Welcome to Wednesday’s live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team…
Live blog: Doctors untangle cyclist’s dangly bits after he gets them stuck in bike bits (somehow); N London Dirt Gravel ride returns; Fiona Kolbinger leads Transcontinental Race; Video: NYPD ticket cyclist for breaking non-existent helmet law + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Wed, Jul 31, 2019 18:43
SUMMARY
31 July 2019, 18:43
"It's over, I give up": Thibaut Pinot consoled by Groupama FDJ's Directeur Sportif in French documentary
Les mots de Marc Madiot à @ThibautPinot quelques minutes après son abandon sur le Tour de France… #AvecThibaut #TDF2019 pic.twitter.com/WWU6a9HKxD
— France 2 (@France2tv) July 29, 2019
Pinot’s Tour de France of course ended in tears after he was forced to abandon on stage 17 due to injury, that has since been diagnosed as a torn quadricep. In this French documentary that aired on Sunday night in France, Marc Madiot is trying to console his distraught rider following his abandon. Pinot says “Every time it’s the same, every time”, and “It’s over, I give up”, with Madiot protesting that Pinot did everything right and it wasn’t to be: “Carry on doing everything well and one day or another a door will open.
“A guy like you doesn’t give up. Ever since you’ve been a rider, you’ve never given up until now. You’ve overcome everything.
“We’re going to get you there. We’re not going to leave you. The team is behind you.”
At the end of the clip Pinot is sobbing uncontrollably, and simply says: “I’m fed up.”
31 July 2019, 18:43
A Dutch-style police chase
Dutch police arrest Dutch pickpocket in the most Dutch way possible.
(According to Reddit) #WhatTheDutch pic.twitter.com/SvOiV0532t
— Brandon Lust (@CaraiVei1) July 30, 2019
Forget guns, sirens and all that lark – this officer simply pedals up alongside a pickpocket nonchalantly and cuffs him without barely saying a word. Now that’s efficient policing!
31 July 2019, 18:43
Part of Road World Championships course collapses with less than two months to go
8 weeks until the world championships in Yorkshire and this is the current state of the bridge half way up Grinton Moor pic.twitter.com/zQfWujAGeC
— Sam Blades (@SamBlades93) July 30, 2019
Intense flash flooding in Yorkshire has caused vehicles to be swept away and roads to collapse, and with the Road World Championships coming to Yorkshire in September this is what a part of the course now looks like. The road up Grinton Moor between Wensleydale and Swaledale is completely impassable after a bridge collapsed, with over 3 inches of rain falling in less than 24 hours and hailstones ‘the size of pickled onions’ were reported.
The Ard Rock enduro mountain bike festival, due to take place this weekend, has already been cancelled because of the flooding, with the organisers saying on their Facebook page that they are “doing everything in our power to ensure our team on the ground is safe, and we can support all those who need help.”
31 July 2019, 18:43
It takes two
Some accidentally very clever photography going on here…
31 July 2019, 18:43
Transcontinental Race breaking news: Fiona Kolbinger now in overall lead as Jonathan Rankin pulls out
Rankin cited horrendous foot pains for his reason for dropping out, but saying it had been “a pleasure” despite being forced to ‘scratch’ from the race.
For years we’ve waited, knowing it is possible. Finally and with a vengeance, Fiona Kolbinger has arrived @transconrace. I’m rooting for her. Rockstar. What a time for our sport. pic.twitter.com/VSVEJv1QS0
— James Hayden (@JamesMarkHayden) July 31, 2019
It means that Fiona Kolbinger is now leading the race overall, having just crossed the border between Italy and Switzerland – the tweet of support above is from James Hayden, who won the 2017 and 2018 editions. Ben Davies is in second, and quite far behind Davis in third is Sam Thomas. Could we get a first female overall winner of the annual epic in its seventh edition? The tracker can be found here.
Unfamiliar with the Transcon? Check out our handy guide.
31 July 2019, 18:43
If you thought Fiona Kolbinger's Transcon lead was impressive, wait till you see the Strava evidence
Kolbinger is riding for around 17 hours a day so far at a hugely impressive average speed, clocking up her biggest day yet yesterday covering 475km. If she keeps this up, there can only be one winner.
Link to her Strava profile is here if you want to feel very inspired/completely jealous.
31 July 2019, 18:43
Video: NYPD officers ticket 45-year-old cyclist – for ignoring non-existent helmet law
Video has emerged of two New York Police Department officers ticketing a 45-year-old cyclist for not wearing a helmet – even though it is not illegal to ride a bike there without one.
Adults pulled over for not wearing helmets. What’s most impressive about this video (not where they parked) but that they quote the law with such authority, even #2 pulling out his phone and offering a legal opinion with a little swagger, all the time being dead ass wrong. pic.twitter.com/lHVJ4DytXo
— Daniel Flanzig (@NYbikelawyer) July 30, 2019
In the incident, which happened on Saturday morning in Brooklyn when Ricky Bernstein, his wife and two other cyclists were pulled over for riding through a red light, an officer told him: “In New York City, you should not be riding without a helmet.”
