Tadej Pogačar’s ‘easy’ coffee ride “the hardest training session of my life”, says F1 star; Is Tom Pidcock staying at crisis-stricken Ineos after all?; Dutch rider shows officials the middle finger in dramatic track worlds DQ + more on the live blog

What is going on in the cycling world at the moment? It must be those October winds, because everything – and everyone – has got a bit tetchy lately.

After Eli Iserbyt went all WWF on Ryan Kamp’s rear mech at the cyclocross last week (more on that in a bit), it was the turn of Dutch track rider Jan-Willem van Schip to get all hot under the collar after being relegated during a chaotic elimination race at the track world championships yesterday.

On the final day of competition at the velodrome in Ballerup, Van Schip and his super-narrow handlebars were in contention for a medal in the ‘Devil’ – which had already been marred by crashes and disqualification for dangerous riding – with only eventual winner and home favourite Tobias Aagaard Hansen and Elia Viviani left on the track.

(Ian MacNicol/SWpix.com)

However, just as Van Schip was gearing up for the three-up sprint, the race jury relegated and removed him from the race for a “dangerous” close pass on Portugal’s Diogo Narciso two sprints previously (the Dutchman flicking Narciso up the track just before the line), meaning Canada’s Dylan Bibic stayed on to take bronze.

And Van Schip wasn’t happy one bit with the decision, however, and made his feelings extremely clear, raising his hands in bemusement at the judges as they informed him of his relegation.

The 30-year-old then reportedly went bananas as he exited the track, cursing at the officials and raising two middle fingers in the track centre, in full view of the Danish spectators, who were – to be fair – more concerned with their man Hansen’s victory.

> Rider thrown off Baloise Belgium Tour for using illegal handlebars allowing him to rest his arms on them

Van Schip’s outburst, meanwhile, saw his relegation upgraded to an outright disqualification, after falling foul of the UCI’s rules against “assault, intimidation, insults, threats, improper conduct directed at any other person”.

He was also then dropped from the Netherlands’ team for the Madison, where he was looking to defend his world title.

Of course, Van Schip has history with disqualifications at major championships. At the Paris Olympics, he was disqualified from the Madison for headbutting British rider Oliver Wood, causing him to crash.

And, in a less angry, dangerous sense, he was also thrown off the Baloise Belgium Tour back in 2021 for using the monstrosity that was Speeco’s ‘Aero Breakaway Bar’, which were designed specifically for Van Schip and his TT-like, narrow riding style – but which the UCI deemed, thankfully for once, illegal.

More from cycling in parks-gate (not sure that’ll catch on), where the charity responsible for London’s Royal Parks has asked the government to amend legislation “with a view to setting speed limits for cyclists” in its parks which, if introduced, could see riders exceeding 20mph speed limits prosecuted.

Read more: > Charity that runs London parks wants new laws to prosecute cyclists for breaking 20mph speed limit in Regent’s Park and Richmond Park

The Great Britain team’s (relatively) underwhelming performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics may have ushered in some soul searching at the Manchester velodrome – along with a few personnel changes – but things are already looking up, after the squad recorded their joint-best track worlds medal haul in Ballerup.

Katy Marchant’s bronze in the keirin yesterday, which also rounded off the most successful worlds of her decade-long career, saw Team GB end up on 13 medals for the week, matching their previous best overall medal tally from 2012, just before the London Olympics.

Four of those 13 medals were gold, courtesy of Olympic-winning team sprinters Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell, Emma Finucane, Anna Morris’ brilliant breakthrough individual pursuit victory, Finucane’s defence of her sprint title, and the team pursuit outfit of Morris, the returning Katie Archibald, Josie Knight, Meg Barker, and Jess Roberts.

(Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)

Those golds were complemented by four silvers and five bronzes (one of which was the retiring Dan Bigham’s farewell ride in the individual pursuit), leaving GB second in the medal table behind the flying Netherlands, who mustered fewer overall medals than the Brits, but the same number of golds and one more silver.

Meanwhile, another consistent week of top tens among the world’s best for Ireland was rounded off with a sensational breakthrough bronze in the points race for Lara Gillespie, who secured her first elite championship medal, after a series of medals at junior and U23 level.

