“Bye bye family cycling”: Disappointment as council brags of “exciting new plans”… only to rip out cycle lane segregation; Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert join public roasting of Adam Levine; One of the best sprints you’ll ever see + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert join public roasting of Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine's alleged affair
2022, eh… what a weird time. A time when professional cycling teams now take to social media to score meme victories against celebrities. Following on from Lotto-Soudal’s Leonardo DiCaprio ‘banter’… Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert have joined the celebrity-roasting party, editing this leaked message from Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine to someone other than his wife…
Adam Levine reaction when he saw Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert in 4th place of the UCI World Ranking pic.twitter.com/lPvvN1NOSN
— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) September 22, 2022
Clarification time (mainly for if you’re, quite reasonably, currently sat there wondering who is Adam Levine and what is a Maroon 5?)
1. Adam Levine: lead singer of American ‘pop rock’ band Maroon 5.
2. Maroon 5: aforementioned American ‘pop rock’ band. Not worth your time, I promise…
3. Leaked messages: Levine’s leaked messages with a TikTok star (god help us, this is peak internet age), named Sumner Stroh, have become a viral meme template sensation this week, with football teams, airlines… and now cycling teams using the ‘scandal’ for social media points.
4. Levine denies allegations: despite the leaked DMs — which will probably have your head hurting through sheer cringeworthy terribleness — and more women coming forward with similar allegations, Levine says: “I used poor judgement in speaking with anyone other than my wife in ANY kind of flirtatious manner. I did not have an affair; nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life.”
[Image credit: @cyclingmedia_agency]
Anyway, the damage has been done — a Belgian World-Tour cycling team has taken the piss out of him… While Levine was left to wonder ‘how will I ever recover from this cycling team roasting?’, Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert’s admin bathed in the applause…
👏👏
— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) September 22, 2022
This admin 😂 https://t.co/amsLNCVrBE
— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) September 22, 2022
Take tomorrow off. You’ve earned it. 👏👏👏
— Robin Clarke (@robinjclarke) September 22, 2022
One of the best sprints you'll ever see
The junior men’s road race had a dramatic finish overnight…
This must be one of the best sprints for the Rainbow Jersey I’ve ever seen. 💥🌈 Emil Herzog beat Antonio Morgado, they will be teammates next year. It was definitely worth it to lose some sleep and watch this. #Wollongong2022
📽️ @StanSportAUpic.twitter.com/8rS3U2mGMM— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) September 23, 2022
Both go to Hagens Berman Axeon for next season, the team responsible for developing João Almeida, Jasper Philipsen, Neilson Powless and Tao Geoghegan Hart. Two new names for the future.
In the U23 race, Kazakhstan’s Yevgeniy Fedorov won, with Samuel Watson Great Britain’s highest finisher, in 14th. Tomorrow morning the elite riders join the party, beginning with the women’s event before the men follow on Sunday morning.
Set your alarms bright and early and get some pre-ride inspiration over your porridge…
2023 UCI Road World Championships road race routes revealed — Loch Lomond and Edinburgh to host starts
Edinburgh and Loch Lomond were today unveiled as the official venues and starting locations for the elite and U23 races at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships.
The men’s route will take the riders 277km from Edinburgh to Glasgow with 3,167 metres of climbing, while the women’s race ascends 1,930 metres during the 157km route from Loch Lomond.
The majority of the races will be around a 14.4km “technical circuit” in the centre of Glasgow, comprising of punchy short climbs and a finish at George Square.
Full details can be found here…
"Bye bye family cycling": Disappointment as council brags of "exciting new plans"... only to rip out cycle lane segregation
Council: Listen up everyone, we’ve got some exciting new plans about your high street. We know how important this is for you so we’ve thought long and hard and can’t wait to tell you…(drumroll please)… we’re going to rip out the cycle lane segregation to make it a more people-friendly area…
Local cyclists and families:
Spoke too soon. They’re going to replace our cycle lanes with wider pavements and bus lanes. In their press release they said we will ‘benefit from using the extended bus lanes to cycle along the high street’. Because everyone wants their 11 year olds to cycle with buses right? https://t.co/BOPrdYlLNB
— Sally Watson (@salawatson) September 22, 2022
Not keen on kids having to share lanes with buses and other bus lane users eg taxis. How will cyclist safety be maintained beating in mind that large numbers of children cycle to school along the High Street?
— Kath Anderson 🇮🇪 🇪🇺 💙 (@Kathfanderson) September 22, 2022
If it doesn’t have protected cycle lanes, it’s not an exciting new plan, it’s a backward step.
