“Best use of space?”: Cyclist converts dead e-bike into pedal “snackerie”, complete with beer and biscuits; Fans debate “is cycling better off without Pogačar?”; Au revoir: Critérium du Dauphiné renamed; Chris Froome’s drone video + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Without Pogačar, Jonas wins four straight Tours and Van der Poel has zero competition in the classics”: Cyclists debate “is cycling really better off without Tadej?”
The Critérium du Dauphiné is done and dusted, and what initially seemed like cracks appearing in Tadej Pogačar’s performance in the time trial — all doubts were quashed as the world champion handily dropped all his rivals on the way to Combloux, asserting his supremacy once again in the world of cycling.
And with the three-time Tour champion winning the yellow jersey, once again dispatching Vingegaard and Evenepoel with ease in the dress rehearsal for next month’s Grand Tour, fans are again grappling with a question that’s hovered over the past few seasons: is Pogačar’s dominance good or bad for cycling?
“There is a popular narrative that Pogačar is ruining cycling and there is some truth to it,” wrote fan account Trantikismo on Twitter. “BUT without Pogačar, Jonas wins four straight Tours (average gap of last three is 7+ mins!), and Mathieu van der Poel has absolutely zero competition in the classics. Is cycling really better off without Tadej?”
They added: “That said, it is pretty disappointing that Tadej keeps actively promoting UAE, an authoritarian state with questionable human rights record where slave working is acceptable, women have less rights and being gay/lesbian/trans is illegal.”
Ryan (no, not your live blog host Ryan) posed the counterargument: “Cycling would be better if one guy wasn’t just orders of magnitude better than everyone else. The rivalry between him and Jonas has made for some great racing, but it may well be over.”
Another person added: “Jonas is challengeable, as we saw [in Dauphiné]. A few of UAE riders could challenge him if they weren’t needlessly cycling for Pogačar.”
Others, however, defended the Slovenian’s impact.
Sebastian said: “Pogi is 100 per cent good for cycling. He’s the first internationally well known star since Armstrong, the first cyclist to be in Merckx arguments. Cycling fans are in love with ‘racing for the sake of having a race’ and we so often have random winners which establishes nobody. It’s also bad to have the undisputed GOAT from 60 years ago, because it feels like the sport has moved backwards.
“If you watch tennis, the Big Three won everything and it was great for men’s tennis, while the number one problem for women’s tennis in the late 2010s was the enormous number of random winners. If the world number 38 wins a Slam and then never reaches a QF, sure it’s fun once, but if it keeps happening, it’s bad for the sport.
“When somebody actually beats Pogi, it will mean something. Same in boxing/UFC/WWE, when somebody beats the established champion, that win means more. And it’s not like Pog is boring. He COULD actually be this super boring rider who waits for the last 2–3km to attack. But he doesn’t.”
Another fan added: “On the contrary, I see little kids wearing the Poggy shirt and riding since kids. The last seven to eight years of cycling have brought back a lot of people (and new audiences) into the sport in my opinion.”
So, is cycling better off with a dominant Pogačar at the top — or are we heading toward the sort of one-man era that squeezes the thrill out of unpredictability? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Au revoir Critérium du Dauphiné, bienvenue Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: French stage race goes through another renaming after 15 years
One of the most prestigious stage races on the calendar will get a new name from 2026, as the Critérium du Dauphiné becomes the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes — a move that marks the end of a name that has defined the pre-Tour de France test for nearly 80 years.
Announced today at the regional council in Lyon, the rebranding reflects the race’s close ties with the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and its growing institutional support. Tadej Pogačar’s dominant performance this year means he’ll go down in the history books as the last winner of the Dauphiné.
Originally created in 1947 by the Dauphiné Libéré newspaper (hence the original title, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré), the race has gradually expanded its scope and terrain over the decades. It was taken over by ASO in 2010 and has, in recent years, spanned the full breadth of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region — from the Massif Central to the Alpine ski resorts.
