Sorry, mate! Teammates crash and bring down yellow jersey winner during ill-fated celebration; Wizzard frontman slams clean air zone; Decathlon becomes AG2R title sponsor – and ditches the brown shorts; Jake Paul’s Zwift “KOM” + more on the live blog

Too busy getting drenched at the Dublin round of the ‘cross World Cup to keep up with the other goings-on around the cycling world at the weekend? Well, I’ve got you covered:

> “I’ll set my dog on you!”: Driver dangerously passes cyclist, and then threatens to make his dog attack him

> Five years in prison and 10-year road ban for hit-and-run drink driver who had also smoked cannabis before leaving cyclist for dead with a severed foot

> How much weight can you shave off by drilling your chainring? Plus the 15g rear bike light, Wahoo x Zwift discounts, new stuff from Campagnolo and Insta360, and loads more…

> Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham defends plans for a new segregated cycle path, saying drivers currently dominate the roads

> Campaigners accuse council of “failing our children” after not delivering “significant cycling infrastructure for nine years”

> Christmas is RUINED… by a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (allegedly) 

> This TWMPA ‘zero carbon’ gravel bike is made out of engineered ash wood

We’ve known for a while now that the brown-shorted AG2R team will be riding Decathlon’s Van Rysel bikes in 2024, after bidding farewell to BMC.

But at the bike’s launch this morning it was confirmed that the French sports retailer will also be stepping up to take on the co-title sponsor role, replacing Citroën.

The squad, which boasts the likes of Tour de France stage winner Felix Gall, GC contender Ben O’Connor, and the housewives’ favourite Benoît Cosnefroy, will also be using Van Rysel helmets and glasses next year, so Decathlon are certainly getting their money’s worth.

Meanwhile, the bikes will also feature Shimano Dura-Ace, Swiss Side wheels, and Deda finishing kit, with Swiss Side also working with the team on all that extra aero-ness.

road.cc editor Jack is at the Van Rysel/AG2R collaboration launch today (while they send me to stand in muddy fields… Typical), so we’ll have a full story on the team’s new setup and all the gear soon.

It’s a sad day for cycling fans everywhere, as AG2R’s iconic brown shorts – aesthetically questionable stalwarts of the peloton since their debut at the 2009 Tour de France – have been consigned to the dustbin of cycling fashion, replaced by this new, rather more conventional blue, white, and black Decathlon-inspired colour scheme:

I think we should all take a moment to solemnly reflect on the demise of a race garment that has given us all so much joy of the years, graced – if indeed graced is the right word – at the highest level by the likes of John Gadret (remember him? The wee French climber Nico Roche wanted to put through a car windscreen during the Tour de France), Maxime Bouet, Carlos Betancur, and many other mercurial gems of the sport. Good times…

RIP. It was a wonderful 14 years…

The game’s gone.

Alright, hands up – who had ‘Ageing 1970s hitmaker slams clean air zone as part of local newspaper angle to entice you into reading an advert for some gin he’s selling’ on their Monday bingo card?

No, me neither.

But Wizzard frontman Roy Wood – you know, the guy who left Jeff Lynne and ELO to sing that Christmas song (alright, maybe I’m being uncharitable there) – has never been known for his predictability.

Speaking to Derbyshire Live – an interview ostensibly about his ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ anniversary gin – the singer slated plans for a clean air zone in Ashbourne, where he has lived since 1996, describing the proposals as “ridiculous”.

“Why would they want to do that? It’s not like Ashbourne is some dirty town now, is it?” the 77-year-old said.

“I’ll tell you what, it’s probably another silly excuse to get more money out of the average motorist, that’s what it will be.

“And how can they want everyone to purchase an electric car to save money when the average household cannot afford it?

“It’s hardly something that will benefit the average person. I, for one, will not be buying an electric car anytime soon. A friend of the family over in the US had an electric car and they had a head-on collision which caused the battery to explode. Unfortunately, everyone in the car died from the explosion and I cannot trust electric vehicles after hearing something like that.”

> Cycling celebrities — famous folk who love to ride their bikes

However, Wood stopped short of confirming whether he’s currently working, à la Van Morrison and his Covid conspiracy songs, on an album of new material based entirely on his opposition to Ashbourne’s clean air zone.

Although some of his draft lyrics have, miraculously, just fallen into my lap…

Oh, when the council brings the clean air,

You might just want to share

That you’d rather have exhaust smoke blown over everybody’s face

Back to the drawing board, I reckon, Roy…

Italian bike manufacturer Pinarello was last week hit by a double burglary at its showroom in Treviso, masked thieves taking 19 bikes worth a total of €250,000 during two separate raids on the same day.

