Bicycle frame making moved to endangered 'Red List' by Heritage Crafts; BMX jump cycle lane — cycling route has the mother of all speed bumps installed; Cav crashes AGAIN (+ stunning Amalfi scenery & breakaway heartbreak in Naples) + more on the live blog

Bicycle frame making is in danger, according to Heritage Crafts, the national charity for traditional heritage crafts moving the trade into its 'Red List' of endangered crafts. 

Previously classed as a viable craft, the downgrade to endangered suggests that while there are currently "sufficient craftspeople to transmit the craft skills to the next generation" there are "serious concerns about their ongoing viability".

Heritage Crafts' definition suggests this could be due to shrinking markets, an ageing demographic or a declining number of practitioners. In publishing its research, the charity noted how the energy crisis and inflation has "only exacerbated the issues faced by our most at-risk skills, building on the cumulative effect of Covid, continuing uncertainties around Brexit and structural issues relating to the funding for skills transmission".

And while bicycle frame making is not yet in the critically endangered category alongside clog making, glass eye making and sporran making, it does now share the same endangered status as crafts such as cricket bat making, horn, antler and bone working and kilt making. The charity reports one craft, mouth-blown flat glass has gone extinct since the publication of its last edition.

"The effect of the energy crisis, inflation, COVID-19 and Brexit have been tough on everyone, not least the craftspeople who possess our most fundamental craft skills," Mary Lewis, who led the research on behalf of Heritage Crafts, said. 

"We know that heritage craft skills operate like an ecosystem; if we lose one part it can have devastating consequences on other parts of the system. If we allow endangered crafts to disappear then we seriously diminish the opportunities for future generations to create their own sustainable and fulfilling livelihoods and deal with the challenges of the future."

While you're all here for the frame-making story, why not check out a couple of Steve Thomas' excellent features on some of England's best bike builders from the 20th century...

> Northern vintage: 10 of the best 20th century British bike builders from the North and Midlands

> Southern Steel: take a trip down memory lane with these classic 20th century bike builders from the South of England

No images of this during the TV coverage but a photo doing the rounds on social media shows the British national champ on the deck again... and considering the weather, it's hardly difficult to work out this was definitely today's stage...

#Giro 🇮🇹 - 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁

Previously unseen photograph of Mark Cavendish.

He’d been on the floor earlier in the stage, fortunately, he was able to continue.#DomestiqueLive

📸Credit: Luca Bettini/Getty pic.twitter.com/W8C9S0nFSO

— Domestique (@Domestique___) May 11, 2023

Before the stage Alberto Dainese and Cav met for a morning after the night before chat...

Before the start @alberto_dainese and @MarkCavendish caught up, and put yesterday's finale behind them.🤝🏻#Giro pic.twitter.com/eL1QNDHDZj

— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) May 11, 2023

Cavendish finished today's stage in 141st place, alongside three Astana teammates, more than 18 minutes behind Mads Pedersen. 

Remember this?

Fair enough if you've tried to forget everything between March 2020 and the following summer, but at least the year gave us this — Jeremy Clarkson berating a pro cyclist for being out during lockdown...

Yes, a profesional cyclist doing his job by being out the house riding a bike. A bit like, I don't know, a farming TV personality being out the house doing their job by farming and talking bull... Talking about male cows, is obviously what I meant there...

Anyway, ranting aside, that rider in Trek-Segafredo kit, who got a cameo in Clarkson's Farm on Amazon, was Charlie Quarterman who after a tough couple of years is back back racing against the best. Today, he's in the Giro breakaway...

Last year at this time Charlie Quarterman was racing the amateur stage race called Tour de Loiret (Elite national)

Year later, he's riding in a #Giro break of the day. Just shows you quick things can change in the world of cycling! pic.twitter.com/TsC5McHfXZ

— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) May 11, 2023

Remember kids, all it takes is talent, hard work, dedication... and a snide remark from Clarkson... 

"I didn't realise straight away, I realised afterwards," Dainese, who was relegated from his fourth place, told the TV cameras at the start of stage six in Naples. "Honestly, I did my sprint wrong, I was on Kaden Groves and I got boxed in by Mads Pedersen and Jonathan Milan, I couldn't get out so when I saw the gap on the left I tried to pass but it was too late for me to try to win the stage.

"Today, Marius Mayrhofer will do the sprint, I'll try to be the penultimate man in the best possible way."

Sounds like a day on the naughty step for Alberto...

Well done LukeB for winning comment of the day by pointing out my unapologetic inconsistencies...

> How fast?! Road bike 10-mile time trial record broken at 51.6km/h average speed for 18:41 clocking

An imperial distance covered at a metric speed - does that count? https://t.co/Ufy3DDwmIU

— LukeB_MTB @mastodon.social (@LukeB_MTB) May 10, 2023

Why just be aero when you can be aero AND shiny?

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Gustav Gullholm (@dangerholm)

You might remember this Kogel Bearings cage from the live blog the other week, well, Gustav Gullholm has got his hands on the finished product... a custom polished SRAM RED AXS XPLR derailleur with matching prototype Kogel Kolossos Aero cage. 

"While we can debate how much faster it actually makes you, I'd say it's a fact that it'll at least make you look fast AF!" Gustav reckons.

Oh, and for the pleasure of putting down a refundable $10 deposit you can be first in line for when Kogel puts it into production. I'll leave that for any of you who found a winning lottery ticket down the back of the sofa last week...

Slip 'n slide across the line of stage five
Don't you know you might find
A better race to win

It's a work in progress... with this much reaction, fallout, medical updating and speculation from yesterday's Giro stage to round up it's probably best we get cracking...

[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]

Team DSM's Alberto Dainese was relegated, bumping Cav up to fourth place on the stage, the commissaires deciding the Italian's dangerous sprinting had caused the pile-up. Dainese was also fined 500CHF and lost all the points he gained on the day for the points classification.

"We accept the jury's decision and once again hope those who crashed in the finale are okay," Team DSM later said in a statement.

Back at the Astana Qazaqstan team hotel, Cavendish said his injuries weren't too bad and that he had received a phone call from Dainese...

"The circumstances after that…it's sprinting. Alberto has called me. You know, it's part of sprinting, I just hope everybody else who crashed is OK, I saw some stretchers and that," he said.

[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]

"I've had my wounds cleaned up, and my knee's a little bit sore, but I don't think there's anything broken. We haven't checked that out yet, but I don't have the pain of anything broken. 

🇮🇹 VIDEO: @giroditalia @MarkCavendish talks on this crazy Stage 5 ⬇️#Giro #GirodItalia #AstanaQazaqstanTeam pic.twitter.com/7PpgLnp7or

— Astana Qazaqstan Team (@AstanaQazTeam) May 10, 2023

AG2R Citroën's Andrea Vendrame was the rider seen on the stretcher, his team confirming that the Italian has no broken bones, but "a deep wound that requires stitches as well as skin abrasions on his left shoulder".

"I crashed after crossing the finish line," Vendrame said. "Luckily, I didn't break anything. We were coming at 60 km/h and Mark Cavendish crashed. His bike was thrown to the left of the road and I couldn't avoid it. I found myself in the barriers. These are never good moments. I will do everything to get the best possible treatment this evening with the medical staff. I hope to be at the start tomorrow, that's my goal for the next few hours. It would be heartbreaking to leave the Giro d'Italia."

Arkéa–Samsic's David Dekker was also involved and was able to return to the team bus after picking himself up.