Van der Poel and Van Aert: a rivalry for the ages; Active travel bridge deemed “unsuitable for cycling”; Canadian rider’s casual mid-race finger relocation at cross worlds; Jake Stewart’s dentist trip; Cycle and Lamborghini lanes + more on the live blog

Before we get on to the Mathieu and Wout show (the longest-running sitcom in cycling history), and the rest of the reaction to a weekend of ‘cross action, let’s turn our attention to the road… and, in particular, the section of road Jake Stewart’s face collided with during Saturday’s stage of the Étoile de Bessèges.

Out of Bessèges yesterday. Gave the tarmac an early valentines French kiss. Cheers for all the well wishes folks. Be back in no time. Anyone know a good dentist? 😅 https://t.co/FwmpqZZlJy pic.twitter.com/9hW6by1UFM

— Jake (@tjakestewart) February 5, 2023

Ouch…

The 23-year-old from Coventry, who burst onto the scene with second place at the 2021 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad before taking his first pro win at the Tour de l’Ain last August, was forced to abandon stage four of the early-season French race – and book a trip to the dentist – after this nasty-looking spill on the way to Mont Bouquet.

Reminds of the time when I was seven, and we were giving each other backies around the estate – before my mate attempted, rather foolishly, a two-man bunny hop and promptly face planted the kerb, losing a tooth in the process…

💥💥💥💥Neilson Powless has won the overall at the Étoile de Bessèges by one second with an amazing final time trial. pic.twitter.com/uVRxNvy1BT

— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) February 5, 2023

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the Étoile de Bessèges GC was decided by a solitary second, after EF Education-EasyPost’s Neilson Powless pipped Mont Bouquet victor Mattias Skjelmose by the finest of margins on the final 10km time trial around Alès.

You could almost say Powless won by the skin of his teeth… (Too soon, Jake?)

Yesterday’s rainbow jersey showdown in Hoogerheide between the two undisputed titans of ‘cross, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, felt like… something, you know?

Two of the defining talents of their age, capable of astounding feats on almost any bike on almost any terrain, who have matched each other pedal stroke for pedal stroke throughout their careers, and even lives, on the bike, duking it out, alone together on the front, way ahead of the rest, roared on by a delirious 40,000-strong crowd captivated by their rivalry.

It really doesn’t get much better than that…

> Mathieu van der Poel outsprints Wout van Aert to win cyclocross world title after thrilling duel

[Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com]

As I noted in yesterday’s race report, the elite men’s race at the 2023 cyclocross worlds – won by the home favourite Van der Poel in, naturally, a nail-biting sprint – will go down in history, alongside the 2020 Tour of Flanders, as a snapshot of a generation-defining rivalry.

11 jaar verschil, same vibe. pic.twitter.com/WCv05SJLUM

— sporza (@sporza) February 5, 2023

That rivalry began, as the images shared on Twitter over the last day show, when they were just kids on bikes; one that progressed from muddy fields to cobbled bergs and sun-kissed mountains, and back to muddy fields again, and which will almost certainly be ingrained in the sport’s memory in the same way as Coppi v Bartali, Anquetil v Poulidor, Boonen v Cancellara.

Sitting together in the post-race press conference, Van der Poel and Van Aert were asked if they enjoyed the seemingly countless duels they fight out on the cyclocross field.

Legends ♥️ pic.twitter.com/TVEveT77xW

— Cyclocross24.com (@cyclocross24) February 5, 2023

“For me, yes. If you take one of the two of us away, it gets less interesting,” the now five-time world cyclocross champion Van der Poel said.

“There’s always respect between us. Maybe you’re not going to appreciate it when you get beaten but when we retire and glance back, we’ll appreciate these duels.”

Beside him, seemingly always beside him, Van Aert nodded: “For me, that’s the same.”

