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Pinarello bike porn: Filippo Ganna’s supersonic Olympic TT machine; Pizza taped to top tubes and potato pouches; Anna van der Breggen stopped from riding course by official; G up for “one more push”; 3D scanners aero gains + more on the live blog
SUMMARY

Wout van Aert's Tour de France skinsuit up for auction...but it will cost you
Jumbo-Visma have put their kit from the Tour de France up for auction to raise money for Jeugdfonds Sport & Cultuur, a charity which helps children from less privileged backgrounds participate in sport. The standout item is one of Wout van Aert’s skinsuits used during the Tour. You’ll need a large wallet though…with five days to go the bidding is already up to €1,800 (plus a nine per cent fee).
Second on GC, Jonas Vingegaard’s jersey is also up for auction and is up to €1,300, at the time of writing. Cruelly, you can also bid for one of Primoz Roglic’s skinsuits he wore during his punishing first week, possibly with crash holes included…
In fact, if you want anything it’ll cost you…Mike Teunissen’s signed bottle is the cheapest item going…and it’s still €65. No word on if the UCI will take action against the Dutch leadout man for lobbing a bidon to a fan via an auction, but that’s surely a retrospective disqualification.
Swiss sweep women's MTB podium at Tokyo 2020
Switzerland have taken a clean sweep of the medals at the women’s mountain biking event in Tokyo, with five-time world champion Jolanda Neff taking gold, more than a minute ahead of runner-up Sina Frei and with Linda Indergand third. Team GB’s Evie Richards finished seventh, 3:23 after the winner.
🥇🇨🇭
🥈🇨🇭
🥉🇨🇭Incredible! 🚵♀️
Watch now on BBC Red Button: https://t.co/exTFCNe7w7 #bbcolympics #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/BVgJb1KDvl
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 27, 2021
On-bike nutrition done right: Pizza taped to top tubes and potato pouches at triathlon event


Gels and bars stuck to the top tube? Fine, we’ve seen it before. French bikepackers bundling baguettes back in their pockets? All good. Pizza slices taped to the top tube? That’s a new one…and as for raw potatoes packed into a pouch for a crunchy mid-ride snack…Louise Short snapped these unconventional nutrition strategies on triathletes’ bikes at the Outlaw event in Nottingham at the weekend.


This Soreen malt loaf looks so sticky it doesn’t need any help securing itself, although that top tube will need a good scrub later. Apparently the crows were loving the generously provided buffet while the athletes were in the water for the swim…


Ash Van Bassman won the comments section: “I assume for Kona, pizza bike triathlete adds pineapple to make it a Hawaiian?” Although based on some of the anti-pineapple comments from Friday’s live blog, that joke probably won’t land here…
Italian national team uses 3D scanner tech to get aero for Tokyo
Italy’s pursuit of gold medals in Tokyo has led them to lean on the expertise of Russian manufacturer Thor3D’s 3D scanning tech to reduce aero drag. The team has put its Pinarello bikes and Hardskin clothing under detailed analysis by the 3D technology to digitalise each athlete and reduce their drag as much as possible by optimising riders’ equipment and position.
3D Natives reports the process involved riders being scanned while riding in their race position and wearing their full race kit, and was complete in two minutes. From the pictures and data, Pinarello designed custom-made bars for each rider and optimise their positioning. Because Filippo Ganna clearly needs extra help destroying the rest of the world…
Christina Mackenzie set for second Land's End to John O'Groats record attempt in bid to break 19-year-old record
National 12 Hour Champion in 2020, Christina Mackenzie (Stirling Bike Club) will start her second attempt on the End to End record this Wednesday (28th July) at 0800. Her first attempt in 2019 was close to record pace until the Helmsdale climb with about 50 miles to go. pic.twitter.com/qNInFrHgvW
— Mr Broadwith (@24HourMaths) July 27, 2021
Christina Mackenzie is back for another attempt at the Land’s End to John O’Groats record this week. Back in 2019, the national 12-hour champ was within touching distance of beating the current best time of 52 hours, 45 minutes, set in 2002 by Lynne Taylor. That time Mackenzie faded at the end to finish two hours, 30 minutes off Taylor’s time, but she’s back in the South West to have another shot at the 19-year-old record tomorrow. All the best, Christina.