According to local reports, the double burglary happened on Thursday at Pinarello’s site just outside the Veneto city, a large headquarters that is home to a showroom and the company’s administrative offices.

Read more: > Pinarello bikes worth €250,000 stolen as manufacturer hit by double burglary

I don’t even know where to start with this one…

Over the weekend, Jake Paul – that YouTuber-turned-celebrity boxer/deathmatch participant, who was pictured riding a Jumbo-Visma branded Cervélo in September, courtesy of speed skater partner Jutta Leerdam – added to the already-lengthy ‘Controversies’ section of his Wikipedia page, after one Twitter user flagged his rather barnstorming, KOM-grabbing ride on Alpe du Zwift:

Jake Paul might replace Primož Roglič next year at Visma – Lease a Bike. Bro can push huge watts with 40 kg body weight and owns Alpe du Zwift KOM pic.twitter.com/Jjjiyjxfy1

— Cycling Graphs (@CyclingGraphs) November 25, 2023

Hmmm… 12.2km at 8.5 percent, in 28.26 (over two minutes faster than the next best time), 25.7kph, 188bpm average heartrate, and 446 watts.

Somebody sign the kid up! Oh, wait…

Ain’t no way they caught Jake Paul cheating on zwift😭

— watts are not occuring (@DauschJack84677) November 26, 2023

Truly the greatest cyclist of all time

— UHIS (@UHISxyz) November 26, 2023

Can’t wait for Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury, hill climb edition… 

It really is all change over at AG2R HQ today – new title sponsor, new bikes, new equipment, new kit, new black shorts…

Oh, and a brand-new sprinter in the form of Sam Bennett, as the former Tour de France green jersey winner hopes to put a frustrating, injury-plagued few years at Bora-Hansgrohe behind him, and rekindle the form that saw him become one of the world’s leading fast men and bag two Tour stages in 2020.

“There are many things that influenced it,” the 33-year-old said of the move to the French outfit now known as Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.

“But when I was a young amateur rider, I was watching Nico Roche and Philip Deignan in the team, and they are riders I looked up to. Then of course I saw the big opportunity to come to this team, to get an amazing race programme, to work with [new bike supplier] Van Rysel, which is fantastic.

“I think it’s the best environment for me to be in to reach my top level. So I’m excited, and it’s a new adventure.”

Bennett will also be joined by a slew of new faces at Decathlon-AG2R, with Tour and Giro stage winner Victor Lafay, Bruno Amirail, Dries De Bondt, Gianluca Pollefliets, and Sander De Pestel all unveiled as new signings during a busy morning in Lille.

> Best Cyber Monday cycling deals live blog

Yep, the deal-driven madness never seems to end, does it? Now where are those 15 quid turbo trainers?

At the cyclocross pic.twitter.com/ZqjXRmMOSK

— Holly (@hollycamefrom) November 26, 2023

I think that might have been an issue yesterday… 

> Noel Edmonds accused of “PR masterstroke” after defending his criticism of “accident waiting to happen” cycleway in campaign for lower speed limit

Maybe he’s just really angry about Stephen Mulhern getting the new Deal or No Deal gig?

Íñigo Díaz Sánchez, a 19-year-old cyclist from Spain, has died after being hit by a motorist while training with a friend in the Basque Country on Thursday.

According to the Lakua Security Department, Díaz Sánchez – who raced for the Aranako Sima-Cepial team on the road and in cyclocross – was struck by the driver on the A-3138 in the municipality of Agurain/Salvatierra in Álava, at 5.15pm on Thursday. The other cyclist was not injured.

The 19-year-old was transported to the Txagorritxu Hospital, where he died from his injuries later that night.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Euskadiko TX. Federazioa (@etxfederazioa)

“It is with great sadness that we have received the worst news,” the Basque Cycling Federation wrote on social media at the weekend.

“The family of over 6,500 cyclists that make up the ETxF would like to send their deepest condolences and hugs to the family, friends, and teammates of Íñigo Díaz Sánchez. Also to the entire families of Aranako and Arabarrak associations.”

The Movistar team also added on Twitter that they wished to “send a big hug to the family and friends of Íñigo Díaz Sánchez, as well as to all of Alava cycling. A true disgrace to lose your life doing what you like most. Rest in peace.”

Dr Alison Hill, the chairperson of Cyclox, the Oxford-based cycling group that has long campaigned for measures to improve road safety in the city, says she expects to make a full recovery after being hit by a coach driver last month.

Dr Hill suffered a crushed pelvis, broken foot, and severe cuts, including tissue damage, in the crash, but says she is now able to get around on a walking frame at the moment – and hopes to be back on her bike at some point during the next year.

