“Fixed as soon as they realise someone’s powering a lightbulb for free”: Shocked locals prove bike route barriers are live by lighting a bulb; Race under fire as pro loses teeth in horror crash; Fb Marketplace bikes strike again + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Just unsafe": Race under fire as pro cyclist loses teeth in high-speed crash into barriers, while teammate left walking to the finish carrying his snapped bike
Tough scenes to watch at yesterday’s Ronde van Limburg, a major crash in the final kilometre overshadowing the racing action and becoming the main topic of conversation to follow the race. As the riders raced for sprint positioning ahead of a decisive left turn, some spilt off the road before the roadside barriers suddenly appeared, taking out one rider and leaving several others off the course.
FRETIN NAVIGATES THE CHAOS IN LIMBURG! 🏅
Carnage, crashes and riders going the wrong side of the barriers – as Milan Fretin claims his third win of the season 👊 pic.twitter.com/VqNS0B6K7u
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 16, 2025
Flanders-Baloise were the worst affected, Alex Colman the rider seen sent violently crashing into the barrier. Wielerflits reported the Belgian “lost teeth” in the crash, something his teammate Yentl Vandevelde corroborated. Vandevelde also fell and was seen walking to the finish line, carrying his Eddy Merckx bike and its snapped fork.
“This arrival was just super unsafe,” he said afterwards. “This really shouldn’t happen at this level. Half of the peloton swerved behind the barriers, which were super unsafe. Teammate Alex Colman was the first to ride into a barrier that didn’t even have any protection.
“They should have either started putting up barriers earlier in the final kilometre, or not put up any barriers at all. Now there was no escape.
“I told my teammates in the penultimate lap that I was convinced they were going to crash here, because the peloton already veered to the left in that particular bend. So I wanted to play it safe in the final lap and take the inside turn with our sprinter Vince Gerits on the wheel. But Colman fell right in front of me. I couldn’t avoid him and fell straight on my back.”
Gerits crashed too and suffered a broken collarbone, a costly day’s racing for the UCI Pro Team. It wasn’t just those involved left angry and frustrated, fans expressing their disgust at the finish online too.
“Can we take a moment to talk about pro cycling’s obsession with unsafe race finishes?” one wrote online. “That nasty crash that happened at 1km to go in the Ronde van Limburg today was totally avoidable.”
The main issue cited by the peloton appeared to be the point at which the barriers began, as it was sudden and after a bend where the riders were carrying lots of speed. Had the barrier section started sooner the race would have been forced to stay on the road and not spill onto the pavement, a situation that certainly sounds safer for everyone involved — riders and spectators. We’ll bring you any more reaction to this one as the day develops.
"The wonders of Facebook Marketplace": A $120 bike for kids, complete with motor taped like "a bomb" and no brakes
It’s a no from me…
"Are you not entertained?": Rome unveils new bike lane between Circus Maximus and Colosseum
Rome has opened a major new active travel route along Via di San Gregorio between the Colosseum and Circus Maximus. Wanted in Rome was on hand to capture some footage of the new route in action after city mayor Roberto Gualtieri opened the route on Wednesday.
Rome prepares to unveil a new extra-wide pavement and cycle path on the street between the Colosseum and the Circus Maximus. pic.twitter.com/87Rh7aoexp
— Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) April 16, 2025
Pavement space has been tripled in width and the new cycle lane provided, the city saying it is “not limited to being a simple tourist route, but is part of the urban network of soft mobility, offering a sustainable alternative for daily travel”.
"I hear gold is a good investment": Kristen Faulkner gets her Olympic champ's bling from Cannondale
It’s new bike day over at EF Education-Oatly for Olympic road race champ Kristen Faulkner, the obligatory gold paint job a touch more subtle than what we saw from Remco Evenepoel and Specialized in the men’s peloton.
Last week we had Kristen on the road.cc Podcast to talk about all things cycling, from her Paris win to the overall state of women’s cycling in 2025. Gold bike, road.cc Podcast, gold bike, road.cc Podcast? I wonder what was the highlight of Kristen’s week? Okay, yes, that would be a fairly easy one… sorry, Ryan…
Consett Cycle Festival to return in 2025, including Tour of the Reservoir races
The Consett Cycle Festival and accompanying Tour of the Reservoir races are back on the calendar for 2025, the organisers telling the BBC today that it “would have been a tragedy” if it wasn’t brought back. The festival and races have been missing since 2019, Covid initially seeing them cancelled, its return to the calendar delayed until now.
They say the last running of the event saw 10,000 people visit the County Durham town and this year’s is scheduled for 22 June. John O’Connor, who helps organise the event, said: “The people embraced it and it would’ve been a tragedy that we didn’t repeat it, because it was so successful.”
Alberto Contador: "I've had my run-ins with some bike brands"
Speaking to Spanish cycling podcast La Obsesión Ciclista de Fred, Alberto Contador detailed times during his career when relationships with team sponsors were strained, notably when he was unhappy with his bike for the Tour de France. The Spaniard refused to name names but said he’d “had my run-ins with some bike brands”.
