Olympic BMX racer collides with person crossing track; Cancellara’s special edition BMC snaps at the airport; Tom Pidcock wins mountain biking gold for GB in Tokyo; No room at the bike rack; Bitcoin prize money; MVDP’s crash + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Build it and they will come": No space left at packed seafront bike rack
Build and they will come! Every single bike rack at Seapoint was taken today. That cycling path from Dublin was the best thing that happened to us 🙂 🚴🏻♀️🚴🚴♂️ pic.twitter.com/aO2O8eqIC3
— Anna Pas (@annapas_dublin) July 25, 2021
The locals were out at Seapoint Beach in Dublin yesterday and they all travelled by bike by the looks of things. No room at the inn for latecomers but even riders who could not find a spot were just happy to see less cars being driven…
David O’Mahoney said you’d normally have “a stream of drivers coming down, looking for parking, giving up and doing a five-point turn to get out!” Not anymore.
Cllr Oisín O’Connor was one of the many to rock up by bike and “just about squeezed our three bikes into an available spot. Fantastic to see!”
Tom Pidcock wins Olympic mountain biking gold for Team GB in Tokyo after expected showdown with Mathieu van der Poel failed to materialise as Dutch rider crashed early on
What a performance! 🤩
Tom Pidcock, at just 21 years of age, has won GOLD in the men’s cross country mountain biking!
Watch and follow #Tokyo2020 on the BBC: https://t.co/K3xkrzEVaZ #bbcolympics pic.twitter.com/591fjJ1iRM
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 26, 2021
Team GB’s Tom Pidcock dominated today’s mountain bike race at Tokyo 2020 to win Olympic gold, but the much-anticipated showdown with Mathieu van der Poel failed to materialise as the Dutch rider crashed early on. Pidcock, who turns 22 on Friday, put in a blistering short opening circuit after starting from the fourth row of the grid to move up to the front of the field ahead of the seven 4.1 kilometre laps of the main course.
By the end of the second lap the Yorkshireman was alone at the front of the field with defending champion Nino Schurter and Mathias Flückiger, attacking again to get in front of the Swiss pair. From then on he gradually teased out what would prove to be an unassailable lead, with Flückiger taking silver, 20 seconds behind the Team GB rider, and David Valero of Spain a further 14 seconds back in third place.
Van der Poel’s crash happened just before the first of the seven full circuits, the Dutchman landing heavily after going over his handlebars on a jump off a rocky section of the course, with Pidcock, riding behind him, managing to avoid being caught up.
While van der Poel remounted, the crash cost him a minute to his rivals, and he eventually abandoned with two laps remaining. It’s Team GB’s third gold medal of the Games, with Adam Peaty defending his 100 metres breaststroke title earlier today and, while Pidcock was riding to victory, divers Tom Daly and Matty Lee winning the synchronised 10 metre platform competition.
"It's nothing like any other race. The Olympics just transcends any sport": Tom Pidcock reacts to Olympic gold
GO ABSOLUTELY WILD!!! 🤩❤️️
IT’S GOLD FOR TOM PIDCOCK!!! 🥇🇬🇧#Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/WKW95erZT9
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 26, 2021
Tom Pidcock has been facing the world’s press after winning Team GB’s third gold medal of the day…”It’s nothing like any other race. The Olympics just transcends any sport. You compete and represent your country and everyone in your country is behind you, no matter in what sports they like. It’s just national pride, it’s unbelievable,” said Pidcock.
The 21-year-old broke his collarbone at the end of May but was back on the bike just six days later to build his form for his big goal of the year, dominating the race after Mathieu van der Poel crashed out early on. “It’s been a such a hard time coming here from crashing and breaking my collarbone [in May] and that’s just unbelievable,” he continued.
“I’m always better when I take control myself. I take my own lines, my own speed. Once we started I was fine, all the nerves kind of went and I concentrated on the race. I’m happy this is only every four years because it’s stressful. I know that my mum and girlfriend are crying at home. It’s sad that they can’t be here but I see them when I get home.”