“I’m doing well. There were a lot of injuries my body was subjected to, but I was discharged last week and have been recovering at home,” she told the Oxford Mail.

“I expect to make a full recovery. The hospital is very happy with my progress and I had the most amazing care from everybody there.

“I really can’t remember what happened. I’m hoping there will be witnesses. The police are involved so I’m hoping they will be piecing everything together.”

> Safety concerns after cyclist collision at notorious roundabout, as cycling campaigner remains in hospital after separate incident

When asked how long it would take for her to return to cycling, the septuagenarian said: “It’s inconceivable at the moment. But I do feel I have got to do that at some point.

“It will likely be later next year, but I do want to get back to it. It’s been my usual form of transport for all my life in Oxford.”

The Cyclox campaigner’s collision is one of several that have killed or seriously injured cyclists on Oxford’s roads over the past year, and she says her group has been instrumental in persuading Oxfordshire County Council to adopt a Vision Zero plan to eliminate road deaths.

“We were very gratified that the council agreed to explore this further and eventually adopt it,” she said. “We’ve been working on our campaign topics, deciding to focus on safe speeds on our roads. All main roads should be 20mph with no 30mph in the city at all.

“We’re also campaigning for safe vehicles with the correct vision standards for HGVs and others. And we’re looking at junction safety, which is a major issue.

“We need to make sure people feel safe. People tell us at our stalls they would love to cycle, but they don’t feel safe.”

What’s worse?
The moustache or the coat? pic.twitter.com/2znnxZaeKi

— MarkContadorCX (@MontVentoux23) November 27, 2023

First, the brown shorts are thrown out the window, now Roglič is sporting a bizarre tash and oversized purple coat combo – it’s been quite the day in cycling fashion…

First group training for 2024 in the cobbles of Flanders 🤩

🎥 @cyclingmedia_ag pic.twitter.com/hUj1bkb4bE

— Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (@IntermarcheCW) November 27, 2023

I swear, these classics recon rides are getting earlier and earlier each year…

The numbers may have been slightly down on last year’s inaugural Dublin round of the UCI cyclocross World Cup, but the sizeable and vociferous crowd that did converge on the Sport Ireland campus yesterday for the event’s return were treated to a classic day of ‘cross action, filled with rain, mud, and thrilling racing.

In the women’s race, the flying Lucinda Brand put months of injuries and frustration behind her to cruise to a dominant win ahead of the in-form Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and a strong Zoe Bäckstedt, while in the men’s race Pim Ronhaar overcame Laurens Sweeck in a two-up sprint following an epic, race-long ding-dong battle through the mud.

And while the riders who made the trip to Ireland served up a classic Sunday roast of entertainment, the continuing discussion over the cyclocross season’s hectic schedule – with the Dublin World Cup following hot on the heels of the previous day’s X20 Trofee urban ‘cross in Kortrijk – also presented an interesting post-race side dish.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

The debate over UCI president David Lappartient’s much-discussed criticism of the selective nature of the sport’s stars – and his threat to ban these selective riders from the cyclocross world championships – continued to rumble on in Dublin, where some riders, including Eli Iserbyt, arrived in the early hours of the morning after racing in Belgium.

“The World Cup is not a ranking from which you can simply choose to your heart’s content,” the Frenchman said earlier this month.

“If a cyclo-cross rider prefers a national competition while there is a World Cup, he will not participate in the next World Cup and therefore also not the cyclocross World Championships.

“The World Cup is not a competition where you can choose what you want to ride. Everyone just has to participate.”

> Lance Armstrong’s former boss Johan Bruyneel brands David Lappartient a “dictator” after UCI president threatens to ban cyclo-cross riders who skip World Cup events from world championships

While Lappartient’s comments kicked off a heated debate on social media – and saw the UCI president branded a dictator by Lance Armstrong’s former boss Johan Bruyneel – when speaking to your resident live blogger after the races, the riders themselves were quite divided in their response to the Frenchman’s controversial World Cup ultimatum.

Fresh from her confidence-boosting solo triumph, veteran road and ‘cross star Lucinda Brand was particularly critical of Lappartient and the UCI’s stance.

“I think it’s very good that they try to get World Cups in different countries, that it’s more international that way. But it was maybe not the smartest to say, ‘hey, if you’re not racing them, you cannot race worlds’ – I think they forget their own rules a bit there!” Brand told road.cc after the finish.

“The UCI have made a fourth row at the world championships for people who are good in the UCI classification in other disciplines – do you think they’ll all be racing the World Cup? No. Because they made a rule that the federations will select them. In the Belgium and the Netherlands, there are so many good riders, that you may not even be selected if the course doesn’t suit you. So if you follow the rules, it’s not even in the hands of the riders!

