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Cyclists accused of "panting viruses" through Cambridgeshire village, + more locals imposing their own lockdown laws; UCI celebrates 120 years; British Cycling against exercise ban; Supermarket logos as bike jerseys + more on the live blog

Welcome to Monday's live blog. Jack Sexty is your blogger-in-chief today, with Simon MacMichael taking over later this evening. ...
Tue, Apr 14, 2020 09:24
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Cyclists accused of "panting viruses" through Cambridgeshire village, + more locals imposing their own lockdown laws; UCI celebrates 120 years; British Cycling against exercise ban; Supermarket logos as bike jerseys + more on the live blogcyclists are you 30 minutes from home - roadcc comments section 14 april.PNG
14 April 2020, 15:00
Geraint Thomas' 12 hour 'Zwift shifts' begin tomorrow

The Tour de France champ will be doing three 12 hour shifts on Zwift on three consecutive days to mirror typical NHS hospital shifts, and the 'action' will all be live streamed via his own and Team Ineos' social media feeds. G's NHS Zwift Shifts has already raised over £25,000 of the £100,000 target for the Association of NHS Charities on GoFundMe - you can donate and find out more here. 

14 April 2020, 14:58
UCI celebrates 120th anniversary

The organisation has been around since 1900, and has rounded up some highlights in the video above. 

14 April 2020, 11:30
Locals impose their own lockdown laws: your views and observations
cyclists protect the nhs harrogate - via sjp lake in comments 14 april

We've had a fair bit of reaction to the image posted on Gordon Hollingworth's Twitter page this morning, telling cyclists to stop "panting viruses" through the village of Coveney... and it turns out locals elsewhere are also attempting to impose their own interpretation of the lockdown recommendations on others. 

The photo above courtesy of sjplake in the comments is reportedly from Harrogate, rhetorically asking cyclists if they are 30 minutes from home with the obligatory "protect the NHS" underneath... presumably they've interpreted the government's restrictions to mean that outdoor exercise has to be limited to one hour, when no such law or recommendation exists. 

Members of the Bristol Cyclists Facebook page also claim that some residents in the village of Pill are threatening to blockade part of a route from Bristol to Portishead to stock cyclists from using the route. 

kil0ran also spotted a sign saying 'road closed' with 'residents only' scrawled on with a sharpie pen; most likely an unofficial (therefore illegal) effort to keep cyclists away from the road. 

In the comments section on this blog, we're drawn to this concise summary of the matters in question from srchar:

"One of the many negative social aspects of lockdown is that it has given every curtain-twitching Walter Mitty type an excuse to vent their misplaced hatred for people who do things they just don't like. It's actually quite worrying how readily this has happened and how quick people in positions of authority have been to encourage it.

"...The common theme is that they just hate people who do something that they enjoy and which makes them happy."

14 April 2020, 14:52
Chris Froome's pre-bike workout
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Pre-bike workout (and yes I did more than a single rep of each 😂)

A post shared by Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) on

It's not all just pedalling, as Froome lets us into his gym routine... of which he claims to have definitely done more than one rep of each exercise. 

14 April 2020, 14:48
Movistar's next jersey to be fan-designed
movistar design jersey competiton april 2020

Fans have to download the template on the Ale Cycling website, draw it out with whichever digital technique they prefer (no sponsors permitted) and then post the design to Instagram. A panel will then select a shortlist of six and decide the winneer from April 24th - more info on how to enter here. 

14 April 2020, 14:08
Today's COVID-19 good deeds round-up

There's been numerous reports of key workers having their bikes stolen since the pandemic began; and numerous brands, retailers and individuals from Chris Boardman, to Halfords to Luke Rowe have stepped in to provide replacements. The Gloucestershire Bike Project tell road.cc they've already gifted 50 bikes to key workers, sadly a number of those went to people who had theirs stolen - their crowdfunder to raise cash to give more bikes to key workers during the pandemic has already raised over £9,000 with a £50,000 target - you can donate here. 

specialized coronavirus campaign 2020.PNG

Meanwhile across the pond, Specialized are giving new bikes to essential workers either from recommendations or personal applications - they will be gathering submissions on 22nd April and giving out bikes on a first-come-first-served basis to successful applicants, find out more here. 

