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news
England cricket captain Joe Root thanks new cycling regime for century in India; Cyclist suffers broken bones in "serious assault" by ten youths; UK's safest city for winter cycle commuting; UCI bans riders from top tube descending + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Joe Root Peloton (ECB video screenshot)05 February 2021, 16:59
England cricketer Joe Root puts century in India down to new cycling regime
Joe Root was in scintillating form on the first day of the opening Test against India this morning. The England captain scored a century on his 100th Test match and it's apparently all down to the cycling he's been doing. Root said: "I can assure you this is not a plug, but I invested in a Peloton and have been doing a lot of work on that. I have followed the programme that (fitness coach) Phil Scott puts together for us too, trying to make my back a little bit more manageable and my legs and backside a little bit stronger.
"It's really important for all of us, with the amount of cricket we have to play, that we are in as best shape as we can be to give ourselves a better chance to be on the park as frequently as possible and able to perform at our absolute best."
05 February 2021, 16:44
05 February 2021, 16:23
Tim Wellens wins stage three of Étoile de Bessèges with a solo attack
Top 10 tercera etapa @Etoile_Besseges pic.twitter.com/ewShBd7Z0i
— LA RUEDA COLOMBIA 🚴🇨🇴🚴 (@TristanchoYamid) February 5, 2021
After all the debate around descending and top tubes today, when the racing finally got underway it was Tim Wellens who got his hands in the air. The Belgian attacked over the top of the final climb and held off the chasing breakaway to win solo by 37 seconds and most likely secure the GC for the five-stage race as well. Ineos rider Michal Kwiatkowski crashed on the final descent due to oil in the road.
🔥 ¡GIGANTE Tim Wellens! #EDB2021
🚴 El corredor belga del @Lotto_Soudal se escapó en solitario y se llevó la victoria en la tercera etapa del @Etoile_Besseges-Tour du Gard
💥 https://t.co/wgAVMDSNo2 pic.twitter.com/KFtAjPnjwB
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) February 5, 2021
05 February 2021, 15:36
Kwiato has his say on top tube descending
So just before the stage I was answering questions about riding on the top tube. Please @UCI_cycling think about the real risks, like oil on the road today. Don't blame us for causing crashes. There is so much to do on safety and organization side of cycling... @Etoile_Besseges pic.twitter.com/3SV3dmOyDF
— Michał Kwiatkowski (@kwiato) February 5, 2021
05 February 2021, 11:32
Readers' thoughts on the UCI banning the top tube descending position...
So I guess this won't be allowed... pic.twitter.com/TYb8rCZOiJ
— Makecyclingsafeagain (@Makecyclingsafe) February 5, 2021
There's been a fair bit of debate on our Facebook and Twitter posts as well as in the comments here about the UCI's threat to impose sanctions from April 1st for riders who descend on the top tube. The debate seems to be split between two main camps: those who think pros are skilled enough to decide how much risk they want to take in closed road races and those who think the descending style sets a dangerous example to amateurs (especially younger riders) who may copy them. As with Simon Geschke's complaint, there's also been a few accusations of hypocrisy about other aspects of the UCI's governing of races that has seen riders put in danger...
On Facebook Craig Osborne replied to our story: "I get it. They don't want to encourage it in amateur races and charity events or worse still on the open road. It's a shame though. I always enjoyed watching master bike handlers go downhill like stones."
Stuart Parker added: "Yes it's the right call. I see too many kids copying it, including my own 11 year old son. It's dangerous."
However, Fábio Queirós made the case for the defence: "Absolutely NOT! They are pros and race on closed roads, they should do whatever they deem risk worthy for those extra seconds. What’s next? Neutralise the clock on descents? As for the regular Joe imitating the pros, it’s not for the UCI to educate the public. When I go for a bike ride, I decide what I do (to be clear, I’ve used this position once or twice in my life) and the risks I want to take. And if your kids are doing this, then it’s on you, the parent/coach, to correct it. If you don’t, it’s your failure, not the UCI’s."
John-Paul Bell said: "shouldn't the UCI be dealing with more persistent causes of accidents like idiotic motorcycle outriders?" While James Wright added: "Literally the same governing body who allowed a roundabout in the last 500m of a sprint stage yesterday..."
