"You get what you invite": Incredible London cycle commuting scenes; More 'mixed' responses to Labour plans for Brighton seafront; 100s queue for Raleigh Chopper relaunch; Pogačar approves of (borrowed) "Urška's boyfriend" headline + more on the live blog

I’m not crying, you’re crying…

At the Tour de France, we’re all going to be partying like it’s 2011 all over again, thanks to the news that legendary lead-out man Mark Renshaw is returning to his buddy and namesake Mark Cavendish’s side for one last crack at that damn stage win record.

But don’t get too carried away – the 40-year-old sprint train specialist won’t be lining up in Bilbao in Astana’s colours, at least not on his bike anyway (though Cav did once coax Alessandro Petacchi out of retirement to lead him out, so nothing’s impossible I suppose).

No, Renshaw is instead joining the Kazakh team as a “sprint and lead-out consultant”, in a bid to wrestle Astana’s ragged group of rouleurs into shape and mould them into a stage-winning unit worthy of the old HTC days.

Glory days at HTC-High Road…

And there’s plenty of expertise to be handed out to Cees Bol and co, thanks to Renshaw’s envious record as a lead-out man during a career in which he guided the Manx Missile to 23 of his 34 Tour wins, and lots of other victories besides, for High Road, Quick Step, and Dimension Data.

(Though he might be best advised to leave the video of stage 11 of the 2010 Tour at home…)

“I am really thrilled to return to the Tour de France with Astana Qazaqstan Team and Mark Cavendish as a sprint and lead-out consultant,” Renshaw said in a statement today. “After discussing the possibility to join Astana Qazaqstan Team with Alexandr Vinokurov and my ex-teammate Dmitriy Fofonov, I am really looking forward to bringing my skillset to help the team chase success.

“Our goal is to secure victories in the sprint stages, and I am eager to share my knowledge and experience gained as a lead-out rider and teammate of Mark Cavendish.

“Mark's recent victory in the Tour of Italy is proof that he still possesses the speed, power, and determination needed to win grand tour stages.

“With the support of Astana and the talented riders selected for the race, I am confident that he has what it takes to win in this year's Tour de France. I cancelled other jobs in July which shows my confidence in him. As we prepare for the important sprint stages, I am excited to work with the team’s Sports Directors to develop effective tactics and strategies, analysing and breaking down sprint stages is something I absolutely love to do.

“Mark’s career is already a big success, but I am excited to have the opportunity to help Mark finish his career on an absolute high and chase his 35th victory in the Grand Boucle.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Mark Cavendish (@markcavendish)

Cavendish was equally effusive about brining his old mate back into the fold, writing on Instagram: “Sooooooo buzzing about this… Apart from so many years together, so many victories, and so many memories, the analytical view that Mark Renshaw has on sprinting is ridiculously valuable.

“With the added bonus of knowing firsthand how both my legs and mind work. Myself and everyone at Astana are proud and excited to have you on board mate.”

And the excitement just keeps building for No. 35…

Messi cycling in Rosario with his family 🇦🇷🚴

pic.twitter.com/S9yze4i8RQ

— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) June 21, 2023

Well, it looks like the Messi vs Ronaldo debate has been well and truly settled then... at road.cc Towers at least! 

The World Cup (and lots of other cups) winner was spotted riding with his family in his hometown of Rosario according to Messi Xtra, and took the time to give a quick wave to a passing motorist. 

Tributes have been paid to cyclist David Cooper, who died on Sunday while taking part in his 24th London to Brighton charity ride, just days shy of his 70th birthday.

The father-of-three and grandfather-of-six was riding alongside family and friends when he took ill in Smallfield, near Gatwick, just before 10am.

On his JustGiving page, raising money for event organisers the British Heart Foundation, the 69-year-old from Battersea said that the BHF “probably saved my life in 1998, when I had to have major heart surgery. Because of this I have taken part in this fantastic event almost every year since 2000. This year I am being joined by lots of family members and friends, so it should be a great day.”

Paying tribute to her father, David’s daughter Louisa Necib said in a statement: “Our dad first took part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride back in 1999 when he began cycling after a quadruple heart bypass. He loved taking part every year and it became a real family day out for everyone with more people joining him at every event. This year alone ten members of our family and friends were taking part alongside him.

“Dad was an amazing person who would do anything for anyone. He was a massive Chelsea Football Club fan, he loved his family and loved supporting the BHF and other charities and doing what he could for other people. He was just days away from his 70th birthday and we were all due to go on holiday together to celebrate. We are devastated.

“On behalf of our family I would like to thank everyone who came to our dad’s aid. Especially those on the scene and the emergency services. We are so grateful for all your efforts.”

> Cyclist dies during London to Brighton charity ride

Dr Charmaine Griffiths, chief executive of the BHF, added: “We are devastated by the news of David Cooper’s death while participating in the London to Brighton Bike Ride. The event is such a special one and knowing that David rode in every ride since 1999 just shows what an inspirational fundraiser he was.

“His 24 years of support for the BHF will have made a huge difference to the lives of heart patients across the UK and we are so grateful for his almost quarter century of support.

“It is clear from David’s family what a loving father and grandfather he was and how much they will miss him. Our thoughts are with his heartbroken family at this terrible time.”

Officers from Surrey Police are continuing to investigate David’s death and have appealed for witnesses.

