“If he’s a cyclist, he gets two years and is written off from everything”: Former pro cyclist blasts tennis number one Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban as “scandalous” and asks “how can you negotiate a suspension?” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
More cycling cringe feat. UAE Team Emirates and resistance bands
What’s the secret to Tadej Pogačar’s explosive acceleration? Zone 2 rides and some resistance band training…
It’s their home race, so I’m willing to cut them some slack (no pun intended), but if there’s one thing that doesn’t seem like it’s going away anytime soon even in 2025 is the cringey social media videos from pro cycling teams, coupled with sometimes awkward, most times awful millennial music.
At least the comments provided some relief…
“GluteDoping wins every time.”
“Not gonna lie, I’m a bit disappointed Tadej doesn’t have rainbow resistance bands!”
“*UCI bans resistance bands.”
“So many people are killed cycling in London and we never even know their names”: London Cycling Campaign plans protest ride to make junctions safer for cyclists so “no one has to risk their life cycling”
Following the death of a young cyclist on the junction of Stratford High Street and Carpenters Road on 13 January 2025, the London Cycling Campaign has announced that it will be organising a protest ride on Monday, 24th February at 6:30pm in Stratford, asking TfL and Newham Council to work together to rapidly improve the junctions along this route so that “no one has to risk their life cycling through here”.
The campaign group said: “This junction is one of a cluster rated among the most dangerous for cycling in Newham that have been known for decades to be inadequately designed for cycle safety along Cycleway 2 (C2), one of the first protected cycle tracks in London.
“Recently, we’ve seen too many examples of TfL being too weak and slow and timid on junction designs, as highlighted by its recent Great Eastern Street designs. The issues along C2 are about longstanding inaction at junctions known for years to be dangerous.
“Yet, at the same time, when the Mayor and TfL do make “improvements”, they are failing to make junctions truly safer for people walking and cycling. So we’re demanding not just that the Mayor and TfL get back on track on junctions, but also that they take rapid and bold action here in Stratford as they did a few years ago at Holborn. Those cycling at Stratford deserve the same respect as those cycling in Camden.”
The group also shared the above image of cycling fatalities on social media, writing: “So many people are killed cycling in London and we never even know their names.
“A man in his 20s was killed cycling in Stratford last month. Come protest next Monday 24 February. Nobody should cycle out the door and not come home.”
"Unrealistic" cycling targets and "great swathes of unused cycle parking" holding back new London developments, property association claims
Josh Tarling ends Ineos Grenadiers’ WorldTour winless run by winning time trial stage of the UAE Tour, beating Tadej Pogačar by 18 seconds
On a day most cycling fans expected to be marked by the world champion’s show of strength and intent, the 12km time trial has produced a somewhat surprising, if not an utterly unlikely winner, with British time trial champion Josh Tarling storming the flat circuit on Al Hudayriyat Island in 12:55 — an average speed of 56.7km/hr, almost a kilometre a minute!
Tarling’s success comes thanks to an honestly ridiculous 68-tooth chainring on his Pinarello Bolide F, also fitted with a 11-30 cassette. His average power for the first six minutes was an astonishing 510w.
And with that win, the 21-year-old has finally brought an end to the winless run for Ineos Grenadiers, with the out of sorts British team spending the longest time without a win at the top level among the 18 WorldTour teams — their last win came all the way back in June last year, at the Dauphiné, courtesy of Carlos Rodríguez.
Speaking after crossing the finish line, Tarling said: “It was really windy. The first part was a headwind, and then there was a long crosswind section. The first part was the hardest. Then we got a bit of respite with the corners before the end. It was kind of two halves.
“From the end of last year, I had a bit of bad luck, and I kept coming second in the TTs with Remco. I needed this. I’m super happy.”
He added: “I think tomorrow’s going to be a big day. Hopefully I get a bit of confidence back now. I’m excited for the rest [of the season].”
