“The worst part is he did it for over 500m”: Pro cyclist disqualified for “stickiest of sticky bottles”; Police fine driver with bike on rear mount for hiding licence plate; Wout van Aert goes for double disc wheels; Drunk Pogačar + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Wout x Remco in Paris!
Remco a reconnu le parcours du chrono des JO avec son pote Wout !#JO2024
📷Nieuwsblad pic.twitter.com/JednbpjnLt
— Le RemcOptimiste (@Evenepoel_Fan) July 24, 2024
Is that Pogačar a couple beers down... or just tired?
If anyone could use a pint of chilled brew, it would probably me right now. A close second might be Tadej Pogačar, the Slovenian just off the back of a dominating Tour de France campaign where he added a third maillot jaune to his palmares with some flair.
And as the UAE Team Emirates rider, who was already off to a crit race in the Netherlands on Tuesday evening, even revealing that the omission of her partner and Slovenian road race and time trial champion Urška Žigart from the national Paris Olympic squad played a part in his pulling out of the tournament, was seen with former pro cyclist Raffaele ‘Lello’ Ferrara, accompanied by Pogačar’s mum as well. And looking quite tipsy (or tired, depending on who you ask), may I add.
While fans have been going gaga over Pogačar’s drunken demeanour, falling around on Ferrara’s shoulder (come on, who hasn’t done this with a mate on a Saturday eve), and even joking about his super low tolerance due to his build and metabolism, Ferrara has recently confirmed that he was in fact not drunk, but just tired from meeting his fans…
Pogačar claiming he’s tired and fans colluding to claim there are some ulterior reasons behind — why have these two things coincided with each twice this week now?!
“Let me clarify something important. Tadej had no opportunity to drink or eat. I have never seen a person so available to the fans,” wrote Ferrara on his Instagram story after sharing the video as a post.
“His was really tiredness. I was excited and tired. I waited until the end to say goodbye to him; in a quiet moment he was with his mother and still dedicated time to me. Gentlemen, we are faced with something unique, let’s enjoy this guy, it’s what is good for world cycling.”
"Immune to steering torque?": Wout van Aert opts for double disc wheels at Paris Olympic time trial training
Everyone, calm down! We have double disc wheels back on road time trials!
With just two more days to go before the Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, we’re seeing some interesting and wild things at Belgium’s training camp, the latest one being Wout van Aert training for time trial on Cervélo’s TT bike with front and rear disc wheels, bringing back a thrill lost in the early 2010s.
“The Paris Olympics TT course has some technical sections and unpredictable wind directions as the wind moves between the buildings and down the streets. Will this be a good idea or is the front disc distracting from something else going on?” the cyclingspy account wrote on Instagram.
Couple cycling from UK to Africa make it to Oxfordshire... before bike is stolen at station
A couple cycling from the United Kingdom to Africa, raising money and undertaking charity work on the way, were hit with a setback when they did not even make it past Oxfordshire before one of their bikes was stolen.
> Couple cycling from UK to Africa make it to Oxfordshire… before bike is stolen at station
#JustDotWatchersThings
We’re live tracking @LifeSciWestmin extraordinaire ultra cyclist @drdanbrayson in the office this week#TCRNO10 #WhereIsDan pic.twitter.com/wf7mSVbQJe
— Bradley Elliott (@Brads_science) July 24, 2024
One for the future? 20-year-old "mini-Hulk" Jan Christen of UAE Team Emirates wins the one-day Spanish race Villafranca de Ordizia after dropping everyone uphill
The mini-Hulk of UAE Team Emirates is flexing his muscles…💪🏻 The 20-year old Jan Christen won today solo the one-day Spanish race Villafranca de Ordizia after dropping everyone uphill. It’s his 3rd victory of the year and the 59th (!!!) for UAE. #OrdiziakoKlasika pic.twitter.com/gVVrsjgaj9
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 25, 2024
🥹🐶 Cyclists on an indefinite ride come across an abandoned pup, and decide to take him along their adventure!
Meet Oscar, a gentle, kind and super-cute pup who a couple on their indefinite cycling trip came across in Armenia.
These cyclists find this beautiful, alone pupper on indefinite trips in the Caucasus. They give him a life full of adventures & love. If the word Adventure were an Image, it’d be this Three on a journey.🙏
📽️Timo Schaper pic.twitter.com/eIrINtfZxH
— Hakan Kapucu (@1hakankapucu) July 23, 2024
Timo and Lara were crossing Armenia on their trip when they heard barking atthe roadside, and right there hiding in the garbage, they found an abandoned puppy all-alone. The couple decided to stay with him to see if his mother and siblings were around. But they instead found a small cardboard box which the puppy had managed to chew his way out of, before coming to the realisation that the two-months old pupper had been abandoned and left to fend for himself.
