“They’re not just hugging, but kissing too!”: Fans mock Lance Armstrong after Pogačar and Philipsen’s Milan-San Remo podium celebrations; Telegraph writer claims cyclists have turned Paris into “hell on earth”; Beer bike seized + more on the live blog

A particularly interesting bit of news that’s left more than a few people scratching their heads at the road.cc towers comes this afternoon from Canyon Bicycles, with the German cycling manufacturer signing a historic 10-year deal with one of the most formidable riders in modern sport, the men’s world road and cyclocross champion Mathieu van der Poel.

Apologise your live blog host for putting on his silly optimistic hat for speculating a new bike launch from that video of the Dutch rider at the bike brand’s headquarters in Koblenz, Germany from earlier in the day.

Van der Poel said: “Canyon has been an incredible partner. We have developed bikes that have helped me succeed in Classics, World Championships and Grand Tours. But I’m still incredibly hungry for success. There are several milestones on my radar, including the Paris Olympics this summer.”  

 

 

 

 

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And in another major news, van der Poel has also signed a five-year extension with his current team, Alpecin-Deceuninck, meaning he’ll race with the team until the end of 2028. By then, he would have raced for the Belgian team under the wings of the Roodhooft brothers for no less than 18 years.

Commenting on this deal, Van der Poel said: “This extension is a logical choice for me. I have felt particularly comfortable in the structures of Philip and Christoph Roodhooft from the beginning. I have grown together with the team and I still feel that we are making progress.

“And although we have already achieved many successes together, I am still hungry for more. Not unimportant in the fact is that Alpecin-Deceuninck is also multi-disciplinary. This is the perfect team to continue to combine road, mountain bike and cyclocross.”

Are we here? Is the TT helmet saga finally over?

Giro's latest time trial helmet, called the Aerohead II which made its debut on the Tirreno-Adriatico TT stage, with the Jonas Vingegaard and others from Visma-Lease a Bike donning the wild and strange lid — although not to much success as only the two-time Tour de France could make it to the top ten from the team.

Since its unveiling, the helmets have proved to be one of the sport's most controversial tech drops in recent times, with many questioning their legality and fairness. Soon after, even the UCI stepped in, announcing it's set to review the helmets despite much protests from Giro who claimed that the cycling's governing body had already approved it.

Read more: > UCI allows Visma-Lease a Bike to use controversial time trial helmet

Beer bikes have come to Edinburgh and Police Scotland aren’t very happy about it…

After making their way into Northern Ireland and England, there was only one place for these party-on-the-road contraptions that serve you beer (none of that craft stuff I’m assuming, unless you get on one in Bristol) as you pedal your way across the city streets, drawing more than a few glances across your way, for around £450 an hour.

On other days, it might have drawn the attention of about-to-be married blokes searching for inspiration for a supposedly oh-so not-debonair stag-do, but this time it attracted attention from officers on Leith Walk in Edinburgh. Alright, maybe there could be some overlap between the two…

Pictures taken from passers-by show a police car having pulled over the bike and several officers inspecting the tyres on Saturday afternoon. A short while later, the bike was seen on the back of a recovery vehicle.

Well, they might get the bike back, but they surely aren’t getting any of the beer…

> Bristol gets its first ‘beer bike’ – and our only question is: ‘Why?’

The police cited “safety and ongoing community concerns”, as well as “road traffic offences”, adding that an enquiry was going on the matter.

A month ago, the beer bike also made its debut in Bristol, suggesting: “We can turn any occasion into a party. Why not do something unique and unconventional, while having a great time with their friends or co-workers?”

People on the internet seemed to be divided on the matter, with many calling for an end to the beer bikes, while others labelling the police as “killjoys” and demanding “free the beer now!”.

One person said: “That's hilarious... Can't have fun anymore can we,” while a second commented: “No fun please, this is Edinburgh”.

I wonder if there was a chase to get the thing to stop, or maybe the people on it already so drunk (it was 11:20am, mind you) that they couldn't get the bloody thing to move. If it was the former, I would like to see footage of that...

The Pursuit Team...? pic.twitter.com/o5RGH7bvtB

— cosybike (@cosybikeglasgow) March 17, 2024

Another person commented on Facebook: “Ah, Dutch folks bringing a bit of cultural diversity to Edinburgh -what not to like! I saw a few of these in Amsterdam.” Funnily enough, stag-do infested-cities like Amsterdam and Prague already banned beer bikes as far back in 2017, after continued complaints from locals.

Meanwhile, one person on Twitter raised an interesting point: “I'd like to see which 'offences' they allege have been committed. Road Traffic act only applies to motor vehicles. This has no motor, so is exempt.”

What do you make of it? Is this simply more anti-cycling clampdown from Police Scotland or do beer bikes deserve no place on the roads? Let us know in the comments.

Dodgy anti-cycling Telegraph opinion pieces are back, hallelujah!