“I’m not going to mention which one, but I remember before the Tour we’d get the new model, we’d test it, and I’d tell them, ‘Hey, this doesn’t work well, it’s not fast’,” he recalled.
“I noticed that the performance was worse than the previous year’s bike, and the answer they gave me from the brand was something like: ‘Alberto, this model is designed differently, now all the wiring goes inside, while in the previous one it was external…’ And I replied: ‘Yes, it will be more aesthetic or modern, but the bike goes slower’. Then they literally told me: ‘We are aware, but you have to compete with it’.
“I didn’t understand how they expected me to go out racing on a bike that they knew was underperforming, when I was taking care of every little detail. I took great pains to tape up the holes in the helmet to improve aerodynamics, to tape the bibs so they would offer less wind resistance, I even went so far as to drill holes in the soles of my shoes to make them lighter… And then they put me on a bike that was clearly slower.”
We’ll leave the guessing to the comments section, although Alberto has left a few clues in there. Happy sleuthing…
"People find helmets unpleasant": Dutch government launches 'Put It On' campaign urging cyclists to wear helmets as serious cycling injuries continue to rise – but activists say scheme "distracts from real issues"
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Inquest opens into "dreadfully sad" death of cyclist after mid-race crash at London's Olympic Park
> Inquest opens into “dreadfully sad” death of cyclist after mid-race crash at London’s Olympic Park
Boxers who cycle: Anthony Joshua
Heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua mixing up his training while out in Nigeria…
You'll Never Ride Alone — Liverpool Football Club launches cycling kit range
Liverpool Football Club has launched a new range of club-themed cycling kit, including jersey, “lightweight helmet”, socks and cap, all featuring ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ detailing… lads, even Darwin Núñez couldn’t miss the open goal that is You’ll Never Ride Alone…
Curiously there’s also a saddle bag, although the only review on Liverpool’s website gave it just two stars as it’s apparently too small. The helmet costs £40, while the jersey will set you back £55.
How do you store your bike indoors? Share your cleverest setups and space-saving hacks
We need your help! With road.cc Security and Storage Week 2025 on the horizon, we’re on the hunt for your best indoor bike storage ideas. We want to know how you keep your bike safe, tidy, and out of the way inside your home. Head over to this page to share all your top tips and pics…
"Fixed as soon as they realise someone's powering a lightbulb for free": Shocked locals prove bike route barriers are live by lighting a bulb
We’ve seen some shocking cycling infrastructure in our time, but never so literally as these barriers in Leeds which some locals discovered were actually live and lit a lightbulb to prove it…
In fairness, we could rant about this type of barrier for hours, regardless of its ability to electrocute you (see yesterday’s story on “anti-bike” gates in London which leave the elderly, disabled or anyone riding a cargo bike or three-wheeler unable to get past).
They’re almost always intended to stop anti-social behaviour from those on motorbikes and quad bikes but just serve to block off cycling routes to some perfectly legitimate users… anyway, back to the main point of the post…
The story was recalled on Reddit, one local explaining how “some lads touched both sides of the fence and got a shock, so they got some wires and a bulb to see if there was a current going through it.
“We saw this on Monday evening and reported it to the power grid, they sent someone straight out and called us when they got there, they were still on the phone when they found the electrified fence and sounded very surprised by it before hanging up. We haven’t heard anything back from them so hopefully they’ve sorted it now.”
One reply suggested the thought of people powering a lightbulb for free would have sparked any utility company into action, these lads presumably soon to get an extra bill through the door for their al fresco energy use.
Video of the bulb being powered by a live fence near Woodhouse Ridge
byu/happy_guy23 inLeeds
A geological engineer suggested there was a chance it was caused by a “leak of mains power from earth near a fence”, possibly from a damaged cable.
“The soil is the resistance that stops it being lethal,” they added. “Still not good. What’s probably happened is that someone has banged a steel pole into a cable, or there’s a damaged cable near it.”
A local said “the staff from Northern Grid who showed up think the metal posts look freshly set and they’ve hit a live wire. Scary.”
When the exact location of the barrier was established, one local rider replied: “Wow. Squeezed through there with my bike a couple of days ago.”
Cue the following exchange…
“An electric bike by any chance?”
“If it wasn’t, it is now…”
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@quiff I would expect the police had not been trained with the change, perhaps.
@courteousdriver The Highway Code does not differentiate between cars and bikes in this instance, it says that when overtaking parked cars you must give way to oncoming traffic. It's not for you to decide whether or not they have sufficient space in your opinion, you should not drive in the oncoming traffic lane if there is any oncoming traffic, full stop. Not a difficult rule to understand and one that one would have thought a self-named courteousdriver would have no trouble obeying.
@mctrials23 It seems to me that the car moved closer to the kerb on his side of the road, and the cyclist was able to proceed entirely within his own lane - both at very slow speed. So there is no ground for an offence. The concerning point is that the copper thinks that the same "gap" should apply to the different types of vehicle. That's peak carbrain.
Peripheral to your point, but parking facing oncoming traffic is advised against at all times, but only an offence at night, I think?
