“If this was a new sport, there’s no way it would be allowed”: Geraint Thomas says 50% of cycling crashes are down to UCI chief David Lappartient and race organisers; Hacked Lime bikes EDM music?; Lidl-Trek’s Alphabetti Spaghetti + more on the live blog

The hilly and cobbled roads of the classics have paved way for the mountainous malaise of the Giro d’Italia, which kicks off in Turin this Saturday with the back-breaking climbs set to return for the Italian Grand Tour (six mountain-top finishes, phew). But with the impossible climbs also come blazingly fast and ominous descents, and with crashes unfortunately stealing so much of the spotlight during the spring cycling season, one could assume the safety of the peloton would be one of the key things on the minds of anyone associated with the sport.

One of those people goes by the name of Geraint Thomas, the lanky and lean cyclist from Cardiff who used to train in the same velodrome that I’ve done a couple of rides myself as well. But you know, he just has a Tour de France, a Paris-Nice and a couple of national championships to show for.

Following the horrific crash on a descent of the Itzulia Basque race, which ended up severely injuring a bunch of riders including Jonas Vingegaard, Primož Roglič, Remco Evenepoel, Steff Cras, and Jay Vine, Thomas believes that safety in pro cycling is not a thing that should be taken lightly anymore.

> “These are not actors… no scripted happy ending”: Peta Cavendish joins Adam Hansen in calling out “voyeuristic” TV coverage of Itzulia Basque crash

Speaking to The Guardian, Thomas said: “Everyone’s talking about this now because big-name riders have crashed, but it’s been happening for years. Racing’s got that danger element already, but I feel like it could do so much more to increase safety. There’s road furniture, traffic calming, kerbs sticking out, all that kind of stuff. That adds an element of danger as well. When you’re in it, if I thought about it, I’d be at the back [of the peloton]. You wouldn’t be racing, you couldn’t do it.”

And taking on the burden of an all-seeing prophet, just 48 hours after the interview, there was another crash in the Tour of the Alps where Thomas was adding in the final touches of preparation before he embarks on the ambitious Giro-Tour double at 37 years of age. 

Chris Harper and Ben O’Connor hit nasty bumps on the road of a high-speed descent at Trentino, northern Italy, with the former being launched into the air and sliding head-first into a lamp post — coming away with a concussion and superficial wounds.

The crash reeked eerily of the Basque Country crash, where the front of the peloton descending at almost 80km/hr, hit a bump on the road and were thrown into the concrete ditches on the side.

Geraint Thomas at stage 20 of the 2023 Giro d’Italia (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Thomas said: “Ninety per cent of the guys won’t know the roads [in this race],” Thomas says. “You’re going down these descents, flying down them. If this was a new sport, there’s no way it would be allowed.”

> “Crashes have been part of the sport, but this is way out of hand”: Former Irish pro Nicholas Roche weighs on the horror Basque Country crash, joins Calmejane in pointing out “crazy doses of caffeine”

He also gave his backing to his team boss, Ineos Grenadiers owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in April issued a public plea for a ramping up of cycling’s safety protocols. “Cyclists are always going to push things to the limit as they are elite sportsmen,” Ratcliffe said, before urging  David Lappartient, the president of the UCI, pro cycling’s governing body, to “ensure the safety of the sport”.

Lappartient’s recent comments, claiming that “50 per cent of the crashes are down to riders’ attitudes”, which already drew scrutiny from the cycling world didn’t sit well with Thomas, even if he acknowledges that some riders take risks he wouldn’t.

“I think Lappartient needs to focus more on the 50 per cent he can affect,” Thomas said. “I agree with what he says, but it just doesn’t make sense to me even saying it. That means 50 per cent is still down to him and organisers to do everything they can.”

A neighbour and conservationists have objected to the proposal to turn the "very rare" air raid shelters into bicycle storage, because "the position of the doorways is of particular historic interest" and the shelters are part of the street's "charm"...

> Planning objections over bike storage idea for WW2 bomb shelters — despite structures already being used as sheds

Roger de Vlaeminck (licensed CC BYY SA 3.0 by Mick Knapton)

Big words from Monsieur Paris-Roubaix Roger De Vlaeminck! The four-time winner of Hell of the North, along with three wins at Milan-San Remo, two at Il Lombardia and one each at Flanders and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, there’s no shortage of respect De Vlaeminck has in the world of cycling — he’s more or less a bonafide legend of the sport!