The win puts Tarling in the overall lead of the race, with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team’s Stefan Bissegger 13 seconds behind, while Pogačar finished third, 18 seconds down on the TT prodigy.
“When is Jasper gonna learn?”: Fans criticise Philipsen for “reckless” deviation which resulted in UAE Tour stage one relegation, but UCI says incident “not serious enough for yellow card”
Death, taxes, and Jasper Philipsen attracting controversy for his sprints…
The 2023 Tour de France points jersey winner has asserted himself as one of the best sprinters of his generation, but his racing style, particularly deviating from his sprint line, has often been used as a stick to beat him with.
On his season opener, it was more of the same as Philipsen, who crossed the line second behind Lidl-Trek’s Jonathan Milan, was judged to have cut across the way of Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s Finn Fisher-Black and was relegated to the 52nd spot.
Now, fans have criticised the Belgian’s “reckless veering” on Alpecin-Deceuninck’s social media post, in which the team wrote: “Jasper Philipsen put in a strong sprint and crossed the line in second behind Jonathan Milan.
“However, the jury declassified him to 52nd place for – unintentionally – deviating from his line. Jasper is disappointed but respects the decision.
Philipsen added: “I wasn’t aware of my movement, especially since I was completely on the limit in those final meters. Of course, I had no intention of obstructing anyone.”
The UCI, decided that the manoeuvre wasn’t serious enough for a yellow card, but only a relegation and a fine of 500 Swiss francs. However, one fan commented: “He was aware, he looked behind just before the line.”
Another wrote: “So you didn’t cover sprinting straight in team camps? When is Jasper gonna learn? You’re throwing away all the work your team did to get you in that position by recklessly veering over. There’s no reason to look back and he moved 3+ bike widths. Come on man.”
Meanwhile, one person said: “Sorry, but this happens more than once… NOT necessary!” while another simply wrote: “What a surprise!”
“There’s a sticky bottle and then there’s calling for an Uber”
We have a brand new inductee in the road.cc ‘Sticky Bottle Hall of Fame’, ladies and gentlemen, join us in welcoming Bruno Armirail!
Caroninha @BrunoArmirail ? 🫣 pic.twitter.com/r3EbOcnS2W
— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) February 18, 2025
Is it always cheaper to do your own bike maintenance? We do the sums to work out when the bike shop is best
ICYMI, it’s the road.cc Home Mechanics’ Week, and today we are investigating when it might be more cost-effective to work on your bike at home, versus when it’s definitely better to leave it to the professionals.
Read to find out: > Is it always cheaper to do your own bike maintenance? We do the sums to work out when the bike shop is best
“One car space = ten bicycles”
Council cools backlash with the promise of another vehicle space “in due course”, explaining that the cycle parking was installed “as part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability by encouraging cycling”…
“That’s not cycling to me”: Julian Alaphilippe says the sport’s increasing obsession with numbers and calculations “makes him sad”, adds “there is less room for instinctive riders like me”
Cycling’s turn towards data, numbers, computers and calculations is nothing new. Despite how one may feel about the overt encroaches of technology into each facet of our lives, pretty much every major sport under the sun has inculcated them. However, 32-year-old Julian Alaphilippe, settling into life at Tudor ProCycling, has reserved some dismissive words for both the sport and the riders who obsess over such things.
Speaking to Dutch cycling magazine, Wieler Revue, the former world champion said: “The main difference between now and ten years ago is that there is less room for instinctive riders like me.
“It’s increasingly about the calculations that our trainers make. It makes me sad when riders are only concerned with the power they rode after a race. If they’ve broken their five-minute record, they don’t even care what happened in the race. That’s not cycling to me. For me it’s about the show, making the race and getting results.”
