‘Get rid of the bike lane, drivers keep hitting the kerb!’: More genius anti-cycle lane arguments; “Car culture machine”: SUV reviewer drives on cycle lane, bollards; Police ask ‘How long do you spend behind cyclists?’; Red Remco + more on the live blog

While the hardy fans who braved the elements on the Pico Jano could barely see the riders as they battled through the rain and low cloud on the first summit finish of this year’s Vuelta a España, by the fog-covered finish line, things (metaphorically, if not literally) were a whole lot clearer.

This newfound clarity not only applied to the GC race – which was turned upside down by three-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič’s shock 1:22 concession to young upstart Remco Evenepoel – but also, perhaps, to the trajectory of Evenepoel’s entire career.

Unipublic/Sprint Cycling Agency

The precocious Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl rider is, lest we forget, still only 22, and has already amassed victories at major one-day classics Liège-Bastogne-Liège (in typically dominant fashion) and San Sebastian (twice), as well as GC wins in one-week races like the Tour of Poland, Volta ao Algarve and Tour of Belgium.

However, perhaps thanks to the potentially overwhelming pressure placed by the Belgian press on the latest in the long like of ‘New Eddy Merckxes’, this year’s Vuelta appeared to represent a make-or-break opportunity for Evenepoel at the grand tours.

Ever since he turned professional as an all-conquering teenager in 2019, the man from Aalst has faced an incredible level of scrutiny not even reserved for his most successful peers like Tadej Pogačar.

A Belgian superstar in the making, riding for Belgium’s biggest team, he has been criticised by fans, the media, Merckx himself, and even his own management for issues surrounding his weight, his temperament, and (most ludicrously) his failure to compete for the overall win at his first ever grand tour, the 2021 Giro d’Italia, just months after suffering a fractured pelvis while on the cusp of winning Il Lombardia.

has anyone checked in on eddy merckx though

— kate wagner (@derailleurkate) August 25, 2022

But today, in atrocious weather conditions, Evenepoel answered any lingering doubts over his grand tour credentials by accelerating with over nine kilometres left to the summit of Pico Jano.

While only Roglič, Enric Mas, Juan Ayuso (another teenage sensation), Pavel Sivakov, Simon Yates and Ben O’Connor were the only ones who could follow that initial burst, it was Evenepoel’s slow ramping up of the pace that truly shattered the field.

Roglič, seemingly impenetrable in Spain for the last three years, finally looked human as he slowly let the Belgian’s back wheel drift away, the tell-tale signs of Tour de France-inflicted injuries perhaps finally showing after five days of bluffing and winning.

Remco dropping Roglic! Only Mas can follow him. #LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/GBOqVxLWFi

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) August 25, 2022

By the top Remco was in red: Enric Mas – himself the subject of unrelenting external pressure from Spanish supporters – was the only GC threat who could hang on to Evenepoel’s steady but searing pressure. Ayuso tried in vain to bridge across, but ultimately ceded ground, despite gaining on everyone else, in a tremendous showing by the 19-year-old.

Roglič then led home an eleven-strong group, over a minute and twenty behind what surely constitutes the biggest threat to his Vuelta fiefdom since Pogačar went wandering on the final mountain stages in 2019.

Whether Evenepoel can maintain this level of brilliance remains to be seen, of course, but the race for red is well and truly on.

What an iconic moment. Congrats @JayVine3 pic.twitter.com/bOUVROdI45

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 25, 2022

While the GC battle started in earnest, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Jay Vine – a blue blur in the dense fog – timed his own career-defining moment to perfection, attacking from the peloton with ten kilometres left to first rein in the break’s Mark Padun before holding on gamely in the face of the Remco offensive to take the biggest win of his career.

The current Esports world champion – a pro by way of the Zwift Academy – has now made his mark out on the open road after a third-place finish on a stage at last year’s Vuelta, and did so with bravery and panache.

“It’s almost unreal,” the Australian said at the finish. “I’ve been working towards this all year after last year and coming so close. It’s a dream come true.”

