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news
Live blog
“It would be mental to do single speed on that course!” Ultra-distance cyclist opts for cheap bike shop repair after trashing rear mech during gruelling off-road mountain race – and is forced to ride with one gear to the finish + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Sofiane Sehili DIY repair job on rear mech during 2025 Atlas Mountain Race (Instagram)14:59
London Cycling Campaign to stage protest at junction where cyclist was killed in collision with lorry driver last month, to “highlight more than a decade of inaction”
In two weeks, the London Cycling Campaign will stage a protest at the “dangerous, unprotected” junction of Stratford High Street and Carpenters Road in east London, where a cyclist was killed on 13 January in a collision with a lorry driver.
On Monday 24 February, the LCC and its Newham Cyclists branch will gather where the Greenway meets Stratford High Street at 6.15pm, before leaving fifteen minutes later to ride along Stratford High Street, stopping briefly at the Carpenters Road junction for a minute’s silence and speeches.
The protest ride, the campaign says, will attempt to “highlight more than a decade of inaction on a series of unprotected and unsafe junctions along Stratford High Street that TfL (and Newham Council) should have acted on years ago. This inaction has now led to another needless death.”
While the recent installation of protected cycle lanes at junctions along Cycleway 2 has increased safety, the LCC says on the one-mile stretch between Bow Roundabout and Stratford town centre, TfL and Newham Council “have left the junctions unprotected and untouched”, exposing people cycling “to unacceptable danger”.
A host of junctions on this corridor, including at Carpenters Road, are “completely unprotected” and “don’t give cyclists any separation at all from vehicles turning left”, while forcing pedestrians to contend with “indirect staggered crossings, excessive waiting times, dangerous guardrail, and in some cases pedestrian crossings that are completely missing”.
“As our Dangerous Junctions map shows, there are far too many junctions in London where there are known design flaws that are resulting in clear patterns of collisions, yet year after year TfL does nothing,” the LCC’S chief executive Tom Fyans said in a statement.
“Worse, TfL right now is continuing to roll out supposedly ‘safer’ junctions which leave in design flaws even their own design criteria considers a ‘critical’ failure. If TfL and the Mayor are genuinely committed to reducing road danger, and saving lives like the one lost on 13 January, we need to see a step change in action.
“Ten people died while cycling on London’s streets in 2024 – until TfL designs better and works with all boroughs to move faster it's hard to see that number coming down any time soon.”
09:09
“It would be mental to do single speed on that course!” Ultra-distance cyclist opts for cheap bike shop repair after trashing rear mech during gruelling off-road mountain race – and is forced to ride with one gear to the finish
It’s a big week in the dot-watching cycling community.
We’re about halfway through the Atlas Mountain Race, one of the toughest ultra-distance races in the world, covering 13,000km over seven days across Morrocco, from Marrakesh to Essaouira.
Crossing the Moroccan Atlas, this endurance epic features some of extremely unforgiving terrain, featuring over 20,000m of elevation and following high-altitude gravel roads and long-forgotten single and double tracks, with barely any tarmac for respite.
And it’s safe to say it’s already taken its fair share of prisoners.
Our very own Matt Page – who seemed to be in good spirits yesterday after being joined by a few locals – appears to have scratched later that afternoon, his dot lingering about 30km off the route near Skoura. Matt’s not the only one to suffer a bit of bad luck, however.
Sofiane Sehili, one of the best off-road long-distance racers on the planet and the winner of the 2020 edition of the Atlas Mountain Race, felt the full force of Morrocco’s unforgiving terrain when he trashed his fancy Shimano GRX rear mech – and had to make do with an on-the-cheap replacement from a local bike shop.
Which, unfortunately for the French ultra-distance legend, means he’s now forced to ride all the way to Essaouira on single speed – putting him, obviously, out of the race.
> Bring on the Atlas Mountains: a beginner's guide to ultra-distance bike racing
Describing his DIY job in an Instagram story, while riding his newly single speed machine, Sehili, who’s also won the Tour Divide and the Silk road mountain race during his illustrious long-ride career, said: “So, I went to this little repair shop and they had chains, six or seven-speed chains, which obviously were too thick for my 12-speed cassette.
