Cyclist grabs the headlines with Hollywood moment (apparently he’s a footballer too); Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lanes? Because a skip, bins, and a sideways-parked car are in the way; Roubaix reaction + THAT post-monument run + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Easter news round-up
From a scintillating weekend at the Queen of the Classics, which featured a surprise winner, chaotic racing, shocking crashes, and untimely punctures, to dodgy stout delivery drivers and good old-fashioned council backtracking, here’s what you may have missed from the cycling world while you were scoffing all those eggs over the Bank Holiday weekend…
> Mathieu van der Poel wins fastest ever Paris-Roubaix after Wout van Aert puncture drama
> Cobbles crash ends Peter Sagan’s final Paris-Roubaix
> Paris-Roubaix safety concerns as tacks found on the course
> My Guinness! Truck driver smashes down cycle lane wands, cuts across and parks on the pavement
> Scrapped funding puts the future of 1,000 bike hangars in doubt
> Helmet market to grow by over $300 million globally in the next four years
> World Masters champion killed after being hit head-on in cycle lane by “speeding” driver
> Hundreds sign petition opposing cycle lane to protect trees… and parking space
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lanes? Part 10,985
I really wish the above number were just a mildly amusing exaggeration, but I feel like we’re swiftly approaching those lofty heights of bike lane blocking on the live blog…
In Belfast, where cycle lane obstructing is becoming a national sport (along with not sitting in government), bike lanes aren’t actually designed for people on bikes, you see.
They’re really storage units for bins and skips, while the bollards – far from keeping cyclists safe from encroaching drivers (ha!) – provide a handy marker for motorists who’ve spotted a lovely sideways parking space near the city centre:
“Why do cyclists never use cycle lanes?”
The cycle lanes: pic.twitter.com/8taXrPpaiJ
— The Belfast Urbanist 💚🚋 (@BelfastUrbanist) April 10, 2023
And just around the corner…..🤦♀️ pic.twitter.com/BKMYx5tPuz
— North Belfast Cycle Campaign (@NBCycleCampaign) April 10, 2023
It is so very frustrating. There is so little cycling infrastructure in the city, so to see it treated like this is really disheartening.
— North Belfast Cycle Campaign (@NBCycleCampaign) April 10, 2023
Sum up Paris-Roubaix in one image (okay, two… or, three, or four)
Well, what a weekend of racing that was at the Queen of the Classics. To be honest, I’m not sure I’ve fully recovered from the edge-of-your-seat drama of the women’s race…
Recency bias may be creeping in here, but I can’t think of a better final 50km than that epic, archaic, confusing, baffling, chaotic, drama-filled spectacle we witnessed on Saturday.
And has there ever been a more deserving winner of a one-day classic than Alison Jackson? Incredible stuff.
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Obviously, Wout van Aert’s ill-timed puncture on the Carrefour de l’Arbre robbed us of a showdown for the ages in the men’s race, but that long-range move by the Magnificent Seven, who eventually coalesced after the Arenberg, proved that the template for racing monuments has been well and truly ripped up in recent years.
And who could argue against a Mathieu van der Poel victory, which saw the Dutchman become only the fourth rider in history to win Milan-Sanremo and Roubaix in the same year, after the desperately unlucky John Degenkolb, Sean Kelly, and Cyrille van Hauwaert?
To celebrate one of the best weekends of racing ever, here’s a gallery of some of the images that sum up the beauty and cruelty of Paris-Roubaix.
First up, the ecstasy:
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
… And the agony, epitomised by Marianne Vos nailing the trademark Roubaix thousand-yard stare:
Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
And Degenkolb’s sense of what might have been…
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
Though maybe Silvan Dillier was just contemplating the Alpecin afterparty?
Finish Paris-Roubaix, run half-marathon, have dinner: A day in the life of Ineos pro and Ironman Cameron Wurf
While the weekend undoubtedly belonged to Alison Jackson and Mathieu van der Poel, the post-Hell discourse on Monday focused on a rider who finished a lowly 128th in the Roubaix velodrome on Sunday.
