Police forced to brake as close passing van driver leaves cyclist “no escape route”, but motorists claim there was “plenty of room”; Was epic Tour de France finale best race ever?; BBC warn Laura Kenny; Aussie cyclist defects to GB + more on the live blog

In case you missed this over the weekend (think there was some sport on the telly), inspired by last week’s DIY bike modifications – or mutilations, some may argue – on the live blog, Dan decided to take a deep dive into the pros and cons of using your drops… and not hacking them off with a saw:

> Is it OK to never use the drops on your road bike? 

I think it’s pretty clear that yesterday’s Tour de France stage to Alpe d’Huez will go down as one of the most memorable, exciting, and iconic cycling has ever seen.

It’s just a pity we only got to see half of it, then.

In a theme that’s becoming all too familiar for fans of women’s cycling, even in this golden age of both racing and exposure, the live TV coverage of yesterday’s decisive, exhilarating stage only began halfway through, as the riders were already tackling the HC-rated Col du Glandon, and the first moves in the high-altitude chess had already begun.

 (A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

The long, agonising wait for the live pictures to reach our screens – don’t worry, we were still being treated to the glorious spectacle of watching paint dry and grass grow at the Vuelta – called to mind the revamped Tour Femmes’ inaugural 2022 edition, when Annemiek van Vleuten blew the field to shreds on the Petit Ballon, the first of the penultimate stage’s three mammoth climbs… and we didn’t get to see any of it.

And while Demi Vollering at least waited for the television cameras to start rolling before launching her attack through the fog on the Glandon, it’s clear that cycling fans were not happy at the mid-2000s approach to live women’s racing on the telly.

“It’s criminal not to have full coverage of the queen stage of the biggest race in women’s cycling in 2024,” wrote the Tratnikismo account on Twitter, while watching archive footage of the men racing up Alpe d’Huez as the broadcasts got underway.

“I did think it was odd the final two stages were not from flag to flag… even on a weekend too,” said Rob.

> The Tour de France Femmes’ Long and Winding Road: A brief history of the women’s Tour de France

“No disrespect for the Vuelta, but why is there TV coverage of a peloton cruising slowly on a lovely Sunday ride, while we still have to wait another 30 minutes for the Tour de France Femmes?” asked Sebastian. “The queen stage, Alpe d’Huez, Col du Glandon, SD Worx sending four riders into the attack. So annoying.”

“To not have full coverage of stage 8 is genuinely a disgrace. I would rather watch the break formation of this stage than the Pologne final,” added Kristoffer, who apparently isn’t a massive fan of the Tour of Poland.

Meanwhile, Eurosport commentator José Been put it all in perspective: “The fact this is causing an outrage (and rightly so) shows how far we have come in women’s cycling.”

Good point. Now we just need proper coverage of the big stages at least and we’re sorted.

Turns out we weren’t the only ones caught off-guard by Matt Richardson’s post-Olympics switch to Team GB, after sprinting to two silvers and a bronze in Paris – it caught Australian Cycling on the hop too, apparently.

In a statement released this morning, AusCycling’s performance manager Jesse Korf said it was disappointing that the 25-year-old British-born rider is set would be leave a programme which guided him to his current position as one of the fastest sprinters in the world.

“The announcement of Matt’s switch is disappointing and came as a surprise. We also understand that the desire to compete for a country one was born in can bring forth strong emotions,” Korf said.

“Matt has been an integral part of our sprint programme in the last five years, enjoying many successes on the track across two Olympic Games, a Commonwealth Games, multiple UCI Track World Championships campaigns, and several UCI Track Nations Cup and World Cup seasons.

“Our Performance programme has made massive leaps in terms of culture and performance in recent years which is a testament to all athletes, coaches, and staff – Matt included.

“The men’s sprint programme is currently one of our deepest and exciting talent pools with strong programmes across the country with the support of state and territory institute and academies of sport. We have many talented riders that now will see increased opportunity as we set our sights on LA 2028 as a stepping stone towards Brisbane 2032.”

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

For his part, Richardson thanked all those who’ve coached and supported him throughout his cycling career down under, including a “special mention to Midland Cycle Club, WAIS [Western Australia Institute of Sport], and AusCycling, with personal thanks to the two biggest coaching influences in my career – Clay Worthington and Matt Crampton”.