And to make it to the level that he did in the seventies, you’d had to go up against the Cannibal, Eddy Merckx himself. So that’s what De Vlaeminck did, and tales of their rivalry have been told countless times, so I’m not going to bore you with that. So this bit of criticism for arguably the greatest rider of his generation coming from him, well, it’s packed with some sting.

The 76-year-old former Belgian professional cyclist said, in an interview with Wieler Revue, that he believes that if they would be racing together, he wouldn’t be dropped by Pogačar.

Since Pogačar’s two Tour de France and his sustained success in the classics season, with six Monuments to his name by the age of just 25, along with his penchant to always entertain like no one else, has already cemented his status as one of the greats, and even prompted comparisons with Eddy Merckx — not only by Cyrille Guimard, former pro cyclist and legendary coach, who served as the DS for LeMond, Van Impe, Fignon and Hinault, but also by Merckx himself, labelling Pogačar as “the new Merckx”!

> Tadej Pogačar – can he emulate Eddy Merckx and win it all?

Tadej Pogačar, 2024 Liège-Bastogne-Liège (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

But De Vlaeminck disagrees, quite strongly in fact! “Eddy Merckx was on another level, huh?,” he said. “There’s absolutely no comparison between Pogacar and Merckx. Pogacar is a fantastic rider, and the Strade Bianche is a tough race, but not a legendary one, huh. He broke away ninety kilometers [81km] from the finish, and nobody could follow. I guarantee you: if I had been on his wheel, he would never have dropped me in my prime. Never in his life! Just like Francesco Moser and Beppe Saronni couldn’t either.”

“Pogacar is heading to the Giro now, but in Italy, there aren’t any top riders at the moment. You have Filippo Ganna who is decent in time trials, but he’s not an absolute top rider. Can someone explain to me why there aren’t more great riders in Italy?" he continued.

The UAE Team Emirates rider is a hot favourite for the upcoming Corsa Rosa, where he will make his debut and hopes to add a pink jersey to his still relatively young career.

> “What the f***?” Tom Pidcock stunned and Mathieu van der Poel “scared” after Tadej Pogačar left “dead bodies everywhere” with stunning Strade Bianche attack

But despite his gilded palmares, De Vlaeminck did not munch his words: “Pogacar is a top rider and by far the best in the world, with Mathieu van der Poel a close second. Unfortunately, Mathieu can't keep up in the mountains. That would have been an exciting duel. But Pogacar isn't even half the rider Merckx was.”

“If Merckx were to race in the same Giro as Pogacar, Pogačar would be five minutes behind in the general classification.”

As I said, big words! Do you agree with De Vlaeminck, or do you think Pogačar could go toe-to-toe with cycling’s greatest? Let us know in the comments!

"We were cycling along a rural road, wide and quiet when the incident happened... excessive use of horn, crossing a solid white line and a close pass to finish..."...

> Near Miss of the Day 903: Driver's punishment pass while blaring horn at two-abreast cyclists earns £300 fine and six penalty points

No but for real, does Lidl-Trek want to get boo'ed at the Giro by all the Italians? And the even bigger question is, how did Jonathan Milan, Andrea Bagioli, and Simone Consonni approve of this?

Brace yourself, and don't blame us for showing this image to you (okay, maybe we do deserve some flak).

We've cooked up something tasty for #GirodItalia 😋🇮🇹 @giroditalia pic.twitter.com/g75UENEfMQ

— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) April 29, 2024

As Jo said in the road.cc group chat, spare a thought for the poor chap who had to open 15 tins to spell Ghebreigzabhier...

Leave it to the French to make a killer techno dance anthem out of, erm, the Lime bike sounds. Incorporating the click-clack and even the trills of the bell, Povoa, a Parisian electronic artist has produced a song that should please, or displease, based on your disposition towards electronic music, or Lime bikes, for that matter.

On the Bandcamp page, the description reads: “For the lead track ‘Hacked Lime’, Povoa skilfully integrates the distinct clicking sounds produced by Lime bikes, a ubiquitous sound that resonates in major cities worldwide.

“Through the interplay of off-kilter syncopated clicks and meticulously layered sounds, Povoa constructs a captivating groove that leaves audiences yearning for more. This track has been road tested by Chloé Robinson and DJ ADHD across the world, ensuring that it hits on every dance floor this coming summer season.”

Now, that’s one track that I assume Dom Whiting will be all over in the next Drum and Bass On The Bike… 

Bag yourself a bargain, not a dud with these invaluable tips for buying a second hand bike

> Your complete guide to buying a second-hand bike — know where to buy, what to look for and avoid getting scammed with these top tips