“Oops, bike lane was a mistake… Good luck cyclists”: Commuter protests “worst cycle lane in the world” with homemade signs; Peter Sagan and Thibaut Pinot’s (very different) Tour de France farewells + more on the live blog

From the annual conversation around doping at the Tour de France to crazy cycling fines, world championships woes, and a what will henceforth be known as beergate, here’s what you may have missed over the weekend while you were glued to the telly:

> Racing against shadows: Jonas Vingegaard, Jumbo-Visma, and cycling’s eternal questions

> Cyclist ordered to pay over £1,000 for riding bike in town centre – after council accused of targeting “old and slow”

> Female Ironman athlete deliberately pushed off bike by laughing car passenger into a ditch, breaking her collarbone

> Scottish First Minister urged to intervene as strike action threatens to “blight” UCI Cycling World Championships

> Finish of UCI Cycling World Championships events moved after road closure complaints from locals

> “He can shut his mouth”: Marc Madiot slams “small, shabby” Jumbo-Visma boss who claimed that French riders were drinking “large beers” on rest day

> “Netflix effect” could be behind rowdier Tour de France crowds, says race director

> The Tour de France Femmes’ Long and Winding Road: A brief history of the women’s Tour de France

> “Hey Siri, give me another gear”: is SRAM’s voice-activated shifting the Next Big Thing in cycling? Plus more tech news from Canyon, Rapha, Assos, Hunt, Raleigh & more

And off he goes, 12 stage wins and seven green jerseys later, with all the nonchalance of a man who would be happy if he never saw a pair of dropped handlebars again in his life…

Think what you want but @petosagan is the boss. We will miss him and his antics in the peloton @LeTour #Sagan #CouchPeloton pic.twitter.com/Tr11M7R8dd

— christophe mallet -🎖️onm -🚴🎾🏎️ (@cmallet) July 23, 2023

Of course, the soon-to-be-mountain biking three-time world champion couldn’t bow out of the race that helped define his career without treating us to another classic Sagz moment, delivering a refreshingly honest assessment of his relief at never having to ride the damned thing again.

“Finally, I’m so happy, so glad that it’s the last one. I’m tired,” he told Eurosport, and basically any other broadcaster who tried desperately to probe a tear, or even some degree of reflection, from the Slovakian star on the Champs-Élysées after yesterday’s final stage.

“It’s the last one, so what? Life continues, the show must go on. I’ve had a good time in cycling, in the Tour de France… But I’ve had enough. I’m happy it’s the last one.”

Now, that’s the kind of inspiring parting message I’d want to see on a t-shirt…

Meanwhile, on the complete opposite end of the emotional spectrum, another member of the much-vaunted Class of 1990 bowed out of the Tour de France – a race in which Thibaut Pinot has experienced, and forced basically every cycling fan in the world to experience with him, the most thrilling highs and crushing lows – with another rendition of his song (what else?) ringing in his ears…

Right place. Right time

Thibaut Pinot.#TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/hKTbAVWyxw

— Phil Jones (@roadphil) July 23, 2023

I’m not crying, you’re crying…

And while we’re all getting teary-eyed at Thibaut bidding the Tour adieu, let’s soak in one more time that moment on the Petit Ballon on Saturday:

Please can we take a moment to celebrate the very act of celebration, to salute the spirit that brings these people to the top of a mountain in pilgrimage. There is simply no sport like this. Nothing hits like this. @ThibautPinot @GroupamaFDJ @LeTour @eurosport @gcntweet pic.twitter.com/CKIcIWrnv9

— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) July 22, 2023

That’s the way to bow out of the Tour de France. Merci, Thibaut.

Thames Valley Police have confirmed the man was charged with causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving in relation to the death of an 81-year-old pedestrian in Oxford last year.

Read more: > Cyclist charged over pedestrian’s death in riverside footpath collision

With the men’s Tour over for another year, and as the Paris hangover begins to slowly dissipate, it’s time to turn our attention to what these last three weeks were really all about…

Yep, that’s right, the road.cc Fantasy League!

And it was a pretty spectacular Tour for your resident live blogger, who secured an impressive victory in the road.cc staff league, smashed the family competition, topped the Northern Ireland charts, and battled Guillaume Martin-style to tenth place overall (although the whole system malfunction thing before stage 19 might have played a part in that particular lofty position. And before you ask, it was nothing to do with me… Or was it?).

