Climbing 30% hill goes wrong…rider falls back to the start; Declercq misses Tour with Covid…but it’s not Cav replacing him; Pidcock makes Ineos team; Scottish MP criticised for not wearing a helmet; Tour trims + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Climbing 30% hill goes wrong...rider falls back to the start
There’s no margin for mechanical mishaps when climbing walls like this one. A slipped chain can be all she wrote for your hopes of getting up there in one go. Put your foot down and there’s no way you’re riding to the top unless you fancy going back to the start (which you almost certainly don’t)…
Jenio, rs pic.twitter.com/YyvCeL0gEg
— País do Ciclismo #TDF2022 (@DoCiclismo) June 28, 2022
This monster berg appears to be in Brazil, possibly Belo Horizonte, and looks at least 30 per cent. When they look steep on camera you know you’ve got a serious climb…
Not the same hill, not the same gradient (probably), but here’s the visual on how much better pro cyclists are than the rest of us…
Ahí va Richard Carapaz entrenando para estar en forma este 2021. pic.twitter.com/90Kjt89bcQ
— Diego Vos (@diegovos_) February 1, 2021
Pretty similar really…
EDIT: A bit more digging confirmed it is indeed the Morro do Tunicão in Belo Horizonte and yeah…we might have undersold it at 30 per cent…
Tour teams: Ineos select four Brits, Bora's dark horse, Van der Poel and Sagan's support confirmed
🇫🇷💛 Vive Le Tour! 💛🇫🇷
Meet your 8⃣ Grenadiers: ready to go all in at #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/70f4i3HgWV
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) June 28, 2022
Not long to go now…EF Education-EasyPost are the only team yet to announce their team…last-minute enquiries about a certain sprinter from the Isle of Man’s availability? (Wishful thinking, I know)
Ineos Grenadiers have upped the Brit count to seven, announcing Adam Yates, Geraint Thomas, Tom Pidcock and Luke Rowe for the race. Dani Martínez, Filippo Ganna, Jonathan Castroviejo and Roubaix winner Dylan van Baarle complete the line-up.
Elsewhere…
Bora have decided against selecting out of form Sam Bennett. Instead, dark horse Aleksandr Vlasov gets plenty of support…
Bora – hansgrohe: Aleksandr Vlasov, Lennard Kämna, Max Schachmann, Nils Politt, Felix Grosschartner, Patrick Konrad, Marco Haller, Danny van Poppel
Cofidis: Guillaume Martin, Ion Izagirre, Bryan Coquard, Simon Geschke, Victor Lafay, Anthony Perez, Benjamin Thomas, Max Walscheid
Alpecin-Fenix: Mathieu van der Poel, Silvan Dillier, Michael Gogl, Alexander Krieger, Jasper Philipsen, Edward Planckaert, Kristian Sbaragli, Guillaume Van Keirsbulck
Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux: Alexander Kristoff, Kobe Goossens, Louis Meintjes, Andrea Pasqualon, Adrien Petit, Taco van der Hoorn, Georg Zimmermann, Sven Erik Bystrøm
TotalEnergies: Peter Sagan, Anthony Turgis, Alexis Vuillermoz, Pierre Latour, Daniel Oss, Cristián Rodríguez, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Maciej Bodnar
EVERYBODY STAY CALM!!! Tim Declercq tests positive for Covid, out of Tour de France...BUT Quick-Step go with Sénéchal over Cav
We are sorry to announce that @Tim_Declercq has tested positive for Covid-19 and will not take part in this year’s #TDF2022.
He will be replaced for the race by French Champion @flosenech.
We wish Tim a speedy recovery!
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/vNcXZwnBga
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) June 28, 2022
Relevant now more than ever…
British cycling fans when they see that Cavendish isn’t selected for the Tour #TDF2022 pic.twitter.com/73RO6ZlkCr
— Cycling Memes (@Cycling_Memes1) June 27, 2022
Tour trims
That time again. Annual pre-Tour chop ✂️ TDF number 12 coming right up 🙌 Although Sa has had a gin… pray for me🙏🤣 pic.twitter.com/x9pRXzppl9
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) June 27, 2022
0 all over for the extra weight-saving gains and aero benefits…obviously…
TDF number 1…. pic.twitter.com/PnnogDr9bX
— Tom Pidcock (@tompidcock) June 28, 2022
Here we go again... Scottish MP criticised by setting a "bad example" for not wearing a helmet
Slammed? It’s not legal, and believe it or not it does NOTHING against cars.