This fog really hates Vine. pic.twitter.com/danBWtPgBp

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 25, 2022

While the public may not have been able to see Vine as he crossed the line, his win – and the performance of the second-placed rider behind him – capped a day of breakthroughs in the rain and fog.

Mark Padun arrived in one piece at the bottom of the descent, what a relief! 🙏 #LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/F74b1nE3RA

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) August 25, 2022

It was a tough watch, and he lost the majority of his lead thanks to some 50p cornering, but Mark Padun made it down the other side of the Collada de Brenes at the head of the Vuelta!

Unfortunately for the Ukrainian, Julian Alaphilippe is still driving it on at the front of the peloton (after descending like it was a lovely sunny afternoon), teeing up a seemingly inevitable Remco assault on the final climb.

Judging by Twitter, everyone else was watching that wet and wild descent through their fingers:

Honestly, I can't watch this. I am terrified #LaVuelta22 https://t.co/oEeq7z1Bte

— Sadhbh O'Shea (@SadhbhOS) August 25, 2022

When there's that much water 💦 on the camera lens.. On the descent 😬.. Go on Mark Padun 🇺🇦 rubber side down 🙏 #vuelta2022 pic.twitter.com/ChLBeMkfrG

— Neil Anderson (@Mr_Andrrson) August 25, 2022

Padun is descending like he's just learned to ride a bike.

I don't blame him.. absolutely horrendous#couchpeloton #LaVuelta22

— anenglishmaninspain (@AndyElche) August 25, 2022

Not that I blame him - I would be scared to death to descend on that road in the wet

— Brent Graham (@BrentGraham) August 25, 2022

Surrey’s Roads Policing unit – the owners of everyone’s favourite police and road safety-themed Twitter account – have been having fun this week with the bird app’s poll function.

On Monday, they asked their car-using followers how long, in an average week, they spend in traffic caused by other drivers.

Drivers - in an average week, how long do you spend in traffic caused by other drivers?

Genuinely interested, so please RT for max exposure.

— Roads Policing - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 22, 2022

Of the four options, ranging from ‘less than ten minutes’ to ‘more than 60 minutes’, the results were quite evenly spread: while 31.5 percent of drivers said they were stuck in motorist-related traffic for over an hour a week, just over 21 percent claimed that traffic is but a construct that has little effect on their daily lives.

Yesterday, Surrey Police commenced round two of their social (media) experiment, asking drivers how long they spent per week “in traffic caused by cyclists”.

Drivers - in an average week, how long do you spend in traffic caused by cyclists?

Genuinely interested, so please RT for max exposure.

— Roads Policing - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 24, 2022

Of the 4,290 Twitter users who have cast their votes at the time of writing, 68.4 percent clicked the ‘none’ option, almost 17 percent said ‘one to five minutes’, six percent reckoned people on bikes accounted for five to 15 minutes of their weekly traffic time, while nine percent so far say that cyclists hold them up for MORE than 15 minutes a week.

Highly likely that the 20% folks are delayed by maybe a minute. The 7% and 12% folks are fantasists. pic.twitter.com/Bq9mo4BVVh

— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) August 25, 2022

Worth stating that when I’m cycling in towns and cities it’s motorists that delay me, both from their sheer volume but also because of the infrastructure — such as traffic lights — designed to tame motorists.

— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) August 25, 2022

One in ten people thinks they're losing 15 minutes per week to...cyclists https://t.co/iSQi1fwVF6 pic.twitter.com/OAj675qpFR

— Ben Horrigan (@BDHorrigan) August 25, 2022

Some users – viewing the cycling-related poll out of context, perhaps – have criticised its existence, though Surrey Police have reliably informed us that they “have a plan”:

Hi Jack, you don’t appear to follow us.
This is part of a two stage poll, the first was a few days ago. There is a plan. Wait and see. Please don’t judge it off one tweet.