He continued: “I want to say a huge thank you to my teammates for everything we’ve been through together. You’ve been there for the highs and the lows, and I’m so grateful for all the support, laughter, and hard work we’ve shared.

“I hope you can understand and support me as I continue to give my best in the sport I love.”

It may be transfer announcement season on the road (Wout Poels to Astana being the latest move for you contract watchers), but this morning’s news of Olympic-themed switching took us by surprise, I’ll admit.

One of the best track sprinters in the world, Matt Richardson, has confirmed this morning that he will be joining the Great Britain Cycling Team from next month, after his application to switch nationality from Australia was accepted by the UCI.

Born in Maidstone, Kent, Richardson moved with his family to Western Australia when he was nine, maintaining dual citizenship in the process.

Since beginning to compete for Australia as a junior, Richardson has gone on to establish himself as one of the fastest men in the world, winning a world title in the team sprint in 2022, along with two Commonwealth golds that same year, before winning silver in both the sprint and the keirin, along with a bronze in the team sprint, at this year’s Olympic Games in Paris.

However, despite his success in the green and gold, the 25-year-old believes the time is now right for him to move back to the UK permanently, and join up with Jason Kenny’s sprint team in Manchester.

(Alex Broadway/SWpix.com)

“I have made the decision to pack up my entire life and move halfway across the world to begin the next chapter in my cycling career. It is with a sense of excitement and renewal I announce I have joined the Great British Cycling Team,” Richardson said in a statement today.

“Switching nationality was a difficult decision, and not one I took lightly. It was a personal choice, made after careful consideration of my career and future. I deeply respect Australia and the Aus Cycling Team and it will always be a part of who I am. As this new chapter in my life begins, I would like to sincerely thank the coaches and support staff who have worked with me over many years in Australia. 

“But this decision is about following my passion and pushing myself to new heights. This isn’t about leaving something behind, but about embracing a new chapter in my journey and chasing a dream, a dream that is to race for the county which I was born in.”

According to the UCI’s regulations, Richardson’s move means he will be forced to sit out this year’s world track championships and the 2025 European champs, but is free to represent Team GB immediately at all other events.

Things are already starting to look interesting for 2028…

> “Some people just don’t care”: Pro cyclist slams “drunk fan” for causing chaotic Vuelta a España crash

I imagine the Portuguese spectator counted himself lucky that Vacek didn’t go the full Miguel Ángel López on him after the crash. I suppose there are three more weeks of idiots running alongside riders on climbs for that to happen yet…

Yep, apparently there was another grand tour on yesterday – who knew?

And while we were all being treated to the closest Tour de France finish of all time, the Vuelta a España peloton was enjoying a nice slow Sunday spin through Portugal, followed by a typically frenetic final few kilometres – and a bad crash for Josh Tarling and Max Poole – which saw Kaden Groves start where he left off at last year’s Vuelta by winning the tough uphill sprint in Ourém.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Meanwhile, after adding to his by now bulging collection of second places, Wout van Aert is in red for today’s final full day in Portugal, which sees the peloton face a lumpy enough course to Castelo Branco, where Groves will be hoping to make it two from two at the Vuelta’s admittedly very limited array of bunch kicks this year.

(And in doing so, defy the expectations of one unnamed live blog commenter, who last week reckoned the Aussie sprinter’s chances wouldn’t match his tally of three wins from last year, thanks to the limited opportunities on offer throughout the 2024 route. The lesson here is to never underestimate the Vuelta’s ability to loosely define the word ‘hilly’…)

SD Worx’s team tactics may be under the microscope after they let this year’s Tour de France Femmes slip through their fingers, but there’s no denying the sublime perfection that was this jacket handover at the top of the Col du Glandon between the attacking Demi Vollering and her teammate Barbara Guarischi, who stepped into a super-soigneur role after DNFing the previous day:

SD Worx will be rightly getting a lot of slack for allowing this Tour de France Femmes GC to slip away but @baby_guarischi certainly showed plenty of teamwork effort stepping up to do this jacket hand-off perfectly!#TDFF2024 pic.twitter.com/CDbkJZ1XDj

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) August 18, 2024

Now that’s what I call slick. No ‘Marco Pantani stopping at the top of the Galibier to put his jacket on during a long-range attack’ about Demi Vollering, I’ll tell you that much. She barely even slowed down…

Before we move away from the Tour Femmes and onto the relaxed pace and late summer vibes of the Vuelta, let’s take a moment to applaud Yanina Kuskova, who finished 47th overall at her debut Tour de France – despite being the sole remaining member of her Tashkent City team for the final four stages, after all her teammates had pulled out before the end of Wednesday’s rainy stage to Liège.

