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Before we all go off to enjoy this delightful evening, here’s a quick roundup of your reaction to some of the stories on the live blog today…
Plenty of you had your say on Owen Jones’ declaration that cycling is “overwhelmingly safe”:
Clearly Owen Jones doesn't realise that if you cycle every day in an urban area, you can easily see five hundred incidents which could be reported to the police and which should attract a FPN at the very least...
Which is why I find his "I cycle every day in London and have doone for 13 years" bizarre.
On my commute, it's about one a day I could report which is 500 over two years - the same as bugbrand.
He does cycle a lot though, he obviously decides that he must be at fault if a car close passes him, or he stays only on shared paths or other ways not to mingle. But even then, if he looked at each car he would see mobile use.
I agree with Owen Jones that cycling is an inherently safe activity, however it is because of people like Tom and Mike who keep it safe by getting the Police to remind drivers of their responsibilities. He reported 500 and supposedly the Police took action on 475 of them. So they obviously thought they were a danger in some way.
I think that the point Jones is missing is that, while cycling might be overwhelmingly safe, with 'only' 141 deaths in a year (and many more injured, but lets let that slide), for each of those pieces of bad driving that results in a death, there are hundreds more that didn't, but could have but for dumb luck. And you can't tell until it's too late which are the ones that will have a tragic ending.
On top of that, there are many more again where there's no, or limited, chance of a bad outcome, but they're indicative of driving habits that are likely to cause danger at other times, so need remediating or removing from the road. So the implication that the number of incidents that are worth reporting is of the same order as the number of deaths is entirely misguided.
On the subject of the Sydney Daily Telegraph’s ill-judged headline, road.cc contributor John Stevenson shared an article he wrote for Cyclingnews back in 2005, after a cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run in western Sydney.
And what did the Telegraph do that very week? They published an article headlined ‘Hell on Wheels’, describing cyclists as "idiots on two wheels", "two-wheel maniacs" and "dangerous". Of course.
You can read John’s article in full here.
On a lighter note, Rendel Harris had this to say about bike storage:
When Mrs H and I first started cohabiting more than 20 years ago she wasn't the keen cyclist she is today and my suggestion that it would be nice if at least my best bike was allowed to live in the bedroom was vetoed with a firm, "This is a home, not a bike shop." Fast forward two decades and her ebike lives in the hall, her MTB in the conservatory and her road bike proudly hangs from the ceiling in the bedroom…
And finally, there were some top-notch additions to the cycling Spartacus game…
Ever looked at the old winter bike rusting away in the shed, and wondered how much it would fetch on eBay?
Well, the good people over at golfsupport.com (something to do with golf, I guess) conducted a study to work out which type of sports equipment had the highest resale value on the internet auction site.
Surprisingly, both racing and mountain bikes come out on top, both fetching a mean price of £200, ahead of rowing machines, treadmills and, of course, golf clubs.
Here’s the full top ten, and their mean resale prices:
Now, point me in the direction of the £200 racing bikes…
I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life chasing the professional cyclist dream in Europe, but as my first career has come to an end I’ve been asking myself, what was the point of becoming a pro in the first place? Did it matter? What can I do now? What must I do now?
— Dan from Nam (@DanFromNam) March 21, 2022
39-year-old former pro Dan Craven has ventured into the bike business with his new company, Onguza, with the aim of producing hand-built, world-class, steel bikes from his hometown of Omaruru, Namibia.
Craven, who represented Namibia at the 2016 Olympics and rode for Rapha-Condor, Israel Cycling Academy and Europcar during his nine-year professional career, announced the news on his social media yesterday, which was Namibian Independence Day.
He had initially intended to launch the new bike at last year’s Tokyo Olympics, but had to withdraw from the road race after contracting Covid.
Craven said on Twitter: “It would be easy for me not to use my privilege, influence, and visibility for good. But if I don’t, why did I gain these things in the first place? Back in 2010, I had an idea. It has taken 12 years to realize, but it is finally happening and it’s time to share it with you.”
“Does the world really need another bicycle brand? No. But my hometown, Omaruru, does,” Craven added.
“Namibia is a country of talented makers stuck in low-value jobs. Many struggle to find work aside from farm labour. Building world-class steel bicycles is a high-value trade that matches the quality of their workmanship.”
And I need your help, so please follow along on this journey with us @onguzabicycles pic.twitter.com/nxIaWlR5Ug
— Dan from Nam (@DanFromNam) March 21, 2022
Onguza’s steel bikes are built by Petrus Mufenge and Sakaria Nkolo, and will be made in small batches and shipped worldwide. The first drop is expected in April.
