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Police seize illegal e-bike spotted racing uphill at 30mph; Headteacher welcomes packed bike sheds at start of term; News from the cycle path; Flood damage; Hill climbing; Paralympic story; Ineos sign young talent; New gear; Awards + more on the live blog

Happy Friday! Dan Alexander is here to take you through to the weekend with the final live blog of the week
Fri, Sep 03, 2021 09:01
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SUMMARY

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Police seize illegal e-bike spotted racing uphill at 30mph; Headteacher welcomes packed bike sheds at start of term; News from the cycle path; Flood damage; Hill climbing; Paralympic story; Ineos sign young talent; New gear; Awards + more on the live blogModified e-bike (Devon and Cornwall Police)
03 September 2021, 16:02
Friday feeling

Enjoy your weekend! The live blog will be back on Monday...

03 September 2021, 15:56
Illegal e-bike reaction...

Plenty of you said you'd had your own struggles with these 'e-bikes' often now used by delivery riders shooting around town...

Some took issue with us even describing it as an e-bike...illegal unregulated motorbike was one suggestion for an alternative. On Twitter, Stewart took greater issue with the aggressive saddle angle, which he said alone warranted an arrest.

Alex White said: "Pulled up alongside a deliveroo rider the other day, in Southwark, and he had a small 2 stroke engine fitted to his bike frame. Absolutely ridiculous."

At least it gives us something to blame losing Strava KOMs on...

03 September 2021, 15:45
03 September 2021, 15:21
10th on GC Louis Meintjes abandons Vuelta a España after stage 19 crash

Magnus Cort won again, we'll bring you the stage report shortly...

Out on the road there was bad luck for Intermarché Wanty Gobert's Louis Meintjes who has abandoned following a crash. The South African looked close to his best after a few tough years. The 29-year-old was on course for his first Grand Tour top ten since the 2017 Tour de France. David de la Cruz has taken his place in tenth. 

03 September 2021, 14:54
03 September 2021, 14:12
Scribe launches Re-Gen programme allowing customers to trade in old wheels and reducing waste
Scribe Carbon Gravel Wide++ 700 Disc Wheel set RCCR 3

Scribe Cycling wanted to find a way to guarantee its customers a product which lasts a long time while also improving sustainability levels. As a result, the brand has now settled on its Re-Gen programme, a way for customers to ride its carbon wheels and trade in old wheels for a tasty discount on a brand new set.

Once Scribe get the old wheels back they magic them as close to original quality in the workshop, swapping out old with new and a bit of TLC. Re-Gen wheels are then sold on Scribe Cycling Re-Gen eBay. Customers trading in their wheels for a new pair will get a discount up to 40 per cent off, if the wheels are less than 24 months from purchase. 24-36 months after purchase earns a 30 per cent discount. Anything more than 36 months from purchase earns a 10 per cent discount.

When wheels can't be repaired, particularly on rim brake models, a composite recycling company breaks down the resin and re-uses all constituent parts so nothing goes to landfill.

Scribe Cycling says it believes it is the first cycling brand to offer a programme like this and hopes it can change the industry for the better.

03 September 2021, 13:47
Get rid of the asphalt for good? New York flooding reveals cobblestones below

The pictures and videos out of New York this week have shown the devastation of Storm Ida. Here on the River Road, local riders have a new surface to ride...cobbles.

03 September 2021, 13:11
Annemiek van Vleuten wins uphill time trial at Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta...do we need more hill climb TTs in pro races?

There's more than just the Vuelta happening over in Spain this week...earlier today Annemiek van Vleuten won the interesting looking second stage of the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta - a four-stage race ending, like the men's Grand Tour, in Santiago de Compostela on Sunday.

The stage Van Vleuten won was a 7km uphill TT, which is something I could definitely get on board with seeing more of in the pro calendar. Basically, I want to see hill climbs...

