Chris Froome suffers on “steepest climb in the world”; Frustration as School of Rock star’s death reported as “cycling accident”; Bike theft video; Simon Yates wins Giro stage; Foo Fighters Brompton; Pop-up lane made permanent + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Jeremy Vine educates van driver impatient to get in front
Sometimes you have to help the van driver make the right decision. pic.twitter.com/Cw7ZbQm270
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) May 28, 2021
It has been a while since we shared some Jeremy Vine 360 camera goodness on the live blog, so here we go…Vine has a word with the driver of the van who just has to get in front of the cyclist ahead of the road narrowing. The broadcaster famous for his cycling escapades gets called a twat for his troubles…all for the cause, I guess. 10/10 for the deadpan: “and I can’t really argue with that”…
However, not everyone was impressed by Jeremy’s riding…one reply pointed out that he ignored a no entry sign as he turned into the side street…
Totally my fault. I was shaken by the dangerous driving and verbal abuse.
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) May 28, 2021
As we said, this isn’t the first time Jeremy has featured on our live blog…most recently, a month ago, he shared a clip of him almost being taken out by a London taxi driver on his commute to work. Who could forget this classic? The motorist spotted driving straight down the segregated Hyde Park cycle lane which Tony Devenish had a pop at on Monday.
And, after yesterday’s ‘cyclists dismount’ silliness, here’s the time the pedalling presenter denied graffitiing ‘F*** Off’ on a sign in West London…
Peter Sagan fined 1000 Swiss Francs for intimidating other riders on stage 18
Sagan when someone tries to join the breakaway #Giro pic.twitter.com/Qa5T55LqdO
— Cycling Memes (@Cycling_Memes1) May 27, 2021
Points jersey leader Peter Sagan found himself slapped with a hefty fine and docked UCI points for ‘intimidation, improper conduct against other riders’. The exact incident that has been punished is not entirely clear, although clips posted on social media suggest the three-time world champion had a few choice words for riders trying to make the breakaway on stage 18.
The stage was 60km old by the time the break finally established a lead over the peloton, at which point Sagan, his teammate Daniel Oss and Filippo Ganna came to the front of the bunch to block any further moves. As a result of his conduct Sagan was fined 1000 Swiss Francs (£785) by the race jury and docked 50 UCI points.
Some have suggested a proper punishment would have been taking away some of Sagan’s points towards winning the ciclamino sprinters’ jersey, which he currently leads by 22 points from Davide Cimolai and 25 from Fernando Gaviria.
“Today was an important stage and the key was not to lose points for the ciclamino jersey. We kept under control the sprinters that were close in the points classification and held on to the ciclamino. On Friday and Saturday, we have two hard mountain stages,” Sagan told Bora-Hansgrohe.
Sydney pop-up cycle lanes to be made permanent
Some good news from Australia…pop-up cycle lanes across Sydney that were introduced during the pandemic are to be made permanent. Some of the temporary lanes will be in place for a minimum of two years, while the two most popular routes are to be made permanent.
“When COVID hit, we worked with the state government to install pop-up cycleways – a key element of its emergency transport response,” Lord Mayor Clover Moore said. “These cycleways have shown us we can make roads safer for riders, calm traffic and create attractive environments that leave room for people, provide space for outdoor dining and support surrounding businesses.”
9news reports the pop-up lanes have contributed to a 40 per cent increase in people cycling across Greater Sydney and that cycling on the most popular cycleway along Pitt Street is up 500 per cent.
This positive news from Oz makes a change from the usual cycling stories in our archives…earlier this week we reported that a cyclist in Queensland was fined A$1000 (£704) for talking on her phone while riding…
Drum & Bass On The Bike coming to Brighton this Sunday
𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗢𝗡, YOU’RE UP NEXT!!
