Is there any rubber left? The impossibly worn tyre that earned bike shop visitor a standing ovation from mechanics... after he only came in "for a tube"; Threatening call to cyclist; 5000km without a puncture; Remco, West Ham fan? + more on the live blog

What's the biggest distance you reckon you've covered without getting a puncture? Even across multiple days and months we reckon 5,000km is good going, and Pietro Franzese has just managed to go that far without flatting on one epic ride from Milan's Piazza del Duomo to North Cape in Norway, according to his tyre sponsor Vittoria. 

Riding a fully loaded fixie, Pietro ran 28mm Vittoria Corsa N.EXT tyres with the brand's Air-Liner Road insert for extra puncture protection. It clearly worked, as he completed his mission through eight countries to raise cash for Italian foodbanks without incident: "A winning combination for those looking for reliable and comfortable tyres" boast Vittoria, and our own Aaron Borrill agreed in his review of these tyres published a couple of weeks ago. 

Not to rain on Vittoria's parade, but if Pietro's route had have taken him through a post-industrial British town after a heavy Saturday night, we're not quite so sure his tyres would have held up... 

If you're getting big bike race cravings after the road world champs concluded last month, fear not because there's plenty going on this weekend. 

I suppose the first one is more someone racing themselves but it's a race against the clock nonetheless, because Filippo Ganna is after the Hour Record that his Ineos colleague Dan Bigham broke in August. It's led to a unusual situation where Bigham, as his role as performance engineer for Ineos, has been heavily involved in helping Ganna take the record off him by imparting his expert advice to the Italian on aerodynamics and bike fit. Maybe Filippo should have a quick check his tyres before the gun goes?* 

Anyway, you can catch Ganna's attempt live on YouTube for free at this link from 18.45 UK time tomorrow. 

Over in Ganna's native Italy, the inaugural Gravel World Championships is being taken more seriously than we anticipated and will be live on Eurosport from 1pm-3pm for the women's race on Saturday and between 1pm-3pm on Sunday for the men's. It will be the first race back for Mathieu van der Poel after some time in Australian police custody, and from this Insta snap it seems like he's going for a road bike in the new Canyon Ultimate with some thicker tyres over something more gravelly. 

Will the Dutchman prevail? He'll have names such as Peter Sagan, Nathan Haas and Greg Van Avermaet to fend off, so we're expecting some fireworks. 

* Tongue very very firmly in cheek... 

Careful! He'll have you for frivolous upselling 😜

— Tad Piesakowski #FBPE #alsoacyclist (@tadpies) October 7, 2022

Andrew Spittlehouse has "a 1983 Raleigh on its original tyres and tubes. Takes a few decades to get the rubber in perfect condition." I'm going to be having nightmares about a steep descent in the wet tonight...

brooksby reckons it's like "the tyre you'd expect to see on a 1960s shopper that you found at the back of your grandparents' shed, behind a woodpile..."

No arguments there...

Yesterday vs today. 🤔🧐 pic.twitter.com/XWESGQbRcu

— The Department of Parks & Recreation 🦌 (@ldnparks) October 7, 2022

When you spend all morning seating tires only to realize you put it on backwards as you roll out 🤦‍♂️ #FML pic.twitter.com/ZPbRDINWvJ

— Peter Stetina (@peterstetina) October 6, 2022

Come tomorrow evening, Vincenzo Nibali and Alejandro Valverde will no longer be professional bike racers, with the evergreen pair bowing out from pro racing at Il Lombardia.  

🤩 WHAT A BIKE! 🤩

Details of an exclusive @WilierTriestina 0 SLR of @vincenzonibali!#LoveMyWilier #RaiseTheBar #Wilier0SLR #AstanaQazaqstanTeam pic.twitter.com/Omxg2G5hiA

— Astana Qazaqstan Team (@AstanaQazTeam) October 7, 2022

One final Shark attack or a Bala sprint would go down lovely... although a certain Tadej Pogačar might have something to say about dream the farewell. 

Remember this?

> "Steady Sunday drive": Driver reaches 191mph on UK roads

Well, there's an update...

A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving following reports of a Ferrari reaching speeds of more than 180mph on the A61 near #Dronfield. More here: https://t.co/GEW8q9EYia pic.twitter.com/SRdSzwwisc

— Derbyshire Police (@DerbysPolice) October 6, 2022

Derbyshire Police confirmed: 

A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.

It is in connection with a video which emerged on social media of a Ferrari reaching speeds of more than 180mph on the A61 northbound near Dronfield.

The man, who is from South Yorkshire, has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

We would like to speak to anyone who may have noticed a Ferrari in the area between around 3.15pm and 3.45pm on Sunday 2 October and may have dashcam footage which could help with our investigation.

As I sit at my desk this Friday morning I can look a couple of metres to my left and see the front tyre of my beloved roadie, flat as a pancake from a slow puncture. It's the second this month which, even by my very stingy standards of getting every last mile out, probably warrants some fresh rubber...

I say 'my very stingy standards'. I'm not sure I can ever claim that title again having now seen this...

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by trench_tales (@trench_tales)

Everyone's favourite mechanical nightmare Insta page, Trench Tales, is back with another absolute belter. We'd love to know how many miles it takes to remove every last dot of rubber from a tyre, leaving nothing but a finger hole...

> Can it be real? Mechanic shares double cleat horror set up

Fantastically, the owner visited their shop just "for a tube". Superb. Writing on Insta, Trench Tales explained: "Trench tyre. Previously holding on by a thread but now it's mercifully dead. Rider came in just 'for a new tube', and earned himself a standing ovation from the staff."

Is it dead? I reckon there's a couple more miles in that one...

PS. Go give Trench Tales a follow and a like, truly one of our favourite social accounts, documenting perfectly the level of nonsense working in a bike shop brings you on a daily basis.