If the Movistar rider wants to win the race overall then she'll have to attack tomorrow. Marlen Reusser holds a healthy 1:36 advantage after her successful stage-winning breakaway on yesterday's opener.

03 September 2021, 12:09
03 September 2021, 11:24
Move over Dura-Ace there's more new stuff from Pro...Performance and Discover bag ranges and new tools
PRO Performance saddle bag medium

It's not just new Dura-Ace and Ultegra coming out of Shimano this week...its PRO sub-brand has all sorts of new stuff, including tools and a couple of new bag ranges too.

> Are the new Shimano Dura-Ace and Ultegra groupsets a disappointment? Listen to the debate on episode 6 of the road.cc Podcast

Let's start with the bags. There's a Discover range, aimed at those who wanted to do a bit more exploring on their rides. This features a handlebar bag, frame bag and saddle pack options. There's also a performance range with less bulky saddle bags in a range of sizes, as well as a simple tool wrap.

What are you going to put in your saddle bag? Tools probably. And guess what? There's some new Shimano Pro tools out too. It's almost like they've planned this. 

The smart bottle cage is what caught my eye when scanning the new products...it combines a bottle cage with an integrated storage solution to keep a few of those pesky spares out the way at the bottom of your frame. Pro says your mini tools can slot into the base, while a mini pump, CO2 cartridge or tyre levers fit either side. 

PRO Smart Bottle Cage

 

03 September 2021, 11:13
Veloine's pregnancy cycling kit wins Eurobike award

 Munich-based women's cycling apparel brand Veloine has won a Eurobike Gold award for its Pregnancy Cycling Kit. The shorts and jersey feature a soft fabric with low compression and an extended waistband.

"Farewell to the myth that cycling women don’t continue the sport during pregnancy. These shorts and jersey from Veloine solve a problem that the industry has ignored for far too long," Eurobike judges concluded.

The kit includes jersey and shorts and are sold together for £214.

03 September 2021, 10:47
BBC foreign correspondent Anna Holligan's news from the cycle path is back (+ a very Dutch wedding)

It's back! Anna Holligan of the BBC is ready for the next season of bike lane news broadcasting. It'll get you up-to-date with what you need to know...and slightly jealous of the Dutch infrastructure...

The presenter's daily news reports first caught our attention earlier in the summer when she began doing a little bit extra of her day job with a little help from her electric cargo bike. 

Elsewhere in the Netherlands...

03 September 2021, 10:21
"It’s honestly been in my head during some training efforts - I want to earn my seat on that bus": Ineos Grenadiers sign young British talent Ben Tulett from Alpecin-Fenix

Ineos Grenadiers have added another talented young rider to their ranks. British pro Ben Tulett, who turned 20 last week, has joined the team having "earned his seat on the bus" with a 12th place at Flèche Wallonne in April and ninth overall at Tour de Pologne more recently.

Tulett is a two-time junior cyclocross world champion and says joining the team has always been his ambition. "It’s been the team I’ve always looked up to," he explained. "Then Brad won the Tour in 2012 and that was just incredible. I remember thinking, ‘I’d love to be on that team one day’. Fast forward nine years and I’ve just signed my first contract here. I couldn’t be happier.

"I remember visiting the Vuelta in 2017 as a fan and seeing Chris Froome and the whole team, thinking, one day… I want my seat on that bus. It’s honestly been in my head during some training efforts - I want to earn my seat on that bus."

The team's director of racing Rod Ellingworth confirmed Tulett has been on their radar for a while, and that his step up in performance in 2020 means now is the perfect time for him to join the team.

03 September 2021, 09:24
03 September 2021, 08:59
Police seize illegal e-bike after rider spotted flying uphill at 30mph without pedalling

Insert joke about sniping Strava KOMs...

Police in Newquay seized an e-bike in the early hours of this morning after they spotted the cyclist riding at 30mph uphill without pedalling. Devon and Cornwall Police's No Excuse Team targets road safety issues, and said the rider had also been reported.