Christian Prudhomme, ASO’s Cycling Director, said: “Born in 1947 from a regional newspaper’s passion for cycling, the Critérium du Dauphiné has grown in step with the roads and terrain that have shaped it. With the loyal support of the region, it has now become the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, a new name that fully reflects the race’s territorial roots.”
Fabrice Pannekoucke, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, added: “As one of the most anticipated events on the international calendar, this race is above all a gathering of top champions and the elite of the global peloton, just weeks before the Tour de France. The Region is proud to be the main partner of such a competition, a true flagship of our commitment to supporting cycling.”
The race will retain its traditional summer slot, with next year’s edition set for 7–14 June. Organisers have confirmed it will remain a vital stop on the WorldTour calendar and a key Tour de France warm-up.
Still, for fans, the renaming might sting just a little. The Critérium du Dauphiné has long stood on its own — a race with personality, history and mountain stages that made and broke champions, even if the new name holds geographical accuracy.
“It seems like a crazy decision that completely overlooks the needs of smaller riders, not just women”
Ain’t no rest for the wicked… Tadej Pogačar back on the bike in Italy with teammates after Dauphiné win
Not much rest for Tadej after the Dauphine, yesterday he was spotted in Italy by Luca Gatto. pic.twitter.com/aqxo2n6BRY
— Lukáš Ronald Lukács (@lucasaganronald) June 17, 2025
Protester blocks London to Brighton charity bike ride... after missing Father's Day plans because of "chaotic" road closures
Pogačar versus Vingegaard: a head-to-head comparison
With so much chatter about the two titans recent showdown at the Dauphiné, and fans theorising all sorts of things ahead of the Tour de France, TNT Sports has done a head-to-head comparison of the two riders’ results against each other…
Another instance of ‘build it and they’ll come’, as people who “don’t and won’t” cycle get on their bikes after the installation of safe cycling infrastructure
A video shared by campaign group Open Chiswick shows streams of people cycling through west London — a scene that seems to contradict a familiar anti-cycling refrain.
“Something strange is happening in Chiswick,” they wrote. “A lot of the people who I was told don’t and won’t cycle appear to be cycling when safe infrastructure has been installed.”
Something strange is happening in Chiswick.
A lot of the people who I was told don’t and won’t cycle appear to be cycling when safe infrastructure has been installed.
— OpenChiswick (@OpenChiswickW4) June 16, 2025
Former Hackney councillor Jon Burke added: “If you build safe, segregated cycling infrastructure, you’ll never have to ‘encourage’ people to cycle again with pointless ‘national cycling week’ campaigns that don’t address the main cause of not cycling — the absence of safe, segregated cycling infrastructure.”
Another quiet reminder that the biggest barrier to cycling isn’t weather, distance, or confidence — it’s roads designed for cars.
Muc-Off launches loyalty cards and refill stations in drive to cut plastic waste
Muc-Off has unveiled the next generation of its in-store Refill Stations, now featuring a built-in loyalty card system aimed at reducing plastic waste and encouraging repeat visits to local bike shops.
The upgraded station lets riders top up their bottles of Nano Tech Bike Cleaner while earning rewards, with every fifth refill unlocking a freebie. It’s a move the company says is about “building community” as much as cutting waste.
“This is more than just a refill station — it’s a community-building tool,” said CEO Alex Trimnell. “We wanted to create something that rewards loyalty, reduces waste, and gets people through the doors of their favourite bike shops. The new system does all three.”
The stainless-steel unit is built for simplicity and ships with plug-and-play setup, promotional materials, and only requires power and refill concentrate to get started.
Muc-Off launched its refill initiative as part of Project Green and claims to have saved over 273 tonnes of plastic so far. The addition of a loyalty scheme is aimed at scaling that impact even further.
Retailers can sign up now via Muc-Off’s B2B platform or contact their sales rep for details.
BBC edits headline after backlash over claim cyclist knocked off bike by drink driver using phone was an "accident"
Heavy crash for Geraint Thomas at Tour de Suisse, but Welshman manages to continue
A scare for Geraint Thomas on stage three of the Tour de Suisse today, as the Ineos Grenadiers rider crashed and was left sitting on the tarmac for quite a while.
