“I cringe thinking of the insane crashes I had riding 42cm bars”: Ex-pro cyclist brands new handlebar width rule “nonsense” – as Lorena Wiebes claims UCI is “not really thinking about safety” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Cycling charity Sustrans misled public with “save the dormouse” campaign, fundraising regulator rules
A fundraising campaign by cycling and walking charity Sustrans was “likely to mislead potential donors”, a regulator has ruled, after the active travel organisation’s campaigns twice breached fundraising practice by implying Sustrans was “solely focused on wildlife protection activities”.
Read more: > Cycling charity Sustrans misled public with “save the dormouse” campaign, fundraising regulator rules
Weekend racing round-up: Almeida finally overhauls Vauquelin at Tour de Suisse, last-gasp drama at the Giro Next Gen, and some brand new sprinty and climby one-day races
Even by my obsessive bike race watching standards, there was a lot of cycling on at the weekend. And I mean a lot.
So, in case you missed any of it, here’s our quick 60-second recap of all the action:
At the Tour de Suisse – where we were treated, as Cillian Kelly brilliantly put it, to a mini, week-long version of Claudio Chiappucci and Greg LeMond’s titanic battle at the 1990 Tour de France – pre-race favourite João Almeida finally, finally overturned the three-minute deficit he suffered on the opening day to take the overall win.
The UAE Team Emirates rider trailed Kévin Vauquelin by 33 seconds heading into the race-deciding time trial on the brutal Stockhütte climb, after the Frenchman had put in a spirited, battling performance in the mountains to hold onto yellow.
Alas, it was all in vain – as Almeida put down the power on the Stockhütte’s savage slopes, Vauqelin’s lead evaporated, as did France’s hopes of a rare WorldTour stage race victory, as the Portuguese roared to a double GC and stage victory, eventually finishing over a minute clear.
Meanwhile Oscar Onley capped off a great week by moving up onto the podium at the expense of Julian Alaphilippe, whose attacking legs may be ready for the Tour, even if his time trialling legs have deserted him.
Things were as equally dramatic at the Giro d’Italia Next Gen, where cycling’s newest Slovenian sensation (yes, there’s another one coming soon) Jakob Omrzel snatched the pink jersey at the death from Red Bull-Bora’s Australian brilliantly named hopeful Luke Tuckwell.
Bahrain Development rider Omrzel attacked clear with eventual stage winner Jørgen Nordhagen (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the desperately steep slopes of the Prarostino, gapping Tuckwell and taking the overall victory by just 12 seconds in Pinerolo. Ouch.
Elsewhere, we were treated to a few brand-new one-day races, filling the void left by the demise of the Mont Ventoux Challenge.
A similarly climby test was offered up at the Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica in, you guessed it, Andorra, where the threat of thunderstorms meant the route was reworked at the last minute – not that it was lacking in big mountains, of course.
With a high-quality field packed with local pros – who may have just confused it for their Sunday club ride – Mattias Skjelmose yo-yoed off the back of a group containing Enric Mas, Cristian Rodríguez, Seb Berwick, and Estebán Chaves on the 10.7km climb to the finish at the Coll de la Botella, before sprinting clear with 200m to go to take the win.
Up in Denmark, another one-day race made its debut, the Copenhagen Sprint (which, unlike the other newbie in Andorra, was flat as a pancake), with Lorena Wiebes and Jordi Meeus bagging the victories there.
And, finally, over at the Baloise Belgium Tour, Filippo Baroncini secured the GC as Tim Merlier took his second bunch sprint of the race, underlining his status as the man to beat in the bunch gallops at the Tour de France.
I told you there was a lot going on…
“The plan will be to hunt for stages”: Oscar Onley outlines Tour de France ambitions after brilliant stage win and third place overall at the Tour de Suisse
After underlining his credentials as a GC contender with a hugely impressive stage win and overall third place at the Tour de Suisse, Oscar Onley now has his sights set on next month’s Tour de France.
However, the Scottish stage racing prospect insists he’s only going to be targeting stage wins in France – and says he isn’t concerned about riding for GC at the Tour just yet.
After getting caught out – alongside a clutch of other pre-race favourites, including eventual winner João Almeida – on the opening day of the race in treacherous conditions, losing over three minutes to an opportunistic breakaway, Onley was remarkably consistent on the roads of Switzerland, taking five top three stage placings in the last six days of the race.
And on stage five, the 22-year-old Picnic PostNL rider secured the biggest win of his career, outsprinting João Almeida on the Santa Maria summit finish after an attacking, enterprising ride.
