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Homemade sign tells cyclists to 'ride quietly' through village; Liège Strava data; Noisy freehub poll; Packed bike lanes; Pogačar "living the dream"; Paris bike boom; Gridlock vs LTN; Jumbo-Visma Tour de France team; Monument bet + more on the live blog

It's the start of a new week and Dan Alexander is here for your first live blog of the week...
Mon, Apr 26, 2021 09:02
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Homemade sign tells cyclists to 'ride quietly' through village; Liège Strava data; Noisy freehub poll; Packed bike lanes; Pogačar "living the dream"; Paris bike boom; Gridlock vs LTN; Jumbo-Visma Tour de France team; Monument bet + more on the live blog Oxfordshire ride quietly sign
26 April 2021, 15:55
"Wait until these villagers hear about motor cars!": Your comments on Boarstall's keep it down sign

The comments on the live blog, Facebook and Twitter have been absolute gold today. Cue the Hot Fuzz memes...

One big concern the sign has raised is the possibility there is an anti-social cyclist riding continuous laps of the village making a racket. After all, the sign is addressed to a cyclist, not cyclists. Group riders, you are in the clear...

26 April 2021, 15:51
Noisy freehub poll results...
Poll results 26/4/2021

We asked you earlier today if you are a fan of noisy freehubs and it has been one of our closest polls yet...As things stand that is a win for loud freewheeling. 

26 April 2021, 15:22
What does it take to make the front group at Liège–Bastogne–Liège?
Mike Woods Liege-Bastogne-Liege Strava

Israel Start-Up Nation's Mike Woods has uploaded his fifth place ride at Liège–Bastogne–Liège to Strava...The decisive move, made on the final climb at Roche aux Faucons, saw Woods clock the third fastest time up the 1.1km segment with an average speed of 21.4km/h (13.2mph) for the duration of the 11% slopes...

The power data shows Woods put out 492w for 3:11 and hit a max power of 859w after more than six hours of hard racing and more than 4,000m of elevation gain. Moments later on the second part of the climb, he held 407w for a further 4:02 before the descent to the finish in Liège. Some serious numbers.

26 April 2021, 14:33
Dutch cities plan to ban fossil fuel delivery vehicles from urban areas from 2025

EuropeanSting reports that 30 Dutch cities are hoping to implement a ban on fossil fuel delivery vehicles in urban areas from 2025. Netherlands environment minister Stienje van Veldhoven said: "Now that we are spending more time at home, we are noticing the large number of delivery vans and lorries driving through cities.

"The agreements we are setting down will ensure that it will be a matter of course that within a few years, supermarket shelves will be stocked, waste will be collected, and packages will arrive on time, yet without any exhaust fumes and CO2 emissions."

The ban would save 1 megaton of CO2 every year by 2030 and to further encourage carbon-free transport, the government is offering grants of $5,900 to help businesses buy or lease electric vehicles. It is hoped the ban would also encourage more businesses to use cargo bikes for deliveries.

26 April 2021, 14:11
26 April 2021, 14:04
Team Jumbo-Visma confirm squad to help Primož Roglič at Tour de France

Jonas Vingegaard will take Tom Dumoulin's place in Jumbo-Visma's Tour de France squad this July as the team hopes to overcome last year's disappointment and win the maillot jaune with leader Primož Roglič. Dumoulin had initially been named in the team's plans before announcing his unexpected break from competition at the start of the year.

Vingegaard's impressive early season form has seen him win a stage of the UAE Tour and the overall at Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali as well as a second place at Itzulia Basque Country. He will join Wout van Aert, Steven Kruijswijk, Sepp Kuss, Robert Gesink, Mike Teunissen and Tony Martin at the Tour.

26 April 2021, 13:43
'World's first smart inner tube' goes down well on our Instagram...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by road.cc (@road.cc)

Last night Tubolito launched the “world’s first smart inner tube” to allow users to check their tyre pressure on their smartphone. The 35g Turbo-MTB-P-SENS inner tubes will set you back £42. The good people over on our Instagram were typically open-minded and constructive with their feedback...

bowstreetrunner got straight to the grim point: "I’d rather shit in my hands and clap. I hope this assists."

Stublundell wondered why our April Fool's gag was 25 days late, while Chris Collicott pointed out he has a thumb, so would not have any need for the tech...

dangerdicko added: "Just pump them up before you ride. If they deflate during the ride then there’s an obvious tube issue. It’s not rocket science."