05 February 2021, 14:44
British Cycling names new external Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group
British Cycling has named the first members of its new external Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group. The move is part of a five-year strategic framework to tackle the diversity and inclusion gap and hopefully ensure that the sport is reflective of Britain's communities. The group brings together 14 experts who will advise the Executive Leadership Team, Board of Directors and British Cycling staff. Julie Watts will be the co-chair and senior clinical manager, while former professional cyclist Philippa York is also part of the group.
British Cycling's business services director Rob Findlay said: "This is a long-term mission which requires a real organisational and culture change, and covers all levels of the sport, including our membership, programmes, volunteer workforce, staff and decision-making governance structures, and we are committed to providing updates on our progress over the months and years ahead.”
05 February 2021, 16:30
05 February 2021, 14:34
05 February 2021, 14:18
Jackie Weaver and the Handforth Parish Council make it to the big time
After more jostling for position than a Parish Council meeting, @kwiato and @Eganbernal have made the break at #EDB2021.
They have a 2:30" gap with 65km to go 👊 pic.twitter.com/PSkzy3d4YR
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) February 5, 2021
The measure of something going viral should surely be if a pro cycling team manages to shoehorn a reference into a race update. Jackie Weaver, Aled's iPad and the other stars of the now famous Handforth Parish Council meeting, you've made it...If you've got no idea what we're talking about, take a watch of this clip from the Wilmslow parish's Zoom meeting that has been making headlines today...
Myanmar Military: “Let’s hold the biggest coup d’état of 2021.”
Me, Jackie Weaver: “Hold my green tea”
— Jackie Weaver (@TheJackieWeaver) February 4, 2021
05 February 2021, 12:42
Cyclist suffers broken bones after "serious assault" by ten youths
A cyclist was left with fractures to his jaw, ribs, leg and wrists after being punched and kicked to the ground by a group of ten youths on a disused railway track in Walsall. The cyclist in his 50s was set on as he tried to ride past the group just off Cartbridge Lane South. The Birmingham Mail reports the attack only stopped when a passer-by shouted at the group, who then fled the scene. Due to his injuries the cyclist is still recovering in hospital.
West Midlands Police has launched an appeal to catch the group, who fractured the cyclists jaw in two places during the attack. A spokesperson for the police force said: "We're asking for your help to identify a group of lads who left a cyclist with several broken bones, including a fractured jaw, after a serious assault on a disused railway track in Walsall.
"The man in 50s went to cycle past a group of about 10 youngsters on the path off Cartbridge Lane South at about 1.45pm on Saturday, January 23. But they began kicking and punching at him, before two of the youths who were on a motorbike, knocked him to the ground, where the attack continued until a passer-by shouted and the group fled.
"The group of lads were all described as white and were wearing dark clothing, face coverings and scarfs. Our enquiries are continuing and if you were out on the path, saw the group of lads or have any other information please get in touch."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the police on 101 or via the live chat at www.west-midlands.police.uk and quote the crime reference: 20WS/21739H/21.
05 February 2021, 11:50
Here's the full story
05 February 2021, 11:13
This is what we like to see
Every kid deserves to grow up with a good dog... pic.twitter.com/fyhnrIwB0n
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) February 3, 2021
05 February 2021, 10:39
Hereford is the UK's safest place to commute during winter
Data by Electric Bike Access put Hereford at the top of the table for Britain's safest place for winter cycling commuters. They reached the conclusion by analysing the number of cycling incidents as well as other factors such as rainfall and temperature. London topped the list for the highest number of injuries and fatalities, with 779 in 2019 yet still scraped into the top five safest cities. Leeds was ruled the worst city for cyclists. Behind Hereford the other safest cities were Plymouth, Wakefield and Swansea.
Plymouth Live reports that despite their city's inclusion, one cyclist is fed up with cars parked in bike lanes. Jason Searing's video was shared on the news outlet's website and shows a first-person view of one of the city's cycle lanes...
05 February 2021, 09:52
Mirror breached Independent Press Standards with photo of lockdown cyclists
The Mirror was a repeat offender. Perhaps the most egregious example was this photo (from the same photographer) of an alleged "group" of cyclists shown over almost the entire length of one side of Regents Park pic.twitter.com/12iGA6s68O
— Mark Treasure (@AsEasyAsRiding) February 4, 2021
Just a quick update as we've got a full news story coming shortly. The Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) has upheld a complaint about a story that appeared on the Mirror's website last April. The complaint was made about the use of a photo of cyclists where "the angle of the photo gave a distorted impression of the distance between him and the other cyclists, making them appear closer in proximity. He said that, if the road markings in the image were examined carefully, it was clear that the cyclists were at least 2 metres apart."
