Adam Yates goes running (he’s pretty quick) + other fast-running cyclists; Are airless tyres the future?; 10 reasons drivers get angry at cyclists; Tom Pidcock’s app; “Staggering” thefts + vandalism halt bikeshare scheme; Bollards! + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Adam Yates goes running (he's pretty quick)
“I think I’ll stick to bike riding,” an exhausted Adam Yates concluded at the finish line of the Barcelona Marathon having clocked an extremely respectable 2:58:44. Not quite Tom Pidcock pace, but very strong nonetheless…
“Couple of weeks on the beach not the most ideal prep but I’m happy with 2:58:44 here at Barcelona Marathon,” Yates told his Instagram followers. I wonder if the climber from Bury got the full Eliud Kipchoge Ineos treatment with pace makers in strategic aerodynamic formations and laser beams on the ground…probably not.
Yates isn’t the only WorldTour pro to turn to running during the off-season. Anyone who follows Wout van Aert on Strava will know the Belgian loves to top up his winter training with some speedy 10ks.
Back in February, poor Pidcock found himself living rent-free in the minds of the global running community after claiming to have set a British record 5km while out for a run around Leeds. In fairness to the Ineos prodigy, he was only reporting what his Garmin Forerunner 935 said he’d clocked (13:25 if you’re interested), albeit with some questionable GPS.
The time, 30 seconds off Mo Farah’s career-best, caused a stir, especially in the ‘I Was, Or Am A Runner’ Facebook group, whose meltdown at the claimed time was all too entertaining…one person asked if he’d forgotten to get off the bike…another blasted it “glib and disingenuous”, while one final to the point reply simply called it “complete bollocks”…
If we’re talking about pro cyclists who genuinely are top running talents, look no further than Mike Woods who set Canadian junior records at the mile and 3,000m distances as well as winning gold at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championship.
The Israel Start-Up Nation rider had his say on Pidcockgate, saying: “I don’t mean to knock the guy, as he is an incredible athlete, but based off that vid and his GPS data, I’d bet a lot of money he was running far closer to 15 min pace (still a very respectable time).”
Could airless tyres be the new tubeless? (probably not...)
For performance warriors that looks like one not-so-easy way to make your ride less aero and heavier at the same time…
We’ve seen concepts like this one before. Back in 2012, a Colorado-based company developed a wheel system which stretches the tread over a series of tensioning rods. They went on the market priced at around $1,500 a set back in 2015. Granted, we haven’t heard much about them since…
More recently, NASA got involved by developing a ‘space-age metal’ bike tyres with the aim of making punctures a thing of the past? They use the same airless shape memory (SMA) tyre technology that NASA invented for use in outer space on Mars Rover missions…
MAAP releases versatile new collection for commuters
MAAP reveals its new Transit Apparel collection that’s been designed to look and perform just as good off the bike as on it to encourage commuters to choose two wheels over four.
> How environmentally sustainable is your cycle clothing?
“We’ve partnered with innovative product performance specialists like Primaloft, Polartec and Drirelease on new fabrics to remove the guesswork from commuting, empowering riders to get from home to work and everywhere in between with confidence in their clothing choice,” says the Australian cycling apparel brand.
Four-way stretch materials have been used to provide full range of movement with no adjustments necessary, while reflective details have been included to give extra visibility for city riding.
“Lightweight, waterproof, windproof and DWR fabrications provide the ultimate warmth to weight ratio when the weather turns,” claims MAAP.
The Roam Jacket, for example, features a Cohaesive hood adjuster system that keeps the rain at bay whilst preserving visibility with the press of a button, or two.
Aiming to deliver on style and comfort, the full line up consists of jackets, a hoodie, t-shirts, trousers, shorts and a beanie with unisex fits.
When pro cyclists go running: Chris Froome, impressive marathon times and off-season miles
half_wheel79 in the comments pointed us in the direction of Legion (L39ion), whatever they’re called*, pro rider Freddy Ovett’s impressive Los Angeles Marathon time, comfortably topping Adam Yates’ 2:58 with a very impressive 2:48:55 to finish in 44th place. Not bad for a cyclist; although as he is the son of legendary British runner Steve Ovett after all, perhaps Freddy was actually born to run like his dad.