Bernstein said that the four were kept waiting for 45 minutes while officers tried to determine if they had broken any other offences other than riding through the red light.
He told the pair: “A helmet’s not a law either,” to which one of the officers responded sceptically, “It’s not? OK.”
“No, it’s not,” Bernstein continued. “I’m 100 per cent positive.” He was correct; in New York, only cyclists aged 14 years and below have to wear a helmet.
The NYPD subsequently said in a statement: “The summons issued to the male for not wearing a helmet was issued in error and has been voided.”
The court summons issued for running the red light still stands, however.
31 July 2019, 18:43
TfL's cycling grants helping people to get out on bike rides
Yesterday @Heidi_LDN & I visited @Time_Talents and saw how they’ve used @tfl’s Cycling Grants funding to offer cycle rides for older people in Southwark.
We’ve increased the funding & expanded it to include walking. Find out how to apply here: https://t.co/bQdzNnR9zg pic.twitter.com/xpCfwICNy5
— Will Norman (@willnorman) July 31, 2019
Funded by TfL’s community grants scheme, with a total of £500,000 in grants made available, Time Talents are running a befriending program that offers older people bike rides around London with willing riders. London’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner Will Norman had a go at taking two willing participants for a spin yesterday.
Alan (87) and Bill (96) have been enjoying cycling with @Time_Talents befriending programme, funded by @tfl‘s community grants. Yesterday, they braved the rain and (even more bravely) let me cycle them around Southwark, while telling me how the area has changed. pic.twitter.com/drybStDyTI
— Will Norman (@willnorman) July 31, 2019
31 July 2019, 18:43
How much do you really love your bike?
Randy cyclist has to be cut free after having sex with his bike and getting todger trapped in the gears https://t.co/Ltp10dexJK
— The Sun (@TheSun) July 31, 2019
Probably not as much as this guy (apologies for the S*n link).
31 July 2019, 18:43
North London Dirt gravel ride returns on Sunday 8th September
Here’s an event that looks a lot of fun, and it’s for charidee!
Back for a second year, the North London Dirt II is a 70-mile gravel ride that heads out of London, starting Rapha Spitalfields CC and returning to London N16 via a mix of quiet roads, urban cut-throughs, gravel tracks and fun singletrack.
The event is open to about 100 riders with all profits going to a local charity, the St Mary’s Centre in Stoke Newington. You can get your entry in at www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-ride-journal-17443784689 and it costs £22.
It’s a brand new route this year and takes in “many back roads, dirt tracks and gravel paths as we’ve been able to fit in” say the organisers. They say anything over a 32mm cyclocross tyre is fit for the task so best leave your skinny slicks at home.
The organisers also add that it’s no sportive, there won’t be arrows at every junction, so you’ll need a degree of navigational ability (or download the route to your cycling computer) and be self-supported with enough food and spares to get you round.
(Photo © Dan Glasser)
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s 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 road.cc 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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Latest Comments
wtjs 3 hours ago
@Xenophon2 I agree. I tried a different route from Garstang to Leeds on Saturday to avoid the Death Highways from Barnoldswick to Skipton. I had to turn off Hazard warnings on the 1040 because people have ruined the hazard facility by warning about every pothole, instead of only the bad ones. UK roads are full of them, and the red Hazard was turning up constantly. Similarly, radar is useless in the UK because nutter drivers are everywhere and the alarm will be going off all the time. I'm convinced this is a good radar and it's what I'd get if I had any use for it. I'm pretty sure it would have warned me about this Stagecoach bus on The Lancashire Terminator Express, and lots of the other vehicles as well- then what? ttps://upride.cc/incident/px12dnv_stagecoach41_closepass/
perce 4 hours ago
It's just the same on cucumber growers websites. Only last week, a Tuesday I think it was, there was an article on growing courgettes. I don't grow courgettes. I was livid and thought I was going to spontaneously combust. Luckily my wife knows the signs - steam rising from my boots, speaking in tongues- and was on hand to throw a bucket of water over me. She always seems to have a bucket of water handy. And as for red tomato growers websites? Don't get me started.
mdavidford 5 hours ago
What size of golf balls though?
eburtthebike 5 hours ago
Given that humour, as defined by no less than Charlie Chaplin, is someone else's misfortune. it is clear that anyone who makes a joke should be fired. Which reminds me of the terrible joke about what the ring master said when the human cannonball died "It'll be difficult to find another man of his calibre." Fire me now to save time.
Rendel Harris 5 hours ago
@Mr Blackbird Yes, I've been on the rugby field when a sudden storm of about 3mm stones erupted, like being shot by a thousand air rifles at once and as you say, the temperature plummet was incredible. Memorable also for the sight of props who hadn't broken above a jog in two decades and who thought you were a wuss if you went off for a mere broken arm suddenly doing creditable Linford Christie impressions in the rush for shelter!
