The one he REALLY wants to win… Tadej Pogačar uploads Milan-San Remo recon to Strava; Horror crash footage; Visma-Lease a Bike boss admits Simon Yates retirement not ideal; Bike lock nightmare; Four minutes of cyclocross carnage + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Always point out hazards! Shocking crash video shows moment cyclist sent flying after hitting rock during group ride
Pain.
Was it a rock? Was it a bit of metal? Either way, the rider who hit it will wish someone in front had pointed it out before he did. Within seconds he’s gone from flying along to battered, bruised and presumably facing many a sleepless night with some god-awful road rash sticking to the sheets.
The rider at the front moves slightly to their right and some have suggested a point with their left hand (or a shout, given the speed) could have alerted those behind of the danger, although this is all easy to say sat behind a desk and not while hurtling along at what looks like 40km/h+. Also that hard shoulder looks far from ideal for riding along, the close-up showing just how much gravel and smaller stones were dotted along it waiting for the opportunity to puncture, or fully blow out a tyre.
Given the high-speed nature of the road, the reaction of many who saw it online was simply to be grateful there was no further collision, and the rider was able to hobble away from the crash, admittedly looking extremely uncomfortable.
“That looks painful. I’ve encountered windscreen glass that has been swept into the cycle lane after a car accident, and ended up the same as you. Ouch,” Tony Erik wrote.
David Christopher Beckley added: “June 27th last year I had similar on a junction, running through as the light was still green, banked in and hit a pothole, pinched my front tyre and send me into a kerb. Lot of road rash and a part torn ligament in my wrist. Six months off.”
Fingers crossed the rider in today’s video wasn’t so unlucky on the injury front.
Visma-Lease a Bike boss admits knowing about Simon Yates retirement sooner "would have been better"
Simon Yates announcing his retirement out of the blue didn’t just catch us by surprise, Visma-Lease a Bike boss Richard Plugge admitting the team didn’t have a clue either.
Speaking at the team’s January training camp, and reported by Cyclinguptodate, Plugge said: “Of course it would have been better if he had called us in September.” However, the team boss did also accept that “it was a good talk and it was a clear message” and retirement is a decision for the individual rider.
“It is what it is, and we have to accept it,” Plugge said. “If someone calls you and says, ‘I want to leave’, then he has thought about it. And he did. We also know him as someone who thinks a lot about things and then comes with his own idea.”
Just how much work goes into commentary prep for a major WorldTour race?
Live blog filler from LinkedIn? What’s the world coming to? Anyway, better than Twitter, but the less said about that the better. Here’s TNT Sports commentator Jez Cox doing his homework ahead of time and creating some very visually satisfyingly cheat sheets for the Tour Down Under.
What do you mean they don’t just rock up and incoherently unload the first thing that pops into their head? Maybe my podcast appearances could learn a thing or two about this ‘preparation’ thing…
"Managed to lock my bike like this and the key refuses to turn, any way to get it off?"
Managed to lock my bike like this and the key refuses to turn, any way to get it off?
byu/BarFamiliar5892 inbicycling
Thankfully the owner of this lock has now managed to remove it via plenty of WD40, a rubber mallet and “lots of jiggling”. Again, luckily, it was just in their garage, so no stress about leaving the bike/lock in public in the meantime, but a whole load of faff. I’ve had a couple of instances where a key hasn’t unlocked instantly, but it’s never taken more than a couple of tries.
“I got it off eventually,” the rider explained. “It was in my garage, I had to deconstruct the thing it was locked to to get the bike free and a better angle to work at, then a combo of WD40, a rubber mallet, and lots of jiggling the key finally did it.”
Any lock horror tales for the comments section?
Study suggests record number of people commuting by bike in Brussels, with one in five now cycling to work as levels increase 40 per cent in four years
A new study by an HR group Acerta suggests there has been an increase of more than 40 per cent in people cycling to work in Brussels over the last four years. The research also suggests that as many as one in five commutes may now be made by bike in the Belgian capital.
Interestingly, given the fact those numbers instinctively appeared high when we read the info for the first time, Acerta suggests it’s actually still low compared with the rest of the country, with 43 per cent of Belgian’s apparently commuting by bike.
A mobility expert from the company behind the study suggested the “rapid rise” of e-bikes had helped bring cycling to new audiences in Brussels. “Public spaces are also becoming more bicycle-friendly with the construction of additional cycle highways and wider cycle paths,” Charlotte Thijs added, a story we’ve also seen in otehr European capitals such as Paris and London.