— Götz von Berlichingen #FBPE (@georgebernhard) September 22, 2022
Newcastle City Council broke the news with a tweet promising “exciting new plans” before, in the press release, adding: “Plans would see improvements made to Gosforth High Street to make it a more people-friendly area, with widened pavements, green infrastructure, seating and cycling parking, as well as measures to prioritise public transport.
“This includes bus lane provision extended on the approaches to Gosforth High Street, with the current bollards removed and replaced with widened pavements for seating and planting to improve the attractiveness of the area.
“The intention to reclaim the space permanently for people who are walking or wheeling will mean this High Street, which currently has some of the narrowest footpaths of any comparable shopping street in the city, would be a nicer place to be.”
Here’s what the previous lane looked like — although far from perfect, I’m sure some would argue — and how it enabled children and families to access the route by bike…
Many drivers have complained about these lanes but this is what they make possible – thanks to @NewcastleCC. Would be great if the painted man could be turned into a cycling girl 😀 @JaneLabour pic.twitter.com/rlHe2DsQnw
— Sally Watson (@salawatson) September 7, 2022
But hey, cheer up everyone, at least “reclaiming the space permanently for people who are walking or wheeling” will “make it a nicer place to be”…
World Anti-Doping Agency to ban tramadol in-competition from January 2024
WADA Executive Committee approves 2023 Prohibited List | https://t.co/uTFjcEAZO7 pic.twitter.com/L4ZPnZeXkF
— WADA (@wada_ama) September 23, 2022
As expected: World Anti-Doping Agency set to ban painkiller tramadol
Police search for owners after 44 stolen bicycles recovered
Hertfordshire Police are appealing to theft victims after a cyclist tracked his bike’s location to a property where officers then found a further 44 stolen bicycles. A 53-year-old man from Bushey was arrested on suspicion of theft and has been released under investigation, the Islington Gazette reports.
Investigator Kay Leverton said: “We are releasing the images of these bikes that were recovered as we suspect they may also have been stolen and are hoping to reunite them with their rightful owners.
“If you think one of the bikes may belong to you, or if you have any further information you think may assist with our investigation, please get in contact with me via email.”
He's off again...
Cycling the coast of Britain is magical by being close to the sea#roundbritain pic.twitter.com/vvQdPPM48N
— Timmy Mallett (@TimmyMallett) September 23, 2022
Why Silca is at the cutting edge of cycle tech
More bike lane silliness
It’s a bike lane kind of day on the live blog. Brace yourselves for this one…
new cycle lanes in clongriffin not going well so far 😬 pic.twitter.com/itQZFO8Fsu
— Alan D (@AlanDub13) September 23, 2022
If you don’t laugh… and all that.
Yeah supposed to parallel park. Its been an unfinished surface for years so a free for all. Now that they are marking and finishing the surface, the bad habits aren’t going away anytime soon
— Alan D (@AlanDub13) September 23, 2022
Annemiek van Vleuten WILL start World Championships road race
After the mixed relay crash which put her participation in tomorrow’s road race in doubt, the Netherlands cycling federation has confirmed Annemiek van Vleuten will be on the startline after all.
Very nice news from Wollongong: Annemiek van Vleuten will ride the road race at the World Cup on Saturday. In a final test today, the recovery turned out to be sufficient to be able to participate
The hints were all pointing towards the all-conquering star of the sport taking part, with national coach Loes Gunnewijk yesterday saying Van Vleuten had been able to get out the saddle and can “make the best of” the situation.
23 September 2022, 08:14
23 September 2022, 08:14
Apologies for the quieter than usual live blog updates, dipped out to write this, but will have some more posts soon...
Ethan Hayter "quite enjoyed" being attacked by a magpie while smashing up a climb ahead of World Championships
"I was doing a full gas effort on a climb so I started sprinting to try and get away from it and it just kept coming"
23 September 2022, 08:14
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Latest Comments
Looking at Google shopping results for 'road bike', and then at a variety of retailer sites (Halfords, Decathlon, Sigma Sports, Ribble, Winstanleys, etc. etc., plus a couple of our local shops with ecommerce presence), on none of them are more than about one in eight black or dark grey, and often that's just one of a number of colour choices. So if there are a preponderance of such bikes around, it seems like it's less because bikes have become more 'boring' than it is because the people buying them have.
@Rendel Harris Well, Rendel, I think if you look really hard you can see that I wrote "how much more boring road bikes have become" and not 'how much more boring road bikes IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE have become". Simply look around you, when you see a group of road bikers pass by. Look in the bike shops. It's black, black, more black, some dark grey, more dark grey, matte. And black parts, like on all the bikes you showed as an example.
