobility and curtailing his winter training.
Watch you don’t drop that bottle, Davide… [Credit: LB/RB/CorVos/SWpix.com]
“Life is strange,” former Bora and UAE rider Formolo, who also has second places at Liège-Bastogne-Liège to his name, wrote yesterday.
“You ride about 30,000 kilometres a year on roads with trucks that pass you within two centimetres of your handlebars. You hurtle down wet descents you don’t even know like a kamikaze, then a cup of tea falls on your foot and creates this little cut…
“It doesn’t seem like anything at first, but I noticed I couldn’t lift my big toe, so no way: six weeks off.”
I bet that was a fun phone call with Movistar chief Eusebio Unzué: ‘Boss, you know the way I love Yorkshire Tea? Well, you’re not going to believe this…’
Pogi hits the pavé: World champion tests out equipment on 160km early winter recce of Paris-Roubaix sectors, ahead of second tilt at the Hell of the North
Tadej Pogačar must be taking his latest BBC SPOTY snub hard. So hard, in fact, he decided to take out his frustrations on the jagged cobblestones of Paris-Roubaix.
Yes, we may still be in the middle of December, and the Queen of the Classics is still over four months away, but the world champion has decided to follow in the wheel tracks of Wout van Aert and brave the wintery cold and slippery cobbles of northern France for a very early Roubaix recce.
Pogačar, who finished second on his Roubaix debut this year, after crashing on a corner while leading alongside eventual winner Mathieu van der Poel, was spotted yesterday, dressed stealthily in all black, riding the Carrefour de l’Arbre and Camphin-en-Pévèle, two of the race’s most iconic and pivotal sectors.
The UAE Team Emirates leader was joined for the 160km ride by teammates Tim Wellens, Florian Vermeersch, and Nils Politt and was apparently testing out both his aero Colnago Y1Rs and the V5Rs (which he raced at last year’s Roubaix), along with different wheels and tyres, in order to compare their capabilities on the cobbles.
Last month, Pogačar told Marca that Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo – the two monuments where he’s yet to taste victory – are his two biggest goals for 2026.
“I think I’ll go back to the Tour,” the Slovenian said. “It’s obvious: it’s the biggest race of all. But I also want to express myself in the classics, to see if I can do better in the one-day races than last year.
“Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix are two races I’m very motivated for. I want to try again and fight for the win.”
That declaration – and the sight of Tadej charging over the cobbles yesterday – was music to the ears of ASO’s race director Thierry Gouvenou.
“He must have enjoyed the experience,” Gouvenou told La Voix Du Nord after being told about the world champion’s Roubaix recon.
“On the other hand, he doesn’t like losing; he’s not used to it. We know he clearly has the legs to win, and Van der Poel will have to be at his very best to stop him.”
April is shaping up to be very exciting indeed…
“Other transport modes operate with predictable five-year cycles and transparent progress reporting; active travel can and should match that level of maturity”
> Government must “move from good intentions to a clear long-term plan” for cycling, campaigners warn, as £626 million active travel investment announced
Orange (and blue and white) is the new black, when it comes to 2026 pro cycling kits, anyway
Ineos were first up to tease us with blurry images of their new orange and white kit, then NSN revealed their Barcelona and geometry-inspired jersey yesterday.
Now it’s the turn of SD Worx-Protime to jump on the orange, blue, and white train – which appears to be the new, hip trend for cycling kits in 2026 – by revealing this multi-coloured design, which in my humble opinion is the best of the lot:
SD Worx, if you’ve got any spares going, you know my email…
All these pesky pro cyclists descending on the Costa Blanca, clogging up the roads, and holding up… other pro cyclists
You know it’s winter training camp season in Alicante when there’s a traffic jam on the Coll de Rates:
Could Picnic PostNL’s money issues hasten Oscar Onley’s move to Ineos? UCI limits Dutch team’s WorldTour licence to one year over sponsor uncertainty, as Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello-Q36.5 misses out on spot in top tier for 2026
The cycling transfer rumour mill has been at full chat over the last few days, amid reports that the Ineos Grenadiers are weighing up a last-ditch bid for Scottish Tour de France revelation Oscar Onley.
