“These children have every right to be on our roads”: More videos of kids cycling (and more motorists getting angry); Tadej Pogačar shoots some hoops; Bike cop works overtime; Cycling insurance searches up 600% since Panorama doc + more on the live blog

With the internet all ablaze over the thought of children cycling on the road, reader hirsute has flagged another example of “terrible” parenting, this time from the Netherlands:

Meanwhile, in the Netherlands https://t.co/EMBd3ay2uA pic.twitter.com/xnrMryhpge

— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) November 14, 2022

Chris Whorrall, a British Cycling Academy graduate who trained and raced with Mark Cavendish in the early 2010s, has been jailed for four years for dealing cocaine.

The 31-year-old, who raced alongside Cavendish for the Isle of Man at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi and was even once touted by the Italian press as the former world champion’s ‘pupil’, was found with £12,000 worth of cocaine stashed in a red rucksack in Douglas on 22 July, the BBC reports.

A search of his car found six “dealer amounts”, along with £513 in cash, while police uncovered a further £1,390 along with tick lists and other drug paraphernalia at Whorrall’s home.

The former Team IG-Sigma Sport rider was serving two suspended sentences for cannabis offences at the time of his arrest.

After pleading guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, Whorrall’s defence advocate said that he had turned to alcohol and drugs after the collapse of his fledgling pro career due to injury.

He said he had found himself in “way over his head” after becoming trapped in a “vicious circle of drug dependence, debt and, in turn, drug dealing. Today represents his rock-bottom.”

Whorrall was sentenced to 42 months in prison for the cocaine offence and another six months following the activation of his suspended sentence for cannabis dealing last year.

Another pro cycling crossover story for you this afternoon on the live blog, and a fairly topical one at that (I know, even I’m shocked)…

Just as the footballing world begins to gear up for the great month-long sportswashing exercise in Qatar – sorry, I mean World Cup – its attention has been briefly diverted by, of all people, Piers Morgan.

Morgan’s “explosive” interview with Manchester United’s prodigal son-turned-moping ornament Cristiano Ronaldo – set to be aired later this week – has dominated today’s sports pages, and centres on Ronnie’s disgruntlement that he no longer commands an automatic starting place in United manager Erik ten Hag’s team, despite (at 37 years of age) possessing the speed and mobility of a local authority obliged to introduce safe cycling infrastructure.

So, in short, the toys are well and truly out of the £500,000 a week pram.

(‘Well, that’s all well and good, but what’s any of this got to do with cycling?’, I hear you cry. Hold on, I’m getting there…)

> From Carrington to the Col du Galibier: Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag inspired Jumbo-Visma’s ‘total cycling’ tactics at Tour de France

As Dutch coach Erik ten Hag – who joined United in the summer with a sparkling reputation as Ajax manager in the Netherlands – deals, rather successfully, with a temperamental former star, another of the great Dutch teams, Jumbo-Visma, is looking on with keen interest.

Jumbo-Visma won this year’s Tour de France by perfecting a delicate balancing act of egos and individual ambition, as Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert shared the yellow, polka dot and green jerseys between them while the injured Primož Roglič – a three-time grand tour winner – gave his all for the cause.

This balancing act will get even tougher next year, as Wilco Kelderman and Dylan van Baarle join to add even more grand tour and classics depth to the yellow and black ranks.

A.S.O./Pauline Ballet

So who did Jumbo-Visma’s Merijn Zeeman call for advice on dealing with controversial and delicate team selection choices and managing a squad full of talent and egos? Why, Erik ten Hag of course.

Zeeman told the Dutch magazine Helden that he has travelled to the north-west of England to discuss these issues with ten Hag, who has been widely praised by United fans for dropping Ronaldo after an earlier show of dissent and appearing to put the team’s progress first ahead of any individual’s own ambitions and personality.

A lot like managing a successful cycling team, then.

“He’s someone from a completely different sport, but I wanted to understand from him: how do you come up with tactics? What is the essence of your sport for you? Before you make a game plan, what’s behind it? I had the opportunity to talk to him about that a few times,” Zeeman, who has identified ten Hag as an influence on previous occasions, told Helden Magazine.

On the subject of dealing with unruly stars and tough calls, the Jumbo-Visma coach said: “Because Erik ten Hag also had to deal with that at Ajax and now he also has that at United, I talked to him about this.

“As a coach, how do you deal with players who have won everything and suddenly find themselves on the bench? In the past, athletes had to accept that. There was also less for the human approach, I think that is not just in this time.”