So, they decided to adopt him and take him on their cycling adventure. They named him Oscar, and he immediately became a part of their family. “His future will definitely be on the bike, travelling,” they said.
🚨🎧 road.cc Podcast episode 82: Was this year's Tour de France a bit rubbish? Pogačar’s ghostbusting climbs, carbon monoxide, podcast poltergeists, and Cav’s Vino problem
It’s episode 82 of the road.cc Podcast, a certain big old race across France has ended for another year, and so it’s only right that we do a full debrief of Tour de France 2024.
Police issue Fixed Penalty Notice to driver with a bike on rear mount since it was obscuring the registration plate
An interesting bit of policing which has led to some opposing reactions from cyclists was carried out by the Lancashire Roads Police team, as they issued a Fixed Penalty Notice to a motorist on the M6 who was driving with a bike on their rear mount, thus obscuring the licence plate.
The police wrote on Twitter: “When reading manufacturer instructions on how to mount cycle carriers to their vehicles the part about registration plates/lights being visible is also read. This driver on M6 near Garstang was stopped and issued a fixed penalty for registration plate being obscured.”
When reading manufacturer instructions on how to mount cycle carriers to their vehicles the part about registration plates/lights being visible is also read.
This driver on M6 near Garstang was stopped and issued a fixed penalty for registration plate being obscured #Team4RPU pic.twitter.com/3RGfU1Tczd
— Lancs Road Police (@LancsRoadPolice) July 23, 2024
While some cyclists didn’t see any problem with this, others have called out the police team for ignoring more serious, dangerous traffic offences while choosing to focus on lesser ones.
Twitter user Real Gaz said: “I don’t have a problem with this. The registration mark is clearly not visible so illegal. It’s not hard or expensive to buy a plate.”
Another cyclist Marcus said: “So many people on here suggesting that the police were unfair on the BMW driver. I can guarantee that if the driver in this case was riding his bike instead, and the Police stopped him for something ‘trivial’ the same commenters would be calling on them to throw the book at him!”
However, another account by the name of BlueRay wrote: “A note to all Police officers in the traffic teams. There are far, far worse, driving offences to deal with on our motorways. No one is going to die because the reg plate is obscured. Don’t be an anorak, and you might even get a little respect from the public.”
I’ll leave this one with you all to discuss. Was the police right in fining the driver or do you consider that as a trivial offence?
Police investigate collision that left four cyclists seriously injured and others with minor injuries
Four cyclists were taken to hospital with serious injuries after a group ride was involved in a collision with a driver in Cambridgeshire last week, police appealing for information about the incident.
“The worst part is he did for over 500 metres”: Pro cyclist disqualified for “stickiest of sticky bottles” after fan films him using team car to get back to peloton in queen stage
Tour de France may be over, but the pro cycling shenanigans are still finding ways to sticky themselves to this live blog, much like how 31-year-old Belgian pro Dietmar Ledegen found a cheeky bottle from his team car to sticky himself to at the Tour de Wallonie.
The five-day stage-race is currently being held in Wallonia and in the second stage yesterday, Ledegen, who rides for the UCI Continental Team Baloise-Trek Lions soared too close to the sun and tested the race comissaries patience for a bit too long — over 500 metres, according to a spectator who posted footage of the rider with a not-so-clever sticky bottle.
“The worst part is that he did it over 500m, I quickly took out my phone when I saw him coming from the distance like a bullet,” wrote the Belgian cycling fan behind the Twitter account Lv_cycling.
Magnifique Ledegem Dietmar 👏#TourdeWallonie pic.twitter.com/znw0RWyYeh
— Lv Cycling 🇧🇪 (@Lv_Cycling) July 25, 2024
Yesterday’s stage from Arlon to La Roche-en-Ardenne was the also the queen stage of the race, with the peloton going up and down the Ardenne hills in the punchy route. Ledegen who initally finished 104 out of 111 riders, 19 minutes down on the winner Markus Hoelgaard, has now been disqualified by the UCI for the sticky bottle.
Meanwhile, Antoine Vayer, former coach and trainer of the Festina team two decades ago, wrote: “Inspired by Cavendish and Pogacar, some riders combine [engine] power (Fr: puissance) and sticky bottles to resemble them.”
In a pro season that has been eerily devoid of many sticky bottles this year, we’ve now had two of them in the space of a week.
