Exasperated Nils Politt snaps chain, suffers comical roadside bike fit with THREE neutral service bikes; “There’s no need for that”: Cav weighs in on Philipsen blocking; Sex toy cycle lane; Stage 19; Ashes fever hits the peloton + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Cyclists amused to find sex toy among "newly revealed items of car window detritus" after overgrown cycle lane finally gets cut
Welcome to the Pleasure(velo)drome… that needs some work, admittedly…
The good people of Wilford and Ruddington have undergone a long-running campaign to get this bike path more regularly cut by the council, the overgrown greenery often spilling out into the cycle route, narrowing access and pushing riders closer to the road.
Thankfully, the repeat attempts to get the powers that be to listen have been successful, one local rider reporting the path has now been added to the ‘urban programme’ of maintenance, meaning it will get four or five cuts a year rather than the one or two it used to get.
The first of those cuts was done, revealing… well… this…
Those CO2 inflators are getting quite high-tech, aren’t they?
The road.cc reader who forwarded us the details of this amusing addition to the route speculated it could be the next ‘Wanksy’, the community-spirited artist spraying penis paintings around potholes to get the council to fix them sooner.
“Interesting twist on the saga of neglected bike paths,” Julian told us. “This could be the female version of the aforementioned geezer…”
Notts People on Bikes, a group promoting cycling in the area, commendably swerved any immaturity you might find on such websites as this… commenting only that it shows “if you keep campaigning on and on… then eventually, even some simple, low-cost/no-brainer good stuff might get done for those who want to travel actively.”
Specialized Tarmac SL8 LEAKED with new pictures
Ashes fever hits the Tour de France peloton
Little fact for @PhilWest13 during todays stage of @LeTour….thanks for the fact @BumbleCricket! Sorry about me 😂 @TDSM_Firmenich @lancscricket pic.twitter.com/BSzwkbP7dK
— Matt Winston (@Mattw1nston) July 20, 2023
DSM, whose directeur sportifs are quite clearly supporting the home team but whose Tour squad includes four Aussies (Sam Welsford, Chris Hamilton, Matthew Dinham and Alex Edmondson), have clearly had plenty to talk about on the bus this July.
So much in fact, yesterday John Degenkolb was complaining he’s now getting cricket ads popping up during his browsing…
QOTD “there is so much cricket chat on this bus between the brit’s & aussies i now get cricket adverts in my feed” @johndegenkolb 🇩🇪 whose sitting drinking his Yorkshire tea…with Milk
— Matt Winston (@Mattw1nston) July 20, 2023
No need to tell you who was very quiet on the team bus last night… there were four of them and they’re praying for rain this weekend…
UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar to appear on second season of Netflix's Tour de France Unchained
Rendez-vous pris avec Tadej Pogacar pour la saison 2 de Tour de France : Au cœur du peloton ! pic.twitter.com/xf5jPCNaZ4
— Netflix France (@NetflixFR) July 21, 2023
BUT… as reported by GCN’s Daniel Benson, “all inside the team footage will be supplied by the team. They will grant Netflix interviews but this is not the level of access that others teams give.”
So maybe not quite the all-access behind-the-scenes look at stage 17 we were all hoping for…
Dave Walker's latest cartoon: "I love the Tour de France, but questions needed to be asked about some of the sponsors"
I love the Tour de France, but questions needed to be asked about some of the sponsors.
(Image funded by my Diagram Club https://t.co/kuFoBdbmdK) pic.twitter.com/SSZLueDq4c— Dave Walker (@davewalker) July 20, 2023
Perfectly timed Tour de France departure sees Wout van Aert home in time to see the birth of his child
This time yesterday we were reading about Wout leaving the Tour to be with his pregnant wife ahead of the imminent birth of their second child. 24 hours on…
JEROME.
plus d’amour. 🤍 20/07/23. pic.twitter.com/WoBhZXqQZf— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) July 21, 2023
Tour de France-winning yellow bikes — the celebratory winners' bikes from 2010-present rated
> Tour de France-winning yellow bikes — the celebratory winners’ bikes from 2010-present rated
Today at the Tour: Another round of breakaway or sprint on stage 19
Mathieu van der Poel summed today’s stage up quite nicely…
💬 Can you tell us what will happen today?
💬 Pouvez-vous nous dire ce qui va se passer aujourd’hui ?