Any move, of course, would require the British squad to pay some form of compensation to Onley’s current team Picnic-PostNL, who have the 23-year-old under contract until the end of 2027.
Picnic are no strangers to such an agreement, however, and have been known to develop young, exciting talent to sell on for decent money when the time is right. That transfer policy (a relative anomaly in the pro cycling world) has formed a key part of the Dutch squad’s financial strategy for over a decade, evident in the early departures of Marcel Kittel to Quick-Step in 2016 and Tom Dumoulin to Visma in 2020.
However, Onley’s potential exit could be based on financial necessity, after the UCI this afternoon announced that it was limiting the duration of Picnic PostNL’s men’s and women’s WorldTour to just one year, instead of the three-year terms granted to other squads in cycling’s top tier.
The governing body says it has also decided to “set conditions related to the financial criterion that must be met in order to permit its extension to the 2027 and 2028 seasons.” It is believed that the UCI’s decision is related to Picnic’s ongoing discussions with its title sponsors over potential contract renewals.
Will this sponsor uncertainty – for a team that avoided the drop to ProTeam level this season – force Picnic’s hand and see Onley pack his bags and head for Ineos? Only time will tell, but with the new season fast approaching, I reckon we’ll find out soon enough.
Meanwhile, in other WorldTour licencing news, NSN Cycling and Uno-X Mobility have been confirmed as the two new entrants to the men’s WorldTour, replacing relegated Cofidis and the defunct Arkéa-B&B Hotels team.
Lotto’s long-rumoured merger with Intermarché-Wanty has also effectively been confirmed by the UCI’s list of teams, the squad appearing on the WT list as Lotto-Intermarché, while a women’s team under the same name will appear as a ProTeam next season.
Despite applying for a WorldTour licence for 2026, there is no room for Tom Pidcock’s Pinarello-Q36.5 team, though it is expected that the Swiss squad will get their pick of big race invites next year, including a debut at the Tour de France.
In the Women’s WorldTour, Ceratizit and Roland have dropped out, replaced by just one team, EF Education-Oatly.
Is this the most bonkers bike theft story of 2025?
> MotoGP World Champion has custom Pinarello stolen by thief dressed as team mechanic
Oscar Onley not at start of Picnic PostNL training camp, as Scottish rider told to stay at home for two days to recover from post-Australia jetlag, according to reports
The Oscar Onley to Ineos transfer saga is showing no signs of slowing down, is it?
Picnic PostNL’s winter training camp in Calpe starts today and, according to the ever-reliable Daniel Benson, Onley is not there. Yet.
After staff arrived yesterday to set everything up, riders have been arriving in dribs and drabs all day. But Benson reports that sources on the ground have said that Onley has been allowed to stay home for two days to recover from jetlag – ample time for a deal to be thrashed out between Ineos and Picnic, for example.
The Scottish stage racer has just returned from a training block in Australia, with Picnic giving him permission to rest at home before eventually linking up with his (for now) teammates. The source also told Benson that conversations about Onley’s future are still ongoing.
We’ll keep tabs on how this develops later in the week.
Lidl-Trek go full Wenger: Desperate to keep your shiny new kit under wraps? Here’s one way to do it…
Lidl-Trek here, trying to hide their 2026 colours away from the prying eyes of the public by going for a training ride dressed like middle-class mums at the school gates. Or a group of Arsène Wenger clones:
The funniest video I’ve seen all this week by far. ? The Lidl-Trek guys trying to hide their new kits under Arsene Wenger’s puffy jackets while riding their bikes. Or maybe it’s a new method of heat training LOL. pic.twitter.com/8kMqomNEWW
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) December 9, 2025
If you scroll down to our earlier post about the Coll de Rates traffic jam, you’ll discover the team’s dry robe ploy failed miserably. Spoiler alert: it’s almost exactly the same as last year’s kit. Exciting, I know.
‘Here mate, don’t be dumping your gel in the ditch, use your 3D-printed banana!’
Are sticky back pockets about to become a thing of the past?