@mac f 1896 If you look closely at the video you will see that the cyclist remains entirely in his own lane on his side of the white lines as he passes the oncoming vehicle, which also stays entirely within its lane. There is therefore no need for either road user to give way to the other and as they are both travelling at low speeds there is no danger to themselves or to any other road users. I would love to see a transcript of the magistrates' court proceedings as prima facie there is no justification in law for the guilty finding or for the penalty imposed.
@perce pedantry but I think Séamus Ennis would be scunnered with that ... had he not been Irish... (Uilleann pipes are bagpipes of course, though personally I'd much rather those - or small pipes - than the GHB)
@quiff I think you are probably right here - but - is that _really_ being inconsiderate to the oncoming driver? Looking again at the video, the oncoming driver appears to be over the centre line when approaching the parked vehicle and just seems to be straightening the bend a little, so you would expect them to be moving towards the kerb anyway. As driving interactions go, it's about as benign as it gets. I expect the magistrate has never ridden a bicycle, but I also wonder if they've ever driven a car?!
Thanks - I only had a quick peek on Streetview and I'm glad it works for locals, but it looked like "you say 'shared used facility', I say 'same old not-over-generous footway now with the odd blue sign". We don't need cycle paths absolutely everywhere, but looking at the size of the road, where it goes and runs though I would be thinking more like this (minus parked cars): https://maps.app.goo.gl/gswbQefKzc47nEJm8 Or... declare it an urban freeway and get rid of the junctions and houses next to it! Maximum flow...
@C3a Sadly, you are not far off the mark. I know of two instances where promising junior riders "stopped" racing; they didn't disappear, just did not attend races, were still doing all the training and then came back a couple of years later at 18/19 year olds and were starting to destroy races. You don't find them racing anymore, and the "bans" are not listed anywhere. I guess the same as any individual riders in this case would not be listed anywhere because of their age.
My personal theory is that this is how modern doping happens; do all of the performance enhancement early on and train hard on top of that - the boost will allow you to reach heights that would otherwise not have been attainable. After that it is all about maintenance and minor improvements, likely achievable after the pharmacological crutch has been removed. From this story it seems the spectre of doping will continue to hover over professional cycling that little bit longer. No other sport seems to have been affected in quite this way.
7 thoughts on ““Fixed as soon as they realise someone’s powering a lightbulb for free”: Shocked locals prove bike route barriers are live by lighting a bulb; Race under fire as pro loses teeth in horror crash; Fb Marketplace bikes strike again + more on the live blog”
Sorry for the guys who
Sorry for the guys who crashed but the rules are that you’re not allowed to use the pavement, if they hadn’t they wouldn’t have crashed. I don’t really think you can blame the organisers for crashes that as a result of you riding where you shouldn’t be; the riders weren’t “forced to spill onto the pavement”, they chose to use the pavement in order not to lose speed.
They were forced, look at it
They were forced, look at it again, they are coming into a sprint finish, with speed, then you put a tightening right hander in, on what looks like a speed bump in the corner, add to that a low height barrier. If that had been barriered off, that would have been avoided as riders would have been able to see that and adjust their line.
Sprint finishes should now suddenly narrow like that on a corner or have road furniture (speed bumps) in them. They should be clean, clear finishes. It’s the UCI failing to take into account speed into a finish line AGAIN.
Rendel Harris wrote:
But, unfortunately, human psychology stubbornly remains what it is, not what we want it to be. If there is an apparently clear run off area on the outside of a corner, riders will take more risk on the assumption that they have an out, and the riders inside those riders will risk running closer to the edge on the assumption that those outside them have an out. We know this will happen. Designing a course that would be safe enough if riders don’t behave the way that riders always behave isn’t going to work out in the long run.
That said, sometimes the effect of course design is overblown or plain difficult to predict. The absolute worst crashes tend to happen on long, wide, straight, smooth roads purely as a result of the extra speed and the peloton being bunched up instead of lined out as they are when there are corners.
Thet Rome infrastructure
Thet Rome infrastructure looks good.
Unfortuntaley, being a long
Unfortunately, being a long time Rome resident and having actually ridden on this yesterday, I can definitely say it isn’t good.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big improvement on no infrastructire at all, but it’s not fit for mass use:
All in all it was quite patently built by someone who either never cycles, or cycles at a very leisurely pace, i.e. not as a mode of transport. It’s not well thought out, not joined up, and the daft thing is the law here says you have to use it rgeardless, so you can be fined for not using it, even if it sucks.
I’m guessing, but I reckon
I’m guessing, but I reckon Contador was referring to the Trek Madone 9.9 which looked amazing when it cage out. I had one and even with all the hidden cables and clean look. Something no other bike had at the time, it was far heavier than the previous model and very twitchy. I had a Bianchi Sempre Pro too at the time, and even that felt more agile and lighter than the Madone did. I sold my Madone and bought the new Emonda instead which was my first disc brake bike and out performed that Madone in every way imaginable. Trek really brought the clean cable free look we have on modern bikes. So praise them and curse them in equal measures.
I don’t think it is, he said
I don’t think it is, he said he went on to win the Giro on the old model but in the Tour they made him switch and he won the Giro on Specialized bikes.