Lore Cycle introduces the “world’s most advanced road cycling shoe”… and it’ll cost you over £1,000

@chrisonabike Don't forget that cars simply aren't designed to go at 20mph.

@Motivated I think that pointing at a single data point doesn't prove a point. Women do seem to be very well suited to these ultra endurance events and I believe that in running they are similarly exceptional. We need to be careful with this sort of discussion however because the amalgamation on mens and womens sports would do women absolutely no favours. I appreciate the sentiment and the encouragement this gives women in sport but competing with men shouldn't be how we try to sell women in sport.

If we follow the logic that 20mph drivers are more dangerous than say 30mph drivers, how deadly are they when driving 5mph in congestion?

"We have the technology..."

Aside from that ridiculous argument (phone use when under 20mph), I wonder if modern car software can be programmed so that anytime a driver exceeds a speed limit for a specific road, the system automatically sends a report to the police... (The sat-nav systems can be updated with all roads' speed limits.)

In my view this is an excellent, refreshing argument from the motorist. He is clearly onto something. I watched the IOM TT highlights recently and at no time did I see any of the competitors texting or trying to appease children pillion passengers. Michael Dunlop did nearly lose it with a back wheel skid when he was running late for a haircut, but that was an isolated incident. All speed limits need to be removed. The higher speeds will improve drivers' focus and encourage them to drive on muscle memory and reflex action.

@tomlew we can discuss both things, I don't see them as mutually exclusive. On the topic of comparison - have a look at the KOM / QOM times on the Mur du Huy ... Demi Vollering's winning time in 2026 is exactly the same as Tadej Pogacar's winning time in 2023. Women are closer than you might think. Let's see how it goes for Lael Wilcox ... she has a chance to set the outright record for riding around the world. On differences, I for sure enjoyed watching the Women's Giro this year and got a chance to see 1 stage. The more open access to the racers is quite surprising and gives extra appreciation for how they interact post finish line.

@tomlew Women's sport should of course remain protected. Hear hear. That women can excel at ultra-endurance, where short-term aerobic capacity becomes less and less important and mental strength/endurance becomes a major factor, obviously does NOT mean that we can set aside protection in other sports where aerobic capacity, strength, reaction time, or whatever, are the major factors - where women are at (varying) disadvantages to men. They're all amazing athletes at these high levels too, of course.

And to reinforce that, the previous record holder appears to have set it at the back end of a successful effort to set a new record for the greatest distance covered in a month - likely she would also have managed significantly further if she'd come to a specific effort fresh.

The 'alongside men' comment was in reference to the overall effort, which was better than any men has managed. The seven day result was in the context of an overall effort of nearly twice the length. If she'd focused specifically on the seven day record she'd almost certainly have gone further. The fact that it set a new women's record anyway likely just shows that few women have yet targeted it.