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Mark Cavendish doffs helmet to Tom Simpson memorial on Mont Ventoux; Kids pulling wheelies photobomb peculiar patriotic procession; Ineos Grenadier 4x4 has cyclist horn; 99km/h; Wiggo's fashion show; Froome packs his running shoes + more on the live blog

It's coming home (maybe) so come and ease those pre-game nerves with Dan Alexander on the live blog...
Wed, Jul 07, 2021 09:01
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Mark Cavendish doffs helmet to Tom Simpson memorial on Mont Ventoux; Kids pulling wheelies photobomb peculiar patriotic procession; Ineos Grenadier 4x4 has cyclist horn; 99km/h; Wiggo's fashion show; Froome packs his running shoes + more on the live blogMark Cavendish doffs helmet to Tom Simpson memorial.PNG
07 July 2021, 16:37
Not everyone was so lucky...Luke Rowe misses the time cut
07 July 2021, 16:11
Mark Cavendish doffs helmet to Tom Simpson memorial while battling the time cut on Mont Ventoux

Even in the heat of battling the time cut, Mark Cavendish found a moment to doff his helmet in respect to the Tom Simpson memorial on the upper slopes of Mont Ventoux. The memorial marks the spot where Simpson tragically died during the 1967 Tour and is regarded as a pilgrimage site for many cycling fans.

Fans often leave bottles as a mark of respect and Cav threw his cap onto the memorial on the first ascent before removing his lid and raising it skyward second time around. Let's hope there is some common sense applied by the UCI and the commissaires don't feel the need to slap Cav with a hefty post-stage fine...

Cycling writer Chris Sidwells, Simpson's nephew, thanked Cavendish for his gesture...

And while writing this the news we all wanted to hear has come through...It's coming home! It's coming home! Cavendish is coming home! The green jersey has made the time cut...

07 July 2021, 15:41
Wout van Aert...Cyclo-cross superstar turned sprinting sensation who can also TT wins double-ascent of Ventoux stage...Is there anything he can't do?

A LOT happened on Ventoux...Cav is somewhere still out there, battling the time cut. Deceuninck-Quick-Step says he is onto the descent...will he make it?

07 July 2021, 15:13
07 July 2021, 15:11
Japanese government declares state of emergency in Tokyo due to coronavirus, just two weeks before the Olympics
07 July 2021, 14:35
Kids pulling wheelies photobomb peculiar patriotic procession

We've got too many questions about this one...it's safe to say Euro 2020 has some people feeling particularly patriotic. I should hope these pesky patriots parading past potholes paid their 'road tax'...Maybe the Ineos Grenadier 4x4 should have a 'pedestrian peep' to let parading football fans know you're there?

 Thankfully there was a kid photobombing while pulling wheelies for that all-important cycling angle.

Any Welsh, Scottish or Irish readers can stop laughing now...

07 July 2021, 14:07
99km/h...
07 July 2021, 13:31
"The bow before your master button": Reaction to Ineos Grenadier 4x4 having a cyclist 'toot' button

Picking out your comments and reaction to the 'toot' button took a while...I'm guessing that's probably not the reaction the brand was hoping for when it came up with the "gentle hoot" idea...

Graham wondered: "Do they really think a cyclist would be unaware of a massive 4x4 tailgating them, if the 4x4 didn’t have a ‘toot’ button?"

OnYerBike christened the 'toot' the "bow before your master button"...While, Phil Barker added: "Oh, a big red button specially for when there's a cyclist, nope, can't see that being used inappropriately at all."

Keep your thoughts coming in...

07 July 2021, 13:52
Cyclists cause congestion?
07 July 2021, 13:43
Cav fighting the time cut on Mont Ventoux

Today's time cut is expected to be around 48 minutes, based on the stage winner's average speed being 37km/h. The peloton and leaders are on the descent but Cav, with most of his team for help, is still climbing Ventoux for the first time and was more than 15 minutes behind the last time we heard anything. Fingers crossed, it could be tight...

Julian Alaphilippe was the first rider over the summit first and is in the breakaway with Wout van Aert, Bauke Mollema and five others. They have just under five minutes on the yellow jersey with 62km until the finish.