“I removed a couple of cogs from the cassette, replaced them with some spacers that were the right size.
“So now I can use one cog! And I added a derailleur, just to have the right tension on the chain. Yeah, so I’m riding single speed on tarmac.
“And if you’re wondering why I’m not back on the course, I honestly think it would be mental to do single speed on that course – though I know one guy who’s doing it!”
Yeah, that sounds fair. I doubt anyone will be shouting ‘one gear is more than enough on those mountain dirt roads!’ as he passes by on the tarmac anyway.
In a longer Instagram post, Sehili – who joked that he was “in the mood for a bike tour anyway” after being forced onto the tarmac – added: “This is how my second attempt at the Atlas Mountain Race ends. Pretty differently from the first one. It was all going well, until it wasn’t anymore. I don’t give up easily but this time there’s nothing I could do but throw in the towel.
“When it happened, I was more than gutted. Now that I have had time to get some sleep and reflect on it, I feel a bit better. Of course I’m disappointed, but if something like that has to happen, I surely prefer it happens during a race I have already finished and won.
“I also take comfort in the fact that I didn’t just come here just for the race but was, beforehand, lucky enough to ride almost a thousand kilometres in this beautiful country that is Morocco.
“It is easy to indulge in self-pity, but in the end it is truly just a bike race and I got to take part in half of it. Some of my mates weren’t as lucky, a good friend is in hospital bed awaiting surgery after a serious accident. So yeah, it’s not the end of the world…
“I’m not gonna complain. Instead, I will look at the bright side of things, which is that I was racing hard and fast in a very competitive field. I was right there in the mix. Well ahead of my 2020 times.
“It feels quite good to actually get better while getting older to be honest. There will be other races. There will be many other opportunities to sing and (hopefully) crack you up.
“Now I'm gonna try to single speed my way to Essaouira.”
I don’t know about you, but that sounds brutal, too. These ultra-distance cyclists, eh?
14:31
“The end of bus lanes as a ‘safer’ space for cyclists on the roads”
12:57
Lancaster Grand Prix cancelled for 2025 as organisers cite “logistical reasons” and funding “uncertainties” – but British Cycling confirms Tour of the Reservoir set to return for first time in six years in one-day format
The cloud hanging over the British domestic racing scene in recent years shows no signs of dissipating any time soon, following the news this morning that the Lancaster Grand Prix will not go ahead in 2025 due to logistical and funding issues.
According to a statement from British Cycling this morning, the popular race, which forms part of the governing body’s National Road Series and is regarded as one of the most selective events in the season-long competition, will not be held this season.
The Lancaster Grand Prix’s organising committee, headed by Roy Holmes, the father of former Lotto pro Matt, says the decision has been made “due to a variety of logistical reasons and to uncertainties in funding and sponsorship”.
Nevertheless, despite these issues, the organisers insist that they are proceeding with plans for the event to return in 2026.
In more encouraging news, however, British Cycling also announced that the historic Tour of the Reservoir, one of Britain’s most prestigious domestic races, is set to finally return in 2025, following a six-year absence.
James Shaw wins the 2019 Tour of the Reservoir (Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)
The race, established in 2005 as a two-day event, boats Dean and Russell Downing, as well as EF pro James Shaw among its winners, while a women’s race was also added in 2014, cementing its status as one of the calendar’s key dates.
However, following the death of organiser Mike Hodgson in 2020, the race has struggled to establish itself and has not been held since Shaw’s win in 2019. An attempt to run it last year was cancelled due to “unforeseen obstacles”, though organiser Steve Walton told the British Continental in December that the iconic race “is very much on for 2025”.
And that’s proved the case, with British Cycling announcing that the Tour of the Reservoir will return to Consett as a one-day men’s and women’s race (Walton hopes it will revert to its old two-day format in time) on Sunday 22 June and will form part of the National Road Series, an unexpected boost for the event after it was initially left off the competition’s calendar.
13:48
Alright, Discovery, I’ll pay the £31 a month if you promise to show Jörg Muller stealing a police officer’s gun during the 1989 Tour de France over and over, deal?