"Throttle powered bicycle seen travelling at 30 mph uphill without the rider pedalling," the force's Twitter account reported at 1:31am. "The additions make it a motor vehicle, unable to be insured and licenced. Seized, with rider reported."

As per our sister site eBikeTips' informative 'Electric bikes and UK law' feature, e-bikes assistance must cut-off when the vehicle reaches 15.5mph. That's without even getting started on the modifications which Devon and Cornwall police says made it a motor vehicle...

The news from Cornwall comes just a day after the bizarre story from Taiwan about a cyclist hitting 133kph on his road bike after strapping a jet engine to the back...afterwards he said he was "shocked" it went that fast...check out the ridiculous video here...

03 September 2021, 08:41
How Paralympic hand-cycling saved my life

03 September 2021, 07:51
Southend headteacher welcomes packed bike sheds at start of a new term

Robin Bevan, the headteacher at Southend High School for Boys triumphantly shared this photo of the scene at his school's expanded bike shed on the first day of a new term. The racks were full, and Bevan proudly recalled how when he started as headteacher only ten pupils cycled to school.

"15 years ago, when I started as a headteacher, only ten pupils cycled to school," Bevan explained on Twitter. "Today, first day of term, and our expanded bike sheds are almost full - 150+. It's healthier, cheaper, faster, greener, and - with a good route chosen - safer too."

We've got a lot of time for the back to school by bike content...yesterday on the live blog we saw the Victory Chimp cycle clothing account share a great photo of their kid climbing 9 per cent gradients on the school run...carrying a backpack half the size of him. Hey, it worked for Nairo Quintana...

Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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33 comments

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stonojnr replied to Steve K | 3 years ago
0 likes

The numbers of pupils who cycle to school are claimed by the school themselves.

Everytime I ride on that road, I can virtually guarantee a close pass,sometimes just technically within 1.5m, but often as per the picture example attached, there are 12 pinch points in less than 2 miles of road, its a main eastern route out of Ipswich used to get to the A12 by trucks, tipper trucks,vans,buses, as well as lots of cars,it is in effect the route of the old A12.

Suffolk CC carry out annual travel surveys, modal share for cycling is no higher than the UK average in the area, and anecdotally I don't see any more cyclists as I pass through the area than elsewhere,certainly not on the roads,and the cycle paths aren't that busy either.

Traffic is a considerable problem in the area,delays are frequent in rush hour and even the Kesgrave council neighbourhood plan cites residents depend on their car for commuting and leisure.

So,its not conjecture.

Yes achievements as getting school kids to ride to school in large numbers can be celebrated, but lets dont pat ourselves on the back as if its mission accomplished, if it ultimately hasn't changed those kids outlook to cycling.

Avatar
Steve K replied to stonojnr | 3 years ago
1 like

Thanks - "yes I know, I live there" would have sufficed 

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bobrayner replied to stonojnr | 3 years ago
5 likes

If we can't get kids cycling around Kesgrave, we can't get them cycling anywhere. Some locals might gripe about hills, but compared to the rest of the UK it's pancake flat. Climate isn't too bad, it's less rainy & less windy than other parts of the UK so fewer days when you can use that as an excuse. It's also a fairly dense suburb with most destinations (school, shops, workplaces, and  even some scenic countryside &c) within easy cycling distance. I used to ride to Adastral Park from "Castle Hill" (not a hill in any meaningful sense), and it was a pretty nice commute. 1

There's even a cyclist-friendly crossing of the A12 now, so we don't have a dual-carriageway cutting the area in half for non-drivers. (My own hometown decided to wedge the new bus station between two dual-carriageways and then, when they discovered non-drivers were attempting to cross the busy roads, the obvious solution was to put up tall fences to keep them out of the way).

If cycling can't take off in Kesgrave, the rest of the UK has no chance! 

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