After headlines like “We all hate cyclists, but is violence the answer?”, using divisive rhetoric in “death trap” floating bus stops article, and then drawing a back-to-school damning analysis and criticism of one of its anti-cycling lane articles from BBC and Channel 5 presenter Jeremy Vine, The Telegraph has moved on to labelling as Paris as “hell on earth”.

I mean if you mean the litter, the rats, the stinky sewers and the bedbugs, sure. But no, that’s not what’s on the columnist’s mind. Instead, it’s the good ol’ pesky cyclists wreaking havoc on the city of romance.

For all the follies of the Parisian government, there has been a stunning rise of cycling culture in the city, thanks to a massive investment of €150 million aimed at doubling the the number of cycling lanes and make Paris the “best cycling city in the world”, in the words of mayor Anne Hidalgo.

> "2014 just rang, asking for their comment piece back": Telegraph columnist completes anti-cycling bingo with "nonsense" piece "whipping up hatred"

The city’s well on its way too. Earlier this month, Paris was named the best cycling city in the world, with French newspaper Le Monde reporting that cyclists outnumbered drivers on the main boulevards of the city during September and October.

Paris cyclists on Rue Saint-Antoine (picture credit Simon MacMichael)

These actions of Paris’ left-wing municipal authority hasn’t gone down well with people who fetishise sitting for hours in the traffic, as is the norm in Paris, infamous for its motor congestion. And Anne-Elisabeth Moutet, the Telegraph author, who takes shots at the mayor and the coalition government between the Socialist Party and The Ecologists, currently in power.

Moutet writes: “The Paris policy of driving cars out of the city has produced, besides some 2,000 km of performative bicycle lanes costed at €120,000 a kilometre – many potholed and bordered by concrete railings, some zigzagging terrifyingly between buses and ordinary traffic, others replacing entire boulevards and avenues – traffic congestion, pollution, a great deal of frustration, as well as what may be the nastiest cycling culture this side of Hô Chi Minh-Ville.”

After what some might paint as controversially Orientalist views, she then delves into the crux of her article, the age-old bread and butter of anti-cycling bingo, that’s comes of as a bit uninspired at this stage: “The city may not have delivered a fit-for-purpose cycling plan, but it has given rise to a sense of smug entitlement among Parisian cyclists, or “vélotaffeurs”, as they call themselves.

“Convinced that they are worthier than anyone else, they run red lights, cycle against traffic up one way streets (all too often on electric bikes), scream at motorists and kick their cars, shout at pedestrians and jostle them, screech at lorries and risk being run over, and in general make Parisian street life hellish.”

She also blames cyclists for “ringing the death knell of many Parisian businesses”. “It’s Mad Max out there: survival of the fittest, on their bikes, heady with their empty victory over everyone else,” she concludes.

Now don’t go dragging Mad Max into your anti-cycling tales, Telegraph!

The funny thing is, it’s not even been that long since the newspaper did one of these! Just a month ago, Rowan Pelling published another opinion piece in the Telegraph titled: “Cyclists are the rudest, most entitled people in the UK today”. It basically completed the cycling bingo — with censures so dated and passé that some on social media joked: “2014 just rang, asking for their comment piece back”

Excitement always runs sky-high for the first monument of the season, but even before the race started, there was a different complexion to all of it already.

Maybe because the race was starting for the first-time from Pavia, instead of the traditional starting point of Duomo, before passing the classic Milan castle.

Or maybe, it was because not one, but two, I repeat, TWO riders decided to show up wearing white shorts! The world’s going mad…

Not long after we, along with other fans bestowed our stamp of acceptance (and maybe some appreciation) on Luke Plapp riding the Paris-Nice by pairing the yellow jersey with white shorts — which he somehow managed to pull off — the young Australian rider brought the not-so-fashionable kit choice to Italy on a sunny morning.

> “The UCI will probably make it illegal by overnight”: Luke Plapp somehow pulls off white bib shorts with bravado and makes it work… or does he?

His partner in crime was none other than the world champion Matthieu van der Poel, although I wasn’t too shocked given that the rainbow jersey and white shorts has been somewhat of a rite of passage for most champions. But what I wasn’t expecting was to see the flying Dutchman, who most fans are so often used to see in crew cuts, sport a mullet out of nowhere.

 

 

 

 

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Or maybe it was because Bahrain Victorious came into the race after suffering a major bike theft scare, only to be saved by its former rider Sonny Colbrelli...

> “Thieves 0 - Team 1”: Bahrain Victorious hit with bike theft attempt on Milan-San Remo’s eve, but Sonny Colbrelli came to the rescue

But for all the jokes and camraderie, even before the race started, Pogačar has made his intention clear to attack on the Poggio. After the five-time monument winner’s attempt failed on the final iconic climb last year, he looked determined to win the race and even further cement his status as a do-it-all classics and Grand Tour superstar — a true successor to the living legend Eddy Merckx.

I mean, who would doubt his credibility anyway, with the Slovenian just off the back of one of the greatest performances in men’s cycling history, with a 80km solo ride at the Strade Bianche.

