Wiggle and Chain Reaction down… days after much-criticised rebrand; BBC somehow turns David Byrne’s Met Gala cycle into tedious helmet talk; Covid positives rule two key teammates for Primož Roglič out of Giro; GVA to retire + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Covid positives rule two key teammates for Primož Roglič out of Giro d'Italia
World time trial champion Tobias Foss and experienced campaigner Robert Gesink will not be on the startline for the Giro d’Italia’s opening time trial this Saturday, Covid positives ripping out a third of Primož Roglič’s first-choice support crew for his GC challenge.
Such is the strength of Jumbo-Visma’s squad, Rohan Dennis and Jos van Emden have been given the last-minute call to join the team in Abruzzo. Podium finisher in 2020 Wilco Kelderman was also meant to have been part of Roglič’s support but crashed out of Tirreno-Adriatico in March.
🇮🇹 #Giro
Unfortunately, covid strikes again. 🦠 Besides Wilco Kelderman, also Tobias Foss and Robert Gesink will be replaced in the Giro d’Italia. Jos van Emden and Rohan Dennis are their substitutes. pic.twitter.com/FiYQdEXcTG
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) May 2, 2023
On Sunday it was reported that Italian hopeful Giulio Ciccone would miss out on the Grand Tour starting in his home region after also testing positive for Covid, raising concerns that it was spreading through the peloton once again.
BBC somehow turns David Byrne's Met Gala cycle into tedious helmet talk
I think we can all agree that David Byrne is the coolest guy in the room pic.twitter.com/w12ooGJarA
— Race Radio (@TheRaceRadio) May 2, 2023
Death, taxes and horrendously boring helmet talk…
Yep, this is the follow-up to yesterday’s live blog where we shared the photos of David Byrne arriving at the Met Gala (some event where a load of celebrities rock up in a room for “fashion’s biggest night”… no wonder it’s never been on my radar).
Anyway, eye-rolling aside, in our eyes Byrne’s bike is clearly the best thing to come from the night, even if the thought of that white brushing the drivetrain is slightly stress-inducing.
> Cycling celebrities — famous folk who love to ride their bikes
But that’s not why you’re here… on with the helmet talk…
Only the British media could take something as joyous as a famous musician turning up to a gala on a beautiful bicycle and drain any positivity from it. pic.twitter.com/Dj249mz8jw
— 𝐉𝐢𝐦 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 (@thatjimdavis) May 2, 2023
Props to the BBC for making this all about personal protective equipment… you know what they say about the red carpet — it’s a notoriously dangerous spot for crashes and head injuries.
This entire paragraph perfectly describes the attitude toward cycling in the UK. Alien language for a Dutch resident such as myself. pic.twitter.com/eI0jdDczcT
— Jeremy Lockley (@Jeremylockley) May 2, 2023
That paragraph…
Despite being famous for hits such as Lazy, singer David Byrne was possibly the only guest who turned up looking ready to do some exercise.
The Scottish-born star brought his bicycle with him – but wisely decided to walk it up the red carpet, which we imagine was a relief to the Met’s health and safety team.
Byrne wore an all-white outfit – which must have got muddy when he presumably had to cycle home – with some brightly-coloured trainers.
You may recognise the monochromatic suit, as it’s the same one Byrne wore when he performed the theme song to Everything Everywhere All At Once at the Oscars in March.
Shimano got you feeling cranky? Broken Shimano Hollowtech cranks wanted as part of our ongoing investigation into snapping cranksets
"A great adventure is ending and I'm a little sad": Greg Van Avermaet to retire at the end of 2023 season
[SWpix.com/Zac Williams]
Greg Van Avermaet has announced his intention to retire from pro racing at the end of the season. The Belgian classics star, who won the Olympic Games road race, Paris-Roubaix, Gent-Wevelgem, two Omloop Het Nieuwsblad titles, E3 Harelbeke and two stages of the Tour de France during his best mid-2010s years, but has failed to reach the same heights in recent seasons.
“A great adventure is ending and I’m a little sad. This decision was very difficult to make, but when I look in the rear view mirror, I am extremely proud of my achievements,” Van Avermaet said.
“I gave the best of myself every day, simply so I would have no regrets. Not only did I enjoy my victories, but also the path leading up to them. I thank everyone who believed in me and helped me throughout my career. I am grateful to my fans who always supported me, even in difficult times.