Can't believe I just watched footage of a 1989 tour de france rider grabbing an officer's service weapon mid stage. And eurosport expect people to pay £30 a month when this doesn't happen anymore?
— CalumOnWheels (@calumonwheels.bsky.social) February 10, 2025 at 9:30 PM
Ah, the eighties, different times…
12:05
Visma-Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij doubles up at Tour of Oman with sprint victory ahead of Giacomo Nizzolo, as David Gaudu retains race lead
If a Dutch sprinter continues his flying start to 2025 at a race with barely any roadside fans, and with no TV coverage, did it actually happen?
No, I’m not talking about the existential crisis facing every UK-based cycling fan in next month’s post-apocalyptic – sorry, I mean post-Eurosport world. I’m referring to Olav Kooij’s second stage win at the Tour of Oman this morning, a race where the coverage is so scarce it appears to exist solely as a timely, doom-laden harbinger of bike race viewing to come.
Anyway, according to the handful of wobbly videos and photos uploaded to social media by the race organisers, Visma-Lease a Bike’s Kooij made it two from two in bunch kicks this week, taking advantage of Uno-X’s Erlend Blikra’s decision to launch his sprint early on the drag to the line, coming off his wheel with 200m to go and holding off Giacomo Nizzolo for the victory, as Movistar’s Orluis Aular took third ahead of the fading Blikra.
“It was good for me. We could control the finish with the team, and they helped me very well,” Kooij said after the stage.
“We knew the last kilometre would be important to get in a good position. I could then follow the right wheels to start my sprint at exactly the right moment.
“After coming from the winter in Europe, it takes some time to get used to [racing], but the feelings are good.”
The 23-year-old Dutch sprinter – who once again looks set to miss out on a Tour de France debut this year due to Visma’s GC ambitions – can now bask in the glory of a job well done in Oman, as tomorrow’s summit finish to Green Mountain promises to be an explosive battle between race leader David Gaudu and reigning champion Adam Yates.
If we could see it, that is.
11:35
Bike thefts in Edinburgh jump by 20 per cent in 18 months, as Tory MSP slams “startling” figures and calls on council to increase number of secure bike hangars in city
A Conservative MSP has called on Edinburgh City Council to install more secure cycle parking facilities to tackle the city’s “serious” bike theft problem, after new Police Scotland figures revealed that the number of bikes reported as stolen in the Scottish capital have rocketed by almost 20 per cent in 18 months.
According to Police Scotland’s stats, in the 18 months from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2024, there were 1,848 recorded bike thefts in Edinburgh – a jump of 19.5 per cent compared to the previous 18 months.
The figures were published after Lothian MSP Miles Briggs contacted Police Scotland following a wave of complaints from constituents whose bikes were stolen, prompting the Tory politician to urge the local council to do more to reduce the city’s “startling” cycle theft stats.
“These figures are startling and are a serious worry for bike owners in the capital,” Briggs told the Edinburgh Evening News.
“Bike theft is nothing new to Edinburgh and the Edinburgh police division has previously had great success in reducing the number of thefts, but more needs to be done now.
“I welcome the positive work which Police Scotland have undertaken in the past to inform residents on how to keep their bikes safe especially people living in tenements and students coming to study in the capital.”
> Thieves attempting to steal bike using angle grinder thwarted by passing locals
He continued: “An increase in bike storage facilities would be a good way of ensuring that bikes in the city are more secure.
“I have written to Edinburgh City Council to ask what plans are being developed to help provide more safe facilities for bikes to be stored.
“In the meantime, I would ask people to be vigilant and ensure their bikes are not left unattended or unchained in public areas.”
In response to Briggs’ complaints, Edinburgh City Council noted that there are currently 218 secure cycle hangars in operation in Edinburgh, providing space for 1,302 bikes, with 97 per cent of the spaces in use.
The local authority is also progressing the roll-out of the second phase of the project, which will see a further 162 hangars installed over the next year, bringing Edinburgh’s total provision to 380 hangars and 2,260 spaces.
