“Not since Rocky has someone looked so good running up steps”: Superman Pidcock sends cycling world into meltdown; Rafa Nadal goes cycling…moments after winning 5hr epic Aussie Open final; Tenuous cycling content ft. Sid James + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Not since Rocky has someone looked so good running up steps": Superman Pidcock sends cycling world into meltdown
Super Tom Pidcock 🦸♂️
He becomes Britain’s first 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 elite Cyclo-Cross World Champion in Fayetteville 🇬🇧🌈@Tompid | @BritishCycling pic.twitter.com/CdyRp5Wo65
— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 30, 2022
It’s Tom Pidcock’s world, we’re all just living in it…
The prodigiously talented multi-disciplinarian last night added a cyclocross world championship to his mountain bike Olympic gold and growing list of road race wins. The 22-year-old soloed to victory, making the steep steps look effortless, widening the gap on a pack of chasing Belgians before crossing the line in full Superman pose atop his Pinarello…
> Tom Pidcock’s world championship-winning Pinarello Crossista 2022 Cyclocross Race Bike
And boy were we all impressed…
Tom Pidcock. Not since Rocky has someone looked so good running up steps.
— Matt Lawton (@Lawton_Times) January 30, 2022
That was unless you’re a regular cycle/rail commuter, for whom the site of someone sprinting up steps with a bike over the shoulder probably brought back flashbacks to all those platform-crossing commutes…
road.cc editor Jack still sees Bristol Temple Meads’ stairs when he closes his eyes…
When you take your bike on the train but it’s on the other platform and leaves in two minutes and the doors close 30 seconds before pic.twitter.com/nYsM6Z9ggx
— PJ (@pj_bof) January 30, 2022
Dan Lloyd won the comedy prize for the evening…
Pidcock is running at 13 minute 5k pace UP THE STEPS!
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) January 30, 2022
Maybe Tom was telling the truth after all…
> Jury’s out over Tom Pidcock’s near British record 5km time
Strength over numbers from Tom Pidcock. This is the cycling equivalent of the Mike Tyson quote “everyone has a plan till they get punched in the face”
— Andy McGrath (@Andymcgra) January 30, 2022
Others shared anecdotes of having their legs ripped off by the new world champ back when he was young(er)…
I had a notion of doing the Leeds chaingang a couple of years back. A local warned me off with the words, ‘There might be a lot too much Pidcock for comfort.’ #Fayetteville2022
— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) January 30, 2022
I think it was a Brownlee that told me.
— Michael Hutchinson (@Doctor_Hutch) January 30, 2022
Many years ago he was a proper scamp round here. He tried joining in with the Ilkley Crit 234 race when he was 14, they had to pull him out!
— Félicien (@mountain_belge) January 30, 2022
Presumably to stop him winning, ruining the race for everyone else…
Oh, and he can do interviews in Dutch...
The boy’s an absolute star pic.twitter.com/sORXofXyNV
— The TT Podcast 🚴♂️ (@ttpdcst) January 30, 2022
New products from Ryder
Cycling accessories brand Ryder has brought out some interesting products that have been designed and manufactured in South Africa, and are now available in the UK.
The new Luberetta chain applicator (£4.99) features a patented silicone dispenser that puts a drop on each link for limiting mess or wastage. Sounds handy!
The Kinetic Cage (£7.99) is an adjustable cage that allows you to run accessories within your front triangle or fit larger bottles in smaller frames. It’s been designed to allow for positioning 6cm higher or 4cm lower. It’s curved shape should minimise bottle scratching and the right side entry has been included for easy release.
Faster aero spokes added to rim brake versions of Swiss Side’s Hadron 2 Ultimate wheels
Swiss Side has updated the Hadron2 Ultimate rim brake wheels with DT Swiss Aerolite II spokes now being specced, which are claimed to reduce aero drag by 1W compared to the previous models.
New 2022 graphics also appear across the entire range and more colour decal pack options have been added to give greater scope for customisiation. Free packs are currently being given away with wheel orders until March at swissside.com…
What’d you think of the new looks available?
When the 17.26 pulls into the next platform...
Reckon you could run these steps quicker than @Tompid?
Nope, us neither! 😅
A bit of #MondayMotivation from the new champ. Have you enjoyed watching CX this winter? pic.twitter.com/44pqN89BQC
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) January 31, 2022
Pretty quick for a man lugging a bike in cleats…
Islabikes are now back in stock
In the lead-up to Christmas we reported on the limited availability of children’s bikes with leading brands such as Islabikes already largely out of stock at the beginning of December, with bikes only available on pre-order for delivery by 31st January 2022.