“I can see where it’s coming from, but for now, having a World Cup every weekend is super complicated. When I started out in cyclocross it was super special to race a World Cup, because there were only eight. But now we race so many, so it changes how we feel about the race’s calibre. Because there are races in Belgium that are super big because of their history, and there is a lot of sponsors, and TV, and money there.

“But you also want it to be international. So I think if you can create a World Cup where every country has a race and they all have their own quality, I think it can be nice.”

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

The 34-year-old Trek rider continued: “We also have to improve the travelling. For instance, Val di Sole [the World Cup round at the Trentino ski resort] is logistically difficult, and now we only go to race it. If we could maybe we could combine it with a second race, that would be great. I’m sure we can improve it, but we should do it together.”

“We want to do the other competitions, because they’re important for our sponsors This combination [between the X20 Trofee Kortrijk and the Dublin World Cup] was still possible, but you need a team around you to make it possible. I only had two bikes here, as I divided them between the two races. It was still possible, but there were more risks.

“And you want to keep performing, and all the travelling up and down, up and down, it takes a lot of energy – and that’s another reason why people start to choose between races.”

Cameron Mason struggles through the mud (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

Meanwhile, the current men’s World Cup leader, Eli Iserbyt – who followed up his win in Kortrijk with third in Dublin – believes the numbers of races isn’t to blame for riders picking and choosing where to ride, but the structure and length of the season itself.

“I was in bed at 1am this morning!” the Belgian said of his pre-race preparation for Dublin. “It’s tough, but I hope I can keep doing it. It takes a lot of energy. The season is short, but I like doing a lot of races.

“The team made more bikes for me, so I had three here and three in Belgium, so a lot of wheels, a lot of everything. It’s good that the team supports me, because for us racing in Belgium is very important. And yesterday I got the win, and today I got third, so it was a good weekend.

“I think the season has to be from September to the world championships – 14 races is ideal. We start too late in my opinion. Starting in mid-October means we lose too many weeks of racing. 14 isn’t too much, the season just needs to be longer like it used to be.

“I think as riders, we’ve said for the last three years that something needs to change, because it’s not doable. And now you see riders choosing their own programme. So maybe we should listen to each other, and find a more durable programme. But in my opinion 14 is not too much.”

The 26-year-old also told road.cc that the UCI and the sport’s focus should remain on its core cyclocross talent, rather than multi-discipline stars such as Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel who, Iserbyt believes, will soon turn their backs on cyclocross to fully focus on success on the road.

“I get that the UCI wants every rider at the start of every World Cup,” he said. “But for the Belgian teams, the races there are pretty important as well. So I hope we can find a world where both is possible.

“I think the road riders will shorten their cyclocross programme each year, so I think in maybe two or three years, Wout and Mathieu won’t ride any cyclocross races anymore, so we really have to focus on the riders that are now there, and build on that.”

Have you ever wondered why, on the last stage of the Tour de France, Jonas Vingegaard always looks so unsure as his Jumbo-Visma teammates drift off the back of the bunch and line up alongside him for the now-obligatory photo ops sipping champagne or crossing the finish line in Paris?

Well, here’s why…

 Oops!

After a staggeringly consistent opening nine days at the Vuelta Ciclistica Internacional a Guatemala, during which he never finished outside the top 13, yellow jersey Gerson Toc was hoping to savour the biggest win of his career as the bunch rolled into Guatemala City yesterday for the final stage.

But as Toc and his Decoba-ASO Quetzaltenango teammates linked arms up the final straight, after Costa Rican Sebastian Brenes won the sprint, one rider’s celebratory bike handling skills left a lot to be desired, causing him to lose control and hit the deck – taking out yellow jersey Toc’s front wheel in the process, and bringing two of his other teammates down as well.

Ciclismo granjero pic.twitter.com/OYZnNuwkqE

— Javier (@romeoruiz__) November 26, 2023

Somewhere in Denmark, Vingegaard is sitting in front of the fire thinking to himself, ‘See, and they all mock me for being cautious’…

Hold tight, fellas…

Fortunately for Toc, his ill-fated victory salute with his teammates only left him red-faced but nothing more, and he was thankfully still able to claim the overall title at his national tour.

Unlike the French amateur duo Rémi Arsac and Charly Merle, whose showboating antics across the line at a local race in the Rhône back in June saw the teammates unceremoniously pipped to the win by the fast-charging Simon Ruet.

> Oops! Teammates celebrate ‘victory’ arm in arm… only to be pipped by rival right at the finish

I’d take Toc’s embarrassing finish line photo over that one any day, if you ask me…