Rapha Women's 100 is back for a ninth edition


Rapha’s celebration of women’s cycling, the Rapha Women’s 100, is returning this September for a ninth edition. Since its inception in 2013, the Women’s 100 has inspired thousands of cyclists to come together and ride 100km on the same day. Back again after Covid restrictions, the ninth edition will see group rides hosted from Rapha’s Clubhouses and partner cafes across the world, from Down Under to San Fransisco. Full details and sign-up information will be announced soon…
More Dutch misfortune as Anna van der Breggen stopped by official, varying reports of a fall
ITT medal hopeful Anna van der Breggen is the latest Dutch rider to suffer Olympic misfortune after she was stopped by an official while training ahead of tomorrow’s competition. Wielerflits reports the official caused Van der Breggen to fall, although other sources have disputed this.
The current TT world champ appears to be uninjured after the incident at the Fuji Speedway circuit. Japanese cycling coach Kyosuke Takei told the Dutch outlet: “Everyone had to stop due to a mistake by the organiser. And in the tumult with the guards, Anna was threatened and overthrown.”
Geraint Thomas also reported problems with practising on the TT course. In a slightly cryptic tweet, the GB rider wrote: “Come recon the TT from 15:00-17:00 they said…” before following up with a second post saying he hadn’t crashed, just that “it was a little chaotic.”
BREAKING (the rules) news
Eyewitnesses News out of the fucking bike lane pic.twitter.com/le9WjD58QC
— Good Idea Dave (@DaveCoIon) July 26, 2021
Geraint Thomas recalls Olympic Games road race crash that forced him to abandon


Geraint Thomas has spoken to Eurosport ahead of tomorrow’s time trial and promised to give “one more push” to challenge for a third Olympic medal of his career. Thomas won gold in the Team Pursuit in 2008 and 2012 but crashed out of Saturday’s road race after teammate Tao Geoghegan Hart fell ahead of the Welshman.
“We were just going down a fast bit of road, there was a little bit of metal in the middle and Tao hit that and lost his front wheel and I was directly behind him,” G told Eurosport.
“I could have tried to land on top of him – it would have cushioned my blow. But yeah, we were both on the deck and really unfortunate – just a freak accident. I knew I wasn’t bad, like broken something, but when you hit the floor at that sort of speed it’s never nice. I knocked myself about a bit, just a normal crash but it’s just disappointing. After the Tour and everything, looking to come here, change of scene and with the GB team I was really motivated to try and get something out of it.
“It’s not that I’ve had a bad season. I’ve won two races, I’ve been up there on the podium a few other times as well as that. But the main two targets is what you dream about and they’re the ones where I’ve ended up on the floor so it is tough but it is part of the sport. Like life in general, you don’t always get what you deserve. You just need to keep trying.
“This year has been tough mentally but I’ve still got one more chance on Wednesday with the TT so I’ll just rest up now and hopefully get something out of that. One more push, at least stay on the bike.”
Misfortune and crashes have shadowed Thomas throughout his career, including at the Tour de France earlier this month where the 2018 winner dislocated his shoulder in a fall on stage three. He will roll down the start ramp as one of the two British riders competing in tomorrow morning’s TT. Geoghegan Hart is the other to take on the course against a stacked line-up, including world champ Filippo Ganna, Wout van Aert and Rohan Dennis…
Get the gold paint ready? Pinarello bike porn: Filippo Ganna's supersonic Olympic TT machine
Well, well, well. Riding a machine like this beauty is a pretty nice perk of the job when you’re as fast as Filippo Ganna. The Italian powerhouse will be gunning, or should I say Gannaing, for an Olympic gold medal to go with his rainbow jersey, in the early hours of tomorrow morning over in Tokyo.
The Ineos Grenadier has been near unbeatable for the past couple of years in races against the clock, racking up five Giro d’Italia stage wins in the discipline and melting cycling fans’ brains globally with his thermonuclear wattages. And, if gold medals were won on style alone, the imposing Italian thrashing this piece of Pinarello perfection would earn a place on the top step of the podium with ease. If anything, it’s a shame that the glossy red paint job will have to be replaced by a fresh gold look…Alright, I’ll stop getting ahead of myself…
To win, Ganna will have to beat Tour de France conqueror Wout van Aert, Ineos teammate Rohan Dennis and well, almost every other great time trialist from across the world. We can’t wait…
Alex Dowsett's TT preview
Rohan Dennis to win gold? Patrick Bevin a dark horse for a medal? Alex Dowsett has given us the goods with this TT preview detailing everything you need to know ahead of the two big races tomorrow…Including rumours of a tropical storm…
Boris Johnson announces those convicted of anti-social behaviour will be "out there in one of those fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs"
“I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t be out there in one of those fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs visibly paying your debt to society”.