Thanks @mathieuvdpoel 😂#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/zykfIYbSCD
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2023
Let’s hope Simon has more of an idea, as we head over for the next of his daily previews…
Another one that should, in theory, end in a bunch finish, but subject to the same caveats that applied yesterday. We’re back in the Jura today, but the two categorised climbs, the second of which has its summit 29.1km from the finish town, shouldn’t prove too taxing for the legs of the fastest men in the peloton.
A finishing straight that is around 8km in length also plays into the hands of the chasers – psychologically, it’s easier to chase down a break when it is within line of sight, and the absence of twists and turns late on, more easily negotiated by individual riders or a small group rather than the peloton, also favours the sprinters who today have their last chance of success before Paris.
Back to Dan for his big prediction of the day: Tiesj Benoot, Matteo Trentin, Julian Alaphilippe, Jack Haig, Mads Pedersen, Georg Zimmermann, Warren Barguil and Victor Campenaerts will go in the break and have a lead of around one-minute with 80km to go.
What? You mean that’s how it’s unfolded exactly? Wow, must be my day…
"There's no need for that": Mark Cavendish weighs in on Jasper Philipsen blocking incident
Mark Cavendish appeared on Geraint Thomas’ Watts Occurring podcast last night to discuss all things Tour de France exit and stage 18. No word on the Manx Missile’s plans for 2024, before you ask.
Cav and G did discuss yesterday’s big talking point — Jasper Philipsen’s blocking of Pascal Eenkhoorn that prompted “bullying” accusations from those watching on…
Philipsen should be deducted 300 sprint points for that attempt at bullying #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/OvkK0dXkBo
— John Maguire 🇺🇦 (@velo_bristol) July 20, 2023
Cav commented: “Honestly I think blocking the road, you know when a team get pissed at a road being blocked… it’s fucking hard to get your whole team to the front, that is a big commitment to do that, we do that many times… so I don’t see anything wrong with blocking the road but yeah there’s no need for that.
“”There are things that are dangerous and things that are needless, if that makes sense. A lot of the time those things are intertwined. There’s also a difference between someone who watches cycling and someone who cycles.”
G added: “He could have sat on him, it was a little much but. It’s not bad, but he squeezes him, tries to stop him from going. Everyone does it, but not necessarily the leader… it just doesn’t look great does it?”
The pair also discussed how Cavendish has been “loving” watching the Tour as a fan, something he’s never done when he crashed out previously, as well as his dislike for the new Champs-Élysées finish…
“I don’t get it… Since they changed the finish from 300m to 700m… it’s just a boulevard sprint now.”
G asked: “You don’t like it as much now?”
“No.”
And of course the episode wouldn’t be complete without a talk about THAT Rome lead-out…
“It’s not a f*cking restaurant – you can’t make a reservation of where to sit in the peloton!”
We got the inside story of that Giro leadout in the new pod 🤣 @GeraintThomas86 @MarkCavendish pic.twitter.com/ppqGIiY1qd
— Watts Occurring (@Watts_Occurring) July 21, 2023
And while we’re no closer to knowing if this year’s Tour really was the last time we’ll see Cavendish at the race, G finished the podcast by saying they’ll have to do another once Cav is retired and doesn’t mind “pissing a few people off”.
A few moments later the Astana sprinter said he’d like to go to Glasgow to watch the World Championships, but “this [injury rehab] takes precedent, getting fit”… getting fit for what? That’s the question…
Campaigners hit out at plans for non-protected cycle lanes on part of Kensington High Street
> Campaigners hit out at plans for non-protected cycle lanes on part of Kensington High Street
10km to go
This one’s in the balance. What a stage though…
Ten kilometers remaining at the #TDF2023.
Allez, @k_asgreen!
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/JJPcMUYG67
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 21, 2023
Two in a row? Matej Mohorič and Ben O’Connor are with Asgreen, 26 seconds ahead of the group with Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, Christophe Laporte, Tom Pidcock, Mads Pedersen, Alberto Bettiol and a few others…
Matej Mohorič wins stage 19 of the Tour de France after photo finish
I was in the Sean Kelly camp there, I thought Kasper Asgreen had done enough for a second stage win in as many days. The Dane was ahead in the metres before the line and looked to be ahead in the metres after the line. What matters, of course, is only who’s ahead on the line, something Matej Mohorič claimed with a perfectly timed bike throw.
