Groin-BREAKING NEWS: Cyclist painfully photobombs live TV report by smashing groin into his bike; Covid restrictions cancel cyclo-cross WC round; Tom Pidcock world tour; Mini Vans bikes; Loads of new kit + more on the live blog

World champ Julian Alaphilippe spoke to Gazzetta dello Sport about his ambitions in the sport as he moves towards his thirties. What do you do when you've won almost everything? Target the Tour de France? "Never say never," Alaphilippe told the Italian paper.

"Why not think about it before the end of my career? There are a lot of questions to be asked and I’d need to speak to the team. But I don’t want to end my time with the regret of not ever trying. I’ve never raced a Grand Tour thinking of winning it, so there wasn’t the same pressure. But I can understand why it’s been difficult for [Thibaut] Pinot and [Romain] Bardet."

In the short-term an Ardennes Classics campaign and his home Grand Tour are on the cards for 2022, although Alaphilippe was keen to point out an appearance at the Giro is also on his radar, just not next year. A fourth Flèche Wallonne, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Tour de France and a third consecutive rainbow jersey...how about that for a campaign befitting a world champion. France can dream...

Canadian power meter brand 4iiii finally has its UK facility open for factory installs of its single and dual-sided power meters onto customers’ existing cranksets.

You can send a Shimano left-hand crank to 4iiii to have the power measurement technology installed for £259.99. Your new power meter will add just 9g to your crank and it runs on CR2032 batteries which are readily available.

4iiii offers this service for 105 5700 through to XTR M9020. The latest Shimano Ultegra and Dura-Ace groupset aren’t listed, but we understand that availability on these will be coming soon.

“Our Factory Install offering has been very popular for customers looking to add a proven power meter to their bike at an industry-leading price,” says 4iiii President Phil White. “Expanding into the United Kingdom allows us to bring the same quick turnaround and great experience to our UK customers.”

4iiii claims a maximum turnaround time of 5 days and they say that most are being fitted within 48hrs of the crank arriving at the factory.

The install time used to be quite a bit longer for UK customers as the crank had to go all the way to 4iiii’s HQ in Canada.

4iiii.com

Plurrrghhh.... Just watching this makes my eyes water https://t.co/Izcrcnv9rM

— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) November 30, 2021

I think most of us with the relevant equipment can empathise with the poor lad's top tube collision...

Shaun Dolphin on Facebook certainly can..."Been there. Done that. Got the Tshirt!". In true sympathetic style 11 of the 16 likes on our post sharing the story used the laughing emoji...nothing unites people like seeing someone else getting one where it hurts... 

Under the blog, Rendell Harris commented: "That's a low blow Down Under..."

Now I hope everyone's finished with their lunch. I had a little dig into our archives to see if we have covered anything similar, and boy have we...

> Surgeons reattach man's testicles after disastrous bike crash

It's not one for the faint-hearted...shifting the description of the crash from your mind can be a bit of a ballache...

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Roux Anthony (@anthonyroux18)

Anthony Roux has launched a campaign to get more people picking up litter. The Frenchman who rides for FDJ said he was fed up of seeing rubbish every time he went out on his bike.

"When I looked at the side of the road, it disgusted me to ride in these unpleasant surroundings," Roux said. "For a long time, like most people, I complained but didn't take action. Many say it is horrible, unacceptable. I said that too, but I didn't stop to pick up a piece of paper and put it in the trash."

Roux now takes a bag on training rides or walks to collect discarded waste. "Many complain but do not act. It's to shake things up a bit and use my little image to encourage people to make a gesture," he continued.

The 34-year-old estimates he has collected between 400 and 500 litres of rubbish in the past year.

Café du Cycliste (CDC) has added a limited edition Morgane long sleeve jersey (£186) to its unique Atelier collection. Available in both men’s and women’s race-fitting cuts and in two different colours and happy patterns — Tangerine Blossom and Wading Birds — this jersey can be worn layered or alone during autumn and spring rides.

Constructed from a high stretch ribbed fabric CDC says it also performs well during periods of intense effort. Other features include a low profile collar and a five back pocket layout for added capacity on longer rides.

Atelier is CDC’s collection comprising one-off pieces produced in small quantities.

"By limiting the constraints which are inherent in standard production, the creative possibilities increase exponentially, producing a richer landscape upon which to work," says the brand. 

Nearly time to get the dancing shoes back on! https://t.co/nkDIo71BWv

— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) November 29, 2021

Antwerp might be cancelled, but plenty of other dates to catch Pidcock flying around muddy fields this winter... 

Mulga is a local mural artist to cycling apparel company Soomom in Sydney, Australia and the two have now joined forces for a new limited edition collection of jerseys, with four arty designs in total. 

"His iconic, fun and larger than life characters light up many walls around Sydney; along Bondi Beach and inner city zones like Newtown," says Soomom.

Interested in finding out about Mulga's work and his inspirations? Soomom has a cool interview over here. 

La Passione has dropped its winter collection with winter jackets, tights and thermal jersey options across its premium Prestige, comfy Club and women’s specific Grace lines.

In the range-topping Prestige line you’ve got two top half layers; La Passione says the Winter Jacket (£160) offers excellent temperature regulation thanks to its compact and elastic membrane fabric, while the Thermal Jersey (£110) consists of a highly elasticated soft fleece fabric for keeping the body warm. Then there’s the Prestige Winter Tights (£152) which are made from ThermoRoubaix fabric with an Endurance finish that makes them resistant to moisture and splashes.

For those looking for a more comfortable cut without sacrificing a good fit, that’s where La Passione’s Club line comes in. The Club Winter Jacket (£132), for example, is made with a three-layer membrane fabric on the front while the back and underarm areas use a thermal stretch fabric with DWR treatment. This fabric together with the larger shoulder diameter should improve the fit and range of movement for comfort. 

La Passione’s women’s line, the Grace collection, also includes a winter jacket as well as Winter Tights (£132) which feature a specific rear insert in perforated fabric to improve the stabilisation of the tights.