Boris Johnson outlines his planned reforms for dealing with people convicted of anti-social behaviour.https://t.co/fgFiRXQhAn pic.twitter.com/KN0JFfnXEV
— Sky News (@SkyNews) July 27, 2021
You can tell you’re a cyclist when you read Sky News and your first instinct is the PM has ordered people convicted of anti-social behaviour to get their cleats ready…”out there in one of those fluorescent-jacketed chain gangs visibly paying your debt to society” sounds like a pretty cool punishment to us. Come on, mate, don’t skip your turn. Start paying your debt to society…
27 July 2021, 08:07
27 July 2021, 08:07
27 July 2021, 08:07
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Latest Comments
@FionaJJ In London they're allowed to stop on single and double yellows to deliver packages or empty pillar boxes; in practice they take this as carte blanche to park wherever and whenever they want, such as this chap on the Brixton Road who pulled into the bus/cycle/motorcycle lane without indicating, as I approached at 20mph, to park on a red route, response to a remonstrance, "I suppose you never get post delivered do ya?"
@Rendel Harris We have a pavement parking ban, but around here at least, royal mail vans are already exempt, subject to certain caveats, such as allowing at least 1.5m, and only being stopped to do their work.
It was already embarrassing for the police that they made such a mess of their attempt to determine whether a bike was legal or not, but I had assumed it was a group of well intentioned, but under-trained officers acting on their own initiative, having spotted something they thought looked not quite right. I'm now discovering this was a planned activity, something sufficiently organised to have been given a name - Operation FRISLEN, designed specifically to identify and remove illegal e-bikes and scooters. It's apparent that the officers were sent out without adequate training, never mind the kind of equipment that should be used for this sort of work. I'm not saying they always need specialist equipment to spot all illegal bikes, but at least if they'd been given a demonstration with that equipment, they'd have realised why their approach was not going to end well.
Have put drop bars on a 2001 B1 mtb, a 2007 stumpy hardtail and a 2010 stumpy full suss. In all cases fairly basic conversións leaving gearing and wheels broadly the same and concentrating on correct positioning of bars and fit. Oddly, with all 3 I was happy with the result when recently done, but after a few months found that the extra speed on easy trails was more than offset by the lack of ability (probably mine) on tougher routes and finally preferred flat bar with slammed and inverted stem as best overall compromise. Good fun playing around, though.
The photos in this review look they are for a different bag?
This is a strange reactionary knee jerk overall. But what is this "are essentially motorbikes in disguise" waffle? "One letter claimed that high-powered electric ‘e-bikes’ were “essentially motorbikes” in disguise, with many being used without lights, helmets, or any hi-vis clothing." Surely, they simply ARE motorbikes?
I only watched the last one, that's enough for me! A punishment pass and a clueless passenger. Did you op snap that one?
I don't love the motorway comment. What if they're miles from a motorway? The get in the cycle lane comment is born out of ignorance from people who never cycle. I would just tell them the reason: It's full of broken glass, wet leaves, etc. I'm turning right. I'd have to keep stopping and then rejoining the road. I'd have to keep giving way. It's full of pedestrians. Etc. Or simply ask if they have tried it and leave it at that.
@Chris RideFar In any of the offered options (Amazon, Apple or Spotify) there are transcript buttons that will give you a transcript if you wish. I think as road.cc has a limited staff and budget and most people enjoy it free, asking them to provide everything just the way we want it is perhaps a bit much?
I don't come to road.cc for podcasts. Where is the text version of this article? Or at least a simple transcript, please.
24 thoughts on “Pinarello bike porn: Filippo Ganna’s supersonic Olympic TT machine; Pizza taped to top tubes and potato pouches; Anna van der Breggen stopped from riding course by official; G up for “one more push”; 3D scanners aero gains + more on the live blog”
Triathletes are indeed a
Triathletes are indeed a different breed
Finally, a purpose for those
Finally, a purpose for those flat-topped top tubes! 😉
Pizza and malt loaf, fair
Pizza and malt loaf, fair enough. But raw potato seems like a great way to DNF… (unless they are actually boiled new potatoes or similar?)