“Supply chain disruption impacted Islabikes in a big way for the second half of 2021, causing much of their children’s bike range to be out of stock for months,” Islabikes notes.
“There was a time when a two-week shipping delay felt like a disaster, now, only a two-month delay is a relief. I hope such delays are behind us, as we are seeing early signs of the bicycle supply chain recovering from COVID induced shutdowns.”
Now Islabikes has most of its kids bikes back in stock, with delivery time currently at seven working days.
Rafael Nadal goes for a spin...after winning five-hour epic Australian Open final
Nadal already on the bike doing recovery. 😅 pic.twitter.com/XZVdTcY0F8
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 30, 2022
After five hours 24 minutes, Rafa Nadal finally completed an improbable comeback to win yesterday’s Australian Open men’s singles final and become the first male tennis player to have won 21 major titles…
The tennis world was shocked to see footage of the Spaniard spinning away on an exercise bike having lifted the trophy and returned to his changing room. Now, I think we all know he was just loosely spinning the legs, not doing a HIIT session, but hey, at least it got people talking about cycling…
So, how long has it been (in a way us cycling fans will understand) since Nadal last won the opening Grand Slam of the year?
The previous time Rafael Nadal won the Australian Open, a Spanish rider triumphed at the Tour de France.
— CafeRoubaix (@CafeRoubaix) January 30, 2022
Enric Mas and Mikel Landa…your time has come…
Thieves steal tools from Doncaster bike repair station...just hours after it was unveiled
The Doncaster Free Press reports tools were stolen from a new bicycle repair station in the town, just hours after it was unveiled on Friday. The offender used bolt cutters to take the screwdrivers from the station in Sandall Park, but park bosses have promised the thieves “won’t win”.
Friends of Sandall Park chairman Sandra Crabtree, who runs the volunteer group which looks after the park said: “For those that like to say ‘I told you so’ you’ll be pleased to know that all the tools have been bolt cropped off the tool station.
“This won’t stop us from replacing the stolen tools – which as a matter of interest can be bought from the pound shop. It’s a bit of a nuisance in that we’ve got to get on to the supplier to get the replacements but that is what we will do. The thieves will get fed up before we do.
“And how many £1 screwdrivers does a thief need? We will win in the end.”
New secure cycle park opens in Bankside SE1
Calling all cyclists! 🚲
The Better Bankside Secure Cycle Park on Ewer Street is reopening on Monday 31 Jan with 82 spaces available.
Also, Dr Bike will be on Ewer St from 8.30am-12.30pm on Monday 31 Jan and 1pm – 5pm on Tuesday 1 Feb. https://t.co/n4z0LghlVs pic.twitter.com/wp3NM34AtR
— Better Bankside (@BetterBankside) January 26, 2022
Localised news for anyone who works in the Bankside area of London…
There’s a new secure cycle park opening today which sounds pretty promising from the details available online. It will offer 24/7 contact-free access with a digital entry system, lockers and showers.
Oh, and from what we can tell, it appears to be free…
Based at Arch 58 Ewer Street, SE1 0NR – a secure arch along the Low Line in Bankside, next to the Crossfit Central London Gym, users gain access by an app having signed up on Better Bankside’s website.
Cue the memes (just don't tell the Belgians)...
Pidcock was just too good #Fayetteville2022 pic.twitter.com/8MTmm8fgF8
— Cycling Memes (@Cycling_Memes1) January 30, 2022
Another world championship, following on from the road race worlds, where the superior Belgian team has been undone by the quality of one individual. I wonder how long until Evenepoel gets blamed for this one? At least it makes good memes…
Tenuous cycling content...ft. Jeremy Vine, Sid James and Alan Sugar
Tell your researchers and @JeremyVineOn5 that’s Sid James not @AlanSugarFacts pic.twitter.com/SvnB1uJYXh
— Bob A Job Rock 🍷🎸⚽🏴 (@robclevedonuk) January 31, 2022
Unsurprisingly I have zero experience of pitching game shows to TV channels, but I reckon it’s quite uncontroversial to say the premise of contestants guessing if a picture is of Sid James or Lord Sugar might be a hard sell…mainly because, well, they don’t look anything like each other…maybe Dave would take it?