I can see it now, every fourth cat racing around with a big plastic banana strapped to their top tube… I wonder if it has any aero benefits? I’ll ask Dan Bigham.
Remco Evenepoel to skip Giro d’Italia and Tour of Flanders in favour of co-leadership role at Tour de France, as double Olympic champion’s schedule at new team Red Bull-Bora confirmed
Speaking of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, it was the German team’s turn to face the media at their winter training camp today and outline their plans for 2026.
And when it comes to star signing Remco Evenepoel’s 2026 schedule, let’s just say it’s a far cry from the excitement of towing a plane down a Mallorcan runway. In fact, you could say the double Olympic champion and his new team have opted for the ‘dull’ option for next season.
First up, there will be no tilt at a first Giro d’Italia triumph for the Belgian, despite some persistent rumours that he’d be heading to Italy in May. Likewise, Evenepoel won’t be making his debut, as many had hoped, at the Tour of Flanders either.
Instead, he’s set to once again target the Tour de France, alongside Red Bull co-leader and last year’s third place finisher Florian Lipowitz. Which should make for an interesting dynamic at least.
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
And, aside from a relatively early start at the Challenge Mallorca, Evenepoel’s route to the Tour will be fairly routine too. After the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, he’ll take on the Volta a Catalunya, missing the cobbled classics, before taking on at least two of the Ardennes races, with Amstel Gold and Liège-Bastogne-Liège currently on the schedule, and Flèche Wallonne a maybe depending on the weather.
“I’m very happy with the change, it’s been quite a long process to get it done, but I’m very happy,” Evenepoel told reporters when asked about his switch from Soudal Quick-Step to Red Bull-Bora.
“I think it’s a team that suits me very well and my character and my ambitions. I’ll start with TTT in Mallorca, then go to Valencia, then after that we will still decide. I’ll do Catalunya and then Ardennes.
“I just want a good, normal season, which is easy-going with not so many crazy things, and I hope to end the season with no interruptions. The future plan will be the future plan.”
Speaking of not-so-crazy things, elsewhere in Red Bull’s plans, Primož Roglič will lead the team at the Vuelta (naturally), while former Giro winner Jai Hindley and the promising Giulio Pellizzari will aim for pink at the Italian grand tour.
I suppose they must use up all their wackiness on the Instagram stunts, eh?
Yesterday Roubaix, today the Ronde
Tadej’s really not messing around, is he? After their Roubaix recon yesterday, the UAE Team Emirates classics squad spent today testing their legs (and bikes) on the cobbled bergs of the Tour de Flanders, where Pogačar will be aiming for a record-equalling third win in April:
?? Yesterday Roubaix on the menu, ?? today the cobbles of Flanders for ?? Tadej Pogacar and his teammates…
? Peter Malaise pic.twitter.com/15tAXnkhNS
— Domestique (@Domestique___) December 10, 2025
It’s safe to say they’re going a hell of a lot quicker up the Kwaremont and Paterberg than I was back in August when I rode some of the Ronde route. In my defence, it was raining…
“You forgot the best sportsman in the world”: Cycling fans “declare war on the BBC” after Tadej Pogačar snubbed (again) for SPOTY World Sport Star shortlist
We’re now well into December and that means only one thing – it’s time for the cycling world to have its annual collective meltdown over the BBC’s decision to omit Tadej Pogačar from its World Sport Star of the Year shortlist for 2025.
This is the second year in the row Pogačar has been snubbed for the prize, which forms part of the Beeb’s Sports Personality of the Year proceedings, despite in that time dominating his sport and cementing his position as arguably – I said arguably – the greatest male cyclist of all time.
But according to the powers that be at SPOTY, 20 wins from 50 race days, a fourth Tour de France triumph, a second consecutive world road race title, a European championships, the Tour of Flanders, an unprecedented fifth straight Il Lombardia, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Strade Bianche, Flèche Wallonne, the Critérium du Dauphiné, and the UAE Tour isn’t enough to make the six-athlete shortlist for their global award.