Photo finish after a classic breakaway stage 🔥
Matej Mohorič wins it by a wheel rim on the lunge 🇸🇮#TDF2023 #ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/ZcLMN0ZmzW
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) July 21, 2023
A third win of the race for Bahrain Victorious after Pello Bilbao and Wout Poels’ success, a fitting tribute as the team continues to ride for Gino…
🥹Winning on the Tour de France never gets old
🥹Gagner sur le Tour de France, ça n’a pas de prix #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/VhgnFzzpsD
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 21, 2023
The stage had an average speed of 49km/h, one of those rapid breakaway days that turns into a one-day classic at the front. A one-day classic where everyone is already on their knees and absolutely shattered before they get off the team bus. In the end it all came down to one action, a pair of bike throws, who could get their front wheel in front…
"I just can't believe it! F****** hell... that was one of the hardest days on the bike of my life... f****** horrendous!": Fred Wright's post-stage debrief
How good has this Tour de France been for fatigued riders delivering brilliant expletive-laden interviews? First Tadej’s “I’m f*****” debrief, now Fred Wright’s lyricism…
“I just can’t believe it! F****** hell… that was one of the hardest days on the bike of my life… f****** horrendous!” he told GCN’s Matt Stephens. “I just can’t believe he’s won it. I could just hear the gap, I knew with that tailwind, if they’ve just got 20 seconds that group behind aren’t going to make it… what a day!
“I basically exploded and was like my day’s done, suffering like nothing else. Then in the sprint Philipsen and a few guys went up the road and it’s like ‘hold on, we’re on again’… I made it! Couldn’t believe I’d made it… I just didn’t have the legs, did a few turns, trying to close a few things for Matej and then I was finished.”
We’re all for this new style of interview, to be honest. Long may it f****** continue…
No f-bombs... but still another superb post-stage interview from Matej Mohorič
“Not just for myself, but for 𝙂𝙞𝙣𝙤, and the team.”
Incredible interview from Stage 19 winner Matej Mohoric, on finding a way to keep going and get across the line ❤️@matmohoric | @BHRVictorious | #TdF2023 pic.twitter.com/rEYjN6k2kq
— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 21, 2023
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— Lifeplus – Wahoo (@LifeplusWahoo) July 21, 2023
Who doesn’t love a freebie?
Exasperated Nils Politt snaps chain, suffers comical roadside bike fit with THREE neutral service bikes
Bike fits are very ‘in’ at the minute, however admittedly few bike fitters recommend undegoing your appointment at the roadside during the Tour de France, with a raging peloton one minute behind you… cue chaos…
𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗹𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁! 😲
A broken chain enables the peloton to overtake the Bora–Hansgrohe rider as he struggles to find a bike from the neutral car and is forced to wait for the team car 💥🔗#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/LyuqydDqb1
— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 21, 2023
As much as it’s Politt we should feel sorry for, I can’t help but feel a bit bad for the poor neutral service lad. Then again if you’re sat behind the break at the Tour offering mechanical support you should probably know what pedal system each team uses… oh, and that a small frame won’t fit a 192cm tall rider…
For anyone wondering, with the gap between the breakaway and the peloton at just one minute there would have been no team cars behind the riders up the road, hence the neutral support.
> What the hell is neutral service at the Tour de France?
That’s a question Nils may well be asking himself tonight…
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Latest Comments
@mdavidford using a "Bath cap", you mean?
For a moment there I thought that said Silca were going retro and bringing back omerta...
Would they have been able to finish that bit properly if they hadn't lopped a couple of grand off the budget to get it under £500k?
@chrisonabike "The countryside is difficult when it comes to transport choices. " You're not wrong. "Recreational cyclists – as evidenced by the folks on here – will likely cycle anyways, probably even if it was banned!" Twice.
@Rendel Harris whoa there son, put away that tinfoil hat. The Telegraph (a trusted broadsheet since 1855) was merely quoting home office figures, which shows knife crime rising steadily under Khan, even after 2019. By the way, on the off chance you're out tonight, make sure you keep your back to the wall on the way home? There's a good chap, despite our differences I'd hate for anything bad to happen to you.
