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Live blog: Sir Bradley Wiggins back on the road for 12-date UK theatre tour this autumn (tickets on sale Friday), Tom Dumoulin out of Giro but “not ready to go home,” UCI investigating Alessandro Petacchi for blood doping + more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
UPDATED Thu, May 16, 2019 05:03
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Live blog: Sir Bradley Wiggins back on the road for 12-date UK theatre tour this autumn (tickets on sale Friday), Tom Dumoulin out of Giro but “not ready to go home,” UCI investigating Alessandro Petacchi for blood doping + moreBradley Wiggins at 2014 Tour of Britain (picture credit SweetSpot)
15 May 2019, 18:49
Wiggins back on the road for 12-date UK one-man show

Sir Bradley Wiggins is getting back on the road, for a 12-date one-man theatre show across the UK – and tickets go on sale here at 10am on Friday morning.

The tour will see him recount stories from his racing career, and there will also be a chance to take a close look at some of the bikes that he rode to win five Olympic gold medals and the Tour de France, plus other memorabilia.

Here are the dates – you’ll notice that the one in Harrogate takes place during the week when the North Yorkshire town is hosting the UCI Road Cycling World Championships, an event in which Wiggins won the rainbow jersey in the time trial in Ponferrada, Spain, in 2014.

Fri 6 Sep – The Engine Shed, Lincoln
Sat 7 Sep – Hull City Hall
Thu 19 Sep – De Montfort Hall, Leicester 
Fri 20 Sep – Birmingham Symphony Hall
Sat 21 Sep – Edinburgh Festival Hall
Mon 23 Sep – Royal Hall, Harrogate 
Tue 24 Sep – Cambridge Corn Exchange
Wed 25 Sep – Bath Forum
Fri 27 Sep – The Anvil, Basingstoke
Sat 28 Sep – Newcastle Tyne Theatre
Mon 30 Sep – Theatre Royal, Brighton
Thu 3 Oct – Liverpool Echo Auditorium

15 May 2019, 17:56
15 May 2019, 17:37
Duncan (picture via Avon and Somerset Police).PNG
Avon and Somerset Police launch close pass op - not everyone on Facebook is impressed

They've highlighted a horrific crash in which a cycle commuter was seriously injured by a motorist. Read our full report here.

15 May 2019, 17:21
Tom Dumoulin finishes Giro d'Italia 2019 Stage 4 (picture credit Team Sunweb)
Giro d'Italia: Dumoulin out but "not ready to go home"

Tom Dumoulin has spoken of his disappointment at having to abandon the Giro d’Italia – a race he won two years ago – due to the injuries he sustained in a crash yesterday.

“I came here for a three week adventure and I wanted to finish it, I’m not ready to go home,” said the Team Sunweb rider.

“I went on the trainer this morning in my room and it was actually kind of ok, but when I stood up on the pedals my knee was really sore. I also tried it seated but that didn’t work either – I could spin the legs but not race.

“For me it’s terrible,” he continued. “Months and weeks of preparation and dedication went into this Giro and in one moment it’s over.

“It’s not how I wanted it to go of course, but it is how it is. I don’t know how bad the injury is, we only know that nothing is broken and it will probably just be swollen for a few days, but we have to see. For now I will just rest and see how it goes.”

Team Sunweb doctor Stephan Jacolino said: “Unfortunately the pain in Tom’s knee was too much for him to continue today.

“He sustained bruising to his quadriceps tendon and surrounding soft tissues, and we hoped the pain might ease as the day went on, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

“We’ll see if additional examinations are needed when he returns home but hopefully with some rest, he should be back on the bike with a week doing some easy training.”

15 May 2019, 16:24
Pascal Ackermann wins Giro d'Italia Stage 5 (picture credit LaPresse)
Giro d'Italia: Ackermann doubles up to win Stage 5, Roglic maintains lead

It was a bit of a wet one today. Read our report here.

15 May 2019, 14:49
Giro latest - peeing it down

The sun seems to have migrated across to the UK for once, because it's pretty wet in Italy at the moment. In absence of Tom Dumoulin after his abandon at the start of today's stage it appears his teammate Louis Vervaeke is flying the flag admirably for Sunweb, as he leads the race with under 40km to go. 

15 May 2019, 13:14
British Cycling logo at Lee Valley, World Championships 2016 (copyright Britishcycling.org_.uk).JPG
British Cycling unveils new Mental Health Strategy

British Cycling has unveiled a new Mental Health Strategy for the Great Britain Cycling Team that will see its medical staff take a preventative approach to managing athletes' mental health and wellbeing. Find out all about it here.

15 May 2019, 12:19
Tom Dumoulin has abandoned the 2019 Giro d'Italia

After having a nasty crash on stage 4 yesterday, it appears the pain is too much for the 2017 champ to continue. He got as far as making it to the transfer to the start of the stage before calling it a day. 