Exactly. Agree. But that doesn’t give ProCycling a free pass – instead the UCI and all pro teams should be leading the way as ambassadors for cycling as the greenest sport. Pro cycling could be green, but it will take significant change. Frighteningly however, it’s greenwashing that is still the aim and motivation for the majority of pro cycling sponsors. It’s not good enough. Such sponsorships should be banned. Like tobacco and alcohol. It’s as simple as that. Our planet is sending a very clear message through ProCycling – not sustainable.
Exactly. Agree. But that doesn’t give ProCycling a free pass - instead the UCI and all pro teams should be leading the way as ambassadors for cycling as the greenest sport. Pro cycling could be green, but it will take significant change. Frighteningly however, it’s greenwashing that is still the aim and motivation for the majority of pro cycling sponsors. It’s not good enough. Such sponsorships should be banned. Like tobacco and alcohol. It’s as simple as that. Our planet is sending a very clear message through ProCycling - not sustainable.
@Sredlums Give me a nicely colored bike with silver parts any day Tastes differ. My ideal finish would be titanium-like brushed finish 953 right down to the forks with no logos. However, 26 years experience with the Merlin and 7 years of hammering the carbon forks of the El Cheapo Vitus gravel in all weathers have convinced me that there are good reasons even beyond the weight why almost all bikes these days have carbon forks. I can't find any faults on the Vitus forks so it seems that carbon is not, as I still feel emotionally, an unnecessary expensive glamour material that cracks chips and crumbles at the first opportunity. So a custom 953 seems an expense too far and it's still the 853 Fairlight Secan for me in 27
@Sredlums Here's a little collage of some of this year's Tour bikes. I think if you look really hard you can see a bit of colour here and there…
@Sredlums Here's a little collage of some of this year's Tour bikes. I think if you look really hard you can see a bit of colour here and there…
@Type17 thanks for that
@Didsbury Yes, almost identical - bikes with throttles, >250w motors, assistance past 25km/h / 15.5mph are illegal electric motorbikes, not EAPCs/Pedelecs. I think that the only difference here is that private e-scooters, limited to 20km/h (and other limitations like weight, power, etc), are legal in the RoI for 16+ year-old riders, but enforcement is almost non-existent and illegal e-bikes and scooters are as common as legal versions. I asked a guy with an e-scooter which had full suspension and looked very fast/heavy what its actual maximum speed was, and he admitted that it could do 75km/h / 46mph.
@Type17 Is the Irish legislation on electric motor bikes and scooters etc. actually the same as in the UK?
30 thoughts on ““Bye bye family cycling”: Disappointment as council brags of “exciting new plans”… only to rip out cycle lane segregation; Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert join public roasting of Adam Levine; One of the best sprints you’ll ever see + more on the live blog”
I’ve always thought if the
I’ve always thought if the explanation of the “joke” takes longer than the punchline, it’s not a joke, it’s not at all because I’m out of touch with it,whatever it is thesedays
.
Do a Holly/Phil queue jump meme instead, like they were just filtering 🙂
I’ve rapidly entered the “old
I’ve rapidly entered the “old man shouts at cloud” stage of my life
That “best sprint” in the
That “best sprint” in the junior race is tinged with dodginess for me after their interaction a few km from the line when they seemingly agreed who would win.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/gkam84/2933308393640901280/
On the news on the banning of
On the news on the banning of tramadol: Its been around for a long time and easily available over the counter, it is surprising that if it does offer a competitive advantage it has not been banned before now?
Patrick9-32 wrote:
It’s not easily available over the counter in the UK, it’s a class C controlled drug!
Sorry, you are right, I meant
Sorry, you are right, I meant on prescription rather than over the counter. As someone fortunate enough to not yet need regular pharmacutical care those two terms often jumble up in my head.
It’s only performance
It’s only performance enhancing in the sense that it stops you from caring how much pain you’re in.
Had it prescribed once, high quality gear but horrible to get off of after a week or so. Max strength co-codamol FTW.
As a regular cyclist through
As a regular cyclist through Gosforth i would never take the High Street with or without that recent cycle lane. There is a very quiet cycle route alternative on the next parallel street along, literally 30 seconds away, which is clearly marked and with calming measures (and one way only traffic). It’s about time they updated the high street as it hasnt really changed since the 70s and these measures are aimed at reducing traffic – the local motoring lobby are up in arms blaming cyclists even though it’s not to our benefit either! Local papers are hilarious
Same. But whilst I did
Same. But whilst I did everything to avoid cycling on the High Street (basically the old A1), I never once thought the pavements were a bit on the narrow side!
