London Edinburgh London cyclist breaks bike, builds up new one, finishes anyway; Dan Bigham attempting Hour record next week; Mads ‘Picasso’ Pedersen; Mayor of Okehampton talks cycling; Ride with Pidcock (on Zwift, in a heatwave); + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Dan Bigham to take on the UCI Hour Record next Friday 19th August
Less than a year after breaking Bradley Wiggins’ British Hour Record with a distance of 54.723km, the aero supremo and very very good cyclist Dan Bigham will be taking on the world best mark of 55.089km, currently held by Victor Campenaerts.
> Dan Bigham on the road.cc podcast
Bigham’s day job is as the performance engineer for Ineos Grenadiers, and we’re continually impressed by his ability to balance this with being an elite time trial and track rider who is up there with the best. Just last week, Bigham was competing at the Commonwealth Games and was second behind Rohan Dennis through the first checkpoint of the road time trial, before suffering a heavy crash and eventually finishing down in 12th.
Bigham won’t be going too far in his search for the perfect high altitude velodrome (Campenaerts’ attempt took place in the Velodromo Bicentenario in Mexico) but he will be heading to the suitably high up Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland for his attempt. The day before Bigham broke the British record here last year, his partner Joss Lowden also broke the women’s Hour Record with a distance of 48.405km.
Here is Bigham’s full quote we’ve been sent from Ineos, which seems unusually honest and real for press material apart from the ‘timed by Tissot’ bit. We doubt he said that…
“The UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot has been a massive thing in my life for the past few years, since I first attempted one as a student in 2014. I’m excited about the prospect of seeing what I can do against the clock again, with the support of the team behind me.
“Physically I’ve moved on since becoming a part of the INEOS Grenadiers. As much as my workload is high, it’s been nice to have everything I do consolidated within one place. It means I can be so much more organised in how and when I can train, while having the full support of the team – not just in allowing me to train, but enabling me to train efficiently. It’s been great to bounce ideas off so many fantastic people within the team and I’ve been welcomed with open arms.
“And having access to all of the team’s partners has been massive for me. The amount of support that Pinarello have put into this project by bringing a new, incredibly high-level bike to the table in such a short space of time is pretty astronomical. We’ve done a huge amount of skin suit testing with Bioracer over the past six months too. It’s been really impressive and I feel like I’m in a really good position on that front. Some of the ideas that we’ve implemented across the whole package have been left field but wholly adopted. It’s been such a progressive project to be involved in.
“We want to create a blueprint for future UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot attempts but it’s not just limited to track – every single week the team are competing in time trials on the road and there’s a huge amount of detail that we’ve gone into that will help improve our time trialling in many different respects. Whether that’s pacing strategies, thermal management or equipment development, it all ties in. There’s so much that we can bring forward to keep the team ahead on the road.”
Anywhere there ya go, something to look forward to next Friday. We haven’t been told a time yet but we’re presuming it will be in the afternoon, and the attempt will be streamed for free on the Ineos Grenadiers’ YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Mads 'Picasso' Pedersen
Graphic design is my passion 👨🎨 https://t.co/r8Ek6tWvod
— mads pedersen (@Mads__Pedersen) August 12, 2022
Your passion shines through in your work. pic.twitter.com/t7S5OUjWRz
— Anna Mac (@AnnamacB) August 12, 2022
We actually thought this was serious for a minute, but it appears Mads isn’t mad and is fully in on the joke. I just sent this to our graphic designer who is taking the rest of the day off to recover from a vicious Comic Sans-related assault…
The Mayor of Okehampton 'speaks to Australia and New Zealand' in cycling podcast
We were quite bemused by this headline from Okehampton Today, and had to do a bit of digging…
It turns out Bob Tolley, the Major of Okehampton, was invited onto the Trail Towns podcast to talk about what Devon has to offer for cycling tourists, as the presenters of Trail Towns happened to be visiting.
After some ribbing of us Brits for not being able to cope with 40c temperatures, the presenters talk to the “anxious” Mayor Tolley from around 29 mins into the podcast, who talks about new infrastructure in Okehampton and the 99-mile Devon Coast to Coast route that passes through the town. Have a listen here, and after that do listen to the road.cc Podcast of course if you haven’t already…
Ride with Tom Pidcock... on Zwift, when it's 30c outside
To be fair there is some rain forecast on Monday when the Zwift ride is taking place so perhaps it’s perfect timing, but even so if you’re interested it’s going to be a clammy one. Pidcock is leading the ride to celebrate his victory on Alpe d’Huez during this year’s Tour de France, which he says was “was one of the best experiences of [his] life.”
