Welcome to Tuesday on the road.cc live blog with Simon MacMichael, Jack Sexty and the rest of the road.cc team.
Live blog: Chris Froome does 116-mile gravel ride … on his Pinarello Bolide TT bike, Iljo Keisse ‘apology’, Twitter wags are out in force to mock at-home spin bike brand Peloton; meet Raphp, a Chinese knock-off of, well, Rapha + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond
Tue, Jan 29, 2019 15:02
SUMMARY
29 January 2019, 15:02
Two thirds of women don’t feel confident cycling on the road, says British Cycling
New research from British Cycling shows that 64 per cent of women don’t feel confident cycling on the road with around two thirds of women also claiming that the behaviour of motorists and lack of infrastructure also makes them feel unsafe.
The results have been published as British Cycling relaunches its One in a Million campaign, which has already increased the number of women cycling regularly from 525,000 to more than 800,000.
Julie Harrington, British Cycling’s chief executive, said: “Aside from reaching our million women target we want to create a cultural shift which normalises cycling for everyone – so that an equal number of women to men are riding bikes in this country.
“Cycling is increasingly being understood as a fundamental part of the solution when it comes to issues of public health and air quality however change will not come unless people feel safe on the roads and we know this disproportionately affects women,” she added.
29 January 2019, 15:02
NSW motorist who filmed himself driving on cycle path gets charged
A motorist in New South Wales who filmed himself as he drove along a cycle path as he hurled abuse at two cyclists riding side by side on the road has been charged with with using a mobile phone while driving, using offensive language and driving on the cycle path, reports 7 News.
Footage of the incident went viral on Facebook with 2 million views in 12 hours, as we reported on Sunday.
A new South Wales Police spokesperson confirmed that a man had handed himself in at Illawara Police Station. He is expected to appear in court at a later date.
29 January 2019, 15:02
We know what our answer is to today's top Twitter hashtag...
#ThingsIWouldBan Potholes!! pic.twitter.com/xe3cGsoyQg
— road.cc (@roadcc) January 29, 2019
Maybe Piers Morgan as well, but at least that can just be ignored…
29 January 2019, 15:02
Hot forum topic: how much do you spend on bike security?
Big old motorbike locks, secure sheds, fancy locking quick releases… or, as some suggest, nothing at all because the bike lives in the house with you? Join the convo here.
29 January 2019, 15:02
Van? What van?
Somebody mentioned to us the concept of ‘last mile hubs’, where vans from out of town can bring goods in order to be distributed by bike in the urban centre.
Unfortunately nobody told us about the van part… pic.twitter.com/SnwbCkd0nh— Pedal Me (@pedalmeapp) January 29, 2019
You might have spotted Pedal Me on Dragon’s Den at the weekend (find out how they got on by clicking through to yesterday’s live blog here) – and they’ve been getting plenty of admiration on social media for laughing in the face of heavy goods vehicles with one of their expertly-loaded cargo e-bikes in this clip.
29 January 2019, 15:02
Rapha too expensive? Meet Raphp, its budget-friendly Chinese cousin...
The Chinese manufacturing industry has sometimes been known to take a liberal approach to trademarks – and it appears the familiarly-named ‘Raphp’ brand, spotted on aliexpress.com, might be pushing the boundaries of this liberalness. The jersey in the pic above is named ‘RCC Raphp 2018 Top Pro Team Aero Cycling Jersey’ and costs a mere $16.84. According to the product description it will (sic): “help the players even in the most adverse circumstances can maintain a comfortable temperature and humidity, and discharge sweat; which we believe will also help to achieve your best performance.”
So, has someone in Rapha’s production line been slipping the odd garment or two out the back door and used their creative license? Well the material on the Raphp jerseys are listed as 100% polyester if that’s to be believed, whereas both Rapha’s Brevit and RCC Classic are a blend of 64% poly and 36% merino wool – we reckon the latter two will probably be more effective at helping the players to discharge sweat, so do head over to rapha.cc if you want to shop for some more authentic wears. If anyone owns some Raphp and wants to share a short review, feel free to do so in the comments though!