Whilst there are alternatives to skirt around the High Street, that’s not much use if your destination is somewhere on the High Street. But this might be better achieved by using some of the back lanes behind the shops as cycle routes and perhaps make a cycle track through the central park, linking with Moor Rd., along with better cycle parking provision.
45 bikes nicked, only one of
45 bikes nicked, only one of them the owner has bothered to make it somehow traceable. I guess you can’t blame the police for not rushing to locate stolen bikes, when they know it’s going to take even longer to locate the owners.
Sriracha wrote:
To be fair, how many of your possessions are traceable? If your house was burgled would you be castigating yourself for not recording the serial numbers of all your devices?
https://metro.co.uk/2022/09
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Newcastle City Council is the local government authority for the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. The council consists of 78 councillors. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party,’
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A Lay Bah council, a LAYYY Bah council!
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Shurely shumfink ronk?
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Flintshire Boy wrote:
Yes. It is obvious to everyone else but escapes you.
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A Koan precis:
.
“Last winter you said the same;
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Pointless even then.”
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Rebuilding Shattered Lives
Rebuilding Shattered Lives
Cyclist who lost leg in lorry collision.
https://mobile.twitter.com/APIL/status/1572534249257078784
Wonder if she will cycle again (they have all sorts of devices in Paralympic cycling for limb loss )
https://twitter.com
The increase in size seems to
The increase in size seems to be directly proportional to the increase in ugliness.
but is the car on the left
but is the car on the left the same model as the car on the right though ? lets face it when the car on the left was the model of choice for Gordon Gekko, the car on the right was an estate
This is probably a more
This is probably a more representative one. The 3 series now bigger then the 5 series back in the day.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
It’s also longer than the original X5 and taller than the 2nd generation 7 series.
I saw a Renault twizy the
I saw a Renault twizy the other day.
That’s a small car, for the 21st century anyway.
ktache wrote:
I often see one of those on my commute, in black with a yellow batman symbol stencilled on the back.
On electric microcars, have you see a Citroen Amo?
It featured on 5th gear,
It featured on 5th Gear, maybe Fully Charged.
Small electric cars make sense, and the ones I see are getting HUGE.
That’s what extraneous energy
That’s what extraneous energy does, stuff gets larger, heavier, design principles like making things as light as possible without impairing function get thrown overboard.
People have to carry laptops and phones so they get lighter. Bikes suddenly get a lot heavier when you add 250W more power. And let’s not talk about cars where everything unreasonable comes together to negate and undo all and any progresses made on energy consumption.
Just this – we carry phones,
Just this – we carry phones, we are carried in cars! Over time all technological artifacts embody more energy. Or rather the requirements of the sum of processes needed to make and use them. It’s the things you don’t see – the complexity of the components and the materials used – and the technologies needed to make the tools for those. Necessary tolerances decrease and material purity increases.
This is why cycles are great – 80% of the technology was in place 100 years ago. Also why disc brakes ruin a good bike *ducks under parapet*.
chrisonatrike wrote:
*pops head up* Come and try mine (cable operated) on a wet day – you’re not very far from me and you might be surprised – the braking is decent, I can use wide tyres on the crappy roads we both know, and my rims aren’t getting ground away. And on a wet day, you can play tunes!
Thanks! I was actually 50:50
Thanks! I was actually 50:50 on my bikes – rim cantilever and mechanical disc. However I just pulled the trigger the other day on a replacement hack / commuter which is – mostly – modern: hydraulic discs and belt drive (not to mention Alfine)! I will certainly be riding that in all weathers so we’ll see.
In turn if you ever want to corrupt yourself by turning to the dark side happy to facilitate – that is a fair weather bike for me though!
Please keep us informed how
Please keep us informed how you get on with the eccentric bottom bracket.
Horizontal dropouts on my rohloff/chain setup. Always wondered how the eccentric BB would work in “real life”
Will do – I’d have preferred
Will do – I’d have preferred the dropout solution if there was one handy (Shand Levret looks the business) but this one appeared and “just get it done” kicked in.
I think Thorn have been doing them on tourers for time – albeit their bikes are very different beasts!
Would love a Rohloff on a tourer – they make even more sense on recumbents IMO for the “dumping gears after a sudden stop” factor. I always baulked at paying the cost of a bike before you’ve even bought a bike though.