The ride will of course be on the virtual Alpe du Zwift route, and we have it on pretty good authority Pidders will be pedalling despite his running talents. It starts at 6pm UK time, Monday 15th August, and you can sign up here.
"Might is not right": one of those new Highway Code rules in action
Might is not right.
When driving and turning into a side road, give way to pedestrians and cyclists going straight ahead.
Here’s how to do it. pic.twitter.com/nRzjPpMEju
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) August 11, 2022
This is nice to see, although an article we’ll be publishing later has a slightly less positive take on how cyclists and pedestrians feel since the Highway Code changes were made earlier this year. Stay tuned…
Another great story from London Edinburgh London
This is Stepan from the Czech Republic at the finish- his rear stays broke at Dunfermline. He bought a new frameset and built the bike using the parts from the broken frame. He swears no bellows were used at the forge #heroesoflel #LEL2022 pic.twitter.com/dsOoh7FED7
— London Edinburgh London (@LEL1500km) August 12, 2022
After our own Matt Page became the first to finish earlier this week and another rider decided he was done and donated his bike in Dunfermline, we’ve just heard the story of Stepan Aubrecht from the Czech Republic who broke his rear seat stays, bought a new frameset, built it up with parts from his old bike and still managed to finish; strangely, this also happened somewhere around Dunfermline.
We’ll be looking to speak to Stepan in the coming few days after he’s had a rest… it’s been an eventful return for LEL that’s for sure!
Must be the heat...
🤦🏻♂️ pic.twitter.com/kuSNLafGdj
— PassPixi (@PassPixi) August 11, 2022
We reckon Killer Steve possibly isn’t in on the joke here…
Experience Blackpool illuminations by bike
The popular and sometimes notorious seaside town of Blackpool is having its annual illuminations switch on event in September as usual, with comedian Johnny Vegas doing the honours this time. If you have a bike and want to get a preview, though, you can head to Blackpool on Tuesday 30th August when the roads will be closed to motor traffic to give cyclists the chance to enjoy the illuminations three days before the official switch on. Roads are closed to cars from 6.30pm till 10.30pm, and the ride is happening between 7pm and 10pm.
Stepan speaks! The guy who broke his bike and built up a new one to finish London Edinburgh London
Thanks to the LEL organisers we’ve been put in touch with Stepan Aubrecht of the Czech Republic, who was having none of it when his seat stays gave way and simply built a new bike to complete the brutal 1,500km audax.
> What do you need to ride London Edinburgh London? Matt Page’s bike and equipment
For many of us fixing a puncture mid-ride is frustrating enough, but Stepan went into town, bought a frameset and did a full rebuild; this was only just past the halfway point.
As you can see Stepan didn’t scrimp on the new frame he hastily bought, going for a carbon Cinelli Veltrix, and with what looks like Di2 shifters on the tri bars this wouldn’t have been a super straightforward rebuild either. Other parts saved from the broken bike include some AbsoluteBlack oval chainrings, Hunt wheels and Alpkit framebags.
Stepan couldn’t speak for long as he tells us he’s on his way back to the Czech Republic right now, but says the exhaustion isn’t quite so bad because he had “that long stop at Dunfermline”… this definitely calls for a great big chapeau!
More fan mail
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#WATCH out for Chris Froome at the Vuelta
Apparently Chris Froome is ready for the rest of the season, and his watch sponsor Withings definitely had absolutely nothing to do with him telling us so on social media. Between this and the UCI Hour Record timed by Tissot, we’re also looking forward to the cycling next week and the additional promotion it will bring to luxury wristwear brands.
Michael Hordern on an ice cream trike? BBC Archive, you're spoiling us!
For many he was a theatre giant and the voice of Paddington Bear, but did you know the late great Sir Michael Hordern also used to ride around an airfield on a trike to prepare for World War Two? Enjoy this delightful footage from 1981…
Jean-Jacques Sempé, France's most famous cartoonist who created numerous great cycling illustrations, dies aged 89
Sempé died a few days before his 90th birthday, and as well as his children’s book illustrations and works depicting the countryside and cities, he also created over 100 covers for the New Yorker, including a number of cycling-themed ones…
Jean-Jacques Sempé, France’s most celebrated cartoonist, has died aged 89. He did many New Yorker covers, including this one from 1983. pic.twitter.com/01LGG6VsSb
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) August 11, 2022
12 August 2022, 09:23
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Is this the most expensive road bike you can possibly build yourself?