> Alaphilippe heads off on two-hour training ride AFTER Dwars door Vlaanderen
The French rider who finished eighth in his season opener at the Figueira Champions Classic added: “My goal is still to be an attacking rider, to keep entertaining people,” Alaphilippe explains. “It’s the reason why I love this sport. I’m working hard to get back to my best level possible, but I’m living the sport the same way I did when I turned pro in 2014. A lot has changed, but I think it’s important to stay who I am. And yes, that’s becoming increasingly difficult in modern cycling. I try to evolve with the new reality, but I also want to stay myself.
“Of course, aggressive racing with heart can still beat the raw numbers. If that were no longer the case, I would no longer be here. The sport will need that ‘panache’ — the riders who colour a little outside the lines of the usual scenario. I will continue to do that until I stop. To be honest, I rarely look at my abilities, because you can ride record after record, but in the end, it’s all about your feeling on the bike. It’s one of the reasons why I chose Tudor Pro Cycling. Here, there is a professional structure, but I also get the freedom to race the way I want.”
It turns out Park Tool's workstand that can be moved up or down with a drill isn't the first to go there...
Park Tool’s new PRS-30 stand certainly generated some interaction over on our Insta account last week, including a message from the owner of Italian bike repair specialists Clorafilla who has had something similar in its range for a while now…
Clorafilla’s Sequoia Lift for heavy bikes can also perform the screwdriver party trick, and it has rubber jaws to ensure your frame doesn’t get damaged. It’s got wheels on the back for easy transportation too.
So, if you’re a serious home mechanic and are after a less expensive version of a very fancy electronic repair stand… well we stand corrected, you have at least a couple of options!
road.cc readers, rejoice! Your favourite cycling website is famous…
And by famous, we mean “major awards” and newspaper (digital print is still print, I guess) famous! Because as the father-son duo behind Vielo Sports were featured online, their Vielo V+1 Race Edition Force AXS XPLR, winner of our Gravel Bike of the Year 2024/25, propped up in conversation.
> Vielo V+1 Race Edition Force AXS XPLR 2024
The company was set up Ian Hughes and his son Trevor eight years ago in Gateshead, and they’ve recently invested more than £750,000 in the brand which offers a range of road, race and gravel models.
BusinessLive wrote: “The Gateshead-based firm scooped Gravel Bike of the Year 2024/25 at the cycling news outlet Road CC’s [sic] annual awards. Judges praised the firm’s Vielo V+1 Race Edition model as being ‘incredibly capable’.”
While awarding it our prestigious (I think we’d all agree with that now) Gravel and Adventure Bike of the Year Award, we wrote: “The Vielo V+1 Race Edition, an incredibly capable gravel bike that performs beautifully whether you’re on or off the beaten path. Straight out of the box, it’ll impress you with its agile and responsive feel, providing a fun ride whether you’re on dry trails or tackling muddy, challenging conditions. It stands out from the crowd in this striking orange-to-pink fade paint job, but there’s way more here than aesthetics.”
Ian Hughes, a former BBC presenter who subsequently helped bring the Scott mountain bike brand to the UK, said: “The Vielo V+1 Race Edition was competing against major international brands, so for a small company from Gateshead to win the overall Gravel & Adventure Bike of the Year award is incredible. It’s a huge achievement and a proud moment for the whole team.
“In designing this lightweight bike, our goal was to create something truly unique – tailored to real-world riding conditions, built for versatility, designed around the user, and engineered to the very highest standards.
“The future for Vielo is incredibly exciting. We’ve navigated the highs and lows, investing in developing this bike and the business. We’re looking forward to a long-term sustainable future for the brand, allowing us to expand globally and push forward with an ambitious programme of design and development for new products in the years ahead.”
“If he’s a cyclist, he gets two years and is written off from everything”: Former pro cyclist blasts tennis number one Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban as “scandalous” and asks “how can you negotiate a suspension?”
If you haven’t heard by now, the current men’s top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner has been handed a three-month suspension by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after testing positive twice for the banned substance clostebol in March last year. The 23-year-old Italian’s explanation was that it was inadvertently caused by contamination from his physio, and that he was ready to “bear the responsibility for his entourage’s negligence”.