Thomas appeared unable to move at first, with the commentators remarking: “That doesn’t look good at all… he’s taken one hell of a blow.” The camera caught him sitting up while medical staff inspected his knee — a worrying sight for fans, with just weeks to go before what could be his final Tour de France appearance.
While the crash itself wasn’t shown on broadcast, the good news is that Thomas eventually remounted and got back underway, fighting to regain contact with the peloton. Down, but not out.
It comes after Thomas admitted the race had already been “a bit of a shock to the system” following his return from a high-altitude training block in Tenerife. Speaking before Stage 2, he said: “This is just what I need, some proper racing.” He may have got more than he bargained for.
“My ambition is to be an Olympic Champion in LA”: Ben Wiggins shares road and track dreams and talks about advantages and the “awful lot of things” that come along as the son of Bradley Wiggins
Ben Wiggins is currently racing at the Giro Next Gen, where he finished thirteenth in the opening time trial — but the 20-year-old isn’t just chasing results in Italy. In an interview with BBC Radio Lancashire, he opened up about the double-edged sword of being the son of five-time Olympic champion and Tour de France winner Sir Bradley Wiggins.
“I definitely see it partly as an advantage but, trust me, there’s an awful lot of things that come with it that aren’t as easy,” he said. “There’s a lot of benefits that people would expect, but then there’s more things that come with it that aren’t as good.
“Sometimes, when they do team presentations before the race, I’d be brought on stage and introduced as Bradley Wiggins’ son before my name is even mentioned. I’m also compared to the standards of a five-time Olympic champion and Tour de France winner. I’m 20 years old. Maybe when I’m 35 that’s fair enough, but I’m just getting started.”
(Pauline Ballet/SWpix.com)
Wiggins only started cycling seriously during the pandemic. “I played rugby and football predominantly up until Covid hit. At school, there was that banter around cycling. It’s not fancy, it’s not cool.”
After taking silver in the junior time trial at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow, he joined Hagens Berman Jayco, managed by Axel Merckx — son of Eddy Merckx. “Having that figure in the team which felt the same experience as me — but on a bigger scale — that was the biggest attraction.”
Ben Wiggins and Bradley Wiggins at the 2022 British Track Championships, by Will Palmer/SWpix.com
Now focused on both the road and the track, Wiggins is aiming for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “My ambition is to be an Olympic Champion in LA. There’s plenty more things on the table for me to achieve, but it’s a dream of mine. If you can do both [track and road], you’re a big asset for the team — so that’s my ambition.”
Quinn Simmons takes solo win on stage 3 of Tour de Suisse and dedicates it to Gino Mäder
Lidl-Trek’s Quinn Simmons claimed a superb solo victory on stage three of the 2025 Tour de Suisse, attacking from a six-man breakaway and holding off the peloton on the uphill finish in Heiden.
The 24-year-old American national champion made his move with 20 kilometres to go on the Category 2 Knolhusen climb, pushing clear and building a gap that held to the line. It’s Simmons’ first win since reclaiming the US national title last month.
Behind, EF Education–EasyPost’s Neilson Powless launched a late counter-attack but was caught by the peloton inside the final two kilometres. UAE Team Emirates’ João Almeida took second in the sprint from the reduced bunch, with Picnic-PostNL’s Oscar Onley finishing third.
“I was downing a bit in the end, but my motivation was super high,” Simmons said. “I really wanted to win yesterday in honour of Gino Mäder. I met his mother yesterday and for sure it gave me extra motivation today. I flew the eagle while crossing the finish line to show my gratefulness for taking my first win in the national champion jersey.”
No changes in the general classification today, with Groupama-FDJ’s Romain Grégoire still the overall race leader.
“More ammunition for f*** cars”: Cyclist shocked as motor exhaust melts carbon wheel after carrying bike on rear-mounted car rack
A cyclist has shared the aftermath of a painfully expensive lesson in thermodynamics on Reddit’s r/bicycling: a £1,000 Zipp 303 S carbon wheelset that’s visibly warped, seemingly melted after a car journey on a rear-mounted bike rack.