@Nigel Garage Is that the Telegraph that has the same obsessive hatred of Lord Khan as yourself, doubtless for the same reasons (brown, Muslim, left wing, popular, successful, caned the Tories three elections in a row)? The Telegraph that in 2024 claimed London gun crime had risen 2,500% in a year when in fact it had risen by 1%? If the Telegraph says it's Monday I check my watch to see if it's true. Knife crime offences have risen under Khan, by about 50%, from 9,086 offences in 2016 to 13,850 in 2025. What the Telegraph doubtless failed to mention is that a large part of this increase is due to stricter knife laws having been brought in in 2019, so that many offences that previously wouldn't have been recorded as knife crime now are. They doubtless inadvertently failed to mention that the number of under-25s injured by knives has fallen 25% since 2016, and the overall number of hospital attendances for knife crime has fallen 50% in the same period. Probably also didn't mention that homicides have fallen to the lowest level since records began in 1990, despite the population rising by more than two million people over that period. One imagines they also failed to mention that the Tory governments from 2010 to 2024 slashed over a billion pounds from the Metropolitan Police Service budget? Thought so. "Just this evening it was reported that legendary comedian Paul Whitehouse was the victim of an attempted mugging in Islington while using a cash machine, it’s completely out of control." In 1995 I was mugged at knifepoint in Bath, does that mean knife crime in Bath was completely out of control then?
@Backladder Do locals never drive to Thornhill for the cafe, community centre, school, vets etc.? Yes, this is "proper countryside" and maybe most people simply drive the fair ways to the big town (Dumfries!). The countryside is difficult when it comes to transport choices. I do know that in many places where it's made less unattractive people do choose the car less often. I'm not convinced more than a couple of the locals would walk on that road. Kids and older people cycling there seem rather unlikely also. But maybe they're hardy folk? Recreational cyclists - as evidenced by the folks on here - will likely cycle anyways, probably even if it was banned!
@jackcycles I can hear the Pub Landlord - "I'm sick of all those cells going to foreigners! I want to see Great British bike thieves in Great British prisons!" Given Mr.Farage has made a big thing about security while simultaneously refusing the offer of it * ... ... I'm guessing he'll be for blaming his pet hates for "an epidemic" of bike theft. Then refusing to use the police budget to tackle cycle crime, taking a millions from some dodgy donor "to fix crime", after which he'll refuse to answer any questions about what it was spent on **... * Apparently because it wasn't commensurate with his ego - sorry, his public profile - because "I'm bigger than the leader of the opposition!" ** AFAIK the latest explanation for the donations is "none of your business". Looking forward to the next report of eg. a judge receiving a large "personal gift, no strings attached" from the mob and offering the same explanation!
New Northwave winter boots, in Snow White? Don't they realise how filthy our roads are in winter?? Silca Omata, lovely retro computer, but about £400 too expensive.
@Eton Rifle you're walking around blind without a stick. Violent crime is up massively under Khan, and recently people don't even bother reporting it any more.... What's the point? It's been deprioritised in favour of policing twitter. Just this evening it was reported that legendary comedian Paul Whitehouse was the victim of an attempted mugging in Islington while using a cash machine, it's completely out of control. I'm sure that Khan does get threats from nutters, but my point was that so does Farage, and he doesn't get the same level of publicly funded protection despite having a higher profile. So it's completely below the belt to allege some kind of wrongdoing in funding his own. Per telegraph: "Crime has soared in London in recent years. There were nearly 100,000 thefts or attempted thefts in the capital in 2025, compared with about 45,000 in 2019, Home Office data show. During Sir Sadiq Khan’s tenure as Mayor, knife crime has increased by nearly 72 per cent, sexual offences are 63.2 per cent higher and “theft from the person” – which covers theft and attempts to take items directly from a victim – has more than tripled to nearly 100,000 incidents."
32 thoughts on “Exasperated Nils Politt snaps chain, suffers comical roadside bike fit with THREE neutral service bikes; “There’s no need for that”: Cav weighs in on Philipsen blocking; Sex toy cycle lane; Stage 19; Ashes fever hits the peloton + more on the live blog”
That isn’t a sex toy, it’s
That isn’t a sex toy, it’s the front grille badge off an Audi.
That would be much bigger and
That would be much bigger and more phallic.
I believe you are thinking of
I believe you are thinking of the Q designation models.
Is that the new micro
Is that the new micro replacement for a Fauza drive?
Do I dare wonder what size the range extender is … ?
When did the kg C02 saved get
When did the kg C02 saved get added to Strava ride data? just noticed it from my commute in this morning? strava update page appeared to be down when I looked.
