Julian Alaphilippe’s stunning new rainbow stripe Tarmac SL7; Sadiq Khan responds to our bunny hop claim using VAR; A63 cycling protester; Prince Louis rides Frog balance bike on third birthday; Simon Yates wins Tour of the Alps + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Sadiq Khan't bunny hop reporter's bike
After hearing that @ShaunBaileyUK had a ride on my bike, @SadiqKhan said: “But did he do a bunny hop?”
Then this happened… pic.twitter.com/72pdZzxD3S— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) April 22, 2021
Don’t mind me starting the petition to add a bunny hopping challenge to all future election campaigns. Sadiq Khan did not want to be undone by his Tory rival Shaun Bailey, who took Evening Standard reporter Ross Lydall’s bike for a spin earlier in the day…Did Khan get off the ground? I am sure someone will leave a comment telling us we should probably give him the benefit of the doubt considering the respective campaigns of the two London mayoral favourites…
Despite yesterday claiming to be a keen cyclist, Bailey has pledged to rip out unwanted cycle lanes and LTNs within the first 100 days of his administration and he even suggested compensating taxi drivers over the High Court Streetspace ruling…
His Labour rival has backed building more cycling infrastructure and rocked up to his vaccination appointment in a Rapha tee. On the cycling front, that looks like it is 1-0 Khan.
I had that @ShaunBaileyUK on the back of my bike this morning in St James’ Park.
He clearly knows how to handle a bike.
This is what he had to say about cycling… pic.twitter.com/ArfeST28Ut— Ross Lydall (@RossLydall) April 22, 2021
Chris Froome "slowly improving" and content with making the Tour of the Alps breakaway on stage four
Testa della Corsa #TotA 🚴🏻♂️💨@Tourof_TheAlps
📸 @bettiniphoto pic.twitter.com/piTgosOIfS— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) April 22, 2021
Chris Froome in a breakaway is a rare sight for cycling fans. For all the hours we have seen him sat patiently at the end of a Sky train in the mountains, we have rarely seen him up the road. After yesterday’s stage, Froome said he was happy with how his condition is improving ahead of his main goal, the Tour de France, in July.
“I think this was the first time I have been in a breakaway since the Giro d’Italia of 2018,” he said. “I really enjoyed being up there today, testing the legs a bit. Especially as the break went away on a quite hard section after a bunch of attacks.
“It was a shame that we never got much of a gap, but it was still a good experience to be up there again. I can feel that the condition is slowly improving and I’m pretty happy with how the legs are feeling.”
Simon Yates, who Froome took the maglia rosa from after that long-range attack at the 2018 Giro, has one more day and a 58 second advantage to defend his race lead in the Alps. Stage five takes in five mountains before another downhill finish.
Prince Louis pictured riding Frog bike to nursery
Three tomorrow! 🚲
Taken earlier this week by The Duchess before he left for his first day of nursery, The Duke and Duchess are pleased to share a new image of Prince Louis. 🎈 pic.twitter.com/AGgfLI39tW
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) April 22, 2021
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have celebrated Louis’ third birthday by releasing a photo of him riding a Frog Tadpole Balance Bike to his first day of nursery. William and Kate were said to be “delighted” to share the photo, as must be Frog Bikes too…
Frog’s co-owner last week claimed Brexit had cost them £250,000 in the first two months of 2021. Perhaps some royal publicity will help bump up sales…
Now we wait for the ‘why isn’t he wearing a helmet?’ reaction…
Mayor of London hits back at our claim he Khan't bunny hop...and he's got VAR proof
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) April 23, 2021
That’s us told…Was there a clear and obvious error? The Mayor of London thought so, and he roped in the help of the VAR at Stockley Park for proof. After all, you can’t argue with the lines…
The referee has been called over to the monitor. He is going to take another look. “Yep, just rewind that bit there for me.” What is he going to give? He is running back onto the pitch, blows his whistle, makes the VAR sign and points to the spot. He has given it, it is a bunny hop after all…
Tony’s not convinced…
Not happy with where they’ve drawn the lines there… 😁
— Tony (@pheadtony) April 23, 2021
A63 cycling protester campaigns for newt sanctuary
The Hull Daily Mail reports this man has been campaigning to save a newt sanctuary by riding up and down the A63. According to a Facebook group raising awareness of the issue, a group of landlords hope to develop an area that will mean “any sign of the existence of the great crested newt will be obliterated.”