That’s over half the race.

(A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

And while there’s been plenty of criticism of Tashkent City’s presence at this year’s Tour, Uzbekistan’s national road race champion Kuskova more than held her own on the sport’s biggest stage – and the 22-year-old even finished higher on GC than any member of the WorldTour Roland and Human Powered Health outfits.

Fair play.

And luckily for Kuskova, she survived the fate of Bjarne Riis, who was the last rider left standing in his Lucas team at the 1987 Vuelta a España, ploughing on for several stages alone – until finally he was forced to pull out with illness, something the big Dane later alleged in his autobiography was down to his own team staff poisoning him, so they could pack up and go home.

> Nine-year sentence for “drunken idiot” drug-driver who told passengers “cyclists should not be on the road” moments before overtaking group ride, hitting and killing cycling club chairman

On Friday night, the Isle of Man’s most famous sporting son made a glorious return, as part of a homecoming party to celebrate his record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win.

Accompanied by around 100 children on bikes, Mark Cavendish rode a few celebratory laps of the raceway at the island’s National Sports Centre in Douglas, where the Manx Missile first started racing himself as a child, and which is set to be named in his honour next year.

“To have the kids riding with me was really special. I remember how I’d have felt to ride with a professional, so that was really, really nice to do that,” Cav told ITV at the event, which was originally scheduled for Thursday but pushed back due to the typically inclement Manx weather.

“It was beautiful, it was really nice, a wall of noise the whole way round the race circuit and it makes me proud that I get to call this home,” the 39-year-old added on the BBC.

Cavendish also described the decision to name the track after him as “special” and “an honour”.

“Not just myself but so many bike riders over the years long before I rode here have used this as a training ground, as a platform to start what they do,” he said.

“And to be able to know it’s not just the place that I started but the place where my name will continue, it’s pretty special and I’m massively honoured for that recognition.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney)

‘Bit weird that oversized polka dot T-shirts with a massive supermarket logo on them are trending, but okay…’

More post-Olympics chatter this morning, and a bit of a weird one at that too, as the Telegraph has reported that Dame Laura Kenny was “spoken to” by the BBC for appearing to promote luxury brands that she wore while working as a pundit during the broadcaster’s coverage of the Paris Games.

Britain’s most successful female Olympian, Kenny announced her retirement from racing in March and enjoyed a successful punditry stint in Paris, earning widespread plaudits for her in-depth analysis and refreshing, positive take on the sport.

Kenny interviews her apparently hilarious husband Jason for the BBC in the track centre in Paris (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

However, the big bosses at the Beeb have apparently had a word with Kenny after she mentioned a number of fashion brands in social media posts during the Games, and appeared on air wearing a £2,000 watch by Breitling, a brand she currently represents as an ambassador.

Kenny also posted several photos of herself which tagged fashion brand Reiss, although apparently she has no formal or commercial links with the company.

According to the Telegraph, the BBC has reminded the five-time Olympic gold medallist of its rules around promoting products on air, with Kenny removing the brands from her social media posts.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Dame Laura Kenny (@laurakenny31)

“No on-air talent should promote products, goods, services or clothing they use on air,” the BBC rules state.

“On-air talent, in any genre, engaged by the BBC must not accept clothing or products free, or at considerably reduced cost, in exchange for wearing or using them on air. Nor should they appear on air wearing clothes or using products, goods or services which they have agreed, or been contracted, to promote or in which they have any financial interest.”

Though I wonder what the Beeb will say when Kenny rocks up to her next punditry gig with a few fajita kits under her arm…

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Dame Laura Kenny (@laurakenny31)

‘That sprint was a bit spicy, just like my limited edition Team GB Old El Paso Smoky BBQ packs…’

Flawless, Laura, flawless.

Ah, stop tempting me, please, I’m trying to make it through 2024 without buying a new bike…

> Bike edition! Five cool bikes coming soon from Pinarello, Ribble, Cervélo, Orro and Mason Cycles

It was only a matter of time.

Wout van Aert has endured a rough few months since his classics campaign-ending crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen in March.