Good question – I must admit
Good question – I must admit I don’t look at it in much detail usually, but interesting to see it there, not sure how they are calculating it though. If they are comparing to driving, it appears to be overstating it a tad – mine works out at 215gCO2/km, whereas my car is actually rated at 120.
I would guess it is based on
I would guess it is based on the average american car’s CO2 production and seeing as the average american car is a commercial vehicle which wouldn’t fit on british roads and runs on whole chunks of coal that sounds about right.
yeah, I wonder what base they
yeah, I wonder what base they’re using for the calc. my car is rated at 114g/km and my ride averages 216g/km. Including the embodied carbon of producing the car seems a step further than neccessary…
I’d seen mention of this
I’d seen mention of this elsewhere, but I don’t seem to have it yet. It wouldn’t be very accurate for my commute, as I’d be on a train rather than driving if I wasn’t cycling.
They clearly don’t take into
They clearly don’t take into account my monstrous digestive system emissions!
I drive a Tesla so my gCO2/km
I drive a Tesla so my gCO2/km are someone elses problem /sarcasm
Mine works out to almost
Mine works out to almost exactly 25 miles per US gallon, or 30 miles per UK gallon. That’s actually pretty close to what I get if I do drive my commute, about 27-28 miles per US gallon.
So next time one shouts
So next time one shouts “Wanker!” at a car driver, could be spot on…
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/23125791/kings-guard-brakes-protocol-photo/
Sorry – it’s in the Sun, but it’s Cycling Mikey (there was a photo)
If the average sun reader
If the average sun reader connected “patriotic carer for people with downs syndrome Mike” with “evil car hating bastard who is out to ruin good law breaking driver’s lives Mike” in their minds their brains would probably explode…
You should have seen* some of
You should have seen* some of the disgusting comments on twitter. CM needs very thick skin and supporting comments.
Then you get nutters who insist it is not him in the photo!
* actually best not seen. What a cesspit it can be in there.
There were several who,
There were several who, apparently seriously, claimed CM had deepfaked himself onto someone else’s video “to make himself look better when he goes to court.”
I’d seen this story, but
I’d seen this story, but missed that it was Mikey.
Of course you all already
Of course you all already have a GCN sub with which to watch the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, but maybe some of your friends would like one of the free 10,000 8 day passes Lifeplus Wahoo are giving away to watch it, since it wont be free to air coverage
https://lifepluswahoo.com/embraceeverymoment
Laterally stiff, vertically
Laterally stiff, vertically compliant.
Handles vibrations well.
Performs well in the wet.
Performs well in the wet.
For safety pair with Schwalbe
For safety pair with Schwalbe Marathons – thicker so longer lasting and no worries about leaks. Albeit a little tricky to slip on in a hurry.
At first I thought it might
At first I thought it might be a 1x device, but it’s definitely a 2x setup – caters for big and small ring !
Great news for Wout and his
Great news for Wout and his family, his exit from the Tour was as well planned as any breakaway.
On a less pleasant note he should be careful publishing photographs with a wristwatch worth €20k or more.
Mark Cavendish was robbed for a watch not too far from me and the boxer Amir Khan was robbed for his watch almost on my doorstep.
What does his sponsorship
What does his sponsorship contract say ?
I don’t think he’s sponsored
I don’t think he’s sponsored by Rolex. Either way its caused some social media amusement
https://www.watson.ch/fr/sport/cyclisme/601458284-wout-van-aert-accuse-de-presenter-sa-montre-rolex-plutot-que-son-bebe
Apparently this is a cycle
Apparently this is a cycle lane.
Can’t be – no cars in it.
Can’t be – no cars in it.
I am going to be absolutely
I am going to be absolutely gutted if “Sex Toy Cycle Lane” isn’t on the next Half Man Half Biscuit album
There’s a Starman waiting in
There’s a Starman waiting in the sky
“I hope Yannick, the inventor @ETAservicesltd, brings this brilliant bike safety device to market soon”
https://twitter.com/theJeremyVine/status/1682507785785712641
Dave Walker TdF jersey
Dave Walker TdF jersey sponsors cartoon – this is among the reasons I just can’t get interested in the racing scene. I do try most years, but I find myself more interested in the scenery, so I usually sit this one out.
First time on a train with a
First time on a train with a bike for a few years.
6 spaces, 3 of which are taken up by prams. At least it’s not vertical. GA trains
If this is the rush hour layout, I wonder if there is any space available when you turn up.