Cav blocked by UAE lead-out in Oman; Two-thirds of drivers experience road rage, says new study; Residents oppose reopening of 'rat run'; £5.4 million for cycling and walking schemes in Bury and Salford; MVDP's back on his bike + more on the live blog

Go @TomDaley1994! Great to see you cycling through the village today for @comicrelief! #tomdaley #comicrelief pic.twitter.com/huMth2JHWy

— Peter Fullagar (@peterjfullagar) February 15, 2022

Day one, DONE! @TomDaley1994 has made it to Reading, after 100km on the bike. Incredible, tiring work.

And he was greeted at the finish by Sir @SteveRedgrave5 🥳

Support: https://t.co/2NjyRI8yR1 #TomDaleyHomecoming pic.twitter.com/IGcuviVjht

— Comic Relief (@comicrelief) February 14, 2022

Residents on the Yew Tree Road in Ormskirk have criticised Lancashire County Council’s decision to reopen a ‘rat run’ which has been closed since 2020.

The council installed a temporary road closure on the Yew Tree Road, limiting it to cyclists and pedestrians, to stop vehicles using it as a through route at the height of the initial lockdown period, and to encourage locals to walk or cycle to shops and businesses.

In August 2021 the council voted to extend the road closure even as lockdown restrictions were eased, as part of a decision to maintain schemes which were deemed to have had ‘a positive impact overall’.

However, following a consultation with residents, it was announced this week that the Yew Tree Road closure will end in the coming weeks, with planters and signage to be removed as soon as possible.

While 62% of those consulted opposed extending the closure, particularly those on surrounding streets, the council’s decision has been met with criticism from people who live on the road.

One resident, Gareth Blacoe, told Lancashire Live that almost all of the residents who lived on the road were in favour of keeping the scheme. He also expressed concerns about speeding on what he described as a ‘rat run’.

“The cars thunder up and down here when it is open as it is a straight road,” Gareth said. “When does the rat run just become the way? The deliveries come to the retail park, and the HGVs come down here, and it’s a residential area.

“90% of the residents on this road are against the road reopening. On a street like this, there are children playing out, and there are elderly people. It’s a straight road and the traffic zooms through.

“Most people drive responsibly - but it’s the 10 percent who don’t that cause accidents. If somebody gets killed, what happens then?

“It’s 20mph on here, but not many people do that. There has to be either speed bumps, which nobody wants, speed cameras, or chicanes, to slow the traffic down, which I think would be a good idea.”

The Yew Tree Road will reopen fully to all traffic on 6 March.

Bit too garish for my mantelpiece I reckon...

#ClasicaJaen22 pic.twitter.com/ug5HSF9clD

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) February 14, 2022

The Clásica Jaén, with its 40 kilometres of gravel roads, steep climbs, and hill-top cobbled finish, already looks set to join the ranks of cycling’s one-day ‘classics’.

Yesterday’s inaugural edition, won in dominant fashion by Astana’s Alexey Lutsenko, also featured a classic of the ‘mad cycling prizes’ genre: a giant golden olive, awarded in honour of the thousands of square kilometres of olive groves which dominate the Andalusian landscape.

I wonder if Lutsenko knows that he needs to take it to the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor to hear the clue inside? https://t.co/O4Az4lL053 pic.twitter.com/H9KobO79B3

— Will Newton (@InsidePeloton96) February 14, 2022

Gravel, scenery, massive gold olives, and the opportunity for a Harry Potter reference: what more could you want from a race?

“🇳🇱 Mathieu van der Poel is not training, he’s just riding a bike…” 🧐 pic.twitter.com/0TPiMbI5cS

— Domestique (@Domestique___) February 14, 2022

Following the back injury which derailed his cyclocross season, Mathieu van der Poel is slowly starting to rack up the miles as he aims to recover in time for the spring classics. Or maybe not that slowly…

The 27-year-old Dutch superstar was forced to miss the world cyclocross championships last month due to a recurring back injury. During his time off the bike, he also underwent knee surgery to remove scar tissue stemming from a previous crash.

Van der Poel is now finally back on his bike, and is currently going for rides in Spain with his father Adrie, who told Wielerrevue: “He is not training yet, but cycling. There is a big difference.

“He will not train again until the injury is over and that is not the case yet. It will soon be time for the Classics. I hope he will start again in April, but if it doesn't go well, he may have to skip the spring.