07 July 2021, 11:57
Former Vini Zabù pro Matteo De Bonis handed three-year ban following positive test for EPO

Former Vini Zabù rider Matteo De Bonis tested positive for EPO back in February and has been slapped with a three-year ban by the UCI. The 25-year-old's positive test, the team's second in 12 months, led to their withdrawal from this year's Giro d'Italia while an internal investigation was carried out. Matteo Spreafico had previously tested positive for ostarine at the 2020 edition of the race and the team's headquarters were raided shortly after De Bonis' positive.

07 July 2021, 11:56
Wiggo's fashion show

Yesterday, Talksport ran a story comparing Bradley Wiggins' new look to UFC fighter Conor McGregor. The resemblance was essentially just them both having a shaved head, beard and a chest tattoo. But with the shades and the coat too, maybe they were on to something... 

Now, would I rather see Brad fight in the cage or McGregor ride the Tour? That's the question...

07 July 2021, 11:48
07 July 2021, 11:45
Quality driving
07 July 2021, 11:02
Eddy Merckx fires shots at Mathieu van der Poel's early exit from the Tour de France
Van der Poel Stage 2 (A.S.O. Charly Lopez)

You will not be surprised to hear Eddy Merckx did not take the news well that Mathieu van der Poel was abandoning the Tour de France to prepare for the Olympics. Merckx had similarly disparaging remarks for Caleb Ewan after the Aussie abandoned the Giro to prepare for the Tour.

Merckx told Sporza: "I couldn't do that. If you start a stage race, it's not with the idea of getting out. Otherwise you have to prepare for the Games in a different way. That does not benefit cycling. Van der Poel himself is asking for such a full schedule. Nobody forces him to do all that. The Tour de France is the biggest race of the year and in cycling, I think it's a pity."

07 July 2021, 10:37
A look back at the last time the Tour visited Ventoux and Chris Froome went for a jog

We all know the story. The stage was shortened, crowds packed onto the lower slopes so a moto got stuck, Richie Porte crashed into the back of it, Chris Froome crashed into Porte. With his team car minutes behind, Froome started running and running...The now-famous images were shared by news outlets from every corner of the globe and were even put to the Benny Hill theme in one viral meme...

Former F1 champion Jenson Button paid tribute to Froome's efforts by hopping off his bike to run part of the way up the climb.

During the first week of this year's race Froome joked that he has his running shoes packed and ready in the team car in case history repeats itself...

07 July 2021, 10:26
It's the big one...double-ascent of Ventoux on the menu at Le Tour

It has been in the diary for months now, the double-ascent of Mont Ventoux is now just hours away. The notoriously windy climb will be mercifully calm today, although a slight headwind is expected on the upper slopes. One for the breakaway? A late attack? Pog? Cav? Only joking. Get your predictions down below...

07 July 2021, 08:55
Ineos Grenadier 4x4 has cyclist 'toot' button

The Ineos Grenadier, the new 4x4 from Sir Jim Ratcliffe that the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team is controversially named after, had its interior released to the world this morning...and it comes with a cyclist 'toot' button. Described as "amazing" by Toby Ecuyer, head of design at Ineos Automotive, the button is apparently there so drivers can offer a "gentle hoot" to cyclists to "make them aware that you are there"...

Ineos Grenadier cyclist 'toot' button.PNG

Ecuyer said: "Often when you are approaching a cyclist, if you want to make them aware that you are there you often try to do a gentle hoot and it ends up as a full-blown claxon which scares the living daylights out of everybody. You never quite get it right and it comes out as aggressive." Right. The 'toot' is separate from the main horn and is supposedly a kinder, quieter option, although the video does not demonstrate it being used.

Thoughts?

In December, Brexiteer Ratcliffe scrapped his plan to build the vehicles in Wales, with production instead being moved to the former Mercedes-Benz factory in Hambach, France...The cycling team has also come under fire for its relentless promotion of the 4x4...

07 July 2021, 08:08
07 July 2021, 07:45
Best sporting story of the summer? Reaction to Cav's 33rd Tour de France stage win

Win number 33 was like so many of the rest: impeccable lead-out, explosive kick, blur of green jersey, Cav's hands in the air and a brilliant post-stage interview. It's got us all dreaming of win number 34, and possibly even 35, at this year's race...