David’s JustGiving page remains open, and has been flooded in recent days with donations, raising almost £3,800 at the time of writing.

Good morning London 👋 pic.twitter.com/aiaaUYikn5

— London Cycles (@London_Cycles) June 22, 2023

And that's not even a cycle lane. The segregated lanes are jammed with bikes (clearly the solution to that congestion is to build more lanes 😉). It's great to see so many people - like my wife - riding along in their ordinary clothes as well.

— Rob McIvor (@rob_mcivor) June 22, 2023

“The whole thing is really dangerous,” Norwich Cycling Campaign’s Derek Williams told road.cc of the soon-to-opened Aldi at Longwater Retail Park. “There’s a school and a college nearby, this area is supposed to be a safe route for children and teenagers. But the council didn’t do any investigations, no public consultations.”

Even though a crossing on William Frost Way was agreed during the planning process, it is still absent just a week before the supermarket giant opens its doors, and Williams believes that Aldi is “trying to avoid their obligation” to build it.

Read more: > Cycling campaign slams Aldi and council for putting cyclists and pedestrians in danger and “only thinking about drivers”

As we reported yesterday, Brighton and Hove Labour announced "exciting new proposals" for a redesign of the A529 seafront road. The new Labour administration in the city says it had asked officers to review and redesign the scheme that was ok'd by the previous Green Party council.

"The redesign will address three key concerns," says a press release.  

"Firstly, where possible the cycle lanes in both east and west directions should be next to each other and not separated by footpaths, in line with national standards. Secondly, that the scheme keeps traffic flowing. Thirdly, that the cycle lane ‘loop’ around King Alfred is removed in favour of a continuous two-way cycle lane along the seafront road." 

While Cllr Trevor Muten noted “cycle lanes are hugely important to our city" while also adding that the "seafront is an arterial route into and across our city for motorists", it was council leader Bella Sankey's comments that caught the attention of cycling Twitter: “Our announcement today has the potential to be a win-win-win for pedestrians, cyclists and road users. We passionately believe in promoting walking and cycling in Brighton and Hove and delivering the highest quality, permanent, active travel infrastructure." 

Hold the phone... aren't pedestrians and cyclists also road users, even if not all of the time? 

"Road User" Eh? I'm pretty sure I cycle on the road. https://t.co/YblCSnSOAN

— Cllr Damian Haywood 💙 (@bigdamo) June 21, 2023

Apparently the Labour party over at Brighton haven't read the highway code.

Road users include pedestrians, cyclists, horse riders, car drivers... https://t.co/CQ9zLdFv3i

— Sustainable us - them potatoes are still growing (@Havant_Enviro) June 21, 2023

Why on earth does @bhlabour think that cyclists and pedestrians aren’t road users? https://t.co/p7HghDkS0g

— Cleo rides 😜 (@CleoRides) June 21, 2023

It's a fair point, and after the responses we had yesterday it's one we've just put to Brighton & Hove Labour to get a little more clarification on Cllr Sankey's comments, and what the redesign might look like. 

What do you think, will Labour's plans be good for one of Britain's most celebrated seafronts?

The Nottingham Post reports that 550 excited fans queued outside the city's Raleigh store to be the first to get their hands on the bike brand's relaunched iconic Chopper. Fans queued from 6.30pm on Monday night for the following day's launch, even though many had booked an online ticket meaning they had guaranteed purchase of a bike.

> Back to the future: Raleigh relaunches iconic Chopper (again)

The Post noted a large portion of the crowd was "men of a certain age", some taking time off work to buy the £950 Chopper. Mike, who travelled from Lincolnshire having interrupted his family holiday to get in line, said: "We had a VIP pass to get in a bit earlier. What brings me here today is the love of the bike and the joy it brings. I was about five or six when I had one. My grandad got one from the pub or tip or something.

"I used to ride around at my nanna's at the weekend. I loved it then and I got into the scene when I realised there was such a following for these things. It's so iconic. It brings people together, look how many people are here today.

"It's how unusual it is - there's nothing else like it. Many have tried to copy it but you always call it a Chopper, whenever you see a bike that looks like it. I think people have some fond memories of them. We all want to take a step back into our childhood and the past and I think this helps people do that. This place will be pumping for hours. Everyone's just talking about it all day long."

It looks like some predictions about the price tag (compared to around £32, or £350-ish adjusted for inflation) putting Chopper fans off were unfounded, then! If you weren't lucky enough to bag one, here's some Chopper nostalgia for you instead... 

> Reminisce about the iconic Raleigh Chopper, the ultimate Christmas gift of the 1970s

Urška Žigart's Tour de Suisse efforts got some attention in the Belgian press, just one small problem...

'Pogačar's girlfriend' is her name apparently, something GCN commentator and cycling journalist José Been questioned: "Isn't it great when a female athlete who almost wins her first UCI world tour race loses her own name and only goes by 'girlfriend of Pogačar'?"

We pointed out on Tuesday's live blog that we might have to wait a while for any headlines describing Tadej as “Žigart’s boyfriend"; but to our surprise Canadian Cycling Magazine went there just hours later...

Tadej approves, although disappointingly he hasn't dropped into the comments on road.cc to praise the original suggestion from my esteemed colleague Mr Mallon. Maybe he's just a lurker, or actually our mysterious forum contributor Secret Squirrel?