Away from all the drama in Hoogerheide, there was plenty going on elsewhere in the world of cycling over the weekend, including a Mark Corrigan reference that just fell right into our laps (‘Four fans, Jeremy?’)…

Here’s what you may have missed while gorging yourself on the weekend’s overflowing sporting feast:

> “Is that the unicycle lane?” Cyclists blast new painted cycle lane that’s “narrower than a pair of handlebars”

> Ekoi launches new sleeveless indoor training vest – complete with four “on-board blowers” – to stop you overheating on the turbo

> Near Miss of the Day 849: Warning letter for taxi driver who close passed oncoming cyclist while overtaking queue of traffic in wrong lane

> Police issue warning after cyclist finds wire tired across forest trail

> “Frustrating” cycle lane parking getting worse, says councillor – in town where Daily Mail claimed motorists were being driven “off the road”

> Have we reached peak gravel? Shimano offers gravel-specific eyewear lenses, plus more tech news from Zwift, FSA, Lezyne, CHPT3 & more

> Cyclist seriously injured by hit-and-run driver in “senseless act of violence”

> Near Miss of the Day 846 (updated): Motorist escapes punishment for extreme close pass and deliberately reversing into cyclist

> Mathieu van der Poel outsprints Wout van Aert to win cyclocross world title after thrilling duel

> Fem van Empel powers away from Puck Pieterse to win world cyclocross title

A classic of the ‘why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane?’ genre from Sheffield:

Glad to see the new bike and Lamborghini lane open in Sheffield and in full use #parkinglikeatwat @ParkinginSheff pic.twitter.com/cOZe3L2zrR

— Luke Dunning (@LukeTDunning) February 5, 2023

And right next to the pedestrian crossing!

— Mick Plunkett (@MickPlunkett1) February 6, 2023

Now, I’m not suggesting someone SHOULD use the aerodynamically designed front of that car as an impromptu ramp for their bike, but…

— Bang Average 3rd Cat (@BangAverageCat3) February 5, 2023

No, of course not… 

It wasn’t just the Mathieu versus Wout show at Hoogerheide yesterday, you know? Here’s a quick run-through of the noteworthy, and occasionally wince-inducing, tales from a wild weekend at the worlds…

First off, one of the stars of the show over the last few days was definitely The Drone™, which captured some stunning footage of the riders as it ominously followed them around the course:

Nan mais ces 2 deux là suivis par le drone 🥰🥰🥰 #LesRp #Hoogerheide2023 #cyclocross pic.twitter.com/0nZKYKPYKY

— Marc (@marcrp) February 5, 2023

Please give a gold medal to the #Hoogerheide drone operator – completely amazing footage of this historic race today!#hoogerheide2023 #drone pic.twitter.com/1qolY243kX

— Atlanta Rouleur Collection (@AtlantaRouleur) February 5, 2023

Although cycling writer Katy Madgwick reckons the drone was simply acting as a stand-in for the missing member of the ‘cross Big Three:

Think they’ve nicknamed the drone ‘Pidcock’? #Hoogerheide2023 pic.twitter.com/smEY2oEOXK

— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) February 5, 2023

Meanwhile, as Van Aert and Van der Poel forged clear at the start of the elite men’s race, Canada’s Michael van den Ham suffered an untimely crash, which forced the 30-year-old to – calm as you like – force his finger back into the socket before carrying on to finish 33rd.

“Don’t mind me lads, just gonna relocate my finger” #Hoogerheide2023 pic.twitter.com/uxriwHxzyK

— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) February 5, 2023

Excuse me while I fetch a bucket…

Speaking of poorly timed crashes, in the junior race American national champion and junior Koppenbergcross winner AJ August hit the deck hard right on the start line.

The 17-year-old, who lost a fair portion of his skinsuit in the crash, was then forced to run to the pits, which he exited in 71st, dead last, 1.36 behind the leaders.

