Cycling boom continues as insurance claims for entry-level bikes increase; Pogačar’s team explains Netflix absence; How’s my driving?; All the young Merckxes; Carlton Kirby: popstar?; Yates and Becks; Fast and Furious 2022 + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Fast and Furious 2022: Oudenaarde Drift (starring Vin PowerGel)
I’ll confess – I don’t think I’ve ever sat through more than five minutes of a Fast and Furious film (shocking, I know).
But I could be talked into watching this one:
Looking forward to the next Fast & Furious film 2022🚴♂️🚴🏻🚴♀️ #FuelPrice #FuelCrisis #PetrolPriceHike #PetrolDieselPrice pic.twitter.com/GP8HeEVtlN
— Netagiri Pro Max (@NetagiriProMax) March 15, 2022
Perhaps Netflix could launch it alongside the much-anticipated upcoming Tour de France doc?
Full marks for road.cc reader chrisonatrike for this terrific casting suggestion:
Looking forward to seeing Vin Powergel appearing in a new Fast and Furious.
Cycling boom continues: Specialist cycle insurer Bikmo says 57 percent of claim pay-outs in 2021 were for bikes worth under £500
It seems that the great national bike boom which began during the first Covid lockdowns looks set to continue as more and more people take to two wheels on entry-level or lower-value bikes.
That’s according to specialist cycle insurer Bikmo – the company’s data for 2021 shows that the number of claims made increased by eight percent from the year before, and that 57 percent of claim pay-outs were for bikes and gear worth under £500.
Those figures represent a huge shift from 2020, when the highest percentage of claims (33 percent) were in the £1,000 to £2,500 bracket.
The number of commuter bikes, including e-bikes, dealt with by the insurer also increased significantly during 2021, which Bikmo says is down to people returning to their places of work, and seeking “a more sustainable and convenient way to do so”.
Of course, as the popularity of cycling continues to rise, so will the number of thefts – stolen bikes and gear accounted for 53 percent of claims in 2021, up from 48 percent in 2021.
“2021 was another huge year for cycling, as more people got out and experienced the convenience and joy of travelling by bike,” Bikmo’s CEO David George said.
“As cycling continues to soar in popularity we will inevitably see thefts continue to rise as the dominant reason for cycle claims.
“However, with the increase in both long-life tracking technology such as the AirTag and electric bikes that can both power and store tracking devices, we hope the UK will follow the experience of the Netherlands where up to 80 percent of tracked bikes that are stolen are recovered.”
How’s my driving? Eh, not that great actually…
How’s my driving?? Well, entering a cycle only lane via a pedestrian crossing, parking on a pavement, driving along a cycle only lane to exit…..We’d say it was crap!! Wellfield Road, Cardiff @yourAAH @cardiffcouncil @theJeremyVine @WelshCycling pic.twitter.com/8oWVjDUmuv
— Wenvoe Wheelers 🚴♂️🏴 (@wenvoe_wheelers) March 14, 2022
Yates and Becks
How about this for a photo?
Just think of all the world-class sporting success achieved by those in it: GC wins at the Vuelta a España, Tirreno-Adriatico, Catalunya, UAE Tour, top fives and stage wins at the Tour and Giro, best young rider at the Tour, San Sebastian… oh, and some bloke from Chingford who used to kick a ball about.
Talked about this in our latest pod – quite a picture. Can’t quite believe I’d not seen it before. https://t.co/CgSXHz1GO8
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) March 14, 2022
In all seriousness, I’m a bit annoyed at Simon and Adam. We’re born only a few months apart, we’re United fans, and we all love cycling.
Yet they got to meet David Beckham as kids and went on to become two of the best cyclists in the world. Life isn’t fair sometimes…
“Twat…”
Morning Cabbies! 🚴♀️🥴 pic.twitter.com/yLjq4zPMJG
— Scott (@schscott) March 10, 2022
Top tip – never try to ride a Boris Bike the wrong way down a one-way street while holding a coffee in one hand…
Looks like he didn’t spill a drop though.
Top marks for the delicious irony of this reply, from a self-proclaimed ‘outspoken and opinionated car loving golfer’:
Cyclists…..a special bread of stupid…… https://t.co/BfQOuIuOX0
— Paul Stephens (@pgsgolfer) March 11, 2022
He must have been hungry when typing that.