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
Instead, the contenders for the World Sport Star of the Year prize, which this year will be decided for the first time by public vote, include Arsenal’s Champions League winning footballer (and runner-up in the Euros for Spain) Mariona Caldentey, US boxer Terence Crawford, only the second man to be a three-weight undisputed world champion, and Swedish pole vaulting sensation Armand Duplantis.
Also on the shortlist are 400m world champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, and Liverpool’s Egyptian talisman (recent antics notwithstanding) Mo Salah.
But despite the wide array of talent included on the list (though it must be noted that two-thirds of the contenders come from either football or track and field), it’s fair to say a lot of cycling fans are disgruntled by Pogačar’s glaring omission.
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
“You forgot the best sportsman in the world, BBC,” Lukáš Ronald Lukács wrote on Twitter after the SPOTY shortlist was announced.
“It’s a joke. He couldn’t win more than he did in a hard and extremely competitive sport,” added Daniel.
“In order to be nominated, Pogačar has to win all five monuments and the Giro-Tour double in a single season. Good luck,” said Mihai Simon. And even then, he might still miss out…
“I declare war on the BBC,” joked YouTuber and podcaster Benji Naesen (I’m not surprised, as Benji’s been in a combative mood lately, having spent much of last week locked in a clock-based social media battle with the whole of the UK over whether ‘half ten’ means 10.30 or 9.30 – a debate that even attracted the attention of James May. Look it up).
“I think they just underappreciate cycling there,” wrote Ash. “I don’t think Pogi gets nominated for this even if he wins all five monuments, all 3 GTs, and the worlds in the same season.”
> Is Tadej Pogačar too good? We discuss the Tour de France leader’s Pyrenean dominance
Of course, as Tim Bonville-Ginn noted, it’s not like SPOTY has been a cycling blackhole in the past, with the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas, Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, the Kennys all being recognised during British cycling’s 2010s golden period, even stretching back to Tom Simpson’s win in 1965.
However, some have pointed out that bike racing’s latest snub – especially when it concerns one of the sport’s greatest ever exports – is indicative of cycling’s fallen stature in the UK in recent years.
“BBC barely seem to recognise cycling as a sport but love darts and snooker, games played in a pub,” said John O’Brien (though anyone besmirching the good name of darts will have me and Ned Boulting to answer to).
“Cav and Wiggins were respected but since then, Froome ignored, while Zoe Bäckstedt and Cat Ferguson were not even considered for the youth award despite multiple world titles.”
“Not a question of personal animus towards him but more a reflection of how cycling is currently perceived in Britain, whether wrong or right, especially since the Freeman affair,” added Tim.
“They will make an exception for some like Cavendish/Thomas of course, Froome never even made a top three.”
Oh well, maybe next year Tadej? I doubt he’s losing too much sleep over the whole thing, of course…
How many professional cyclists does it take to get a plane off the ground? Nine, apparently – as Red Bull-Bora riders take time out of training camp to launch glider aircraft thanks to combined 6,500-watt power output
Is this the most Red Bull thing you’ve ever seen? Something, something, gives you wings…
For most WorldTour teams, December training camps are all about welcoming new signings, finalising plans for the season ahead, and getting some hard miles in.
But when it comes to Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, it’s all about that sweet, sweet ‘extreme’ content creation. And this time, they’ve really outdone themselves.
In what they’re describing as a “world first” (because, let’s face it, who else is doing this stuff?), nine members of the Red Bull squad, including Tour de France podium finisher Florian Lipowitz, got together on a runway in Mallorca this week, attached themselves by cord to a glider plane, and rode as hard as they could until it took off.
I suppose it beats interval training.
Overseen by the team’s aero guru Dan Bigham, Lipowitz was joined by teammates Callum Thornley, Davide Donati, Nico Denz, Jordi Meeus, Tim Van Dijke, Laurence Pithie, Gijs Schoonvelde, and Adrien Boichis for the ‘Peloton Take-off’ project, which was the result of a year of meticulous planning, including a test run in Austria earlier this year.
The nine riders were connected to Andy Hediger’s light aircraft by a 150m cord, which was attached to a specially engineered custom harness, the result of extensive technical innocation and which meant the riders resembled a pack of brightly coloured, strangely shaped huskies.