29 January 2019, 15:02
Peloton (the overpriced spin bike, not a group of cyclists) get Twitter rinsing over ads that show their bikes in inappropriate domestic locations
Sometimes I’ll move the Peloton bike into our gallery so I can spend time with my half gay husband while he reads Architectural Digest wearing combat boots pic.twitter.com/jdBWowR4z3
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
Peloton, who charge two grand for a stationary bike then make their customers pay £40 a month on top for Orwellian virtual spinning classes with shouty instructors, haven’t had it easy since trying to get pally with the cycling crowd. A cringey ad campaign on TV and social media has generally been taken pretty badly by most of us who believe their pricing structure to be pretty ludicrous, while they also further alienated themselves by trying to sue YouTuber Shane Miller for calling a segment on his channel ‘Digital Peloton News’ – they claimed to have trademarked the word ‘Peloton’, which led to much anger and laughter at the audacity of it all in equal measure, and Peloton swiftly backed down.
I put the Peloton bike in the kitchen of our loft so I can get a workout and also cook the vegan three-bean tortilla soup recipe I downloaded from Goop. pic.twitter.com/GMj4YPu50r
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
Over the last 24 hours they’ve been gloriously sent up in a Twitter thread from an Arizonian calling himself Clue Heywood, who spotted Peloton ads always appear to show their spin bikes in grandiose and/or inappropriate locations in the condos, mansions and luxury apartments presumably owned by the majority of their well-heeled clientele. Peloton have done most of the work for him as almost every 21st century yuppie cliche is covered from their promo shots. There’s also no sign of a fan anywhere, do rich people not have hygiene standards nowadays?
In the mornings, after my housekeeper meticulously makes my bed, I like to ride my Peloton bike in the window of my high rise and literally look down my nose at people. pic.twitter.com/4tCrIOVVA2
— Clue Heywood (@ClueHeywood) January 28, 2019
29 January 2019, 15:02
Froome goes for a 116 mile ride, on gravel, on a TT bike…
Going back to his routes growing up on the dirt tracks around Kenya, Froome embarked on an impressive 5 and a half hour ride in Columbia ahead of Tour Columbia 2.1, his first UCI event of the season. Averaging 21.5mph with nearly 9000ft of climbing on the epic ride posted to Strava, Froome is seen riding his custom Pinarello Bolide over some pretty gnarly gravel tracks, where the aero gains of the bike might not exactly be offering him an advantage…
29 January 2019, 15:02
Iljo Keisse apologises (sort of) for rubbing genitals against waitress
Deceuninck-Quick Step cyclist Iljo Keisse has apologised for an incident yesterday that has made headlines in which he allegedly rubbed his genitals against a waitress in Argentina as she posed for for a photo with the Belgian cyclist and his team mates.
We say “apologised” – but people replying to his tweet are unconvinced.
I want to apologize to everybody for the gesture during a photo taken this week. I didn’t want to offend anybody and I deeply regret it. I know I’ve made a mistake but I’m not a disrespectful person. I’m really sorry. @vueltasanjuanok
— Iljo Keisse (@IljoKeisse) January 29, 2019
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Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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Latest Comments
Rendel Harris 16 minutes ago
@the little onion Anecdotally, I'd say yes: the male to female ratio of commuter cyclists in London has definitely narrowed over the last few decades in a period that has coincided with massive improvements in cycling infrastructure. Still anecdotally but more clearly, I personally know several women who used to say they would never cycle commute in London because of the risk but who now do because the majority of their journey can be made on quietways and segregated cycle tracks.
the little onion 16 minutes ago
@Smoggysteve an alternative interpretation of the stats is that cycle lanes (murder strips) don't increase propensity to cycle. We need to design cycling infrastructure for the cyclists we want to have, not the ones we do have.
Smoggysteve 40 minutes ago
Only a quarter of cyclists using cycle lanes are female. But dig into the statistics and women make up only a quarter of all cycle journeys full stop, so that means women are equally represented in this study since they only make that many journeys to begin with. Ideally, they should be looking at ways that get more people cycling regardless of gender and then more women would use cycle paths. But you must also factor in that male riders are more likely to prefer riding on a road even if there is a path available. I would love there to be more people riding but you're never going to close the gap between the amount of male vs female riders from around a 1-4 or 1-3 ratio. a 100% increase in all cycle journeys would be a better aim than just one demographic.
