New Grand Theft Auto features bike lanes (yes, really); Locals install homemade 30mph signs to stop drivers “speeding at 70mph” through village; Gordon Ramsay reviews Spesh Tarmac SL8; Contraflow cycleway an “appalling death trap” + more on the live blog

With the jampacked nature of the cyclocross calendar coming under increasing scrutiny in recent week, especially following UCI president David Lappartient’s recent controversial criticism of certain riders skipping World Cup events, it was only a matter of time before one of the men’s sport’s big three weighed in on the debate.

And despite delaying the start of his own cyclocross season until just before Christmas – instead preferring to get the winter miles in on sunny Spanish roads – five-time world ‘cross champion, and current world road race champ, Mathieu van der Poel believes that the current calendar is fine as it is, and shouldn’t be adapted to suit the sport’s multidisciplinary talents.

“I don't think it should be adapted to us,” the Alpecin–Deceuninck rider told Sporza today. “Cross is a separate discipline. We have to adapt to the calendar if we want to cross, not the other way around. I think the current calendar can continue to exist, I have no problem with it.”

> Lance Armstrong’s former boss Johan Bruyneel brands David Lappartient a “dictator” after UCI president threatens to ban cyclo-cross riders who skip World Cup events from world championships

When asked about Lappartient’s threat to ban riders who miss World Cup events from the world championships, Van der Poel, who initially insisted he had “no opinion” on the matter, said: “Anyone can ride the world championships, even if you ride zero races. That’s your right. You don’t have to ride crosses to do that.

“I understand that it is not that fun for [the UCI], but they have somewhat contributed to it themselves. I am not really concerned about it,” he added, echoing Lucinda Brand’s assertion to road.cc that the UCI’s own rules enable multidiscipline riders who don’t commit to a full season of cyclocross to ride the worlds.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

The 2023 Paris-Roubaix and Milan-Sanremo winner, notably, also praised rival Eli Iserbyt, the current leader of the World Cup standings, because the Belgian “rides everything and doesn’t really complain”.

> road.cc Podcast: Lucinda Brand and Eli Iserbyt on the future of cyclocross

Meanwhile, when asked whether he was “itching” to get back on the ‘cross bike, the 28-year-old superstar laughed: “I’ve been doing it a little too long for that, and maybe I’m also enjoying it a little too much here in Spain.

“Last week I returned to Belgium for a few days and did one cross training. Today I trained on the beach for the second time here in Spain. My form on the road is good, but that is not always a reference for the cross.

“I will definitely have to be in my best shape at the world championships, whether Wout van Aert and Tom Pidcock are participating or not. I have to be 100 percent.”

Van der Poel also asserted that, despite occasionally hankering for a “quiet winter” in Spain, he will continue to race cyclocross for the foreseeable future, with his eyes firmly set on matching and surpassing Erik De Vlaeminck’s record of seven world championship victories.

Van der Poel outsprints eternal rival Wout van Aert to win the 2023 cyclocross world title, the fifth of his career (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

“It’s one of the reasons why I keep racing,” he says of the record. “Other than that I don’t have many goals in the field. That record is a big challenge, but so is becoming world champion.”

Asked if he has any intention of returning fully to cyclocross in the twilight years of his career, the Dutchman, again laughing, said: “Someday, maybe in the distant future. But it’s certainly not in my mind right now. It’s possible one day, if I can call it venturing out, with some MTB riding in the summer. I still like to do it, but it must continue to be useful.

“If the team thinks that I can reach a better level without ‘cross, then that is something to think about. A quiet winter in Spain would also be nice.

“But I have had my best road season with a ‘cross winter. That's why I’m still doing it. I don’t believe it has a negative effect, certainly not for me. I can always use competition, although it does take energy of course.”

As mentioned earlier on the blog, new figures published by Transport for London suggest that “investment in London’s cycle network is enabling more people to cycle”, with 4.5 percent of all journeys in the capital now made by bike, an estimated 1.26 million journeys a day.