Sticky bottles are fairly common in most races, as riders latch on to the bottle and let the team car propel them for a few extra precious seconds — but most of the times it’s executed to help riders catch back on to a group or give the legs a momentary break, in a manner that’s seen as acceptable in the eyes of the race commissaries.
After stage 19 of the Tour de France, coincidentally also the queen stage on Friday, the broadcast cameras caught Giulio Ciccone and Santiago Buitrago arguing over a sticky bottle, with the two also embroiled in a battle for the top 10 in the general classification at the time.
Ciccone, placed 10th with just a 34 second lead over Buitrago, going into the penultimate stage of the race, was seen having an animated exchange with the Bahrain-Victorious rider, pointing out his antics of holding on to the bottle while receiving it from the team car for longer than required.
While Buitrago’s alleged sticky bottle was missed by most broadcast cameras, it looks like Ciccone and his teammates had a good view of it.
“Hey! We were three behind you, we saw everything. With the bottle like this, it’s not correct. This is the Tour de France,” Ciccone said to the 24-year-old Colombian, approaching him on his bike as he was sitting down and wiping away the sweat
Not particularly amused at the interaction, Buitrago hit back at Ciccone, saying: “I’ve learnt it from you!”
Buitrago ended up securing the 10th place in the GC at the end, pushing Ciccone out of the top 10 on the last day with a very strong time trial in which he finished 9th, just 2 minutes and 53 seconds behind the dominant Tadej Pogačar.
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Hard to see who replies on any thread. I only visit the site a couple of times a week as it is not usable.
People who want to travel safely in a 20 mph area, so that no motor vehicle tries to overtake them, need to be capable of 20 mph so get no assistance at all from a legal e-bike that provides 15.5 mph. So the e-bike regulations are broken because they encourage unsafe overtaking by impatient drivers (5 mph). In 30 mph roads, the 10 mph difference would still allow safe overtaking to be completed in short distances. So the low speed 15.5 is less safe in practice not safer.
I have been doing some cross-checking between my records and the police dataset How do you do that? The spreadsheet has been designed to ensure that you can't. There's no unique code for each incident, so why haven't they included that? There are many incidents dated from the same location on the same day by the same despised reporter category (cyclist) for the same offender category (such as 'car'). The great majority of intended (as usual in these misleading 'databases', it's not the real outcome) outcomes is the entirely useless 'warning letter'. Is there anybody out there who believes that the average police officer could rouse either the wit or the willingness to determine whether the offender has received a warning letter previously?! Some people will be receiving numerous such letters to throw in the bin, which encourages them to repeat the offence. As for the claimed 'positive outcome'!- only the most deluded could believe that
I pretty much have stopped bothering. I also find when I come to the site it loads the previous days page and I have to refresh to see today’s front page.
I regularly submit reports to A&S Police, and keep detailed records of what I have submitted, and the responses. I have been doing some cross-checking between my records and the police dataset. I'm afraid correlation is patchy at best. So, I am not confident in the dataset's accuracy. Further, where I can be fairly certain of a correlation, it's been largely warning letters issued for very clear video evidence of hand-held mobile phone use whilst driving. No wonder I see so many doing so. They have nothing much to fear. :o( Should I keep bothering?
That was a reply to Hirsute by the way, which I naïvely assumed would appear on the thread underneath his comment given that I clicked the reply button on his comment. The Admins really need to sort this, and various other problems, out before people stop bothering.
It's so when a driver ignores the stupid indicator and hits you, you can hold the mirror over your mouth to see if you're still alive.
Link to the data: https://media.aspolice.net/uploads/production/20260204103554/JourneyCam-Report-October-2020-December-2025.xlsx
it’s a ‘game changer’. Use of this phrase means automatic disqualification from any further consideration Agreed! I automatically abandon any written, audio or video material, even scientific or medical, which includes any 'game changing' rubbish
But it's a 'game changer'. Use of this phrase means automatic disqualification from any further consideration, even if I can check that my helmet is at a suitably jaunty angle.
47 thoughts on ““The worst part is he did it for over 500m”: Pro cyclist disqualified for “stickiest of sticky bottles”; Police fine driver with bike on rear mount for hiding licence plate; Wout van Aert goes for double disc wheels; Drunk Pogačar + more on the live blog”
I don’t see any issue with
I don’t see any issue with that sticky bottle…as stated it’s fairly common for riders to latch on for a few seconds and that video clip is only a few seconds (no mention of speed limits) and by all accounts it was to get him back to the peloton where he finished well down in the pack.
500m doesnt sound that far
500m doesnt sound that far imo, dsq seems a bit harsh as well, I thought it was time penalty or relegation to the back, for a first offence at least, I guess we dont know if it was persistent sticky bottling.