Onley, who has secured top fives on GC at the UAE Tour, Tour Down Under, and Tour of Britain so far during his career, then moved onto the overall podium with a strong third on yesterday’s mountain time trial up the fearsomely steep Stockhütte climb, as Almeida finally usurped the battling Frenchman Kévin Vauquelin at the top of the standings.
“I think I did quite big numbers so I’ve got to be happy,” Onley said after his TT yesterday. I tried to split it into two parts. The first was to where the intermediate was [at 4.5km], and it was really about trying to hold back in that first part.
“Then the second part would suit me quite well normally with the steep sections so I just tried to do what I could.
“It’s been a really good week for me, a step up compared to my results in the past and also my own performances. I stepped up physically and I’m happy with it.”
Turning his attentions to the Tour de France, where he finished 39th overall on debut last year, Onley insisted that the “plan should still be to try to hunt for stages”.
“I think that’s a good first step to learning the Tour, and I’ve still got plenty of time to try for GC in the future. Probably, I’ll start trying GC in the other Grand Tours first, because the Tour is another level up,” he said.
That may be true, but if last week’s Tour de Suisse performance is anything to go by, Onley is busy doing some levelling up of his own. Bring on the Tour…
“It gets me all giddy!” Mark Cavendish embraces his inner Manx love for bikes with motors at the Italian Grand Prix
Someone’s enjoying retirement, aren’t they? Swanning off to Florence’s Mugello Circuit for the MotoGP at the weekend, enjoying the VIP treatment, and chatting at 100mph on the TV (I suppose some things never change)…
“I think what makes it scary is that people who are driving don’t always understand they have to share the road”
> Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules cyclists don’t have to get off the road to let traffic pass, after rider fined for “impeding traffic”
“This is very upsetting!” Filipino actor Alden Richards criticises airline after Colnago frame cracked on plane journey home
Another day, another airline facing criticism for their, ahem, not-so-delicate handling of someone’s bike.
Earlier this month, Scottish cyclist and Instagrammer Sam Wilson was forced to endure the agony of seeing – and filming – his bike bag being robustly handled, to say the least, by a KLM baggage handler on his way home a cycling trip in Norway.
And now, actor Alden Richards – the star of some of the highest-grossing films ever in the Philippines – opened his bike bag after flying home to find his beloved Colnago’s frame cracked:
Ouch. That stings.
“This is very upsetting!” the 33-year-old actor, who bought the Colnago (complete with Pogi-inspired world champion’s stripes on the fork) a few months ago, wrote on Instagram.
“Shout out to Cathay Pacific for fracturing my bike frame and unloading my bike box and bike rack on my way home to the Philippines. Please do something about this.”
I can feel his pain.
There’s something fishy going on here… Lidl-Trek announces fin-tastic new sponsor: a recovery tablet derived from salmon
I’m sure Lidl-Trek’s riders were leaping for joy – preferably upstream near a waterfall in the Highlands – when they heard the news that their team was partnering with Unbroken, a brand which makes recovery tablet naturally derived from, you guessed it, salmon.
Designed to accelerate muscle recovery, Unbroken says its fast-acting formula “delivers the full range of free-form amino acids and nutrients muscles need to rebuild after intense effort”, supporting performance gains and “Real Time Recovery” (yeah, I’m not sure why they capitalised that either).
The tablet is produced in Norway using “premium marine ingredients”, the brand says (so… fish?), and features “salmon-sourced proteins and delivers all nine essential amino acids (9EAAs) in free-form and di- & tri-peptides”, which apparently make it ideal to use before, during, and after training or competition.
Salmon-powered Skjelmose during last year’s Vuelta (Unipublic/Cxcling/Toni Baixauli)
Lidl-Trek have been using the fin-tastic product all season, with Mattias Skjelmose first testing it out at last year’s Vuelta a España, where he finished fifth overall and won the young rider’s jersey.
“I started taking it before and after the Vuelta, and I felt good, so I continued to use it,” Skjelmose said. “My recovery has improved with Unbroken, and I feel better on the bike day to day. I feel like my general well-being and overall health is improved, too. I’m quite surprised at how good I feel.”
So, Matias, would you say you feel like you’re powering up a river during mating season? No? Okay…
Anyway, I’m hearing on the grapevine that Lidl-Trek are also set to dip into the transfer market for 2026, and are currently eyeing up a promising young prospect from Liverpool called John West…
I’ll get my fishing jacket.
Dave tried to win the Brompton World Championships at the weekend… Spoiler alert: He failed
While the pros and TV broadcasters were busy focusing on the 317 WorldTour races that took place over the weekend, the real bike (unfolding) action was taking place in London’s Coal Drops Yard.