Professional triathlete Cameron Wurf, who dabbles in a bit of domestique work for the Ineos Grenadiers on the side, set the internet ablaze on Sunday evening when he posted details of what some may describe as a pretty excessive warm down after 260km over the bone-shattering cobbles of northern France during the fastest ever Paris-Roubaix on record.
Nobody: “Might go for a 20km run after finishing #ParisRoubaix”
Cam Wurf: “Hold my bike!” pic.twitter.com/FFR5IwCpbn
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) April 10, 2023
While Alpecin-Deceuninck were plotting which disco they were heading to next on Sunday evening, 39-year-old Australian Wurf was completing the equivalent of a half-marathon, and in a jaw-droppingly fast time too:
Or maybe he was just using the same GPS tracker as Tom Pidcock? (Though judging by Wurf’s Ironman results, I’d say not…)
To continue with the ‘Using the hardest bike races in the world as training for triathlons’ theme, Wurf then went out for a relatively casual 50km spin on his bike yesterday, before completing a 3,000m, 52 minute “limb loosening” swim this morning.
Alongside riding a few stage races and classics for Ineos, the Australian – the oldest rider at this year’s Paris-Roubaix – has also notched up a top five at an Ironman in South Africa, as he builds towards the world championships in Nice in September.
Cameron Wurf went for a 20 KM run AFTER finishing Roubaix? Is this man actually okay pic.twitter.com/wGNSni0wfI
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) April 10, 2023
Apparently Cameron Wurf ran a half marathon after racing Roubaix, I struggle stretching after a 2 hours ride, but ehi I am really good at crosswords
— Ginevra (@ginevragarga) April 11, 2023
While most fans have expressed their amazement at Wurf’s multi-tasking ability, GCN’s statsman Cillian Kelly, rather mischievously, pondered on Twitter whether Ineos leader Filippo Ganna, who battled to sixth in the Roubaix velodrome, may have benefitted from the support of a rider not treating the Hell of the North as phase one of his Sunday training plans:
Down over 20 minutes by the end of the race, but if I was Ganna, finding out that Wurf had enough energy left to go running 20km after Paris Roubaix, I would be wondering why Wurf was selected for the team in the first place.
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) April 10, 2023
Though, let’s face it, most of us would be confined to the sofa for a week after riding one-third of the Paris-Roubaix cobbles…
Wurf also found time before the race on Sunday morning to crack a few jokes with the motor-doping checkers, with whom he pleaded for some leniency based on his geriatric status in the bunch:
Cameron Wurf telling the UCI officials to stop scanning his bike because as the oldest guy he needs all the help he can get is sending me 🤣 #ParisRoubaix
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) April 9, 2023
I’m sure those pleas will fall on deaf ears when they see your Strava profile, Cameron…
Quad-pacing with Mads Pedersen
No extra bar tape, motor-pacing behind a quad… It’s safe to say that former world champion Mads Pedersen isn’t scared of taking his own, original approach to preparing for one of cycling’s oldest, most revered races.
Os treinos do @Mads__Pedersen para a #ParisRoubaix2023 pic.twitter.com/6Z7W6e6gIB
— O País do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) April 11, 2023
In any case, it worked – with the Dane putting in a quad-like assured ride over the rough stuff to finally and definitively crack the top 50 at Roubaix, outsprinting Stefan Küng and Filippo Ganna in the velodrome for fourth.
I’m sure a few quad hire shops in northern France are rubbing their hands in glee now…
“Leith Walk cycle lane explained at last”
Leith Walk cycle lane explained at last. https://t.co/BjaiC8sSce
— 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 (@overlandertheb1) April 11, 2023
Former Barnsley and Torquay midfielder issues ‘come and get me’ plea to road.cc’s Cycling Footballers XI
Now here’s a scoop that has Fabrizio Romano’s name written all over it…
Following Ben Foster’s heroics at the Racecourse Ground yesterday, former Barnsley, Torquay, and Preston North End midfielder Nicky Wroe has hinted on social media that he’d be interested in joining the bike-mad goalkeeper in road.cc’s illustrious Cycling Footballers XI:
@nickywroe How have you not made this article 😜?