[SWpix.com/Zac Williams]
“It is now time to devote myself to my wife and children, and to have a new direction in my life. I am hoping to find the same passion in this new phase. I would like to thank the AG2R Citroën team for its confidence and for the team spirit in which I have evolved over three seasons. Until the end of the season, I will give my best to the team as I have done since the day I started cycling. I hope to achieve some good results.”
Van Avermaet’s finals classics campaign rarely saw him trouble the favourites, a 26th place at Amstel Gold Race the highlight of a fairly anonymous spring. Turning 38 in a couple of weeks, Van Avermaet is expected to ride his tenth Tour de France in July, a race at which he has worn the yellow jersey for 11 stages.
Reader email... "Out of control" pavement parking in Liverpool
A dip into the road.cc mailbag for this one…
Pavement parking on Upper Pitt St is out of control.
A number of residents are parking their vehicles on the pavement in our neighbourhood. This is causing significant problems for pedestrians, particularly those who are elderly, disabled, or with young children.
The pavement is meant to be a safe and accessible space for all members of the community to walk on, and it is unacceptable that it has become obstructed by cars. This is particularly concerning because it forces pedestrians to walk onto the road, which can be dangerous and puts their safety at risk.
I have noticed that this problem has been getting worse over time, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate the pavements. It is especially concerning that emergency services vehicles would be unable to access certain areas because of the cars parked on the pavement.
Photos taken 30th April.
Listen up Giro d'Italia peloton... you might not like what we're about to tell you...
Riders of the Giro d’Italia, I have some bad news;
VeloViewer says that you’ll have almost 3000 more metres of climbing to do than the official Giro website.
Oh, and you’ll be doing a total of 111km in the neutralised zones.
Apart from that, it all looks straight forward.
— Daniel Lloyd? (@daniellloyd1) May 3, 2023
So yeah, that’s the bad news. Oh, wait, yep, sorry, there’s more…
First week of the Giro could be interesting pic.twitter.com/9gZOgXY8WQ
— Ned Boulting 🏳️⚧️ (@nedboulting) May 2, 2023
At least there’s no big sprinters like… oh, I don’t know… Mark Cavendish at the race… ah, right, yes, he is down for the race.
Hey, at least there should be at least two sprints in the first week… you’re still thinking about the bad news, aren’t you?
From Bristol to Berlin: Drum & Bass on the Bike
Obligatory midweek D&B on the Bike content… (tick it off your live blog bingo sheets)…
Some video of @domwhiting‘s Drum & Bass on the bike in Berlin last weekend.
Fantastic day for it! pic.twitter.com/fzTazpRBDC
— Kevin C (@transportkev) May 2, 2023
Marianne Vos wins stage three of La Vuelta Femenina
🏁Etapa 3 | Stage 3
🙋🏻♂️🏆 @marianne_vos – @JumboVismaWomen 🏆#LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/LvXKyVerZ9
— La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es (@LaVueltaFem) May 3, 2023
Marianne Vos has won the fastest ever stage of La Vuelta Femenina, yep, that’s right, at 45.6km/h the women’s peloton covered the 157.8km from Elche de la Sierra to La Roda in just 3:27:38. Well, that was Vos’ time at least, some less fortunate riders suffered in the crosswinds and were shelled out the back, losing valuable seconds.
The legendary Dutch rider strengthened her grip on the red leader’s jersey in the process and now holds a 13-second advantage over returning American star Chloe Dygert.
Of course this is a Grand Tour, with all the main climbing stages to come, so the likes of compatriots Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering will be looking to pressure Vos when the road tilts upwards. For now, with another lumpy sprint stage tomorrow, the Jumbo-Visma rider could well continue to strengthen her lead.
Lorry driver who killed Davide Rebellin failed to stop at scene of fatal collision because he didn't think he was at fault, says brother
EF Education-EasyPost reveal Giro switch-out kit
Happy switch-out kit day to all who celebrate…
In a now annual tradition to avoid clashing with the maglia rosa leader’s jersey, EF Education-EasyPost have revealed the eye-catching (or garish, depending who you ask) Rapha kit they’ll be wearing for the month of May.
This year’s edition is made from 72 per cent excess material to mark the launch of Rapha’s new ‘Rapha Excess’ programme, an initiative turning surplus materials into new products to help minimise impact and reduce waste.
Launching an Excess collection of cyclewear, Rapha acknowledges that “as a clothing brand our business will never be totally sustainable”. Including men’s and women’s Pro Team bib shorts, men’s and women’s Pro Team aero jersey, men’s and women’s Pro Team training jersey, t-shirts, socks and musette, Rapha says the collection saved approximately 2303m of excess fabric and 24kg of yarn in total, with excess zips, elastics and labels used where possible.