Yes, that’s right – the Brompton World Championships was held on Saturday, with Alec Briggs and Honor Elliot taking the spoils at the annual festival of commuting meets crit racing.
And road.cc co-founder Dave also took part – somewhat less successfully, but just as spectacularly to be honest, as you’ll see in our latest video:
But it’s really the taking part – and unfolding someone else’s bike, and crashing – that counts, right?
> Can I win the Brompton World Championships?
“In many cities, this would be a car park”
Cycling through Zwolle city centre this evening. Peaceful, vibrant, and car-free. In many cities, this would be a car park. Here, it’s for people walking, cycling, dining and enjoying life outdoors.
— Hackney Cyclist (@hackneycyclist.bsky.social) June 22, 2025 at 8:43 PM
“Pavements are for pedestrians”: Joan Collins says she’s “shocked” at “loutish” behaviour of Lime bike users in Instagram post
Dame Joan Collins’ social media crusade against “dangerous” cycling in the capital continued at the weekend, when the 92-year-old actress took to Instagram to complain about London’s favourite grievance of 2025: Lime bikes parked on pavements.
Posting a photo of herself posing disapprovingly while surrounded by a number of the green and white dockless hire bikes, parked at various angles on the footpath, the ‘Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas’ star and hashtag lover wrote: “Shocked about the loutish behaviour of Lime bicycle [sic] users. #pavementsareforpedestrians.”
Unsurprisingly, Joan’s Lime complaint attracted quite a bit of support in the comments.
“Absolutely disgusting, there [sic] everywhere and dumped disgraceful, this country is going down the pan!” wrote David.
“My dog and I are almost run over daily on the sidewalk!” said Maya, while Jock encouraged Dame Joan to “slash their tyres!”
“It’s selfish and thoughtless… almost as bad as cars parked up on pavements!” added Linda – though I haven’t seen Joan’s post about that particular footpath blight yet.
However, not everyone agreed with the Golden Globe winner, with Jon writing: “Try one Joan, they are fun.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time Dame Joan has logged on to social media to complain about bikes. Back in 2023, she urged London mayor Sadiq Khan to “do something” about cyclists after one allegedly crashed into her on the pavement.
The former UKIP patron was walking along Maiden Lane in Covent Garden at the time of the alleged incident, on her way to dining with her husband Percy Gibson, Mamma Mia creator Judy Craymer, actor Christopher Biggins, and Stuart Machin, the chief executive of Marks and Spencer.
Collins said she was dropped off by a black cab driver and forced to walk to the restaurant Rules after discovering that Maiden Lane was closed to traffic.
“However, that didn’t stop a masked cyclist with no lights and weaving on the pavement from crashing into me, almost knocking me over,” she wrote at the time.
“How much longer must we live with closed roads and cyclists who consider themselves above the law? Why don’t you do something, Sadiq Khan, before this beautiful city of London is ruined?”
“We feel like this could be a renaissance of American cycling”: Former US Postal rider George Hincapie launches new US-based pro team, with plans to race at the Tour de France “in five years or less”
It’s quite the news day for US Postal alumni, eh?
This afternoon, George Hincapie, Lance Armstrong’s indispensable lieutenant-turned-fellow podcaster, announced the launch of a new US-based professional cycling team, which he hopes will make it to the Tour de France within five years and, in doing so, reawaken America’s dormant passion for bike racing.
The team will start racing next year, with plans to register as a second-tier UCI ProTeam, and will be sponsored by Modern Adventure, a travel company based in Portland, Oregon.
While it’s currently not clear what riders will be joining the fledgling outfit – though Hincapie says 12 riders have already been offered contracts – its leadership structure reads like a who’s who of noughties pros who have served doping suspensions.
Big George, a classics specialist, lead-out man, mountain domestique, and road captain during his two decades in the peloton with Motorola, Postal, Columbia, and BMC, will be joined by his brother, and team general manager Rich Hincapie, while Tour de France podium finisher Bobby Julich joins as performance coach.
David Millar was also personally involved in setting the team up, with Factor – where the former Garmin rider now works as creative director – set to supply the squad’s bikes.
Former WorldTour pros Alex Howes and Joey Rosskopf, and retired US domestic racer Ty Magner, will be behind the wheel in the team car, while business consultant Dustin Harder will bankroll the team alongside the Hincapies.
Other sponsors include Hincapie Sportswear (naturally), SRAM, helmet manufacture Ekoï, and, surprise, surprise, Lance Armstrong’s podcast The MOVE.