Anyway, congrats to road.cc reader dborgbrant, whose team Egan sealed a commanding victory with a whopping 3,109 points.

Because that’s what this Tour thing is really all about, isn’t it?

 

 

 

 

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After Belgian champion Lotte Kopecky upset the sprinters with a devastating attack on the Côte de Durtol to solo to the first yellow jersey of her career – with Lorena Wiebes winning the sprint behind for a wholly predictable, but still scintillating, SD Worx one-two in Clermont-Ferrand – today’s second stage of the Tour de France Femmes could see a GC battle that already began to crackle yesterday explode into life.

After Clermont-Ferrand ensures it gets its money’s worth with yet more stage hosting duties this month, the riders will take on a constantly lumpy trek through the Massif Central, where the short, sharp climbs should suit classics specialists such as race leader and double Tour of Flanders winner Kopecky.

However, the final climb of the Côte de Trebiac – 3.4km at 5.8 percent – tops out at just 1.4km from the finish, which also features a last-minute kick to the line in Mauriac, and could draw out the punchier of the overall contenders, like Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, and possibly even the pre-race big two, Annemiek van Vleuten and Kopecky’s teammate Demi Vollering.

(A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)

Or maybe Elisa Longo Borghini, who looked so strong before her crash at the Giro Donne and who was perfectly ensconced near the front of the fracturing chase behind the rampant Kopecky yesterday, could storm away on the final run-in and make it two for two for national champs at this year’s Tour?

In any case, we may have a more telling indication of who’s got what it takes to don yellow in Pau by the end of today…

The men may be just waking up in Paris, bleary-eyed and exhausted, while the women are currently racing through the Massif Central, but don’t forget – there’s just ten more sleeps until the inaugural Mega Worlds kicks off in Scotland next Thursday!

And, if you forget about the potential strike action, locals complaining about road closures, and dodgy road surfaces, it is shaping up to be a cracking celebration of all things cycling…

“It’s going to be really special for me” 🚴

Mountain Biker Isla Short talks all things @CyclingWorlds and its legacy for Scotland.
#PowerOfTheBike #GlasgowScotland2023 @ScottishCycling pic.twitter.com/EdC2JvrXsR

— Scottish Government (@scotgov) July 24, 2023

And, as someone who’s planning to spend most the 11-day long championships cramming in as much bike race spectating as is physically and emotionally possible, I for one can’t wait…

The murder trial of Alexander and Robert McKellar, accused of hitting charity cyclist Tony Parsons while driving under the influence before murdering him and disposing of his body on a country estate, is set to get underway at Glasgow’s High Court today.

Mr Parsons — who was 63 when he was reported missing while on a 104-mile charity bike ride from Fort William to his home in Tillicoultry, Clackmannanshire, in September 2017 — was last seen at around 11.30pm on the evening of the 29th outside the Bridge of Orchy Hotel in Argyll and Bute. 

Read more: > Trial to begin of twin brothers accused of murdering charity cyclist after drink-driving collision

A new documentary on Scottish ultra-cyclist and mental health campaigner Josh Quigley – a former seven day cycling distance world record holder and persistent round the world rider – will air on BBC One this Friday evening at 7.30pm, chronicling the Livingston man’s battle with depression and how riding a bike gave him a “new lease of life”.

The programme ‘Cycling Saved My Life’ follows Quigley as he (ultimately unsuccessfully) attempts to represent Team GB at next month’s cycling world championships, and details how he grabbed a second chance at life after a failed suicide attempt, following a battle with alcoholism, in 2015.

“I know from my intense battle with depression how isolating it can be. I hope my story can inspire others to find their purpose, and show it is possible to come back from the brink,” the 30-year-old, who discussed his struggles with mental health on the road.cc Podcast in 2021, says.

> Riding 2,179 miles in a week: Josh Quigley interviewed on the road.cc Podcast

“It was exposing my life for six months, but I completely trusted Jordan [Laird, director] to tell my story in a positive way that could impact others. I hope this will give others hope and help people have open conversations about suicide and mental health.”

Despite only taking up cycling a few years ago, in 2021 Josh completed an around-the-world ride at the eighth time of asking and broke the world record for the most distance cycled in a week, covering a staggering 2,179 miles.