The 23-year-old’s 39 points put her just behind second-place Lotte Kopecky (40), while Denmark’s Julie Leth bagged another victory for the home nation with 43 points.

“I am so relieved with this medal because I knew I could do it and I have the legs and every time I’m racing, I’m getting closer and closer,” Gillespie said at the end of a breakthrough week on the track.

“This medal means a lot to me and I’m so proud to do it for Ireland, we have a small but mighty team and all of us and the staff have put so much effort this year prepared for the Olympics and for our performance and development. I felt my coaches, and everyone here believed in me and that really drive me on the extra bit. I’m very grateful.”

It turns out that the UCI do think angrily stamping on a rival’s bike after a crash is worse than kissing your wife at the side of the road, after all.

Yes, leading cyclocross star Eli Iserbyt – who took out what appears to be a few years of pent-up frustration at former teammate Ryan Kamp on the Fenix rider’s bike after a crash at last weekend’s Exact Cross – has been handed a three-race ban for his WWF-style stamp, following a review by cycling’s governing body.

Iserbyt had originally been disqualified and fined 100 Swiss Francs for his volatile reaction, which he later claimed was made in “heat of battle” and the result of Kamp’s alleged dive bombing in corners (both historic and during the race itself) and “insults” apparently directed at the Belgian champion.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Eurosport Cycling (@eurosportcycling)

However, after the commissaire’s report was sent to the UCI, it was later confirmed that Iserbyt’s early winter season will be a subdued one, with the next three weekends spent stewing at home after his disqualification was upgraded to a ban.

Despite the obvious friction between the pair, Kamp spoke out in Iserbyt’s defence, arguing that he shouldn’t be banned and that the warring duo have since spoken to each other and moved on.

“It happened, I can be difficult about it all week and lose sleep over it, but the season is still long. It has only just started, I can better focus on that,” Kamp said.

> “It was in the heat of battle, something had been simmering for a while”: Disqualified Eli Iserbyt claims he stamped on cyclocross rival’s rear mech in response to “dirty” insults – but admits reaction was “not necessary”

“We already called on Saturday evening, then it was over for me. We can keep making things difficult, but it happened. He apologised personally, I accepted it, I don’t know why I wouldn’t.

“It is not up to me to decide [if he should be banned], the UCI has chosen this. Perhaps to avoid such incidents in the future. I do not really have an opinion about it myself. It would have been fine for me even without the suspension.”

See outside a bar in Cannes last night. Quite a lot to unpack in this pub bike. pic.twitter.com/ewxDGTYM3k

— Max Leonard (@m_xl) October 21, 2024

Not sure how long that would last outside a Wetherspoons in Reading, mind you…

Over the past week or so, we’ve had last-minute bus deselection drama at Il Lombardia, we’ve heard the thoughts of Tour de France winners, anonymous pro columnists, and (most importantly) insider dogs, and we’ve been subjected to the kind of relentless transfer gossip that would have Jim White running for his best yellow tie.

But now, after all that, it seems like Tom Pidcock might be staying at the Ineos Grenadiers after all.

Yes, according to Daniel Benson, talks to negotiate the Olympic mountain bike champion’s exit from the British squad appear to have broken down over the weekend, with sources reporting that Ineos will now attempt to force Pidcock to see out of the remainder of his contract… which runs, like all good cycling contracts these days, until 2027.

While Red Bull-Bora and Visma-Lease a Bike were interested in snapping up the wantaway multidisciplinary star, second-tier Q36.5 initially appeared to be in pole position, with Ineos apparently happy to continue to pay part of his salary to ensure Pidcock a swift exit from the Death Star.

Who says cycling is turning into football, eh?

(Elliot Keen/British Cycling/via SWpix.com)

However, despite Ineos already sounding out potential replacements, Benson says Jim Ratcliffe’s turmoil-fuelled team has now backed away from a deal with Q36.5, and Pidcock looks set – against all the odds – to stay put, simmering discontent be damned.

