Insurance company admits “mistake” after cyclist’s stolen bike claim declined as “no evidence” of damage to lock… because thief took it too; First Transcontinental finishers; GB Olympic cycling medals continue + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"It's not April 1st, is it?": Cycling fans react to bizarre news Vuelta a España stage will start inside a supermarket
It’s not 1st April is it?
— Julian (@julianr_76) July 30, 2024
Yep, this is the news we first shared on yesterday’s live blog, that just when you thought professional cycling couldn’t get any weirder… they go and announce that stage six of the Vuelta will begin inside a Carrefour supermarket in Jerez. Bizarre.
Naturally, it’s because of sponsorship, the organisers telling us that to celebrate 12 years of Carrefour’s backing (the brand whose logo appears on the red leader’s jersey) the riders and lead car will set off from the supermarket’s aisles “where customers usually do their shopping”.
Let’s hope the closure is well-communicated and some poor abuela isn’t left stranded outside without lunch. Good luck getting this idea past the British public for the Tour of Britain… could you imagine the uproar if Asda/Tesco/Sainsbury’s was shut for such purposes? ‘Lycra-clad racers starve the elderly’ would surely get an outing in certain sections of the press…
The Carrefour news is, of course, prime punning territory and a few of you entertained yourselves with… “Aisle believe it when I see it”… “Cycling round a supermarket? Are they off their trolley?”… and other efforts.
On Twitter, Tim Cooper recalled some amusing fun he used to enjoy in an unnamed Halfords store thanks to his mate being the manager: “Mate of mine used to manage a Halfords superstore and was the keyholder. After closing — and after everyone had gone — we had criterium races round the aisles on Halfords bikes. I think the max number we had racing was 5. This predates rolling CCTV security!”
Over on Facebook, Andrew William Smart commented: “I’ve always thought a crit stage in a multi-storey car park would be impressive.” Now that sounds like fun.
tadej going solo win after he started the stage from the carrefour: pic.twitter.com/mFbgTorwfJ
— Laura 🇸🇮 (@ImCalledPikachu) July 30, 2024
GB win another cycling medal (sort of) as plenty more Paris crashes blight Olympic triathlon
Look away now anyone who believes a bike ride should never be preceded by a swim or followed by a run… personally, I think it’s quite impressive adding extra difficulty to your day’s physical activity, rather than (like me) simply crawling off the bike into a dark room to eat your bodyweight in ‘recovery’ meals. Britain’s Beth Potter won bronze in this morning’s women’s event, the French taking another gold thanks to Cassandre Beaugrand, as the athletes did indeed brave the Seine for the swim. We’ll wait to see the reports from the Olympic Village bogs in the coming days to confirm who came out unscathed…
Be hanging round city centre Brew Dogs with their medals for the rest of the day
— Josh Pugh (@JoshPughComic) July 31, 2024
Obviously, we’re most interested in the bike leg, the poor athletes coming out of the river and onto the wet city centre cobbles — Lotte Miller, Jeanne Lehair and Laura Lindemann just three of the riders to hit the deck. Former cyclist and commentator Jens Dekker wasn’t too sympathetic… apparently forgetting what happened on Saturday…
because no one crashed on the wet roads in the ITT ..
— Coreen Mazzocchi (@mazzok) July 31, 2024
The men are at the start, including a certain Kristian Blummenfelt…
Robin Gemperle wins Transcontinental
One minute shy of nine days exactly, Robin Gemperle reached the Transcontinental finish line in Istanbul having led from start to finish. He finished second to two-time winner Christoph Strasser last year, but the Swiss rider turned 2023’s result around, finishing four hours ahead of Strasser this time.
Just the 12 punctures for Strasser during the nine days, but by our calculations Gemperle’s moving time was 22km/h. Remarkable considering the terrain, lack of sleep and relentless nature of the ride.
Is it okay to use a pressure washer on your bike? The cases for and against spraying your bike clean
Wait, why are they all working together?
Cycling fans currently watching the triathlon bike leg & wondering when everyone in these groups is going to sit up & start swearing at each other. 🤷♂️
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) July 31, 2024
Strange scenes as rival athletes on different teams contribute equal turns during Olympic race, without squabbling or sitting on… triathlon’s weird…
"Kristian Blummenfelt is not to be messed with": Tour de France stage winner backs Olympic triathlon champion's plan to win Tour by 2028 and says he'll "immediately claim his place" in peloton
Transcontinental rider has to turn back and ride final kilometre again after missing part of the finish route
Extraordinary drama at Transcontinental as Abdullah Zeinab who had looked to finish third after an admirable nine days chasing the win, only to eventually be caught by Christoph Strasser during a tough spell which saw the Palestinian rider suffer FIVE punctures since Sunday. Well, while it looked like it would be a third-place finish, disaster struck, Zeinab realising he’d missed part of the obligatory Finish Parcours, meaning he had to turn around to finish the race again, by which time Tim De Witte had arrived in Istanbul in third.