While the case sent the entire tennis world into a messy upheaval (I can see all of you looking for the “first time?” gif to post in the comments), the nature and timing of the ban for Sinner, who made it back-to-back Grand Slams with victory at the 2025 Australian Open, has been called into question by many.
Now, in case you’re not interested in paying TNT Sports £30.99/month because you don’t want anything to do with tennis (or other non-velo sports), allow your live blog host to explain the ban in cycling terms: Imagine Tadej Pogačar tests positive for a banned substance in 2024 but the news is kept under wraps and he’s deemed eligible to participate — and win — in all races throughout the year.
After he has raced his share and won the laurels, the news is made public, but still, no news of a ban. Pogačar comes back in the next season, goes on to win the Milan-San Remo, and then graciously accepts a ban… until the Tour de France (assuming he doesn’t want to race the Giro anyway).
That’s pretty much how the situation in the tennis world has played out with Sinner, who after winning the Australian Open, can sit out three months with no Slams scheduled in that period — and can even play the Italian Open in Rome as a clay court warm-up before the Roland-Garros in May.
While the whole situation has been made light of by many cycling fans, former Quick-Step pro rider Jérôme Pineau came on the Les Grandes Gueules du Sport podcast and blasted WADA for its “scandalous” approach.
“There are three subjects. First, the position of the athlete in relation to his sport. That is to say, that he is number one and it is his sport itself that must not be attacked. If it is a cyclist, as [world] number one as he is, he gets two years,” Pineau said.
“Alberto Contador was suspended for nano milligrams of clenbuterol. Why? Because at the time, blood transfusions were suspected in cycling. And in tennis it is not possible? Can’t we make blood bags in tennis to recover after each tournament? Stop making fun of people.
“How can you negotiate a suspension when you’re world number one? You can’t, you’re either doping or not,” he added. “If there’s suspicion, there are experts for that. There’s a method that lets you know what really happened thanks to hair analysis.”
🗣💬 “Si c’est un cycliste, tout numéro 1 qu’il est, il prend deux ans. Comment peut-on négocier une suspension ? Tu es dopé ou non. Arrêtez de vous foutre de la tronche des gens. C’est scandaleux”
La colère froide de @jerome_pineau5 sur la suspension de Jannik Sinner. pic.twitter.com/llfH0AWjkX
— Les Grandes Gueules du Sport – RMC (@GGsportRMC) February 16, 2025
He concluded, saying: “I can tell you that if it’s a cyclist, he gets two years, he’s considered a fool and he’s written off from everywhere. Here, they just made an arrangement with Sinner. What happened is scandalous. There are double standards, depending on the athletes and the sports.”
This isn’t the first time Pineau has vented his rage at those known for doping. In July last year, he described Lance Armstrong as “anything but humble” and that he “stole seven Tours”.
Back in 2023, the Giro d’Italia stage winner called into question Sepp Kuss’ performance on the Tourmalet during the Vuelta a España, which he’d go on to win. “We see the images… I’m not talking about doping, but about something much worse. Mechanical doping?” he suggested.
“If you look at Sepp Kuss’ attack on the Col du Tourmalet, against riders like Juan Ayuso, Cian Uijtdebroeks – who is seen as a great talent – and Marc Soler. They’re not losers on bicycles, are they? Kuss rides ten kilometres per hour faster during his attack, then has to brake by a spectator and then rides ten kilometres per hour faster again.”
“How can you explain that? Cycling is my sport, I lived from it and still live from it. It’s my passion, but I’m scared. It worries me very much. I see certain things happening… On the Col de Spandelles (during the 2022 Tour stage finishing at Hautacam) Kuss goes ahead for ten seconds without pedalling. I don’t know how that’s possible.”
18 February 2025, 10:04
Win or no win, new Pogi tech is worth reading about...