Nevertheless, the council acknowledged that demand was high for spaces, with waiting lists in place for most existing hangars and a long list of requests from residents for hangars in new locations.
Transport and environment convener Stephen Jenkinson said: “Helping people keep their bikes secure is an essential part of good active travel provision, and our roll-out of hundreds of secure storage units across the city, providing thousands of spaces, has proved extremely popular.
“We’ll also continue working with Police Scotland to explore theft prevention initiatives, like bike marking.”
12:46
Is electronic braking on the way? Probably not…
10:37
“No Paris-Roubaix for Tadej Pogačar – at the moment,” say UAE Team Emirates… So, you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Ah, Pogi-Roubaix, we hardly knew ye.
Yesterday morning, Tadej Pogačar set the online cycling world alight by mischievously posting a video of himself tearing over the jagged cobbles of the Trouée d'Arenberg, sparking speculation that the world champion is set to make his Paris-Roubaix debut this April.
However, while social media was abuzz with excitement about the prospect of a mouthwatering duel on the cobbles with Van der Poel and Van Aert, Pogačar’s old adage that “Twitter is for trolling” appears to have crept over to Instagram, after his UAE Team Emirates squad were quick to point out that, no, the Hell of the North has not been added to their Slovenian star’s 2025 programme… Yet.
Speaking to Daniel Benson, UAE’s sports manager Matxin Joxean Fernandez claimed that the Arenberg recon was merely part of a wider trip assessing the key sections of Gent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders, and Roubaix with sports director Fabio Baldato and teammate Tim Wellens, who is pencilled in to race the Hell of the North this year.
“They were in the area and did the recon of the Arenberg. In Tadej’s initial race programme, there’s no Paris-Roubaix this year. He simply did three days looking at the Tour of Flanders, Gent-Wevelgem, and then Paris-Roubaix,” Fernandez told Benson.
“He was looking at the materials, the tyres, the bike and was riding with them and looking at the critical moments of those races.
“Tim is racing Paris-Roubaix, and Tadej went with him. At the moment, we’ve not looked at Roubaix for his race programme. Normally, he’ll stop after the Tour of Flanders and prepare for the Ardennes Classics.”
Asked if Pogačar could ultimately add Roubaix to his plans after the Tour of Flanders, Fernandez said: “We can’t speak about this. Maybe after Flanders, he has good confidence, but it all depends on the situation, but at the moment, no.”
So… you’re telling me there’s a chance?
Fernandez was equally vague when pressed about the world champion’s apparent plan to target the Vuelta a España, the only grand tour he’s yet to win, later this year after the Tour.
“We’ll see soon, I think at the UAE Tour, it will be explained and announced by Tadej himself. I know, but the communication will be for the team at that moment,” he said.
So, one more time… Twitter is for trolling, Instagram is for nice photos, and team staff statements are for keeping things vague and the online speculation rolling.
10:10
Thibaut Pinot being peak Thibaut Pinot
Oh, your morning’s been fine, but it’s still missing a few photos of a mercurial retired French climber hugging a Highland calf, you say? Well, I’ve got just the post for you:
The only thing that could out-Thibaut Pinot this brilliant Insta post is one of the former FDJ star sobbing at the side of the road after going down in a blaze of glory at a grand tour, as baby goats frolic in the field behind him…
11:23
Oh, look who’s in the news for a change, you never hear from him…
After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.
Latest Comments
- Hirsute 2 sec ago
Except no one really knows what happened. Perhaps the driver threw a punch and the cyclist defended themselves and connected first. Then that's...
- Steve K 10 min 46 sec ago
When he wasn't in charge of the Federal Government, he wanted States that wanted to do what he liked to be able to do so without interference from...
- brooksby 18 min 53 sec ago
I'm not sure that a politician discussing his contituents (or anything else) with other politicians should be off the record. It should all be...
- andystow 26 min 24 sec ago
Bunch of carbrains, occasional voice of sanity, not as bad as Xitter.
- Mark Skinner 1 hour 14 min ago
My Datum 30 on 35mm tyres is perfect for wet winter rides and local gravel. Fairly sure it will take 38mm tyres if needed.