“Oh that’s my dad”: Geraint Thomas’ two-year-old son spots a mural of his famous father while out for a spin
Macs got a surprise yesterday down Maindy. “Oh that’s my Dad.” And his cousin Alys went “yeah that’s Ger”. And then they rode on 🤣🚴 pic.twitter.com/4YqBds8kLX
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) March 15, 2022
Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates squad explains reasons behind Netflix omission
When it was announced earlier this month that the 2022 Tour de France could potentially become the subject of a behind-the-scenes Netflix documentary, the cycling world was shocked to find that UAE Team Emirates – the home of double Tour winner and the sport’s dominant rider Tadej Pogačar – would not be one of the eight teams featured in the series.
The teams reported to be in talks to participate in the documentary – which many have likened to Netflix’s successful Formula 1 Drive to Survive series – include AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Fenix, EF Education EasyPost, Ineos Grenadiers, Jumbo-Visma, Movistar, Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl, Movistar, and Alpecin-Fenix.
Last week, Quick Step boss Patrick Lefevre confirmed that his team would be taking part, with filming already having started at its service course. The Belgian said the series had the potential to take the sport “to the next level”.
However, UAE Team Emirates’ chief operating officer Andrea Agostini has cited logistical concerns and an indifference to the potential for added publicity as the main reasons behind the decision to decline Netflix’s offer, though he did leave the door open for involvement in future series.
Speaking to VeloNews, Agostini said: “What I can say is that it’s a really good project. It could bring a lot of benefits to the cycling world but it throws up a lot of complications for us.
“We agreed with our owners that this wasn’t a priority for us, but maybe in the future, if Netflix leaves the door open for us, then we could jump in. But at this moment it’s not our priority.
“It’s also a matter of logistics. To have a cameraman around you all the way through the Tour de France, before the race, too, and when every team is already full. We have our own camera person, photographer and media person, so the space on the bus isn’t so big. Sometimes having people from outside, it’s not so easy to manage. There’s no one particular reason, so maybe next year.”
> Netflix and cols: Tour de France docuseries on the way?
While a Tour de France docuseries missing the sport’s biggest star may seem incongruous, Agostini pointed out that Mercedes and Ferrari, two of Formula 1’s most recognisable brands, did not appear in the first season of Drive to Survive, before joining the show later.
He also argued that Pogačar’s position at the top of the sport, and the likelihood that the Slovenian will once again be fighting for (and let’s face it, probably winning) the yellow jersey in July, meant that UAE Team Emirates were not as desperate as other teams for the exposure the series will inevitably bring.
“It’s the same with Mercedes and Ferrari in Drive to Survive. We have a great balance right now with staff and riders, and everyone is super happy and motivated.
“Sometimes introducing something new could be dangerous. We pay a lot of attention to things like this because we’re a perfect machine and the atmosphere is so good,” he said.
“A lot of teams jump in because they need that kind of visibility. We honestly don’t need it. If we’re lucky enough to fight for victory at the Tour again, we don’t need that visibility.
“I spoke to colleagues [in other teams] a lot before we made a decision and they had the same doubts as me. There’s obviously nothing to hide but it’s really important to have that balance inside the team. Other teams said to me that they understand our position but they don’t have the visibility that we do.
“There are teams in the Tour de France who have not had the same exposure as us in the last two years, and for them it’s really important.”
Eek!
Jesus H Christ! I’ve been using my sons old bike for the last week while waiting for a bottom bracket for mine. I’ve hit 60+kph on a few occasions. Just spotted this. The only thing keeping it together is the chain and the stay on the other side. How the fk? pic.twitter.com/xfZj3CPgPA
— Righttobikeit❤️Ukraine (@righttobikeit) March 15, 2022
Reminds me of my old winter bike and its horribly mangled bottom bracket. It’s still on the turbo, mind you…
Eurosport and Cry: the new pop masterpiece, feat. Carlton Kirby
If you sometimes think ‘you know what professional cycling is really missing? An emo rap/Euro dance/sad boy pop anthem about watching races on Eurosport, featuring the dulcet tones of Carlton Kirby’ – you’re in luck.
Oh and I wrote a pro cycling themed song called Eurosport and Cry lolhttps://t.co/cwSdhml5EC
— Clément Shampoossin (@killow_) March 14, 2022
This atmospheric little ditty is the brainchild of Killow, who says he made it as a joke for his university course before later posting it on Reddit.
However, the tasty track (these are all words the cool kids use these days, right?) garnered wider attention yesterday when Killow – who posts bike-related tweets under the puntastic name Clément Shampoossin – shared it on a Twitter thread about cycling content creators.