Tadej Pogacar debuts ultra-sleek computer mount integrated into Colnago Y1Rs aero bike cockpit
You need to take care of aero details if you want to win the big races
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Latest Comments
@BroomBroomBroom "These are profit-seeking enterprises taking over pavements..." Aren't they currently seeking profits in the sense of "not making any yet"? I think the issue is that mass public cycle hire schemes don't even cover their costs from the actual users. (High costs because relatively fragile, portable property, and an "attractive nuisance" for youth. Low income because they're competing with "free" - many people have access to bikes and/or feel that bike stuff should be very cheap). So they need things like council funding, advertising etc. That can be an issue because - unless the money is from the local authority - their motivation is not particularly aligned with the cyclists OR the locality. And worse - in these cases doesn't much of the money still come from venture capital? So I don't think they're necessarily great. But as the article notes - two things can be true. I bet a *far* greater acreage of footway is in fact covered by the products of profit-seeking enterprises. That is vehicles which are definitely illegal there*, completely immovable when stopped, more dangerous when moving. * Oh sorry, it's only illegal in practice when you've got a policemen or two there to witness them being driven there and they're bothered - and they'd probably get in trouble with their boss if they did.
Make sure you put the soft side of the velcro straps against the paint. Get it wrong and you'll have a lasting reminder on your top tube...
@riggbeck I'm a skinny 5'10" and go for Small in Sportful and Lusso (if anything the Lusso straps were a bit too long and loose)
I enjoyed the cyclist apparently riding through a red light on camera (5:19) and, for a bit of BBC balance, the police van parked on the pavement (4:35).
I love a 'but cars' argument as much as the next cycling menace, but come on: we can all see that the ebike situation is ridiculous. It discredits the promotion of active travel to pretend otherwise. These are profit-seeking enterprises taking over pavements without a second thought for the externalities. And it's absurd to have one provider in this borough and a different one in the next. This situation should never have been allowed to develop.
@Rendel Harris I recorded it too and then watched it as live on HBO (as only had part of the race), where they explained what I already knew. It was on TNT, But then they switched to snooker. And when that was done they said it would return to TNT and they seemed to think that was really good the way they presented it.
I'm sure I bought a secondhand Specialized Diverge (gravel bike) to use as a winter road bike thanks to an article on Road cc, might even have been one of Liam's! I forget it has internal storage, but then I have a hardtail mtb, an aero (dry/summer) road bike and the Diverge, so it's easier to keep everything in one saddle bag and swap that when I swap bikes. When I remember... I'm lucky enough to live near the South Downs, so all 3 bikes get plenty of use, and usually on the most suitable terrain for them. The Diverge is a 2x and I'm on 35 mm tyres. I want to keep it somewhere in the middle ground between my mtb and my road bike.
@mikewood Great, so with five times more expensive subs we get five times more incompetence!
@riggbeck if your tall like me try the galibier equipe shorts as they have long or short options and the bib is easy to put on. If winter bibs, look at Endura, recall they have some with an adjustable bib brace.
@Rendel Harris I recorded it on TNT and it went to baseball with quite a lot left to run....
34 thoughts on ““If he’s a cyclist, he gets two years and is written off from everything”: Former pro cyclist blasts tennis number one Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban as “scandalous” and asks “how can you negotiate a suspension?” + more on the live blog”
I imagine that tennis is
I imagine that tennis is desperate to find the next star to replace the likes of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic who carried the sport for the last 20 years so they are desperate not to ruin what little quality and potenial they currently have.
Not having read in too much
Not having read in too much detail, I am prepared to accept with a raised eye-brow that it is possible that the ingestion was not deliberate and so long as the doping authorities accept that then the sentence must consider this. It’s not particularly helpful to compare tennis and cycling bans as the set-up of the sports is different, in particular the way in which cycling teams and their support staff work, as do sentences designed as deterrents. Nevertheless, the point is that the player themselves must still take the final responsibility for ensuring that they don’t accidentally take anything, and that any exemptions are recorded etc.