I guess the lifetime ban doesn’t cover sponsoring pro teams through your podcast, then – though Hincapie has insisted that his good mate Lance “is not involved in any way in the organisation or the structure of the team”.
“But I will lean on him for advice from time to time, I’m sure,” he said. Add in your own joke about what that advice might entail…
“I’m very excited, nervous, anxious, to be embarking on this project and most of all, very passionate to be starting what we feel like could be a renaissance of American cycling,” Hincapie continued, announcing the team’s launch.
“I think we’re all aware that the American cycling scene is in a bit of a challenging state, but that is not reflected by the riders that are coming through,” added Millar, who also took part in the team’s media launch.
Hincapie continued: “Our top American riders are currently scattered all over the WorldTour. A lot of the American fans, arguably, don’t even know who they are, because they’re all on different teams.
“There isn’t just one team that hosts these guys, and our goal is to get most of them under our umbrella.
“We hope to be America’s Dream Team, racing in the Tour de France in five years or less.”
So, just like US Postal, then? Hopefully not…
Near Miss of the Day: Idiot Cyclist Edition
They ride among us…
> Near Miss of the Day 930: “Idiot” cyclist overtakes on blind bend and almost causes shocking crash during Fred Whitton sportive
Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Oscar Riesebeek makes cycling history – by becoming the first rider ever to be banned for picking up two yellow cards during one race
Just like Manchester United’s Kevin Moran secured footballing immortality, rather infamously, by becoming the first player ever to be sent off in a FA Cup final back in 1985, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Oscar Riesebeek has written himself into cycling’s disciplinary record books – by becoming the first rider to be suspended under the UCI’s new yellow card rule.
The 32-year-old Dutch rider was handed the two yellows at the Baloise Belgium Tour last week, during stage two and stage five, both for “use of sidewalks/pavements, paths or cycle lanes that do not form part of the race course”.
According to the UCI’s new card-based rules, which were introduced this year after a trial last summer, Riesebeek will receive a seven-day ban for picking up two yellows during the same race – meaning he will miss the upcoming Dutch national championships.
In a statement published this afternoon, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Riesebeek said they accepted the decision, the rider apologising for his actions.
“I accept the consequences of my actions,” he said. “Of course, it’s disappointing to miss the Nationals, but looking back, I realise my behaviour in the race was not only wrong but also put fellow riders at risk. And that’s something I sincerely regret and apologise for.
“The rules are clear. If they are applied consistently, I fully respect that. I’ll now take some quiet time to recover and prepare for my next goals.”
And, just to add injury to insult, Riesebeek was taken to hospital after crashing out of yesterday’s final stage in Belgium, though his team have reported that he didn’t break any bones and “is doing well under the circumstances”.
Apart from the week-long ban, of course.
“What baffles me is that they make these decisions without considering the industry”: Lance Armstrong’s old boss Johan Bruyneel hits out at UCI’s tech rule changes – and claims it’s all part of a French conspiracy
The US Postal fest continues on the live blog this afternoon – because, if there’s some UCI bashing to be had, you just know Johan Bruyneel won’t be far away, microphone (and conspiracy theories) at the ready.
Speaking on his old protégé Lance Armstrong’s The MOVE podcast, Bruyneel was scathing of the governing body’s decision to introduce a new minimum handlebar width of 40cm, along with a proposed gear restriction trial – moves he reckons are the brainchild of the “French triangle” at the heart of the sport’s governance, namely UCI president David Lappartient, ASO’s Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme, and Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot.
I told you the Hog loves a conspiracy theory.
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The Hog with the old UCI chief Pat McQuaid
“Professional cycling is truly professional,” former Postal, Astana, and RadioShack boss Bruyneel said on the podcast.
“Everything is the best of the best, and then the UCI shows up with something like 54×11, or whatever the gear combo is. But teams using SRAM have a major issue, because their cassettes start at 10.
“What baffles me is that they make these decisions without considering the industry. SRAM can’t just say, ‘Sure, UCI, we’ll go ahead and manufacture new cassettes that start at 11 before August’. You’d need something like 49×10, and SRAM doesn’t make that either.
“They say you can block the 10-tooth cog, but then you suddenly have 11 gears instead of 12. Where are we going with this? Sure, descents will be a bit slower, but that’s the only real effect. It’s one of those things where you can tell they haven’t thought about the practical consequences.”
“It’s the same with the handlebar width,” the controversial Belgian, who is banned for life from the sport due to his role in US Postal’s doping programme, continued.
“We’ve seen all the discussion and criticism, and they’re right. You can’t just make one handlebar size for every body type. The women’s peloton will face huge issues.”