If you’d only tuned in for the final kilometre of stage two of the Volta a Catalunya, you would be forgiven for thinking that you were watching a replay of yesterday’s race, as a rider each from BikeExchange-Jayco and Bahrain Victorious lunged at the line.
But instead of Michael Matthews and Sonny Colbrelli (who is currently in a stable condition in hospital after collapsing following yesterday’s stage), today’s finish was a battle between the sprinters Kaden Groves and Phil Bauhaus, with the Australian team once again coming out on top, as Groves shot off the German’s wheel in the final 50 metres to take the win from a reduced group.
In a day of crashes, mishaps and drama, it wasn’t all plain sailing for BikeExhange, as their leader Simon Yates shipped over 30 seconds after getting caught up in a crash just as the peloton began to split under pressure from Movistar and Cofidis inside the final 20 kilometres.
Ineos' Australian rider Richie Porte fared even worse, abandoning the race after feeling unwell and being dropped 60 kilometres from the finish.
In happier news, Trek-Segafredo’s Mattias Skjelmose recovered from his earlier off-road expedition to take an impressive tenth on the day, showing his sprinting chops are up there with his mountaineering skills.
Even more bizarrely, with 35 kilometres to go, Joe Dombrowski, Mikel Bizkarra and Cesare Benedetti were caught on the wrong side of the motorway (with oncoming cars passing them, only separated by cones), and were forced to jump over the central reservation to rejoin the race.
Great scenes in Catalunya as Mikel Bizkarra, Cesare Benedetti and Joe Dombrowski get caught on the wrong side of a motorway (into oncoming traffic!) and then have to climb back onto the right side pic.twitter.com/6Xqp0it0rx
As Brian Smith said in commentary, Peter Sagan would have bunny hopped that…
Meanwhile, at the first stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali, Quick Step’s Mauro Schmid beat Ineos’ Irishman Eddie Dunbar in a two-up sprint after the pair broke away with 27 kilometres to go. Ethan Hayter beat Mathieu van der Poel into third in the reduced group sprint behind.
I suggest installing some bike lanes.
You'll recall we have some great designs that would enable a safe east/west route enabling thousands of people to cycle safely to enjoy the shops, museums etc in the area. https://t.co/h7ogSrDFPA
Mattias Jensen goes over the side in a crash at the Volta a Catalunya.
Responds by climbing back up and saying “I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine!” pic.twitter.com/GGmz3ZRbye
Shades of Hinault here from the young Trek-Segafredo rider… and he still managed to make the front split!
"I'm fine, just give me a bike"@skjelmose_ had a scary moment today at Volta A Catalunya! pic.twitter.com/gsCsJAVK0g
After impressing on his surprise, last-minute return at Milan-San Remo on Saturday, Mathieu van der Poel is aiming for more success in Italy this season.
The Dutchman told AD.nl that he hopes to take part in – and complete – both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France this year.
“The Giro is definitely an option,” he said. “It's not 100 percent sure yet, but the combination of Giro and Tour is definitely in my head.”
📊🇳🇱Mathieu van der Poel aims to ride (and 🏁finish) both 🇮🇹Giro d'Italia and 🇫🇷Tour de France.
⏩21 cyclist started both GT's in 2021, 8 of them finished both.
🏁Starts / finishes in both GT's 2021: 21 / 8 2020: 12 / 6 2019: 22 / 16 2018: 14 / 10 2017 21 / 15 2016: 21 / 13
With his eyes firmly set on the Giro’s punchy opening stage in Budapest, van der Poel added: “The first week is very attractive with a chance at the pink jersey. That is the main reason.”
The Alpecin-Fenix rider also confirmed that he would attempt to finish both grand tours, after pulling out of the Tour last year – after blowing the race apart for over a week – to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics.
“Actually, last year I wanted to finish the Tour. I have indicated to the team that I am not going to dismount again after ten days. I have the intention to finish the Giro and the Tour both this year.”
Van der Poel took to the start line of the five-stage Settimana Coppi e Bartali today, as he looks to build his racing form ahead of the classics, after recovering from a lingering back injury that delayed his start to the season.
If his third place in San Remo is anything to go by, MVDP’s classics rivals may be in for a rude awakening in April…
We are proud and happy to announce a new partner and title sponsor today. Please welcome AG!
And that’s not even all! We join forces with the Quickstep-AlphaVinyl Wolfpack with big ambitions for the years to come.