Read more: > London cycling journeys up 20% compared with before Covid pandemic 

You can have your bike supplier announcements and new kit leaks, but the best part of the road off-season for me will always be the unveiling of the ridiculously arty poster for the following year’s Tro-Bro Léon, Brittany’s madcap and always entertaining answer to Paris-Roubaix.

And this year’s super-Breton offering certainly does not disappoint:

L'affiche. 40ème TRO BRO LÉON le 5 mai 2024 #trobroleon pic.twitter.com/VIOuDeXLqw

— Mellouët Jean Paul (@trobro2) December 6, 2023

Pigs will literally fly before any other bike race comes close to designing as epically cool a poster as this. E3 Saxo Bank Classic organisers, don’t even think about trying…

The Scottish Borders Council’s Executive Committee was told this week that August’s UCI Cycling World Championships – the cross-country mountain bike events for which were held at Glentress Forest, near Peebles, where rainbow jersey winner Tom Pidcock proved the star attraction – are estimated to have had a direct economic impact on the region to the tune of £6 million.

“Glentress was an outstanding venue for the World Championships, and I am delighted at the incredibly positive results that have been presented to us today,” Scott Hamilton, the council’s executive member for community and business development, said after being told of the championship’s economic benefit.

> Scotland could soon host Tour de France stages after "successful" World Championships

“The boost to the local economy from competitors, support staff, spectators, event staff, and volunteers is substantial, and provided a huge return on our investment in the event.

“These results emphasise the very positive impact that the Council’s investment into bringing national and international scale events to the area can have, and we remain committed to continuing to do this, whilst also supporting existing local events to grow and new events to take place.”

Trudy Lindblade, the championships’ Chief Executive Officer, said that the economic impact demonstrated the benefit of spreading the different cycling disciplines throughout Scotland, adding that “it was tremendous to see so many international and local visitors descend on the region, providing a significant boost for the economy and supporting the legacy ambitions of South of Scotland Cycling Strategy which will further embrace the power of the bike.”

> Over half of world championships funding for the Scottish Borders remains unspent, as groups urged to apply for grants to “encourage and inspire new and existing cyclists”

Professor Russel Griggs, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “What a great event it was and the economic impact of the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships on the Scottish Borders really does really highlight the power of the bike.

“Cycling offers significant economic opportunities for our region, and as well the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership believes it can positively impact many other aspects of our society. These include addressing fuel poverty, transport issues, community isolation, health and wellbeing, workforce and education inclusion, and diversity and equality.

“After such a positive year for the South of Scotland, we now want to build on this success and continue to make progress, with the South of Scotland Cycling Partnership Strategy, and our ultimate aim of making the South a world-class cycling location.”

E dizem que o MTB são da paz 😋 pic.twitter.com/KtxnS1t3Km

— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) December 6, 2023

I didn’t know Gianni Moscon was into mountain biking… 

The seemingly never-ending merry-go-round of pro team bike suppliers continues today as – following Lotto Dstny’s messy split with Ridley, AG2R swapping BMC for Decathlon’s Van Rysel bikes, and yesterday’s news that TotalEnergies will be partnering with Enve for 2024 – Groupama-FDJ have today confirmed that they will be using Willier Triestina bikes next season.

The news brings an end to the 22-year-long collaboration between Dijon-based bike brand Lapierre and France’s most emblematic team, a partnership which yielded over 300 victories courtesy of the likes of Philippe Gilbert, Jacky Durand, Bradley Wiggins, Arnaud Démare, and, of course, the retiring Thibaut Pinot.

> The end of another era at Groupama-FDJ, as French team ends partnership with bike supplier Lapierre after 22 years

It also means that Willier will be represented by two WorldTour teams next year, with Astana and Mark Cavendish riding the Italian brand’s bikes to sprint success in Rome at the Giro.

Groupama-FDJ are set to ride that very Willier Filante SLR on the road in 2024, while using the Willier Turbine SLR for time trials.