Lined up on Son Bonet’s 1,500m runway, the riders accelerated to 54kph while towing the aircraft, peaking at a combined 6,500 seated watts and each averaging a whopping 650 watts for 90 seconds, which proved enough for Hediger’s plane to take off, reaching an altitude of 100 metres.
“The effort was unique, but equally comparable to a ‘race winning move’, with the added complexity of balancing the forces with your team-mate to keep the peloton unified,” Bigham said after the successful, human-powered take-off attempt.
“The harness was a critical element, something that simply did not exist before. We spent countless hours developing it, and that work allowed us to make history with Peloton Takeoff.
“From the data and our models, we knew it would take ~500watts from each rider to launch the plane, but we did not want to stop there. Every watt more meant more altitude for the plane.
“Breaking records is one thing. But making a record, achieving something unprecedented, is in a whole different league.”
“When I first heard about this project, I thought it wasn’t realistic,” added Lipowitz. “Launching a plane? Completely impossible. There has never been anything like this in cycling before.”
Now imagine if new signing Remco Evenepoel had been involved. Goodness knows where the plane would have ended up.
Historic human-powered plane launches aside, the attempt also proved useful for any new kit watchers out there, who were afforded a sneak peek of Red Bull’s admittedly very cool threads for next year. See, these things always have multiple purposes…
Don’t try this at home! ‘World’s fastest descender’ Safa Brian hits 65mph in latest “insane” downhill video… in the dark (complete with terrifying speed wobble)
It’s been quite the day for internet-friendly, ‘don’t try this at home’ bike stunts on the live blog.
And when it comes to challenging Red Bull’s position as the kings of cycling content creation, there aren’t too many better equipped than Safa Brian.
The California-based bike messenger-turned-YouTuber and downhill hero, real name Brian Wagner, has built up a massive online following in recent years thanks to his daredevil descending videos.
> Could you keep up? Tom Pidcock shows off his mind-blowing descending skills
One of those clips, featuring Brian and the pro peloton’s resident downhill demon Tom Pidcock as they plummeted down Tuna Canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains (taking some corners at 40mph), has racked up almost three million views on YouTube alone.
And if bombing down a descent with Mr Pidcock wasn’t epic – and terrifying – enough, Safa Brian recently decided to up the ante, by descending California’s notorious Death Valley… in the dark. At 65mph.
Gulp.
“At the end of spring when conditions were just right I called up the team and we ventured into the eerie stillness of Death Valley at night,” Brian wrote on his YouTube channel.
“The aim was to go fast, real fast, down the empty roads that fall into the basin that sits below sea level. Armed with a Lezyne Mega Drive 2400+ on the bars and Helmet Lite Drive 1200+ on my head to light the way as the speed topped out at 105 kph.”
As anyone commuting at the moment, or getting some winter night-time training miles in, will understand all too well, you need to have your wits about you to ride in the dark even with good lights and at normal speeds. Never mind descending on the top tube through the Mojave Desert at over 100kph.
“Wild stuff. I assume you pre-ride this route in the day to ensure there are no obstacles or road deficiencies. Is that right?” one Instagram user asked Brian in the comments.
“Sure,” he replied. I’m not sure I believe him.
“Death Valley is the best place for these kinds of speed runs. Insaneeeeee,” one cyclist wrote, while another described Safa Brian’s decision to hit warp speed at night as “legendary”.
But even the very best descenders can succumb to the odd speed wobble, as evidenced in this hairy moment a few minutes into Safa’s ride:
I don’t feel well after watching that… Though Safa nonchalantly captioned the clip: “A little wobble at 100 keeps you young.” Or not, I suppose.
If you’ve got the stomach for it, you can watch the full video here:
What’s next? Descending at 100kph in the dark while towing an airplane before jumping through a lorry?