It seems our pedalling friend Jeremy Vine has been stitched up by someone behind the scenes at Channel 5 here. You can almost see the ‘just keep going and hope nobody notices’ thought during the clip…
There are of course tenuous cycling links to make this suitable for the live blog…
Vine, an outspoken London cyclist who often shares clips of poor driving, bizarre encounters, cracking infrastructure and fellow celebrity friends on bicycles with his 147,000 Twitter followers.
James too, here riding a Raleigh Chopper…
Far more stylish than this snap of Lord Sugar with his custom Union Jack painted Pinarello Dogma. Apologies for those who were trying to forget about it…
There you go, told you it was tenuous…
The cyclist who makes us want to be a better runner
A cyclist who makes me want to be a better runner. Go figure. https://t.co/w9UjWWo93r
— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) January 30, 2022
No, we’re not talking about Chris Froome…
Weekend round-up: Cyclocross (without the mud); "The day cyclists took over the roads": How the internet reacted to Highway Code change day; Fundraiser for Irish champion hit by speeding motorist reaches £18,000
Later than usual (because I forgot) but here’s your one-stop shop for what happened this weekend…
- On Saturday, future (and present) star Zoe Bäckstedt won the women’s junior cyclocross world championships, adding another honour to the seventeen-year-old’s growing palmares.
- Bäckstedt might be the future, but Marianne Vos is still very much the present, winning her eighth ‘cross world title, beating compatriot Lucinda Brand in a thrilling duel.
- Away from the racing in Arkansas, the UK reacted to ‘Highway Code Day’ as the new changes came into effect. Obviously, this was all as unexaggerated and reasonable as you’d expect…
- While last night we brought you the news that a fundraiser for Irish road race champion Imogen Cotter had topped £18,000 in just three days after she was hit by a speeding driver last week. The 28-year-old was hit while training in Girona and said she feels “lucky to be alive” after fracturing her patella and radius in the collision.
- Elsewhere on road.cc, we’ve got an interesting and informative feature on cycling during pregnancy, a guide to the best repair stands, and a review of the Hunt 44 Aerodynamicist Carbon Disc wheelset.
"You’re risking your life when you cycle in the capital": Retired pro Nicolas Roche shocked by danger of riding in Dublin since returning to Irish capital for Dancing With The Stars
You’d have thought dancing on national television would be the most daunting thing going on in Nicolas Roche’s life at the minute. But maybe travelling to the RTE dance show on two wheels via Dublin’s roads is worse?
The 37-year-old has spent the last seventeen years of his life riding a bike for a living, racing some of the fastest, most technical descents in the world, and riding thousands of miles in a fast-moving peloton.
But Roche says even he has been surprised by cycling around his nation’s capital since returning from Monaco for the show.
“It’s very difficult. It needs improvement,” Roche told the Irish Mirror. “You’re risking your life when you cycle in the capital. I’ve been cycling in and out. We take all the Covid tests for the show in the city centre, and I’d rather cycle in than take the car.
“The roads are very narrow in Dublin, and some of them are very dangerous. It’s very hard to overtake someone and when you do, you’re risking your life.”
It’s not all bad though…
“To give a bit of encouragement, I think the bike lanes in Ireland have improved immensely over the past couple of years,” he added.
The champion of the world...Thomas Pidcock MBE
CHAMPION OF THE WORLD
💙❤️🖤💛💚
A day I won’t forget
Thank you 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/lI9295h9Ga— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) January 31, 2022
No lies…how many of you dared try the Superman celebration on your way to work this morning?
"He's like the human swiss army knife of excellence in cycling disciplines": Reader reaction to Pidcock's world champs-winning performance
They’ve seen me run 😋 https://t.co/hSXv5uAIF6
— Simon Roxburgh (@SimonRoxburgh) January 31, 2022
Over on Facebook, Adam Simmonite described Pidcock as “the human swiss army knife of excellence in cycling disciplines”, which I enjoyed…
In reply to our (possibly rhetorical) question ‘is there anything Pidcock can’t do?’, Rod Leach cracked the joke…”run 5km in under 15 minutes”…very good. Although would we be THAT surprised if he could?
Sheridan Ramskill reckons the win was the culmination of “Yorkshire councils’ shoddy road repair schemes now paying off with Tom & Lizzie winning on rough ground”.
On the blog, shutuplegz (Jens, is that you?) commented: “Amazing result by Tom Pidcock. I had to chuckle at the shots of him ‘flying’ across the finish line ….. in the context of his comments last week on the dangers of modern TT bike positions! Clearly there is no position this guy cannot hold!”
eburtthebike added: “Fantastic result, congratulations Tom. You have to wonder just what he is capable of and what else this inspiring young man is going to win.”