— Ashley Marsh (@ashley_marsh) April 10, 2023
🤷🏼♂️
— nicky wroe (@nickywroe) April 10, 2023
However, according to our well-placed sources, co-managers Roberto Mancini and Neil Warnock are still contemplating whether they should acquiesce to current midfield general Remco Evenepoel’s astronomical contract demands, with Wroe potentially lined up as a ready-made replacement for the former PSV playmaker (and road race world champion).
Not sure what Roy Keane, currently languishing on the bench, giving off about Lycra shorts, will make of falling even further down the pecking order, mind you…
> Footballers who cycle XI — the Premier League stars who love life on two wheels
road.cc does Heat magazine: Pauline Ferrand-Prévot praises “fighter” (and boyfriend) Dylan van Baarle after horrific Arenberg crash at Paris-Roubaix which forced team doctor to “glue my face back together”
And now in the gossip section of today’s live blog…
Taylor and Kasia, Lizzie and Phil, move over – because is this cycling’s newest power couple?
Yesterday, the Ineos Grenadiers’ multi-discipline star Pauline Ferrand-Prévot posted what may well be the first photo of her and Dylan van Baarle as a couple (a photo of Van Baarle first appeared on the French rider’s Instagram back in February, for those paying attention), after the Jumbo-Visma classics specialist crashed heavily in the Arenberg Forest during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix.
“Well, I guess we didn’t want to have a boring and well-planned life. But together stronger and always keep fighting (and smiling…),” the 10-time world champion – across road, cyclocross, and mountain biking, posted.
“The Hell of the North earned its name (too) well… Endless wait yesterday to hear of Dylan’s health. He suffered fractures in his left hand and right elbow. But what a fighter (and boxer).”
Van Baarle, who was defending his Roubaix title (won in the colours of Ineos last year), told the AD-In Koers podcast that he was “doing okay given the circumstances” following his high-speed spill on the brutal cobbles of the Arenberg, which saw him suffer serious cuts to his face as well as fractures to his left hand and right shoulder.
Het ongeluk achtervolgt Dylan van Baarle: hij breekt hand en schouder tijdens val in Roubaixhttps://t.co/NHnIpjyjHw pic.twitter.com/q5GfCtz4jY
— Sporza 🚴 (@sporza_koers) April 9, 2023
“Falling is part of the race in one way or another,” the 30-year-old Dutchman, who also missed the previous week’s Tour of Flanders due to illness, told the podcast. “I was tenth or eleventh into the Forest of Arenberg, then Fred Wright had a flat front tyre in front of me. I hoped to stay upright but his bike went to the right and his body to the left and I rode over his bike and landed on the ground.
“I immediately noticed that my whole body was hurting and my face was bleeding badly. I told the team mechanic, ‘This is not going to work anymore, dude.’ Then I was quickly put in the ambulance and driven to a crazy hospital in France.
“The two and a half hours that I lay there seemed so long. I was in the emergency room with no phone, no family, so I couldn’t contact anyone. Then a French doctor said I could get in touch with some people via his Instagram account to let them know I was okay.
“The French wanted to stitch up the three cuts on my face, but our team doctor said we could glue them. He took over and so the team doctor glued my face together.
“I have a new scan in the Netherlands on Thursday. For the time being I have to do as little as possible and wait. That will be fine, because I really can’t do much right now.”
Van Baarle’s injuries unfortunately mean that my concept of a cycling power couples two-up time trial just before the Giro will have to wait for another year…
Tech news: Let there be light – Garmin offers more solar charging with new Edge 540 and Edge 840 Series GPS cycling computers
> Garmin offers more solar charging with new Edge 540 and Edge 840 Series GPS cycling computers
Why don’t cyclists use the off-road cycleways? Pub edition
While this morning’s trip to Belfast showcased the plethora of wonderful things that can be used to obstruct an apparently protected bike path (bins, skips, and cars being the main examples), road.cc reader IanMK’s Easter spin through Buckinghamshire proved that even off-road cycleways are susceptible to being blocked by all manner of culprits… such as pubs, apparently.