- belugabob 2 hours 15 min ago
Should have held my breath , and waited for the previous comment to post...(Slow internet day)
- the little onion 2 hours 18 min ago
I have tried calling. They are just so busy. And the legal advice phone line is about what to do in a crash, not this kind of incident.
- Sredlums 2 hours 39 min ago
It would be really weird if it didn't at least go low enough to clamp the seat post or top tube with the bike still standing on the ground. Would...
- Secret_squirrel 3 hours 13 min ago
Camera's are your only friend when supported by a halfway helpful police force....
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15 comments
"Tory MSP says something positive/usefull for cyclists"
Either it is 1st of April or he isn't a Tory.
It'll be a bit chilly in those there Atlas Mountains too. #nutters
"covering 13,000km over seven days" - that would be QUITE a pace. It should read 1,300 km.
https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news/thames-valley/news/2025/february...
"Between 4pm and 4.30pm on Tuesday (4/2), the offender, who was on a push-bike, punched the wing mirrors off the victim’s car on V6 Grafton Street.
The victim, a man in his fifties, got out of his black Range Rover on the dual carriage way and the offender assaulted the victim, leaving him to fall unconscious on the floor."
Hmm, I'm willing to bet there's more than one victim involved here. Also, do Range Rovers have 'wing' mirrors?!
I'll bite. They do have wing mirrors - that's what they're called because they enable you to see down the wing of the car. They're usually attached to the door because that's the best place to put them; it's a bit like the rear view mirror (which is what you use to see what's behind you) being attached to the inside of the windscreen rather than being part of the scenery behind the car. <adjusts spectacles>
No, they were called wing mirrors because they used to be mounted on the front wings of the car. The wings being the covers over the wheel - which eventually merged with the body work. This was pretty much the norm to about the early 70s. Just google for "Morris Minor", or "Morris Marina" (earlier versions), or any 50s or 60s car.
The wing is not the side of the car - not generally anyway.
So ... hahaha ... I made that point previously (minus the Morris Minor reference) on this very forum and was told in an equally authoritative tone that the panel over the front wheel is indeed called the front wing but that wing refers to the side of the car more generally and that panel is only called the front wing to distinguish it from the door (and I guess rear wing). It made sense to me because of the more general usage of "wing" in e.g. architectural terms which would pre-date the car.
There are lots of words in common usage which derive from some former incarnation. Nobody thinks twice about referring to the thing the instrument panel is mounted on as the "dashboard", But it's hard to argue that the current dashboard's job is to stop dash from the horses' hooves getting all over everyone instead of onto the side of 1970s houses where it belongs.
Either way, they're wing mirrors because that's what they're called regardless of what they're attached to.
Binnacle, shurely?! Or console at a push (since that is now used for "electronic entertainment system" it's getting more appropriate...)
It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the regular debates about this subject 'swldxer' used to initiate on this forum 😉!
I have to say, I've never tried to wrestle a wing mirror from a Range Rover. I can't imagine it's that easy, so to do both is quite something. Sounds like quite a serious incident for the driver to have ended up unconscious.
So the person who got out of their car to confront a cyclist is the victim. How does that work?
Because they were then punched and ended up in hospital
"The victim suffered a concussion and bruising and swelling to his face which required hospital treatment. He has since been discharged."
Although if a cyclist confronts illegal behaviour then they are causing incitement.
I think just seeing a cyclist is enough incitement for some motorists!
Getting out of you vehicle to have a confrontation is never a good idea. Possibly a case of whoever lost the fist fight is considered the victim?
We shall have to wait and see if more details emerge. But this particularly interests me, as I'm quite local to the area and have had some woeful experiences with Thames Valley Police's roads policing.
People who drive wankpanzers are usually entitled. Hard to believe the cyclist damaged the wing mirrors with no good reason.
It's hard to imagine a legally defensible reason for doing both of them though, "He's a cock, your honour" not usually being an acceptable mitigation.
Except no one really knows what happened. Perhaps the driver threw a punch and the cyclist defended themselves and connected first. Then that's more self defence.