14 April 2020, 13:39
What if supermarket logos were turned into cycling jerseys?

Phill Brown Design has brought the idea to life, creating Aldi, Asda, Iceland, John Lewis, Morrisons, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainbury's Co-Op and Lidl jerseys. We  think we've seen the latter somewhere before... 

Quick Step team. Copyright Quick Step Floors

 

14 April 2020, 13:07
Reports that all three Grand Tours could take place between August and October
Egan Bernal and Geraint Thomas

Marca claim that a new calendar has been decided by the organisers of the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. They say that the Tour de France will take place from 2nd-25th August, the Vuelta will be in September and the Giro is set for October. The Giro's race director Mauro Vegni is reported to have 'confirmed' there are no plans to shorten any of the Tours, with all three set to take place over three weeks as before. 

Chances of this happening?

14 April 2020, 13:00
Francis Cade completes double everesting attempt
francis cade double everest

Cade took 27 hours to achieve the feat, climbing 17,696 virtual metres in 27 hours and 28 minutes and stopping only for two hours of sleep and some comfort breaks. Fellow cyclists Alex Hill also began the ride, but had to pull out after 11 hours wit injury. They raised £13,400 NHS Charities Together, which is providing support to staff and volunteers during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Cade commented at the end: “I’m really tired, a little sore, but feeling good. It’s weird, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet.

“I can’t believe how much we’ve managed to raise. I want to thank everyone who tuned in and donated, it just goes to show how much the National Health Service means to all of us and how valuable it is.

“I’m looking forward to having some recovery time now - having a shower, a long nap and maybe some pizza.”

If you have 27 hours to spare, you can relive it all on the live stream when it's finished processing... 

14 April 2020, 14:55
14 April 2020, 12:54
Ian Stones on Facebook suggests that Zwift create a "birthday suit" option so the ride can take place online...
14 April 2020, 12:43
In case you didn't spot it, the winner of our #FullKitRanker was...
full kit ranker winner jersey la vie claire.JPG

The Piet Mondrian-inspired La Vie Claire jersey a worn by Bernard Hinault and Greg Lemond has been officially crowned road.cc readers' greatest jersey of all time. We'll be following up with an article paying homage to this classic maillot later in the week. 

14 April 2020, 11:13
Dame Sarah Story launches her own Black Circle Coffee blend

We missed this one last week, but Britain's most successful Paralympian has teamed up with Black Circle Coffee for her own special blend: 

"With cafe rides a thing of the past, we decided to team up with Black Circle Coffee so you could bring your coffee shop coffee to your house", says Storey. 

A 1kg pouch costs £34, which you can buy here. 

14 April 2020, 11:02
Still no turbo trainers for sale?

It appears our buyer's guide to the best home trainers needs a temporary headline edit. On another note, if anyone else has moved house recently and genuinely needed to buy a freezer for reasons that extend beyond stockpiling chicken dippers, you'll feel this author's pain... 

14 April 2020, 09:47
Callum Skinner "can't confirm or deny" if he kept GB skinsuit from Olympics

Spotting our article on Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish discussing their displeasure at being told to return their skinsuits and bikes from the Olympics, the 2016 team sprint gold medallist may be hinting that he might have a GB suit or two lying around in his draw too. 

14 April 2020, 09:26
British Cycling against ban on outdoor exercise, and reiterate that cyclists should stay 'at least' two metres apart

Despite numerous researchers and articles claiming that a greater distance should be left to cyclists around you - including an academic white paper widely shared on social media and our own investigation into the matter - British Cycling are recommending "at least 2m apart" in their latest social media posts. They also quote Professor John Edmunds of London School of Hygiene who says that banning outdoor exercise would do little to curve the pandemic, but would have "a marked impact on people's health and wellbeing."

14 April 2020, 08:32
Sign in Cambridgeshire accuses cyclists of "panting viruses" through village

Gordon Hollingworth was out getting his daily exercise yesterday, when he happened across the rather unwelcoming sign in the village of Coveney. In what could have made a nice little Haiku with some rearrangement, the sign says:

"Cyclists
"Stop panting viruses through our village
"Stay away".