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris you've painted a rather alluring picture of social harmony there, but unfortunately you've got my name wrong. I'm Jack, not Nigel. However, to return the compliment, I must think of a story for you. I imagine you sat outside a pub, real ale and pipe propped on the adjacent table, in a similar fashion to Nigel Farage at his populist best. You turn to your wife. "You know what dear? I think I've been a bit harsh in my time. I've shunned the politeness and wisdom of others for too long and want to change my ways.* "There there Rendel", says Mrs Harris. "You're not a bad old stick, it's just living in London that's emptied your soul of kindness and compassion. I've found a lovely new place where we can settle down in our later years. It's on a leafy cul de sac, surrounded by friendly neighbours and smiling faces. There's a guy a couple of doors down, a remarkable man. As well as his towering intellect and rapier wit, he's also a keen cyclist, holding severa local KOMs. Don't be perturbed dear - he'll ride with anyone provided they show other road users the kindness and courtesy they deserve." Rendel turned emotionally, voice shaking. "Oh my dear, thank you for this second chance", and with that the rest of the pub goers turned and applauded the couple, throwing garlands of petals in their wake. The end.
As a Councillor, Edward needs to be paying some attention to all that parking obstructing visibility and manoeuvres at the junction, and sorting out those radii.
Ed Hill was chucked out by Reform in 2025, though TBF to him it was about how to run it rather than ideology I think. He is now reportedly closer to Advance UK, which is distinctly more extreme than Reform. I'd call this Alan Amos style attention seeking.
Emily, thank you for such an insightful piece. I’m a man, but I enjoy watching the women’s races, possibly more than the men’s. The racing is so much closer, we rarely know who’s going to win. You painted a wonderful picture of how a true champion is able to ‘rise above’ setbacks and distractions, and focus their energy on the task in hand. ‘All’s fair in live and war -and sport, but always good to hear riders expressing their admiration for their competitors
@Nigel Garage ...and then everyone applauded my courtesy and I waved courteously to all the people who were courteously throwing flowers and cheering and courteously waving flags that said "Nigel is the best!"
The picture from street view clearly shows give way lines from the roads to the green painted cycle/pedestrian lane. The road user should give way (or must...) to the user of the green lane. This would of course apply to any cyclist on the roadway.
If I recall there is a cave or two along the route - perhaps they were sheltering from the heat in one of those having taken it for a Golf bunker?
“So if there’s a cyclist travelling down the cycle path at the moment, from this position I can’t see them because my blind spots are too big on the left hand side of the vehicle”, claims Hill. Well, there's your problem, right there...🙄
First impression from the headline that he's likely a twit. Then the detail he was expelled from Reform makes you suspect that failing even their low bar requirements he really is. Then he clearly explains his vehicle is unsafe for the highway because he can't see to give way when turning. Any collision he now has should have that video run out explaining he drove a vehicle he knew to be unsafe. Advice for motorists; instead of thinking that pedestrians and cyclists are low risk 100kg objects, imagine them as a 300 Tonne trains that will crush you and your vehicle if you cross into their paths. You'd give way to the train, so you equally can to the others.
I've had a brief look on Facebook, and Ed Hill (who now appears to be affiliated with Advance UK) seems to have taken some useful road safety improvements under his remit, including an initiative to help local pedestrians on unpaved roads, where the wider council won't help due to planning failures. Regarding the cycle path, I think this is linked to a wider misunderstanding about giving way at junctions and I'm afraid I cannot agree with Mr Hill's conclusion. Regardless of the suitability of the cycle path, vehicles should give way at the junction to both pedestrians crossing and cyclists. It seems to be a poorly understood rule among motorists where some believe they have priority at junctions like this, where they certainly do not. I once had a similar issue myself, while leisurely walking to Waitrose to buy some lunchtime fripperies. A driver beeped their horn as I crossed the junction, despite me having priority, and was shocked and apologetic when I explained I had priority. A polite conversation later, the driver departed, educated and updated on the rules of the road.
42 thoughts on “World’s fastest descender hits 65mph on bike… in the dark, complete with terrifying speed wobble; Red Bull riders tow plane to take-off; Pogačar snubbed (again) by BBC SPOTY; Movistar pro’s bizarre teacup injury; Picnic problems + more on the live blog”
Don’t worry about it cycling
Don’t worry about it cycling fans. SPOTY is a load of contrived rubbish. The nominations are biased towards sports which get larger TV ratings such as football and F1 (a comment in the Peterborough Telegraph last year read “Who is Keely Hodginson? Why would I vote for someone I haven’t heard of?”).
