Live blog: “Don’t buy into the anti-cycling thing” – James May tells drivers to stop worrying about cyclists; Rich Energy changesWhyte Bikes ‘inpired’ logo after row; Fiona Kolbinger wins TCR + more

The biggest tragedy possible that could happen to the family, friends and teammates of Bjorg has happened… Rest in peace Bjorg… pic.twitter.com/9u9LZkp2Rt

— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) August 5, 2019

The Lotto-Soudal rider crashed at the Tour of Poland, and died in hospital yesterday. The race director  Czeslaw Lang has now said: “It wasn’t a high-speed descent. It was a straight and wide road.

“He had a moment of hesitation, he left the asphalt and the tragedy occurred.

“The injuries were so serious that we called for a helicopter and an ambulance. He was transported to hospital. His heart started beating again but he sadly died during the operation.”

The cycling world has been sharing condolences since the terrible news broke. 

Just so incredibly sad. Such a young talent doing something he loved. This sport can be so cruel at time. RIP Bjorg thoughts with all your friends and family

— Ben Swift (@swiftybswift) August 5, 2019

My deepest sympathy to his family, friends and teammates. RIP Bjorg

— Michael Rogers (@mickrogers) August 5, 2019

RIP Bjorg, My thoughts are with all of you close to this young star at these sad times.

— Magnus Backstedt (@Maggy_PR) August 5, 2019

No words, just shocked. Strength to his family, friends and his team. R.I.P Bjorg

— Paul Martens (@PMartens83) August 5, 2019

Fiona Kolbinger has won #TCRNo7 in a time of 10 days, 2 hours and 48 minutes. pic.twitter.com/w82QnWvi9e

— The Transcontinental (@transconrace) August 6, 2019

We’ve said it in our soon-to-be-updated feature and we’ll say it again today, but Kolbinger’s victory must surely go down as one of the most remarkable sporting stories of the year. The reason for that not being her gender, but the fact that she has claimed the 2019 Transcontinental Race is her first actual race, of any kind, and her victory was comfortable against many experienced ultra-cyclists. Transcontinental have summed it up as this: 

pic.twitter.com/jXXQy5f8tG

— The Transcontinental (@transconrace) August 6, 2019

Well done Fiona Kolbinger.
Winner of this year's @transconrace She had a 120-130km advantage over 2nd place for several days, but extended it to around 200km by riding through the last night while others slept. I expect that was a very tough night to get through. https://t.co/7PGgO3ywhu

— steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) August 6, 2019

Well done Fiona Kolbinger.
Winner of this year's @transconrace She had a 120-130km advantage over 2nd place for several days, but extended it to around 200km by riding through the last night while others slept. I expect that was a very tough night to get through. https://t.co/7PGgO3ywhu

— steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) August 6, 2019

Now this is how you do deliveries. 6 bikes on a bike.
Go on @rapha / @CanyonUK / @pedalmeapp. pic.twitter.com/xdrBcb4yWv

— Imandeep Kaur (@ImmyKaur) August 4, 2019

The support team of Christina Mackenzie, the Scottish endurance athlete who on Sunday morning set out to beat Lynne Biddulph’s 17-year-old record for being the fastest woman to ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats say she is “gutteed” at the prospect of just missing out on it.

Mackenzie is inside the final 40 miles as she heads up the Caithness coast, but after suffering from cold and fatigue overnight as she headed through the Highlands, she has been struggling on the hills today and would have to arrive at John O’Groats by 1245pm  to beat the record of 52 hours and 45 minutes, which is now out of reach.

Michael Broadwith, who last year broke the men’s record, which had also stood for 17 years,  and a maths teacher by profession, has been charting Mackenzie’s progress against Biddulph’s – they are the yellow and red lines here, respectively.

Mike the team couldn’t put it into words any better! @christina_mack is gutted but knows in her own mind this opportunity has passed. She is however continuing on to complete the full #LeJog2019 What a brave effort from a remarkable individual. https://t.co/Rxap8bZqeh

— Lejogmack (@Lejogmack) August 6, 2019

Helmsdale proving a real struggle for @Lejogmack it's a brutal climb to have so late in the ride, with a scarcely believable 787 miles in the legs. One should recall images of most of the early RRA pioneers, including Eileen Sheriden, who pushed their bikes up these final climbs pic.twitter.com/J102ky4bhd

— Mr Broadwith (@24HourMaths) August 6, 2019

Schedule had @Lejogmack at Helmsdale 0854, arrived there at 0929 = 35 mins behind schedule that breaks the record by 15 mins. So she is 20 minutes behind the record with 52 miles to go. Finish by 1245 to break record by 11 sec (!) – 52 miles in 3 hrs 16 min =15.9 mph required pic.twitter.com/YSrkaUymT4

— Mr Broadwith (@24HourMaths) August 6, 2019

Fiona Kolbinger said: “I am so, so, surprised to win. Even now. When I was coming into the race I thought that maybe I could go for the women’s podium, but I never thought I could win the whole race… I think I could have gone harder. I could have slept less.”