“Bike is only a few months old,” wrote u/BreadNinja08. “This looks like heat warping, but I can’t imagine car exhaust getting hot enough to melt carbon fibre. Any ideas?”
Unfortunately, the internet had plenty of ideas.
“Car exhaust can absolutely be hot enough to melt carbon fibre,” replied one commenter. “Terrible news,” the cyclist responded.
“Unfortunately, this happens pretty often from car exhaust,” another user added.
One person explained: “It’s not the carbon fibre melting, it’s the resin that the carbon is moulded with. That’s why you’re not supposed to powdercoat a carbon bike also.”
Another elaborated: “Carbon fibre doesn’t melt. Unfortunately, ‘carbon fibre’ components are made with carbon fibre AND epoxy (between the fibres), which does melt. Fibreglass airplanes are generally painted white to keep from softening the plastic matrix in sunlight.”
One particularly science-minded commenter clarified: “More accurately stated, it is hot enough to melt the resin used to bind the fibres together, which has the same effect of ruining the wheel. Carbon fibre doesn’t melt, at all, but it does sublimate directly into a gas at temperatures greater than 6,000°F.”
> Cyclist denied car insurance claim for fitting bike carrier with removable towbar
Another cyclist chimed in with a grim tale of personal experience: “It’s 100 per cent exhaust heat that ruined that. Wouldn’t ride that wheel or you will risk it blowing off the rim, ask me how I know…
“Unfortunately that rim is toast, not all carbon is created equal, I had mine on a trunk rack for years with a specific set of wheels and never even considered it to be an issue, changed wheels and the first time transporting it I melted the new set.”
In what might be the most ironic twist of all, the original poster, after learning all this, said: “More ammunition for r/f***cars.” For the uninitiated, r/f***cars is a popular subreddit that critiques car-centric infrastructure and culture, regularly highlighting the environmental, social, and safety issues caused by automobile dominance. That a cyclist’s own car ended up destroying their carbon wheels is painfully on-brand.
And of course, social media being social media, someone had to bring a touch of levity: “Some might say ‘car exhaust’ but I’ll stick to my fantasy… you went fast enough to melt carbon.”
Got any horror stories of your own? Have you ever seen carbon rims warped by exhaust heat? Or learned the hard way about heat damage while transporting a bike? Let us know in the comments…
Loads of updates from the road.cc tech team, including FIVE new gravel bikes from Ribble
> Rouvy raises subscription from £12.99 to £17.99 per month, making it the same price as Zwift
“Best use of space?”: Cyclist converts dead YT e-bike into rolling snack bin, complete with beer and biscuits
Well… I didn’t see this one coming. A cyclist on Reddit has hollowed out the top tube of a YT Industries Decoy e-MTB — removing the dead battery — and repurposed it as a “snackerie”. Yes, really.
Yt decoy pedal bike conversion
byu/The-realJames inYTIndustries
“When E010 is getting you down and you are out of warranty,” they wrote, referring to the dreaded YT error code. “I did this to see if I could get a dead out of warranty bike that had been sitting for months, unused back on the trails.”
Instead of giving up on the frame, they packed the empty battery space with ride fuel: bars, Ritz biscuits, two cans of Sanpellegrino, and — for some special occasions — two cans of Voodoo Ranger Juice Force IPA. Mid-ride recovery, sorted.
One user summed it up: “Wow, the real lesson here is that modern e-bike systems are lightweight. I mean you lost weight, but not equal to the capability loss of the electrical system… Well done, clean job, it will be fun to pull the snackery out to show it’s not an ebike!”
Honestly? I’m stunned. And kind of impressed.
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I have cycled in many countries and found the Spanish to be the most considerate road users to cyclists, whatever their laws say.
If I'm reading this article correctly, this new law only applies to cyclists under 16 years old. Is that correct ? If so, then it makes perfect sense.