What do you think?
Wiggle and Chain Reaction down... days after much-criticised rebrand
If you’re having a long Wednesday console yourself by remembering that at least you aren’t involved with two giant cycling retail websites that are down just days after a major rebrand…
We’ve contacted Wiggle to try to work out what’s going on, if it’s related to last week’s revamp, and if there’s an indication of when the sites will be back up. In the meantime disgruntled customers’ screenshots of the websites are being shared on social media, one user said the revamp had been “much-needed” but has turned out to be a “disaster”…
New Energy…. Website offline 🤷. It’s getting worse. pic.twitter.com/CUz5bmcrTF
— jif (@jifdave) May 3, 2023
No word from Wiggle or CRC’s social media accounts yet, one unanswered customer saying: “The website is currently out… any idea when it will be back up and working? My guess is your developers (or the company you have employed) is a bit stressed…”
Another added: “Hi I need to place an order today with next day delivery using my Wiggle+ but I keep getting an error page on the checkout saying ‘we’ll be back soon’. Can you please assist?”
This all comes a week on from the rebrand and revamped website, a move that certainly didn’t go down well with everyone, something more than a few of you were keen to point out on last Wednesday’s live blog…
We’ll bring you more once we’ve got it…
A few hours later...
3 May 2023, 08:08
3 May 2023, 08:08
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Latest Comments
@perce I'm not sure I agree with that. I think thats just confirming that he is take fully responsibility and recognises that the cyclist could have done nothing to mitigate it.
If we don't fight it now, we'll all end up forced to wear baggy shorts!
@Rendel Harris Agree, I am baffled that the 84 year old who is now banned from driving for year can then start driving again without a retest. We should be re-tested regularly.
@mitsky Just checking the figures and apparently the 2026 average cost is £58,000 per year per prisoner; worth noting that is only the direct cost, you then have to factor in ten years of lost tax income from the prisoner, ten years that the prisoner is making no contribution to society as a worker or as a consumer, plus the fact that if they were the primary breadwinner very likely the costs will include benefits for their family as well. None of which should be a reason for keeping violent recidivists out of prison of course, nor drug/drink drivers who kill, but it is a factor worth considering for lower-level offences.
@Surreyrider I ride in Surrey a fair bit and absolutely many do look like that but the point is they all *think* they're driving perfectly reasonably (as one discovers when remonstrating with someone who's skimmed one by 30cm, "I gave you masses of room") so deterrent penalties have little effect. That's why we need to strike at the root cause and actually train drivers properly and test them stringently (and more than once over the course of a potential 70+ years of driving, it's absolutely absurd that competence and knowledge in what for most people is the activity in their life that will run the biggest risk of killing people you never have to have your qualifications renewed).
@mitsky Imprisonment currently costs over £50k p.a. per prisoner and obviously that will rise over the course of a ten-year stretch with inflation. Regarding culpability and mitigating sentences etc, of course I'm not against condign punishment for drivers who kill (and cyclists on the tiny, tiny handful of occasions when this happens), including prison as appropriate; I was objecting to the ridiculous and oft-repeated demand of MM that drivers who kill cyclists must get ten years, "no excuses, no exceptions".
Hey, but their wool blend cycling adjacent t-shirts are/were fantastic.
@Surreyrider Still the boss. Ride one, you'll see why
@Smoggysteve "Most would happily ride on the roads and be treated with respect by drivers". But people aren't - and as far as I can see they won't be. Not until there is a lot less driving and it's slower around cyclists, and far more people driving have "skin in the game" eg. they sometimes cycle and their friends and family do also. That's what leads to the model - which is perhaps most advanced in NL - where cycling, walking and driving are all seen as separate normal transport modes. Their needs, vulnerabilities and any dangers to others are considered. And *that* leads to "mix / share when possible, separate when necessary". But "possible" is "where your 10-year old would be safe to cycle unsupervised" - so very few motor vehicles, going slow! And AFAICS everybody - even "existing cyclists" - is happy with the result. (I dunno about a few pro cyclists - but don't they tend to have training camps in different counties anyway?)