Citing promising young Belgian Jarno Widar, who crashed out while defending his U23 Giro title last week, Bruyneel said: ““He’s tiny. You can’t put him on a 40 cm handlebar. He’d be riding like he’s on a chopper. I understand there should be limits, but they need to vary per person.
“In my opinion, a 40 cm handlebar is more stable. But you have to consider other things. A lot of riders grew up using narrower bars. That’s how they learned to ride. You can’t just tell them now to ride with handlebars that are two centimetres wider.
“It changes how the peloton behaves. With a narrower handlebar, you see more gaps. Mentally, you still have that instinct. But now, with a wider handlebar, you think you can squeeze through, but you can’t, because your bars are wider.”
Pointing his conspiratorial finger at Lappartient, Prudhomme, and Madiot (who last week renewed his call to ban race radios and power meters to improve safety), Bruyneel concluded: “It all comes down to the same thing: the UCI president is French. But all these ideas come from Christian Prudhomme. He wants to make the riders slower.
“His close advisor is also French, namely Marc Madiot, who thinks the same way. It’s a triangle: Prudhomme, Madiot, and Lappartient.”
“I cringe thinking of the insane crashes I had riding 42cm bars”: Former Garmin pro Tom Danielson brands new handlebar width rule “nonsense” – as Lorena Wiebes claims UCI is “not really thinking about safety”
It’s fair to say the UCI’s attempt to appease the critics of its controversial new handlebar width rule – by simply doubling down on the proposed changes and throwing in a few drawings for good measure – hasn’t really worked.
On Friday afternoon (just before I was due to clock off for the weekend – cheers, David), cycling’s world governing body issued a rehashed, reheated version of its latest series of tech rule changes, which include new gear restrictions, maximum rim heights and fork widths, a ban on time trial helmets in road races, and a minimum 40cm outside-to-outside width for handlebars.
These changes, the UCI insists, will ensure “ever safer and fairer competition conditions” in an era marked by rapid technological change, while the handlebar restrictions will – the governing body claims – allow all athletes to “compete with equipment that is both high-performance and safe”.
However, as we’ve seen over the past week – despite the UCI’s claim that the rules were updated based on an “extensive” consultation with riders and teams – the changes have proved extremely unpopular both within the peloton and throughout the cycling world.
When it comes to the handlebar rule, in particular, bike fitters have questioned the UCI’s understanding of biomechanics, as well the claimed safety gains of a 400mm limit, arguing the change will disproportionately impact smaller riders and the women’s peloton, many of whom use narrower bars, not for aerodynamic gains, but simply to ride a bike set-up that is comfortable and fits properly.
Following the UCI’s decision to double down on its tech changes, which are set to come into effect in January, the women’s professional cyclist union, The Cyclists’ Alliance, issued a statement arguing that the new handlebar rule “endangers cyclists and ignores fundamental principles of bike fit and safety”.
“The Cyclists’ Alliance Rider Council opposes this regulation because it puts riders at risk,” the TCA’s statement said.
“Female cyclists face the greatest impact from this arbitrary restriction on minimum handlebar width because they are statistically smaller in stature, with narrower shoulder widths. Riders who cannot use properly fitted equipment will experience pain, reduced control, and increased injury risk.
Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
“The UCI claims this change will improve rider safety, but requiring riders to use equipment that doesn’t match their body measurements creates new hazards.
“If riders are forced to use ill-fitting bikes, they will be at risk of compromised bike control and confidence using oversized handlebars, especially during intensive and dynamic race conditions and potential long-term injuries.”
And on Saturday, after winning the first ever edition of the Copenhagen Sprint, SD Worx’s Lorena Wiebes criticised the UCI’s overt focus on bar width, pointing out that the Danish race was littered with safety hazards and poor organisation – aspects of racing that make it a lot more dangerous for the peloton, and which the governing body appears to be ignoring in favour of new bar and fork rules.
“I’m a bit annoyed that the UCI is doing things differently with the handlebars and stuff and not really thinking about our safety,” the European champion said after winning the crash-marred event.
“It was a bit dangerous sometimes, with nobody signalling the central reservations. These kinds of crashes mostly happen in these city centres, but on the bigger lap we also had some crashes, and we lost one of our important teammates, Blanka Vas, there.
“In the end, it worked out all good. But I hope next time the UCI takes a bit more care of our safety.”
Wiebes’ point that the UCI – surprise, surprise – is stuck down the wrong rabbit role when it comes to safety was echoed by former Garmin pro Tom Danielson, who rode relatively boat-like 42cm bars during his racing days, something the retired American says he now “cringes” at when rewatching old races.
