Welcome to Monday’s live blog, with Liam Cahill, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team…
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Live blog: Reason Wiggo smashed Knighthood gong AND SPoTY trophy; Apple Watch saves cyclist; Worlds junior TT champ goes wrong way AND wins; Rapha Yorkshire kit; Dropping the wattage bomb; Fast… but ugly TT lids; UCI gets a grip on socks +more
SUMMARY

The UCI take drastic action to stop the worst cheating in cycling...
Hahah the UCI declares once again the war on long socks at the World Championships in #Yorkshire19. This must be the silliest task during this week. pic.twitter.com/4i376AJUTB
— Bas Tietema (@BasTietema) September 22, 2019
And no, it’s not doping as you and I know it. This is sock doping and it seems to be the biggest threat to cycling’s future since the Festina scandal.
We’ve already heard about one way to beat the testers. Once the rider has pulled their socks down in the warmup area and had the ok from the commissaires, he/she simply rolls to the start line and pulls them back up again. The genius that came up with this workaround is called Michele and he said he knew a few more tricks for other UCI tests…
Dropping the wattage bombs
.@mathieuvdpoel‘s attack on Moskesstraat #PrimusClassic pic.twitter.com/aEYtv7EW58
— McEEV (@GosuSM) September 21, 2019
So, Van der Poel looks to be in decent form ahead of the Yorkshire Worlds next weekend.
Here he is casually dropping Sagan and Van Avermaet up a cobbled climb without looking remotely bothered.
Fast-enough to get away with being so ugly?
If you think the #POC road helmet is a nine on the ugly scale, their aero helmet goes to eleven.
Harry Tanfield, Daniel Bingham and John Archibald got Great Britain off to a flyer
(Image credit: Getty Images Sport)#Yorkshire2019https://t.co/VU9qlMHD8s pic.twitter.com/h2Ek27qUlr— David C Allen (@dc411en) September 22, 2019
POC’s TT lid isn’t exactly a looker but it did help the British mixed relay team to a bronze medal yesterday.
But does this go a bit far? Have you seen an uglier helmet?
Comments and photographic evidence below, please.
Mudbath cyclocross is the best cyclocross
It was a tad muddy over at the 2nd round of the UCI World Cup CX in Waterloo, USA.
Rising British star Evie Richards slogged her way through the heavy mud to take third in the elite women’s race while Eli Iserbyt and Toon Aerts swapped the lead of the men’s race before Iserbyt broke free to take the win.
Might as well just throw that skinsuit in the bin though. No amount of Vanish will fix that.
John Archibald uploads World TTT Mixed Relay bronze medal ride to Strava


We might have giggled at their TT helmets earlier, but these are some incredible stats.
Archibald stormed around the course with Harry Tanfield and Dan Bigham at an average speed of 44.6kph. The weighted average power of 400W for 18min29sec is tiring just to think about!
How did you spend #CarFreeDay?
Today was London’s biggest ever #CarFreeDay! London stood with cities all over the world in reimagining our amazing city without cars and embraced walking, cycling and even dancing #LetLondonBreathe pic.twitter.com/cqDyp9q9xn
— London Gov (@LDN_gov) September 22, 2019
Sweet gravel action from Jeroboam
Meanwhile, in Italy over the weekend our David took part in the Jeroboam gravel race. Here’s a little video teaser ahead of a full report and in-depth video, as shot from his handlebars. Really shows the wide range of trails used.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by David J Arthur (@davidjarthur) on
Rider goes wrong way in Junior Women's TT at World Championships - and still wins
Russia’s Aigul Gareeva took a wrong turn in the Junior Women’s Time Trial at the UCI Road World Championships in Harrogate this morning – but still managed to win the gold medal.
Gareeva, one of the final riders out on the course, had been set to shatter the best time set moments before by the Dutch rider Shirin van Anrooij and still beat here with more than 3.61 seconds in hand despite going straight on at the final corner.
When you do this….
…but win anyway!!What a ride from Aigul Gareeva! #Yorkshire2019 pic.twitter.com/LTNlO00pAz
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 23, 2019
The mistake happened at the point on the course, the deviation, where vehicles are required to exit, with the Russian going straight on despite the marshal signalling for her to go right. She immediately realised her error, the mistake costing her 10-15 seconds.
Great Britain’s Elynor Backstedt, who nearly crashed early on after her back wheel slid out on a corner and she almost hit the barriers, finished 10.93 seconds behind the winner to take the bronze medal for the second year running.
Manchester cycling and walking route proposals get 69% approval from residents


Plans costing £13.4m to introduce cycle-friendly changes to select routes in Manchester have been met with 69% approval from local residents.
The proposal includes advanced stop lanes for cyclists and changes to bus stops with floating stop points planned with cycle lane bypasses.