Cav on board the Willier Filante SLR at this year’s Tour de France (SWpix.com)

“I am delighted and honoured to announce today that Wilier Triestina has joined the Groupama-FDJ cycling team family as an Official Partner,” team boss Marc Madiot said in a statement today.

“This is the start of a great adventure with a renowned Italian company that has left its mark on the history of cycling.

“Their enthusiasm and the quality of their technical and engineering teams immediately echoed the standards and attention we pay every day to the quest for the highest performance.

“The spirit of all our technical partnerships is to develop together and use our respective expertise to move up the range, and that's what appealed to us about Wilier Triestina's approach.

“Together, we're going to write a new page in the history of Groupama-FDJ and showcase these new machines on the road from the very first day of the 2024 season.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Gordon Ramsay (@gordongram)

No Ramsay’s Tarmac Nightmares for Gordon, then. Now, whether you’d prefer to listen to the sweary chef or our resident tech expert Jamie, that’s entirely up to you…

> Here's why I won't be upgrading to the Specialized Tarmac SL8

Essex Highways says “redundant” road markings will be removed this week as work continues on a newly permanent cycle lane in Colchester – described by a former MP last week as an “appalling death trap”.

The two-way contraflow cycle lane on Station Way, first introduced in 2020, with Essex County Council confirming earlier this year that it was to be made permanent, has been the subject of longstanding criticism from opponents who believe its layout is confusing and dangerous.

Last week, the High Steward for Colchester and former Lib Dem MP Sir Bob Russell claimed that the lane would result in cyclists colliding with vehicles stopped at a bus stop.

> Council says green paint “will heighten drivers’ awareness”, as cyclists blast “dreadful” new contraflow cycle lane as “an accident waiting to happen”

“Highways engineers should be designing road safety dangers out of schemes, not putting people at risk, which is what has happened here in Station Way to the south of the railway bridge at North Station,” Russell told the Daily Gazette.

“The whole set up is appalling. The death trap is not the only thing I shall be telling the Transport Minister about.

“The nearby pavement has been marked as a two-way cycle path, also used by pedestrians, but this does not comply with the dual-use width requirements of the Department for Transport.”

Meanwhile, Colchester Cycling Campaign – usually on the opposite side of the fence to Sir Bob when it comes to cycling infrastructure projects – agreed that the lane’s layout, and its interaction with the bus stop, wasn’t “ideal”, but insisted that “Rome wasn’t built in a day”.

“For once, Sir Bob Russell is right: the segue between the bus lay-by and the cycleway is not ideal,” the group’s Will Bramhill said.

“That said, Essex is awaiting further funds to complete the project and we hope to see a solution soon. At least we now have a short section of cycleway that is top class.

“The bus stop connection is not ideal but Rome wasn’t built in a day; I do hope Sir Bob has had a lightbulb moment and will now get behind our aspirations which will improve the mobility of everyone who doesn’t have a car or who chooses not to drive.”

> New ‘protected’ contraflow cycle lane opens on one-way road – and drivers immediately begin parking in it and crashing into bollards

And now, Essex Highways has said that redundant road markings will soon be removed and replaced, to provide road and cycleway users with a clearer grasp of the new layout.

Some of the markings shown in the pictures are from the previous layout and are now redundant,” a council spokesperson said.

“These will be permanently removed this week and have been painted over in the interim. Northbound cyclists should use the shared footway/cycleway facility past the bus stop to join the segregated facility under the bridge.”

“The two-way segregated cycle facility is part of our aim to make the transport network safer, greener and healthier, with around 40 percent of all journeys under 5km in Colchester currently taking place in cars.

“The cycle facility will address the pinch-point under the Station Way bridge and improve overall north-south Active Travel infrastructure, while boosting green transport. These measures will help support a safer cycling network at this location, while the local bus network and city centre will benefit from wider improvements to bus infrastructure across Colchester through the Rapid Transit Scheme (RTS).”

I suppose it could be worse – they could have installed a contraflow ‘cycle lane’ like the ones opened this year in Darlington and Altrincham… Now that’s what I call appalling cycling infrastructure.