In a lengthy Twitter post, Danielson, who also raced for Discovery Channel and won a stage of the Vuelta in 2006, said: “I’m reading this nonsense of handlebar width and it makes me feel lucky I’m not racing in the WorldTour anymore so I can ride my 36s in peace.
“I watch the videos of my past racing, with me wrestling my bike uphill with 42s and cringe. I also cringe when I think of the insane crashes I have been involved in, and how they could have easily been avoided.”
The 47-year-old, expanding on Wiebes’ point, continued: “If the UCI actually wants safety to be the priority at the World Tour level here are the changes they can make that will drastically reduce crashes immediately:
“Have the roads the racers will go down inspected for holes, road furniture, unlit tunnels, tree roots, etc five months prior to race day. If the routes fail the safety guidelines, then there is time to change or fix them.
“All downhills and roundabouts (which either are in cities, have moss, or are in areas with little rainfall) must be cleaned in entirety by a street cleaner the day before the race.
“Make GC time loss on sprint stages a thing of the past by everyone gets the same GC time at comfortable distance like 20km to go.
“Race officials, police, and team cars cannot pass the peloton or riders at twice the speed the riders are traveling at.
“These areas are where the current problems are at. Narrow handlebars are actually safer as riders can move throughout the peloton easier. If speed is a safety concern, then the places to look are downhills and sections of course with massive cross and tailwinds.”
Danielson – who twice served doping bans during his career, one for admitting his involvement in Discovery’s doping programme to USADA in 2012, and for testing positive for synthetic testosterone in 2015, prompting his retirement – then turned his attention to the UCI’s plans to test a new maximum gear ratio during the second half of the 2025 season.
This junior-style restriction will cap riders at a 54×11 gear ratio on 700c wheels (which equates to 1.46m per revolution of the crank), and looks set to hit SRAM-sponsored teams hardest, as their 10-tooth cog setup will exceed the new limit.
“If you are removing gears to make sprint finishes safe, well, you are going to have to remove a lot more,” the Tour de France top ten finisher wrote.
“The majority of the ‘excitement’ of the sprint for the audience is the high speed fight for position and the actual sprint. If you give everyone a gear that all abilities can do then we are going to have a BMX race with no jumps and turns that goes for a long time. Can you imagine this?
“In these big sprint finishes the big crashes come from the GC riders and teams fighting with the sprint teams. I don’t think the cameras even show the madness that goes on back there and I don’t think any fan likes to see their rider go home with a broken collarbone from a crash in 80th position.
“Let’s lighten the bikes, crank up the radios, raise the sock heights, narrow the handlebars, and let these homies use the gears they want so the internet sites have something to impress us with! Oh, and let’s make the streets safer so our heroes can rumble in confidence!”
Danielson for UCI president?
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The problem with Roadcc (and all cycling magazines) is that it’s all preaching to the converted. …It’s a great forum for exposing the issues, it’s Roadcc’s bread and butter. But what is Roadcc doing to advocate for all its readers outside the cycling industry?
Cycling thinks it’s a fashion parade, which is why prices have become so exorbitant. It’s zero surprise to see Pinarello on a catwalk. Almost every group ride in any world city has become fashion parade. Cycling outfits can easily cost $1000. …The great thing is that you don’t have to buy into it! Just stop paying high prices. There are many affordable options.
That seems like a complete non sequitur to what I wrote.
Delivery's free should you spend over £55, golly! I could spend that much on all manner of ingredients to make rice cakes, granola bars, 'gravel' mix enough to keep me cycling for weeks on end. Just eat real food, if you've got time to train, you've got time to make you're own grub. Just eat real food, you've probably got some in the kitchen
@mdavidford Are you not concerned that using reasonable force to defend yourself against robbery with violence may result in criminal charges against you? It was 2 against 1. Reasonable force should include rendering your attackers incapable of doing you harm.
Not sure what being a “family man and business owner” has to with it, though. That's no guarantee of good character or trustworthiness. We've seen any number of "family men and business owners" abusing, threatening, or running cyclists off the road in stories here on road.cc - often using their business vehicle to do it.
@Mr Anderson One of the comments was from a person who describes himseld as a "family man and business owner", who fought off two attackers trying to rob him and is now facing charges of GBH. I am reminded of "The Little Onion"'s brush with the law and Dave Clifford's prosecution for reporting a phone driver.
@swagman But what if they are sleeping bags or stoves that are not specifically designed for cycling, just might be useful for some cyclists, that would definitely be crossing a line to a new low, wouldn't it?
Don't see what's so baffling - fashion's always moved in cycles.