26 April 2021, 13:16
David Gaudu inspired to Liège-Bastogne-Liège podium place by bet with friend

As if David Gaudu needed any extra motivation coming into Liège at the head of the race...after the finish the Frenchman explained how a bet with a pal motivated him for the sprint...

"When I felt the podium was coming into reach I was close to cramping but then I had to think about my friend who told me that if I placed on the podium in the Ardennes he would join me for a seven-hour ride, even though he's not a cyclist; that's a done deal. I thought about that at 50 metres from the finish," the Groupama-FDJ climber joked.

That is going to be a long seven hours...

26 April 2021, 13:12
The best of LTNs vs the worst of car-dominant cities

 

26 April 2021, 12:47
26 April 2021, 12:35
Noisy freehubs: hot or not?
 
Noisy freehubs

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👎
 
 
 
 
 
 
Created with PollMaker

Over on Facebook the link to the live blog story about the displeased Boarstall residents trying to clamp down on cycling-related noise has started a freehub debate...

Are noisy freehubs cool? Admittedly they are quite handy for letting dog walkers know you are coming...but can wind your riding mates up after several hours listening to you humming along every descent.

David Starks-Browning commented: "Personally, I can't stand screaming-loud freehubs. I once tried to ask a fellow cyclist what sort his was (so I could avoid ending up with the same) but of course he was wearing earphones and couldn't hear me, presumably blasting his music to drown the noise of his freehub..."

Have your say in our poll...

26 April 2021, 11:00
Organisers adapt track cycling Olympic test event due to state of emergency
Olympics

The test event for the track cycling at this summer's Tokyo Olympics continued yesterday as the organisers tried to adapt to the worsening coronavirus situation in the country. Japan Today reports riders were interviewed online, rather than in-person as planned. It was due to be the first event since the postponement of the games last summer to use a mixed zone where journalists could interview athletes after they had competed.

However, after Japan declared a state of emergency for Tokyo and three other areas until Sunday 11 May, organisers reverted back to online interviews. The races involved Japanese cyclists competing in the individual and team sprint, keirin, team pursuit, omnium and madison. There were no spectators or international riders at the event.

26 April 2021, 10:29
Tadej Pogačar says he is "living the cycling dream" after first Monument win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Pogacar

It must be alright to have won the Tour de France and a first Monument before your 23rd birthday...with the way Tadej Pogačar is going, he might well have defended his maillot jaune too by the time he has blown out his birthday candles at the end of September.

After outsprinting world champion Julian Alaphilippe, former world champion Alejandro Valverde, David Gaudu and Michael Woods, the Slovenian said he is "living the cycling dream".

"I’m without words, I really love this race and to win here like this against those names is incredible," he said. "I knew Alaphilippe was going longer and I stayed behind him, I was just lucky in the end, it’s just unbelievable." 

Next up on the horizon for the prodigiously talented 22-year old: "rest, take some time with the family, and then start to prepare for the Tour de France.”

26 April 2021, 10:19
Paris cycling boom

It was not just London where the streets were filled with cyclists this weekend...check out the scenes in Paris. New figures released in February showed that six in ten users of the French capital's pop-up cycle lanes were new to cycling. The number of women cycling has also increased from 36 per cent up to 41 per cent...

26 April 2021, 09:33
Homemade sign tells cyclists to 'ride quietly' through village
Oxfordshire ride quietly sign

road.cc reader Matthew sent us this picture of a sign that has been put up in the village of Boarstall, just outside Oxford. He said it was strange considering they do not seem overly concerned about the number of speeding cars cutting through the village, just those pesky cyclists with their small talk and noisy freehubs.

The reader also pointed out the positioning of the sign could do with some improvement so it is not next to the final house as cyclists leave the village...

Anyway, at least it is more polite than this charming homemade sign that appeared in Cambridgeshire last year, telling cyclists to 'stop panting viruses through our village. Stay away'.

And it seemed last spring's lockdown started a trend of anti-cyclist messages as later that day we were sent another picture of a homemade sign asking: 'Cyclists. Are you 30 minutes from your home? Protect the NHS.'