And right as we recorded a podcast segment on Pidcock’s seemingly impending departure. Classic.

However, our podcast conjecture may yet come to fruition, and Ineos could well be playing the long game to make sure they get the best deal out of losing one of their star riders, albeit one who seems at odds with a squad currently experiencing a prolonged, painful transition period.

I knew this one would rumble on for a while…

While Tadej is busy leaving his coffee ride buddies gasping for air, as he nonchalantly texts away on his phone, his fellow Slovenian Matej Mohorič is over in Japan, pushing struggling amateurs on steel bikes around sportive courses:

🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/fDmvkQX8B4

— Mohochi (@matejfanclub) October 19, 2024

100 per cent, that would be me. Actually scratch that, that has been me (the guy on the left, I mean, just in case that wasn’t blindingly obvious).

More than 200,000 video submissions of dangerous driving and other incidents on the roads of England and Wales have been made through Operation SNAP’s online reporting portal since the start of 2021, new figures have revealed.

Read more: > “Road safety is everyone’s business”: 90% increase in video footage reported to police

Over the past few years, we’ve reported on the growing scourge of bike thefts across the UK. But you know things are bad when you can’t even leave your brand-new winter cycling shoes out on the front porch without them being nabbed.

But that’s exactly what happened to poor Oxford Cycling Club member Jake Oppon, who was dismayed to find his new Northwaves missing after leaving them outside to dry following a particularly muddy autumnal ride at the weekend.

However, as the club posted on Instagram this morning as a “cautionary tale” to other cyclists this winter, a review of Jake’s CCTV footage revealed that the culprit was a lot more cunning than your average town centre bike thief:

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by OCC – Oxford Cycling Club (@occ_oxfordcyclingclub)

I don’t know who would be more disappointed, the cyclist or the fox…

“What does that say about the smell of your feet, Jake, that a scavenging fox wants to eat your shoes?” one club member asked their shoeless colleague after he shared the incriminating footage.

“Sadly, there was no happy ending to this tail,” Oxford Cycling Club posted, with the kind of pun normally reserved for the live blog.

“Jake pursued the thief into the undergrowth, only to find his boots gnawed, nibbled, and beyond repair.”

Don’t worry, I’m sure Thames Valley Police will be on the case in no time…

Yep, we’re finally moving on to the mystery that dominated my entire weekend – Is that really Wout van Aert dressed up as a giant, crime-fighting squirrel and butchering Blur on the Flemish version of the bewilderingly popular Guess Who-themed celebrity singing show the Masked Singer?

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by VTM (@vtm.be)

Hmmm…

Now, I can’t say I’m particularly familiar with Wout van Aert’s singing voice (though I have heard Nico Roche does a mean Elvis impression), and it does feel weird that one of the sport’s biggest names would be screaming ‘woohoo’ on TV while still gainfully employed, but fans on social media are convinced it’s the Visma-Lease a Bike star under all the fur.

The clues sprinkled over the celebrity’s pre-song VT all point to Van Aert, apparently – there were references to Van Aert’s home region of Kempen, his two children, and a rainbow jersey, which could refer to his three cyclocross world titles.

Is the squirrel’s clothing a reference to Wout’s win at the Tour of Britain last year???????!!! (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

Others have pointed out that his speaking voice resembles that of someone from Herentals, Van Aert’s hometown, while some Sherlock-inspired sleuths have noted that Van Aert posted a series of training rides on Strava in May which appear to reference his stint on the show, with titles featuring squirrel and dancer emojis, ‘long tail’, and ‘youhou’ (which I presume would be his take on the 1998 Blur classic’s simple refrain).

And, with his season marred by crashes, it’s fair to say that Van Aert has had enough time on his hands to record a TV show and dress up like a squirrel. Or maybe it’s Tom Boonen.

But if it is WVA, he also wouldn’t be the first current pro to take part in the Masked Singer, madly enough, after Nairo Quintana’s 2021 appearance on the Colombian edition, when the former Giro winner appeared as a chameleon.

> Nairo Quintana appears on Colombian TV singing show dressed as a chameleon

So, don’t be surprised if Van Aert appears when the squirrel’s mask is finally lifted, an event that apparently takes place on Friday. I. CAN’T. WAIT.

