Julian Alaphilippe taken down by crash involving his own team car; Cyclist hit by drunk driver... police say wear hi-vis; "Spoilt little brat": Remco argy-bargy doesn't go down well; Dear council, what the f%&k is this? + more on the live blog

S3 guys in a crazy good group of 7. The Empire strikes back. #BP22 pic.twitter.com/l2KRRtAr1P

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) April 13, 2022

This SHOULD be the take-home image from Brabantse Pijl; the news generation of Ineos Grenadiers (aged 19, 22 and 23) ripping up a top-class one-day classic field. Yet, this will probably be what we all remember...

Well this sucked… 😂 #BP22 #BPMen https://t.co/LZskinD9iV

— Larry Warbasse (@larrywarbasse) April 13, 2022

No word from the world champion yet, nor Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl. Unless of course you're interested in snapping up a women's replica bibshort and jersey for €149.95, as they've advertised in their latest tweet...

Remco (or perhaps Remco's PR team) has taken to social media to address today's OTHER big incident. That shove. Hardly peak Mike Tsyon, I know, but for pro cycling standards that was pretty major pushing and shoving...

Good to be back racing in my home country, typical Belgian conditions. 😅☔

I want to apologise to @benjeturner for the incident during the race. It shouldn’t have happened.

Time to recover now and focus on @flechewallonne 🔜 👊🏼 #TheWolfpack pic.twitter.com/unpL2bOJNp

— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) April 13, 2022

Speaking to the press post-race, Remco said: "It felt a bit like a cyclocross race, I thought it was a road race, but looks like a cyclocross race today. It was really slippery. I think was really hard to stay up on the bike was really a big task to stay up on the bike and don't crash. On the cobbles I wasn't really comfortable. I still felt the legs a bit.

"I wouldn't really like to do the Flemish classics, I think. There are so many cobbles. I'm already in difficulties with only two cobbled sectors, so can you only imagine the Flanders races? I think it would be really hard. 

"Ineos, what can you say. The strongest team."

Speaking of Ineos, here's what race winner Magnus Sheffield thought: "I just felt unbelievable when I found myself off the front with those last kilometres. I really didn’t expect to be able to hold on, and I really wanted to try to lead out my teammate Ben for the sprint. But I was off the front and I was able to hold on to the finish. It was really gritty out there and you just had to fight the whole way."

What were you doing at 19 years old? Keep it clean...

🇧🇪 #BP22 Así fue el momento en el que el coche de Quick-Step atropella a un ciclista del Cofidis, provocando también la caída del campeón mundial Julian Alaphilippe. pic.twitter.com/1GDyPcIE7r

— Ciclismo Internacional (@CiclismoInter) April 13, 2022

World champion Julian Alaphilippe was taken down by a crash at Brabantse Pijl caused by...*checks notes*...his own team car trying to overtake the peloton and instead colliding with a Cofidis rider.

Alaphilippe fell in the pile-up at the finish line, with one lap to go, of the Belgian one-day race as his support car tried to overtake the peloton to follow Remco Evenepoel who is part of the lead group, 45 seconds ahead.

The Quick-Step car paused when the bunch started to move across the road before a Cofidis rider checked over their shoulder, presumably distracted by the following vehicle, made contact and fell, causing several riders, including the world champion, to hit the deck.

 Alaphilippe clutched his shoulder but was soon back up on his bike, pedalling gingerly.

Back in the race, Evenepoel is in a group with Tom Pidcock, Tim Wellens, Ben Turner, Magnus Sheffield, Benoît Cosnefroy and Warren Barguil who have 30 seconds advantage with 5km to go.

We'll bring you the full result + any Alpaphilippe updates as we get them...

What a performance by @DemiVollering. And what a way to take revenge after Amstel. Pure class. #BPwomen #BP22 pic.twitter.com/GXTBbexbjG

— Mikkel Condé v2.0 (@mrconde) April 13, 2022

It was a first win of the season for SD Worx's Demi Vollering who ditched her attack partner Pauliena Rooijakkers to win solo and dispell the second-place Amstel blues. It's Vollering's first win of 2022, having also finished second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad behind the unstoppable Annemiek van Vleuten, and capped a fine day for SD Worx who had three riders in the top eight. Katarzyna Niewiadoma and Liane Lippert rounded out the podium.