Yeah, but he’s head to toe in
Yeah, but he’s head to toe in lycra & so probably also about to run a red light and cause an unsuspecting hack to spill coffee over themselves.
Clem Fandango wrote:
Is this how cyclists are getting up to 40mph before running red lights in London?
LOL. Indeed. Our equivalent
LOL. Indeed. Our equivalent to the team car is an Uber Eats rider on a de-restricted e “bike”
NotNigel wrote:
I’d estimate that car is doing about 40 km/h so if the witness is correct that the rider hung on for 500 m that would be almost a minute, way outside the acceptable “few seconds” generally tolerated.
Where’s the minute long video
Where’s the minute long video then? I’m guessing riders don’t get disqualified on the word of a spectator?
Well, the spectator said that
Well, the spectator said that they took their phone out of their pocket to film them when they saw them approaching from a long distance away. Even the video shows a considerable distance travelled at extremely high speed, way beyond what any reasonable commissaire would accept. The rider would of course have a right of appeal and if they think the evidence shows otherwise they can use it but come on, even on the evidence shown there it’s blatant cheating, isn’t it?
BristolPost has this “article
BristolPost has this “article” about the Sydney Road LTN in Bath:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/controversial-bath-ltn-eroded-trust-9435808
What’s the local view? I can
What’s the local view? I can see how a declassified trunk road might not be the best candidate for an LTN street, but local circumstances are key.
From what I remember living
From what I remember living in Bath, it was a street that was generally pretty quiet apart from during rush hour. I could see it becoming an LTN as a big benefit to cyclists heading to/from the canal path.
lesterama wrote:
Don’t know Bath that well, myself, so maybe someone else can provide some local knowledge. My view is that Bath has way too many cars for the size and layout of it, so maybe they should just pedestrianise most of it.
hawkinspeter wrote:
It was a rat run. Terribly surfaced and effectively created a “ring road” around the park there.
The road that now carries all the traffic, was widened, improved and had upgraded junctions.
Traffic is no worse for it.
The issue is, there are several, high profile and vocal individuals in Bath that oppose any and all cycling infrastructure, LTNs and believe that 15 minute cities are a global conspiracy to section us off and start The Hunger Games.
Google about the anti LTN campaigns there, you may be surprised to see a famous face or two lol
lesterama wrote:
Dis1954 reckons:
Not sure if this is satire or not, it’s so hard to tell these days.
Thank f**k for informed views
Thank f**k for informed views like that
I think the 1954 part of the
I think the 1954 part of the username provides us with a clue. I smell Gammon.
on the number plate thing,
on the number plate thing, its a fair cop, assuming Lancs road police on their travels tackly illegal number plates on vehicles, blown bulbs, lane hogging, speeding, seat belts, worn tyres, mobile phone use and I dont know red light jumping, mot, tax and insurance cases equally as importantly.
Just wait for wtjs to see
Just wait for wtjs to see this…
I’d imagine he’s currently
I’d imagine he’s currently too busy dealing with foaming at the mouth and a rising blood pressure to give his views.
I’ve found him petty stoical
I’ve found him pretty stoical and undeterred in his mission.
(corrected for typo)
Hirsute wrote:
Was that a deliberate typo?
Ah ! Corrected !
Ah ! Corrected !
Yes, no foaming or
Yes, no foaming or hypertension here. You just have to keep collecting evidence when you’re lumbered with a police force as bad and cyclist hostile as this one. I think this one must be on holiday, but I expect he’ll be back
Awaiting wjts’s take on the
Awaiting wjts’s take on the reg plate story…
Perhaps it was him – direct
Perhaps it was him – direct action with an old rack and bikes after police can’t be bothered to tackle lack of MOT / VED?
The bike carrier:
The bike carrier:
It *looks* like the light clusters are relatively visible [it’s not like the indicators are going to get used], so from a safety point of view, there’s nothing wrong.
However… from a revenue generation point of view, there’s plenty wrong.
The law is the law, however are we now going to see an influx of illegally sized, spaced, fonted, reflective, embossed number plated vehicles getting pulled?
Doubt it.
If only there was a way of
If only there was a way of driving around without an obscured numberplate…
are we now going to see an
are we now going to see an influx of illegally sized, spaced, fonted, reflective, embossed number plated vehicles getting pulled?
As you say, no we aren’t! In keeping with its ‘famous for 15 minutes’ status, this is Garstang High Street, taken about 10 yards from the previous view
A Fixed Penalty Notice is a
A Fixed Penalty Notice is a bit much though, I think a friendly warning would have sufficed :-/
“Police issue Fixed Penalty
“Police issue Fixed Penalty Notice to driver with a bike on rear rack since it was obscuring the registration plate“
A minor punishment for a clear cut but minor crime. So correct and proportionate.