The event organisation praised Zeinab’s “hardy resolution to persevere”, taking “all manner of situations in his stride, and managing his mind to stay calm and collected through difficulty and discomfort”. Andre Bachmann is today the fifth rider to finish overall, everyone else still with miles to cover, climbs to conquer and challenges to overcome.
Chapeau all, and good luck…
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Kieran Reilly wins BMX freestyle silver
Place de la Concorde has a rich history, perhaps most notably for its bloodiness during the French Revolution, but is most familiar, in a cycling context at least, for its location at the bottom of the Champs-Élysées, years and years of the Tour de France’s best sprinters flying past the famous square en route to final-stage victory. For this week, however, it has been turned into a playground for some of the most ridiculously talented bike handlers you could ever wish to spend your Wednesday afternoon watching, not least Kieran Reilly who just won silver.
And in some style too…
Just ridiculous from GB’s Kieran Reilly 🔥
His first run in the BMX freestyle final is a stunning one! #BBCOlympics #Olympics #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/uXk4wXOlGh
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 31, 2024
Collarbone, wrist, hip… that’s just three bones I’d break trying that… and that’s before we even start on how many fewer teeth I’d leave Paris with. It was gold for Argentina’s Jose Torres Gil who posted the top score of 94.82, while home favourite France’s Anthony Jeanjean was in tears as he dropped to third. This Olympics lark is exciting, isn’t it? And we haven’t even hit the velodrome yet…
'I mean, I wasn't planning on but I'll bear that in mind...'
boots I understand, but bikes? pic.twitter.com/PONzXqC74u
— Owain (@orhunt) July 31, 2024
Jo’s done some digging and it’s apparently in Edale Valley near the start of the Pennine Way so just remember that if you ever see a public toilet and think ‘ah yeah I’d love to make cleaning my bike a near impossible job’…
Insurance company admits "mistake" after cyclist's stolen bike claim declined as "no evidence" of damage to lock... because thief took it too
The Guardian newspaper has helped a devastated cyclist receive an insurance payout after their provider initially declined the claim as the thief had taken the lock too, meaning there was “no evidence of damage” to it. The tale appears in the ‘Consumer champions’ section of the paper today and features a reader from Brighton’s unpleasant experience with Homeprotect, who have now admitted making a “mistake” over the initial rejection of the claim.
JC explained: “My e-bike was stolen this month but my insurer, Homeprotect, has rejected the claim because there is no evidence of damage to the lock. That’s because the thief made off with it, too. The bike was listed on my policy as a specific item to be covered even away from home. I don’t believe that the policy wording is clear. It should state that a bike theft claim will only be considered where there is CCTV proof or a broken lock is found.
“I can’t tell you how upsetting this is. I am 68 years old and bought the bike just before lockdown and it was a life-saver. It’s kept me mobile and sane. I’d parked it outside my art class, locked to a bike stand. I came out and it was gone. I reported the theft to the police and gave Homeprotect the crime reference. I’ve asked the company to review its decision but so far it has not changed its mind.
“I used my bike every day because Brighton is so hilly, and also for long rides such as Land’s End to Edinburgh. A replacement will cost at least £2,500. This leaves me in an impossible situation. I’m being penalised because the thief took the lock.”
Thinking the situation did indeed seem “unfair”, the Guardian contacted Homeprotect and got them to admit a “mistake in declining” the claim, a decision that has since been overturned.
Homeprotect said: “We’re very sorry about the poor experience JC has had in trying to resolve her claim for her stolen e-bike. We made a mistake in declining this claim and have since overturned the decision, with a payment being made to the customer for the value specified for the bike, plus the cost of the lock.
“We acknowledge the distress that’s been caused by this claim being dealt with incorrectly, are reviewing our internal processes to ensure this doesn’t happen again and have offered additional compensation to JC as a gesture of goodwill.”
Well done to the Guardian and feel free to get in touch with us if you go through similar…
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Latest Comments
@andystow To just brush.
Bone conducting headphones connected to an AI chatbot repeating the text 'harden the phuckup and ride faster" will do it every time
@a1white that actually chilled me to read - the notion that a metal box could have more value than a person’s life. Motonormativity at its finest. What a rotten society.
@Rendel Harris but but wasn't it a case of "only hurty words" again? Seems that that is the new "just bants". Which falls somewhere between saying you've a *very* robust belief in the right to say anything, no matter what offence caused * ... and being a (not very) crypto racist / holding other irrational hates. * Most who promote this approach appear unable to sustain it when on the receiving end of criticism - or even questions. It's almost as if people do it just for *certain* kinds of attention, and are seeking an easy win not a fight. There must be a word for that...