Errr, there’s a pub in the middle of the cycleway
Ian’s intriguing cycleway prompted some speculation in the comments about how best to tackle such a quintessentially British off-road section:
And before you ask, yes, he did stop for a pint.
RIP Bottom Bracket
I think my bottom bracket bearing has handed in its notice pic.twitter.com/PzLjzA5xcH
— Gibby 🚨🚨🚨 (@agibby76) April 11, 2023
The Cycling Goalkeeper – alright, League Cup winner and former England international footballer – Ben Foster grabs the headlines with last-gasp penalty save for Wrexham
Drink it in folks… It may not be 2012 anymore, but a cyclist has finally made it back to the top of the BBC’s Sport page.
And no, I’m (unfortunately) not talking about Mathieu van der Poel or Alison Jackson. Apparently sporting chaos, gripping underdog stories, and existential, devastating drama aren’t enough to secure that coveted spot on the Beeb’s website – especially when there are managerial changes and transfer rumours, as well as some golf, to be had, of course.
But at least one cyclist did manage to make national sporting headlines in the UK this Easter weekend…
> Footballers who cycle XI — the Premier League stars who love life on two wheels
Ben Foster’s dramatic last-gasp penalty save against National League promotion rivals Notts County at the always sunny Racecourse Ground has put Wrexham – and the club’s Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney – within touching distance of a long-awaited return to the Football League.
SCENES 😳@Wrexham_AFC‘s Ben Foster comes up BIG to save @Official_NCFC‘s last-minute penalty 🦸♂️ pic.twitter.com/n4ZBSMCrF5
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 10, 2023
An England international and former Manchester United, West Brom, and Watford player – but better known to road.cc readers as the Cycling Goalkeeper off YouTube – Foster postponed a retirement of riding his bike in the Alps and Pyrenees last month to star in a Disney show and meet Mac from Always Sunny… I mean, help his old club in their quest to return to the footballing promised land.
However, despite his two decades of success at football’s highest level, within some circles he’ll always be known as the Cycling GK:
YouTuber saves crucial penalty to put Ryan Reynolds’ Wrexham top of the National Leaguepic.twitter.com/i84TQYvPUF
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) April 10, 2023
YouTuber? pic.twitter.com/TwAUSvlBui
— WrighteousJ (@wrighteousj) April 10, 2023
Been a professional goalkeeper for 22 years but don’t worry he’s a YouTuber 🤣
— Ty Bracey (@TyBracey) April 10, 2023
It’s always nice to see our old contributors doing well for themselves…
11 April 2023, 08:58
11 April 2023, 08:58
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Latest Comments
If the police are overwhelmed with evidence showing dangerous driving, then that shows that the dangerous driving is endemic: the graveyards and hospitals are full of the victims. If it is endemic, then one of two things must be true, or both: the detection rate is not high enough, and/or the punishment is not sufficient to deter. So in this case, we have the victims providing the evidence, in most cases all the officers need to do is view that evidence. If the officers don't have time, then the process should be automated, possibly by AI. If the driver disputes it, then a real person could view it, but if they consider the driving to be dangerous, the driver should pay for the officer's time. Then we have the lack of punishment, or punishment which doesn't fit the crime, because it does not deter people from offending. The current system of points and fines is clearly not working, and something rather more effective has to be done, like confiscating the car for instance. ".......the Chief Inspector recommended that road users use a rear-facing camera and evidence their own speed at the time of the overtake." I fail to see what the speed of the vehicle being overtaken has to do with the overtaking vehicle passing too closely. Would it be ok if you were doing 5mph, or 25mph? Baffling.