Full story to follow on road.cc shortly...
05 February 2021, 09:20
Poll: Should pro cyclists be allowed to descend on the top tube?
05 February 2021, 08:49
UCI may ban riders who descend on the top tube
The UCI is cracking down on pro riders descending in the aero tuck or super tuck position. Whatever you want to call it, it involves riders sitting on the top tube to reduce their profile, get more aero and descend faster. The UCI's statement on ongoing attempts to improve rider safety explained that in first instances riders will be given warnings by race commissaires as part of an initial education and awareness phase. However, after April 1st systematic sanctions will come into place, including possible exclusion from competition.
Needless to say the UCI has received a social media backlash from riders and fans who suggested the governing body is putting the blame for the sport's danger on the riders. Cofidis' Simon Geschke tweeted: "What about downhill sprints like the one in the Tour of Poland last year that nearly killed someone?"
Geschke's complaint came just hours after the second stage of Étoile de Bessèges, which was marred by a big crash after the peloton was asked to negotiate a roundabout at 500m to go on a fast sprint stage. Mads Pedersen was caught up in the crash and described it as a "shit way to end a good sprint stage".
In the UCI's statement they reiterated their commitment to increasing rider safety at dangerous parts of the race, including by introducing a standardised barrier for the final of events, particularly bunch sprints.
Literally today. pic.twitter.com/LYioHxuuST
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) February 4, 2021
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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36 comments
Philh68
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3 years ago
0 likes
The UCI erred by stating it was for rider safety, when they can easily make it about being consistent with their opposition to aero measures that make riding faster. They banned recumbents, they banned the Lotus 108, why would they not ban a riding position that creates a more aero profile? The bike's geometry and mass is regulated, it is logical that they would regulate the aero as well. They do this with sock length and aero fabrics, which is consistent to other sports - eg swimming, where fast suits were banned because of their buoyancy and reduced drag.
Clearly the UCI are already limiting aero in many ways, so why not just own it instead of hiding behind safety as an excuse?
Awavey
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3 years ago
0 likes
As far as the 'wont someone please think of the children' reaction to the UCI having solved all other problems in cycling, since kids have been riding on the crossbar,because it's the obvious way to gain speed going down hill, since kids & bikes were invented. How will the UCI decision then actually help ?
For instance kids often ride 2up on bikes with one sat on the stem/handlebars, I've not seen pro riders do that too often, maybe the UCI should ban it just in case, or maybe it's just kids do stupid things when they ride bikes because they are kids,not because they copy pro riders.
IanMK
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3 years ago
9 likes
I made the mistake of reading some of the comments on the Plymouth Live story. Apparently lots of "experts" believe that it's okay to stop on double yellow lines if your a builder or your just dropping something off. I assume they believe that it's the Highway Code that's wrong or possibly ambiguous "Double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time even if there are no upright signs."
IanMK
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3 years ago
10 likes
Thousands of drivers are prosecuted after angry motorists submit dash cam clips to police (telegraph.co.uk)
This is from the the Torygraph. Not sure what the purpose of the article is other than clickbait. But why do they assume that motorists (and cyclists) submit footage because they're angry. Nothing to do with civic duty or road safety then?
Thousands of drivers are prosecuted after angry motorists submit dash cam clips to police (telegraph.co.uk)
This is from the the Torygraph. Not sure what the purpose of the article is other than clickbait. But why do they assume that motorists (and cyclists) submit footage because they're angry. Nothing to do with civic duty or road safety then?
Indeed. I submit footage to ensure I don't get angry.
brooksby
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3 years ago
4 likes
Story in today's Bristol Post, fitting the 'motor vehicles as domesticated animals' trope:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/kingswood-crash-sees-car...
A car flipped onto its roof and two people were cut free by firefighters after a crash in Kingswood tonight (February 4).
Paramedics and fire crews attended the two-vehicle smash at around 9:15pm, on Hill Street.
The route was temporarily shut while emergency workers helped the victims. It has now been re-opened.
