Mark Cavendish abandons Tour de France 2023 after crash

bent both my levers inwards when I crashed in January – hit an unpainted speedbump hidden by the shade of a tree in Thailand – so it’s entirely possible. Although I fell to the left the right shifter was also pushed inwards and the rubber hood was ripped, suggesting the left shifter dug in (fortunately I fell into the verge) and caused the bars, forks and wheel to spin round.

I bent both my levers inwards when I crashed in January - hit an unpainted speedbump hidden by the shade of a tree in Thailand - so it's entirely possible. Although I fell to the left the right shifter was also pushed inwards and the rubber hood was ripped, suggesting the left shifter dug in (fortunately I fell into the verge) and caused the bars, forks and wheel to spin round.

Re the cycle lane surface. They used a similar technique for the Bishops Cleeve to Gloucester cycle path. (green in this case, I do wish they would standardise the colour nationally). I haven't fallen off so I can't comment on that but there were piles of loose gravel for quite while after it was finished although it is getting better as it beds in and has been swept once. I use it regularly and I have worn through a back tyre (schwalbe delta cruiser) very quickly and had my first puncture in the new schwalbe marathon which replaced it. It was caused by a sharp shard of the gravel which must have got embedded in the tyre and worked it's way through the tyre. I have heard rumours of other cyclists having similar experiences but not first hand.

Exeter's a funny old place. The traffic is truly dreadful, exacerbated by Council approval of thousands of satellite homes built in huge soulless estates with no realistic public transport options. The Council then keep trying to impose active travel options, which the locals hate, preferring to sit in endless jams and moan about the Council and the traffic (all the other cars but theirs). I'm not sure what the answer is except to just avoid it all.

Yet another example of Health & Safety rules being reversed for the road. Instead of controlling the dangerous behaviour, make the victims take action. Is that point being made to the ministers?

Helen Montgommery's petition may have 2,300 signatures, but the Exeter cycling campaingn's had 1,800, not so different. From council minutes: "Firstly, James Diamond of the Exeter Cycling campaign presented a petition of 1,800 signatories calling for safe affordable travel by foot, wheels or bike. Keep Dryden Road safe for all, we want to support the Council to keep Dryden Road safe and solve whatever problem needs to be solved." And this addition of signatories sounds rather suspect: "Next, Helen Montgomery, a local resident, presented a petition of 2,300 signatories to follow on from a previous petition presented taking the total number to approx. 4,000...." I wonder how many signatures were the same?

Surely anyone who is doping would just be able to keep a 'second set of books' - a trainingpeaks account that's just for the authorities' consumption - and doctor the data before uploading it? More importantly, though: No it wouldn't - it would look like 125%. Seriously Adam - sort it out!

Zooming in on the finish line photo here it looks fairly obvious that his left lever is bent more inwards than the right, do you have a link to the clearer picture you mention? In any case, as MDF sagely points out, there's no way to tell from a picture whether one shifter is a couple of millimeters farther in than the other, enough to breach the rules if they were at the limit before the crash.

Take my word for it, the riders that pay me big fat fees are all whiter than white. Obviously, all those riders years ago were liars. But no one these days is, everything's so much better now. Maybe the above is true. But as was learned 15/20 years ago the methods of "cheating" always have and always will change/improve. If the sport is to be credible new tools to prove it are required. Dismissing the hunt for the truth by just expecting us to take the word of sports agents who are very interested parties in keeping the game rolling is a joke.

Filters? As long as they're modal filters I'm all for it! (Been quietly for that all the time, just like ... many UK LAs in fact https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2022/10/filtering-1980s.html?m=1 )