Jeremy Vine's air horn blasts apology from impatient driver; Lachlan Morton's Alt Tour jersey auction hits $3.5k; Who needs tyre levers?; GBDURO & Cape Epic films; Van der Poel's niggly knee; Fancy riding a century this weekend? + more on the live blog

Even if you do the worst overtake in the world, apologise and we'll be friends pic.twitter.com/CYL4PDA3Uc

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) December 14, 2021

Well, well, well the noisy horn even got a compliment from this driver...and an apology. "Sorry I did see you" (I just couldn't be bothered to wait) "I do apologise"...

That was enough for Vine, who in a very British scene, replied: "Oh, you're so polite. No, not at all [...] take care, no, don't worry..."

Was it the air horn? Or was it just getting caught out while sat in your company's van? Guess it depends how cycnical you want to be...

Best reply? Drum roll please...

Mick Hucknall's fallen on bad times.

— R C D Mitchum (@PaulCra33107260) December 14, 2021

Somehow I don't think this is the last we've seen of the air horn. 

It might be hard to believe this year's GBDURO was Mark Beaumont's first ever race. The ultra-endurance rider has set numerous records during too many epic rides to count, but only raced once (so far). That was this summer at the 2,000km self-supported Land's End to John O'Groats mixed terrain ride, now known to us all as GBDURO. 

The adjective epic is overused in cycling (by me as much as anyone) BUT this year's edition was truly epic. Only 14 of the 250 starters completed the route...by stage two through Wales, more than half the field had quit.

In the end (spoiler alert) Mark marked his first race with a win after a mechanical issue ended perennial challenger Angus Young's lead.

"This is truly one of the most punishing rides on bike, body and mind," Beaumont said. "There were no easy miles across such relentless terrain. Just finishing was a victory because the person you are really racing is yourself. And to finish first? First you must finish." And to think that's from a man who broke the around the world record...

Thumbs of steel, no levers for tubeless here. https://t.co/v7XCUUXCEB

— NorthRoadCycles 💙 (@NorthRoadCycles) December 13, 2021

You can almost feel your thumbs going numb just looking at this photo... 

Fair warning, Jeremy. Not everyone will take too kindly to being blasted with decibels. Especially, if like this frustrated cyclist from 2018, who appeared to make it their mission to make sure every pedestrian within striking distance of any bike lane got a blast...anyway, the video doesn't end too well...

And for the slightly more tame US edition...

Slovenian sensation Primož Roglič has spoken to Flemish newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws and distanced himself from the idea that winning, or not winning, the Tour de France will define his career. And while he would, of course, "love" to win the sport's biggest prize, being remembered as "the man who fought for it every time" is more important to the 32-year-old.

"I’d rather people think of me as the man who fought for it every time," Roglič explained. "The man who gave the best of himself every race. That's who I want to be. A fighter. The Tour is really not an obsession. So it's not a frustration that it hasn't worked yet."

The Jumbo-Visma leader also spoke about Wout van Aert's ambition to win the green jersey in 2022, saying he thinks challenging for multiple goals is possible. "In theory, anything is possible. We can get green and yellow - and also the polka dot jersey with Sepp Kuss — but the team has to determine what our main goal is, and then we have to have a plan that works for the two of us," he continued.

> Wout van Aert to target the green jersey at the 2022 Tour de France

"It must be the intention that Wout and I help each other. We have to find a way so he can go for a stage win and I can try to get some time at the same time. We have to think about that carefully."

Restrap is running its bi-annual Solstice Century 100-mile Challenge this upcoming weekend (18 and 19 December), which can be completed in one go or across multiple rides, indoors or outdoors. 

“Over the winter solstice weekend on 18th & 19th of December, make the most of the dwindling daylight and ride 100 miles within the solstice weekend,” Restrap suggests. And there’s some added incentives to do so… 

All riders who complete the challenge will be able to redeem an exclusive Solstice Century patch for their efforts and all entrants will be submitted into Restrap’s prize draw. One lucky rider will receive a huge kit bundle worth over £500, which consists of a gilet, long sleeve jersey and bib tights from Restrap’s friends at Albion Cycling along with a Restrap Bar Pack. 

The competition is open worldwide and as with previous editions the challenge will be hosted on Restrap’s social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and on its Strava club.

You have until 23:59GMT on 19/12/21 to sign up to the event and receive the chance to claim a patch.

The new £149.99 Restrap City Loader is said to offer the rugged practicality Restrap’s bags are known for, in a design that will handle whatever the everyday Brompton rider needs. “We know that city life demands us to be flexible and the City Loader is built to match. Spare clothes? Groceries? A stove and bivvi bag? The City Loader can do it all,” says Restrap. 

A removable shoulder strap and carry handle at the rear of the bag make the City Loader comfortable and convenient when off the bike, says Restrap.

With two 100% waterproof, fold-closure compartments this bag offers up to 20 litres of internal storage and is mounted to a Brompton front carrier block via a unique integrated fitting.

The main compartment is secured by an adjustable fastening strap with a Fidlock buckle, which offers additional external storage for a jacket or dry bag. If you’ve got a smaller load, compression straps on the sides of the bag act to keep the bag compact. Then, accessories like bottles or locks can be stored in the side pockets. 

I assume when they say 'knee injury' they really mean Van der Poel is back in his engineer's lab having a software update ahead of 2022. Only joking... the world champ has pushed back his return to the cyclo-cross scene by a week, which means his seasonal debut will be at that mega clash with Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock on Boxing Day in Dendermonde.

> No Oscars here... Mathieu van der Poel stars in cringeworthy window shopping sponsor video

He had been set to return this weekend at the home World Cup round in Rucphen, the Netherlands, but it was not meant to be...

"This has been decided by the rider and team management after consulting with the team’s performance and medical staff," Alpecin-Fenix explained. "The main reason for this is the healing process of his knee injury which takes longer than initially anticipated, as a result of which he has not yet been able to complete specific cyclo-cross training."

One day to go...

If you've got a spare $3,500 (£2,644) you can get this well-worn EF-Education Nippo jersey in time for Christmas. You'll have competition though...there have been 82 bids so far for the jersey worn by Lachlan Morton during his Alt Tour. The auction closes at 12:45pm tomorrow.

For a deep dive into just how hard the challenge was, take a read of our feature comparing Lachlan's Whoop data to the numbers the EF-Education Nippo riders selected for the actual Tour put out...including an incredibly rare 20.8 out of 21 on Whoop's strain scale.

Kensington is now so dangerous for cyclists I have bought a gas horn. pic.twitter.com/Zl5yTtBAjz

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) December 13, 2021

If you've been a live blog regular over the past few years you'll know how often Jeremy Vine finds himself dodging dangerous drivers as he makes his way around the capital. Well, the broadcaster and radio presenter may have found the solution to his problems...an extremely loud solution...

Strapping a gas horn to your handlebars might not be the most aerodynamic choice, but for getting other road users' attention it seems to be alright. Vine was able to let these drivers (and every pedestrian in the area) know exactly where he was.

> Video: Driver turns across Jeremy Vine’s path on new pop-up bike lane

"And that's just the first day," Vine told us...we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more of his air horn adventures.

It's safe to say this taxi driver would have got a blast of the horn...back in April, Vine shared a clip of a driver inexplicably ignoring road markings and pulling out on him. "Idiotic mistake by me this morning as I forgot that road markings are not operational on Piccadilly," the Vine on 5 host told his Twitter followers...