A passerby said the man was “causing vehicles to slow down and pull out causing congestion” and had “been seen around Hull over the past few days.” Another report claims the man’s sign was knocked off by a bus driver in a crash.
“It broke off his sign and he stood in front of our bus near Hull Royal holding up all the traffic,” a person on the bus at the time said. “He even called himself an ambulance – wasting vital NHS time. We were sat on the bus a good 40 minutes before a police officer and bus operator arrived and moved him out the way. Charges should be pressed against him and his reckless actions.”
Voxwomen Big Day Out
The Voxwomen Big Day Out in partnership with dhb aims to enable women to enjoy the sports they love by bringing like-minded people together for one big day of celebrating cycling. Taking place on Sunday 13 June and based at the New Park Manor Hotel, the event includes a Q&A session, a group ride in the New Forest at a social cafe ride pace and some breakout group chats afterwards. What’s more, there are 30 free places for lucky winners of the ballot. dhb has also designed a jersey from their Moda collection that attendees will get along with plenty of other products and goodies.
Felix Großschartner wins final Tour of the Alps stage as Simon Yates secures overall victory
Third GC title for Simon Yates. Vuelta a España 2018, Tirreno-Adriatico 2020 and Tour of the Alps 2021. Adam Yates with 4 GC wins. #TotA pic.twitter.com/pyO8voFJm4
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) April 23, 2021
Bora-hansgrohe’s Felix Großschartner attacked solo on the final climb to win stage five of the Tour of the Alps. Nicolas Roche and Alessandro De Marchi also survived from the breakaway until the end to secure second and third.
Team BikeExchange Brit Simon Yates finished comfortably in the pack, securing his overall victory and putting down a statement win ahead of next month’s Giro d’Italia. Yates took control of the race with his stage victory on Tuesday and wins the leader’s jersey by 58 seconds from yesterday’s stage winner Pello Bilbao. Yates’ Giro rival, Astana climber Aleksandr Vlasov was third, 1:06 behind.
Take a look at Julian Alaphilippe's stunning new rainbow stripe Tarmac SL7
Wow, wow, wow 😍@iamspecialized has designed a stunning new rainbow stripe Tarmac SL 7, which @alafpolak1 will ride for the Spring’s final Monument – Liège-Bastogne-Liège – and the rest of the season! pic.twitter.com/rJOwA7GPyi
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) April 23, 2021
What a beauty. Definitely one of the top perks of being world champion…Fresh off his Flèche Wallonne win on Wednesday, Julian Alaphilippe has got his hands on his brand new Specialized Tarmac SL7 with rainbow stipes. Is it the best bike in the peloton?
Julian will debut it at Liège-Bastogne-Liège on Sunday where it could give him the extra edge to claim his first La Doyenne crown. This really is all about that fresh paint job, but for a closer look at his full set up, check out our Bike at Bedtime last month where we went for a deep dive into the world champ’s bike…
🚨30 minute warning🚨: Drink at Your Desk Live! with Alex Dowsett
LGBTQ+ cycling group PRiDE OUT responds to British Cycling trans participation consultation
PRiDE OUT, the largest network of LGBTQ+ cyclists in the UK, believes British Cycling’s trans policy needs to better “recognise there are human experiences behind the scenes of any consultation.” The group emphasised it is vital that trans people are treated with the same dignity and respect as other riders and should be engaged with.
From the feedback it has received so far, PRiDE OUT says there is an overwhelming demand to see more inclusion in cycling. Additionaly, the group called on British Cycling to align with the UCI’s guidelines requiring events below National Championship level to “have less stringent eligibility requirements” for any trans person wishing to compete.