DS2025 1 hour ago
@Surreyrider please update your username as you are clearly not a rider but a cun.....
the infamous grouse 2 hours ago
sounds like affirmative action to me, but ok. herd immunity and all that.
kevgravelkev 2 hours ago
"you’ve got photochromics on they’re not going to change in time to let you see any better" This is just nonsense. Modern photochromics begin adjusting immediatley, as do your eyes! The (slower than these expensive glasses) transition allows you to see much, much better than standard Cat 3 lenses.
the little onion 2 hours ago
Would be interesting to see how cycling’s gender gap changes with quality of infrastructure. Do you get more women as we move from murder strip to proper infrastructure?
VIPcyclist 2 hours ago
Interesting article. Nevertheless currently a Cycle Lane = Murder Strip. At least it does were I live: no segregation, drains , unswept , parked cars , frogger, lanes suddenly ending... Bradford Met for reference. What's it like near you?
Mr Blackbird 3 hours ago
@belugabob I've been in a few different hotels in recent years and never had any difficulties with keeping my bike in my room. I always take a couple of newspapers with me to spread out under the bike to stop any drips of oil/water etc getting on the carpet. One hotel even had a nice timber post in the room, for me to lock my bike to. One of the hotels had a secure lock up room for bikes, but were happy for me to keep the bike in my room because it meant I didn't have to drag away a member of staff to get my bike at busy breakfast / check out time. When I went to stay in N Yorks for the 2019 World Champs, the only inconvenience was breakfast being crowded because the Italian Junior women's squad's bikes were being stored in the main dining room! The only slight downer is looking like a bit of an eccentric as I carry my bike down the stairs and through reception in cycling kit.
Rendel Harris 3 hours ago
Another one for the "just because we can doesn't mean we should" pile for me I think, my cheap (£35) photochromic glasses that I use for commuting at dawn and dusk may take 30 seconds to adapt fully to changing light but they start pretty much immediately and I hardly ever feel that they are too dark or not dark enough; if I hit a patch where they really are too dark, sudden tunnels et cetera, one quick hand swipe (same as with these) moves them down to the end of my nose so I can look over the top of them. No precious battery resources wasted, nor the price of a decent secondhand bike.
19 thoughts on “Live blog: Chris Froome does 116-mile gravel ride … on his Pinarello Bolide TT bike, Iljo Keisse ‘apology’, Twitter wags are out in force to mock at-home spin bike brand Peloton; meet Raphp, a Chinese knock-off of, well, Rapha + more”
The BC campaign to get more
The BC campaign to get more women on bikes was featured on Today R4 news prog this morning, and they didn’t mention that this was new, or that the campaign has been running for months or years hasn’t it? No mention of the Sustrans report. Not a single mention of the benefits of cycling at individual, local, national or a global level. Sir Chris Hoy wasn’t very good, but the lady, Judy Robinson, appeared woefully under-prepared.
2:30:48 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00027md
Getting national media coverage is rare enough that we can’t waste it by not having thoroughly prepared spokespeople, on top of their brief.
burtthebike wrote:
I’m sure they did their best but…Chris Boardman.
Kidnap him and force him to give media training to every cycle campaigner in the country!! The man has the patience of a saint and a huge amount of knowledge he calmly imparts to people regardless of how gammon they are
‘Cycling is increasingly
‘Cycling is increasingly being understood as a fundamental part of the solution when it comes to issues of public health and air quality…‘
Erm, no it isn’t. Maybe by cyclists, perhaps. But the people who run the country – namely, the editors of the Daily Mail, the Sun, the Express and the Telegraph, and their readers, still sincerely believe that cycling ’causes pollution’. They believe that cyclists ‘do not pay road tax’. They believe that cyclists are ‘a menace’.
You can either wait for another fifty years or so, until ‘attitudes’ change. Or you can . .well, you know.
Love the Clue Heywood twitter
Love the Clue Heywood twitter ‘Peleton’ comments.
