Trek-Segafredo rider crashes over the finish line in bizarre UAE Tour incident; Rule of Six back soon; Pidcock’s fighting talk; He’s Ganna beat you; Cinelli apologises for “sexist” picture; Weekend cycling scenes; Echelon artwork + more on the live blog

The full video was posted in the Pass wide and slow Facebook group, who say they are a “group to TRY educating drivers on how and why to pass horses.” This driver got in between the support cyclist and horse rider before having a look at overtaking, but thankfully waits when a car coming in the opposite direction appears around the bend. In the end the horse rider signals they are turning right and the driver stays where they are. 

In the video, a man in the vehicle following can be heard saying to ring the windows and doors company whose van it appears to be. Under the video, Laura Jenkins replied: “I was actually more concerned for the cyclist. The driver passed them too close and totally cut them up and pulled in front of them.”

Bob Jewell also pointed out “He overtook the cyclist at the central reservation, means he did not give her enough safe room. As well as being to close to the horse.”

pic.twitter.com/9YhmcgXnxd

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) February 21, 2021

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Cinelli (@cinelli_official)

Here’s one we missed last week…Cinelli apologised after sharing a Valentine’s Day photo that has been branded as sexist. In an Instagram post, the bike manufacturer apologised that “the post offended many people.” They also stressed that inclusivity and respect are part of their brand’s culture.

Some have argued apologising for people being offended doesn’t go far enough. Jennkaylives commented: “Apologising for offending people is not a real apology. Do you actually understand why that pic is shitty and sexist?”

“One thing for Cinelli to serve sexist stereotypes, another thing for the apparently predominantly male fan base to defend these in the comments. Both decidedly unfunny,” Marklemarigold wrote.

Jrthomas91 asked “Why can’t I choose between a Cinelli and my boyfriend?”

Wow @willnorman what a satisfying sight. 👏👏 https://t.co/awPAji8Gxo

— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) February 21, 2021

The milder weather got plenty of people out on their bikes over the weekend. Great to see so many out using LTNs and cycle lanes in the capital in these posts…

 Did you get out on the bike this weekend? Let us know where you went, and more importantly, if the winter gear stayed at home…

Railton Road in south London used to be used as a cut through for motorists to avoid a couple of traffic lights. Now it looks like this 😍 Yesterday @RailtonLTN pic.twitter.com/w6R7TLxX52

— citymobility (@citycyclists) February 22, 2021

No

— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) February 21, 2021

By contrast to the leisurely weekend rides in the previous post, the pros were probably cursing their luck with these scenes at UAE Tour…Great to watch, less so to be involved in. Sunday’s stage started with a 200m neutral zone before the chaos ensued. Alex Dowsett, making his season debut alongside new teammate Chris Froome shared his numbers…

The first 10km of the stage was covered in 10:03, at an average speed of 38mph (62km/h) and Dowsett’s average power was 413w…Nice easy start to the season then…

🇦🇪 #UAETour

We can confirm that we have withdrawn from the race.

More information will be given soon. The wellbeing of everyone involved is our main concern.

— Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinFenix) February 22, 2021

Mathieu van der Poel has withdrawn from the UAE Tour less than 24 hours after winning the race’s opening stage, because of a positive Covid test within his team. A statement from Alpecin-Fenix explained they had agreed with the race organisers to withdraw to safeguard the race bubble.

The team were notified of one positive result from a member of its staff in the round of tests conducted yesterday evening. That person is now isolating, as well as all those who came into contact with them. Just hours earlier, Van der Poel had taken his first win of the road season in his first race back after an epic windy day in the desert.

Van der Poel won the reduced sprint from a front group of 20 riders ahead of pure sprinters such as Elia Viviani and Fernando Gaviria. The race lead will go to Jumbo-Visma’s David Dekker for the second stage, a 13km time trial on Al Hudayriat Island which Ineos Grenadiers’ Filippo Ganna is the overwhelming favourite for. If Ganna wins, it will be his eighth consecutive TT victory and stretch his unbeaten run in the discipline to a week short of a year…

upCYCLE provides free bikes, training and maintenance workshops to young people from ethnic minorities to encourage them to take up cycling. South West Londoner reports the charity was set up at the back end of last summer and was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Phil Dobson founded the charity and says they have raised over £8,000 and donated more than 20 bikes in their first six months.

“The benefit of the bike itself is the freedom that it gives them to get out of their own area and discover different parts of London. A lot of kids growing up in estates don’t leave their area and they are just stuck in a bubble,” Dobson explained.

“I am trying to tackle the lack of diversity in cycling. The London cycling scene is predominantly white males and I think that we need to target people whilst they are young and ignite a passion for cycling.”

Part of their strategy is to teach young people maintenance skills so they can fix their bike if they don’t have the money to go to a bike shop. upCYCLE has been supported by Lambeth Council, who helped some of the fund maintenance workshops.