Those amazing feats came after five years of extraordinary ultra-cycling frustration. He abandoned a 2016 attempt after riding more than 10,000 miles, and his run of bad luck ramped up in 2019 when he was fined £75 for cycling through Bedford Town Centre towards the start of his trip.

Just weeks later he had his bike stolen in London, and after buying a new bike and making it to Australia, he found himself having to fly home to get a new passport and fly back again because he had damaged his old one with sweat.

Just a month later after resuming his trip, Josh was hit from behind at 70mph by a driver in Texas, suffering a fractured skull, ribs, pelvis, and ankle as well as a punctured lung.

> Josh Quigley breaks North Coast 500 record

Following his arduous recovery, Quigley set a new North Coast 500 record in September 2020, raising funds for the Baylor Scott and White Medical Centre in Texas, where he was treated after the 2019 incident, in the process.

In January 2021 Josh then suffered multiple fractures while training in Dubai, coming off his bike while descending at around 35-40mph. Just a few months later he made his first attempt at the seven-day world record but was forced to abandon due to injury… before returning to the same course to finally take the world record later that year in September and bury those past demons.

> Josh Quigley completes round-the-world ride – two years after driver almost killed him

“Cycling is my purpose now, and I’m giving it absolutely everything,” he says. “I’ve missed out on the Championships in Glasgow, but like every setback in life, that’s only made me stronger.  I won’t stop until I make it to the Tour de France.”

The documentary’s director Jordan Laird added: “There’s a moment in the documentary when Josh talks about looking at a pint of lager and asking: ‘There must be more to life than this?’

“That brought home how universal this story is. Josh could have been one of my mates, I know so many people feel like him, who experience mental health issues but don’t talk about it. Any of us could have been in that situation. While it was cycling that Josh found purpose in, it could have been anything.

“This is a story of the transformative power of sport, of how sport can save someone’s life. It’s a story of resilience, determination, and ultimately, survival.

“It’s a regular guy putting every ounce into something. Watching him has had a huge impact on my life and I think his story will have a huge impact on others. It’s been a long time in the making, and I can’t wait for people to see it.”

Our Lives: Cycling Saved My Life will air on BBC One at 7.30pm this Friday. It will then be available on the BBC iPlayer.

Chute de Van Vleuten ! La championne du monde et tenante du titre repart après un gros gadin au coeur du peloton…

Suivez la 2e étape du Tour de France Femmes sur Eurosport avec #LesRP #TDFF2023 https://t.co/Hl7lHTITuQ pic.twitter.com/kDqoPBrJbh

— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) July 24, 2023

Scary moment for the defending champion here, though she’s now safely back in the bunch as the pace ramps up towards the increasingly tough and hilly finale.

Bit of a contrast weather-wise to yesterday! The weather has gone rather grim 🌧️#TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/h3FkdThAZz

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) July 24, 2023

Not fun #TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/oki1G7VbFz

— Tim Bonville-Ginn (@TimBonvilleGinn) July 24, 2023

Lovely. 

There were some cyclocross skills in use today by @Yarakastelijn at the #TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes

Watch live*, get highlights and in-depth analysis at https://t.co/rCZHyIz1o2 (*some territory restrictions apply) pic.twitter.com/shrvhz3VUk

— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) July 24, 2023

2019 European champion Yara Kastelijn putting her ‘cross tekkers to good use on the kind of slippery corner normally reserved for British town crits… 

German champion Liane Lippert timed her sprint to perfection at the end of a difficult, tense, and chaotic day at the Tour de France Femmes, powering past yellow jersey Lotte Kopecky on the tough drag to the line in Mauriac to secure the biggest win of her career so far.

The 25-year-old, whose victories have been confined to her home championships since winning the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in February 2020, has been knocking on the door of a breakthrough success for some time now, recording a plethora of top tens at the world championships, the classics, and at the biggest stage races.

𝑨𝒃𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒑𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆

Liane Lippert takes the victory for @Movistar_Team at Stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes 👏#TDFF2023 | @LianeLippert pic.twitter.com/cDjFTD6Ni3

— Eurosport (@eurosport) July 24, 2023

And if the ever-increasing weight of expectation wasn’t enough, she was forced to overcame a spill in the neutralised zone and a later crash that also brought down her Movistar team Annemiek van Vleuten, before navigating the tricky, rain-soaked final kilometres, that saw several riders, including Uno-X’s Maria Giulia Confalonieri and Jumbo-Visma’s breakaway rider Eva van Agt, hit the deck hard.