A spokeswoman for Avon fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to a road traffic collision between two vehicles.
"Two persons were trapped in their vehicle. Using RTC equipment, we were able to rescue one male and one female, who were then handed over to ambulance."
Witness Alex Hem's footage from the scene shows several ambulances and fire engines.
The short clip shows the car had flipped onto its roof.
My emphasis.
So, the car apparently flipped onto its roof without any human involvement; as a consequence of this, some humans were injured; and (if we're going to be pedantic) an ambulance arrived and took the injured humans away without any paramedics being involved...
At least they called it a "crash" and not an accident.
The only example I could find was 2018 Philippe Gilbert in Le Tour. Even then he was back up in the saddle for two corners before crashing. Plenty of other downhill crashes on bends from a normal position.
Quintana once crashed when adjusting his shoe - very clear cause effect in that one. UCI should ban shoes, as there is more evidence* they cause crashes.
*By evidence, I mean 5 minutes googling. Proper evidence would include a large representative sample of pro descending, an assessment of speed and Km in tuck vs standard, comparison of crash frequency.
Have there been any accidents in the pro peloton as a direct result of aero tucks?
How can one say? Certainly there have been pros crashing when in an aero tuck, but who can say they wouldn't have crashed if in a conventional position? However, as even their proponents and defenders agree that these positions are less stable, it seems safe to assume that there would be crashes which could have been avoided with a more stable platform.
it seems safe to assume
But it isn't though. If it is such an issue, then gather and present the evidence. Look at the crash rate per km of downhill riding style, and see if there is significant evidence to reject the hypothesis that there is no additional risk.
If it really is so dangerous, then it will be obvious from the data, and that would be a good rationale for the ban.
A proper approach would consider the various risks in a similar way, and take the most drastic action on those with the highest priority. Motor vehicles, and obstructions in sprints (barriers, road furniture and photographers for example) I suggest would have a higher signal than top tube descending, but the data would show where the most significant issues are.
Although having now actually read UCI statement, they are going to do that as well.
"
With the collaboration of an external service provider specialising in data collection and analysis, the UCI has undertaken the development of a database of incidents and accidents that have occurred at major UCI WorldTour events in the last five years, allowing for more effective targeting of actions to be taken by the UCI for in-race safety"
EddyBerckx
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3 years ago
3 likes
Ultimately people have complained about the aero tuck before. If someone was killed despite the warnings then the UCI would be asked why it wasn't banned and so on.
And yes, I've seen amateur riders copying it. Looks like an accident waiting to happen...not just if you crash...what if you misjudge getting up off the tube and smack your back on the saddle...pain....
Rendel Harris
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3 years ago
3 likes
I don't think there's a single top rider who can't descend like this, so why the fuss? If some could do it and some couldn't those who could would have cause for complaint about their advantage being removed, as it is a ban would give nobody an advantage and would make everybody safer.
Descending at speed is dangerous. Professional riders know this. Let them decide what they should do. They all know the risks.
This is the same argument as for allowing performance enhancing drugs.
It's dangerous let the riders decide for themselves, they only risk their own health
But if some will do it, then everyone is forced to, or not be competitive anymore.
Does it add to the racing? Does it make tactics more complex? Is it a particularly difficult skill? No it adds danger for no real benefit, and kids and pro emulators copy it.
Picture is quite an extreme example with the riders centre of mass almost above the front wheel.
Descending at speed is dangerous. Professional riders know this. Let them decide what they should do. They all know the risks.
This is the same argument as for allowing performance enhancing drugs.
It's dangerous let the riders decide for themselves, they only risk their own health
But if some will do it, then everyone is forced to, or not be competitive anymore.
Does it add to the racing? Does it make tactics more complex? Is it a particularly difficult skill? No it adds danger for no real benefit, and kids and pro emulators copy it.
Picture is quite an extreme example with the riders centre of mass almost above the front wheel.
No it isn't. Descending fast is a cycling skill. Don't equate that with drug use.
Descending at speed is dangerous. Professional riders know this. Let them decide what they should do. They all know the risks.
The logical extension of that is to say "Riding off your line in a sprint is dangerous. Professional riders know this. Let them decide what they should do." In fact the full logical extension is to say remove all rules and just let the riders decide what they think is best in all circumstances..
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