Four minutes of cyclocross carnage
No, this isn’t the British Cycling live stream they wanted you to pay £2.99 for, it’s much more entertaining…
Apparently riders were tasked with finding out how many undignified ways you can possibly get down a steep, muddy bank on/off a bike. The answer? A lot…
"I didn't want to use Gaza as a scapegoat to get out of my contract": Derek Gee-West's €30 million legal dispute over Israel-Premier Tech exit resolved, as Canadian star says controversy "best left in the past"
"Sky was a very structured, very mathematical team, and I didn't see myself there": Joaquim Rodríguez recalls Team Sky transfer interest, but has no regrets as "not every rider fits every team"
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Two-time Il Lombardia winner and 14-time Grand Tour stage winner Joaquim Rodríguez insists he has no regrets that interest from Team Sky during his career never materialised into a transfer. Speaking on the Puro Ciclismo podcast, Rodríguez said he didn’t think he would have been a very good fit at the then all-conquering team, especially with Chris Froome already showing himself to be the main GC rider of his generation.
“Sky did things very well, that’s why they won so much, but not every rider fits every team,” Rodríguez said. “I knew I wouldn’t be the outright leader there. And at that point in my career, I needed to feel important, to feel the team fully trusted me.
“Sky was a very structured, very mathematical team, and I didn’t see myself there. It wasn’t about money or results, it was about feel. I’ve always been a very instinctive rider, racing on sensations, and at Sky everything was too controlled.”
What do you mean you want to attack, Purito? Get back in line, read your power meter and wait for your ten minutes on the front…
"You're far more likely to see a car and predict how they move": One in 12 cyclists fear illegal e-bikes more than motorists, new survey claims – as just 18% say they feel safe on UK roads
Bike Worcester launches cycling flood app to advise riders when shared-use riverside paths are under water
Here’s a neat new service for cyclists in Worcester. Bike Worcester has launched a new Worcester Cycling Flooding App which gives local riders live updates about when shared-use riverside paths are inaccessible due to flooding.
The app uses publicly available information regarding the current levels of the river
looking at the Environment Agency level monitors at Barbourne and Diglis, and
compares this with hundreds of crowd sourced observations made by Bike
Worcester volunteers over the last year to provide a status for each of the paths.
Users of the app can also continue to submit observations as to whether the paths are flooded, and also when the Council have removed mud from the paths after the
water has subsided.
Dan Brothwell, Chair of Bike Worcester said: “The app came out of a need from the
cycling community to know whether the paths were flooded or not so they could
plan their route accordingly. When the river level starts to rise there’s usually a flurry
of messages asking if certain routes are still open, and in reality you only know if
you go and take a look.
“One of the best things about travelling by bike is that the journey time is predictable, however this isn’t the case if you get to the river and have to turn back due to flooding.”
You can access it here.
"From one factory floor to another": Lusso buys some of Endura's factory equipment as Scottish brand relocates to London
The one he REALLY wants to win... Tadej Pogačar uploads Milan-San Remo recon to Strava
⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️⚠️
170km and a look at some of the finish of Milan-San Remo for Tadej Pogačar this morning, the world champion taking his latest visit to the roads of one of the few bike races he hasn’t yet managed to win. Eagle-eyed cycling fans spotted Pogačar on the Poggio at the back end of 2025, this trip curiously missing out the ascent used in the opening Monument of the season. Instead, the UAE Team Emirates star ascended the side of the Poggio that he’ll descend in March, before heading back down to go through San Remo the same way he’d gone up.
Given how infrequently Pogačar uploads to Strava these days, you can be certain he’s more than happy to let the world know he’s got his eye on another tilt at the race in two months time.
Pogačar has joked before he thinks it could be the race that kills him, the course giving riders, such as Mathieu van der Poel and Filippo Ganna last year, the chance to follow his accelerations and beat him in the sprint. Can he do it or, like Peter Sagan, will La Primavera be the one that got away… again and again and again and again and again?