Join me at The Concorde This Sunday from 2pm for Drum & Bass On The Bike Episode 4.. 🏖https://t.co/Z5Tb3ZcrhX pic.twitter.com/R54AT1ylTN
— Domonic (@domwhiting) May 28, 2021
Dom Whitting’s Drum & Bass On The Bike is back this weekend..and what better location than a sunny Sunday by the seaside? The bumper bank holiday crowds will be treated to Dom’s set from his modified bike with the decks fitted on the handlebars…
These were the scenes in Bristol for his last episode…
Giro d'Italia prize money from stage 19 to be donated to families of Mottarone cable car victims
Although the #Giro will not climb the #Mottarone, the riders will pay tribute to the 14 victims of the #Stresa cable car crash. They have unanimously decided to donate all prize money from today’s stage to little #Eitan and to the families affected by this terrible tragedy.#CPA pic.twitter.com/uxf7stov5f
— CPA Cycling (@cpacycling) May 28, 2021
The CPA has announced the riders at the Giro have unanimously decided to donate all prize money from today’s stage to the families affected by the Mottarone cable car incident. Earlier this week, the route for the stage was altered away from the summit following the tragedy last Sunday that killed 14 people.
Yesterday, stage 18 winner Alberto Bettiol dedicated his victory to his former agent who passed away last year as well as the victims of the crash. “I also want to give a thought to all the victims in the Mottarone cable car and all the families,” an emotional Bettiol told reporters at the finish.
Peter Sagan gets a bling delivery from Specialized ahead of stage 19
🇮🇹 #Giro
There’s something 💜 at our bus for @petosagan… 🚲 @iamspecialized #iamspecialized pic.twitter.com/5Tim02mYk0
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) May 28, 2021
Too bad if Sagan had been docked points classification points for his “intimidating” behaviour on stage 18…
Bike theft foiled as cyclist fights off two attackers
A pair of would-be bike thieves were fought off by the bravery of one Toronto cyclist determined to stop his ride being nicked. The 39-year-old man fought off the attack by two men in the entrance of the building near Bathurst Street on April 17. The pair cornered the cyclist before trying to wrestle the bicycle off its owner but were left empty handed after the man put up a fight.
Both thieves were described as being 18-22 years old and covered their faces with baseball caps and face masks. After a short struggle they eventually give up and walked off with their tail between their legs…
Yesterday, we reported the bike theft struggle for victims of the crime in the UK’s bike theft capital, Cambridge. Roughly 4,000 bicycles are reported stolen in Cambridge in a typical year, with Camcycle estimating the cost for residents is more than £1.5 million.
Former pro rider David Millar announces new investor for relaunch of his CHPT3 brand
David Millar has announced new investment from angel investor Mikkel B.Rasmussen as CHPT3 relaunches this summer with a new e-commerce store and a new product line aimed at women and sustainability, particularly within the US and Asian markets. Speaking about the investment, Millar said he hopes CHPT3 will become one of the leading global brands in cycling in the next five years.
The “Most Days” summer collection coming next week is the first time the company has produced women’s cycle wear and is the first step in a plan to bring CHPT3 kit specific for mountain bikers, gravel cycling and urban cyclists too.
“With Mikkel’s lead and guidance, we have introduced a human first focus to everything we do, from taking responsibility regards sustainability and forming a business model that is built to last, to the naming of our products and introducing a women’s range that is in total parity with the men’s range,” Millar said.
“Millions of people are discovering their love for cycling these years. Yet, cycling can feel so exclusive and elitist and can put people off before they’ve even got on a bike. The cycling industry has managed to position cycling as a sport of suffering, pain, and herd-like behaviour. CHPT3 is for people that want to break free of that narrow code and make cycling a broad part of their lifestyle. CHPT3 is for both men and women. It serves many types of cycling, always with a focus to make cycling a positive, playful force in the life of our users.”
Giro honours Mottarone cable car victims
The CEO of RCS Sport, Paolo Bellino, the Director of the #Giro Mauro Vegni, the Director of the #GiroE Roberto Salvador, together with the Mayor of Stresa, Marcella Severino, laid a wreath – at the start of the Funivia – to remember the people died in this tragedy. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/o232spa49t
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 28, 2021
Frustration as School of Rock star's death reported as an "accident" without mention of driver
I want to talk about Kevin Clark for a minute. Headlines like this—news coverage like this—are inexcusable.https://t.co/UyrMVuCAn7
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) May 27, 2021
There has been frustration online in the aftermath of School of Rock star Kevin Clark’s death about the way it has been reported. A quick scan of the headlines and coverage from yesterday shows numerous titles and websites reporting the incident as an accident or failing to mention the involvement of a driver.