One feature that is going to be used on a trial basis is the ‘Copenhagen-style’ bus stop pictured above.
The 5km route will link with current routes, taking people right into the city centre. The scheme looks set to include large sections of segregated cycle and walkways alongside updated crossings that will better serve cyclists.
If only all local councils were this proactive around cycling infrastructure.
Canine Chaos
This amazing edit was created by Tannus Armour for International Dog Day.
It’s amazing how fast the dogs are over such rrruff terrain!
Greg LeMond to Receive Congressional Gold Medal
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One of America’s greatest ever cyclists will be honoured with one of his country’s highest civilian awards.
The three-time Tour de France winner will be recognised for ‘distinguished achievements’, though the House’s approval is subject to passing a vote in the Senate and then final approval must be granted by Donald Trump.
Possibly handy if you can't pee for the anti-doping chaperone ... ?
I know which tent I’d rather be in. #trekcxcup @thirdspacebrews @TrekBikes pic.twitter.com/BOHxhevaXl
— Casey Kohner (@CaseyKohner) September 21, 2019
Look at the procession of bikes at the CamCycle Cargo Festival!
With the Cambridge Festival of Cycling in full swing, Satuday saw more than 100 riders take part in Camcycle’s Cargo Carnival, enjoying a party atmosphere on Lammas Land and riding in procession through the city centre.
A little taster of the AMAZING #CargoCarnival we held today as part of the Cambridge Festival of Cycling. Thank you so much to everyone who came as a cyclist, visitor, trader, guest or volunteer – we had such a brilliant day pic.twitter.com/WhQ9ZpfecO
— Camcycle (@camcycle) September 21, 2019
The charity’s executive director, Roxanne De Beaux, said: “On the weekend of World Car-Free Day, it’s been great to show Cambridge just how versatile cycling can be as a replacement for many car journeys.
There have been so many different types of cargo bike here, as well as tandems, trailers, child seats, baskets and panniers.
We hope it has inspired more businesses and families to choose cycling as an efficient and cost-effective way to get around town.”
‘New Nibali’ Tiberi puts in stunning ride after disastrous start to win Men’s Junior TT title
Antonio Tiberi, dubbed the ‘New Nibali’ by the Italian press, overcame a disastrous start in Harrogate this afternoon to win the Men’s Junior Time Trial title at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships.
Immediately after rolling down the start ramp, the 18-year-old realised his cranks were broken but kept supreme coolness to place his bike next to his team car at the first corner, waiting patiently for the mechanic to hand him a spare bike.
Nightmare start for Antonio Tiberi – he’s had to change bike before even getting round the first corner!
Respect for keeping so calm in such a high stress situation. #Yorkshire2019 pic.twitter.com/OE4RnUzjNT
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) September 23, 2019
The incident cost him a huge amount of time before he had hardly begun the two laps of the Harrogate circuit, and at the first time check he clocked what would be the 25th quickest time of the day, 35.56 seconds down on the fastest.
Many riders would have given up after that disastrous start, but not Tiberi, who rode a stunning time trial that had him in the hot seat as the final group of riders set off, including his compatriot and defending champion Andrea Piccolo, the defending champion.
None would better Tiberi’s time, however, with Enzo Leijsne of the Netherlands finishing second, 8 seconds down on the Italian’s time of 38:28, with Germany’s Marco Brenner taking bronze, 5 seconds further back.
As reported earlier today on the live blog, there was drama in the Women’s Junior Time Trial too, with the Russian rider Aigul Gareeva going the wrong way on the final right hand turn and ending up in the deviation where race vehicles are directed, but fortunately having enough in hand to win the rainbow jersey by 4 seconds.
Sir Bradley Wiggins says he smashed his knighthood badge and Sports Personality award
December 2012 was a month when Sir Bradley Wiggins was in the public eye – beyond the cycling world – as never before.


The end of a year in which he became the first British rider to win the Tour de France and followed that up less than a fortnight later by winning his fourth Olympic gold medal as he took the time trial at London 2012 saw him voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, as well as being knighted in the New Year’s Honours List.
If you’ve been following him recently on his Eurosport podcast, or during his appearances in the network’s coverage of the Tour de France and, more recently, the Vuelta, you’ve probably noticed that Wiggins in 2019 seems more at ease with himself than he did back then.
He’s now revealed on his podcast that he has smashed both that Sports Personality trophy, as well as well as the medal he received when the Queen knighted him at Buckingham Palace back in 2013.
” I smashed my Sports Personality trophy, I smashed my knighthood in front of my kids and chucked them in the flower bed to make a point to them,” he said.
“I wanted to show them that it’s not the material items that we now polish on the mantelpiece for the rest of our lives to elevate dad in our household as something special.”