Together we become AG Insurance-NXTG! #supporterofyourlife pic.twitter.com/3In9Pf1pZL
— AG Insurance - NXTG (@aginsurancenxtg) March 22, 2022
Controversial Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere today confirmed his commitment to developing women’s cycling, as his team joins forces with NXTG by Experza.
The Dutch women’s team also announced the addition of AG Insurance as a title sponsor, with the squad now known as AG Insurance-NXTG. The team’s first race in its new livery will be on Thursday at the World Tour Classic Brugge-De Panne.
Lefevere, who infamously denounced women’s cycling as a charity case last September, confirmed his backing of the NXTG team in December when his recruitment agency Experza was brought on board as a sponsor.
The squad, which until now had focused on developing younger riders, hopes to move up to the World Tour for 2023, and will form part of an expanded structure of teams based around the men’s Quick Step squad.
Recent reports in the Belgian media suggest that the Tormans cyclocross team, home to junior world champion Zoe Bäckstedt, will also come under the Quick Step umbrella as continental feeder squad in the near future.
> Netflix Tour de France documentary could take sport "to next level" says Patrick Lefevere
NXTG’s manager and founder Natascha den Ouden today outlined her vision for the team under the new setup.
“When we turned into an elite women's team in 2019 after the U19 year, we continued to build on that basis. When you build a house, you don't start with a roof but with the foundations," she said.
“We aim to provide young female riders with a professional set-up where they can realise their dreams of being a professional cyclist.
“This dream started in 2019 with our first ever elite race at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and continues to grow every day and from tomorrow with AG Insurance and Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl by our side.
“Our philosophy is to work on the development of the next generation, the foundations, in women's cycling. We are firmly committed to creating a successful and sustainable sport with the solid support of AG Insurance.”
Speaking at the press event, Lefevere added: “As I have discussed when we first got involved with the NXTG team, we were looking to work with a women's team, to help from the ground up and build real foundations, and the project of Natascha is the perfect fit.
“During my time in cycling, we have a track record of working with young riders and helping them to develop. We will apply the same philosophy with this team, giving young, talented riders a clear and sustainable progression path under the spirit, the culture and philosophy that leads the day-by-day operations of the Wolfpack.
“It is a unique project within women's cycling, and we are very happy that AG Insurance shares our vision and we look forward to seeing our athletes and the team progress.”
Two weeks ago, we reported that a cyclist was issued with a Notice of Intended Prosecution after holding up a van driver for nine whole seconds, while attempting to capture footage of a phone-using motorist.
Well, that story has gained traction in the national press over the last couple of days. Mr Loophole himself, Nick Freeman, has even weighed in, praising the police for taking action against “vigilante cyclists”.
The incident was also featured in a segment on Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 show yesterday, where Guardian columnist and left-wing activist Owen Jones inadvertently initiated a backlash from cycling Twitter after referring to the helmet camera-wearing cyclists as “a snitch”:
Sure, I was being overly flippant here - but he’s submitted over 500 police reports, which I just think is completely OTT given the scale of crimes the average individual is likely to encounter in their lifetime https://t.co/1j6YvRDOjj
I’m a very committed cyclist, I just don’t think over 500 police reports is proportionate, sorry!
Then I’m obviously not enduring enough incidents which are worth reporting to the police, by definition!
After batting off a seemingly endless barrage of tweets criticising what he called a ‘light-hearted’ and ‘flippant’ comment, Jones questioned the attitudes exhibited by some cycling activists on Twitter, which he claimed could potentially deter people from taking to two wheels:
I really do think Cycling Twitter need to consider how much they are deterring people from cycling by overhyping dangerous incidents on the roads, when cycling is overwhelmingly safe. https://t.co/hyZOcZMze9
Cycling is a very safe pursuit overall. It’s not true cyclists are killed every day - in 2020 it was 141 cyclists - which is horrible, but shouldn’t make people think cycling overall isn’t very safe. Cyclists aren’t an oppressed minority and it’s offensive to say this
The point I'm making is cycling is very popular in London despite better alternatives than most, and I don't think so many would be cycling if it was as unpleasant and dangerous as much of Cycling Twitter - who disproportionately seem to be Londoners - make out
My flippant aside has upset some fellow cyclists, but I really have to take issue with some of the responses.
You’d think from listening to some cyclists that cycling is like navigating a war zone every day. It isn’t! Cycling is overwhelmingly safe and more people should do it! https://t.co/3IDgdb0mCv
What do you think? Does Jones have a point?