Photo credit: @closethedoor
Rode as fast as the winner with half a jersey. Thick red circle around that name https://t.co/Hqd2PLUM1R pic.twitter.com/rFBKlbLngO

— Jens Dekker (@jens_dekker) February 5, 2023

But despite the obvious effects of the early crash and having to pick his way through a crowded field, August managed to cede only a further five seconds throughout the rest of the race to the winner, France’s Léo Bisiaux, and passed 49 riders along the way to finish an 22nd, an absolute stunning ride in the circumstances.

Remember the name.

Despite his misfortune, at least August didn’t suffer the bad luck that struck this poor Italian junior fifteen minutes before the start of the biggest race of his life:

15 minutes before the start this Italian junior did a start and broke his bike in two.

That is some watts #Hoogerheide2023 pic.twitter.com/Rov7MSq84X

— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) February 5, 2023

Or just some very bad carbon https://t.co/qbo6rLdGFP pic.twitter.com/BbvXteJoSa

— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) February 5, 2023

And finally, let’s bring it right back to the start, and the greatest rivalry cyclocross has ever seen. While Van der Poel lapped up the plaudits in front of his home crowd, spare a thought for poor Wout, who has to content himself with only the three world ‘cross titles, and a Milan San-Remo, and the Tour green jersey, and…

I hate it but I love it 🥲 pic.twitter.com/EjNv9z7BiL

— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) February 6, 2023

What do you call a pedestrian and cycle bridge that’s unsuitable for cycling and potentially dangerous for pedestrians?

Well, that seems to be the question currently posed to Norwich’s lovely-looking Jarrold Bridge, which opened in late 2011 to provide an active travel link to the city centre.

We’ve been building bridges for 1000s of years. The general aim is to help people travel across something. So when it doesn’t work for either of the two groups it’s meant for, I’d call that a back-to-the-drawing-board situation. Try resurfacing? pic.twitter.com/VGz75pbtPO

— Tessie Reynolds fan club (@lucy_khall) February 5, 2023

But despite those worthy intentions from the early 2010s, a new ‘No Cycling’ sign (though, as the pedants will surely note, it’s actually a ‘No No Cycling’ sign, but I digress) installed on the floating bridge, and posted on Twitter over the weekend, now informs people on bikes using the crossing that they must dismount, as the wooden surface is “unsuitable for cycling”.

Ah, so I’ll just walk my bike across then. Not so fast – apparently the bridge “may be slippery when wet” (alright Richie Sambora) and that pedestrians should “proceed with caution”.

This is Jarrold bridge in Norwich, and the surface is wooden slats laid along the direction of travel. It’s won a Civic Trust award! It’s beautiful to look at, no question, BUT IT DOESN’T WORK.

— Tessie Reynolds fan club (@lucy_khall) February 6, 2023

According to the bridge’s engineers, Ramboll, “long approach ramps” were included to “retain full accessibility for cycles and wheelchairs”, while the bridge was “surfaced with timber in a pattern intended to naturally reduce the speed of cyclists”.

Making them walk their bikes certainly is one way to reduce speed, I’ll give them that.

Needless to say, the active travel bridge that’s unsuitable or dangerous for active travellers hasn’t gone down too well on social media:

A bridge that wasn’t designed to function in the rain is probably not a design that should have been approved in the first place.
We certainly have questions.

— Living Streets Norwich (@LivingStreetsNR) February 5, 2023

So if you dismount your bike and try to walk with cleats on it’s double jeopardy.

— Keith Havers (@KeithHavers) February 5, 2023

So tanks only, then?

— 𝔹𝕖𝕟𝕟𝕪 ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕒𝕟𝕖 (@fritzdrybeam) February 5, 2023

The organisers of the Tour of Antalya, a four-day stage race set to take place in Turkey this week as part of the UCI’s Europe Tour, announced this morning that the event’s fifth edition will be cancelled in the wake of the two massive earthquakes that have devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria in the past few hours.