Well hasn’t this been a positive day on the live blog…
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris I get close-passed by more riders than cars in Richmond Park. Maybe I should ride faster.
@perce I'm normally a big fan of your excellent posts perce but I must take issue with this one. The idea that Lord Khan of Tooting would ever, in any circumstances, have been friends with Nigel is surely beyond the bounds of even your fertile imagination?
Not to downplay the seriousness of bikejacking, but Mr.Taylor might want to consider that fact that many riders have been put off using the park at weekends due to the aggressive, intimidatory behaviour of members of his own club, who are notorious for riding as if the park is a private training facility just for themselves, and that's a pretty sad state of affairs as well.
In Wiggle/CR's absence, what are people using nowadays? I've been out of it for a while, but now returned.
I did a multi-day ride many years ago with someone who was a better cyclist than me by every conceivable measure but this one. I remember watching them up ahead on a quiet road trying to teach themselves - snatching brief seconds with their hands off the bars before losing balance and grabbing on again. 'Watch this' I said to the rest of my group, before I accelerated to catch them, then nonchalantly sailed past them uphill riding no hands. Very satisfying. I've been able to ride most of mine hands-free, but had a Specialized Allez that really didn't cooperate. Haven't been brave enough to try it on a Brompton or cargo bike though. And still can't do a wheelie, or any of the other things on Jo's palmares.
@Hamster now that is an exciting development. I do remove/amend signs but reporting them for flyposting is much more satisfying.
@Slartibartfast If the sign-maker can be caught in the act then the council Environmental Health can get a report for littering/fly-tipping. Hours of endless fun for that person trying to explain away a conviction. Don't report unless you're prepared to go to court though. Or remove the litter and put in the nearest bin with a sticker explaining how littering is a crime.
What would make driving safer for motorists is if they stopped driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and driving faster than the speed limit.
Some good ideas there. One point tho. Whilst I love those Wera Allen keys for steel bolt heads, they can be risky on alloy socket screws. Not ideal, IMO, for Rochshox fork axles as they eat into the alloy and lock into the socket. Play soon results. The hex+ system seems to be based on an inside out adaptation of the Snap On “Flank Drive” spanner or socket - and that’s a great idea, but sadly the design seems to overstress alloy socket head screws. Could it be that the profiled section on the end of the tool doesn’t have enough penetration on a fork axle? Maybe. All I can say is my axles last a lot longer using a regular Allen hex key. (Ideally on a torque wrench I guess). Ooh and ChrisA is right - a “Vernier Caliper” relies an a sliding scale more like a slide tile. Digital is way easier, but battery dependent.
@Rendel Harris - ginger ale can be alcoholic when it's traditionally brewed. Not nearly as strong as mead, though.
5 thoughts on ““Not since Rocky has someone looked so good running up steps”: Superman Pidcock sends cycling world into meltdown; Rafa Nadal goes cycling…moments after winning 5hr epic Aussie Open final; Tenuous cycling content ft. Sid James + more on the live blog”
Fantastic result,
Fantastic result, congratulations Tom. You have to wonder just what he is capable of and what else this inspiring young man is going to win.
Be nice if the msm actually noticed it though.
“And how many £1 screwdrivers
“And how many £1 screwdrivers does a thief need? We will win in the end.”
Call me paranoid, but it seems unlikely that someone would bother taking a bolt cropper to steal such low value items, and the motive is therefore something else, and given the current massive anti-cycling furore, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was just hatred of cyclists. If you’re willing to illegally modify your car just to smoke cyclists, you’re capable of pretty much anything.
Amazing result by Tom Pidcock
Amazing result by Tom Pidcock. I had to chuckle at the shots of him ‘flying’ across the finish line ….. in the context of his comments last week on the dangers of modern TT bike positions! Clearly there is no position this guy cannot hold!
There has been discussion of
There has been discussion of the Highway Code changes on my football club message board. Surprisingly better natured and more balanced than I expected.
And no mention of cycling bingo favourites helmets and hi vis. One or two still clinging to road tax though.
Bikes made it onto Radio 4’s
Bikes made it onto Radio 4’s The Unbelievable Truth
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0013zj6
about 10 mins in
In the following round, death certificates made a cameo which should appeal to a small number of folk here !