Cycling brands are constantly innovating and the results are often stunning, albeit with eye-watering prices; here’s how expensive you can go if you invest in these showcase products
12 August 2022, 09:23
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Latest Comments
Better still, make SUV drivers register an abnormal load every time they want to move the vehicle. 😁
As someone who lived in Exeter many years ago, its deeply disappointing to find that a part of the city elected this moron of a councillor.
Since so many people fail to understand the basic but vital changes made over the years to the HWC, I propose ALL drivers licenses are suspended until they sit and pass a theory test every 2 years to ensure they are kept informed with all the different rules that have been brought in over the years. Its clear that many drivers who think they know the rules are, in many cases, very wrong. If I was trained in using a very dangerous piece of machinery, I would expect to have to be retrained on it to satisfy the safety case to know I was still competent to operate that machine if it changed in any way from its previous standard operating procedure. Why should cars or lorries be any different?
Ed Hill: "I Could Have Killed a Cyclist Today… But Whose Fault Would It Have Been?’ Tell us that you shouldn't have a driving licence, without telling us. Should there be a new law in place that if someone puts a statement in writing (ie online) that indicates their dangerous mis-understanding of road rules that they should recieve points and a fine, or loss of licence depending on severity?
Cyclists ride as if they own the roads; actually, they do own the roads; they are public roads.
@Homebaker, put a 6"spike in the center of the steering wheel of all cars. How fast would they drive?
Great piece, thank you Emily
@Nigel Garage Then sanity returned and he said, "Hang on, are you suggesting that we leave our beautiful Victorian flat in the middle of the greatest city on earth to go and live in some nasty Barratt Homes newbuild in a place so boring that for entertainment the residents constantly troll websites from which they've been banned a dozen times, with a creepy accountant who cyberstalks people's Facebook photos to get material to use for his silly posts on said websites for a neighbour?" "Yes, on second thoughts let's stay here," she said, and they lived very happily ever after.
If drivers find it too hard to give way then maybe it should be a stop sign. That will give them enough time to look.
Just turn your head Ed. Perhaps you've gone so far to the right turning left is the problem?
38 thoughts on “London Edinburgh London cyclist breaks bike, builds up new one, finishes anyway; Dan Bigham attempting Hour record next week; Mads ‘Picasso’ Pedersen; Mayor of Okehampton talks cycling; Ride with Pidcock (on Zwift, in a heatwave); + more on the live blog”
The only thing I wasn’t clear
The only thing I wasn’t clear on was who is providing the timing equipment for the record? I assume it was rolex like the formula one??
Longines did the CG. In the
Longines did the CG. In the training leading up to it, they mentioned that the parent company owns several brands and just decides to use the best one that links into the colour schemes of the event branding.
Patrick9-32 wrote:
F1 timing is by TAG-Heuer who started producing electronic timing for race tracks in the early 1970s when run by Jack Heuer. Rolex pay to have advertising displayed around the tracks.
I don’t doubt INEOS and Dan
I don’t doubt INEOS and Dan Bigham’s attention to detail.
But it makes it all the funnier when G forgets to take his gilet off
Dan’s next job is to design
Dan’s next job is to design and test a cooling aero gilet for G …. just in case.
Assume Ineos have sprung for
Assume Ineos have sprung for the ~£8k required to join the UCI Registered Testing Pool, so any time set on this occasion will be “official”, unlike last year’s attempt.
Not sure about ‘unusually
Not sure about ‘unusually honest’ – sounded like a Tissot of lies to me.
This is not just an hour
This is not just an hour record, this is a Timed by Tissot hour record…
When is Ganna attempting it,
When is Ganna attempting it, was supposed to be in the month post TDF
He was due to go in august I
He was due to go in august I think, but put it off a couple of weeks ago. Maybe that’s why Dan’s got a shout now, because the team had arranged everything for Ganna.
Meanwhile in my head, all I can hear is “At the third stroke the time, sponsored by Accurist, will be…”.
SoliD wrote:
He said in July that it wasn’t a priority for him and that he although he had it pencilled in for August 23/24th he didn’t want to lose focus on the Tour so was putting it off until after the World Championships at least and possibly into 2023.
Good luck Mr Bigham! Will be
Good luck Mr Bigham! Will be tuning into the live stream to cheer you on.
Its only another 367m, how hard can that be…
Title’s confusing me, “A
Title’s confusing me, “A third of UK cyclists Dan Bigham to take on the Hour record next Friday”.
Eh?
I knew cycling had a low
I knew cycling had a low modal share in the UK but I didn’t realise we were down to just three of us.