“When I came out as trans 6 months ago, I felt an immense weight being lifted off my shoulders,” Emily Bridges, a former GB senior academy cyclist, said. “I got so much support and love, but I also got the expected hate, too. This vitriol is currently the norm for every trans person, every day of their life. Anti-trans groups aim to legislate us out of existence, drag us over social media, and spread lies about who we are and what we stand for. They try to ban us from sports based on flawed science and lies.”
Lizard Skin releases Earth Tone DSP tape
Lizard Skin has released these new Earth Tone DSP tapes to add some subtle colour to your ride. These certainly look the business if your riding takes you off-road and down some muddy trails. The earthy tones take Lizard Skin’s colour choices to 15, so they believe there is something for everyone. The Earth Tone DSP comes with all the durability and grippy feel of the other DSP colours and is the tape of choice for WorldTour teams Lotto-Soudal and Movistar. Although, to be fair, I doubt they go for chocolate brown or olive green…
Anna Van Der Breggen gets a tasty rainbow stripes SL7 as well
Look at this beauty 😍! New bike day for Anna van der Breggen as she received this outstanding S-Works Tarmac SL 7 with a special painting due to her current World- and Olympic titel.
What do you think?#iamspecialized #specializedtarmac #tarmacsl7
📸 : Etienne Schoeman pic.twitter.com/mgX16FSmdf
— Team SD Worx (@teamsdworx) April 23, 2021
23 April 2021, 08:03
23 April 2021, 08:03
Next up for Prince Louis...Because which three-year-old couldn't do with an extra 100 watts to chase those Strava KOMs
So apparently electric balance bikes are a thing now
IndyBikes launch 9mph electric balance bike for 3-6-year-olds
23 April 2021, 08:03
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Latest Comments
@Mr Blackbird and what would you say to cyclists who think there are already too many motorists on the road?
Interesting the article on e-bikes having the statement that many English councils encourage pavement parking at the same time Scotland is moving in the polar opposite direction of fining drivers that do. This isnt just in the major cities either, the area I live in, Houston, Bridge of Weir which are medium sized villages have had people fined for even marginally encroaching walkways with their cars. If only English councils would follow this common sense approach. If they want to bag on about cyclists being on the roads, you have zero argument if you then allow cars to block the paths and cycle lanes you want them them to use instead.
“And what would you say to motorists who think there are already too many cyclists on the road?” "Get a grip!"?
Agreed for the most part, especially on mileages. I took a punt and added a Silca Endurance chip AND 1/3rd bottle Synergetic to my wax pot (after seeing a Silca YouTube video suggesting trying this). Still runs clean like a good hot wax, but seems to ladt longer in the wet, I've managed ~200km of mixed gravel and tarmac in a ride, including rain and river crossings, with the chain only just starting to grumble. I would have topped up with pure Synergetic to get me the final few km but as you say, then I would have to deal with the black goo cleanup!
Media such as the BBC help fuel the resentment towards cyclists. Lizzie Deignan was on BBC breakfast this morning talking about a podcast that acted as a couch to cycle for about an hour programme to encourage people to cycle to get fit and lose weight. The BBC presenters were John Kay and Sally Nugent, who always seem to argue from Daily Mail readers' viewpoint. At the end of the interview, John Kay asked "And what would you say to motorists who think there are already too many cyclists on the road?" A totally meaningless argument, which translates as "What would you say to motorists who believe based on no evidence that any cyclists on the road, slow down their journey and mean they have to allow realistic journey times to reach their destinations while avoiding speeding etc?"
I'm a cyclist and many of my friends are house clearance auction specialists. Surprisingly they aren't all arses. Maybe it's the Grimsby factor? Wasn't it Grimsby where that tosser mayor banned all cyclists within 40 miles of the town centre?