@Bungle_52 alas yet more "we're in favour of more cycle infra! We can easily bin it when we need space for anything more important..." Meanwhile in NL even for petrolhead events like a Grand Prix: "You can park your moped or bicycle for free within walking distance of Circuit Zandvoort at one of the specially designated moped and bicycle parking areas..." (And they really do have massive cycle parks, which are very well used!)
@IanMK how is that cheap resin tat worth £800‽
@mctrials23 that and wearing a massive golden cross.
@belugabob maybe they'll get a better role model, and be the first generation to brush their teeth properly.
@Mr Blackbird I'd say that they are better off without that type of role model. The tragedy is that you don't get to pick your parents.
I agree. It is shocking behaviour,especially for a 27 year old. The punishment was correct and hats off to the team sprinters for winning the world silver in his absence. I do think he should be offered a path to redemption within British Cycling as long as he apologises and modifies his behaviour. But he should only be allowed to continue his career as long as others are prepared to work with him.
14 thoughts on “Insurance company admits “mistake” after cyclist’s stolen bike claim declined as “no evidence” of damage to lock… because thief took it too; First Transcontinental finishers; GB Olympic cycling medals continue + more on the live blog”
Presumably Robin Gemperle is
Presumably Robin Gemperle is now going to eat for two hours solid and then sleep for a week or so…?
Wasn’t Taylor Knibb who
Wasn’t Taylor Knibb who crashed most often in the ITT, a triathlete by trade ?
stonojnr wrote:
Past tense not required – she competed in the triathlon this morning!
I wasn’t expecting finish
I wasn’t expecting finish-line drama after a 10 day race, but watching Abdullah Zeinab’s dot take a wrong turn so close to the end, and have to back track a couple of km to complete the final parcours was heart-rending. Not sure if it actually made the difference between 3rd and 4th place, but I suspect it did. Absolute kudos to all who have finished, are still on the road and those who have pulled out but had the courage to start in the first place.
Edit: checked the dots and it looks like AZ was 9minutes or so ahead of TdeW when he had to turn back within spitting distance of the finish line, only to come in about 30 minutes back!
Insurance companies… well
Insurance companies… well if you can’t show us the bike that’s been stolen how can we possibly know it’s been stolen? They really will try anything, many years ago a friend had their initial claim for their stolen motorcycle rejected because they couldn’t provide both ignition keys to prove that they hadn’t lost one and the criminals picked it up. The fact that they explained that one of the keys had been on a ring that had accidentally fallen overboard on a sailing trip in France was not accepted, and it wasn’t until the motorcycle was recovered by the police – in virtually written off condition – and they could show that it had been hotwired that the company agreed to pay out. Obviously there is plenty of fraud and they have to be cautious but they can get pretty ridiculous.
I tried to make claim on a
I tried to make claim on a Bianchi I crashed after a delivery driver walked into my path and I hit him in the middle of the road.
I took pictures of tha damaged bike and got a shop to quote the damage and say frame was written off due to the damage etc.
The insurance company tried to say the bike wasn’t the same bike as in the pictures. Why? Cos I had a different coloured saddle and bar tape. Seriously these fuckwits exist and live among us.
Clearly a modification that
Clearly a modification that invalidated the policy !
No, they just couldn’t
No, they just couldn’t identify it’s the same bike cos no one ever changed the colour of tape or saddle did they?
They paid out in the end but took ages to sort out cos of their clownish behaviour.
Hey road.cc, can you tell
Hey road.cc, can you tell Madri that however much they interrupt my viewing of your site with fullscreen adverts for their noxious brew (seems to be every time I open a new page this evening) I still wouldn’t be seen dead drinking their faux-Spanish (brewed in the UK by Coors) hipster product?
Better than vanity behemoth
Better than vanity behemoth ads…
ktache wrote:
Let’s just be glad of their misdirected marketing budget…
We had a similar issue with
We had a similar issue with Pedalcover a few years ago. Two of our bikes stolen because they cut through our lock. Pedalcover claimed that the object we had locked them too invalidated the insurance because it was not immoveable, despite it still being there and untouched when we returned. It was another bike locked to a big tree.
We had to take it to them Ombudsman who ruled on our side and we eventually got our payout but it took over a year of fighting for it. Fortunately we could replace our bikes with savings but imagine if we couldn’t! And this was from a “cycling insurer who understood cyclists”.
Insurance companies and many
Insurance companies and many other great british institutions always shirk their responsibilities by saying no. They then say no again and no again. It’s a simple strategy to wear out those that will give up and by doing so increase their profits.
Don’t give up. They are parasites and leeches on the backside of society.
Nowadays I always take a
Nowadays I always take a picture of the bike(s) locked up, especially if they are on a lockable rack on the back of the car…I just don’t trust insurance companies to behave …