Thibaut Pinot’s been at it too. Not quite a marathon, but an early rise on holiday in the Seychelles. Nice for some…
And we couldn’t mention pro cyclists running without returning to Mont Ventoux for Chris Froome’s sport-bending hill climb…
*The 39 in L39ion stands for the 39th Street in LA where team founders Justin and Cory Williams grew up…thanks, Wikipedia!
New stuff from Stolen Goat...
Do you prefer to invest in gear that has enough cycling features to cover you while riding, but also doesn’t look out of place off the bike?
Frosty morning dog walks, cold crisp trail rides, wet and windy morning cycle commutes, Stolen Goat says it has you covered with its new range of Adventure Down and Waterproof Jackets.
Made from responsibly sourced duck down, the Adventure Down Jackets are showerproof and cut to ensure comfort (and minimal flapping) in the riding position when you’re on the bike, while remaining casual enough to wear all day long. The jackets have fleece-lined hand pockets and the sleeves can also be zipped off for converting into a gilet once the weather warms up again.
The Waterproof jacket offering has built-in stretch for a comfortable fit, while a two-way YKK Aquaguard front zipper and taped seams should keep the rain at bay.
Tom Pidcock takes a break from record-breaking running to launch social community app for cyclists
Have you heard of Tom Pidcock’s Link My Ride app? The Ineos Grenadiers rider co-founded the app that’s essentially a social community app for cyclists.
It’s designed to help you meet other like-minded cyclists in your local area and seems great for those that aren’t part of a cycling club. Inbuilt messaging enables you to follow other riders and create groups for planning and organising rides together.
When setting up your account you can select your ability level and then on the map view you can easily spot riders with a similar riding experience to you as each level is colour-coded. Cyclist friendly cafés, bars, restaurants and hotels are marked out too. You can download the app on Google Play or the App Store.
Check out our guide on other useful cycling apps over here. (Just try not to get Kudos envy…)
Welsh bike share scheme temporarily halted after "staggering" levels of theft and vandalism
Nextbike has halted its bike sharing scheme in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan after a “staggering” amount of theft and vandalism. The operator has hired private investigators after more than half its bikes were stolen or damaged. Since its launch, around 136,000 people have used the bikes across 1.2 million rentals. However, 260 bikes have since been scrapped due to vandalism, and a further 300 bikes have been stolen.
Nextbike’s managing director Krysia Solheim said its “teams simply cannot keep up with the level of damage and theft being carried out”.
“The bikes will be back on the streets early next year, but if vandalism and theft continue at this rate, we will have no other choice but to pull the scheme permanently,” she said.
16 of the stolen bikes were recovered in the first two days after private investigators were called, investigators said they were “shocked by the behaviours they witnessed”.
Inspector Darren Grady from South Wales Police added that the theft and vandalism would be stamped out, and said “in the city centre alone, nine people have recently been convicted at court for such offences resulting in prison sentences, fines and community work”.
The service has been part funded by the welsh government, which says it will be “sticking with the scheme” in the new year.
“It’s especially heart-breaking to be doing this during COP26, when the eyes of the world are on the UK as leaders look to agree on climate change solutions,” Solheim concluded.
When bollards attack...
We💛this song.#WorldBollardAssociation pic.twitter.com/HtBgTQXqsJ
— World Bollard Association™ (@WorldBollard) November 8, 2021
No doubt this will already be on the ‘Car crashes into building – please post your Local news stories’ forum thread…
Transport for London launches Park Lane walking and cycling changes survey
Transport for London is running a survey to hear road users’ thoughts about the active travel infrastructure on Park Lane. TfL says responses “will support our decision on what we do next, alongside the monitoring we are doing”.
The Park Lane pop-up cycle lane was opened in May 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, here’s what Simon made of it when he went for an early summer spin to test out the new infra…
Top 10 reasons drivers get angry at cyclists (with accurate photographic evidence)
1. “I sometimes see them roll through stop signs when the coast is clear.” pic.twitter.com/ZFi8f61R0E
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) November 8, 2021
Give me a minute to write these down for the next anti-cyclist bingo…at least you should get a lunchtime lunch out of it…
10. “Why don’t they just pull over to the side when they realize they’re slowing me down?” pic.twitter.com/JxmWy4G0W7
— Peter Flax (@Pflax1) November 8, 2021
Who is the best pro cyclist in the world? Julian Alaphilippe, Wout van Aert, Mark Cavendish and Annemiek van Vleuten nominated for Vélo d'Or
It’s the time of year to look back at the season past and decide which rider deserves the honour of being the Vélo d’Or — the best cyclist in the world. French magazine Vélo Magazine publishes the winner next month, once a panel of experts has made their call.