The song’s surprisingly earworm melody and very relatable lyrics – centred on the chorus ‘I don’t wanna get drunk, I don’t wanna get high, I just wanna watch Eurosport and cry’ – have ensured that the tune has already become an anthem for the cycling Twitterati.
Even Carlton himself, whose commentary features heavily throughout the song, called it ‘pop-tastic’. And there’s no higher praise than that.
Wehey! …poptastic 🥳 https://t.co/3iznlXJHP2
— Carlton Kirby (@carltonkirby) March 14, 2022
Apologies to everyone who, like me, now has the song stuck in their head for the rest of the day.
‘When my favourite riders get dropped, oh my, 40k to go, GC goodbye…’
Any plans for Saturday?
Speaking of sitting on the sofa all day watching Eurosport:
Checking in with @gcntweet to plan my weekend. Sudden panic as I see the length of the broadcast on Saturday. Quickly followed by ‘oh, it’s #milanosanremo, I’m fine until after lunch.’ 😂 (who am I kidding I’m obviously going to be tuned in all day) pic.twitter.com/NjK4HsCFFL
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) March 15, 2022
Of course we all know that – most of the time (2013 and 2014 being notable exceptions) – you can tune into Milan-San Remo for the final two hours or so, safe in the knowledge you haven’t missed much.
But, like Katy, I have set Saturday aside, plans postponed, snacks prepared, for all 300 kilometres of La Classicissima. And then maybe a quick spin on the bike afterwards before it gets dark…
Lefevere: Pogačar is the new Merckx, not Remco
As Sam Bennett will attest, Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere isn’t particularly known for publicly defending his riders during difficult moments.
The breakdown of the Irish sprinter’s relationship with his team manager last year was played out in the column pages of Het Nieuwsblad, where Lefevere repeatedly questioned Bennett’s mental strength, even comparing his move to former team Bora-Hansgrohe to “women who return home after domestic abuse”.
Controversy never seems to stray too far from Lefevere, who co-founded the Quick Step team in 2003. In September last year he eschewed the idea of running a women’s pro team, saying “I’m not the OCMW” (a Belgian welfare organisation) – a quip later contradicted by his investment in development team NXTG Racing in December.
My gosh, Lefevere never stops with the public undermining of his riders. https://t.co/zK6xhLW2as
— Shane Stokes (@SSbike) March 14, 2022
At the start of Remco Evenepoel’s career in 2019, Lefevere suggested the then-19-year-old was “too fat”.
Despite Evenepoel’s success since then, including the Clásica San Sebastián, the Tour of Poland, two GC wins at the Tour of Algarve, and medals at the world and European TT championships (not forgetting his horrific crash while favourite at Il Lombardia in 2020), Lefevere has again criticised the young Belgian prodigy after a relatively disappointing performance at Tirreno-Adriatico last week.
Evenepoel looked in fine form for most of the week in Italy, and was only nine seconds behind Tadej Pogačar heading into the final weekend. However, he struggled on the tough Monte Carpegna climb and was dropped with 35km to go, eventually losing over four minutes to the flying Slovenian.
Though Lefevere, along with many in the cycling world, has long tipped Evenepoel to be a future grand tour winner, this week the Quick Step boss told Het Laatste Nieuws that he now thought that the long, hard climbs that characterise the three-week tours are beyond the 22-year-old.
“They will probably never become Remco’s best friends,” Lefevere said of the high mountains.
“He keeps questioning himself and everything he does, handles the situation very well and has one thing in mind: to keep working hard.
“Whether there is a strong classic one-day racer in him, rather than a Grand Tour rider? That should become apparent very soon. But what if he is also dropped in Flèche-Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège? What are they going to make of it then?”
Lefevere also seemed keen to downplay the stratospheric expectations placed on Evenepoel’s shoulders since he burst onto the scene as a junior, especially in comparison to the sport’s current superstar Pogačar.
He said: “The fact is, anyone who made him ‘the new Merckx’ was grossly mistaken in person. Not him, but Tadej Pogačar is ‘the new Merckx’. That’s clear now, I think.”
Ah, at least that’s cleared up one thing Patrick. Can we send Tadej his ‘New Merckx’ mug now?
What do you mean, Yaroslav Popovych still has it?