Given how hot it’s been
Given how hot it’s been recently, perhaps they were hoping they would be perfect jackets by the time they were done with the swim.
I think it was just the one fundamentalist, wasn’t it?
OnYerBike wrote:
Maybe they are to lob at close-passers
Loving the comment about
Loving the comment about crows having a feast. It would be the type of thing I’d to, thinking I’d come up with a genius idea only to discover later there’s a good reason it’s not normally done
I assumed it was a spoof, the
I assumed it was a spoof, the Pizza doesn’t look very aero?
Evie Richards finished 7th in
Evie Richards finished 7th in the MTB XC race the Swiss swept the podium for, which is TeamGBs highest placed finish in the womens race in Olympic MTB XC history, in case you missed it.
And the BBC commentary after
And the BBC commentary after she crossed the line smiling from ear to ear…
“Disappointment there for Evie Richards, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Tom Pidcock’s ride…”
Totally agree it was an odd
Totally agree it was an odd line of questioning. I’ve noticed similar things in other interviews too. The interviewer talking to Georgia Taylor-Brown was asking about her disappointment in not winning gold and what might have been. In context, she was beaming having just won a triathlon silver medal after running from 5th to 2nd following a late puncture on the bicycle leg and having said that she had been hoping for a top 5. It was a great performance, and it seemed to me an inability to read the room and celebrate the success she’d had. Not to mention that the winner was super strong and seemed unlikely to have been beaten anyway.
I’m guessing the spuds are
I’m guessing the spuds are boiled in their skins rather than raw? Although given the temperature the water in my bidons was reaching last week you could probably pop one in there and boil up a quick mid-race hot snack.
Was going to say the same.
Was going to say the same. Pretty good idea too, I might use it, though I’d probably go for baked myself.
Rendel Harris wrote:
My bike got so hot in the sun resting against a wall last week that I heard a telltale “Pssstttt” as the rear inner tube went flat. Turned out a puncture patch I’d repaired a hole with ages ago and forgotten about had come unglued in the heat!
CamelBack’s Podium Chill and
CamelBack’s Podium Chill and Ice are my go to during the heatwaves, stored in the fridge overnight or during the day, stays cool just long enough.
Reduces ice build up during what the flip side of the year brings
Compulsory cycling!
Compulsory cycling! 😉
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2021/jul/27/uk-covid-live-news-updates-vaccines-delta-variant-testing
Boris Johnson says people guilty of antisocial behaviour should be in hi-vis ‘chain gangs’
Johnson is guilty of
Johnson is guilty of antisocial behaviour, but he already poses in hi-viz (and lab coats, and milkman’s coat, and car factory worker one-piece) for cynical photo opps.
Disturbing the neighbours
Disturbing the neighbours while rowing with his girlfriend, lying about £350M a week, lying about the lack of checks on goods GB-NI, handing out public money to party contacts and donors, joking about 80-year-olds dying of Covid, lying about who paid for refurbishments to his flat…
The list goes on. He isn’t in any position to criticise anyone else.
Wasn’t there going to be some
Wasn’t there going to be some sort of road.cc crackdown on the needless politicisation of the comments section?
Rich_cb wrote:
But saying that Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is a lying liar who lies a lot about all sorts of stuff (and dissembles about the rest of it) isn’t political. It’s just a statement of fact.
(What’s that, Boris? How many children do you have?)
No issue with your original
No issue with your original post, news stories with amusing cycling related quips attached are live blog bread and butter.
HarrogateSpa’s sad attempt to prove he hates Boris more than anyone else is another matter though.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
My sister was one of those neighbours. She has moved away from there now, thankfully.
I’d say his own behaviour is pretty anti-social. The lying seems to be a core part of his selfish, abusive personality. He’s following his father, it seems. Is there anything he hasn’t lied about or corrupted in some way?
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Don’t forget hiding in walk-in refrigerators.
Beat me to it!
Beat me to it!
and not forgetting Anna
and not forgetting Anna Shackley will be the 1st British rider competing in tomorrow mornings TT races in the womens event, which takes place ahead of the mens race.
Btw does anyone believe G had the Olympics as a target this year ?