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news
Cycling Apprentice (BBC1 video clip).PNGCycling takes centre stage on BBC1's The Apprentice on Thursday night
Cycling will take centre stage in tomorrow’s episode of BBC1’s The Apprentice as contestants in the reality show hope to avoid being fired by crowdfunding a product aimed at bike riders and bring it to market.
Show supremo Lord Sugar, as you may know, is a keen cyclist. Well, keen enough to fly one of his fleet of Pinarello bikes around with him on his private yet so he can jump on it for a ride at his destination, but not so much as to support safe infrastructure in London.
Nevertheless, tomorrow’s programme, which airs at 9pm, is called Cycling Crowdfunding, and will see him set “the candidates the task of helping two entrepreneurs launch their new cycling product and getting the public to invest through crowdfunding.
“The teams must organise a PR stunt, create a campaign video and then pitch to a group of cycling retailers to try to secure orders.”
A couple of preview clips have been released. The approach taken to the PR stunt on this one doesn’t exactly fill us with confidence – mime artists staging a road traffic collision at Waterloo Station, then bursting into song?
Contestant Samuel Boateng, who came up with the idea, said: "We've got to create a story that’s going to draw people in and get them interacting with our product.”
From the look on their faces, it didn’t seem that team mates Trishna Thakrar or Grainne shared his enthusiasm.
Mind you, Karen Brady doesn’t seem too enthused either at the angle the other team are taking as they film their video in Hackney.
We’ll be tuning in to have a look. Well, a peep through the fingers covering our eyes, most likely.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- rogerwb 1 hour 12 min ago
Jump off the bike and run across. I cycle in trainers though.
- momove 2 hours 16 min ago
Cheers for the lesson! Wasn't expecting one so was pleasantly surprised, especially getting to find the origin of "laconic"!
- ktache 3 hours 2 min ago
Isn't it a rights issue?
- Mikezerodown 3 hours 46 min ago
They were before change all systems, then went downhill due to bad adminstration aka CEO who agree to proceed with the worst system I have seen...
- AidanR 3 hours 52 min ago
Same here - it took me by surprise. 10:30am doesn't feel like a dangerous time to cycle; apparently I'm wrong on that.
- Daddy Feebs 4 hours 5 min ago
If anything, it looks a bit like an SL6
- wtjs 4 hours 42 min ago
Other commenters have different views True!
- Daclu Trelub 4 hours 56 min ago
Incredibly bone-headed.
- Sriracha 6 hours 59 min ago
Lidl have a window poster emblazoned, "Black Friday. Starts Sunday".
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27 comments
To be fair, the links are in the piece above. It wasn't guess work. It wasn't even detective work.....
Gilets and headphones then.
Who knew!
Ahh no way. I got to watch this tonight
Well played!
I lasted 20 mins (the missus watches, honest!). I know the gilet was aimed at commuters who don't what to look like us lot, but it was still a bit Albert Steptoe. Anyway, I couldn't bear the idiots for long so got the road bike out of the shed and gave it a clean. Now that's a fun Thursday night.
I got *this close* to watching it, but iplayer and the interweb beckoned...
@NPlus1
Congrats on your Oi. When did you get it? And who delivered it?
Mine arrived midweek, delivered by dhl.
Been away so haven't tried it yet, but on first impressions I'd go with some of the reviews... Looks good, not sure whether it's loud enough, feels flimsy.
Oh nice, congrats. Thought DHL would pass them over to Royal Mail..
Just took a look at the Kickstarter comments after seeing what you had to say and spotted this:
https://vimeo.com/189913708
Seems like the cheap copy versions on AliExpress sound better. Well, better in my terms, higher pitch and longevity. Which is what I was hoping for. Not sure the Oi is going to be loud enough in the real world either.
Maybe eBay them and get the Chinese versions if they have nice colours
Hopefully when it merges with the bike, the 'angel playing a harp' or whatever its tagline was, will magically appear...
The guy in that photo is doing Riverdance, right?
Demonstrating how he'd like to hold Sir Alan down while kneeing him in the face after being told he's fired?
Showing how to make a horse rear up and drop its load all over a new cycle path.
Yeah, they're always a bit off the wall but, I dunno, they might be able to click on links
You guys underestimate their ingenuity.
I think we'll get high vis spoke accessories. That rattle. So we can all be seen and heard and be safe on the roads.
As the owner of one of Knog's new 5 decibel Oi!s I know what I'll be replacing it with
agreed; would suit signifying arrival at a Trappist Monastry, but looks divine. Back to the pound shop for another novelty clown horn - louder and more amusing.
I will be tuning in for the full cockwomblery experience of "surralan's" proto-lackeys.
One team will try to design their own bike. They will end up adding two extra wheels, a shell and a petrol engine to it.
It's possible. The smart money is on gilets and headphones mind.
Thanks for reminding me why I don't watch television.
Whatever they come up with...............
I'm assuming they come up with a gilet and some headphones
Maybe they'll come up with a power meter that'll be better than Limits?
Most likely it'll be a cyclists' top hat with built in sunglasses or something stupid.
Has it suddenly become a little bit Scottish in here? I approve.
Whatever they come up with, it still won't be as bad as most of the ideas on Kickstarter.
Vagina Beverage (Mrs.)
Mitchell and Webb has already said all that needs to be said about The Apprentice.
Shame on Road.cc for entertaining the thought of the concept of the possibility of even maybe perhaps promoting this off-scouring of a herpes-ridden colostomy bag. Shame!
Twat brew
Cunt soup