But after almost six months since his last win at Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne, and two consecutive podium places that put him in the Vuelta’s red jersey, Van Aert finally managed to raise his arms in the air (and flap them like a bird) in Castelo Branco, as the Visma-Lease a Bike all-rounder powered past Kaden Groves on the drag to the line for an impressive, redemptive win.

“ABSOLUTE CLASS!” 🔥

Wout van Aert gets his win as he takes Stage 3 at La Vuelta! 👏 pic.twitter.com/5Ve4xT2ISl

— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 19, 2024

At the end of another somewhat sleepy day at the Vuelta, Alpecin-Deceuninck took charge in the closing kilometres, hoping to see up Groves for his second win in as many days.

However, a perfectly timed Victor Campenaerts attack on a slight rise in the final two kilometres put the cat among the Alpecin pigeons – the Belgian may have been brought back under the flamme rouge, but Grove’s lead-out resources were suddenly depleted in the chase.

And it was Van Aert who took full advantage, bursting away on the steady drag to the finish, and gently closing the door on an indecisive and slightly boxed-in Groves in the process, to secure the tenth grand tour stage win of his career, and in the red jersey to boot.

And after six months of frustration, recovery, and near misses, the Belgian superstar will certainly be relieved to chalk a Vuelta victory off the list before he hands over the leader’s jersey in the mountains tomorrow.

Alright, LeMond, Fignon, aero bars, the Champs-Élysées, 1989, eight seconds, and all that. It was a good run, but your time at the top is finally over.

Because yesterday afternoon, on the 21 hairpins that make up cycling’s most legendary climb, Alpe d’Huez, we witnessed the most tense, exciting, unpredictable, and closely fought Tour de France finale in the sport’s history.

Four seconds. That was all that separated a fighting, battling, desperate Kasia Niewiadoma from a career-defining triumph and devastating defeat.

The 61 seconds that ticked by between stage winner and defending champion Demi Vollering crossing the line and the yellow jersey’s final, long agonising sprint felt like an eternity – the handful of seconds after Évita Muzic had passed Niewiadoma, taking away those potentially vital bonus seconds, even more so.

The realisation on the face of Niewiadoma – who admitted afterwards that she had a horrible time on both the Alpe and the preceding Col du Glandon, convinced another breakthrough victory was falling through her fingertips – when she learnt that the yellow jersey was hers to keep will surely go down as one of the Tour de France’s most iconic images.

(A.S.O./Charly Lopez)

As the old saying goes, the Tour is won on the Alpe. Never was that adage, one applied to race-winning moments by the likes of Lance Armstrong and Carlos Sastre, truer than it was yesterday evening.

Of course, the drama of the final stage of the 2024 Tour de France Femmes wasn’t confined to that deceptively long finishing straight, or even Alpe d’Huez for that matter.

When Demi Vollering – who started the day 1.15 behind on GC – accelerated through the fog on the steepest section of the Col du Glandon with 53 kilometres remaining, in the company of Pauliena Rooijakkers, yellow jersey Niewiadoma dispatched quickly, the gap increasing with every pedal stroke, the stage was set.

And the actors knew their roles perfectly.

(A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

Vollering: the consummate, imperious stage racer, the finest of her generation, seeking to simply ride away from the rest and regain what she believed was rightfully hers.

Niewiadoma: the impetuous, popular attacker, the fighter, and nearly woman of the peloton, suddenly vaulted into a desperate defending job.

And Rooijakkers: the wildcard, the pure climber, sitting two seconds ahead of Vollering on GC, waiting to pounce to shock us all.

After a breakneck descent, the gap stabilises at 1.15 – at one point Vollering, Rooijakkers, and Niewiadoma are all basically level on the virtual GC – then falls (thanks to Lidl-Trek’s Lucinda Brand pulling for Gaia Realini in the valley), then stabilises again.

(A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

Meanwhile, the long road to Alpe d’Huez was characterised by tension in both groups, as Vollering became visibly frustrated at both Rooijakkers’ sometimes reluctant assistance and that her own usual dominance in the mountains was being curtailed by the dogged determination of Kasia Niewiadoma.

That dynamic continued on the Alpe: Vollering, a picture of concentration through her clear lenses, ploughing on, Rooijakkers a constant, dangerous presence on her wheel. Niewiadoma in time trial mode, showcasing all the stubborn resilience she’s become famous for.