Mr Blackbird 6 hours ago
@Rendel Harris I just finished watching a recording of today's stage and the hailstones appeared to be somewhere around blueberry sized. Possibly large enough to cause somebody to crash if they rode over one at the wrong angle. A few years ago I was riding a time trial on the A428 in Cambs. It was around 18 - 20 deg C. At around the half way point the heavens opened. The temperature must have dropped by about 10 degC almost immediately. Within about a minute, I was completely soaked and riding through about 10mm deep water on the carriageway, with my visor fogging up. The worst thing though was the feeling of shock. Had I been near the HQ I would have abandoned. The Vuelta riders must have experienced something much much worse than me, especially as they will have been acclimatised to 30+ degC in recent weeks. Hopefully none of them will get ill as a result of today - it was only stage 3, so pressed their immune systems aren't yet too stressed.
GravelIsNothingNew 6 hours ago
Sounds like this bike should have 5 stars 🤩…why only 4?
GravelIsNothingNew 6 hours ago
Poor you! 😂 Humans have been cycling gravel roads since bikes were invented. Tarmac is not the definition of road.
Rendel Harris 7 hours ago
Hailstones the size of golf balls Ryan? It was bad but I've seen a "golf ball sized" hailstorm (in Spain, as it happens, from a safe shelter) and they smash glass and can knock people unconscious, often with skull fractures - no way would the riders have been able to carry on until they found shelter in that type of storm, it would have been every man for himself under the nearest tree or rock.
Eton Rifle 7 hours ago
Oh, get over yourself. For many of us, the shit state of UK roads means that a gravel bike IS a road bike now.
13 thoughts on “Live blog: Doctors untangle cyclist’s dangly bits after he gets them stuck in bike bits (somehow); N London Dirt Gravel ride returns; Fiona Kolbinger leads Transcontinental Race; Video: NYPD ticket cyclist for breaking non-existent helmet law + more”
I have huge respect for Pinot
I have huge respect for Pinot and love the way he attacks races.
That sounds like he’s
That sounds like he’s retiring
I blame the flooding on all
I blame the flooding on all the people on r/britishproblems who wished the hot weather would go away.*
*and global warming.
Fiona. You rock.
Fiona. You rock.
I’ve never crossed the Swiss
I’ve never crossed the Swiss-Slovenian border. You must show me where it is sometime so that I can go there.
clayfit wrote:
But the Swiss-Slovenian border is huge! – literally millions of people live on the border between Switzerland and Slovenia
If I were the NY cyclists I
If I were the NY cyclists I might be tempted to fight the red light thing, if BOTH officers can be mistaken about the laws that they are meant to be enforcing, they may be mistaken about the colour (sorry, color) of the light when the cyclists rode through the junction.
ktache wrote:
Wouldn’t do you any good. Even if you won (which you shouldn’t, as you broke the law), US police forces are basically I’ll-controlled paramilitary units. You’d end up being targeted every time they fancied a go at you. Literally sitting outside your house and following you when you left, watching for any minornteansgression and inventing one if you didn’t commit any. If you were super unlucky you might end up getting shot. Why anyone chooses to live there is an absolute mystery to me.
Zebulebu wrote:
If I were the NY cyclists I might be tempted to fight the red light thing, if BOTH officers can be mistaken about the laws that they are meant to be enforcing, they may be mistaken about the colour (sorry, color) of the light when the cyclists rode through the junction.
— Zebulebu Wouldn’t do you any good. Even if you won (which you shouldn’t, as you broke the law), US police forces are basically I’ll-controlled paramilitary units. You’d end up being targeted every time they fancied a go at you. Literally sitting outside your house and following you when you left, watching for any minornteansgression and inventing one if you didn’t commit any. If you were super unlucky you might end up getting shot. Why anyone chooses to live there is an absolute mystery to me.— ktache
To be free?*
*may contain irony. In this case sufficient to be magnetic.
Well, that injury certainly
Well, that injury certainly beats being bitten by a disc brake rotor… “Yes, doctor, I fell… Yes, it is very unlucky…”
brooksby wrote:
Well he’s obviously using the wrong lubrication – in this weather he should have been using wet lube not dry.
Really feel for Pinot, he
Really feel for Pinot, he certainly hasn’t had great luck, and for a rider with so much pressure and expectation it must be pretty hard.
I hope he doesn’t give up, especially after showing just what kind of form he was in this year, FDJ looked like they’ve really got their heads around supporting him in races this year. I’ve always wondered how he might have fared if he’d signed to a different team a few years ago.
The randy ‘cyclist’ may or
The randy ‘cyclist’ may or may not actually be a cyclist, but that gear wheel he was trying to shag was certainly not off a bicycle! More likely that it’s from a moped or motorbike.
Perhaps he thought he was shagging a bicycle, but after getting intimate with the gears it turned out to be a cross mesher!