@quiff as an Edinburgh resident I can confidently say he's speaking without moving his lips in one sense: - while as I noted in a separate comment there *is* now some real separated cycle infra, all the examples i can think of have *at least as much space* for pedestrians. The rest of the "cycle infra" is essentially similar to the situation in the rest of the UK: eg. bus lanes*, cycle lanes and shared use paths (eg. "build" infra by sticking up a sign). Edinburgh is one of the places with a moderately extensive network of former railways which have been converted to "shared use" paths (completely motor traffic few). However though shared they are not narrow by UK standards. And this is all effectively a "free extra" for all non- motorised users, not like the "sign a cycle path" where pedestrians do lose space. I think this all comes from the "popular understanding" of cycling in which ultimately cyclists are the "other". They don't fit "motor vehicle" or "pedestrian" (including wheelchairs on the very rare occasions people think about that). Thus "cyclists are cheating" in multiple ways! They shouldn't get their own space as "there aren't enough" of them. And "they can just use the road / path". But being able to *choose* "on the road" or "on the footway" (shared use path) is clearly unfair - nobody else gets to do that! BUT of course even if they did pick just one of road OR pedestrian space it's still not fair anyway because they're "too slow" for the road (don't pay "road tax" etc...) and "far too fast" for pedestrians... * Though some existing cyclists may appreciate them when there are few buses, buses and bikes are a very poor mix for several reasons.
31 thoughts on “Wiggle and Chain Reaction down… days after much-criticised rebrand; BBC somehow turns David Byrne’s Met Gala cycle into tedious helmet talk; Covid positives rule two key teammates for Primož Roglič out of Giro; GVA to retire + more on the live blog”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-65458680
A 16-year-old cyclist was killed after he was hit by a speeding car as he crossed a busy road while distracted by headphones, an inquest has concluded.
He said they carried out multiple tests on that stretch of road and worked out the driver was travelling 48mph (77km/h).
PC Wyatt added: “My main concern is that Joshua didn’t have a helmet on.”
Is this state we have reached ?
48 mph in a 40 but a helmet would have saved him. Didn’t realise helmets are rated for 48mph collisions with 1.8 T vehicles.
Agree that the quote from the
Agree that the quote from the PC (a forensic collision investigator) is awful and, I hope, taken out of context. To be fair though, the coroner’s conclusion as reported in the BBC article was: “Joshua’s death was caused by a combination of Joshua failing to cross the road safely, him not heeding oncoming traffic or the traffic lights, and the excess speed at which the car was being driven.”
Yet another shocking case of
Yet another shocking case of institution bias.
Quote:
You know, he might have had more time to react if he had not been travelling above the speed limit…
I thought pedestrians were
I thought pedestrians were top of the hierarchy of road users and that drivists should always be anticipating hazards? What a disgusting and disgraceful way to victim blame a dead 16 year old lad.
He was on his bike, but as
He was on his bike, but as hoarsemann has dug out, it was a toucan crossing so a pedestrian could have been caught out doing the same thing.
Looking at the collision
Looking at the collision report,
it seems this actually occurred at the entry/exit of a roundabout. This roundabout does have traffic lights that operate at certain times of the day, but even with a green light, 48mph into this left-turn slip onto a roundabout seems grossly excessive.Edit: seems the collision report location is inaccurate. If anything, it gets worse, this happened on a Toucan Crossing:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/a48-sdr-joshua-fletcher-speed-19823789
Would PC Wyatt expect a pedestrian crossing there to be wearing a helmet?
Tragically, I know of two
Tragically, I know of two people who died recently of catastrophic brain injuries after being hit by drivers. Both were pedestrians at the time (one on a pavement, when two drivers collided causing one to leave the road and hit her; I don’t know the details of the other than the vehicle was a bus). Not a single person has suggested they should have been wearing helmets.
My condolences. Sadly people
My condolences. Sadly people just reach for stock assumptions – so with cyclists it’s “helmet / were they visible?” and for pedestrians “did they suddenly run into the road / wrong place, wrong time – a tragic accident”.
We’ve possibly reached a stable point for road safety in the UK. We’re very safe compared to the rest of the world*. People probably take the status quo as a given. If they think more they So most people probably consider this is about the best we can do for the money given the particular “constraints” we have chosen (e.g. universal adult mass motoring with only one test ever).
Also in defence of “common opinion” there is evidence that you are more likely to have a head injury cycling than you are as a pedestrian are **. Of course that doesn’t necessarily mean doing more than informing people of this will make people healthier / save us money overall!