15 January 2026, 08:13
15 January 2026, 08:13
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris you've painted a rather alluring picture of social harmony there, but unfortunately you've got my name wrong. I'm Jack, not Nigel. However, to return the compliment, I must think of a story for you. I imagine you sat outside a pub, real ale and pipe propped on the adjacent table, in a similar fashion to Nigel Farage at his populist best. You turn to your wife. "You know what dear? I think I've been a bit harsh in my time. I've shunned the politeness and wisdom of others for too long and want to change my ways.* "There there Rendel", says Mrs Harris. "You're not a bad old stick, it's just living in London that's emptied your soul of kindness and compassion. I've found a lovely new place where we can settle down in our later years. It's on a leafy cul de sac, surrounded by friendly neighbours and smiling faces. There's a guy a couple of doors down, a remarkable man. As well as his towering intellect and rapier wit, he's also a keen cyclist, holding severa local KOMs. Don't be perturbed dear - he'll ride with anyone provided they show other road users the kindness and courtesy they deserve." Rendel turned emotionally, voice shaking. "Oh my dear, thank you for this second chance", and with that the rest of the pub goers turned and applauded the couple, throwing garlands of petals in their wake. The end.
As a Councillor, Edward needs to be paying some attention to all that parking obstructing visibility and manoeuvres at the junction, and sorting out those radii.
Ed Hill was chucked out by Reform in 2025, though TBF to him it was about how to run it rather than ideology I think. He is now reportedly closer to Advance UK, which is distinctly more extreme than Reform. I'd call this Alan Amos style attention seeking.
Emily, thank you for such an insightful piece. I’m a man, but I enjoy watching the women’s races, possibly more than the men’s. The racing is so much closer, we rarely know who’s going to win. You painted a wonderful picture of how a true champion is able to ‘rise above’ setbacks and distractions, and focus their energy on the task in hand. ‘All’s fair in live and war -and sport, but always good to hear riders expressing their admiration for their competitors
@Nigel Garage ...and then everyone applauded my courtesy and I waved courteously to all the people who were courteously throwing flowers and cheering and courteously waving flags that said "Nigel is the best!"
The picture from street view clearly shows give way lines from the roads to the green painted cycle/pedestrian lane. The road user should give way (or must...) to the user of the green lane. This would of course apply to any cyclist on the roadway.
If I recall there is a cave or two along the route - perhaps they were sheltering from the heat in one of those having taken it for a Golf bunker?
“So if there’s a cyclist travelling down the cycle path at the moment, from this position I can’t see them because my blind spots are too big on the left hand side of the vehicle”, claims Hill. Well, there's your problem, right there...🙄
First impression from the headline that he's likely a twit. Then the detail he was expelled from Reform makes you suspect that failing even their low bar requirements he really is. Then he clearly explains his vehicle is unsafe for the highway because he can't see to give way when turning. Any collision he now has should have that video run out explaining he drove a vehicle he knew to be unsafe. Advice for motorists; instead of thinking that pedestrians and cyclists are low risk 100kg objects, imagine them as a 300 Tonne trains that will crush you and your vehicle if you cross into their paths. You'd give way to the train, so you equally can to the others.
I've had a brief look on Facebook, and Ed Hill (who now appears to be affiliated with Advance UK) seems to have taken some useful road safety improvements under his remit, including an initiative to help local pedestrians on unpaved roads, where the wider council won't help due to planning failures. Regarding the cycle path, I think this is linked to a wider misunderstanding about giving way at junctions and I'm afraid I cannot agree with Mr Hill's conclusion. Regardless of the suitability of the cycle path, vehicles should give way at the junction to both pedestrians crossing and cyclists. It seems to be a poorly understood rule among motorists where some believe they have priority at junctions like this, where they certainly do not. I once had a similar issue myself, while leisurely walking to Waitrose to buy some lunchtime fripperies. A driver beeped their horn as I crossed the junction, despite me having priority, and was shocked and apologetic when I explained I had priority. A polite conversation later, the driver departed, educated and updated on the rules of the road.
14 thoughts on “The one he REALLY wants to win… Tadej Pogačar uploads Milan-San Remo recon to Strava; Horror crash footage; Visma-Lease a Bike boss admits Simon Yates retirement not ideal; Bike lock nightmare; Four minutes of cyclocross carnage + more on the live blog”
I worked in Brussels for a
I worked in Brussels for a few months in about 1988, great place. I don’t remember seeing any cycle commuters back then, it was traffic hell. So, progress can be made.
In the 80s only PE teachers
In the 80s only PE teachers would ride their bikes to work.
Not true. My Latin teacher
Not true. My Latin teacher cycled.