— Roads Policing - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 25, 2022

Hi George. We can a very impartial poll a few days before which covered point b)

Panic not, we have a plan. ☺️

— Roads Policing - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 25, 2022

What’s this? Yesterday’s Vuelta stage winner Marc Soler being helped on his way to victory by a cheeky bottle from his old mates at Movistar?

pic.twitter.com/zOMNYCuk9h

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 24, 2022

While Soler’s UAE Team Emirates squad ‘officially’ (through their Twitter account) thanked the Spanish outfit for their hand in the mercurial Soler’s solo win in Bilbao, one of the team’s soigneurs was on hand to quickly dispose of the evidence at the finish line:

https://t.co/AY6VPitzwE

— Federico (@FefoBike) August 24, 2022

Surely that’s worth half an episode or so in next year’s Movistar documentary series? Especially if Chente García Acosta punched the car roof in anger at the treacherous bottle-gifter, and then deleted the footage…

🙌 pic.twitter.com/w5cX5FvAh5

— tim hayter (@Willowman66) August 25, 2022

While the Ineos Grenadiers’ Ethan Hayter was forced to relinquish the best young rider’s jersey at the Vuelta yesterday, at least he was able to pass it on to his old VC Londres mucker Fred Wright:

6 stages in, and these two @VCLondres members have taken every Young Rider jersey on offer at @lavuelta so far.

📸 from the 2013 @JeugdtourAssen pic.twitter.com/S0vDaohIjx

— tim hayter (@Willowman66) August 24, 2022

Though judging from that chaotic stage to Bilbao, Rudy Molard may be hiding somewhere under Wright’s new white jersey…

“Definitely the strangest but most cheering edition of Open Country I have ever heard ...” @tdfbeefeaters on #alpedhuez today at 3.00pm pic.twitter.com/m8XIRUWSDy

— BBC Open Country (@BBCR4OC) August 25, 2022

I enjoyed Dan’s take on the not-at-all-over-the-top reaction to Hanley’s newly extended segregated cycle lane so much that I’ve decided to kick off today’s live blog with round two… 

Unfortunately, Raging Russell Porter and Desperate Dan Jellyman couldn’t make this morning’s bout (reports suggest that they’ve failed anti-doping tests), but don’t worry as another resident, the less imaginatively named Stewart Robinson, has stepped up to top the bill.

And as far as anti-cycle lane arguments go, Stewart’s is worthy of any pay-per-view event [alright, enough of the wrestling metaphors – Ed.]:

Stewart here complaining about inattentive and incompetent motorists hitting kerbs that keep a cycle lane safe, inadvertently proving why a protected cycle lane is needed.
Thicker than custard and not as bright https://t.co/ay19qe7xLv pic.twitter.com/xex4LeK2cb

— Real Gaz on a proper bike (@gazza_d) August 24, 2022

“They've just put new cycle lanes in and the kerb is raised. Cars keep hitting them as they're just in the middle of the road,” says Stewart, who evidently struggled with simple maths at primary school.

“There’s signs on them, but one has already been knocked off from a car hitting it… I’ve contacted the council about one of the signs being knocked off and I’m going to ring Highways to see if we can get the kerbs taken out as there’s going to be more accidents. I’ve seen three vehicles hit them in the last month.

“Cars just come down the road and hit them, because they're just stuck in the middle of the road.”

Ah yes, Stewart, that classic argument against protected cycle lanes: that the poor motorists keep driving into the infrastructure, rather than just the cyclists themselves…

Apparently, the Shelton New Road isn’t the only part of Stoke where drivers are struggling to spot raised kerbs and bollards designed to protect the human beings on the other side:

And another protected kerb drivers in #StokeOnTrent drivers fail to see, yes thats supposed to be a cycle lane pic.twitter.com/yhWHs2UBwm

— Ninja Breadhouse 💙💛 (@NBreadhouse) August 25, 2022

So, the next time someone asks you why protected cycling infrastructure is necessary, just take them to Stoke.