In the early hours of yesterday morning, EF Education-EasyPost’s resident adventurer Lachlan Morton completed his 1,000km-plus trip from Munich to Poland’s border with Ukraine, after 42 hours of non-stop riding.
Morton’s latest epic ride was organised to raise funds for refugees fleeing Ukraine following Russia’s invasion over three weeks ago.
He’s currently raised over £173,600, well above his initial goal of £40,000.
As well as raising funds, since arriving at the Korczowa-Krakovets border crossing yesterday, the Australian has trained with a group of teenagers who fled Ukraine and are currently being hosted by the Polish cycling federation, as well as paying a visit to his Ukrainian teammate Mark Padun’s former coach.
Lachy found @markpadun96 first coach. Gave him some swag! pic.twitter.com/VQBVUcpc8f
Today, Lachlan visited a group of young Ukrainian cyclists who have had to flee their homes and are now being hosted by the Polish cycling federation.
Between the ages of 14 and 17, most of them have had to move there alone leaving parents and older siblings behind. pic.twitter.com/48rDdwDLVN
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) March 21, 2022
You can still donate to Morton’s ‘One Ride Away’ fundraiser here.
On the subject of misleading captions, I’m not sure who signed off on this one for eyewear giant Oakley, or what that model told the photographer at the shoot…
At risk of shaming a sunglass company's PR firm, I just don't believe that caption. pic.twitter.com/SldDMY0mX2
In any case, it’s at least treated us to a round of cycling Twitter Spartacus:
Mark Cavendish pic.twitter.com/I3mYPBq1zt
Fabian Cancellara pic.twitter.com/rQPKyEf1F7
— Nick Squillari (@N_Squillari) March 22, 2022
Pantani pic.twitter.com/0cYdoY6qT8
Alaphilippe pic.twitter.com/OdSiLCJPZv
pic.twitter.com/n2Po0tfHee
Lachlan Morton pic.twitter.com/kDaGwDz9dn
Lance Armstrong pic.twitter.com/puBXxXqj8l
Okay, that's enough for now...
The real Cav will be hoping he can continue his sparkling early-season form (which has seen him net prestigious wins at the UAE Tour and Milano-Torino) as he leads the all-powerful Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl sprint train at tomorrow’s Classic Brugge-De Panne.
The Manx Missile is aiming for his fourth win of the season after surprisingly getting the nod over teammate Fabio Jakobsen, who was originally scheduled to ride the windy Belgian one-day race.
Let’s just hope Oakley’s model doesn’t show up instead.
This headline is just...wow. pic.twitter.com/61plLsQcl2
Now that’s a headline that will grab your attention.
It’s also – predictably – drew the ire of cycling Twitter, who have described the headline as ‘irresponsible’, ‘disgusting’, and ‘hate speech’.
The article appeared yesterday in the Murdoch-owned Sydney Daily Telegraph, after a cyclist was brutally attacked and robbed at a busy junction on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Police say the cyclist was hit in the head by an object thrown from a passing vehicle. When the cyclist approached what he believed to be the offending SUV, a passenger jumped out of the car before punching the cyclist and shoving him towards oncoming traffic.
The passenger then allegedly threw the cyclist’s bike at him before stealing his bag. The rider was left with minor injuries.
That shocking incident provided the context for Ann Wason Moore’s column, which was originally published in the Gold Coast Bulletin, also owned by News Corps, under the headline ‘Cyclists deserve safer roads and better protection, not an alleged punch in the head’.
In the columnist’s defence, the article appears to be a much more nuanced appraisal of the need for safe cycling infrastructure than the inflammatory headline suggests.
Moore starts the article by writing: ‘The cycle of abuse never stops on Gold Coast roads, but our cyclists deserve better protection – not a punch in the head and definitely not to be robbed.’ Hard to argue with that.
However, because both versions of the column appear behind a paywall – and even if you want to subscribe, you must have an Australian postcode (believe me, we’ve tried) – the divisive and misleading headline is unfortunately all that many cyclists and motorists will read.
The Clean Cities Campaign has launched a new initiative encouraging cyclists to share the weird and wacky places they store their bikes, in a bid to highlight the lack of secure bike hangars in London.
According to a Freedom of Information request, there are currently 60,715 people on a waiting list to hire a bike hangar across London’s 32 boroughs, a figure that has risen by 28 percent in the last six months.
With only 22,592 spaces available, you get the picture.