The Scottish Sun: SNP MP Alison Thewliss latest politician slammed for riding a bike without a helmet….https://t.co/TACDUhVCLE
— Tweetleman (@Tweetleman) June 26, 2022
The Scottish Sun reported an ‘exclusive’ that SNP shadow chancellor Alison Thewliss, MP for Glasgow Central, had been “slammed” and “blasted” for not wearing a helmet while cycling.
The newspaper heard from a policy and research director at IAM Roadsmart who said it was setting a “bad example”.
“It is common sense to wear a cycle helmet to avoid unnecessary brain injuries,” Neil Greig said. “MPs should always be aware of this when setting an example to others.The new Highway Code says ‘you should wear a cycle helmet’ and that ‘evidence suggests that a correctly fitted helmet will reduce your risk of sustaining a head injury’.
“At least by continuing not to wear helmets high-profile politicians are keeping the issue in the news, but for all the wrong reasons.”
Peter McCabe of brain injury charity Headway added: “It is always concerning to see an MP undermining such an important safety message. We’d encourage Alison Thewliss to think not only her own safety but also the message she’s sending to other cyclists, particularly children.”
Last year, Green Party politician Patrick Harvie received similar criticism for riding without a helmet.
Anyone seen Dan's bike?
If anybody on here works @EDI_Airport keep an eye out for a bike box with my name on it. Would be nice to see it again. 🤦♂️
— Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) June 28, 2022
At least the helpful online customer service desk was on hand…
I said a bike. Not a bike keyring. This is not something I left in security. It’s a box your staff couldn’t be bothered to put on the correct flight
— Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) June 28, 2022
Comment of the day
Alberto Contador: Tadej Pogačar is a real cycling prodigy
Tadej Pogačar is very good at cycling. We knew that already, but if there’s anyone to confirm the obvious, I guess Alberto Contador’s a decent source…
“He’s a real cycling prodigy, able to handle the heat of being the Tour de France leader day after day. And that pressure, believe me, can be a real challenge,” Contador told Cyclingnews.
So what does it take to win the Tour?
“There are always moments in the Tour when your legs are just about to explode, you really can’t handle the pain. And you have to go on, you have to stay focussed, you have to keep your morale high.
“But in the last time trial, above all if you’re wearing the yellow jersey, that’s when it gets really hard.
“If you’re second overall, of course you want to go flat out to get the win and the lead. But when you are defending the lead on that stage, you know there’s one day to go to Paris and you can lose the jersey in one afternoon, mentally that takes its toll. That really takes its toll.”
The scene is set
Copenhagen dressed up for le Grand Départ 💛
Copenhague habillé aux couleurs du Tour de France pour le Grand Départ 💛#TDF2022 #LeTourDK
📸 A.S.O / Jonathan Biche pic.twitter.com/mQKk24oV3X
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 28, 2022
Cargo Bikes for Ukraine podcast episode
Steve Roe, who has set up the Facebook Group called Cargo Bikes for Ukraine, whose page we mentioned on the live blog a few weeks back, has recorded a podcast with the Family Cycling Podcast. During the episode Steve speaks with Alex, a bicycle mechanic in Kiev who has found himself operating a small fleet of cargo bikes delivering humanitarian aid. It’s well worth a listen if you need an afternoon distraction from work…
Want more storage for your next bikepacking adventure? Look no further than this innovative solution
Jonathan Vaughters stirs the pot
Only EF Education-EasyPost remain to announce their Tour de France squad. The dreamers amongst us have been wondering if an enabling contract clause could be found, an instant transfer negotiated, and Cav announced in pink in time for Friday…of course, there’s about as much chance of Patrick Lefevere writing a vanilla newspaper column than that happening…but hey, it’s nice to dream sometimes…
Not trying to be cute with waiting on roster announcement. We just want to make sure everyone tests Covid negative before announcing.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) June 28, 2022
Boooo…but there could be an eye-catching announcement elsewhere…
…But our kit drops in 2 hours. That’ll get the chickens clucking for a bit.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) June 28, 2022
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Latest Comments
Ours has a wardrobe in it - I guess that could have a mirror attached.