Must be the heat. Bloody part
Must be the heat. Bloody part-time commuters.
We’re experiencing connection
We’re experiencing connection issues, bear with us. Just to clarify as good as Dan Bigham is he is not one third of UK cyclists!
“Might is not right” – Wow.
“Might is not right” – Wow. Someone’s spouse must ride a bike…
And an Audi… Many others
And an Audi… Many others need to learn this – I saw a fairly close left hook on an electric wheelchair user just this morning, on the infamous zig-zag Leith Walk lane in Edinburgh. No suggestion at all that the driver had seen the wheeler or thought it wasn’t the greatest idea. Shrug from the wheeler made me think this was fairly normal.
Right now, a bit of rain
Right now, a bit of rain would seem like an excellent reason to go for a ride outside.
Regular re-tests for all
Regular re-tests for all drivers NOW:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cambridgeshire-62503903
Pensioners are the new
Pensioners are the new scapegoats of road safety. But it’s Cambridge, they’ll be back to complaining about cyclists not paying red light tax or something soon enough.
https://www.facebook.com/61340303030/posts/pfbid0PMsE1CEfoE4i5A8SbR9rdiFeaLL3UFnqzdgurDxBHtaGQJB5PAZfcApfieDDfmgUl/
Tell me again about the
Tell me again about the killer cyclists
The 80 year old that hit me,
The 80 year old that hit me, left me unable to walk for 4 months, and gave me life changing injuries got 6 points.
As he agreed to driving carelessly at the roadside, it was dealt with by FPN.
Apparently being hit by a
Apparently being hit by a pensioner is a rare occurence.
This seals it. If you can be
This seals it. If you can be let off Careless Driving by pleading dementia or whatever then the system has to be far greater supervision and testing – for older drivers a a minimum, but I’d be happy to include all.
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/louis-thorold-parents-respond-verdict-24742417
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-news/shelagh-robertson-acquitted-louis-thorold-24741256
Quote:
Quite unbelievable, really…
Dare we ask if the pensioner
Dare we ask if the pensioner driver concerned has given up their licence to drive now ?
That’s the thing, isn’t it?
That’s the thing, isn’t it? If she was found ‘not guilty’ then nobody can actually take it off her…
The court would report this
The court would report this to the dvla. No chance of her retaining her licence.
All walks of life – but
All walks of life – but perhaps not all walking and chewing gum at the same time…
Stepan FTW at next years TCR!
Stepan FTW at next years TCR!
7 measly months for taking
7 measly months for taking another person’s life?
Even with a previous conviction for careless driving and using excessive speed leading up to the unfortunate incident on a clear, straight road.
The judge will be getting some incoming post in the next few days as his thoughts on the case are so pro-motorist that he needs a reminder that bias shouldn’t affect his judgement.
Oh, woeful reporting by the local rag for good measure!
https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/jail-lorry-driver-who-struck-7456544
Judge “This was not a
Judge “This was not a prolonged case of very bad driving…..”
Also Judge “Also, it is a fact that three minutes earlier you had been behind a Peugeot speeding and you had to take evasive action to avoid that Peugeot, you had to move over the white centre line because you were too close.”
So how many minutes of speeding does it take for it to be a prolonged case of bad driving?
“Was there inappropriate
“Was there inappropriate speed? Yes, it’s not excessive speed but you were driving at above the speed limit.”
how can being above the speed limit not be, by bloody definition, excessive?!
The judge also thinks that
The judge also thinks that momentary inattention appears to be a mitigation for a lorry driver.
I wonder if, trying a doctor in a case of wrongful death during surgery, would he consider it acceptable that the doctor nicked a bowel during a momentary lapse or removed the wrong kidney?
Given that driving without due care and attention is in itself an offence without causing any other harm, how come not paying attention to the road is, by inference from his comments, an acceptable and understandable behaviour in a fatal accident?
I’d like to see sentencing guidelines that treat momentary lapses as an aggravating factor, not a mitigation because it tells us people are not taking driving seriously..
Hope your gears were indexed
Hope your gears were indexed well Stepan! Asking for a friend….
I just want to thank road.cc
I just want to thank road.cc for bringing us that fantastic clip of Michael Hordern’s early wartime experiences! I have never heard of that particular training technique before. Hordern was right on the ball, correcting himself immediately after describing it as a lot of fun by pointing it out that being killed in a fighter aircraft wasn’t so much fun.
I can’t help but wonder, if
I can’t help but wonder, if carrying a workstand and all the tools required to rebuild a bike might have been the reason for the chainstays failing.