Good to see Lancs traffic
Good to see Lancs traffic police have realised they can issue tickets for traffic offences, now to watch the flood of responses to third party reports of no MoT, no tax, close passing, careless driving and more telling us they have actually taken some action.
And maybe not!
Garstang !
Garstang !
“Every council is dealing
“Every council is dealing with congestion, pollution and population health issues and bringing in cycle lanes is a way of dealing with all of those things.”
* Except for councils and most drivers apparently Chris.
You often see cars with bikes
You often see cars with bikes on cheap bike carries either bought at the halfords – supermarkets or online no name brand with no plate board including lights being totally obscured, this I believe is todo with cost, tow bars – roof bars and caries are now very expensive to buy, so a clip on rack is a cost effective option. This is where you run into a new problem as the plate and board is cheap to buy but the cost of wiring up a socket is still silly money, in the past you could just splice the new plug into a light feed and bolt it somewhere underneath the car, no more with digital systems you often need a vehicle specific kit and a re flash of the ecu to make it all work, done by someone who knows what they are doing – all very expensive. I would be sympathetic to this driver if it was not a 71 plate BMW. If they can afford such a car then you can afford to do the work to make things legal!
https://yehudamoon.com/comic
https://yehudamoon.com/comic/2008-01-27/
Cost me about £10 to buy a
Cost me about £10 to buy a spare license plate which I hang on the back. It amazed me just how easy it was, with no proof of ownership. I think I solved the riddle about the massive increase in cloned vehciles out there being driven as though there was no comeback…
I bought a fairly cheap clip
I bought a fairly cheap clip-on rack that mounts the bikes higher on the car so the numberplate isn’t obscured. It was cheaper and easier than getting an additional light board etc.
yep, I know but some people
yep, I know but some people are just chepshakes or to lazy to bother, I for years used a tow bar hang on rack (a proper wired light board and plate) and did lots of miles with bikes on the back for a faimly of 4, but when I changed the car its got cam bus and radar stuff ect, and the cost for a tow bar is just stupid money, kids grown up so I just put the bike in the car when I travel, It looks like a BMW coupe so that for them may have not be a opion so prop bought or lent a clip on rack – then said “that will do” but the police and the law says no so its a fair cop in my opinion. To Me its the same as going though a red light when cycling, its shows cyclists in a bad light and gives all the haters some oxgen.
They probably can’t afford to
They probably can’t afford to buy a 71 plate BMW so are leasing it making the fitting of a tow bar/lighting board even less likely.
The fixed penalty is probably
The fixed penalty is probably cheaper than the cost of the light board/plate, never mind the cost of plumbing it in!
Fair cop on getting nicked
Fair cop on getting nicked for an obscured numberplate. There are quite a few drivers who drive like shit around cyclists, despite having bikes on the backs of their cars. I’d be pretty pissed off if I couldn’t report a close pass because of an obscured numberplate.
I suppose they’ve just been
I suppose they’ve just been told to get up and go out and do something for PR purposes. Meanwhile, 150 yards from Garstang Police Station in its usual position outside the Eagle and Child, after innumerable similar pictures on here, numerous reports to LancsFilth and DVLA, previous no MOT for almost 7 years- presumably impossible for Lancashire’s crack traffic detectives to locate
Cleaned my wife’s drivertrain
Cleaned my wife’s drivertrain today – had to use the braker bar for the car wheels !
On removing the sprockets, my satisfaction at getting the lockring off was somewhat tempered when I found that 8 of the sprockets (of 10) were in one cluster. I think I need one of those ultrasonic baths.
Gave up with the praxis crank removal and took the pedal off instead to get the chain rings off.
Hirsute wrote:
You know it makes sense. Although the larger capacity ones can go through the degreaser quickly. After trying the various bike brands with associated bike tax, I’ve concluded that the best solution in terms of performance and value is 3:1 water to No Nonsense degreaser, £11.99 for 5 litres from Screwfix.
Thanks. I found a mention of
Thanks. I found a mention of that degreaser in a review on those baths
Andystow I think, said he puts his sprockets in a bag which I guess reduces the amount of liquid required.
Sheriff’s deputies from the
Sheriff’s deputies from the surrounding county position themselves on the road into Burning Man—which has the highest rate of bike transport in the world—to pick off drivers with bikes on tailgate racks obscuring the plates (and anything else they can write a ticket for). It’s like Christmas for them.
Quote:
Wait – this can’t be right – I was told it was only Italians that did this kind of thing…
?