Sports people who cry on live TV are more likely to feature on SPOTY as well.
And in my view, the omission of Melissa Jefferson-Wooden (World athletics 100m, 200m and 4x100m gold medalist) from the overseas nomination list is just as worthy of comment as Pogacar.
The most ridiculous part of
The most ridiculous part of SPOTY is the name itself. It has absolutely nothing to do with personality.
It probably has less to do
It probably has less to do with sport these days.
How about :
“Well Rounded Review Of The Year Mostly Featuring Easily Recognisable Emotional Sports People And Vehicle For Lots Of Overrated Overpaid Presenters”.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
Wrrofym Ferespav Flooop – it has a nice ring to it!
Backladder wrote:
Approved by the Knights Who Formerly Said “Ni”.
Although Pog is ine of the
Although Pog is in the of the minority of sports stars who’s personality comes out in his performances and media.
Well, Hoy one it one year,
Well, Hoy one it one year, and he’s a pretty charismatic fella
50s Britain apologises for
50s Britain apologises for using the English language correctly
They’ll probably give it to
They’ll probably give it to Giggsy again.
Yes – I’m still bitter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_BBC_Sports_Personality_of_the_Year_Award
Does F1 really get that large
Does F1 really get that large an audience? Football – yes, it’s an absolute colossus, both in terms of TV viewers and attendances at live games. But F1? A niche “sport”, just like cycling. But apparently people like watching cars going round in circles, and getting excited about tyres…they’d probably love TTs…
Yes. F1 does get a large TV
Yes. F1 does get a large TV audience.
Maybe criteriums would appeal more to F1 fans?
To be fair to F1, the drivers do have to be fit and strong And have to manage their weight carefully. It is quite a physical sport from that point of view.
A large (and global) TV
A large (and global) TV audience generates plushy TV rights and lucrative ad revenues. It makes sense to support sports that make money.
Not for the viewer who wants
Not for the licence fee paying viewer who wants to see some variety.
I find F1 very boring but
I find F1 very boring but apparently lots of people around the world don’t, including my young niece who is a huge fan.
If they are so into F1, and
If they are so into F1, and not saying they arent, but where’s Max in the list ? Where’s Marc Marquez 9 time world champion, 7 time MotoGP ?
I follow sports a fair bit and even im looking at their list and going who are they ? Let alone and what did they do this year?
Lando Norris is the 2025 F1
Lando Norris is the 2025 F1 World Champion. He is a strong favourite to win the main prize.
Mr Blackbird wrote:
I don’t see how he qualifies, on two counts, given that he’s from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
mdavidford wrote:
[Comment wonkiness]
Absolutely. SPOTY is a total
Absolutely. SPOTY is a total irrelevance for most people these days and even back in the day when it was more of an attraction it was largely cringeworthy.
Interesting that the BBC is,
Interesting that the BBC is, apparently now, correctly referring to the e-bikes as electric motorbikes, but only once in the whole article…:
“Met seizes e-bikes in phone snatching crackdown
…
The force’s crackdown is largely referring to electric motorbikes, or electric bicycles that have been illegally modified to become motorbikes.“
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crk7j48zj88o
Much the same as this article
Much the same as this article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm2vygr0286o
The cyclists are so
The cyclists are so successful that they have been banned by the BBC. They would be SPOTY every year if they were included in the last 20.
“Rolls Royce towed in
“Rolls Royce towed in supercar parking ‘crackdown‘”
Max Sullivan, cabinet member for streets at the council, said:
“We will not tolerate dangerous pavement parking, whether it’s a Lime bike or a Lamborghini.“
but apparently the penalty is:
“The council said it used a relocation vehicle to pick up the blue Rolls Royce from Grosvenor Square and move it to another location several streets away.”
Yeah, that’ll teach ’em.
Does the council similarly move badly parked hire bikes to several streets away or actually impound them?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr4dq9lvg3yo
mitsky wrote:
FFS!
