“When your grandpa has secret watts”: Pro cyclists joined by Converse-wearing local stylishly flying up climb aboard steel beauty; But cyclists don’t ride in the cold; Pro cycling’s new monster climb + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"When your grandpa has secret watts": Pro cyclists joined by Converse-wearing local stylishly flying up climb aboard steel beauty
While one of the hot topics of the early season has been how to behave around pro cyclists while they train, sparked by several high-profile examples of how not to behave, here’s a fan/pro clip that’s good for the soul on a Wednesday morning…
stuck in traffic on my morning KOMmute
by
u/FlyThink7908 in
BicyclingCirclejerk
Full credit to the good people at Assos who were out getting photos and video of the EF Education-Oatly riders in their new kit when the coolest rider on the continent rolled up for a tow. Backpack on, Converse on, steel bike from before some of the pros were born, that’s one cool person to be drafting your group.
Very much from the same genre as one of our favourite live blogs ever…
> Rigoberto Urán drafted by backpack-wearing local at 45km/h
If the chap from the Assos clip had gone no-hands to light a cigarette before flicking his downtube shifter to launch a Pantani-style attack, I fear the cycling corner of the internet may have spontaneously combusted. As it was, his antics have still earned him a sizeable fan club…
“He actually stopped at the bottom of the hill for a few pints to give them a head start…”
“Please don’t post videos of me without my permission”
“A man of culture”
“It’s Grandpa Pogačar”
“He’s the neutral service bike and he’s got 15 litres of water in that pack for when the peloton gets thirsty.”
“He’s the Pele-Don!”
Any teams got any space for a last-minute wildcard this season?
Komoot launches ChatGPT app to provide instant AI-powered route planning via “natural language prompts”
Police force apologises over 'incorrectly categorised 999 call' which saw cyclist left injured in busy road for three hours before emergency services attended
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Dyfed Powys Police have responded to criticism from a councillor over a case which saw a cyclist left injured in a busy road for several hours before emergency services arrived.
Questions were asked about why the police had not attended to direct traffic and keep the injured rider, and members of the public who stopped to help, safe during the three-hour wait for an ambulance.
The Shropshire Star reports a superintendent from the force has now apologised and said the situation stemmed from the call for assistance being categorised incorrectly.
“A full review has been completed into the road traffic collision which occurred at Borfa Green, Welshpool,” Superintendent Jon Rees said. “The review identified that the call for assistance was categorised incorrectly at the point of contact, and whilst there was effective communication between Dyfed-Powys Police and the Welsh Ambulance Trust to ensure the casualty received the correct treatment and care, local police officers were not tasked to attend the incident.
“The staff involved have received feedback, enabling future learning and avoidance of any repeat. On behalf of Dyfed-Powys Police I apologise that the high level of service expected of staff was not achieved on this occasion.”
Did Remco Evenepoel cramp during UAE Tour horror show?
Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe team manager Klaas Lodewyck offered his assessment of Remco Evenepoel’s UAE Tour disappointment to Sporza this afternoon and questioned if cramp was the issue.
“From what we could see in the follow-up car, Remco may have gone a bit over the limit during Gall’s attack,” he suggested. “We had discussed this: ‘Take it easy.’ But maybe he felt so good at the time that he wanted to follow. But the end result is clear.
“From what we saw in the footage, it was a brutal climb. And maybe he pushed himself too hard at the start. But there’s no doubt it was a difficult climb. No, I don’t think so [when asked about potential cramp]. Again: I haven’t spoken to him yet, and we won’t have more clarity until tonight.”
Abuse and harassment continuing to deter women from cycling, as campaigners launch new “safety audit”
Remco goes pop on Jebel Mobrah as Antonio Tiberi wins first summit finish of UAE Tour
He really earned that victory 🥵
Antonio Tiberi rides solo to victory on UAE Tour Stage 3 at the top of Jabel Mobrah and takes the race lead ahead of Isaac del Toro who finished in second 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/Xoe6r7LaWw
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) February 18, 2026
UAE Tour’s third stage was billed as the Evenepoel vs Del Toro showdown but neither of the favourites summited pro cycling’s newest leg-shredding climb with their hands in the air, Antonio Tiberi instead landing something of an upset and taking the race lead. The Italian has just three pro wins, despite some very solid GC showings built around his strong time trialling and consistent but (usually) unspectacular climbing. As such, the biggest headlines of the 24-year-old’s career came rather grimly when he shot and killed a cat belonging to San Marino’s former head of state.