There are 12 nominees for this year’s award: Julian Alaphilippe, Kasper Asgreen, Egan Bernal, Richard Carapaz, Mark Cavendish, Sonny Colbrelli, Harrie Lavreysen, Primož Roglič, Tadej Pogačar, Wout van Aert, Mathieu van der Poel, and Annemiek van Vleuten.
Van Vleuten is the only female cyclist to make the cut, while Lavreysen will be representing track cycling after earning his place by winning two gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics, two world championships and two European titles.
Last year’s winner Roglič is up for the prize again, but will face stiff competition from two-time world champ Alaphilippe and two-time Tour winner Pogačar. Who’d have backed Cav to be back in the picture this time last year?
We’ve narrowed the shortlist down to an even shorter list for some Tuesday afternoon poll fun…
Segregated bike lanes to be installed at Birmingham junction where cyclist was killed in 2017
Birmingham City Council is to install segregated cycle lanes at a busy junction in the south of the city, four years after a cyclist was killed. Dr Suzanna Bull died after being hit by a lorry driver at the junction of Pershore Road and Priory Road in Balsall Heath.
In 2019, the driver of the vehicle, Robert Bradbury, was jailed for 21 months for causing death by careless driving after it came to light that his view was blocked by a dashboard tray table at the time of the fatal collision.
Work is due to begin this week and should be completed by next summer, the council explained. As part of the upgrade, dedicated signal-controlled cycle crossings, as well as segregated cycle lanes with new pedestrian crossings, will be added.
Councillor Waseem Zaffar said the authority was “committed to developing a city that is great for walking and cycling by providing safe cycle lanes and crossings”.
More Giro stages released...
Stage 8: Napoli – Napoli pic.twitter.com/l4prtVHTnq
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 9, 2021
We’ve been given six more of next year’s Giro d’Italia stages as part of the race organiser’s bizarre staggered route announcement. Today it’s the turn of the medium mountain/hilly stages, that’s stages 7,8,10,12, 14 and 19. We got the Hungarian Grande Partenza last week and the sprint stages yesterday, so all that’s left for tomorrow and Thursday are the high mountain days and final day TT…
Stage 12: Parma – Genova pic.twitter.com/or1udFg2Ak
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 9, 2021
We’ll bring you the remaining stage profiles as we get them, and then try to piece it all together…
Stage 19: Marano Lagunare – Castelmonte pic.twitter.com/kim1tNEEgQ
— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 9, 2021
Police appeal for cyclist who "may hold vital information" about two-vehicle collision
North Wales Police are trying to track down a cyclist who was seen on a bridge around the time of a serious two-vehicle collision in the early hours of Sunday 31 October. The collision in Garden City saw four people taken to hospital after a Mercedes driver, who had been involved in a police chase earlier in the night, collided with a minibus driver.
Police have now appealed for a cyclist, seen on Blue Bridge at the time of the incident, to come forward. Sergeant Liam Ho of the Roads Policing Unit said: “The cyclist may hold vital information that will help our investigation, and I would appeal for them to contact us either by our online live webchat or on 101, quoting reference Z159500.”
How to stay visible in the peloton
Oh, wow! 👀
NZ team Creation Signs-MitoQ making a bold fashion statement at the #TourOfSouthland
Imagine winning a stage in this kit. @joshburnettnz did just that 👊#cycling pic.twitter.com/gFinJotqbT
— Eva Marisa (@EvaMarisa) November 9, 2021
Maybe there’s a road safety thought in here too…would motorists be more likely to spot a leopard riding a bike? Okay, that was all very Alan Partridge…
Thoughts on the kit? Better than half the WorldTour’s standard monochrome misery.