@mitsky I used to get a good 70-80% of my reports resulting in more than a warning letter I'm afraid these statistics are based on a highly unreliable police source: them saying they have 'sent a NIP'. You're not alone - Cycling Mikey is also now quoting 'NIPs sent' as evidence the police took real action. The infamous and essentially useless Met outcome spreadsheet only claims to provide 'intended outcome', and the reason they refuse to provide the actual outcomes is that they don't want victims to know how few of these punishments result in any penalty at all. There's a reason I'm still, 4 1/2 years after the event, battling Lancashire Constabulary and their assistants at the Information Commissioner for information about what they actually did about this: ttps://upride.cc/incident/4148vz_travellerschoicecoach_closepass/ The reason is that they did either nothing at all, or sent out the worthless advice letter. I'm now using the routinely ignored Victim's Code, and there has been no progress for years.
Cycling looks a lot safer per mile or per hour if you can remove from the statistics all the people riding on the wrong side of the road at night with no lights after a few drinks. Driving also looks a lot safer if you can remove the same sort of people from the statistics.
@Paul J Spanish police seem to be relatively lenient when the only potential harm from a dangerous behaviour could happen to yourself. What you're describing might be similar to how they react to crossing the street while there's a red light. While (AFAIK) technically it's illegal, usually nobody will bother you - unless something happens. In fact, I've even seen police officers doing that!
@KentRider how did you get Kent Police to request the video? ...how did you find out the consequences for the drivers? Very important questions! The last thing the police want is indisputable evidence, and their most valuable and most often wielded weapons are refusal to respond to reports and refusal to look at evidence- often disguised as 'we're so busy, we don't have the time'. Police inaction has far-reaching consequences: the NW Traffic Commissioner is supposed to supervise Lancashire Stagecoach and other bus companies, but as far as he's concerned if there was no police action, there was no problem and he follows the 'head in the sand' solution. Police officers really are the main enemies of cyclists. ttps://upride.cc/incident/sk19evw_stagecoach42_closepass/ ttps://upride.cc/incident/4148vz_travellerschoicecoach_closepass/
@wtjs I appreciate You've faced a depressingly unco-operative police force. The Met police, untill recently, were relatively good at taking action. I used to get a good 70-80% of my reports resulting in more than a warning letter. But now that they are getting more reports than they can cope with the hit rate is about 10% if not less.
@I love my bike An answer to the increasing number of EVs and the drivers also doing this with their plates is for someone smarter than me. Which is pretty much everyone. But I'm thinking that in the future, when an EV owner goes shopping and parks in the car park, the CCTV can catch the vehicle if it is illegal and call security and the staff can refuse to serve them. I'm also thinking larger shopping centres might offer free charging to customers so again, this can be denied for any dodgy plates.
@mitsky I've got ghost plates on my bikes. Actually, I think we all have! It saves the time, cost & effort of having actual ones ; ) I wonder how 'I'm a cyclist' motorists counter that? (Do EVs that charge at home miss out on surveillance?)
Spanish bullfighters: always wear a crash helmet.
22 thoughts on ““Best use of space?”: Cyclist converts dead e-bike into pedal “snackerie”, complete with beer and biscuits; Fans debate “is cycling better off without Pogačar?”; Au revoir: Critérium du Dauphiné renamed; Chris Froome’s drone video + more on the live blog”
Epoxy doesn’t melt either;
Epoxy doesn’t melt either; once it’s cured, it’s cured for good.
The_Ewan wrote:
Technically it becomes more flexible and behaves more like a liquid once it goes above it’s glass transition temperature, so no it doesn’t melt, but that’s being quite pedantic
Natrix wrote:
… which ranges from about 80°C to 240°C dependent on epoxy type.
Fig 8 of
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/07316844221143747?int.sj-full-text.similar-articles.8
Maybe those complaining about
Maybe those complaining about how boring Pogacar makes racing can’t remember the Indurain era, five successive Tours without a single stage win outside the time trials and even the Texan took two of his now-voided titles without winning any stage except TTs. Thrill-a-minute it certainly wasn’t. Or maybe they prefer the Sky era of eight men on the front staring at their power meters with Froome in 2017 winning the tour without winning a single individual stage. Having a rider at the top of the rankings who wants to contest every stage – even, as we saw last week, going for a sprint! – and who is always on the lookout for opportunities to light the blue touchpaper is so much more exciting.