However, judging by tennis twitter – a lot of people are particularly angry at the ‘negotiating’ his sentence bit, especially as the three month suspension conveniently coincides with the period of the tennis calendar that doesn’t have any slams.
The cynical, and fairly obvious explanation is that he’s seen as a star and they don’t want to do without him at a time when so many players from the golden age of tennis have retired. On the other hand, his star is firmly tarnished, and the short and suspiciously timed ban is doing more damage to his reputation and the reputation of the sport. But I say this as a Brit and someone who has never felt any particular emotional connection to Sinner, so not that fussed if he misses a big tournament.
Some might think that a short suspension gives the impression everyone knows it was a ‘whoopsie’, which is better for his reputation, but I think that the negotiating bit makes it look a bit too much like a joint effort at brushing the incident under the carpet.
Does deliberate or not even
Does deliberate or not even matter? Plenty of cyclists / athletes have been banned on a plea of accidental ingestion and spent 10s of thousands defending themselves pointlessly. I thought the whole bedrock of the system was “The athlete is absolutely responsible for what is in their body”, so it doesn’t matter who contaminated, they’re positive, they’re banned. Mixed messaging and double standards from WADA.
Bigfoz wrote:
Ultimately tennis players must take responsibility for accidental ingestion too, which is necessary to ensure that players do actively take responsibility, and that it isn’t too easy an excuse. In that respect, a violation is a violation and he was found guilty of that.
But that doesn’t mean it’s not reasonable to differentiate between a minor exceedance that can plausibly be explained by an accidental indirect exposure versus someone for whom the evidence points to a deliberate violation.
This reminds me a bit of the Cilic ban. He was deemed to have accidentally ingested a substance at a concentration that would not have provided much benefit, but he ended up with a four month ban, reduced from nine months on appeal. If I remember correctly, at that time it was fairly controvertial and it was used as an example of why players need to take more personal responsibility. It was pointed out that players are given a lot of information and there’s a 24 hour hotline to check things.
Cilic’s case he/his team apparently bought glucose tablets from a French pharmacy that had a substance that he didn’t expect to be present, but he didn’t check the label properly, which really was on him.
Top tennis players earn a lot of money, so my sympathy is already limited, and it has diminished over the years as they really ought to be learning from the mistakes of those who went before. I’m concerned that too many ‘oops, it was an accident’ pleas mean that those who deliberately dope can/will simply ensure they have excuses lined up to allow for some plausible deniability should they get caught.
Quote:
I realise it must be a fairly intimate relationship at times, but I didn’t think it was normally that intimate…
mdavidford wrote:
I realise it must be a fairly intimate relationship at times, but I didn’t think it was normally that intimate…
The assertion was that his physio was using a product that contained the banned substance to treat a finger wound, and that some of it was transferred into Sinner’s system in the course of doing massages etc. The banned substance being one that is available in over the counter remedies in Italy, but not lots of other countries, albeit the massages took place I think where the substance isn’t available, so it relies on the physio loading up with personal supplies for the journey.
A tennis journalist did go back through the archive photos of the player’s box during the relevant period and found that there are images of the physio with a bandaged finger. So there is some evidence to support the explanation. Whether or not you believe the physio would be that stupid or the quantities absorbed make sense is a whole other thing.
I wouldn’t believe what a
I wouldn’t believe what a tennis journalists says, they’re all in it together. In fact, they’re PR people, rather than proper journalists.
You’re never going to get any serious investigations into doping in tennis, as they don’t think there’s a problem. All swept under the carpet……
Velophaart_95 wrote:
Like all professions they are a mixed bag, but this particular journalist shared the photos. The thing about top level tennis players is that their entourage is sat on courtside and often on camera. The journalist in question is also frequently at the receiving end of grief from fans of players because he is not a cheerleader, and is frequently critical of individual players and the ATP and other authorities.