A Transcon press release has confirmed this was indeed her first ever ultra-distance race, ending in victory at the tender age of just 24. 

Image: AngusSung.co.uk for Transcontinental.cc

Organisers of the Tour de Pologne have neutralised today’s Stage 4 of the race following the death yesterday of Lotto-Soudal’s Bjorg Lamprecht following a crash earlier in the day. The stage has also been shortened to 133.7 kilometres, with the 22-year-old Belgian’s team mates leading the peloton away from the start.

Chapman lost a friend to suicide eight years ago, and in this video discusses how fitness has benefits that reach much further than just the physical benefits. 

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is a movement against suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK according to national statistics.

Why worry about cyclists..?

Click and have a look at what James May has to say about cyclists…
HINT: It’s good! pic.twitter.com/ltFxMK6biQ

— Stayin’ Alive at 1.5 (@SafeCyclingEire) August 5, 2019

A rousing pro-cycling speech, from an unlikely source… James May, who presented Top Gear alongside the not-so-pro-cycling Jeremy Clarkson between 2003-2015 and now co-presents The Grand Tour, has called on drivers to “live in peace” with fellow road users, and not to “buy into the anti-cycling thing”. Answering a question put to him about whether there are “any decent driving roads in the South East of England that are not full of cyclists”, May replied: “Why worry about cyclists? There are never that many of them. Bicycles are very narrow, it’s quite easy to get past them. Wait until it’s clear, you can give them a wide berth and just go for it.”

“Please let’s not have any of this road sectarianism, we have enough common enemies like potholes, legislators, bad drivers, bad riders, dogs, goats, donkeys walking around in the road, ice, mud… all of those affect all of us, don’t worry about cyclists. 

“Don’t worry about cyclists, don’t buy into the anti-cycling thing. It’s not worth it. Live free. Live in peace. Live with your brothers and sisters in love.”

Chapeau Mr. May – and do have a word with your colleague when you get the chance!

The two Aussies ‘celebrated’ cyclist-turn-triathlete Cam Wurf’s 36th birthday by climbing over 9,000 metres on a monster 270km ride up and down the Madone. You can head over to Porte’s Strava to see the details in full – Wurf is also worth a follow too if you want to be inspired by some seriously epic training days. 

No, it’s not Floyd Landis on the way to Morzine in the 2006 Tour de France, but Albert Hoffmann’s 1943 ‘Bicycle Day’ in Basel, Switzerland, when he rode home while taking the world’s first ever acid trip. Find out more about Brian Blomerth’s graphic novel about the LSD researchers landmark ride on the Guardian website.

More Strava news, and the Zwift CEO Eric Min has just shared a teaser of their new expanded route on the platform, so Zwifters will have an idea of what they’re in for. The “Watopia National Forest” segment connects the ends of the Fuego Flats desert, an expansion pack released back in April, and is expected to be available on the platform this week. 

We’re waiting to hear back from Canyon and various other sources on the exact ins and outs of Kolbinger’s bike and equipment she used, but this info she posted on Strava along with two photos before the Transcon began gives us a good idea.   

Her bike appears to be a stock Canyon Endurace WMN CF SL Disc 8.0 Di2, with some minor alterations made to make it TCR-ready. Kolbinger ran additional Di2 shifters on the end of her aerobars at the front, and it looks like the wheels are also modified with DT Swiss R 500 rims and a dynamo hub. 

 

 

 

 

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To all of the dotwatchers of the Transcontinental Race No.7 currently out on the road hoping to speak to our lead riders. We know your intentions are good and you just want to cheer on these amazingly talented cyclists who are passing so close. However, we are hearing that it’s becoming difficult for our lead riders – they are at the closing kilometres of the longest, toughest ride of their lives and this stage is the toughest. Please be respectful and keep your distance, do not flag them down to speak to you, this is a race. They are asking for your compassion and your kindness, let them enjoy the last days and hours of their solo adventure as they started it. Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation. #TCRNo7 #TCRNo7riders #BeMoreMike @jprobertson

A post shared by The Transcontinental (@thetranscontinental) on Aug 5, 2019 at 12:22pm PDT

Her kit bags are from Apidura, and she’s running Continental GP5000 tyres. A Rapha merino jersey and cheap and cheerful Giro Foray helmet completes her simple ensemble, and unusally she also started the race with two packs of chewing gum alongisde some Wiggle energy gels… 

Remember the row between Rich Energy and Whyte Bikes over use of the latter’s logo? Well, it seems that the sports nutrition brand has quietly altered its previous logo …  they’re still antlers, just less like the ones the bike firm has been using for years.