After Silvan Dillier and Jonas Rickaert had formed an Alpecin-Premier Tech two-up breakaway training ride all day, the savage slopes of the climb packed enough drama to almost make watching four hours of flat, desert riding worthwhile. Isaac Del Toro was struggling, then he wasn’t. Remco Evenepoel wasn’t struggling, then he was. In the end, Del Toro found his legs and closed the gap to Tiberi to 15 seconds, Adam Yates doing his usual applause-worthy domestique duty, but it was the Bahrain Victorious rider’s day.
Remco looks to be struggling in the heat 🥵 pic.twitter.com/o9pDm84TWM
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) February 18, 2026
Evenepoel was seen hitting his legs, possibly suffering with some cramp in the heat, but the Belgian lost nearly two minutes and has almost certainly ceded any hope of a GC win this week. With the bonus seconds, Tiberi holds a 21-second advantage over Del Toro, the week featuring one more summit finish, on Saturday.
Team effort vs individual performance: As Team Visma–Lease a Bike looks to replace key riders, staff and its lead sponsor, where does this leave Jonas Vingegaard for 2026?
Driving academy deploys AI slop to ask if cyclists "have every right to be on the road"?
Define AI slop:
A Hampshire-based driving school posted this interesting image on Facebook. Where to start? The oversized signs, the road-straddling vehicles, the path that disappears 50m up the road? Actually, to be fair, the path vanishing without warning is quite realistic…
Social media marketing to attract learners for lessons or ‘discussion’, we’re not too sure what the point of this post is, but Jo spotted it on his feed this morning. There are plenty of comments so job done there, I suppose.
The pic was accompanied by a few (presumably also AI-produced) paragraphs asking: “Do you think that cyclists have every right to be on the road?!”
Even if there’s a cycle lane then cyclists have a legal right to use a public road. They are entitled to ride in the center of the lane for safety, are not required to use cycle lanes, and can ride two abreast.–Key Aspects of Cyclists’ Rights and Responsibilities:Positioning: Cyclists may use the full lane and are advised to take the center of the lane when it is safer to do so, such as in narrow traffic or to avoid hazards.–Road Usage: Apart from motorways, cyclists can use most roads. They are not legally required to use cycle lanes.Rules of the Road: Cyclists must follow the Highway Code, which includes obeying traffic signals, stop signs, and riding in the same direction as traffic.Safety and Overtaking: Motorists are required to give cyclists at least as much room as a car when overtaking (at least 1.5 meters for speeds up to 30mph).–Group Riding: Cyclists may ride two abreast, which is often safer, particularly in larger groups or with children.–Restrictions: Cyclists cannot legally ride on pavements (footways), unless it is a designated shared-use path.While cyclists have the right to be on the road, they must also act with due care and consideration for other road users.
Safety works to be carried out on “North Korean style” cycle lane after complaints of a “pilot scheme that has no pilot”
If it ain't on Strava, he'll still be the manager of our football club this weekend
Not cycling but a brief shout-out to the amusing story that new Wigan Athletic manager Gary Caldwell’s imminent departure from former club Exeter City was leaked by the club’s physio on Strava.
“Northampton (H) last one with Gary and Dave,” the physio titled his run. Fans spotted it and sure enough Caldwell was appointed The Latics’ new gaffer shortly after.
Pro cycling's new monster climb: UAE Tour to make Jebel Mobrah debut
You know it’s going to be good when the kilometre sections look like this…
What do you expect on Jebel Mobrah tomorrow? #UAETour pic.twitter.com/jhQvfZHE69
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) February 17, 2026
Okay, I’ve cracked, my abstinence from getting too bothered about racing until Omloop is over. All it took was six kilometres at 12 per cent and maximum slopes of 16 per cent. Well done, UAE Tour, you’ve won me round.
There’s plenty of flat riding to do before that but Evenepoel, Del Toro and Co. will be in for a rude awakening when the action turns from zone two, spinning through the desert, to lung-burning, double-digit gradients in a matter of minutes.
It’s Jebel Mobrah’s first inclusion at the race, the climb shaking up the familiar formula of the week, replacing that summit finish at Jebel Jais where the shallow slopes and wind direction often meant the final kilometre felt more like a sprint lead-out than a mountain finish. In its place comes 13.2km at eight per cent, those final six kilometres looking absolutely brutal. Anyone coming in a bit undercooked this early in the season will know all about it in a couple of hours.
But nobody cycles when it's cold
The joys of winter cycling. Can I shift? No. Can I stop? Sometimes. Does it beat driving? Always.
#ROC— Adrian (@adrianmartin.bsky.social) 31 January 2026 at 02:16
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At least West Yorkshire police are taking robust action on video submissions! https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cd9w2l2wqvdo £1200.00 ?!? Obviously, avoid the deranged comments in the local rag.
