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
@courteousdriver sadly there are far too many bad drivers (and indeed cyclists) out there There are also far too many pathetic lying trolls making up stories about cyclists shaking fists and perverting the course of justice by deliberately fabricating a false close-passing offence. All very reminiscent of the hilarious 'I've lost count of the number of times cyclists have knocked over my wheelchair' or whatever it was, so I declare you to be a PLT, and a PBU with slightly less certainty and therefore unworthy of any further consideration
Hi Rendel. I looked at your Chelsea-London commute video in which you tried to usher back a tailgater then shouted F*** O** to the driver who subsequently overtook you, in a residential area as you passed by a pedestrian waiting to cross the road. Neither he nor the residents wanted to hear your profanity. My point is this. It's not an ideal world and sadly there are far too many bad drivers (and indeed cyclists) out there. Busy, frustrated people in too much of a hurry. I'm 62 now, retired, and never in a hurry. I have time to slow down or pull over if I sense the driver behind wants to overtake. Gesticulating at any such driver is never going to end well. Just let the idiot pass. Pull in if necessary. Don't try to usher them back which will inevitably infuriate the crazy driver. Take a look back at your video and think what you could have done differently. Safe riding
The cyclist here needs to look into Section 142 of the Magistrates' Court Act 1980, firstly because there was no offence, and secondly because it appears that the police mislead the Court. "A magistrates’ court may vary or rescind a sentence or other order imposed or made by it when dealing with an offender if it appears to the court to be in the interests of justice to do so;] and it is hereby declared that this power extends to replacing a sentence or order which for any reason appears to be invalid by another which the court has power to impose or make." https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/43/section/142
I wonder how well advised the cyclist was in Court? And in this case would cycling legal insurance cover the cost of a specialist solicitor?
@quiff I would expect the police had not been trained with the change, perhaps.
@courteousdriver The Highway Code does not differentiate between cars and bikes in this instance, it says that when overtaking parked cars you must give way to oncoming traffic. It's not for you to decide whether or not they have sufficient space in your opinion, you should not drive in the oncoming traffic lane if there is any oncoming traffic, full stop. Not a difficult rule to understand and one that one would have thought a self-named courteousdriver would have no trouble obeying.
@mctrials23 It seems to me that the car moved closer to the kerb on his side of the road, and the cyclist was able to proceed entirely within his own lane - both at very slow speed. So there is no ground for an offence. The concerning point is that the copper thinks that the same "gap" should apply to the different types of vehicle. That's peak carbrain.
Peripheral to your point, but parking facing oncoming traffic is advised against at all times, but only an offence at night, I think?
@mac f 1896 If you look closely at the video you will see that the cyclist remains entirely in his own lane on his side of the white lines as he passes the oncoming vehicle, which also stays entirely within its lane. There is therefore no need for either road user to give way to the other and as they are both travelling at low speeds there is no danger to themselves or to any other road users. I would love to see a transcript of the magistrates' court proceedings as prima facie there is no justification in law for the guilty finding or for the penalty imposed.
@perce pedantry but I think Séamus Ennis would be scunnered with that ... had he not been Irish... (Uilleann pipes are bagpipes of course, though personally I'd much rather those - or small pipes - than the GHB)
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).