Agree that cycle lanes are pretty poor "infra". But although that "taking away and suffocating the freedom of other road users" is a weird phrase *... ... there is a "fairness" perception at work here. But simply "riding like a car" won't fix it at all! That means cyclists fall foul of the psychological "cheater detection" mechanism: we're using the same space but not playing by the same rules (not paying "road tax", we can filter past etc. ) Cyclists are visibly an "other" and people have been shown to expect "respect" (submissive behaviour) in those circumstances. But cyclists can't help being "provocative" - we're "in the way"! People may tolerate cyclists where they're a rare occurrence. But for mass cycling either the cyclists have to be in their own distinct space OR motorists have to be cued to be "guests". So not many of them, cyclists likely to be in the majority, speed reduced to that of cycling, in environments where there isn't an expectation of rapid progress such as residential areas with plants etc. * I think that's not even in the heads of most who are irked by cyclists. Reminds me of Monty Python - "Help, help, I'm being repressed!" For one it sounds like that concern is only for the road users who are a lot "more equal than others" (by design) - the motorised ones. And in reality NO "freedoms" are being lost! In fact the reverse is true: the growth of mass motoring has literally taken away freedoms. Like the freedom to get places - other than by driving (dual carriageway in the way now). And the freedom from serious "inconvenience" - but not "being delayed by a few seconds" / having to walk a few extra tens of meters than the minimum possible - inconvenience to vulnerable road users includes injury to health or even death...
If there is an issue with water ingress as the review suggests, forking out another £500 on ceramicspeed bearings will be £500 down the drain. The response of Scope doesn’t exactly inspire confidence either.
The Grimsby man's views are symptomatic of the inherent unfairness of cycle lanes taking away and suffocating the freedom of other road users. If you're on wheels, you should generally share the same road space (except for designated off-road areas). It annoys other road users if cyclists don't use the rubbish, unfit for purpose nonsense that councils have installed at great expense. Because many drivers haven't experienced these awful facilities themselves, they mistakenly identify cyclists as self-entitled wind-up.merchants, rather than people just trying to avoid poor infrastructure.
48 thoughts on “Julian Alaphilippe’s stunning new rainbow stripe Tarmac SL7; Sadiq Khan responds to our bunny hop claim using VAR; A63 cycling protester; Prince Louis rides Frog balance bike on third birthday; Simon Yates wins Tour of the Alps + more on the live blog”
I was hoping Shaun Bailey
I was hoping Shaun Bailey could convince me that he wasn’t as anti-cycling as he appears to be but that load of vague political waffle he just spouted won’t do it. Sadly I don’t think any of the other candidates are any better from what I’ve seen.
Considering Gammons, Fox,
Considering Gammons, Fox, Piers Corbyn and Brian Rose are in the race, Lord Dustbinhead seems like a proper candidate.
In terms of the London Mayor
In terms of the London Mayor for me Lawrewnce Fox is a perfect Dick
stomec wrote:
You mean he turned up with nothing more than the knapsack on his back, in search of streets paved with gold?
So many follow up questions:
So many follow up questions:
“nobody from my community cycles” – you do that’s 1
Drivers shouldn’t see cyclists as the enemy – that’s easy we’re not, infact most of us are drivers. Every cyclist is one less car, we’re actually doing the gammons a favour
Where are these new Cycling highways you mention going to go. NB wrong answer is in the 2m miles of tunnels.
So people are going to learn to cycle on their cheap bikes on cycling specific infra and then be totally happy to use packed congested roads when they realise the cycling specific infra doesn’t go to their chosen destination.
A man with no plan
portec wrote:
Hmm…if only there was a candidate from the Green Party. Oh, wait, hang on…
Kendalred wrote:
It’s a shame the rest of their policies make them unelectable.
English Bunny Hop or American
English Bunny Hop or American Bunny Hop?
Either way, the bike was clearly airborne each time.
Seems like a missed opportunity for Khan to joke that he prefers bunny hugs to bunny hops?
English – for an American
English – for an American bunny hop the front wheel is much higher. I’ll have to see of we can get Sadiq to come to our BMX track, then we can show him really how to jump 🙂
OldRidgeback wrote:
I think we need video evidence of your jumping.
I’m in America and that’s
I’m in America and that’s probably nearly as good as I can do. I haven’t spent a lot of time practicing, but I can clear a pothole that I spot too late, or hop up over a kerb. I tried watching the GCN video then practicing for half an hour once, and really didn’t improve much.
I hate silly tests like this.
I hate silly tests like this. Like that point in The Last Leg when they do some stunt/song to illustrate a thing and you know they’ve run out of good ideas. Again.