An UTTERLY DEPRESSING day! For over 4 years I have been seriously considering giving up cycling. I have escaped 1 bikejacking attempt, and managed to avoid 2 others (1 in Orpington where 2 other cyclists were robbed in June 2022 reported by Road.cc). I have survived several attempts to deliberately push me off from passing motorists. Then there are the lucky escapes from near collisions with distracted drivers. I have watched many videos from bikepackers, mainly Josh Parsons, and I decided I needed to return to off-road cycling if I am to continue enjoying cycling, free from those threats. This morning, YT suggested this video: https://youtu.be/a9PDAOYVYm0?si=G2ZoPkLq9jT2tbXQ Then I read the many, many comments. Not only that, the locations of these incidents. For some while I have been considering where I can move to in the UK to find better roads to cycle on, but I am beginning to believe the blight I experience in SE London, Kent and Surrey, are widespread. Over the last few years I have been a subscriber to road.cc. This is because this appears to be the only publication in the UK that is willing to highlight the bad situations many of us cyclists face regularly. But in recent months I am now under the impression even this forum is shying away from reporting the bad stuff. So I have ended my subscription. I am now left yet again pondering my future cycling choices!!
22 thoughts on ““I cringe thinking of the insane crashes I had riding 42cm bars”: Ex-pro cyclist brands new handlebar width rule “nonsense” – as Lorena Wiebes claims UCI is “not really thinking about safety” + more on the live blog”
My, theirs some whining over
My, theirs some whining over these bar regs. I started cycling from MTBs and have always been comfortable on them, you get better stability from them and climbing is easier, so all you journo’s, shut shut up crying about it and get with the beat…btw I never had probs ‘making my way thru a bunch’ – it’s pathetic
I’ve ridden everything from
I’ve ridden everything from 37cm to 48cm (outside to outside), over more than 40 years. 37cm is my favourite, but I’m going to go narrower on the track. Nowadays anything wider than 40cm feels wrong, and I’m a male with wide shoulders. The wide bars of the nineties and noughties were dodgy for all sorts of reasons.
And, yes, I’ve got an MTB with wide MTB bars. They biomechanics are completely different.
leedorney wrote:
Going to guess from both name and attitude that you are an average-sized male? Would you be so sanguine if you were Women’s WT rider Gaia Realini, 4’11” now being forced to ride with handlebars of a width suited to someone 5’9″?
Realini.
Realini.
Grazie per la correzione,
Grazie per la correzione, modificata!
I’m afraid leedorney is right
I’m afraid leedorney is right. It’s a storm in an espresso cup.
If you want narrow handlebars then feel free to buy and use them. If you’re not a pro road cyclist then you needn’t whine away on their behalf. They can complain directly to the UCI, they don’t need us middle-aged men getting all hot and bothered about it on cycling news websites. It’s all a bit pathetic.
Simon E wrote:
So if as fans of road racing we see a regulation we think is silly or unfair, we shouldn’t “whine away” about (aka “comment on”) it because the pros can complain directly to the UCI? Should nobody comment on anything that doesn’t directly affect their daily lives? Not hot and bothered in the least thanks (and don’t want narrow bars), just a fan of road racing commenting on something that has the potential adversely to influence the sport I enjoy. If you want to call that pathetic, fill your boots. It appears to be you who’s getting hot and bothered.
Rendel Harris wrote:
It’s not commenting, it’s pathetic whining.
There are a myriad of other things that can adversely affect our enjoyment of the sport far, far more than the UCI’s new handlebar rule but for some bizarre reason this is the super-hot topic that gets so many people worked up. It’s a joke.
Simon E wrote:
I haven’t seen a single person who has got as worked up about it as you appear to have got yourself. The “pathetic whining” seems to be more you complaining about people talking about it than anything else.
More e-bike bashing from the
More e-bike bashing from the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c70nl7np0v9o
To be clear, the main incident in question was obviously horrific, and the cyclist in question should be considered a violent criminal.
But the rest of the article presents a deeply biased narrative.
The victim is quoted as saying “there are no rules and regulations in place for these electric bikes. They can speed, jump red lights, use their mobile phones, swerve onto pavements”. This is patently untrue.
Considering lawful EAPCs (which covers Lime bikes), jumping red lights and riding on pavements are both explicitly illegal. Whilst technically correct that there is no speed limit (although obviously to be lawful, electric assistance must cut out at 15.5mph), it doesn’t sound like high speed per se was particularly a contributory factor in this incident. And whilst there is no specific offence about mobile phone use, it may still be considered under the catch-all offences of careless or even dangerous cycling.