Terrific tan lines and no surprises...road.cc readers react to cyclists going running
The level-headed people of Facebook weren’t getting too excited by Adam Yates’ Barcelona Marathon exploits…25 per cent of the original comments were along the lines of ‘not surprising for an endurance athlete’…brilliant. Another simply concluded, “not too bad”. All that effort, (just under) three hours of suffering, all for a ‘not too bad, but then again he is a pro athlete…so not that surprising’.
The live blog comments were thankfully less miserable. Troon couldn’t help but admire Freddie Ovett’s compliance to tan line standards.
Anyone else dust off the running shoes when the winter weather turns? Ride On reckons there’s some decent crossover…”Totally agree that cycle fitness makes you a faster runner. Hadn’t run 5k properly for a long time and just achieved a PB 21:11 based on my increased fitness from cycling, no running training involved.”
I seem to be preferring the ‘leave the bike and running shoes at home’ approach at the moment. Does walking to the shops count as off-season training?
9 November 2021, 08:57
9 November 2021, 08:57
9 November 2021, 08:57
9 November 2021, 08:57
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Latest Comments
I see quite a few MAAP items out in the Surrey Hills. The new shop has a cafe and they're from Melbourne so the coffee should be good: I'm looking forward to visiting.
@chrisonabike Mercedes was acceptable, but the second one (old Toyota people carrier/ex-taxi) was a prosecutable offence.
I wasn't saying that nor talking about people who say that. I said it was silly to claim that wearing a helmet indicates acceptance of dangerous driving and poor infrastructure. I choose to wear a helmet; I also regularly report dangerous driving to the police and correspond with councils and road authorities about ways infrastructure could be improved for cyclists. I rather doubt I'm the only helmet wearer who does so.
@JamieT (a pedant writes) she's a London Assembly member, not an MP.
@Rendel Harris ".....but the claim that wearing one is somehow to be accepting dangerous driving and poor infrastructure is silly." Not that silly. Demanding that cyclists wear a helmet is seen by many people as 'the answer' to cycling safety, so there's no need to put in infrastructure. The difference between infrastructure and helmets is that infrastructure works. Helmets are a distraction from what really works, and the more time we spend talking about them, the less time we spend on things that do work. Helmets should be consigned to the dustbin of history as a failed experiment, and we should cease even mentioning them.
@Mr Blackbird Hats off to George Hall My hat's not coming off- despite this touch of cycleway-washing, Hall still bears the Mark of Cain, until he repudiates his party altogether
Perhaps an article showing a) what is available in the uk as cargo bikes and) comments from real life scenarios from those already using bikes or cargo bikes as one gentleman has done in the comments. Perhaps road.cc could follow up with this. Even the London Assembly member said not every business should use cargo bikes but suggested a more nuanced approach suitable for certain trades or companies....
20 thoughts on “Adam Yates goes running (he’s pretty quick) + other fast-running cyclists; Are airless tyres the future?; 10 reasons drivers get angry at cyclists; Tom Pidcock’s app; “Staggering” thefts + vandalism halt bikeshare scheme; Bollards! + more on the live blog”
A top effort, but he’s not
A top effort, but he’s not alone Freddy Ovett of Legion, just nailed the LA marathon in 2:48:55 (the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CV_RhXBBLGL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
half_wheel79 wrote:
A lot further than his dad’s 800/1500 metre speciality but I do remember Steve running some fast half marathons back in the day.
A little bit of good news
A little bit of good news this morning regarding the 16 year old driver that injured the six cyclists in Waller, Texas…
Let’s hope that it actually gets taken seriously in court.
Totally agree that cycle
Totally agree that cycle fitness makes you a faster runner.
Hadn’t run 5k properly for a long time and just achieved a PB 21:11 based on my increased fitness from cycling, no running training involved.
Quote:
The speed that Knob’ed was going screams to me that he knew, he just thought he’d be clever.
Regular readers will no doubt be unsurprised to hear me suggest that if he’s looking for sympathy it can be found in the dictionary. Somewhere between sh!t and syphilis….
Most cars “using” those
Most cars “using” those bollards always try to beat them by following right behind the vehicle it allows. The idea is that they don’t rise if something is above them so try to get there as fast as possible before they start. I’m not sure on the success rate but then we only ever see the results of the failures.
