Are bike thieves targeting doctors and teachers?; Chinese media reports theory US military cyclist who came to Wuhan was “patient zero”; Threat to close Royal Parks to cyclists if rules aren't respected; Belgian pro's 369km Zwift session + more

A London teacher, working at a school that is still open for vulnerable children and children of key workers, has had her bike stolen two days after she bought it.

I’m a teacher. My brand new bike was stolen last night. I bought it to cycle to school to support the #NHS and vulnerable children during the #coronavirus outbreak. If anyone is able to help get my bike back, please reach out. #coronahelp #Bekind @StolenRide pic.twitter.com/ADFYgmXwpx

— Cheryl Mortezaee (@CherylMortezaee) March 25, 2020

“I am a primary school teacher in London,” she told Stolen Ride. “My school, like many, is still open for vulnerable children and children of key workers, like our NHS heroes.

“Due to the London lockdown and the advisement against using public transport, I bought myself a new Carrera Axle ltd from Halfords on Sunday to ensure I can still get to work.

“Unfortunately, I woke up on Wednesday morning to find my bike had been stolen from where I had it locked in the gated and covered parking garage under my building (in Colliers Wood, south west London). In order to take it, someone must have climbed over the fence, cut the lock (which they took with them) and hoist the bike over the fence and down to another person. I believe it was an organised and planned theft.

“It is very unfortunate that, at a time when we should be working together, some people are taking advantage. I only had my bike two days and therefore don’t have any photos of it, other than the one I took of it on display in Halfords to share with a friend of mine, who is quite into bikes, for advice on whether it was a good buy or not.”

How in hell would they achieve this?

French sports minister Roxana Maracineanu says they’re still pondering what to do about this year’s Tour de France.

She reckons there are a few possibilities. As well as postponing or cancelling the race, she says it could also be held without fans at the roadside.

"The economic model of the Tour de France is not based on ticketing but on TV rights," she said.

"In this period of confinement, everyone is aware and responsible. Everyone understood the benefits of staying at home and therefore favouring the television show rather than the live show."

Earlier this week, former UCI president Brian Cookson suggested shortening the Tour to two weeks and holding it in August, followed by a two-week Giro in September and a two-week Vuelta in October.

Later that day, Matteo Trentin – who was won a stage in each of the Grand Tours – made an even more radical suggestion: a single three-in-one Grand Grand Tour running through France, Italy and Spain.

Jake Hill-Gowing is trying to ride the 3,500km distance of the Tour de France on an exercise bike he says has largely been used as a clothes horse for the last three years.

He’s trying to raise £5,000 for Big Issue vendors who cannot sell the magazine on the streets at the minute.

“I’ve been quite friendly with The Big Issue vendor Stevie outside the front of our office for the past three years,” he said.

“I was looking to receive The Big Issue digitally because I buy the magazine from him every week. But then I thought: is there anything more I can do?

“Then I remembered I’ve got this exercise bike in my flat which I’ve been using for a clothes horse for the past three years and I thought: has anyone tried a sponsored cycle in self-isolation? It was just something to do to stop me going mental.”

Hill-Gowing has so far raised over £1,600.

You can donate on his ‘Tour de Flat’ JustGiving page here and – although it might not be the greatest spectator sport – you can also see him in action on Twitch here.

“I kind of said that I was going to do the distance of the Tour de France without looking it up,” he confessed. “But when I found out how long it was I was like ‘I guess I’ve committed to this now’.”

The (golf) world number one’s latest session saw him ranked 69th out of almost 11,500 people on Peloton leaderboard... impressive! Full story here. 

Ready for our first #ReadySetRide game? 🙌

It’s important to have strong hands and grip when you’re riding a bike, so grab a couple of sheets of paper and let’s get started! 🔖🚴‍♀️ #SchoolClosureUK

Track your progress 👉 https://t.co/Zqy62nbCmI

Watch 👇https://t.co/mWl1tif4gl

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) March 26, 2020

Do you know who’s the most popularly searched rider on Pro Cycling Stats at the minute?

Most popular rider at the moment during #CoronavirusCrisis is Maatje Benassi pic.twitter.com/wtUCP6YF7q

— ProCyclingStats.com (@ProCyclingStats) March 26, 2020

It’s US military cyclist Maatje Benassi.

Benassi competed in the 7th CISM Military World Games in Wuhan in October.

Some guy called George Webb, “an investigative journalist in Washington DC”, reckons she could be patient zero of COVID-19.

English language Chinese newspaper Global Times reports that, “His conclusions, although without strong evidence, triggered questions on Chinese social media.”

Colourful stuff.

More on this later.

Wattbike’s new Icon indoor training bike, designed for gym use, is now available to individuals for a limited time.

Find out more here

Last week on the live blog, we reported how Belgian riders Oliver Naesen (AG2R La Mondiale) and Maxim Pirard had gone for a quick 365km spin.

Inspired by this, Astana's Laurens De Vreese has posted a ride to Strava he's tagged as the #OliverNaesenChallenge

De Vreese did 369km. Even more strikingly, he did it on a turbo trainer.

Here's the ride.

Someone really should point out to him that you can choose to ride different courses on Zwift. (Or maybe he's just pacing himself in the expectation that he'll eventually ride all of them in the coming weeks and months.)

Posting about the feat on Twitter, the UCI reckoned De Vreese sustained himself with four sandwiches.

🗺️370km
🕐11 hours
💦7698 calories
🥪4 sandwiches

Those are the stats for @AstanaTeam rider @LaurensDeVreese mighty indoor ride on his @tacx trainer! 🥵 #CyclingUnited pic.twitter.com/gyeD1fwm6r

— UCI (@UCI_cycling) March 26, 2020

We don't know about you, but we'd eat four sandwiches in 11 hours without even going near a turbo trainer.

Cyclists, please:

▶️ Stay 2m+ away from others

▶️ Stick to designated cycle routes

▶️ Respect the speed limit and other park users

▶️ Don’t race or spit

These are rules, not requests. Work together or we will have to close the parks to cyclists. #CoronavirusLockdownUK

— The Royal Parks (@theroyalparks) March 26, 2020

They've given similar advice to joggers (albeit without the threat).

All the same, the message has had a mixed response.

Some have pointed out that rat-running motorists in Regent's Park aren't helping matters.

It's very hard when you are pinned against the kerb by rat runners - just shut the gates. This is a national emergency. https://t.co/8gaeN5yasF

— The Dynaslow 🚴‍♂️🐈👨‍👩‍👧 (@TheDynaslow) March 26, 2020

How much distance should you leave to the cyclist ahead in a time of pandemic?

How to cycle responsibly in a time of pandemic

At the weekend, Richmond Park Cyclists urged people to ride alone or risk being banned after images showed cyclists queueing at one of the refreshment kiosks.

Rules on social distancing were widely ignored by many visitors - not just cyclists - resulting in motor vehicles being banned from three Royal Parks and the closure of a number of cafés and kiosks.