The cycling world reacts to Tom Pidcock's Olympic gold
Yorkshire Gold.#TeamGB pic.twitter.com/dcYR6r4SuE
— Team GB (@TeamGB) July 26, 2021
That’s the picture. Like the rest of the British cycling world, we’ve been trying to keep calm – what a ride, Tom. He doesn’t even turn 22 until Friday…answers in the comments: what were you doing at 21? Keep it clean, although I’m guessing nobody can trump winning Olympic gold less than two months after being hit by a car and breaking your collarbone…
Pidcock broke his collarbone after being hit by a car at the start of June. Had surgery, got back in training in six days. Now he’s won Olympic gold with that almighty ride. #tokyo2020
— Laura Winter (@lauracwinter) July 26, 2021
Tom Pidcock, crushed it 🥇 #Tokyo2020 👏
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) July 26, 2021
Yes!!! Tom Pidcock you little beauty! 🥇#Tokyo2020
— Chris Hoy (@chrishoy) July 26, 2021
I feel like Pidcock needs to make this look a bit harder.
I make riding to the local shops on my eBike look tougher.
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) July 26, 2021
XC Cross Country Mountain Biking Guide
If like a few of us at road.cc you’re more accustomed to watching Tom Pidcock riding on his skinny tyres for Ineos and are relatively new to this weird world of mountain biking, our friends at off-road.cc have put together a guide with everything you need to know about the Olympic mountain bike events. If you’re watching the highlights back and want to know exactly how it works or are now keenly looking forward to the women’s race tomorrow, check it out…
Mathieu van der Poel crashes out of Tokyo Olympics after plank is removed between practice and competition
Incredibly horrifying crash by cycling legend Mathieu van der Poel in the #Olympics mountain bike race. Oh, and he got back up and is still riding. pic.twitter.com/yLPxdROweI
— Remko Rinkema (@RemkoRinkema) July 26, 2021
It was billed as the latest instalment in the friendly rivalry between Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel. The pair have shadowed eachother for the past couple of years, from the cyclo-cross scene to the road and, of course, on the dirt of the XC mountain bike trails…
Van der Poel was favourite but fell early on. The Dutchman blamed the removal of a plank from the course between practice and competition for throwing him off and causing this nasty crash…
The Mathieu van der Poel crash during the Olympic Cross Country race 😮😬#Tokyo2020 https://t.co/aPs8SpLc7A pic.twitter.com/snJajCkZnq
— René Bugner (@RNBWCV) July 26, 2021
Fabian Cancellara's Olympic Games special edition BMC snaps at the airport
After unpacking the special homage edition Tokyo Olympic bike, have seen now that it got destroyed during my flight back from Sardinia…. Let’s with what @flyedelweiss @FlySWISS @swissportNews will say about it pic.twitter.com/ZYkTt0mHZZ
— Fabian Cancellara (@f_cancellara) July 24, 2021
It was a beauty…In honour of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Fabian Cancellara had this Japan-inspired paint job sprayed up for his special edition BMC Teammachine SLR, here it was in all its glory…
Unfortunately for Spartacus, the bike didn’t survive his flight home from Sardinia, with the four-time World Champion and twice Olympic Games gold medallist taking to Twitter to have a pop at Swiss International Air for the damage to his poor seat stay…
The now-retired racer got plenty of sympathy after suffering every cyclist’s worst nightmare, although some were surprised by his choice of bike bag…
Should’ve put it in a bike box, and you can afford it, get over it
— Joe Poulsom (@JoePoulsom) July 24, 2021
Shit happens… not good… however, pretty surprising that a pro like you isn’t using a hard case!?