That doesn’t mean that the story is true, but it added to the plausibility of his explanation.
In answer to the question
In answer to the question “how can you negotiate a suspension”, you can because it’s written into WADA’s code that a case resolution agreement is a means of settling a doping case. WADA has the discretion to find an athlete not guilty of deliberate doping but still to have responsibility for the actions of their entourage; in this case accepting the explanation from the somewhat ironically named Sinner that his physiotherapist had used a wound dressing on his own finger that contained clostebol that had been passed on in minute amounts during a massage. Seems fair enough to me and a world away from Contador’s case in which his explanation (I must’ve eaten contaminated beef) was so unlikely (one sample of beef in the 83,000 tested in the relevant period showing contamination) as to be almsot impossible and a stack of other evidence against him (documentation from Operacion Puerto, traces of plasticisers in blood et cetera). Really not comparable. Also, there have been cases in cycling – Chris Froome most obviously – where bans have been shortened or avoided on the basis of accidental ingestion or errors on the part of support staff, so to say this couldn’t happen in cycling isn’t really true.
Lizzie Banks might disagree
Lizzie Banks might disagree
stonojnr wrote:
Well she was cleared in less than a year, terrible for her I know but actually proof that when Pineau says everyone in cycling who tests positive is written off from everything for two years without question he’s not really correct.
WADA appealed that clearance
WADA appealed that clearance decision by UKAD, they still wanted a 2 year ban and her results taken away, last I heard it was going to the Court of Arbitration for sport, that was nearly a year ago.
stonojnr wrote:
According to her Instagram she appeared at the CAS on December 18th and the outcome will be published “at the end of February” so hopefully she’ll have some positive news soon. Fingers crossed.
The problem is that Operacion
The problem is that Operacion Puerto did find some tennis players associated with Fuentes but it seemed like the Spanish and tennis authorities were not inclined to pursue this line of enquiry. To date they have never been named. On this basis, I think it’s quite right to be sceptical about tennis’s attitude to doping.
IanMK wrote:
Definitely agree with that, I don’t follow it closely but I have met a couple of friends of friends who work as conditioning coaches at Challenger Tour level who have more or less said that if the truth about doping in tennis came out it would create a scandal that would dwarf anything cycling has had, given its higher level of global popularity. Just in this case it seems from the available facts that Sinner does have a reasonable explanation as far as I can see.
Those cyclist death stats are
Those cyclist death stats are a good reminder to be very vigilant around HGVs and buses if you want to stay alive on London’s roads!
AidanR wrote:
Nice bit of victim blaming, do you know in how many of those cases the driver of the motor vehicle was found at fault? Do you have evidence that the victims were not being very vigilant? Just taking the first two victims of HGV/buses on the list, the police investigation into the death of Chiestha is still ongoing, Ada was nine years old she was hit by a bus, just four days ago bus driver was charged with causing death by careless driving whilst under the influence of drink and/or drugs. Probably her fault for not being very vigilant though?
Get off your high horse
Get off your high horse Rendel, I’m not blaming the cyclists. I’m saying that large vehicles and their drivers clearly present a significant danger to cyclists.
AidanR wrote:
Then you need to think more carefully about your phrasing, you said you need to be “very vigilant around HGVs and buses if you want to stay alive”, which implies that those who have not stayed alive were not being very vigilant.
I think most of us knew what
I think most of us knew what your meaning was. Some people are just pedant twats, try and ignore them.
Gimpl wrote:
And some people contribute literally nothing to these forums apart from turning up once every few months to make a personal attack on one particular poster with whom they seem worryingly obsessed.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Puts pedant hat on.
Where’s the evidence I come on here and attack anyone ‘every few months’? Where is my ‘obsession’? If you think I’m ‘obsessed’ with you, you think rather a lot of yourself.