Canyon’s tech bike of the future close passes etc. I’m thinking this from a few years ago could be scaled down, electrics powered off the di2 etc, gas from co2 , triggered by your Garmin radar? https://youtube.com/shorts/W7OSeqyjaxQ?is=nM5cgzNCMXcSKfDZ
@Aluminium can this argument isn't entirely spurious, what with over a century of literally rebuilding places / relative position of accommodation and amenities around motor vehicles. OTOH IIRC the majority of driven journeys are still of cyclable distance (although perhaps people are currently driving many such per day). Certainly cycle hangers are available as quick fixes in the home / work side (and / or Sheffield stands). They lack security though and are susceptible to motor vehicles driving into them. However to compete with the car in your garage * or in the multistory car park we ultimately need a rules change to encourage *suitable* cycle storage built in to new build, and ultimately decent cycle parking garages at transit hubs / in town (ideally manned). For existing housing provision perhaps something like the Dutch "bike parking 'shop' " eg. Conversion of existing property into a cycle garage? (Bicycle Dutch has a couple of good articles / videos on this topic, search "home bicycle parking") * who actually uses their garage to store mirror vehicles...?
There's something about a BMW. Last year I'd finished a climb and had pulled up onto the verge of a narrow lane a some way before a tight bend. Was just about to have a drink, take a photograph of the view when a shiny metallic blue BMW shot round the bend at about 60mph. If I'd not stopped I'd have been at the apex of the bend and smeared across the bonnet of the car. I've had some near misses but that one was really unnerving...
Maybe I'll just go out on my MTB and ride in the woods. Thanks for reminding me of the future chaos you think the roads will be, Canyon - great message.
@Rob Hart widening the carriageway increases driver confidence and consequently, driver speeds. Which makes the road more dangerous for all.
oh, there are totally predictable, unfortunately. I predict that they will kill 5 people, today, in the UK
Presumably there is some ideal city where everything is within cycling distance but there's also lots of space to store bikes. Hmm. I wonder if some of those car spots that occupy the same space as 10 bikes (or more) could be utilised?
If you're cycling in the UK. But just be careful about picking up discarded perfume bottles, watch who you drink tea with, don't cycle near Russian warships etc.
32 thoughts on “Climbing 30% hill goes wrong…rider falls back to the start; Declercq misses Tour with Covid…but it’s not Cav replacing him; Pidcock makes Ineos team; Scottish MP criticised for not wearing a helmet; Tour trims + more on the live blog”
I like the fact that the UK’s
I like the fact that the UK’s No 1 haemorrhoid treatment is dominating the adverts around road.cc today.
Are we all sitting comfortably?
As a fully paid up member of
As a fully paid up member of road.cc I’m feeling quite smug that I haven’t seen one advert for arse relief cream all morning!
#havewehitityet?
Looks/sounds more like a
Looks/sounds more like a snapped chain rather than a slipped one?
Looks more Malo Verticale
Looks more Malo Verticale than Belo Horizonte.
That is one of those hills
That is one of those hills where the only thing worse than having to ride up it would be having to ride down it!
Gonna need a bigger brake.
Gonna need a bigger brake.
Phew! That beaut of a red
Phew! That beaut of a red white and blue national champion’s Jersey will be at the Tour after all
Quote:
Is there such a thing as a necessary brain injury?
Maybe for the last driver to
Maybe for the last driver to close pass me? 😉
If we start that there would
If we start that there would be no cars left on the road pretty quickly, which would be….a …. shame?
Dunno but please think of the
Dunno but please think of the children.
It seems insane that you
It seems insane that you wouldn’t send on form Cav to the tour with the opportunity to get that record in your sponsor’s colours. The pictures from the finish line will be shown for generations. How many times have we seen the approximately three photos of Eddie Merckx they show every year in the TDF coverage?