An avid collector of cycling memorabilia – £45,000 for a Giro d’Italia winner’s jersey anyone? – plus in the past, guitars and classic scooters, among other things, Wiggins has certainly had a good few of those materialistic baubles to polish in his time.
He’s possibly the most complex figure in British sport of the past 40-odd years, with perhaps only Paul Gascoigne challenging him for that title. By destroying those baubles, will he have found a bit more peace in himself?
Apple Watch calls 911, notifies family, after cyclist knocked unconscious
A Facebook user in the United States has posted about how the Apple Watch his father was wearing when he was knocked unconscious while riding his bike not only notified the family of the incident, but also automatically called 911 to summon emergency services to the scene.
Gabe Burdett had arranged to meet his father Bob for a Sunday afternoon bike ride earlier this month when he was notified that his father had been involved in a ‘Hard Fall,’ detected by the Apple device, which also alerted emergency services.
Luckily, Bob had set up his Apple Watch to make those notifications, with the website Tech Lapse explaining here how that can be done.
Rapha does Yorkshire


Like much of the cycling world Rapha are in Yorkshire this week hanging out in Harrogate enjoying the Road World Champs and as you’d expect they’ve created a range of special Yorkshire themed kit to celebrate that fact.
The mini range comprises mens and women’s Yorkshire Classic Flyweight Jerseys at £90 a pop; a rather natty cotton Yorkshire Musette at £20; a Yorkshire cap (no, it’s not flat – they missed a trick there) also £20; and a Yorkshire t-shirt at £30.


The print design for the jerseys, cap and bag are derived from the Dales according to Rapha – think cubist puddles – they look pretty snazzy actually. The jerseys are made from a light weight, high wicking material so if you’re actually wearing one in Yorkshire don’t forget to stick a good thick vest on underneath. And pack a waterproof.
We’re sort of surprised Rapha don’t aren’t also producing a special Yorkshire umbrella. It’s be a winner.
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris Whilst a large number of drivers who have killed & injured others may shed crocodile tears (your legal advisor will certainly advise you to do so). They all have to live with the consequences. This will obviously weigh more heavily on some than others. I know someone who was involved in an accident, in their youth, where someone was killed. They were not at fault. They have not driven since. They did not want to be in the position where they felt responsible for another injury or death, even if it wasn't their fault. Having said all that, I don't see why an expression of remorse (or hardship) is a mitigating factor in sentencing. Lack of remorse, I would suggest, should be seen to be an aggravating factor.
@the little onion Yep, there's a certain troll of this parish (not, to be fair, the regular idiot but another one who turns up occasionally) who, in addition to stating that there's no point in sending drivers to prison if they kill or maim cyclists unless they were speeding or drunk frequently asks us to "have sympathy for the driver who will suffer the trauma of this unfortunate event for the rest of their lives."
@the little onion You're right! I hope we don’t see this kind of garbage come to the UK, we are seeing the seeds being sewn already Yes, by the police. They're happy to send out the despicably insincere 'thoughts and prayers' when a cyclist is killed, but actively work against anything being done about the close-passing we're enduring day in, day out. They refuse to do anything about the hordes of vehicles being driven around without MOT, and this forgiving nature persists even when the vehicle has failed MOT for serious safety defects. ttps://upride.cc/incident/kv69ztm_vivaro_closepass/ etc. etc
@eburtthebike eburtthebike Don't forget how much airtime and how many column inches are devoted to climate change denial, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
@eburtthebike eburtthebike Don't forget how much airtime and how many column inches are devoted to climate change denial, despite the overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary.
It’s already here on a milder level. Every time someone holds cyclists mutually responsible for the behaviour of bad cyclists. Every time someone talks about how arrogant cyclists are, how they think they own the road, and other instances of projection. Every time some journalist makes a joke about beheading cyclists with piano wire, a joke that wouldn’t be made about any other road user, and every time someone goes ahead and stretches wire across a bike path.
I don't give a shit who's riding them, but I am definitely someone who would happily consign every electric motorcycle weaving around pedestrianised areas to the scrapheap and fine Deliveroo for the privilege at the same time.
@jaymack yeah it’s definitely not something you want to leave unattended. The larger 4-sucker version can be ‘secured’ via a think wire tether that gets shut in the rear car door, but a decent pair of tin snips will go through it in one go. I do like how compact this is - could easily go into luggage on a flight, and then be used on a rental car.