Most people look back at past
Most people look back at past eras with massively rose tinted glasses. They compare the current two to five year period with the previous 50 and decide that “things used to be better” after cherry picking their favourite moments from those 50 years to compare against the current period.
There was plenty going on in
There was plenty going on in those tours though, maybe it was a different attitude to the race, but I dont remember feeling they were boring, even if the yellow jersey was nailed on, you had some classic points & kom jersey battles and individual stage rides from riders possessed with flair & panache for racing.
Thesedays it feels Le Tour is only about the yellow jersey.
stonojnr wrote:
Well, just last year we had an epic battle for the green jersey between Biniam Girmay and Jesper Philippsen ending 387-354 to Girmay, it was just a real shame that there wasn’t a Paris finale with 50 points for the winner as there usually is, which could have made things very interesting (I say a shame from an excitement point of view, I was delighted to see Girmay win). We also had 11 different winners from 21 stages, a cracking attack on the mountains jersey from Carapaz to wrest it from the GC contenders and the brilliant opening stage win for Romain Bardet, so I didn’t find it that boring!
I think the present day in
I think the present day in road cycling is exciting. Although Pogacar is dominant, he has some capable opposition, who can all beat him in certain events.
Evanapoel, Tarling etc can beat him in time trials. Van de Poel will have the edge on him in flatter stages and races (eg Paris-Roubaix, Milan – San-Remo).
Milan and others will usually beat him in a sprint.
There is also more scope for breakaway victories by non GC riders in grand tour events – probably because most riders are clean and the GC contenders require more “rest” stages.
Also, the TDF is not a foregone conclusion. Vinegaard improved throughout the Dauphine, promising an interesting contest.
I’m a fan of /r/f***cars fan,
I’m a fan of /r/f***cars fan, even if a lot of the posts are a bit childish. The name doesn’t really reflect its purpose accurately either, much like JustStopOil.
It’s a bit like a worldwide online Critical Mass ride.
Diesel cars doing a DPF regen
Diesel cars doing a DPF regen produce offensive quantities of heat from the exhaust, almost to the point it’s glowing red. Not surprising that putting a component that suffers from heat damage in the firing line ends in tears.
If the exhaust is doing that
If the exhaust is doing that to the carbon wheel, what is it doing to the rubber on the tyres?
Jonas needs to train harder
Jonas needs to train harder instead of going on holiday for 6 months of the year 👍
Have you ever […] learned
Often. Though I was transporting it by riding it, and the heat damage was to myself…
About that wheel, it’s
About that wheel, it’s important to understand that bicycle wheel rims are under considerable compressive pressure as they resist spoke tension, which could be 100kg per spoke. So if the epoxy resin matrix in the rim softens due to exhaust gas heat, the rim will eventually buckle and fail at the hot point.
“Car exhausts get stupidly
“Car exhausts get stupidly hot!”…. no sh1t Sherlock…..
Cyclist gets 3d face
Cyclist gets 3d face
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2epz2gep1o
BBC can’t bring themselves to reflect in the headline a drunk driver hit the cyclist.
Quote:
Ah, but how many of those people were paid actors who were there to make it look popular…?
Question about phone driving.
Question about phone use whilst driving.
Will the police take action if the footage captured shows the driver using their phone behind the wheel but in a “private” car park, ie for a shop?
mitsky wrote:
Whether they will or not is of course a moot point, but they certainly can: the Road Traffic Act applies to any piece of road to which the public has access, no matter who owns it, including supermarket carparks.
I think the answer is ‘if it
I think the answer is ‘if it’s a police station car park’.
If the car park is accessible
If the car park is accessible to members of the public (either on foot or by car) then yes.
Will the police take action
Will the police take action if the footage captured shows the driver using their phone behind the wheel but in a “private” car park, ie for a shop?
Obviously not, since they refused to act against this:
https://upride.cc/incident/ld71uom_amazonprime_handheldmobilephone/