26 April 2021, 08:32
Ineos Grenadiers' Richard Carapaz handed disqualification for Liège–Bastogne–Liège super-tuck

Richard Carapaz racked up a costly list of sanctions from the Liège–Bastogne–Liège commissaires yesterday. Carapaz was disqualified for super-tucking during his escape from the peloton in the run towards the final climb at Côte de la Roche-aux-Faucons. Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar went on to win the race once the 2019 Giro winner was caught.

As well as the DQ, Carapaz was fined 1,000 Swiss Francs (roughly £780) and docked 25 UCI ranking points. To top off a costly day for Ineos, the team was handed a further 500 Swiss Franc fine for littering...

More to follow shortly...

26 April 2021, 07:49
Packed bike lane scenes as Londoners enjoy weekend weather on two wheels

The glorious weekend weather had bumper crowds out enjoying life on two wheels in London's bike lanes. The first tan (burn) lines of the year now sitting prominently above my elbow are testament to Saturday's heat...

Transport for London's traffic cameras captured the scene on CS7 in Tooting yesterday as cyclists vastly outnumbered motorists. Elsewhere, in Chiswick, one person commented things were looking all very Dutch...

I am sure these scenes were repeated all over the UK so let us know where your riding took you...Routes, climbs, group rides, cafe stops, burn lines — tell us how you enjoyed the sun this weekend...

Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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35 comments

Avatar
mikewood | 3 years ago
1 like

Happened to be passing yesterday. Which should it be??

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mikewood replied to mikewood | 3 years ago
1 like

Or this?

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brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

Checking my village FB group last night (my wife is a member, I'm not on FB).  This was one of the first threads...

Am I being overly cynical, or did this bloke just publicly admit to dangerous driving (not careless, as it was completely premeditated, by his own admission)?

As you can imagine, the thread got the full bingo card.

One that stuck out for me is that apparently cyclists shouldn't be on the A369 because its a busy road connecting the city (Bristol) to the motorway (M5).  Which is odd, IMO: didn't the Govt build the M32 and M4 precisely so that motorists din't have to use all these small roads...?

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Sriracha replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

Just a quick heads-up, the names are visible through the redaction.

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brooksby replied to Sriracha | 3 years ago
1 like

Thanks! Fixed now.

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brooksby replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

If I remember, I'll get a photo of the 'this is a local village for local people' sign which is still up on one of the cycle paths 3

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brooksby replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

I went past last night, and they've only gone and bl00dy removed it!  Its been wiped off or painted over.

Pill is open to cyclists again!  (so long as you avoid the bloke punishment passing...).

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brooksby replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

That thread on my village FB group is still running...  They've got to the point now where a cyclist-defender complained about having to share the path with pedestrians because the pedestrians travel so much slower, and one of the motorist-defenders replied, "Slow down then" (completely missing the irony that he had been earlier arguing that cyclists shouldn't be on the road because they were so much slower than the motorists...).

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Legin | 3 years ago
2 likes

Having passed through an Essex Hamlet nattering to my companion on the return journey (for the North Sea was in the way) we were acosted by a chap in a dressing gown (who to be frank looked wrecked). He pointed out it was 06:30 on a Saturday morning and our amiable chat had woken his 6month old who he'd spent all night trying to get to sleep. Our freewheels were quiet and everytime we passed his place in future so were we!

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Global Nomad | 3 years ago
1 like

I have a noisy hub and while i love it in the city for the 'visibility' it gives me and the warning i am approaching - better than a bell - i do get a bit fed up with it when descending or freewheeeling in silent countryside...its hard trying to balance approaching slowly against keeping pedalling to stay quiet

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Sriracha | 3 years ago
7 likes

I'd love to have a psychologist say what that "Cyclists Quiet Please" sign tells about its creator. There is so much going on. The tone of a primary school teacher. The juxtaposition with road traffic. The sheer insolence of the instruction. And quite professionally produced. Someone is seriously messed up!

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hmas1974 replied to Sriracha | 3 years ago
4 likes

Is it poor grammar, a typo or is there just one, particular noisy cyclist that is the target of the campaign?

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mdavidford replied to hmas1974 | 3 years ago
4 likes

I think the whole thing's been misinterpreted - it's a sign aimed at horse riders, warning them that there's a cyclist, and asking them to keep their clip-clopping down to avoid startling them.

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Hirsute replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
6 likes

Maybe it is because some road rage drivers hide in hedges waiting for you but if you are really quiet, they will miss you.