In principal, driverless cars have the potential to be much safer than human drivers, by virtue of the fact that they should be intent on following the rules of the road, nor driving whilst drunk/drugged, never be tired, frustrated, irrational etc, etc. Another advantage is that mistakes can be corrected and rolled out across the entire fleet (try that with humans. Add to that the resulting reduction in car ownership, increased car sharing, and the sheer amount of street space given over to parked cars will plummet. The key factor, however, is how much of those principles the owning companies are prepared to commit to. (Altruism isn't their strong point)
I'm going to take a close look at some of the lights mentioned. For reference: I extensively used the following: - Nightrider lumina (don't recall the exact model): horrible temperature control and after 18 months it bricked up on me and they refused to honour the warranty, will never buy anything from them ever again; - Lezyne 1600 XXL, two issues, firstly the strap that attached it to the handlebar never kept in place really well over rough terrain. Secondly: a cop stopped me and although -to me riding the bike- it appeared well adjusted, he claimed I was blinding oncoming traffic. He actually held the bike so I could check for myself from inside his car and he was simply right: the light level on the ground was ok but indeed, I was blinding oncoming traffic. That's a hard no, it had to go even though he didn't fine me. I don't want to annoy/be a risk to other road users; - Then the Lupine: solid as a rock, mounted on a GoPro mount, USB-C charging, StVZO compliant...but alas not enough oomph considering terrain and desired speed; Thinking back, it somehow seems like a light I had on my bike back when I was riding long distance events (Audax, crazy distances but lower average speeds) might have been ideal, that was a Son Edelux and it ran on a Son hub dynamo. But I don't want to install a dynamo and again, lower speeds.
Well that all blew up quickly! A pause to savour: "cyclists have a dislike for linguistic accuracy and authentic meaning." Apparently it's something to do with the cyclic muscle movements - ah, no, that would affect runners and rowers also. Circular motion of the limbs?
@mattw Yeah, and Oxford Street will be full of unicorns and rainbows by then as well. 🤣
@stulemanski Actually I think they do, as long as there is good behaviour. Complete cycle bans are vanishingly rare in the Netherlands, which is the best comparison. In 10-20 years time there will be a mobility track, and there will be no real problems.
@Rendel Harris That assumes training, expertise, and the time to do a proper job including full consultation. This does not happen, and then rapid assumptions are made based on "me". That also happens with cycling groups who campaign for something and completely ignore eg tricycles or other varieties of vehicle, in favour of standard cycles. Both lived experience and professional experience are essential. This week I have been looking at a brand new £50k 3m-wide path upgrade in my local Green Flag Park, where the Council have spent perhaps £3k installing a 3 ply chicane with 1.5m gaps and 1.5m spacing between barriers at one end of it. The path also includes a 1-in-9 30m long hill. I have since been talking to a lady who is a wheelchair user and has a fully-trained assistance dog which walks alongside, who is thereby prevented from entering the park she pays for with her Council Tax. Those dimensions are unusable for most small mobility scooters, never mind other mobility aid users, and are flat out unlawful, and not in accordance with several sets of Government Guidelines. Yet when I complain I expect to be stonewalled to the door of the Court in the hope that I will get exhausted and go away. At the door of the Court they usually capitulate, and will have spent 7-10k on legal letters and compensation and doing what they should have done at the start. That £3k could have been spent sorting out perhaps 10 other anti-disabled barriers around our Green Flag Parks. Every complaint so far I have made has been met with "Does Not Meet Threshold for Action".
@flowboy I'm not sure what your point is, FB. Unforfunately, in a world of insufficient resources and gutted Councils with no expertise (for example the near-vanishing of Accessibility Officers) due mainly to available resources being halved since 2010, the only things that will get a response are likely to be details supported by a credible threat of legal action. That's how it is. Even then they often rely on obfuscation via complaints procedures that can take 12 months and have no teeth.
@flowboy I'm not sure what your point is, FB. Unforfunately, in a world of insufficient resources and gutted Councils with no expertise (for example the near-vanishing of Accessibility Officers) due mainly to available resources being halved since 2010, the only things that will get a response are likely to be details supported by a credible threat of legal action. That's how it is. Even then they often rely on obfuscation via complaints procedures that can take 12 months and have no teeth.
@Rendel Harris I have recently come out. I have been called a lot worse. Sticks and stones. So are you saying I cannot call people like myself names? If a call myself and people like me, a ‘homophobic slur’ are you going to get the nasty words police on to me? If you are straight, then your opinions and fake anger mean nothing. Unless you are gay, you are clueless. So stop getting all worked up about a name. I can cope with it. If you can’t, it’s on you.