That is quite an old bit of
That is quite an old bit of footage from Cambridge, and yes they knew that the bollards are supposed to stop anything other than busses/ authorised vehicles through, but what took them by surpirse was how quick they can rise – they are normally much slower if they haven’t sensed a vehicle trying to tailgate.
If I remember that footage
If I remember that footage correctly, the woman who gets out of the car then has to comfort a screaming toddler who was in a car seat in the back!!
Captain Badger wrote:
The speed that Knob’ed was going screams to me that he knew, he just thought he’d be clever.
Regular readers will no doubt be unsurprised to hear me suggest that if he’s looking for sympathy it can be found in the dictionary. Somewhere between sh!t and syphilis….
I think judicious use of these can be an excellent way of fixing some tricky issues – as long as they’re reliable. I remember ones from York which were dogged by genuine “technical issues” for a long period. Probably it always takes some months for people to “learn” about them too so keep the recovery crews at the ready.
Sadly I suspect local comment would have been 50:50 schadenfreude and “See – they don’t work, they’re making the place dangerous for people – rip them out!” Or the more refined “Unfortunately our expensive bollards keep getting damaged by cars so we had to remove them…”.
chrisonatrike wrote:
I fear you may be correct.
In addition, the driver was tailgating, driving dangerously fast, and ignored road signs. I’d have him done for driving without due care as well….
That was eventually the end
That was eventually the end result of the bollards installed in my town the county council refused to pay for repairs as they became damaged each time they lifted up on a car. This was a frequent occurence and featured on the local TV channel, on one occasion a local trader gave a description on how he witnessed an incident and a long tirade against the bollards despite admitting he was in his shop located a distance away and not overlooking the area ? A period of time with no physical barriers followed with mulitple near misses of cars going through the controlled area, effectively a semi pedestrianised street. A bus gate controlled by cameras with number plate recognition has now been installed with very few infringements as drivers spot the signs but strange how they did not see the many more signs when the bollards were in operation ??
nikkispoke wrote:
I cannot comprehend why the council didn’t aggressively chase the vehicle onwer’s insurance
Pretty sure those airless
Pretty sure those airless tyres are a revival in modern materials of a Victorian wheel design.
Old idea as you say. If you
Old idea as you say. If you came across land mines your tyre might be useable after too although of course that might be moot.
Freddy maintaining strict
Freddy maintaining strict rule 7 compliance:
RE: Welsh bike share scheme
RE: Welsh bike share scheme temporarily halted after “staggering” levels of theft and vandalism
I’ve always wondered just what the turnover is for bike share bikes. I can see some merit in a big city scheme but since these are always subsidised I’d be interested in the cost per actual trip / mile. The concept of just leaving bikes about the place does seem to inevitably come with “then they go missing or get trashed”. I’ve “rescued” quite a few in my city (not so many that they suspect me yet though!). I suspect just “kids” so the usual methods of “impulse control” are going to struggle.
I was initially skeptical of the Abellio “hire bikes based at stations” but once I understood it (e.g. the OV-fiets system) I think that system is less likely to suffer such losses. (Unfortunately not many others got it either and that and the tiny modal share in the UK was enough to kill it). It’s not for quite the same purpose as a city centre scheme but if done widely I think it’s more useful on balance. The one exception being big city tourism. Be interested to see a report for Cardiff.
YoBikes pulled out of Bristol
YoBikes pulled out of Bristol; IIRC they pulled out of pretty much everywhere, and their justification was too much theft and vandalism. Seems odd that the rental e-scooters haven’t suffered the same amount…
Quote:
Call me cynical, but I’m
Call me cynical, but I’m wondering if the theft and damage to hire bikes comes from the same people who damage planters and signs at Low Traffic Neighbourhoods. Same mentality; anything that threatens the supremacy of the car must be bad and physically attacked.
Re Park Lane survey, there is
Re Park Lane survey, there is absolutely no point to this type of survey any more as the LTDA and UTAG actively encourage people who are not affected at all, or who don’t even live in London, to submit negative responses – see recent Dulwich LTN consultation, when fewer than one fifth of responses were from residents. Proper field research into traffic flow, use of cycle lane etc and formal interviews with proven interested parties is the only way to get a proper picture, not allowing Daily Mail readers from Aberdeen (or, for balance, Guardian readers from Truro) to give their opinion about something that doesn’t affect them.