“First, that back has to be perfectly in order. In any case, it is going in the right direction."

Alpecin-Fenix manager Christoph Roodhooft also confirmed that his star rider is yet to return to full training.

“Mathieu is just cycling around as part of his rehabilitation,” said Roodhooft. “For a professional cyclist, such short trips fall under the heading of cycling around. It is not a resumption of training."

Well, if his Strava profile is anything to go by, van der Poel’s definition of ‘cycling around’ – yesterday’s spin saw him cover 100 miles at an average speed of over 20mph – is still beyond the reach of us mere mortals, dodgy back and all.

I wish I could ‘ride around’ like that…

A junction near the village of Sparsholt in Hampshire has been repainted after a cyclist was killed in a collision with a motorist last year.

As you can see in the photos above, the road markings at the junction of Woodman Lane and Farley Road were practically invisible when David Davenport was killed after being hit by a motorist at the crossroads on 8 June 2021.

The 59-year-old cyclist was taken to Southampton General Hospital after the crash but died of his injuries eight days later.

Michael Warner, who took the photos, told the Hampshire Chronicle that he had become increasingly concerned about the lack of clear markings at the crossroads.

“In sharp contrast, the road markings at the junction of Sarum Road/Chilbolton Avenue are very clear, indicating a priority may have been given to safety on city roads over rural roads,” Warner said. 

Here’s something that might come in useful on your latest cycling adventure holiday. Bikepacking brand Apidura has launched its aluminium bottle cage relocator to help improve water bottle clearance when using a frame pack.

The Innovation Lab Bottle Cage Adapter (£21) makes two-bolt mounts (such as downtube and fork mounts) compatible with three-bolt mounts, allowing cargo cages to be used for greater carrying capacity.

The adapter provides 55mm of vertical movement and Apidura says it is mounted using recessed bolts to keep stack minimal at just 4mm. With three bolt locations, further vertical adjustment can be achieved by using either the upper or lower pairing of bolts - Apidura explains that this has enabled it to keep the overall length to just 14cm and the weight low at 22g.

“Bottle cage relocators are a key, if underrated, part of many bikepacking setups - particularly for those riding smaller frames where frame bags and bottles compete for the same space,” Apidura notes.

🇨🇴@FndoGaviria of 🇦🇪@TeamEmiratesUAE wins stage 6 of 🇴🇲@tourofoman #TourofOman (📺@OmanSportsTV) pic.twitter.com/pu2jT6WPsT

— World Cycling Stats (@wcsbike) February 15, 2022

Mark Cavendish lost out to Fernando Gaviria in the battle for sprinting supremacy at the Tour of Oman, as the UAE Team Emirates rider took his second win of the week in this morning’s final stage – with a little help from his friends.

Cavendish, who was briefly distanced from the front of the peloton on a short climb towards the end of the stage, was attempting to emulate the last-gasp surge to the line that won him stage two in Oman.

However, as the Manx Missile launched his sprint on the right-hand side of the road, Gaviria’s lead-out man Max Richeze began to ever so slightly and incrementally drift across into Cavendish’s lane, the 38-year-old Argentine drawing on all his years of experience to effectively shut the door and block his rival’s sprint.

While personally I don’t think the deviation was anything to worry the commissaires, Cavendish wasn’t happy, banging his bars and angrily remonstrating with a seemingly nonplussed Richeze before the pair had even crossed the line.

Good old Cav – and a welcome sight for any fan worried that the fire may have gone after the highs of last summer. He never really changes, does he?

Richeze’s deviation has already sparked quite the debate on Twitter:

Rules state that it's on the rider ahead, if he deviates, leading to endangerment, which I see this as, Cav has to stop sprinting or risk a crash, then the rule counts.

— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) February 15, 2022

Why is Richeze out of the saddle and sprinting having dropped of Gaviria if it's not to stay just ahead of Cav? Can see why he's annoyed by that one. https://t.co/sbgfT2Xae7

— Vern Pitt (@VernPitt) February 15, 2022

The wording of the rules means that what Richeze did is effectively legal. He didn't squeeze Cavendish, he just moved over enough to block him and then sat up in front of him. https://t.co/4IzTqpr47D

— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) February 15, 2022

What do you think about that sprint? Was Richeze’s move an illegal attempt to block his teammate’s most dangerous rival? Or is all fair in love and sprinting (within reason of course), and was the UAE man just being crafty?