By the final, shallower kilometre of the Alpe, the pendulum had swung back in the yellow jersey’s favour. At the top, it was just, just enough. After eight stages through the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, the top two of the Tour de France were separated by just four seconds, the final podium of Niewiadoma, a devastated Vollering, and Rooijakkers by just ten.

(A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

“When Demi attacked it was terrible because the climb was so hard and I could feel like I was losing my legs then,” an emotional Niewiadoma said at the finish.

“I had to stay patient and keep my pace on descent. And  got my power back and I knew that I just had to push my best on my final ascent. I believe you always have to keep pushing and trying hard, even if things don’t go your way.

“There are weeks when things are perfect. Besides putting in a lot of hard work, the stars have to align. We wrote history this week and I am so proud to be on the top step.”

“It was nail biting. We thought we lost it, then we thought we had it, then we lost it then we thought we had it,” Niewiadoma’s Canyon-Sram boss Ronny Lauke said.

“Oh, my goodness, that was unbelievable. I think in any sport, I’ve never been through such an emotional rollercoaster.”

 (A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

Of course, the major plot device of this year’s Tour de France Femmes, which acted as Chekhov’s Gun for the drama that unfolded in the Alps yesterday, was Demi Vollering’s crash in the final six kilometres of stage five.

Vollering, then in a yellow jersey ripped and tattered by her high-speed fall, was left almost completely isolated by her SD Worx teammates as Niewiadoma pressed on ahead, the Dutch star extracting a brief turn from Mischa Bredewold, as Blanka Vas won the stage, her team leader losing 1.47 to new race leader Niewiadoma.

The debate around SD Worx’s curious tactics during Vollering’s lonely chase was exacerbated further when Lorena Wiebes, who sprinted for eighth place despite knowing her team’s yellow jersey hope had hit the deck, nonchalantly claimed that Vollering would easily claw back the time lost once the race reached the high mountains – a prediction cast asunder by Niewiadoma’s dogged brilliance.

Did SD Worx’s failure to rally around Vollering – who’s set to depart the team for FDJ Suez next year – cost them a second Tour de France title in a row?

 (A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

For many cycling fans, it didn’t matter.

“If, if, if… Let’s just celebrate one of the most thrilling days the sport has seen in a long while,” cycling writer Peter Cossins tweeted yesterday.

“The best finish in the history of Grand Tour racing without a doubt. Absolutely phenomenal.”

Amen to that. Sorry Greg…

If you’re going to close pass a cyclist and force an oncoming driver to brake to avoid a collision – though we’d prefer it if you refrained from doing that at all – it’s probably best that you don’t do it while a police officer is driving in the opposite lane.

Over the weekend, Staffordshire Police’s roads policing unit tweeted the following picture of a van driver leaving a person on a bike very little room and with “no escape route”, just as they were approaching on the A460:

Talk about bang to rights.

“Travelling down the A460 between The Rugeley and Cannock when this van driver decided to conduct a close pass overtake of this cyclist,” the force said.

“Causing us to brake and leaving the cyclist no escape route. Driver stopped and reported for careless driving.”

The quick response prompted some (qualified) praise from cyclists on social media, with Richie writing: “Good that you took action. This is commonplace though in Staffs, largely because from experience no action is taken when video footage is submitted by cyclists. I don’t bother reporting any more as it’s proven to be a waste of time.”

“Sorry to hear that,” the unit responded. “We will always prosecute poor driving such as this if we see it.”

> Near Miss of the Day 915: Cyclist slams on brakes to avoid driver who ignored him and turned across… but says “no point in reporting” due to Police Scotland’s lack of online close pass portal

However, since this is Elon Musk’s deranged cesspit of dangerous opinions we’re talking about, there were also quite a few, ahem, interesting rebuttals from some blue check drivers.

“What are you driving, a house?” asked Alex. “There’s plenty of room for everyone by the looks of things.”

Probably best to look again, Alex.

“Utter crap,” added Harry, which remarkably wasn’t a preface for the following take on the close pass. “There is ample room between the van and the cyclist; also the van (if you go by their wing mirror) is only about 12-18 inches in your lane. Is your depth perception really that bad that you somehow can’t negotiate this? I always thought police drivers were trained…”

Fortunately, others weren’t as dismissive of the cyclist’s safety.

“Thanks for your action,” said Ant. “You can see from other comments just how challenging it is to cycle. Please keep prosecuting dangerous drivers, don’t send letters, waste of time.”