— Fezzi Fezzino (@FezziFezzino) July 25, 2021
Time for some shameless self-promotion…Fabian, should have had a read of our features on taking your bike abroad…’How to fly with your bike — pick the right airline, save money and hassle‘ and ‘The stuff they never tell you about flying with your bike‘…Have a read if any of you lot are lucky enough to be in the unlikely position of jetting off for a summer hol abroad…
The next generation of Tom Pidcocks
We had a brilliant morning at Leeds Urban Bike Park with @BBCLookNorth and @BBCLeeds 🙌
It’s great to see @TNLUK funding providing grassroots mountain bike facilities, which are so important to ensure local communities can help bring up the next generation of Olympians! 🥇 pic.twitter.com/eDNPC3ivmu
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 26, 2021
Let's all take a minute to fully appreciate the brilliance of Anna Kiesenhofer's Olympic road race win
It was one of the stories of the opening weekend of the Olympic Games: Anna Kiesenhofer, the 500-1 shot amateur who doesn’t even ride for a pro team, winning against a stacked field of the best riders in the world. If that wasn’t enough, Kiesenhofer’s backstory is just as incredible. The Austrian has a PhD in mathematics from the Technical University of Vienna, as well as spending time at the University of Cambridge studying a whole host of topics we didn’t even know existed or begin to explain what they mean…
While at Cambridge, Kiesenhofer rode for the university’s cycling club and triathlon club, helping them win the Varsity 25-mile time trial alongside Commonwealth Games Gold Coast bronze medallist Hayler Simmons.
At the 2012 BUCS 10-mile time trial she came dead last, 32nd out of 32…That’s 31 people who will be living off the ‘I beat an Olympic champion’ story at the pub for the rest of their lives.
Kiesenhofer’s Twitter bio still reads: ‘selected for Tokyo 2021 road race.’ That could do with an update, but her tweets show a meticulous scientific approach to training. Just three weeks ago she analysed her CORE body temp sensor’s readings and shared papers on isothermic and fixed intensity heat acclimation methods to explain how she planned to adapt to Tokyo’s punishing weather conditions.
Playing with the CORE body temp sensor as part of my prep for Tokyo. Many questions remaining re heat acclimation. Most striking for me is how much time I spend in the “heat training zone” (>38.5°) during normal rides in cool conditions. Is this really a heat stress for the body? pic.twitter.com/Ym16hgzio7
— Anna Kiesenhofer (@AnnaKiesenhofer) July 3, 2021
Another worthy gold medallist
Transport for London goes big on enforcing rules at junctions with latest batch of traffic cameras
Transport for London has awarded a contract to P Ducker Systems (PDS) for at least 50 new enforcement cameras for junctions across the capital. Citing the figure that 76 per cent of collisions on London’s roads happen at junctions, TfL says the cameras will play a “vital part in helping us meet the Vision Zero goal of eliminating death and serious injury on the road network.”
Each year more than 4,000 people are killed or seriously injured on London’s roads. A trial of the cameras in 2020 saw an improvement in compliance of road rules at junctions of up to 60 per cent in six months. We suspect TfL could put Cycling Mikey out of business with a camera at the now-infamous Gandalf Corner in Regent’s Park. Unfortunately, as it’s a Crown Estates Paving Commission road this will remain a dream…
US triathlon events company gives athletes the option of prize money paid in Bitcoin
Big news! 💲 CLASH will now offer professional athletes the option to take earnings from CLASH Daytona in cash or bitcoin.
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/Z4vWlqGvjS pic.twitter.com/1hySUcCcTA
— CLASH (@CLASHENDURANCE) July 26, 2021
CLASH, a US-based triathlon events company, has taken the unique step of offering athletes the chance to collect their prize money as Bitcoin. The digital currency created in 2009 will be offered to athletes with the incentive of lower transaction fees than traditional banking. The first event where athletes can bring home the Bitcoin will be CLASH Daytona in December.
“We are thrilled to make this latest announcement. Bitcoin is a matter of convenience, an investment and serves as an additional secure payment option. This new option provides our athletes with the ability to receive compensation on their preferred terms. These incredible athletes continue to inspire me, the entire CLASH Team and the expansive age group field. We owe it to them to advance the business and elevate their profession with this new opportunity,” the company’s CEO, Bill Christy said.