The men's race is next up, with Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe leading the Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl charge against defending champion Tom Pidcock. Evenepoel has been talking up how Brabantse Pijl, on home roads, is one of his main goals for the season...

"I know every bend, every pebble"

📢 @ellenvdijk has some exciting news to share 📢 pic.twitter.com/aXPFZcCzQl

— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) April 13, 2022

Joss Lowden's Hour Record will soon be challenged by Trek-Segafredo TT machine Ellen van Dijk, who has today announced she will be attempting to beat the Brit's 48.405km distance in the same Swiss velodrome on 23 May.

> Joss Lowden’s Hour Record-breaking Argon 18 bike and Le Col kit

The 35-year-old track and road racer won a rainbow jersey on the track in 2008, backed up by two individual time trial world championships and four TTT rainbow jerseys. An Hour Record is next in her sights...

"This has been a dream of mine for a very long time. The hour record is something that I have always said I wanted to do one day and now that day is finally here. I get butterflies in my stomach when I think about doing it, a mix of excitement and nerves which is normal. You are always just on the edge with big challenges, and this is a huge challenge, so it is going to be exciting and frightening at the same time," Van Dijk said.

The Dutch rider will take on Lowden's record in the same Grenchen Velodrome that the Brit smashed Vittoria Bussi's previous distance last September.

When I took a peek in our archives for our past stories about driving instructors it didn't make for great reading...

> Footballer-turned-driving instructor Ashley Neal divides opinion with use of horn in overtaking video

> Driving instructors have their say on the Highway Code – “a recipe for disaster” or “not a big deal”?

> Driving instructor who forced cyclist off the road, causing him to break his arm, loses job

So, it's nice to have been sent a message from Richard of Inclusive Driving who specialises in helping people with disabilities, and is also a cyclist. 

He was left wondering how those on bikes can take primary position, and maintain a safe distance from the kerb? 

Thoughts?

We've seen a few of these social media posts popping up recently as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s '2 Wheels' campaign. On Monday, it was Bedfordshire Police's now-deleted tweet telling cyclists to try not to make "mistakes" to stay safe...

This message was accompanied by a bingo card reminder to: wear a helmet and hi-vis. Unsurprisingly this particular tweet was not the force's most popular, attracting victim-blaming accusations before unceremoniously being deleted.

Today, it's Greater Manchester Police's turn...

Cyclists & motorcyclists are some of the most vulnerable road users. GMP works throughout the year to ensure that the roads in GM are safe for everyone, which is why we are supporting the national campaign to improve safety for those travelling on two wheels #2wheeloperation pic.twitter.com/s3kr2Jz54O

— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) April 12, 2022

The headlines from this shocking story are: a cyclist in Manchester was riding on the pavement because they felt safer than on the road, a drunk driver then hit the cyclist, causing life-threatening injuries that are going to "stay with them forever".

So, what conclusion should we be taking from this? Tougher action on dangerous driving? Infrastructure that makes cyclists feel safe to use the roads, and not have to jump onto the pavement, all without the risk of being hit by a drink driver?

Well, according to GMP's #2wheeloperation vid: "So for cyclists and motorcyclists, basically to wear the protective clothing, wear the hi-vis, make yourself as visible as possible to everybody on the road." Right. Presumably the same goes for dog walkers, children and pedestrians who could have been hit by the aforementioned drunk driver?

"Being a cyclist or a motorcyclist can be even more dangerous because you've got less presence on the road. So there's less for people to see," one of the force's family liaison officers continued.

Someone go get the Surrey traffic cops...

More visible…like a fully marked (big reflective and high viz stickers) traffic car with flashing lights?
Nope, drivers still can’t see them. pic.twitter.com/Y9uzfFOS0o

— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) December 2, 2021