‘School of Rock drummer Kevin Clark dies in bike accident’ and ‘School of Rock star dies aged 32 after being hit by car’ are just two examples of headlines from UK-based outlets that do not follow the new Road Collision Reporting Guidelines launched last week.
Co-ordinated by road.cc contributor Laura Laker, the guidelines encourage media reports to avoid using the word “accident” to describe “crashes” or “collisions” to remove the association with chance. It also suggests reporters should acknowledge the role of motorists by avoiding describing “drivers” simply by their vehicle.
Commenting on the coverage of Kevin Clark’s death, Peter Flax wrote: “There are tons of stories out now that say that Clark was hit by a car and died in an accident. This is not some trivial nitpick on word choice. It’s about the media (and our culture) treating the death of riders and pedestrians differently than folks killed in any other manner.
“Reporters and editors have no fucking clue if this was an accident. What we know is that a 20-year old-woman driving a Hyundai Sonata at 1:30 am hit and killed him. I get where the bias comes from. Nearly all adults drive. In nearly all of these cases, the driver didn’t wake up intending to kill someone. So there’s this great unconscious desire to label these crashes as Acts of God. That’s what the word ‘accident’ says—nobody’s fault.”
Chris Froome suffers up "the steepest climb in the world"
Steepest climb in the world? We could do with some fact-checking on that claim…Chris Froome has released some more training footage from his Tour de France prep in Tenerife. Including riding up what the four-time Tour champion claims is “the steepest climb in the world” as he grinds up at walking pace. Now, admittedly that’s probably just the words of a bike rider on the limit, begging for an end to their suffering…rather you than me, Chris.
And we’re LIVE!
Check out the full video 👉 Training On “The Steepest Climb In The World” 😬 (plus other nutrition and training tips) 🎥https://t.co/6bsVNBTc4t pic.twitter.com/rBSUs8vbid— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) May 28, 2021
Back in 2017, a little-known climb in Lombardy was crowned the world’s hardest climb by La Flamme Rouge…San Glisente Pozza near Brescia averages 18 per cent for more than 10km…mind-bogglingly and leg-shreddingly steep… However, for out-and-out steepness you have to head to New Zealand to climb Baldwin Street’s 35 per cent ramp. The Welsh town of Harlech thought they had that record but Ffordd Pen Lech was stripped of its crown earlier this year when an updated method saw the gradient downgraded from 37.5 per cent to a tame 28.6…that’s practically flat.
Apart from questionable claims about the world’s steepest climb, Froome did offer some interesting insight into his training. Now down to 68kg, he explained the goal is to drop to 67kg before the Tour in July.
Talking about how he is managing to hit race weight Froome said: “In total we’re doing about two hours of intensity in a six-and-a-half hour ride. At the end of the ride we’re targeting fat burning once we were empty from the intervals and to do another two hours just on water. When you’re already flat and tired, to push on and do another two hours of very low intensity.” Yikes…
All my life, I've been searching for something...like this Foo Fighters design Brompton
Last month we shared news of a Radiohead-inspired Brompton that was announced along with a host of other musical artists…including the Foo Fighters and Enrique Iglesias…The bidding for the Foo Fighters design starts today via Greenhouse Auctions with all money going to Crew Nation, a global relief fund launched by Live Nation to support live music crews affected by the pandemic.
The slick Foo Fighters’ Brompton was designed by Taylor Hawkins, the band’s drummer and is inspired by their latest album Medicine at Midnight. The Colour and the Shape will be familiar to fans who want to tick off the miles around town One by One…
Simon Yates wins Giro d'Italia stage 19
📽️ @SimonYatess holds on, @JooAlmeida98 has a shot at it, @Eganbernal retains the lead. Here is the last kilometre of today’s stage
📽️ @SimonYatess resiste, @JooAlmeida98 attacca, @Eganbernal difende la Rosa. Ultimo km
Powered by @supersapiensinc #Giro pic.twitter.com/MhoTSrmG3h
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 28, 2021
Simon Yates attacked 6km from home to win the penultimate road stage of the Giro d’Italia atop Alpe di Mera. Yates followed João Almeida when the Portuguese upped the pace on the final climb, before dropping him in the final 4km. Almeida rallied to close the gap, but Yates held on for a famous victory. Egan Bernal limited his losses well to finish 28 seconds behind Yates and four ahead of his nearest rival Damiano Caruso.