15 May 2019, 11:40
Wiggins sticks his oar in, day 2

We're thinking this might become a regular thing, but Sir Wiggo is at it again "talking to me phone like a complete idiot" as the man himself describes it. Today he's predicted Caleb Ewan to take the win on Stage 5 of the Giro, saying he's getting better every day. 

15 May 2019, 11:05
Alessandro Petacchi interviewed (© Simon MacMichael).jpg
UCI investigating Alessandro Petacchi for blood doping, Italian denies allegations

Alessandro Petacchi is the biggest name from cycling so far to be linked to the Austro-German blood doping investigation codenamed Operation Aderlass, and is one of four individuals the UCI has today confirmed are under investigation for potential anti-doping rule violations.

The Italian, who retired in 2015, is being investigated for alleged doping in 2012 and 2013, when he rode for Lampre.  His leadout man there was Danilo Hondo, who on Sunday admitted his involvement in the blood doping ring.

The other three people who, like Petacchi, have been provisionally suspended, are ex-pro Borut Bozic, now assistant sports director at Bahrain Merida, the team’s rider Kristijan Koren, who had been racing at the Giro d’Italia, and the UAE Team Emirates rider Kristijan Durasek.

Petacchi was linked yesterday by French newspaper Le Monde and Italy’s Corriere della Sera to Mark Schmidt, the former Gerolsteiner and Milram team doctor at the centre of Operation Aderlass, which hit the headlines after arrests were made at February’s Nordic Skiing World Championships.

He denied having undergone illegal blood transfusions, saying: “I found out from you that this Mark Schmidt was team doctor at Milram when I ride for them [2006-08]. Maybe he treated the German athletes: I’ve never seen or met him. I’ve never been to his clinic, in Germany or elsewhere. I’ve never had a blood transfusion. And I have no idea of the reason why my name may appear in this dossier.”

Regarding his former team-mate, Petacchi said: “I’ve always considered Hondo a friend, we exchanged messages wishing each other well just a few months ago and there’s no reason for a vendetta. I really don’t know how to explain such a huge falsehood.”

15 May 2019, 11:43
Swedish e-scooter share company Voi announce expansion across 150 cities with new e-bike range (and they only launched 8 months ago)
voi main

Fledgling micro-mobility company Voi, best known for their shared electric scooters in cities across Europe, are expanding and have now also launched e-bikes alongside their new generation of e-scooters. Full story on eBikeTips.  

15 May 2019, 12:10
Conor Swift joins Andre Greipel's team Arkéa–Samsic

As the Pro Continental team have a Tour de France wildcard, this could pave the way for Swift to get himself into the race this year as Greipel's lead-out man. 

15 May 2019, 09:36
"He will give it his best shot": Dumoulin cleared by Sunweb medics to start Giro stage 5

Dumoulin was involved in a nasty crash yesterday that left his GC hopes in tatters and is still suffering with his knee, but it's been confirmed he will start stage 5. 

Team Sunweb physician Stephan Jacolino said: "Medically speaking he is cleared to race, but the day's eventuality is dependent on how much pain his knee brings. Hopefully it goes well and the pain subsides as the day goes on."

15 May 2019, 09:09
Utrecht tops global cycling city index

The Dutch city of Utrecht has topped a new Bicycle Cities Index from German insurer Coya which ranked 90 cities around the world on cycle-friendliness. Read more here, and watch the video below to see some of the infrastructure that helped it secure top spot.

15 May 2019, 08:40
More doping suspensions hit the Giro
Kristjan_Koren_-_Critérium_du_Dauphiné_2012_-_Prologue_(cropped)

Kristijan Koren will not start today's Giro stage after the UCI published more potential Anti-Doping Rules Violations following the Aderlass investigation.

This is all linked to the case where a skier was caught in the middle of a blood transfusion and it's already implicated several pro cyclists and some managers.

Koren, who rides for Bahrain Merida, finished 2'47" behind yesterday's winner. He'll be joined on the naughty step by Bahrain Merida Sports Director Borut Bozic, though his sanction seems to have been from when he was a rider, not during his time in management.

More to follow. 

15 May 2019, 08:52
"7470_CrashHelmet" by Kevin Baird is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
How safe is your helmet?

The results are in from a US university's helmet safety test and it's an interesting read.

 

 

15 May 2019, 08:03
The CPA are calling for media and team motorbikes to keep their distance from riders in pro races

It's not just the public concerned with close passes it seems, as the CPA (Cyclistes Professionnels Associes) have announced that riders have brought it to their attention that motorbikes, especially those from the media, are getting up too close to the action. The president of the CPA Gianni Bugno sayds: "The safety of our girls and our boys is fundamental, same as the correct execution of the race. The competitive result must be as fair as possible, it cannot be compromised by drawings, which, even if for few seconds can affect the regular development of the event. The riders themselves are asking the motorcyclists, especially those from the TV, to stay at a greater distance from them, whether they are ahead in or in pursuit. The technology we now have at our disposal allows excellent quality shots even at a greater distance than that what, unfortunately, is becoming habitual. We demand greater attention to this intolerable problem, which creates risks for the safety of the athletes, influences the development of the competitions and jeopardises the real value of the athletes."