Moreover, the article again makes absolutely no distinction between lawful EAPCs and electric motorbikes, which are regulated as motor vehicles. Some of the more general comments made about “e-bikes” are presumably referring to electric motorbikes being used unlawfully on public roads.
I’m certainly willing to agree that there is a lack of enforcement regarding the existing rules and regulations, but ineffective enforcement is not the same thing as regulations not existing. I would also say that lack of enforcement is a common theme for road traffic offences – but someone being injured (or even killed) after being hit by a speeding hit-and-run driver rarely makes national headline news or leads to calls to change the law.
OnYerBike wrote:
This is the fundamental issue. Drivers have a massive victim complex despite being caught and punished a vanishingly small percentage of the time. Then they have everyone agreeing with them when they suggest that cyclists of any kind are completely lawless and not required to follow any rules.
mctrials23 wrote:
There seems a complete disconnect between the perception and reality of road law and its enforcement (never mind what’s actually important / the relative risks of different activities / from different modes). And – because motonormativity, it’s not just drivers – we all work from within this perspective more or less.
Anecdata (though perhaps Ian Walker has some research here as part of his work on motonormativity?) but :
– if you ask many people about how “breaking the law” on the roads is dealt with you fairly commonly get responses like “they throw the book at you!” Probing a bit more e.g. about slight speeding / pavement driving and parking …
– … when you point out that is in fact illegal and has safety implications many people will minimize that. They will probably admit it’s common – at which point if you point back to “they throw the book at you” they’ll either dismiss this (not real crime) or be completely confused about what you’re trying to say.
So at the same time we have laws which don’t matter and are in fact ignored with little consequence, but also heavy enforcement!
road.cc wrote:
It’s actually 10.46m, if you have a wheel circumference of 2.13m. But what’s an order of magnitude when it comes to UCI regulations?
Came here to make the same
Came here to make the same point. I think this is just road.cc making a mistake. Their other story on this has the 10.46 metre development figure. 1.46 mean would require some absolutely tiny front-ring with a massive rear sprocket, cause just one turn of 700c wheels is at least 2 metres – 1.46m development would need something like a 38 front-ring, with a 28 sprocket on the back as the _smallest_ gear! 😉
Also, this DOES not make a 10 cog illegal at the rear. No _specific_ gear is illegal. You can keep running 10 at the back – you just have to make the big ring smaller to suit.
It feels to me, over these stories, that someone in road.cc doesn’t fully understand gears. 😉
I think the 10 sprocket issue
I think the 10 sprocket issue is only problematic for teams on SRAM as their chainset / chainring design doesn’t allow flexibility. They don’t make one with a 49T (49/10 would be just inside the limit) so riders would need to ditch the 10 sprocket or be on the 48T option and at a minor disadvantage.
Either way, I’m not sure it’s going to make any difference to the riders’ safety.
Dame Joan Collins wrote:
#theymayormaynotbe
#somearesharedpathsforcyclistsandpedestrians
#paulboatengintroducedsomenuancetotheissue
#robertgoodwillreiteratedthatnuance
#DameJCpastherusefulbestonmattersofpublicpolicy
GMBasix wrote:
#theymayormaynotbe— Dame Joan Collins
#especiallyforpedestriansdrivingonthemtopark
GMBasix wrote:
Not particularly on board with the ageism part there
…however, was there ever a time when she was an authority on matters of public policy? (No – being patron of UKIP doesn’t count.)
mdavidford wrote:
FTFY
I’m more than happy with the fact that my supermarket fruit and veg no longer have “best before” dates, and I assess their suitability for the task at hand. Equally, I’m more than happy to take the opinion of a nonagenarian on its own merits. By their fruit you will recognise them:
Got rescued at lunchtime
Got rescued at lunchtime after having a big flat. A young girl stopped and asked if I’d like a lift ! Her Dad is a cyclist, so she was aware of what’s it’s like to be stuck.
Just as well, as I had teams meeting at 2 which I thought I would be late for.
The best way to doeal with
The best way to doeal with Teams meetings is to mount your phone on your handelbars. I did several meetings this way during lockdown and it almost kept me sane.
With 4.5 million followers,
With 4.5 million followers, Alden Richards won’t have to wait long before Cathay Pacific, aka Cathay Pathetic, replace his broken Colnago. CX is yet another airline that charge premium airfares, deliver low-cost services and make travelling with a bicycle a stressful experience (limited space, space allocation to be confirmed 72 hours prior to ETD, bike box can’t exceed 203 cm in total, upon checking in the bike owner signs off a liability waiver).