Your Olympic champion
What a day. Insane. No words. Olympic champion #mtb pic.twitter.com/GAqKG0n1C6
— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) July 26, 2021
Olympic BMX racer collides with person crossing track
So this is what happened today. 💣 Hit an official that wanted to cross the 2nd straight. Hope the official is O.K. My knee is sore, but will do my best to be ready for Thursday! Thanks everyone for the messages, appreciate it! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/QOdJ2r0usT
— Niek Kimmann (@niekkimmann) July 26, 2021
Dutch BMX rider Niek Kimmann crashed into a person crossing the track during practice ahead of Thursday’s quarter-finals. Kimmann reported some pain in his knee after the crash but said he hoped to be ready for competition. There has been no word yet on the condition of the person, believed to be an official, who he collided with at the Ariake Urban Sports Park course.
The crash is the latest misfortune to befall the Dutch cycling squad in Tokyo. Earlier today, Mathieu van der Poel crashed out of the BMX CX race, which was eventually won by Brit, Tom Pidcock. On Sunday, the incredibly strong Dutch team failed to work effectively to pull back Anna Kiesenhofer in the road race, Annemiek van Vleuten crossed the line celebrating, thinking she had won, only to be deflated by the news.
26 July 2021, 08:03
26 July 2021, 08:03
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Latest Comments
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?
The problem with capel street is food delivery people on electric motorbikes flying down it. I work near it and walk there frequently and it's a big problem. As for Wiggins, how was his jiffy bag? Still waiting for him to have his say. Also wondering how his charity that paid for his event went tits up.
What's also evident, but somehow hardly ever mentioned, is how much more boring road bikes have become. Black, matte frames, black rims, black parts and components. Give me a nicely colored bike with silver parts any day.
32 thoughts on “Olympic BMX racer collides with person crossing track; Cancellara’s special edition BMC snaps at the airport; Tom Pidcock wins mountain biking gold for GB in Tokyo; No room at the bike rack; Bitcoin prize money; MVDP’s crash + more on the live blog”
Well done Tom.
Well done Tom.
Sponsors have missed a trick
Sponsors have missed a trick with Tom Pidcock – What sort of bike was he riding with what equipment?
davwil wrote:
I thought the olympics was supposed to be about amateur sports-people?
hawkinspeter wrote:
really? amateurs like Usain Bolt? Did he have a different full time job, or did he make his living from sponsorships and prize money as a sprinter?
Or maybe Roger Federer (career earnings $130m)
The age of amateurism ended in the olympics a long time ago, when it bcame about the best sports people, rather than being a jolly for rich individuals
I think HP was having a
I think HP was having a little jest (and there are only amateurs in the squirrel olympics).
hirsute wrote:
.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Wrong Olympics – it should be something more like this.
An anti-crash one !
An anti-crash one !
As he’s contracted to INEOS
As he’s contracted to INEOS he’s not supposed to ride anything but Pinarello, so as they don’t make MTBs he has to have the maker’s name blanked. As a matter of fact he uses a BMC Fourstroke for MTB races.
Rendel Harris wrote:
I thought at the olympics bikes were supplied by the national teams, rather than the riders bringing their pro cycling team bikes.
Who would TeamGBs bike
Who would TeamGBs bike partner be though for non track cycling events ?
I noted Lizzie D was riding her Trek team bike,whilst Anna Shackley looked to be on the same Specialized bike her SD worx team mates were on, and all the Canyon teams riders in the women’s race were on Canyons albeit with a special Tokyo livery which I think van Vleuten initially thought was just specially for her.
wycombewheeler wrote:
No, for example in the road race on Saturday G, Tao and Adam Yates were all riding INEOS livery Dogmas (with GB flag decals attached) but Simon Yates was on his Bianchi; apart from the demands of the sponsoring manufacturers no pro is going to swap onto a completely new bike just for one race. Carapaz won on a Dogma as well, albeit one badged in Ecuadorian livery.