There is a UCI Security Commission meeting in June where the UCI will bring up the campaign, saying they will push vehemently for stricter rules to be put in place to avoid collisions such as the nasty example above. 

15 May 2019, 07:55
Tour of California stage 3 highlights

The stage was won by Deceuninck-Quick Step’s Remi Cavagna, who made an attack about 70km from the finish and managed to pull away for an emphatic solo victory. 

Jack Sexty

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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6 comments

Avatar
Xena | 5 years ago
0 likes

No one should be even concerned about doping in cycling or pro sports “ all of them”:

its all part of what’s needed to compete at the very highest level .  PED’s have never gone away and what you are watching is no different from the Pantani era the Armstrong era or the Sky domination era . It’s just more  advanced now ( better knowledge)  Time to stop wasting money and make PED’s legal and end the charade that’s going on in sport.   I don’t even watch cycling now , it’s a bore fest of  pulled up socks and TT’s up mountains.  Excitement has long gone all we have is a race full of spinning bores who  look at their  computer  screen to judge their performance. A bit like walking in a coffee shop and seeing everyone looking at their phones . Nothing organic about cycling now ,it’s technocrat racing . 

Avatar
ChrisB200SX replied to Xena | 5 years ago
4 likes

Xena wrote:

No one should be even concerned about doping in cycling or pro sports “ all of them”:

its all part of what’s needed to compete at the very highest level .  PED’s have never gone away and what you are watching is no different from the Pantani era the Armstrong era or the Sky domination era . It’s just more  advanced now ( better knowledge)  Time to stop wasting money and make PED’s legal and end the charade that’s going on in sport.   I don’t even watch cycling now , it’s a bore fest of  pulled up socks and TT’s up mountains.  Excitement has long gone all we have is a race full of spinning bores who  look at their  computer  screen to judge their performance. A bit like walking in a coffee shop and seeing everyone looking at their phones . Nothing organic about cycling now ,it’s technocrat racing . 

If you let them take PEDs then it is no longer sport. It's also no longer safe.

Avatar
Helmut D. Bate replied to Xena | 5 years ago
2 likes
Xena wrote:

No one should be even concerned about doping in cycling or pro sports “ all of them”:

its all part of what’s needed to compete at the very highest level .  PED’s have never gone away and what you are watching is no different from the Pantani era the Armstrong era or the Sky domination era . It’s just more  advanced now ( better knowledge)  Time to stop wasting money and make PED’s legal and end the charade that’s going on in sport.   I don’t even watch cycling now , it’s a bore fest of  pulled up socks and TT’s up mountains.  Excitement has long gone all we have is a race full of spinning bores who  look at their  computer  screen to judge their performance. A bit like walking in a coffee shop and seeing everyone looking at their phones . Nothing organic about cycling now ,it’s technocrat racing . 

Well, letting them all juice won't fix it, will it.

And cos cheaters gonna cheat yo (ie get an illegal start on rivals) and aren't purely limited to PEDs, we might as well just accept blood doping and motors too. Sounds fun.

Avatar
RobD replied to Helmut D. Bate | 5 years ago
0 likes

Helmut D. Bate wrote:
Xena wrote:

No one should be even concerned about doping in cycling or pro sports “ all of them”:

its all part of what’s needed to compete at the very highest level .  PED’s have never gone away and what you are watching is no different from the Pantani era the Armstrong era or the Sky domination era . It’s just more  advanced now ( better knowledge)  Time to stop wasting money and make PED’s legal and end the charade that’s going on in sport.   I don’t even watch cycling now , it’s a bore fest of  pulled up socks and TT’s up mountains.  Excitement has long gone all we have is a race full of spinning bores who  look at their  computer  screen to judge their performance. A bit like walking in a coffee shop and seeing everyone looking at their phones . Nothing organic about cycling now ,it’s technocrat racing . 

Well, letting them all juice won't fix it, will it. And cos cheaters gonna cheat yo (ie get an illegal start on rivals) and aren't purely limited to PEDs, we might as well just accept blood doping and motors too. Sounds fun.

And don't forget gene editing, it's an experimental risky procedure with unknown side effects, sounds perfect to add in to the mix, might as well start on the junior ranks so they can make the most of it by the time they're racing as pros....

Avatar
lesterama | 5 years ago
5 likes

Sad to see Dumoulin out. Classy rider.

Avatar
kil0ran | 5 years ago
1 like

Ex Lampre lot getting caught juicing, quelle surprise 

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