According to Cambridgeshire Live one person was responsible for the sign, and it was branded "the most ridiculous sign I have ever seen" by a person commenting on the Coveney village Facebook page. Their Parish Council chairman Councillor Barry Matthews said it was put up without permission on a public highway and would be removed; he said no one had come forward to claim ownership of the sign or 'air' their grievances with the council. 

It appears this is a local village for local people, and non-local cyclists aren't welcome according to this local sign made by a local person, which didn't go unnoticed in the comments underneath Mr Hollingworth's Twitter post... 

If you want some tips on how to ride responsibly during the pandemic and avoid spluttering deadly viruses all over quaint Cambridgeshire villages, check out our comprehensive guide. 

14 April 2020, 09:06
The sign as a Haiku

 

panting cyclists haiku.PNG

Feel free to have a go yourself in the comments of course. 

 

14 April 2020, 08:25
Trek Madone valued at £8,500 recovered by Dover Police before it left UK

The Port of Dover Police smelt a rat just before the superbike left UK shores to be sold on the black market, with the owner "overjoyed" that his pride and joy was recovered; it just so happened to be a Trek Madone aero road machine with Ultegra Di2 and Bontrager deep rims, worth somewhere in the region of £8.5k. 

Since posting the news, the owner met his bike's saviours and collected it over the weekend... 

14 April 2020, 08:18
Tour de France heading towards inevitable postponement, as France bans festivals and large gatherings until mid-July
Champs Elysees (CC licensed by Andrew Sides via Flickr)

President Macron said that restrictions on public events and large gatherings would continue until mid-July in France due to the coronavirus pandemic, making it virtually impossible for Le Tour to happen as it usually does. 

The Tour de France race organisers ASO are yet to comment. 

 

Jack Sexty

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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40 comments

Avatar
HarrogateSpa replied to ride2smile | 4 years ago
1 like

That's disappointing from the Good Burghers of Weeton. They are seizing the opportunity to have a go at some -ists they already hate.

Avatar
pockstone replied to ride2smile | 4 years ago
2 likes

So sayeth the Tory voting, self appointed  'protectors of the NHS' of Weeton.

Avatar
brooksby replied to pockstone | 4 years ago
2 likes

How can someone who voted Conservative at the last election say that they want to save the NHS? They do understand what the Tories want (wanted?) to do to the NHS??

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
1 like

They boy who cried;

"We have 24 hours to save the NHS!".

Classic.

Avatar
srchar | 4 years ago
20 likes

One of the many negative social aspects of lockdown is that it has given every curtain-twitching Walter Mitty type an excuse to vent their misplaced hatred for people who do things they just don't like. It's actually quite worrying how readily this has happened and how quick people in positions of authority have been to encourage it. On my local Facebook group, the whinge-about-everything crowd have stopped hating buggy-pushers ("breeders") and started to hate runners instead. Obviously, they've always hated cyclists, but the language has been ratcheted up a notch now that we are literally killing people.

The common theme is that they just hate people who do something that they enjoy and which makes them happy.

Avatar
Legin replied to srchar | 4 years ago
1 like

Spot on a great country with a propensity to do two things, 1. Become a do good vigilante and 2 find scapegoats for all known cock-ups. Hence the phrase of the month, "We are following the scientific advice" , those scientists are ****ed when the chickens come home to roost!

Avatar
eburtthebike | 4 years ago
4 likes

Surely they've been reading the comments of the North Yorkshire PCC.

Avatar
jasecd | 4 years ago
6 likes

I'm surprised the fuckwit responsible is able to write a sign. They're clearly not literate enough to read the official government advice.

What if their paper boy rides a bike? How will they get their billionaire approved daily hate? That'd surely make their head explode sending a whole load of fuck all into the air.

Avatar
MsG replied to jasecd | 4 years ago
8 likes

That was actually version 2 of the sign, the previous one was at the other end of the village and the text simpler. Version 1 did not have the eyes either!

The village in question does not have any shops so the residents have to travel to the nearest town which is where most of the cyclists will be coming from.

The majority of residents haven't got a problem with cyclists coming through and are really friendly.

Avatar
MsG replied to MsG | 4 years ago
4 likes

Ride report: both signs gone. Saw one other cyclist through Coveney, three people mowing their lawns and a woman posting a letter / walking a dog. Oh and a potato lorry.

Safety fans will be pleased to hear that the dodgy ladder has gone from the side of the house 😂

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