Is it bad form to be wishing
Is it bad form to be wishing that Tim D had a little sneeze in Jacobson’s direction?
It’s not, if you think about
It’s not, if you think about it.
Patrick9-32 wrote:
Like any other British fan, I would love to see him there, but think about the flipside of that: what if day after day the story is about Cav and the record and day after day he doesn’t get the win? Your team and sponsors could end up heavily associated with failure. A lot of the chat has been assuming that if Cav had been given the chance he would have at least grabbed that one stage he needs; even though I’m a huge fan, with the wealth of sprinting talent on show and the limited number of sprinters’ stages I’d say his chances of getting it if he’d gone were 30% tops.
I’m sure that the reason the
I’m sure that the reason the Belgian team didn’t take him is so that he doesn’t take the crown from a Belgian.
biker phil wrote:
That would be a bit more credible if they hadn’t gone all out to try and get Cav the record last year, wouldn’t it?
Our esteemed Prime Minister
Our esteemed Prime Minister used to be seen regularly cycling without a helmet. Indeed, I think he went as far as to say he wouldn’t be bullied into wearing one.
However, he seems to always wear one now, albeit normally not very well fitted.
Somehow this seems a metaphor for his premiership.
Didn’t he also say he’d
Didn’t he also say he’d rather die in a ditch than put a customs border between the mainland and Northern Ireland…? About a fortnight before he signed an ‘oven ready’ agreement doing just that.
Not sure Johnson can be used in any ‘whatabout’ – he’s basically just a character off an Armando Ianucci show, isn’t he?
Boris the clown also declared
Boris the clown also declared, to stop Heathrow expansion:
Didn’t even bother to vote in Parliament on it, in fact, he made sure he wasn’t even in the country at the time.
ChrisB200SX wrote:
And has now made it illegal to do so.
No helmet? Maybe he came of
No helmet? Maybe he came of at some point and hit his head. It might explain some of the decisions.
I think you may be confused.
I think you may be confused. The Sun don’t condemn Tory MPs for setting a “bad example” that’s reserved for the opposition MPs only
Steve K wrote:
Given the number of children he has spaffed out with various different women, a bike helmet isn’t the only bit of protective equipment he appears to have a problem with wearing properly…
I would rather IAM would be
I would rather IAM would be encouraging their drivers to be proactive in giving riders proper space therefore doing far more to prevent all sorts of serious injury (I think I am right in saying that head injuries are not the majority of causes in KSIs involving motorists) than joining a pile-on. The IAM message I have gleaned in correspondence is that they defend the right of their members to be aggrieved for cyclists being on the road over promoting safe driving around them.
IAM Roadsmart? Give me
IAM Roadsmart? Give me strength! “Avoid unnecessary brain injuries”? WTF are you talking about? Reduce the risk of brain injuries, maybe, under certain circumstances, but “unnecessary” brain injuries? Pah! One necessary brain injury springs to mind, but the IAM spokesman won’t like it.
That Dan Martin tweet looks a
That Dan Martin tweet looks a bit arsey. Where did the snark about a bike keyring come from?
The poor buggers dont even handle the baggage even indirectly. That contract is between the relevant airline and handling agent (usually Swissport or Menzies).
It looks like the kit was
It looks like the kit was designed by DALL-E mini.
https://craiyon.com
The journalists of Scottish
The journalists of Scottish Sun seem to be at the same snide c@nty level as their English counterparts…
I think that unless a great
I think that unless a great deal of caution is used and protocols put in place, then COVID may very well rip through le tour, even though Boris has said it’s over and we are all so bored with it now. I hope not, and it’s the nervousness of the first week and the crashes that always occur that will add to the randomness of the not being at the next days start that will thin the field, but the virus…
Oh, and what is it about grand tours starting on a Friday now? Is it going to keep happening?
No – once they start holding
No – once they start holding departs in Japan and China it’ll be a Wednesday or a Thursday instead…
mdavidford wrote:
Nerd fact for you: the first ever Tour de France began on July 1st, 1903, which was a Wednesday.