It was a frustrating waste of time trying to get a ticket on Friday - 20 minutes in a queue before getting to the intro page, but with no option to select tickets! Had to refresh several times before a 'buy' button appeared, but there was nothing left by that time. It was still several minutes before a 'sold out' banner appeared. Even then, it was still possible to access the 'buy' button, despite zero availability. Why is it that after decades of online ticket sales, pretty much no company or organisation manages to do it properly? Oh well, I'll just join the great unwashed lining the Royal Mile, hoping to catch a flash of a jersey between the viewers around me. At least I got to see the Giro presentation in Belfast for free, and I plan on viewing Stage 1 from a yet to be determined location. (image: Landing page with no 'buy' button)
@Clem Fandango A few years ago, I regularly used Amazon deliveries. On one sad occasion, a driver, in his haste, tripped in my corridor and gave himself a concussion by whacking his head on the open front door. I left him with a neighbour whilst I moved his van and called an ambulance. The van stank, probably because he practically lived in it. It was full of plastic bottles of piss, presumably because he couldn't afford to have a day where there were reasonable comfort brakes. God knows how tired he must have been. In the end I took him to hospital as the ambulance was taking too long. Amazon sent a person in less than an hour. Not to see if he was alright, but to collect the van and continue with the deliveries. I imagine this problem will be 'solved' in a couple of years as the human will no longer be required to drive the van 16 hours a day as an AI will be doing it. Fewer concussions perhaps, but not sure that's going to be much comfort to the chap who brained himself on my door. I regret my prior use of Amazon.
17 thoughts on “Live blog: Reason Wiggo smashed Knighthood gong AND SPoTY trophy; Apple Watch saves cyclist; Worlds junior TT champ goes wrong way AND wins; Rapha Yorkshire kit; Dropping the wattage bomb; Fast… but ugly TT lids; UCI gets a grip on socks +more”
Re: Sock doping. There was at
Re: Sock doping. There was at least one doper caught out – live on TV – the shame! But the device is hardly new, I had one in the 70’s as a kid…
Monty Python has infiltrated
Monty Python has infiltrated the UCI.
Rick_Rude wrote:
They’ve been there a long time, just ask Graeme Obree about his superman position.
burtthebike wrote:
Clink!
Screw!
Bend!
Inflate!
Alter Saddle!
Sock dopers, dirty cheaters
Sock dopers, dirty cheaters ruining the sport for everyone, even Lord Voldemort (he who should not be named) didn’t stoop as low as sock doping!
Let us all just hope that no one tells the UCI that bib-longs and 3/4 lengths are also a thing!
I’m pretty sure we’ll be reaching ‘peak marginal gains’ soon, I’m half expecting Egan Bernal to turn up at next years tour wearing a head to toe morph suit.
Van Der Poels attack after
Van Der Poels attack after 237k’s is brutal, Sagan and GregVA hanging on for dear life.. but Matthieu looks like he could go again. Can’t wait for Sunday!
peted76 wrote:
Apparently he went on a 100km training ride straight after finishing this race !! The pro ranks must be wondering what’s hit them
Not only was the attack
Not only was the attack impressive, so was the bottle snaffling. Such a shame van Aert is injured, would have loved to have seen those two go head to head in Yorkshire
“If only all local councils
“If only all local councils were this proactive around cycling infrastructure.”
If only everyone had Chris Boardman pushing cycling advocacy.
Snapped crank axle? That’s a
Snapped crank axle? That’s a first for me? How, exactly? Impressive powah for a nipper.
That POC helmet iimediately
That POC helmet iimediately reminded me of Twiki from the Buck Rogers TV show from the 1970’s
biddy biddy biddy Buck!
biddy biddy biddy Buck!
Good story about the Apple
Good story about the Apple watch.
My Garmin has called emergency services and my nearest and dearest twice when I rode over potholes in Central London. First I knew about it was receiving a call from one of the n&d. Nothing from emergency services, but at least I know who stays in my will and who gets written out.
Wiggo needs to try a bit
Wiggo needs to try a bit harder at not trying so hard all the time. Maybe talk a little less.
If Teberi is the new Nibiali,
If Teberi is the new Nibiali, let’s just hope he’s not hanging onto wing mirrors for marginal gains
I honestly think Wiggo has
I honestly think Wiggo has lost the plot somewhat. Most of what he is saing outside of cycling is utter drivel and a cry for ‘look at me everyone’. If he wants to smash up a trophy, that a hugh number of people voted for him to win, then do it but don’t go tell everyone about it. Worse still is the disrespect to his knighthood.
I really admired his attempt into rowing; now that’s a hard sport. Now, he ‘doesn’t give a sh*t about his career..’ but wait a minute ‘I wish I had ridden another Tour….’, but now I am gonna be a Social worker.
Sorry, Sir Bradley but I think you need have a bit of think what happens next and maybe, perhaps keep it to yourself?
He won the trophy for having
He won the trophy for having a personality. He can smash it up if he likes. And he’s great on tv unlike most of them (e.g fellow triamcinolone enthusiast Millar).