This all means ahead of tomorrow’s final mountain showdown that Bernal leads Caruso by 2:29. The Italian will be looking over his shoulder as Yates is now just 20 seconds behind the Bahrain-Victorious rider. Tomorrow’s stage features three first category climbs, including a 7km ramp to the finish at Alpe Motta. Who will be wearing pink this time tomorrow?
One to try over the bank holiday?
28 May 2021, 08:06
28 May 2021, 08:06
28 May 2021, 08:06
28 May 2021, 08:06
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Latest Comments
@chrisonabike True, things went back to normal once the pandemic was over. In this case, however the problems are still ongoing, and aren't likely to be resolved in the near future. If anything, they're going to get worse. Food shortages are predicted because of the effect that the heatwave has had on crops. This is bound to push prices up. The Straits of Hormuz aren't likely to reopen anytime soon and the strategic oil reserves are running low. Russia is having to import petrol because its own refineries have been badly hit, so that's even more competition for an even more scarce resource. I think that more and more people are going to see cycling as a way of cutting household bills.
I think if "grown up" cyclists * are quibbling about ASLs we've very much missed the road safety point anyway. (Not to mention the wider "better transport choices" picture). ASLs are poor-to-useless "cycling infra", even for their design intent. If the idea is "for less confident cyclists" then a design that requires that you re-position in front of the motor traffic - waiting to accelerate - seems unhelpful. Of course they're only designed to help when traffic is stopped, and you can reach the front in time and if vehicles aren't already occupying them. As we're noting here drivers frequently ignore them - whether that be deliberate, a lack of road craft, because they were concentrating on following the vehicle in front, or because the paint has rubbed off. * Aside: shouldn't cycling also be safe and accessible for kids? Or should they only be allowed to do this when accompanied by sufficient qualified adults? Or be limited to parks and otherwise being driven around by their carers? Perhaps there is another way...?
Hi Bungle, I saw you follow-up comment. I can't imaging there's a tolerance of 4 seconds on camera enforced lights, seems an odd decision - an offence is committed if a vehicle starts crossing on a red, any tolerance is discretionary. There does seem to be some odd thinking about 'advanced stop lines' where the rules relating to them are identical to a regular stop line, as explained correctly elsewhere in the Highway Code. It does seem a regular offence. Where I live it doesn't help that some of them are very faint and disappear in rain.
@ktache Not sure he's totally ruled out of the worlds yet (though I think it would be best if he doesn't), normal recovery time is about eight weeks but surgery can halve that...depending on the nature of the break he could be just about fit to ride by the time of the elite men's race, but he'll have missed a lot of training. Hopefully his managers and team will persuade him to wait until Lombardia, if not just to knock it off for the rest of the year.
@Bungle_52 The Met told me a couple of years ago when rejecting a submission that they needed a clear three seconds of red visible before they would consider it for an RLJ prosecution. I pointed out to them that this meant that at 30 mph a driver could see a light change to red from 40 metres away and still get through without sanction, or 55 m if they accelerated to 40 as most do. They just replied "them's our rules..."
@Ben Graham I have just checked the footage from my report. The driver crosses the 1st stop line 4 seconds after the light turns red. All on camera from behind the vehicle. No further action. So I assume the margin is at least 4 seconds.
Oh, and active travel funding per head (in England at least) is laughable compared to other places. Plus it is delivered intermittently. It's more like a Blue Peter contest...