> Is Muc-Off’s Hey Dipstick! the most useful tool going for tubeless tyre users? Plus PEdALED’s performance sunglasses (that don’t fold), terrific titanium from Ribble + more

Over the weekend, we were greeted with the absolutely devastating news that Sir Chris Hoy’s prostate cancer is diagnosis is terminal, and that doctors told the six-time Olympic gold medallist last year that he has two to four years to live.

In a moving interview with the Sunday Times, Hoy also revealed that his wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in December last year.

“It’s the closest I’ve come to, like, you know, why me? Just, what? What’s going on here? It didn’t seem real”, Hoy said of his wife’s diagnosis, in an otherwise startlingly positive interview.

“It was such a huge blow, when you’re already reeling. You think nothing could possibly get worse. You literally feel like you’re at rock bottom, and you find out, oh no, you’ve got further to fall. It was brutal.

> Sir Chris Hoy reveals cancer diagnosis is terminal and he has two to four years to live: “I’m feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown”

“The fear and anxiety, it all comes from trying to predict the future. But the future is this abstract concept in our minds. None of us know what’s going to happen. The one thing we know is we’ve got a finite time on the planet.

“So what I’ve come round to thinking is, why spoil that time? Crack on and enjoy and be grateful for what you do have. I’m not saying that I’m a Zen master and I’ve controlled my thoughts and my emotions in every situation. I’m not trying to pretend that every day is amazing. But I have genuine moments of joy. I have laughter. I’m not thinking about it all the time. I’m back to my old self.”

Since the news broke, tributes and support have poured in from across the cycling and sporting world, and beyond, for one of Britain’s greatest sportspeople and his family.

Here is just a small selection of some of those tributes:

Mark Cavendish: Hero of a human being.

David Beckham: Stay strong mate, keep smiling.

Neil Fachie: Dealing with this in the way only Chris Hoy could. Always the inspiration.

Graham Watson: Devastating news about Chris Hoy, what a fighter he is, and a great gentleman too.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sir Chris Hoy (@chrishoy1)

Matthew Pinsent: Chris Hoy is one of the finest to ever represent our country. Thoughts with him, Sarra and his immediate family.

Rebecca Adlington: A true legend. You continue to be my only role model. Sending so much love to you, Sarra, and the kids.

James Cracknell: Digesting the sad news about Chris Hoy. As Olympic champion his event got cut from the schedule. He refocused, didn’t complain, mastered different events, and won five more gold medals.

Ally McCoist: You, my friend, are a superstar in every sense of the word. Love and strength from us all.

Keir Starmer: Such sad news. Chris is a British sporting legend. To face his diagnosis with such positivity is inspiring. The whole country is behind him and his family.

Ned Boulting: Chris Hoy is one of the finest men I’ve ever been lucky enough to meet. That’s the truth of it.

Anthony Ogogo: Role model. Inspiration. Hero. Good luck Chris Hoy in your fight.

Scottish Cycling: A fighter on and off the track. Sending our love to Sir Chris Hoy and his family.

Everyone at road.cc wishes Chris and his family all the best.

I’m just a boy, standing in front of @MedwayHighways, asking them for the third time to clear the vegetation overhanging the cycle lane that forces vulnerable road users into a 50mph traffic flow.

Can you please resolve this issue, ref 101002554981. pic.twitter.com/6Ha15diRni

— Gary Outram (@KentRiderGaz) October 18, 2024

First Dan Bigham, then Tom Pidcock, and now Ethan Hayter – the list of riders and staff queuing up to publicly criticise what appears to be the malfunctioning internal machine that powers the sputtering Ineos Grenadiers is growing longer by the day.

British road race champion Hayter, who turned pro with Ineos in 2020, going onto win 19 times for the team, is set to join Soudal Quick-Step for 2025 on a two-year deal.