La terrible chute à l’arrivée d’Antonio Tiberi de la @TrekSegafredo #uaetour #uaetour21 #uaetour2021 pic.twitter.com/nUpwZeJr8m

— Les Rois du Peloton (@LRoisDuPeloton) February 22, 2021

Shades of Miguel Ángel López’s crash on the opening stage of the Giro last year for Antonio Tiberi this morning. The 19-year-old Italian riding his first race of the year crashed in the final 10m of the stage two individual time trial and was flung violently off his bike and over the finish line. Thankfully, despite the heavy landing, Tiberi was back on his feet shortly after…

Any ideas what might have caused this? It looked very windy out on the course and we’ve seen people speculating that his chain might have slipped, his wheel buckled or his arms simply slipped off the rests…

Back in December, Colombian pro Edisón Muñoz crashed while celebrating his victory at Clásico RCN – Cerveza Andina when he hit a bump in the road…

What a shot 👌 @bettiniphoto 📸🇦🇪 #uaetour @uae_tour pic.twitter.com/VQzwQnjFzW

— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) February 22, 2021

That’s eight-in-a-row for the TT World Champion. Ganna clocked a frightening average speed of 34.8mph (55.98km/h) for the 13:56 it took him to cover the 13km route. The Italian put 14 seconds into second placed Stefan Bissegger, 24 seconds into Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar and more than 1:30 into Chris Froome…

Pogačar takes the race lead, five seconds ahead ofJoão Almeida. Adam Yates riding his first race with Ineos Grenadiers is in fifth, 39 seconds back. Tomorrow morning is the first of two big mountain tests for the riders this week. Tuesday’s stage takes the poloton to the climb of Jebel Hafeet where Yates won last year, ahead of…you guessed it, Tadej Pogačar.

Transport for London (TfL) has brought forward work to improve safety at Battersea Bridge, with construction on a new pedestrian crossing to start later this year. Plans include a new signalised pedestrian crossing and a reduction in the speed limit to 20mph. A man was killed earlier this year on the bridge following a collision with a vehicle. The speed limit on Chelsea Embankment will also be reduced to 20mph to improve safety for vulnerable road users.

London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman said: “Making London’s streets safe for vulnerable road users including pedestrians and cyclists is a top priority, and we have taken immediate action to bring forward our proposals for this area after a man was tragically killed on Battersea Bridge earlier this year. These changes will make a real difference to those walking and cycling on the bridge and form a key part of our Vision Zero ambition to eliminate death and serious injury on the road.”

I might not be where I am now had I not been able to stay in Europe for long periods to race and train. Brexit makes it harder for others to have the same opportunities in an already incredible difficult time. Please sign this petition to help them. https://t.co/t6U30ec4pN

— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) February 22, 2021

You may have seen our story yesterday about British pro riders petitioning the government to get visa-free permits so they can race and train in Europe this season. Tom Pidcock had his say this morning and pointed out how invaluable racing in Europe was in his development. What we want to know is if there’s another 5k coming soon? Pidcock told The Times this weekend that the running community’s response to his 13:25 time pissed him off…

“It pissed me off,” he said. “Why would I not believe what the GPS watch, what Strava said? All winter I was saying I was going to do sub-15 minutes. I did it and that time came up and then all these runners are getting pissed off, like I’ve offended them. I’ll just have to do it again.” 

Great fighting talk.

Un pequeño homenaje a @garybanos, con ayuda de sus amig@s y compañer@s. Hasta siempre. 💙 pic.twitter.com/UVoQx3900Z

— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) February 21, 2021

A long-serving staff member at Movistar sadly died in a mountain accident this weekend, the team has confirmed. Gary Baños had worked for the team since 2012 and worked for the women’s team after it formed in 2018. In a statement, the team said: “Gary’s enormous involvement, his sympathy and humor, and a deep love for cycling and caring for its protagonists leave a huge mark on our team, both professionally and, above all, on staff.

“All Gary’s colleagues in the Movistar Team wish to convey to his partner, Idoia, as well as all his family and friends, our greatest affection and support in very difficult times for all of us. Goian bego, rest in peace.”

The London Cycling Campaign has suspended Simon Still, an adviser, after “racist” tweets from 2019 re-emerged. The tweets accused black motorists, who he alledges had driven poorly and acted aggresively, of being “gangsters” who are on drugs. The news was originally reported by The Telegraph and has led to some quite ugly social media comments today.

The PM outlined his plan for easing lockdown this afternoon and announced that the Rule of Six will return from 29th March, if the data allows. This will mean group rides up to six people from six different households will be able to resume. Currently you can ride with one person from another household, the people you live with or are in a bubble with. For the full current guidelines, read what the current lockdown laws and guidance mean for you here…

Tiberi is being taken to the hospital where he will receive stitches to a deep wound on his right knee and evaluated for other injuries #UAETour

— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) February 22, 2021

* Updated 19:15 Trek-Segafredo added that they are still waiting on an injury update to Tiberi, and also note that he was still the team’s fastest finisher despite the horrendous finish line crash. There’s been some speculation in the comments section below and around social media about what caused the crash – some observers suggested that one of Tiberi’s elbows slipped off a pad on his TT bars, while others speculated that a failure with the mono-riser bar system on the latest version of Trek’s Speed Concept could be to blame.