Yup, I see those opportunities being missed all the time in Edinburgh. When it gets really bad, dig it all up and put it back down again how it was. Contrast with what seems to happen in NL - when things are dug up the whole thing seems to get a "let's redo this according to the current standards" treatment. They even coordinate with the utilities, so that after a refurb the street isn't immediately dug up again because of leaking pipes / we suddenly realised the new estate being planned for round the corner will want broadband etc. Pros and cons of course - you may wait longer there for changes as smaller changes may be deferred until a major redo is due. (Though in the UK case you likely wouldn't get them at all...) It seems we "can't have nice things" in the UK in part because a) we have greater motor traffic speeds/volumes spead across "streets" / within urban areas b) the funding and organisational responsibility differs. Are we in the "Sam Vimes boots" territory (being too poor to afford better products which not only save money over time but actually work)? There is long term money pressure on LAs and it seems that due to poor construction and maintenance we have to regularly pour money into (pot-)holes in the road. And it seems there's no budget to check up on or enforce adequate standards from utilities work or even private building.
Shame about the world champs defence. Speedy recovery. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/aug/30/tadej-pogacar-vuelta-a-espana-cycling-crash-hospital-stage-nine
I believe the accepted form for this kind of argument is "I know you are, you said you were, but what am I?".
15 thoughts on “Chris Froome suffers on “steepest climb in the world”; Frustration as School of Rock star’s death reported as “cycling accident”; Bike theft video; Simon Yates wins Giro stage; Foo Fighters Brompton; Pop-up lane made permanent + more on the live blog”
intersting “apology” from
intersting “apology” from Jeremy for going up the one way street, I don’t think he was that shaken (the driving seems to be pretty standard for that there london), and Jeremy indicated right on his approach, almost like he planned to turn tight there, maybe he is unfamiliar with the layout, no as if there is a BBC building at the end of the road he is turning into according to Google Maps
You are correct as Radio
You are correct as Radio House is there so hoisted by his own petard abit. However the whole road system along there is awful for cyclists. They should have has a section removed from the bit stopping cars u-turning that allowed cyclists through. Otherwise it looks like they have to go all the way down to the main road to get around.
Don’t think he was indicating
Don’t think he was indicating – just putting his hand out to say ‘no, don’t try and come round.’
Not sure how ‘totally my fault’ constitutes an ‘interesting “apology” – seems pretty fulsome to me. Now, if he’d said ‘I apologise if you’ve taken offence at my riding’ that’d be a different matter…
Still an illegal manoeuvre in any case.
I suspect his intent was an
I suspect his intent was an illegal u turn so he could drive to his destination following the one way system correctly. to legally reach his destination he should probably pull to the right hand side of the road, dismount cross the pavement to the road leading to the BBC.
The van is too close behind to allow stopping on the right, if this is his usual approach, or to allow the u turn.
Elitist? Last time I checked
Elitist? Last time I checked CHPT3’s only USP was an elite price…..
Is it me or Sagan just a bit
Is it me or Sagan just a bit of a dick? Genuine question.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
No idea, but I don’t think that pic of him with a gun is real, or issued by his media team.
If I’m wrong, then yes, he’s a dick
Not at all, every other team
Not at all, every other team will try and control the race if it benefits them. Its just racing, up to the other teams if they listen to Sagan ? As usual the UCI are way off the mark.
Yes https://road.cc/content
Yes https://road.cc/content/news/80012-podium-girl-maja-leye-says-she-fought-keep-calm-peter-sagan-pinched-her-behind
Shake wrote:
That particular photo doesn’t look ‘shopped. The guy’s a twunt.
Rosedale Chimney bank is 33%.
Rosedale Chimney bank is 33%.
Defo is and not a short hill
Defo is and not a short hill must be not too far short of a mile (not all 33% though). Used to ride up it on Raleigh Grifter with the classic twist grip 3 speed gears. Mind you I was 13 at the time, 50kg lighter and there was no shame in having a rest or two.
Vine is a clown too. He has
Vine is a clown too. He has lost the plot on his radio show, seemingly going out of his way to act as Devil’s Advocate. Timne he was put out to grass. Typical BBC (British Brainwashing Corporation) mentality.
“Frustration as School of
“Frustration as School of Rock star’s death reported as an “accident” without mention of driver”
It gives me no pleasure at all to be proved so right so quickly about the media failing to follow the new guidelines.
The steep street in Wales and
The steep street in Wales and the steep street in New Zealand mentioned in the Chris Froome piece, had one thing in common, they were STREETS, this why they got the record, there is a specific definition of a street as opposed to any country lane or road.
There are plenty of steep roads around but they may not necessarily be classed as streets.