That will largely apply for
That will largely apply for the track cycling but as the road and XC riders are pros they ride trade team bikes. In the road races it was helpful to look at bikes to work out who was who in their unfamiliar national team kit.
On the track that tends to be
On the track that tends to be the case, in other disciplines, no. There are also strict rules on size of logos on equipment, so in this case, frames. At Rio and London, Specialized gave their bikes (irrespective of country) a bright orange paintjob to aid standout (plus matching helmets for some riders).
At Tokyo, it’s Trek that’s gone with a striking colour scheme specific to the Games.
Simon_MacMichael wrote:
are the rules for minimum size? because in that picture it’s hard to imagine a larger logo without bringing back the trek monocoque frames of the 90s
Rendel Harris wrote:
Someone should tell INEOS and Tom that Wiggle/CRC have a few Dogma MTB frames going on eBay, from Pinarello’s brief foray into the MTB market.
Serious need of a bike check
Serious need of a bike check for that.
Looks like SLX M7100 group, 11-46 cassette, SR Suntour Axon Elite fork, 80mm travel?
Tyres are Conti prototypes which have been around for about 6 months in the hands of pro riders.
A bit more info on the bike
A bit more info on the bike https://www.bikeradar.com/features/pro-bike/tom-pidcock-bmc-fourstroke/
Amazing how quick and hard
Amazing how quick and hard you can go with 80mm of suspension travel. I used to think life began at 120mm.
If it’s true about the plank
If it’s true about the plank that’s proper naughty. Been a few uncharacteristic inefficiences/mistakes these games. Street skaters were complaining about the wind, false start in the tri yesterday, the mix up over timings/gaps in the road race, etc
kil0ran wrote:
From the short clip, everyone else seemed to make it over it OK…
Might have been that some
Might have been that some planned one line and others planned others. VDP definitely doesn’t lift up his front bars enough which leads credence he was planning to land on something early (the plank?) where Pidcock is on a different line so does need to fully jump.
kil0ran wrote:
apparently a coach or someone contradicted him and said this had been discussed numerous times over the last week. Maybe in the heat of the moment he just forgot?
I watched some of it on
I watched some of it on iPlayer where the whole race is available. His teammate had no problems neither did the others also just ahead of him, so it does rather look that way.
Cracking ride Tom, crazy
Cracking ride Tom, crazy speed and skills.
We really do have world class riders in every mtb discipline, time to get more mainstream coverage.
Agreed, I watched the whole
Agreed, I watched the whole of the World Champs last autumn on the red button, it was awesome. It’s made for mainstream (sports) TV with split times, great personalities, huge jumps, high skill, and big risks. Hopefully the BBC will have it on a main channel this year.
He’s a bit of a thought
He’s a bit of a thought provoker for the grey cells on a Monday:
https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1467623/speed-limit-changes-update-driving-law-council-fine
So their take on it is a
So their take on it is a money spinner from Councils and an attack on motorists. My take on it is unlike Parking offences (in the main), speeding kills so should be kept as a criminal punishment and points on the license etc.
I see where you are coming
I see where you are coming from. However, if councils (or the police for that matter) were incentivised to catch speeding drivers by way of profiting from the revenue, then I can see a couple of benefits:
I don’t know how significant of a legal issue it would be to either keep it as a criminal offence but allow the police to profit from fines (and hence encourage more enthusiastic policing), or switch to council enforcement but still hand out points on drivers’ licences etc.
It feels like they are saying
It feels like they are saying ‘if you can’t police our streets we will’. For me it only seems fair that drivers that can’t drive safely should be made to pay for road safety and increased enforcement would be a massive plus. Also are they mutually exclusive? If the council catch a driver going significantly above the speed limit why can’t they hand it over to the criminal justice system.
Why does the BBC keep
Why does the BBC keep referring to Tom Pidcock being knocked off by a driver as “a training accident”?
“Mathieu van der Poel crashed
“Mathieu van der Poel crashed out of the BMX CX race, which was eventually won by Brit, Tom Pidcock”
Did I miss something, I thought they were in MTB XC race 🙂