Geçmiş olsun #TÜRKİYE pic.twitter.com/6THbbLB4wz

— Tour of Antalya (@tourofantalya) February 6, 2023

Our thoughts go out to all those affected by this terrible disaster.

Return trip to London with my son and a bicycle, booked via @thetrainline’s admittedly nifty cycle reservation and split ticketing feature.

I have 28 individual tickets. There must be a better way… pic.twitter.com/KumKpA1TkW

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) February 4, 2023

Ah, that reference turned out to be more tortured than I anticipated…

Anyway, it was reported over the weekend that Kindergarten Cop and Last Action Hero star (those are his best films, right?) Arnold Schwarzenegger – a live blog favourite known for his love of two wheels, but not helmets, and active travel advocacy – struck a cyclist with his car, leaving the woman with minor injuries.

TMZ reported that Arnie was driving through West LA yesterday when, according to local police and three eyewitnesses who spoke to the magazine, the cyclist suddenly swerved across into the former Governor of California’s lane and collided with his car.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that Schwarzenegger didn’t have time to brake, was driving at a sensible speed, and will not be blamed for the collision.

He also apparently took the cyclist’s bike to a local bike shop for repairs, so he really will be back after all.

“Get to the bike shop!”… Nah, doesn’t really work, does it?

I’m warning you now, this isn’t for the faint-hearted…

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Michael van den Ham (@mvdhcx)

Quite a Sunday ride for Sepp Kuss in Colombia 👀 pic.twitter.com/Q9fzXXzbDo

— Peter Cossins (@petercossins) February 6, 2023

Planning approval has been secured for Ireland’s first ever indoor velodrome, which Cycling Ireland’s interim CEO Chris Kitchen believes will “help Irish cycling to the next level”.

On Friday, the governing body confirmed that permission had been granted for the shared cycling and badminton centre, which will be built at the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown, just outside of Dublin, the venue for December’s inaugural Irish round of the UCI cyclocross World Cup.

The centre will include a 250m track, with 12 badminton courts within the infield. Other spaces, including a café, changing rooms, offices, training facilities, and bike stores and hire facilities, will sit under the track at ground level.

The new facility will be based at the Sport Ireland campus near Dublin

Despite producing several elite track talents over the past decade – including 2013 scratch race world champion Martyn Irvine, World Cup winners Mark Downey and Felix English, and the European bronze medal-winning team pursuit squad of Kelly Murphy, Emily Kay, Mia Griffin, and Alice Sharpe – the country has never had a proper indoor track (despite number failed attempts), with those leading riders forced to train on the boards in Palma, Mallorca.

Cycling Ireland chief Kitchen, who took over the role on an interim basis in December after a turbulent time for the governing body fraught with financial and legal troubles, says the news is “a testament to the hard work of many at Sport Ireland, Sport Ireland Campus and Cycling Ireland.”

He continued: “We’re delighted to move one step closer to the development of a state-of-the-art velodrome on the Sport Ireland Campus that can help bring Irish cycling to the next level.”

The international commissaire Paul Watson, who has been working on the design and plans for the velodrome, added: “It’s something that Sport Ireland and Cycling Ireland have been working towards for a long time, and we can’t wait to continue our work with them on the project to deliver a world class velodrome for Irish cycling.”

> “This decision has not been taken lightly”: No Irish teams for road world championships in Australia

This positive development comes only a matter of months after Cycling Ireland took the decision to not send a squad to the road world championships in Wollongong, citing the mounting costs and the body’s stretched budget, and only a week after the schedule for the island’s U23 team was cut.

According to a report from Sticky Bottle, the Irish U23 road team will only ride three events in 2023 – despite possessing two of the most talented riders in the world at that age, Archie Ryan and Darren Rafferty – and will not ride the prestigious Tour de l’Avenir, which Ryan would have entered as a favourite after finishing fourth in 2022.

As well as limiting the schedule, U23 road team manager Irvine has not been rehired, despite being credited with the promising group’s success last year.