We should just have a race called, “The New Merckx”, then whoever wins it is the New Merckx for the following year. Much simpler. We could even do a jersey. https://t.co/y9V1rHTkev
— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) March 14, 2022
Battle of the tridents: Pogačar versus Formolo
You versus the guy she tells you not to worry about…
Tadej Pogačar vs. Davide Formolo pic.twitter.com/UF4xJ3vt6w
— Joe Timms (@Timmsoski) March 15, 2022
15 March 2022, 09:41
15 March 2022, 09:41
15 March 2022, 09:41
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@Smoggysteve - yeah, I don't really think H G Wells would be a great choice as he was more interested in utopias. He did write a lot though, so there will be some relevant bits. George Orwell's 1984 is certainly relevant, but PKD covers so many modern themes in his works “There will come a time when it isn't 'They're spying on me through my phone' anymore. Eventually, it will be 'My phone is spying on me'.” ― Philip K. Dick
Will the Sun be re-running their pictures of 16 year-old female children topless, from Page 3 in the 1970s, or do they just like digging up other people's past mistakes? In saying that the perverts who authorised that probably don't consider those actions a mistake.....
@hawkinspeter I was thinking more George Orwell's dystopian settings for many of his novels myself. But HG Wells would kind of work too.
@chrisonabike The "fewer e-things" one is genuinely complex. For disabled, many of the "not EAPC" things are transformative. For example, e-Assist wheelchair attachments, which basically turn a manual wheelchair into an e-Trike by adding a front wheel with integrated e-assist. These of course have no pedals, unless they are a hand-wheeled version. That can turn the autonomy radius from as far as you can wheel to 5-15 miles. And is of particular value for those who cannot have a driving license due to their condition. Equally, sit-down scooters are important. This is an e-scooter with a seat. Wheels for Wellbeing suggest essentially no restrictions on use by user (stigma of "disabled vehicle" etc), but treat them as cycles for techical regulations (eg 25kph limit, dump all the expensive paraphernalia on a Class C 8mph mobility scooter), and expect the users to behave like pedestrians in pedestrian spaces, and cyclists in cycling spaces. It's a persuasive and straightforward concept.
@chrisonabike The "fewer e-things" one is genuinely complex. For disabled, many of the "not EAPC" things are transformative. For example, e-Assist wheelchair attachments, which basically turn a manual wheelchair into an e-Trike by adding a front wheel with integrated e-assist. These of course have no pedals, unless they are a hand-wheeled version. That can turn the autonomy radius from as far as you can wheel to 5-15 miles. And is of particular value for those who cannot have a driving license due to their condition. Equally, sit-down scooters are important. This is an e-scooter with a seat. Wheels for Wellbeing suggest essentially no restrictions on use by user (stigma of "disabled vehicle" etc), but treat them as cycles for techical regulations (eg 25kph limit, dump all the expensive paraphernalia on a Class C 8mph mobility scooter), and expect the users to behave like pedestrians in pedestrian spaces, and cyclists in cycling spaces. It's a persuasive and straightforward concept.
@mdavidford - I think you may have confused Orson Welles for someone else (possibly H G Wells?). Orson Welles was a film-maker and actor. However, Philip K Dick was truly the prophet of the modern age. “Today we live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups... So I ask, in my writing, What is real? Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo-realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power: that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing.” ― Philip K. Dick
@Rendel Harris If budget is the sole priority, I would agree it's probably possible to cobble together a cheaper setup. But I guess this has the advantage of simplicity - just buy it, wait for it to be delivered and you know you're good to go. To get a £100 "sound and solid" old bike, I assume you're having to scour the internet and deal with the cesspits that are Facebook Marketplace, eBay etc., avoiding scams and obviously stolen bikes. You need to find a bike that fits, and although it doesn't need to be in perfect working order, you're still using most of the drivechain so you need to check that's all serviceable condition. If your £100 bike needs new chainrings, new chain, new bottom bracket etc., then it's no longer a £100 bike. You might also want things like new bartape, new saddle etc. Find a bike that looks good, and you normally still need to faff with arranging collection from the seller. This gets even more complicated if you're pernickety about fit. Many older and/or cheaper bikes won't have geometry charts available online so you might have to guess whether you can replicate your desired fit measurements. Some things you can adjust easily (e.g. saddle height - assuming the seatpost isn't seized!); some things can be amended with a bit more time/effort/money (new stem, new handlebars); some things you might discover are pretty much impossible to change to your desire parameters (e.g. effective seat tube angle will be limited by the range of fore/aft adjustment on the saddle rails; maybe +/- another couple of cm if you switch an offset to/from an inline seatpost - at additional expense). Building a stand for the fork might be relatively easy for you, but it requires a degree of competence, some tools, probably a trip to a hardware store etc. No insurmountable challenges, but I can see why someone might decide to just splash some cash in order to have a nice, new, known quantity turn up at their door, ready to go.