The 26-year-old’s five-year tenure with the British squad has been marked by a series of highs and lows. Early GC wins at the Tour of Poland and Tour of Norway, along with stages at prestigious week-long races like the Tour of the Basque Country and the Tour de Romandie, have been followed by recent inconsistency and near misses, with Ineos reported earlier this year to be unhappy with Hayter’s lack of wins.

 (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

Like former Ineos rider Eddie Dunbar, the versatile Hayter has also struggled to break into Ineos’ grand tour plans, starting only one in his five seasons at the team, the 2022 Vuelta, which he abandoned on stage 10.

> “To be honest, they don’t help me to perform at my best”: Tom Pidcock admits there are “a number of issues” within Ineos Grenadiers, as pressure mounts on underperforming British team after subpar Tour of Britain and Vuelta

Speaking to Eurosport at this week’s track worlds in Denmark – where he followed up his agonising Olympic silver with another second-place in the team pursuit – Hayter became the latest rider to hint at turmoil and discontent within the Ineos ranks, admitting that it was “time for a change” after a “tricky” year with the British team.

“It’s going to be nice,” he said of joining Belgian squad Soudal Quick-Step. “I’ve had five years at Ineos, and I think it’s time for a change. It’s exciting, the team really has passion for racing and I’m excited to get started.

Asked why Ineos appear to be undergoing such a turbulent transition period marked by personnel changes, Hayter said: “I don’t know what’s really going on to be honest. I’ve not had… Yeah, I’ve had a tricky year working with them. And once I was leaving, it was even trickier.

“I don’t know. I wish them all the best for next year, but they could do with a couple of changes.”

(Will Palmer/SWpix.com)

Hayter’s summary echoes that of his current teammate Tom Pidcock, who Hayter dramatically replaced at the last minute at Il Lombardia earlier this month, a decision the Ineos management confirmed was not based on form.

“It is true that there are currently a number of issues within the team that I have to deal with,” Pidcock told Het Laatste Nieuws before his Lombardy drama. “And to be honest, they don’t help me to perform at my best.

“I have to think about a lot more than just performance-related things at the moment. And that means that the focus on the things that are really important, namely racing, is not ideal. I have a contract until the end of 2027. That’s all I can say.”

Meanwhile, Hayter’s Olympic team pursuit colleague Dan Bigham, who jumped ship from Ineos last month to join Red Bull-Bora as their head of engineering, also publicly criticised the British team before the Olympics, claiming that Ineos have “lacked clarity” since Sir Dave Brailsford’s departure.

“How I want to do performance is not particularly aligned with how Ineos wanted to go about it. I wanted more autonomy, more ability to action my ideas. And I wasn’t really getting that at Ineos,” Bigham explained.

“I feel that a lot of performance we’re leaving on the table and that frustrates me because it’s clear as day we should be doing things a lot better. Let’s be honest, Ineos are not where they want to be, not where they need to be and the gap is not small.”

Earlier this year, the Liberal Democrats argued that bike theft has effectively been “decriminalised”, after Home Office data found that nine in ten stolen bike cases reported the police since 2019 have gone unsolved.

Luckily for comedian Jason Manford, he’s one of that lucky 10 per cent, after Greater Manchester Police stumbled upon his son’s bike, almost a month after it was stolen from outside his school.

Manford originally took to his Twitter account on 25 September to alert his fellow Stockport residents that the dark blue Claud Butler bike his son was riding had been nicked.

My son had his bike stolen outside of school tonight. If anyone has seen this dark blue Claude Butler bicycle can you let me know (it’s actually my wife’s bike that he borrowed so he is utterly heartbroken!). It was in the Davenport/Cale Green area of Stockport. pic.twitter.com/csnD2Z8JpF

— Jason Manford (@JasonManford) September 25, 2024

“It’s actually my wife’s bike that he borrowed so he is utterly heartbroken!” the Waterloo Road star tweeted at the time.

Fast forward a few weeks, and in the early hours of Friday morning, the Claud Butler magically reappeared at Manford’s door – with the help of the police officers who happened to come across it while attempting to stop a youth earlier that night.