I can’t even realistically aspire to be that aspirational. So I’m at least two steps removed from being glamourous and succesful enough to even think of owning one of their uber-bourgie exercise bikes.
That said, I have a friend with a council flat with a balcony and view that could, if you squinted a bit and only looked in one direction almost match the “I took my Peleton bike to Europe…” one. Of course if you turn even slightly it all goes a bit Only Fools And Horses, but you can see the Gherkin.
As far as Peloton is
As far as Peloton is concerned, why don’t their buyers get their asses on real bikes, on real roads, and stop being cowardly babies?
Froome riding that far on a TT bike shows just what a load of crap the ‘gravel bike’ industry is.
A440 wrote:
Same argument goes for all those people who will happily drive to a spin class at a local gym. Basically, whatever their marketing, Peloton looks like a spin class for shut-ins…
A440 wrote:
Agrophobia, time, disability, weather conditions, personal choice.
I went u Mont Ventoux (a mountain) on a road bike and went on a road on a mountain bike – are all bike types just a load of crap?
alansmurphy wrote:
In general that’s a 100% valid reply, and I agree…it’s just that if you check that Clue Heywood twitter link, I don’t think you could honestly claim Peleton in particular are aiming their marketing at people with physical or psychological disabilities, or living in neighbourhoods where it’s dangerous or uncomfortable to go outside.
They give the impression they’d consider such customers to be a bit too low-status for their product.
Their adverts make me think ‘bloody hell, you appear to live right on the beach/in the middle of the countryside/in a lovely upscale neighbourhood, and it looks like a beautiful day – why don’t you just go outside?
A440 wrote:
While I agree with the point that people should be riding actual bikes in actual places, it’s unhelpful to everyone to describe them as cowardly.
Or what a skillfull (and fit and strong and determined) rider he is.
As far as Peloton is
As far as Peloton is concerned, why don’t their buyers get their asses on real bikes, on real roads, and stop being cowardly babies?
Froome riding that far on a TT bike shows just what a load of crap the ‘gravel bike’ industry is.
I heard about the BC campaign
I heard about the BC campaign on the breakfast show on Radio London the other day. It was blody freezing outside and my only thought was to question the wisdom of launching any get-on-your-bike campaign in January. A springtime campaign, celebrating warmer weather and lengthening days, would make sense.
Agree about Chris Boardman, our community is very lucky to have him.
I give Peleton a year. As
I give Peleton a year. As soon as I saw the bright shiny shop front of theirs in Canary Wharf, handily located in Bankrupts Corner, I knew this was bsh1t. The pricing is comedic.
BadgerBeaver wrote:
I agree – when it first came out I assumed it was a bit more ‘electronic’, but it’s just a spin bike with a big screen!
Something a little ironic in
Something a little ironic in the product name Peloton describing lonely people on spinning away on stationary bikes in isolated locations.
A friend who’s getting into road cycling asked what I thought of Peloton. I suggested a Wattbike, or Kickr with TrainerRoad and/or Zwift sub would be much less money massively better spent, but he still went ahead. To each their own…
PRSboy wrote:
I can see the attraction of buying a single integrated unit with screen and bike all working together, that allows you to do Zwift and then selling the idea to the other half who might agree to it being in the house if they can do the odd spin class on it. Having to clean my bike before it is allowed in the house, lugging the kickr out from under the stairs to use it, then having to put up with the Kickr not always happily talking to my USB ANT+ stick on the home PC sometimes makes me yearn for a single unit….
…The price on the other hand is an utter joke.
Colombia, not Columbia.
Colombia, not Columbia.
Agreed, their marketing is
Agreed, their marketing is shite! The response is more aimed at ‘real bikes’ etc. in the response.
I spent a little on my Smart Flow trainer and use an old N+1 as rarely as possible (because the pain cave is horrible), will never replace cycling in my mind. With a shoulder op tomorrow though it’s nice to have!
Maybe I’m being naive, but
Maybe I’m being naive, but how would someone accidentally “rub his genitals against a waitress”?
I’ll give it a go and let you
I’ll give it a go and let you know…