I’ve done the same thing to a
I’ve done the same thing to a lock, but fortunately after unlocking the bike and going to stash it. Just as well, as I was about 50 miles from home at the time. No amount of persuasion would get it loose, and eventually it just got skipped and replaced.
I used to lock up a bike at
I used to lock up a bike at the station using a Masterlock Street Cuff (https://road.cc/content/review/35027-masterlock-street-cuff-lock) but the lock started to malfunction a bit and required some wiggling to get the key to work. In the end, I had to bin the lock before it left me unable to unlock my bike.
Any lock horror stories?
Any lock horror stories?
My d lock fell out when going over a bump downhill.
I stopped at the side of the road to walk back to get it. Then a driver came along and drove over it catapulting it at me. The lock went between the wheels onto my shin.
I managed to cycle with one leg back to where I’d started to get help. Went to A&E as I was sure my leg was fractured.
Took a few days to recover.
One my way to my first day at
One my way to my first day at a new part-time job while at university the key snapped off in my lock (it was a cheap lock). I had to go and get the bus with the end of the key still in the lock. I text my friend and he was able to get the remaining key out but I then had the bright idea that, as my spare key was at home 200 miles away, I could use the bit of key and some borrowed pillars to open lock. Unfortunately the bit of key went further into the lock then I expected and got stuck with no way to retrieve it. So I took the pillars back and borrowed a saw instead. As it was a cheap lock, I could easily saw through it but I did have to put up with my friends drawing attention by telling anyone who walked past that I was stealing the bike.
Touch wood, Ive never had a
Touch wood, Ive never had a problem with my bike lock but maybe because at the last two offices its been kept in a bike cage and fully covered. At the the office dore that it was still half covered. What was slightly annoying in Covid they moved me to another office and I’ve never been back (it was a 25mile drive and 14mile cycle), so my lock might still be there!
TikTok star will not repay
“TikTok star will not repay full extradition costs”
Why not?
“… after he avoided court for almost a year…
Harrison Sullivan, 24, was handed a suspended prison sentence in November after crashing his McLaren in Virginia Water, Surrey, in March 2024.
Sullivan failed to appear in court for 12 months after the crash, travelling to Dubai, Thailand and Spain and continuing to make social media content, the court previously heard.
Sullivan was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence at Staines Magistrates’ Court in November last year after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance.
The social media star has also been disqualified from driving for two years.
He will have an electronic tag for three months and is expected to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation.”
Given his behaviour in avoiding court, I doubt he will stick to any of that.
“But cyclists.”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3edz4y71ydo
I dropped the key to my lock
I dropped the key to my lock somewhere while walking though a wood back to my bike. It was about 1 AM, so I just walked five miles home. I went back the next morning with my spare key.
I now keep something retroreflective on my bike lock keys. The key was on the floor within ten metres of my bike, and I probably could have found it that way.
TDF Grand Depart 2027 details
TDF Grand Depart 2027 details (for some reason the videos are marked ‘private’, but the route details are there)…
https://www.letour.fr/en/the-race/grands-departs/grand-depart-2027
My lock horror tale:
My lock horror tale:
I was a young guy, who had saved long for his first mtb, only to have it stolen after just three months. After saving again, I had bought a new bike, but this time decided to get it insured. A very good lock was mandatory.
So i spent my very last money on a very expensive U-lock.
Then, with my bike securely locked to a drain pipe, my key broke off when I tried to open the lock.
I went home, a 15 minute walk, to get pliers. No luck.
I went home again, getting my dads angle grinder and a long electrical cord, asked the people living there to allow my grinder to be plugged in (they let me after showing them my broken off key), and got to work.
It turned out to be a really good lock indeed (apart for the keys of course), because the grinding disk was clearly loosing the battle.
I went to the DIY hardware store, and bought a new grinding disk – after walking home first to borrow some money from my dad). That disk lost too.
Went back to buy another one, and that eventually got through the lock.
The whol ordeal cost me many hours, the cost of my lock, the cost of two grinding disks, and the costs of a whole new lock I had to buy to replace it.
Not my best day.
OMG Pog wants to win MSR?
OMG Pog wants to win MSR? Clearly, he has a high boredom threshold.
Top tactics tip, Pog: It’s only the last 50km or so that matter.
SecretSam wrote:
Now watch him defy convention and solo to victory from 120km out.