How about they impound the improperly parked vehicle which then means that the owner is inconvenienced by not being able to use it until they send an employee to go and collect it. It also makes it easy to recover costs as they don’t get the vehicle back until the towing charges etc are paid.
Is it that the council members are actually that stupid, or are they getting paid to approach these matters with a particular mindset?
What might be more of a
What might be more of a deterrent is forcing the registered owner to turn up (with ID and proof of ownership).
Paying an employee is not a problem for them.
But the owners might be less happy to waste their own time and potentially their identity released to the media if the paparazzi were outside the car pound.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Given that a certain Saudi recently bought … er, invested in … the US president, but those who irk the rulers of the kingdom may become rapidly shorter, could it just be self-defence? (If there was money and influence I suspect it is on a higher level than cheap council members…)
As you say, I bet they’re
As you say, I bet they’re quaking!
Both WCC and Transport for London use private agencies to attempt to enforce payment of fines on European foreign-registered cars
Perhaps DVLA could employ private agencies to extract VED from drivers who haven’t paid it for years on their UK-registered vehicles? That would free the poor dears (hopelessly inept idle duffers) from the worry that people might think they’re engaged in a War on The Motorist!
Intriguing…
Intriguing…
https://www.facebook.com/100067062642457/posts/1161867089392035/
No idea if it’s true or
No idea if it’s true or accurate, but one Tour De France rider said his max speed on the descent of Col Du Ventoux was 114KPH/70.3MPH.
kingleo wrote:
In 2016 Marcus Burghart topped 130KPH/81MPH on the Cote de la Comella, I think that’s still the record and presumably will remain so unless the aero tuck is unbanned.
Must try harder… (89.59
Must try harder… (89.59 mph on the flat)
https://www.aerovelo.com/eta-speedbike
(Sounds terrifying on an upright though)
chrisonabike wrote:
Are those the bikes that the Telegraph complains about?
I wanna go on one of those! I
I wanna go on one of those! I love the estimated equivalent energy use of 9544 mpg.
I suspect after a speed
I suspect after a speed attempt it would be like cycling inside someone’s bibshorts, only much louder… there’s a reason that some people ride in shorts and T-shirt in winter in their velomobiles.
Probably would be fun but I would be happy with trying out a much less “speed-optimised” one. Still far more aero than my recumbent but would be a lot comfier than the speedbike and you can actually turn a corner…
https://road.cc/content/news
https://road.cc/content/news/224277-i-was-frightened-pro-cyclist-hits-135-kilometres-hour-during-race?sort_bef_combine=created%20ASC&sort_order=ASC&sort_by=created&page=1&qt-more_news=1
I think a mountain bike could
I think a mountain bike could be set up to decend much faster than a road bike, assuming it had slicks and if you worked out how to fit a large enough chainring on it. I’ve done a bit over 70km/h one handed downhill on mine whilst eating a muesli bar and not pedalling (due to having run out of gears at 40km/h). The long front geometry and suspension fork, plus wide tyres means decending is very calm, easy to control and it’s much like sitting on a motor bike.
As long as the gradient is
As long as the gradient is steep enough to balance the drag (which increases in proportion to the square of your speed) you could certainly exceed 81mph. But one restriction of a mountain bike is the extra drag from it’s and the riders geometry.
If the gradient was 90 degrees you would achieve a terminal velocity of around 120mph.
There’s a scary vid on
There’s a scary vid on youtube about a MTBiker trying to break one of the speed records (IIRC it was down the outside of a Volcano in Japan), the bike totally discintegrates from under him. I think fortunately he had plenty of protective gear!
HLaB wrote:
That’s nothing – with that Aerovelo thing it appears that it’s the rider that disintegrates within it. ?
Looks like he broke the
Looks like he broke the record first 173kph (107.5mph), then broke it again 222kph (139.9mph) once he recovered, 10years later 😮
Eric Barone and Max Stöckl
Eric Barone and Max Stöckl kept pushing each other for the records. Seems like they’ve settled down with their niches in classification, Eric on his prototype aero rig, and Max on stock production bikes
The BBC is soo bent
The BBC is soo bent homosexuals don’t get jealous, even