> “I’ve never seen something like this”: Is Tadej Pogačar’s “bonkers” 81km solo Strade Bianche victory modern cycling’s greatest ride?

But it wasn’t to be his year again, as despite Team UAE Emirates’ well-timed attack, Pogačar was unsuccessful in shaking off van der Poel, and it looked like the Dutchman could be on for a back-to-back win at the monument his grandfather Raymond Poulidor once won, as they made their way down to the descend.

But instead, it all turned out to be a part of a bigger plan, as van der Poel dragged a select few from the peloton along with him, including sprinter extraordinaire Jasper Philipsen. The lead of the race changed hands a few times — 2022’s victor Matej Mohorič once got in the front, then it looked like Tom Pidcock had done enough to make it to the finish line on his own, and then suddenly even Italian Matteo Sobrero became the unlikely leader for a few moments.

2024 Milan-San Remo (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

It was all in vain, as the race ultimately ended in a sprint finish. And in a bunch with Jasper Philipsen in it, you shouldn't worry about placing your bets on anyone but him.

Australian Michael Matthews, who’s come very close to winning the race on two occasions previously, came the closest he’s been to the top stage of the podium this time, finishing second, and left to rue what could’ve been if not for an untimely fall of his glasses from his head.

🤩 The greatest Ultimo Kilometro in cycling once again lives up to its reputation

🇧🇪 @JasperPhilipsen wins ahead of 🇦🇺 @blingmatthews and 🇸🇮 @TamauPogi #MilanoSanremo presented by @CA_Ita pic.twitter.com/VUvomWw2lU

— Milano Sanremo (@Milano_Sanremo) March 16, 2024

And Pogačar? He’s not a natural sprinter, but he still managed to find the final podium spot, drawing the curtains on the fastest-ever Milan-San Remo after almost six hours and fifteen minutes, ridden at an average pace of 45.8kmph. But it still ended up being one of the “easiest races ever” for him…

“I tried two times to attack – I had incredible legs – but this year was not hard enough for it to be a climber's race. I think I did everything I could to be in third place. In this situation, I couldn't have done much better, but it was close,” he said after the race.

“I think actually that today was one of the easiest races ever. We rode a really, super-easy tempo the first few hours. But anyway, it was – like I said before the race, everything needs to be perfection. And today not everything was perfect. But yeah, we did really good, and I think the podium was the most we could do.”

Let’s see if the Volta poses any challenges for him then….

Peter Sagan has said that he's scheduled to undergo a heart surgery for a second time in a month, after suffering another instance of cardiac arrhythmia.

The three-time former world champion has decided to return to his mountain biking roots after retiring from the road discipline following the end of a 15-year-long career with a gilded palmares, while also rewarding fans with some unforgettable moments.

He shared the news on his Instagram account writing: "Hi there! While I was training on the rocky trails in Marseille, my heart hit a few bumps. Nothing to worry about, you could say that my heart needs a pit stop. I will undergo surgery next week and thanks to my friend, sports cardiologist Dr. Roberto Corsetti, I am sure I will be back in the saddle very soon."

 

 

 

 

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On 23 February, it was reported that Sagan experienced unusually high heart rate at the Chelva mountain bike race near Valencia, with his heart rate exceeded 200bpm during an abnormal tachycardic episode.

The recent news will land another blow to the Slovakian cyclist's Paris Olympic goals. His chances of competing in summer were already looking slim, considering the amount points he need to acquire for Slovakia over the next few month, but another surgery putting him out of action for a while might unfortunately spell the end of his MTB Olympic dreams.

While everyone else at road.cc was away enjoying some terribly sought after time on the bike in the sunshine, your little golem (who's also your live blog host for the day) was away chomping at the bits from his candle-lit stone cave to bring you all the cycling news on the weekend. So in case you missed out on anything... well don't! This is me trying to make sure that!

First up, Stu's lovely steel bike with a mechanical groupset (to scare all the carbon/electronic fanatics away)

> Staff Bikes: Why the heck has our senior reviewer just bought a steel bike and is it really better than anything carbon or titanium?

> “Fining is one of the few options left”: Council proposes charging cyclists £100 for riding on High Street

Some truly bizarre stuff on the Milan-San Remo eve (we'll talk about the race in a minute), with former Paris-Roubaix winner Sonny Colbrelli coming to his old team's rescue as he chased down the bike thieves who tried to steal the team's bikes.

> “Thieves 0 - Team 1”: Bahrain Victorious hit with bike theft attempt on Milan-San Remo’s eve, but Sonny Colbrelli came to the rescue

> Government continues “angry rhetoric” against low traffic neighbourhoods despite its own report showing more people support LTNs than oppose them

Councils being naughty as always, as a cyclist asked: “There are schools and shops on this section of the road. Should people not cycle to these?”

> Cycling is being made “more dangerous by design”, claim campaigners after cyclists refused infrastructure and told to avoid busy junction by council

> Belgian cyclist, teammates with Remco Evenepoel at amateur level, dies after being hit by truck driver