Some of us actually work for a living and have lives so we don’t spend significant amounts of time spouting their views on here.
Takes pedant hat off.
Gimpl wrote:
Puts pedant hat on, I think you want to use the first person plural rather than the third in your last clause, “our” not “their”. Takes pedant hat off.
Funnily enough I also work for a living but as a freelancer I can take as many breaks as I like and I like to check in here and see what’s going on when I do. You have made a considerable number of personal attacks on me in the past, though admittedly they are less frequent now that you don’t have the backup of the little coterie of bullies who have all been banned, e.g. Martin73, Nigel in all his incarnations, Leftisforlosers and so forth. It’s okay, if that’s what lights your candle you carry on, can’t say it bothers me too much, I just find it amusing that the majority of the times you choose to comment on here it’s to make an attack on me.
Gimpl wrote:
<pedant>I don’t think ‘pedant’ means what you think it means, since there doesn’t appear to be any actual pedantry in your post.
</pedant>AidanR wrote:
Lovely, but we on this forum
Lovely, but we on this forum are not driving the HGVs, we’re riding the bikes!
I think I took your meaning .
I think I took your meaning … but also can we have both?
Yes, we’re riding the bikes (or walking) … but people reading here are almost certainly all over their own safety. But… only to the extent we can be.
Meanwhile the approach of the rest of the world (to us woke folks) seems to be “you better stay out of the way of my vehicle. I can’t even see you half the time (if I only glance, or turn my head a bit … which is the easiest way)”.
And official “safety” campaigns have effectively endorsed this view! But here’s a good analysis of this and how (contrary to the ad) these situations tends to arise in real life.
We know how to make this safer (for cyclists, for children, for … anyone). Better driving standards in general, better control over “professional drivers” (the cowboys on coke, with previous…). Then (longer term) vehicles it’s easier to actually properly see out of. Also – we need some larger vehicles in urban areas – but why are we bringing so many massive vehicles into busy urban areas anyway *?
In the (very) long run some more “protected space” for vulnerable road users is a great way to do it (here’s another example of safer “interaction” – e.g none!).
* Another thing we don’t see as a “choice” but in fact is – or has evolved with our roads. In fact some countries tend to use smaller rather than larger vehicles for all manner of things as eg. they are easier to manoeuver and trash roads less. The same even goes for emergency vehicles. We can make a choice.
Actually – look at this place where they don’t even have roads and yet get deliveries, have fire fighters…
Don’t disagree with any of
Don’t disagree with any of that.
The danger posed to cyclists by HGVs and their drivers is stark: 2% of urban traffic but 25% of urban cyclists’ deaths in the UK.
The best solution is elimination – as you say, do we really need so many HGVs?
The next best thing is separation, but as you say this is a solution for the long run.
Increasing driver training and safety standards is important and can be implemented more quickly.
However, I can’t influence any of that when I head out on my bike. But awareness of the dangers is helpful, so I know to take extra care around HGVs and buses.
AidanR wrote:
So the most productive thing we can do with this information is spread the word outside this forum, to those who do actually have significant influence over the danger from them.
Go for it
Go for it
Didn’t you say in yesterday’s
Didn’t you say in yesterday’s blog that Kwiatkowski broke Ineos’s winless streak?
tigersnapper wrote:
I was about to say that, but not quite: yesterday Kwiato ended their losing streak in all professional racing, but as it says above, Tarling has provided their first win in 18 months “at top level”; Clasica Jaen (1.1) is a second tier one day race whereas the UAE tour (2.UWT) is top tier with compulsory world tour team participation.
https://www.theguardian.com
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/18/e-scooters-blamed-for-big-jump-in-children-caught-in-uk-driving-without-insurance (Grauniad)
Josh Tarling is an excellent
Josh Tarling is an excellent prospect. Had he not punctured in the Olympic TT, he would have won at least a silver medal. A possible future senior World TT Champion.
Great to see him make a winning start to the year.