* NL is apparently better for pedestrians – and the UK has achieved this safety by excluding vulnerable road users – especially the young, the old and those with disabilities from much of the road space…
** see endless previous helmet debates; don’t have UK info to hand but for NL see e.g. this infographic from VeiligheidNL for 2021 (note they are different from the Road Safety Institute SWOV) – 70000+ cyclists with serious / minor injuries (70% with no other vehicle involved) compared to much less than 5000 pedestrians injured in collisions plus 15900 pedestrians injured with no-one else involved. (According to here for 2021 28% of trips made were by cycling, 16% by walking). More than 11,000 cycling casualties with some kind of brain injuries. They don’t have the pedestrian head injury figures there though…
Re yesterday’s live blog: it
Re yesterday’s live blog: it’s crazy to think there’s someone out there who thinks an Escalade is exciting
Maybe they got confused with
Maybe they got confused with ‘Escapade’
I heard a rumour that David
I heard a rumour that David Byrne wants to run for U.S. president. His whole campaign is going to be based around simplifying the treasury and to stop making cents
Standard BBC attitude to
Standard BBC attitude to cycling. Half of the outfits pictured in their article are legitimate trip hazards, for the wearer or anyone in a 3-metre radius, but they think the bloke in a suit needs a helmet because he happens to be pushing a bicycle.
The BBC is notoriously anti
The BBC is notoriously anti-cycling and pro-helmet, and despite four decades of pointing out their mistakes, they persist. Actually, it isn’t a mistake if you’ve been told about it a thousand times and still do it: it’s a choice. Institutionally biased.
Meanwhile…yesterday in
Meanwhile…yesterday in Spain Charlotte Kool won Stage 2 of La Vuelta Femenina with Marianne Vos in second place,but Vos took the overall GC lead by 1 second, through bonus seconds, and has now worn the leaders jersey in all 3 of the women’s grand tours.
Quite right Awavey, pretty
Quite right Awavey, pretty poor from road.cc
Yet, quite happy to highlight that a man won a women’s race. That shows their priorities.
I think they got the hint for
I think they got the hint for today 😉 whilst meanwhile leaving out Vos as well as having led all 3 tours, has now won a stage in all 3 tours.
With regards to the drivers
With regards to the drivers parking on pavements… we haven’t heard from the Tyre Extinguishers for a while.
Probably worth giving them a call.
Maybe even leave a note after saying “The time you saved by parking here will be more than lost in having to reinflate your tyre(s).”
Regarding met gala, gee
Regarding met gala, gee lighten up. They also went with “Kim Petras was not horsing around” because she had a horse costume and “Dan Levy can give you directions to the station” because his outfit incorporated a map.
David Byrne at the Met Gala
David Byrne at the Met Gala may ask himself “Well, how did I get here?” and “Where is that large automobile?”….. I’m asking myself where my coat is . ..
Or is he on a road to nowhere
Or is he on a road to nowhere, trying to avoid all the Psycho killers in cars?
In a twisted lyric (but
In a twisted lyric (but apposite mishearing, in this context), I hear, “CYCLE KILLERS”, Qu’est-ce que c’est?
I feel that David Byrne
I feel that David Byrne missed a trick by not brokering a sponsorship deal between the gala organisers and Met helmets
I had always thought that
I had always thought that Wiggle were relatively competent, but they went for a poorly thought out redesign and now even that isn’t working.
Wiggle were, then they got
Wiggle were, then they got bought by some venture capitalists
Absolutely love the EFE kit
Absolutely love the EFE kit for the Giro. Should be super easy spot in the peloton. Would take a braver soul than me to wear in public though.
I imagine it’ll sell out
I imagine it’ll sell out almost instantly but if it ever percolates down to be on general sale I’m tempted to take the plunge.
There was another company that did the off cut thing too recently, MAAP perhaps? That also looked great but had sold out when I tried to buy it.
Just me or have the recent
Just me or have the recent comments regarding road.cc’s venture in electric car fandom been removed?
I just looked and they seem
I just looked and they seem to be still there. Checked in two browsers, so it’s not just in my cache or something. Your comment is still on top of the comments (as it should be, you hit the nail on the head), and my comments are also still there.
I guess they just sit this out and get on with it. Tony hasn’t responded anymore.
‘Byrne wore an all-white
‘Byrne wore an all-white outfit – which must have got muddy when he presumably had to cycle home – with some brightly-coloured trainers.’
why would it get muddy? Was he riding through muddy fields in NYC?
What happened to Wiggle/CRC?
What happened to Wiggle/CRC? They are going the way of Evans. Their range is just terrible. I can’t think the last time I bought anything from either. It’s just so much easier to find a good deal on better brands than what they offer.
best online retailers for me are Sigma and Tredz. These are regular bike shops with a top quality web based business along side.
wiggle will be gone in a few years unless they up their game.