@quiff How did you manage to determine that it was uncomfortably tight, the police are constantly telling us they can't measure distance from a video, can we now use this as a precedent that if it looks close the motorist can be prosecuted?
As I have commented a number of times on the frankly pointless but constant "discussion" around doping, its not "sure, sure, they're just eating better, wink wink, nudge nudge" that the brightest and best who claim they are all doped up to the gills like to rely on for their argument. Everything has improved since the dark days of doping. Literally everything. Faster bikes, more comfortable bikes (less fatigue), more aero kit, better training, better nutrition, better recovery, eating up to 150g/hr of carbs (and potentially even more in future) vs 60g/hr, no long training break, everything being optimised from a much younger age. Its frankly a testament to the powers of doping that we are only just seeing these records being beaten. The idea that all the top guys are doped up to the gills along with all these improvements to every single area of cycling performance and are only just beating these old records occasionally is absurd. Its the worst part of the TdF. That you have to deal with the wall of "yeah, but they're all doping" whenever anything is talked about.
@mctrials23 You'd hope that there's a record of warnings. But my point is, how are they implementing this new policy - are they even checking their records to see if someone has already had a warning letter - or do they look at the report, and say "ah, this is a [zig-zag line] offence - normally that would just get a warning letter, so new policy says I should NFA it." Of course the result is that most people just stop reporting them, giving a false impression of incident rates. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them hail the success of OpSnap because it was getting so many reports they couldn't cope, and then also champion their success when the crime report rates go down...
I spoke to a TVP prosecutor many years ago. He said, he played my footage to the court and heard a gasp from those present. He knew then that he had won.
@quiff Surely their system will have any action that has been taken against them with regards to the law.
@the little onion I saw that today too, and came here looking for reaction - it got a little bit of attention on the live blog a couple of days ago. I also don't have a problem with the police looking at a submitted clip in its totality, and if you've done something you shouldn't have, don't expect to get away with it. (Am I right in thinking they also looked at other, totally separate clips you had submitted too over the offensive language thing?) But I'm in two minds about the actual cycling that got the fine. Yes, it's uncomfortably tight, and if I'd done that I'd have a had a word with myself afterwards about self-preservation, but I'm not convinced they posed any danger to the driver of that tank, at the speeds involved and going uphill. However, sounds like the charge was careless cycling, so danger not required.
@mctrials23 totally agree, I think the problem is perhaps finding a police officer these days with a basic grasp of maths - or at least the authority to deploy it without being bestowed with the title of "trained forensic specialist".
"The net result of this confusion was police forces in Wales no longer issuing warning letters to drivers who dangerously overtake cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders, despite there being no formal policy change." That is one result, but my understanding is that it's wider than this - they were getting so many submissions that they are no longer taking action on *any* offence where the action would be a warning letter. So, for example, zig-zag line offences, where South Wales Police previously acted on OpSnap reports, are now NFAd. That begs a further question though - if you've already had a warning letter for an offence, a repeat offence should potentially result in a fine or prosecution. Are they checking each report to see if the reported driver has previously had a warning, or just NFA-ing all offences of a particular type? Any thoughts, wjts?!
The leader's team would get on the front and block the roads through Montmartre and completely kill the spectacle. Let's face it, the last stage has always been meaningless apart from the sprint, now it's meaningless apart from a superb and thrilling triple lap of Montmartre followed by a sprint. Neutralising GC helped that spectacle - imagine if Tadej had needed to go back and help bring Del Toro up. The roads are too narrow to allow for really fair racing, if we want the wonder of the Montmartre loop then GC neutralisation is the price we have to pay, and one well worth paying in my view.
7 thoughts on ““When your grandpa has secret watts”: Pro cyclists joined by Converse-wearing local stylishly flying up climb aboard steel beauty; But cyclists don’t ride in the cold; Pro cycling’s new monster climb + more on the live blog”
New Roads Policing Unit active in Thames Valley Area:
https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news/thames-valley/news/2026/february/09-02-26/introduction-to-the-new-roads-policing-unit-tasking-team/
Hopefully we’ll see an increase in enforcement of road crime and a reduction in incidents of careless/dangerous driving 🤞.
So are the road-straddling vehicles forcing the oncoming cyclist into the gutter, for that matter.
The speed limit sign planted on the shared path is also not unfamiliar.
Abuse and harassment deter women (and men) from walking, running or cycling not only when it’s dark but also in broad daylight. This isn’t a sport-related issue. This is a societal problem that has gone unaddressed and underplayed for decades.
So it’s ok to sit on the wheel of pros out training now?
I don’t know about “ok”, but it’s better than trying to half-wheel them I guess?
He’s not really that close. Maybe they should have slowed down and let him pass instead of blocking the road like that.