Lippert then remained cool amidst a flurry of attacks on the final climb – with Kasia Niewiadoma responsible for most of the pressure exerted on the dwindling bunch – and then expertly followed the wheels as SD Worx’s Demi Vollering (who, for most of the stage had been showcasing her best Pogačar-Vingegaard impression alongside Van Vleuten) hit the front to string things out in the final kilometre for the comfortable looking Kopecky.

But the German’s uphill sprint proved too strong for the yellow jersey, who she surged past in the closing metres to secure the first of what may now prove to be many, many victories on the biggest stage.

🇩🇪🇩🇪 LIANE LIPPERT JUST WON A @LeTourFemmes avec @GoZwift stage 🇩🇪🇩🇪

The victory she long sought and deserved. So happy for you.#RodamosJuntos! @Telefonica pic.twitter.com/JDZKQXpElD

— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) July 24, 2023

“I think it might take a while to realise it, and I’m really happy and proud,” Lippert said after the finish. “I crashed twice, in the neutral and on the climb, so there was a bit of stress. But the team did so well, and everyone was a big part of this.

“We came back after the crash and stayed calm in the rain. But I always stay calm in the rain, so I was actually happy when it started.

“I’ve been waiting so long for a win, and to win at the Tour de France, I couldn’t wish for more.”

Her team leader, and the defending Tour champion, Van Vleuten was more succinct about what this victory will mean for Lippert’s career: “Once she starts winning, she won’t stop.”

That’s a prediction I certainly wouldn’t bet against.

From the boulevards of Paris to the sunny streets of San Francisco… Never say I don’t take you anywhere on the live blog.

Well, over in San Fran (that’s what they call it, isn’t it?), a controversial cycle lane – which runs, for some reason, up the middle of a main city street – and the “dangerous, ridiculous” construction signs which currently run along it, have inspired one bike riding commuter to install her own, cutting bike lane signs.

The new cycle lane on the Californian city’s Valencia Street runs down the middle of the road, with traffic passing on either side.

Cyclists using it are protected by the odd plastic bollard and small rubber kerbs. They have also had to, for the last three months, navigate the large construction signs currently lining the centre of the bike lane for its duration.

Mission Local reports that plans for the cycle lane were approved, despite lukewarm support, in a bid to avoid removing delivery spaces on either side of the road. As the bike lane has been built, several cyclists have crashed – including into the signs – and traffic experts have been scathing of the scheme, describing it as “an abomination” and the “worst infrastructure I have ever seen anywhere in the world”.

Over the past week – in a bid to highlight the absurdity of the cycling ‘infra’ – a local cyclist has launched her own protest by swapping out the much-derided constructions signs with satirical ones of her own making.

Nine new signs appeared along the cycle path last week, each highlighting the problems with the lane’s layout.

“Uh, good luck turning right,” read one, while another said: “LOL IDK how you will merge.”

Others included: “We regret this bike lane”, “Good luck cyclists”, “LMAO We didn’t think this thru”, “If fire truck comes IDK”, and ““Oops bike lane was a mistake”.

The anonymous jokester, who commutes on Valencia Street every day, told the local paper that she installed the homemade messages because she finds the original signs “pretty ridiculous”.

“They’re an obstruction to cyclists, and also extremely confusing,” she said, noting that on one of her rides she saw one of the signs cracked in half after a cyclist hit it. That inspired her to make slogans lampooning the “dangerous” nature of the signs themselves.

Explaining her “good luck turning right” sign, she said: “If you have a green light and the cars have a green light, there’s this little square you have to wait in, but you don’t have much time. You have to make eye contact with drivers and let them let you make a right turn.”

Meanwhile, her fire truck-related sign was a result of the local authority’s decision to also make the cycle lane the designated lane for emergency services.

“Imagine you’re on your bike and there’re cars on both sides, and then the fire truck comes down. Where do you go?” she asked.

Despite encountering some opposition from the local authority – who promptly took the signs down – the cyclist returned over the weekend to keep spreading the message.

“Ultimately, I don’t think it’s the best vision for Valencia Street,” she said of the much-maligned cycling infra.

“They did all this just to save 20 parking spots. It’s frustrating because Valencia would be such a nice street, if the focus was on bikes and pedestrians.”