According to Transport for London’s analysis, more than half of Londoners view the lack of secure bike parking as a key deterrent to cycling in the city.
To highlight this lack of bike parking space the Clean Cities Campaign, a European coalition of organisations aiming to encourage cities to transition to zero-emission mobility, is encouraging cyclists to share images of their creative bike storage facilities on social media with the hashtag #ThisIsAwkward.
So far they’ve received images of bikes stored extremely close to beds (for extra comfort I assume?), precariously hung over a balcony, and even crammed next to a toilet.
Nice campaign from @cities_clean #Londoners! Sick of doing the ‘cycle salsa’ to pass bikes in your home?
Join the #ThisIsAwkward campaign. Post a pic of where you're forced to keep your wheels. We’re calling for bike storage across the city! Send to https://t.co/BhWPfQOq0i pic.twitter.com/Z9ojJ0D4sn
— Love Your Bike (@gmloveyourbike) March 21, 2022
The UK’s Head of the Clean Cities Campaign, Oliver Lord, said: “More than 60,000 Londoners are waiting for a bike hangar space - and that is just the people lucky to have the time and energy to put their name forward.
“If councillors want to help Londoners jump on a bike and use their car less then they have to make it as easy as possible. Forcing people to do the ‘cycle salsa’ at home isn’t just an inconvenience, it's utterly unfair given the abundance of space set aside for cars on our streets.
“By not delivering the secure bike parking we need, London’s councillors are failing residents who want to do the right thing and neglecting their duties to reduce air pollution, tackle the climate crisis and help prevent the 400 bike thefts that occur every week.”
So, who stores their bike in the most awkward – or more to the point, funny – place? Let us know in the comments!
As far as botched social media campaigns go, this is right up there.
Last night USA Cycling announced that it was giving ambitious bike-loving creatives the opportunity to design the country’s new member kit for 2022.
We want YOU to design the 2022 USA Cycling Member Kit! 🎉
If your design is selected, Cuore will bring your design to reality and you'll receive one for FREE.
Start Designing: https://t.co/LS2G8WXxds *Designs must be submitted by March 31st! pic.twitter.com/x0ovbIwrfZ
Sounds pretty cool, right? That’s until you see USA Cycling’s proposed compensation for the time, effort and skills of the successful designer – one, yes one, free kit. The kit that they designed… They get one of those. Yep.
Understandably, social media was not happy with this, and told USA Cycling so:
Hang on, all you get for doing the work for them for free is one free kit? pic.twitter.com/A8GZmB6tDW
So what you're saying is you don't want to pay to have your kit designed. Got it.
Let’s just say, the ratios weren’t great (that’s how the kids speak nowadays, isn’t it?).
Faced with the first stirrings of a public backlash, USA Cycling swiftly prevented anyone else from replying to the tweet, while an Instagram post was also quickly deleted.
That hasn’t stopped people from criticising the governing body in the quote tweets, creatively using the kit design template to condemn USA Cycling’s apparently lax attitude towards labour rights:
Well, @usacycling took $1,000,000 in relief funds to pay its CEO $400,000+ and Comms Director $200,00+ and US cycling remains in complete shambles so here’s my submission: https://t.co/ny6S2Ok5Xx pic.twitter.com/SvsWcKEnbD
— Ride Fast | Drive Slow (@tlongpine) March 22, 2022
@usacycling here's my design. Vote for me!!!! https://t.co/nBfkheohLA pic.twitter.com/tpzTF2WbnC
— Bike_Things (5G+) (@Andy_likes2bike) March 22, 2022
Some took the opportunity to criticise the body’s reaction to anti-trans activists protesting at the national cyclocross championships in December:
OK do mine !!! https://t.co/m8tiOEQ5FD pic.twitter.com/DpuIDxk5xf
— no war but class war (fox) (@____ecc) March 22, 2022
While others just had a bit of fun with it:
https://t.co/Aslywfb0Wl pic.twitter.com/wU5pWRZZek
— Josh Owen Morris (@JoshOwenMorris) March 22, 2022
I reckon Dave Zabriskie might be up for wearing that one…
Ryan joined road.cc as a news writer in December 2021. He has written about cycling and some ball-centric sports for various websites, newspapers, magazines and radio. Before returning to writing about cycling full-time, he completed a PhD in History and published a book and numerous academic articles on religion and politics in Victorian Britain and Ireland (though he remained committed to boring his university colleagues and students with endless cycling trivia). He can be found riding his bike very slowly through the Dromara Hills of Co. Down.
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