> Warning that bike theft has been “decriminalised” as stats show 89% of reported cases unsolved

“You’re not gonna believe this! But the police found my son’s bike!” Manford tweeted. “Knocked on at 2am with the bike in hand. Caught some little shit in Stockport who dropped it and ran like the wind, very thankful to the officers at Greater Manchester Police.”

While the Claud Butler’s re-emergence is a promising sign in a country where bike theft is becoming something of an epidemic, other social media users weren’t impressed by what they regarded as the police’s “two-tier policing”.

“I know someone who had their electric bike stolen and the police weren’t interested, funny what you can get when you’re in the public eye,” wrote Bwian, with the bike theft version of a stray heckle at a comedy gig.

“Richie Allen was knocked off his bike in Manchester by a driver and the police wanted him to do his own investigation and find CCTV,” added Annette. “So they only helped you because of who you are.”

It’s fair to say Manford, used to dealing with hecklers at his day job (and no I don’t mean being the host of that awful daytime quiz show Unbeatable), was having none of it.

“Oh do shut up!” he replied. “They randomly found the bike after some scrout dropped it, cross checked it with a crime number and brought it back!

“Last time I checked I’m entitled to the same amount of justice as the next citizen! Always some bellend finding a negative in a positive.”

Fair point.

Yesterday, during a half-time bit of ‘fun’ at Anfield, a very young Liverpool fan – whose dream of scoring a penalty in front of the Kop was ruthlessly thwarted not once, but twice, by David James (I know, James pulling off two consecutive saves, shocker) – learnt a valuable lesson about elite sportspeople: Never take them on at their own game.

Someone should maybe have told that to Formula One star Carlos Sainz, before the Ferrari driver decided to join Tadej Pogačar for what the world champion promised would be a super-easy coffee ride following his era-defining solo triumph in Zurich last month.

A few weeks ago on the live blog, we noted that Sainz, who finished second behind teammate Charles Leclerc at the United States Grand Prix over the weekend, met up with his fellow Monaco-dwelling resident Pogi for a seemingly relaxed, non-taxing recovery spin, designed to help nurse the Slovenian’s post-worlds hangover, and grab some delicious focaccia from what looked like an abandoned storage unit on the way home.

> “It’s good for a hangover, I can tell you that!” Tadej Pogačar enjoys hangover “zone zero” ride and focaccia with F1 star Carlos Sainz

Well, I say non-taxing… In a clip posted to Instagram, Sainz described the gentle ride around Monaco as “zone four” for him – and “zone zero” for the nonchalant world champion.

And in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad at the weekend, the Spanish driver elaborated on his foolish decision to join Pogačar at his 100km soloing, world-beating best – even for a ‘hangover’ coffee ride – and gave a startling insight into the vast, vast gulf that exists between one of the greatest cyclists who’s ever lived and even the most dedicated of weekend warriors.

“I had the brilliant idea to go on a recovery ride with him just after he had become world champion and was in absolute top form,” Sainz, who says he struck up a friendship with Pogačar after a “chance meeting”, told the Belgian newspaper.

“He asked if I wanted to go with him and I said yes. It sounded simple: we do a ride of 30, 40 kilometres. We stop somewhere along the way for a coffee and then return to Monaco.

“That’s when I discovered: what is a quiet ride for him, is the hardest training session of my life. And I consider myself a good cyclist.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Carlos Sainz (@carlossainz55)

He continued: “For Tadej, these are recovery rides, purely for fun, in which he does not push himself. So that cycling losers like myself can get the idea that they can potentially ride as fast as him.

“The reality is of course that even during those coffee rides we completely die trying to follow him. He does us the favour of not dropping us because otherwise he has no one to talk to.

“Of course, talking is relative. I have a heart rate of 170, 180 while he is barely at 110. Those are not really interesting conversations, I can say.

> Is Tadej Pogačar the greatest cyclist who’s ever lived?

“It was literally the hardest ride of my life. Anyone who has never been on a bike can’t imagine how fast that guy can ride. It’s impressive to see what a powerful champion he is.”

Gulp. Judging by those comments, I’m not sure Sainz will be following F1 colleague Valtteri Bottas into the gravel game anytime soon… especially if Pogi one day opts for the knobbly tyres.