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kil0ran | 3 years ago
9 likes

In my other guise as a birdwatcher I have some sympathy. Inane smalltalk and noisy freehubs interfere with recording bird song. What's sad of course is that our ears have become attuned to the drone of traffic so smalltalk and freehubs attract our attention...

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IanMK replied to kil0ran | 3 years ago
6 likes

I thought the same. The village in question is about 1km from the M40.

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kil0ran replied to IanMK | 3 years ago
16 likes

This time last year the silence was deafening. Our favourite wood for birdsong is about a mile across a river valley from a trunk road. We'll never hear a dawn chorus like that again because the hum is back this year. It was genuinely magical and inspiring.

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Simon E replied to kil0ran | 3 years ago
3 likes

kil0ran wrote:

our ears have become attuned to the drone of traffic so smalltalk and freehubs attract our attention...

Not mine. If anything, I've got more sensitive to it.

I grew up in the countryside and, despite having spent more than 20 years in a large town near an arterial road and a DC bypass, I detest the incessant sound of traffic more than ever. Every single walk or cycle ride is spoilt by the noise of cars.

I love PTWs and miss mine dearly but I have never liked loud pipes (except at a race circuit or the TT). Lying in bed or while reading with the window open I can hear motorbikes with loud pipes from several miles away. Hate 'em. Selfish bastards.

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Eton Rifle replied to kil0ran | 3 years ago
0 likes
kil0ran wrote:

What's sad of course is that our ears have become attuned to the drone of traffic so smalltalk and freehubs attract our attention...

Not me. Being stuck at home for the past year has made me realise just how noisy, anti-social and intrusive traffic noise is.
Chavs on 125 motorbikes and those little cars with illegal exhausts and plastic spoilers are particularly annoying but the constant background racket is almost as bad. Sitting out in my back garden on a sunny day last summer was impossible to enjoy.

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Awavey | 3 years ago
2 likes

What glorious weather ? it was freezing cold grey windy and miserable here yesterday

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
1 like

Where is here?

Saturday was great in the Midlands and Sunday had more cloud and stronger breezes but was still nice in the sun.

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Hirsute replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
1 like

Norfolk/Suffolk I think.
Cold in Essex yesterday whereas Saturday was shorts and shirt.

Cold today and lots of complaints at home about no heating !

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Awavey replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

Yes, coastal Suffolk, it didnt get above 9 degrees even before the wind chill of a strong north easterly, so to read people were complaining about sunburn, you were more likely to get frostbite out on a ride around the area at the weekend.

It's my fault as I put all my winter gear away in the cupboard last week.

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Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

I suppose it is the noise of the the motor on the ebikes that upset  the villagers.

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the little onion | 3 years ago
10 likes

Re. the "cyclist quiet" sign - I'd love it if the roads around me were quieter. Walking the kids to school we have to shout to have a conversation. It must be the noise of all those chatty cyclists, and not the thunder of constant traffic.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to the little onion | 3 years ago
5 likes

Seems to be the next complaint for NIMBY's that the cyclists are dangerous because they speed through the villages too quiet whilst simulataneously making lots of noise. The same as we are invisible apart from at Red lights etc. 

A bit of Devils advocate though is some crack-of-dawn chain gangs / loud ride leaders could be the cause of the signs. Still as motorbike chain gangs / louder cars / diesal tractors probably also come through, it seems the quietest people are the loudest.

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brooksby replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
6 likes

Based on that sign, though, does the signmaker have a problem with one specific cyclist??

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Captain Badger replied to the little onion | 3 years ago
0 likes

the little onion wrote:

Re. the "cyclist quiet" sign - I'd love it if the roads around me were quieter. Walking the kids to school we have to shout to have a conversation. It must be the noise of all those chatty cyclists, and not the thunder of constant traffic.

I'm clearly going to have to retune my exhaust. Not sure it's even legal at the mo....

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PRSboy replied to the little onion | 3 years ago
8 likes

Our garden borders the village road, and I can't say I've ever been bothered by the chatter of a cycle group coming through.

Chief offenders are motorcycles, some of which have ridiculously noisy exhausts, even relative to sports cars.

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Nick Edelsten replied to the little onion | 3 years ago
1 like

Ironic that Boarstall, whilst quite a pretty place, is less than 1 mile from the less than tranquil drone of the M40.

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