22 thoughts on “Cyclist grabs the headlines with Hollywood moment (apparently he’s a footballer too); Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lanes? Because a skip, bins, and a sideways-parked car are in the way; Roubaix reaction + THAT post-monument run + more on the live blog”
Hi Ryan,
Hi Ryan,
hope you had a good weekend, I think you will find that Wrexham play at the Racecourse, not racehorse
Just a little test after the
Just a little test after the Easter break, congrats you passed!
Have to keep you on your toes
Have to keep you on your toes…
What a weekend of racing in
What a weekend of racing in Hell! If Hopefully the race organisers will start their TV coverage earlier next year!
More of an off road thing but
More of an off road thing but I found this interesting cycle way. Yes I did stop for a pint.
Are you supposed to ride
Are you supposed to ride through the awning ?
I think you are meant to hop
I think you are meant to hop over the tables Danny McAskill style.
Matthew Acton-Varian wrote:
Or portage your bike through, bumping people’s heads as you go (I hope they’re wearing drinker’s helmets).
Streetview from August 2020 –
Streetview from August 2020 – https://goo.gl/maps/oVkZdGNxxnFvGKYu9 – shows a lot fewer tables and no awning. I presume that the cycle path indicated is supposed to go in front of the pub to avoid the canal lock, and then goes along that lane/road along the side of the canal?
I think you’re right. The
I think you’re right. The cycleway comes through the pub car park but presumably avoids rejoining the towpath before the pub to avoid more tables, mooring bollards and most problematically the arms of the lock gates. I presume the awning was installed as a COVID thing.
its interesting though as its
its interesting though as its presumably a right of way then, that existed before the pub was a pub, or maybe even built, either a footpath though more likely a bridle way given the canal & towpath.
so have the pub put a bunch of stuff there, that ultimately is blocking a right of way, as I bet on a summers day you’re not even walking your bike through there if its busy, because well no-one was stopping them, and they only considered walkers used the paths ?
There is a pub by the Severn,
There is a pub by the Severn, the Wharf Inn hear Holt Fleet that seems to have blocked off the right of way along the bank – the campers next to the pub looked like they thought we were dog shit for walking through the pub camp site as the only practical diversion.
The pub actually has a
The pub actually has a terrace, you can see it in the reverse photo. It was sunny on Saturday and most punters were sat there. It’s away from the main road and more pleasant. I suspect that the awning went up when you weren’t allowed inside and has never come down.
Awavey wrote:
I would bet that you’re right. Quiet word with the council highways people, maybe…?
Yes the cycle path predates
Yes the cycle path predates the awning by about 15 years, and the tables by about 10. The electic pole tiedown was always there though.
The cycle path was built using government money, and is subject to a legal agreement between beds/bucks/herts councils and British waterways(as was), so isnt going anywhere.
RAM that cyclist off the road
RAM that cyclist off the road (Easter Sunday too – not sure why they were in a hurry)
It seemed crazier that the
It seemed crazier that the roads were much quieter and that people were still driving like this.
As a Salopian I have to point
As a Salopian I have to point out that Nicky Wroe also played for Shrewsbury Town.
He did, but if I listed every
He did, but if I listed every team he played for there wouldn’t be much space left for anything else… (not that there’s anything wrong with being a classic journeyman pro in the lower leagues, of course!)
Every fan believes their team
Every fan believes their team is special!
It took me an hour and a half
It took me an hour and a half to get in the shower after my 65 mile ride today, let alone do anything more productive. It might have been due to the weight of the doorstop bacon and egg sandwich from Broad Acres (a fiver including coffee). https://goo.gl/maps/qzuabaDXu6H6gC917
I will not be going for a run, I gave that idea up in 1997 after I discovered my knees didn’t work for about 2 months after completing the London Marathon.
Bit of a daft comment from
Bit of a daft comment from Kelly about Ganna questioning how Wurf had the energy to go for a run: Wurf was given a specific job by INEOS which was to hang at the back and be ready to pick up any mechanical/crash victims from the team and pace them back (which he did at least twice), there was never any expectation that he’d be on the front pulling.