We're living in the kind of world that might have been in one of Orson Welles' novels. 😉
Just dropping by to apologise for the errors in the first version of this article. It shouldn't have been published when it was, and it's now been edited. We'll be better from now on, apologies again.
The sun article using outdated stories just shows how desperate and, more worryingly, determined the gutter press are to perpetuate the bad feeling against cyclists. If it were new and newsworthy, sure that's their job to report on. But in digging up old stuff just to rage bait shows quite clearly this is an orchestrated and deliberate act on their part to find anything to fill the pages of their shitty rag to keep it simmering in the minds of the gammons who buy into their nonsense.
13 thoughts on “Cycling boom continues as insurance claims for entry-level bikes increase; Pogačar’s team explains Netflix absence; How’s my driving?; All the young Merckxes; Carlton Kirby: popstar?; Yates and Becks; Fast and Furious 2022 + more on the live blog”
On the “How’s my driving? Eh,
On the “How’s my driving? Eh, not that great actually…” story:
I left the office about 6pm on Friday, rode along the new permanent cycle lane on Park Row, Bristol, heading toward the Triangle, only to find a big black SUV parked onto the footway and blocking the cycle lane outside – you guessed it! – the Greek pasty shop I’ve complained about before (back when the cycle lane was ‘temporary/pop-up’).
The only way that SUV got there was if he had driven along the cycle lane and pavement, against the flow of traffic (I’m not sure how he’d planned to get his tractor back onto the road…).
As I got to it, and stopped to go out into the motor traffic lane to get around it, the owner of said shop came out and locked up the door with a young boy (presumably his son).
I gave him a Hard Stare, and it was only the presence of the boy which stopped me from actually saying something…
I guess you could just block
I guess you could just block them – even better if you can get another cyclist or two to assist. They’re not legally there and you’d be committing no offense yourself (I am not a lawyer…) However I suspect that might lead to a “breach of the peace”. No matter which way that went that’s always a good way to spoil your day. If it didn’t go in your favour no doubt the police would sit back and declare “six of one…”
TBH if the child hadn’t been
TBH if the child hadn’t been there I might have just stopped, in the cycle lane, right in front of him, and taken that opportunity to check my phone or something. For a long time… 😉
The baklava in there are
The baklava in there are absolutely different class, so he’s not all bad.
I used to love their cheese
I used to love their cheese pasties, but I haven’t set foot in there since complaining to them about it made me realise that they were more than happy to run down the orange pop-up wands and park in the cycle lane, and couldn’t see why having a cycle lane might trump their “right” to park outside the shop.
Morning Cabbies!
Morning Cabbies!
I presume that’s an acronym for “Two Way Attempted Traffic”?
Hmm. Tool on a bike, not in full control and, absent any further information, cycling the wrong way on a one-way road.
However, it is apparent in the video that the TOAB is there; and yet the taxi still set off, knowing that could not be safe space pass. To be clear, he did not have priority, because when he set off there was already traffic in his intended path.
I did wonder about that. I’m
I did wonder about that. I’m not sure that the cyclist being in the wrong (ie. riding one-handed, the wrong way down a one-way street) gives anyone else a ‘Get out of jail free’ card to run them over…
I think the video
I think the video demonstrates nicely why it is better to have tools on bikes rather than tools in cars – despite being a massive tool, no damage done!
Looking forward to seeing Vin
Looking forward to seeing Vin Powergel appearing in a new Fast and Furious.
I wish Roglic and Van Aert
I wish Roglic and Van Aert had caught Yates now.
“Cyclists…..a special bread
“Cyclists…..a special bread of stupid……”
In German you can say “dumm wie Brot”…
Just off to put a sneaky
Just off to put a sneaky fiver on Tadej Pogačar getting a mysterious 20′ penalty ahead of stage 20…
https://newsthump.com/2022/03
https://newsthump.com/2022/03/15/women-advised-to-dress-like-oligarch-mansions-if-they-want-the-police-to-start-protecting-them/
I might try this on my bike ! No more close passes !