I know(!) Why don’t we ask anybody pledging to reduce carbon emissions if they can wire in a pv array and refine diesel from bin juice on the spot?
What influence does the Mayor
What influence does the Mayor of London have over the cost of a bike? The man is focussing on things he has now power to achieve.
Saves him from having to
Saves him from having to think about things like violent crime and making any kind of decision about anything he has actual control of.
More poor infra causing
More poor infra causing accidents
“Crash in Dunyeats Road, Poole | Bournemouth Echo” https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/19250881.crash-dunyeats-road-poole/
Well no deets but from the
Well no deets but from the pics it looks like the car pulled out onto the shared patj and hit the cyclist who had right of way on the shared path. Not sure if it is you Pyro Tim, but we have had videos on here of the same or similar road where cars should give way to cyclists but they either don’t or the bushes/ trees/ furniture makes it very hard to see what is coming.
Is the SUV coming out of a
Is the SUV coming out of a road or out of the drive of a house?
Not me, I don’t video, but I
Not me, I don’t video, but I saw it. It was this road. The design was always going to produce accidents like this. The shared path has priority over junction, from road markings, but the cars won’t be able to see to pull out, without creeping. So they don’t bother creeping and drive to where the junction used to be, across the path. I rode it once slowly, won’t use it again. Was safer before with no cycle infra
Pyro Tim wrote:
I take your point, except – what infra? Looks like they just painted bike symbols on the pavement, which is not really infrastructure, more an invitation for motorists to harass cyclists for not using the shared path whilst running down those who do (as you intimated).
They have made the shared
They have made the shared path priority for pedestrians and cyclists so whatever cost to move, paint etc. So there is infra, just shit as shown with other videos.
That looks like the one that
That looks like the one that garysbikechannel has posted before with a video of going downhill. No one would use it more than once before getting on the road.
I looked at the comments and
I looked at the comments and they seem remarkably balanced compared to other stories I’ve seen on local news websites. May be Bournemouth isn’t as anti cyclist as some other parts of the country.
Also interesting is the time of the collision. 3:13pm.
You are right about the cycling infra structure though. I hope the cyclist makes a full recovery.
Bungle_52 wrote:
Absolutely not. It’s the worst place I’ve ever ridden for it. It makes riding in London a pleasant and safe experience. Normally the echo bashes them for the sake of it. There is a school about 200 yrds away from the accident sight, and the time…
Frog balance bike: What is
Frog balance bike: What is the other brake lever for?
PS great to see royal promotion of cycling!
you can stick two brakes on
you can stick two brakes on if you want, it’s drilled for that. But it’s good practice to start kids with a rear brake only – stops them doing the panick-grab and flipping over their handlebars. And as small kids weigh less, they don’t really need two brakes.
I found the biggest challenge with teaching my kids to cycle was not the pedalling bit, but teachign them to brake safely without panicking and flipping over the handlebars.
p.s. frog bikes are ace.
I’m a proper republican who
I’m a proper republican who has no time for hereditary privilege, or the weird brown-nosing in England with regards the Windsors.
But it isn’t it nice to see someone get to nursery on a bike? Now, could we normalise children cycling to nursery and school, by building the infrastructure necessary to make it safe. One of my most heartening cycling moments was visiting Munich, and seeing the masses of bikes locked up outside of the kindergartens.
If you can think of anyone
If you can think of anyone who would do a better job and be a better role model as head of state than the Queen do let me know.
Fantastic to see Louis out on a Frog bike, who knows it might even make the owner of Frog realise he can sell his bikes in the UK rather than whinging about taxes in Spain.
And, more importantly, I’m about to stick my son’s old red Frog bike on eBay and am hoping for an uplift in price 🙂
I don’t believe that not
I don’t believe that not having a Queen would make any difference to my day-to-day life at all (I was more bummed out when Jim Steinman died than Prince Philip).
We already have a prime minister we don’t like or trust, so I don’t think anything would particularly change…
Quote:
Well we might not have an unelected head of state in our political systems as I’m sure that was one of the arguments for leaving the EU.