Retired pro Nicolas Roche has hit back at critics of his participation in last month’s gravel world championships, which he insists “didn’t cost Cycling Ireland a penny”.

The finances and priorities of the governing body for cycling on the island of Ireland have come under scrutiny in recent months, particularly after the controversial decision to decline to send a team to the road world championships in Wollongong, Australia in September (despite high hopes for, among others, Jumbo-Visma’s new sensation Archie Ryan, who finished fourth at the Tour de l’Avenir in August and won a stage of the Tour of Slovakia a week before the worlds).

> “This decision has not been taken lightly”: No Irish teams for road world championships in Australia

Presumably some of the frustration directed at Cycling Ireland has also been aimed towards Roche and his brother Alexis, who lined up in Irish colours at the inaugural UCI gravel world championships in the Veneto region of Italy at the start of October.

However, the former Team Sky and BMC rider – who retired from professional cycling at the end of 2021 – insisted this morning that he travelled to and raced the gravel worlds using a combination of his own money and funds from private sponsors.

> “Remind me what worlds is it tomorrow again?”: Nicolas Roche criticises UCI for inaugural Gravel World Championships start line order

Didn’t cost @CyclingIreland a penny.
i have absolutely nothing to do with the fed not sending a team to road words and definitely didn’t take any of the feds racing budget for my gravel racing at worlds. Got a jersey to race. I believe i can have that ! No?

— nicholas roche (@nicholasroche) November 14, 2022

“After spending the weekend in Ireland, some comments came to my ears regarding the gravel worlds,” the 38-year-old, who also criticised the UCI’s decision to place non-gravel riders at the head of the pack on the start line, ahead of specialists such as Adam Blazevic, tweeted this morning.

“I was disappointed by those trolls who disrespected me! For information I fully paid for my expenses and those of my brother and was supported by my sponsors with staff and equipment.

“Didn’t cost Cycling Ireland a penny. I have absolutely nothing to do with the fed not sending a team to road worlds and definitely didn’t take any of the fed’s racing budget for my gravel racing at worlds.

“Got a jersey to race. I believe I can have that! No?”

The 2023 Tour of Britain will finish in Wales as part of a new long-term agreement between organisers SweetSpot and the Welsh government.

The four-year deal will also see the stage race set off from Wales for the first time in seven years in 2025, while the Women’s Tour (also organised by SweetSpot) will feature its first ever Welsh start in 2024. The agreement will conclude with Wales hosting the final stage of the Women’s Tour in 2026.

Credit: SWpix.com

This year’s Women’s Tour ventured to Wales for two stages, with Grace Brown taking a small group sprint in Welshpool, before Elisa Longo Borghini won atop Black Mountain in the Brecon Beacons on her way to a thrillingly tight one-second victory over the Australian Brown on GC.

In 2021, the men’s peloton witnessed similar drama in Wales, as eventual overall winner Wout van Aert beat world champion Julian Alaphilippe in an epic, wheel to wheel duel on Great Orme.

@WoutvanAert wins stage four of the @AJBell Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 atop the Great Orme!

📺 Watch the stage live on ITV4#TourOfBritain 🔴🟢⚪ pic.twitter.com/EUVoPpFn7M

— AJ Bell Tour of Britain 🇬🇧 (@TourofBritain) September 8, 2021

More of the same over the next four years would be great, thanks.

In a statement released this morning, Mick Bennett, race director of the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour, said: “We are delighted to be extending our partnership with the Welsh Government and to be bringing the final stage of the 2023 Tour of Britain to Wales.

“The long-term support of the Welsh Government is invaluable in allowing us to plan for future stages of the races in Wales. Together we are working to reach as many parts of Wales as possible with both races over the next few years in order to give as many fans as possible the chance to see the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour.”

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the Tour of Britain back again next year, and to our longer-term partnership with the Tour,” the Welsh government’s economy minister Vaughan Gething said.  “Wales’ credentials for hosting cycling events is now well-established. The Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour are the perfect showcase for our landscape and the welcome we provide to the competitors and spectators and we look forward to working with our Local Authority partners as the Tour of Britain continues to reach all points of Wales.”

Anne Adams-King, Welsh Cycling’s CEO, added: “It’s great news that the Tour of Britain will visit Wales again for 2023 and that the race and the Women’s Tour have secured a longer-term partnership with Welsh Government. We hope this news will help boost the popularity of cycling in Wales and help inspire the younger generation to take up their bikes.”

Derry City & Shelbourne fans clash in Ringsend ahead of the FAI Cup final in Aviva Stadium this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/k1h0NLaRc0

— RM.tv🇮🇪 (@RealMessageEire) November 13, 2022