But it would be nice to know the job she does, the wages she gets from the tax payer to do it, an whether it can be done cheaper with a Presidency rather then heriditary system.
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Chris Boardman
PRSboy wrote:
As least you didn’t suggest CyclingMikey
Nigel Garrage wrote:
If you can define what her practical role actually is, we might be able to start. Many other countries manage without one. We even managed to do without one for a while, but we had to do with an unelected head of state inst…. oh wait….
As it happens I have nothing really against Maj but she’s not got long, and who is going to replace her? Whether she does a “good” job or not is academic, cos no one in the country gets a say. Not even you Nige….
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Well, didn’t the selection panel do well when they offered her the job. Really top job of picking through the many, many candidates. I’m sure she nailed the interview.
Now, tell me the merits of her kids…… one is weird, one is thick and useless, one should be in prison for a VERY long time. Princess Anne seems OK though.
I have nothing against the
I have nothing against the queen per se but I believe in meritocracy a philosophy that is incompatible with a hereditary head of state.
IanMK wrote:
Well there’s a conundrum – if a meritocracy must exclude certain categories then it can’t claim to be based on merit.
Sriracha wrote:
don’t think anyone is claiming the descendent of a head of state can’t be head of state, only that they shouldn’t be head of state just because they are a descendent of a head of state.
However given the performance of the electorate in recent examples, I have difficulty in accepting an elected head of state could be an improvement on the status quo
I’d do a better job than the
I’d do a better job than the Po faced lot of ’em. Oh, but then I wouldn’t get the opportunity because that would be meritocracy – anathema to brexthickers.
the little onion wrote:
and…and…and…he isn’t wearing a HELMET!!! OMG!
The Frog would have just been
The Frog would have just been pulled from the back of the Special Branch Range Rover for the photo op. Do you really thing the Royal sprog cycled to nursery? Odd, too, how even as children, they look inbred, grown up and a bit ‘ nice but dim’.
Well you seem pleasant.
Well you seem pleasant.
Quote:
Erm – isn’t that just called “overtaking”…?
Also,
Also,
Another report claims the man’s sign was knocked off by a bus driver in a crash.
“It broke off his sign and he stood in front of our bus near Hull Royal holding up all the traffic,” a person on the bus at the time said. “He even called himself an ambulance – wasting vital NHS time.
So the person on the bus thinks bus drivers should just carry on if involved in an accident on the road?
When I was a kid (in the 70s)
When I was a kid (in the 70s) we use to go up to the West End and just hang out. Don’t actually remember why but I think we were a nusance. Anyway, a number of my friends were hit by black cabs (both as peds and cyclists) no serious injuries or damage. The Taxi driver always insisted that he take them to A&E – I think it was to ensure no concussion etc.. and obviously to reduce the liability. The question is why the Bus driver didn’t call for an ambulance (why’s that not standard procedure) and wait until they were sure he was alright.
The original article states
The original article states the witness as saying the cyclist’s sign collided with the bus and broke the sign.
“It broke off his sign and he stood in front of our bus near Hull Royal holding up all the traffic.
Now the above does change the incident quite significantly to how Road CC listed it. Whether that is them following the Reporting Code or just badly reported from both sides but as the witness is quite hostile anyway the actual sequence of events will have to be guessed at. Still a road accident needs some details swap.
brooksby wrote:
You’ve ridden a bike, haven’t you? Slow down and pull out? To most drivers, that’s not overtaking!!
Glad to see that Spesh have
Glad to see that Spesh have actually got the World Champ Rainbow colours correct on Alaphilippe’s new bike. Far better looking than the previous effort.
Peter Walker in the (hate
Peter Walker in the (hate filled) Guardian’s bike blog on LTNs
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2021/apr/23/opponents-of-ltns-claim-they-delay-emergency-services-but-look-at-the-facts
Do other newspapers have a Bike Blog? Often with contributors from this parish.
If you have the good fortune
If you have the good fortune to own a Nintendo Switch, for a few days more you can download and play for free, Descenders, a downhill race action game.
It seems after a few plays to be nothing on Lonely Mountains Downhill, which is just joyful, but you have to pay for that.
I can say that I will probably not be paying for Descenders.