Ex-England rugby star Brian Moore even made the case to the masses for Cav's Tour being up there with the drama of the Euros...we're not arguing, Brian.

The memes were great too...

There is a pretty big football match happening at Wembley tonight, the Olympics still to come, Andy Murray's brief Wimbledon return and almost certainly something else I'm forgetting...but where does Cav's comeback rank in the sporting summer hierarchy? 

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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83 comments

Avatar
brooksby replied to wycombewheeler | 3 years ago
3 likes

Yeah, but how many times have you (on a bike, or even when driving) been shouted at or beeped at for stopping and letting a motorist out of a side road into a queue, or for letting someone actually use a zebra crossing?

I'd venture that it's "a lot".

A lot of these people don't appear to consider anyone outside of their box.

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eburtthebike | 3 years ago
3 likes

I'd be slightly more impressed i.e. more than zero, if they had designed a 130db device for cyclists to warn drivers of their appalling vehicles of their presence.

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chunky | 3 years ago
2 likes

The toot button will only be needed to alert fellow off roaders - mountain bikers - obvs.

So I'm sure it will be used most days in it's natural terrain. Chelsea, Kensington etc.

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RoubaixCube | 3 years ago
0 likes

With a 4x4 like that. I would probably hear the sound of the engine coming from a mile away even with my headphones on (mpow flame solo's)

But even if i didnt, one would question how much of a difference a 'gentle hoot' would make. I see a lot of people wear over the ear noise isolated headphones when out cycling.

Seems a bit of a gimmick tbh. I doubt many of these 4x4s will be manufactured and sold to and bought by the general public as they are going to be super expensive and  thus more of a unicorn product due to their customised nature.

In any case, I have never had the tits scared off me by any vehicle tooting their horn whilst out on the road.

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philbarker | 3 years ago
7 likes

oh, a big red button specially for when there's a cyclist, nope, can't see that being used inappropriately at all.

Avatar
brooksby replied to philbarker | 3 years ago
13 likes

philbarker wrote:

oh, a big red button specially for when there's a cyclist, nope, can't see that being used inappropriately at all.

When you press it, it ought to do nothing except light up a sign saying "Do not press this again" 4

Avatar
philbarker replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

laugh

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wycombewheeler replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
8 likes

brooksby wrote:

philbarker wrote:

oh, a big red button specially for when there's a cyclist, nope, can't see that being used inappropriately at all.

When you press it, it ought to do nothing except light up a sign saying "Do not press this again" 4

plays a recorded message.

"cyclists may use the middle of the lane, cyclists may ride two abreast, cyclists are entitled to use the road too. It is unlikely cyclists will add more than a few seconds to your overall journey time"

Avatar
brooksby replied to wycombewheeler | 3 years ago
1 like

wycombewheeler wrote:

brooksby wrote:

philbarker wrote:

oh, a big red button specially for when there's a cyclist, nope, can't see that being used inappropriately at all.

When you press it, it ought to do nothing except light up a sign saying "Do not press this again" 4

plays a recorded message.

"cyclists may use the middle of the lane, cyclists may ride two abreast, cyclists are entitled to use the road too. It is unlikely cyclists will add more than a few seconds to your overall journey time"

Nice laugh

Avatar
Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
0 likes

Not that I object to a toot in it's official use as a warning to other road users of your presence and nothing more, but given their involvement with TdF surely someone is having a little joke with the bicycle icon?

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GMBasix | 3 years ago
7 likes

Brextremist Monaco-based ex-pat billionaire plans to build the Ineos Ridikulowagen in <Rule Britannia fanfare> France </fanfare>; sponsors cycling team and includes a button to honk unnecessarily at them.

 

Avatar
Kendalred | 3 years ago
15 likes

I'm guessing the Venn Diagram of 'Grenadier Owners' and 'People who give a shit about cyclists' would be two separate circles.

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Awavey | 3 years ago
2 likes

Now if the 'Toot' button played the classic French TdF style directeur sportif car horn warble, I'd say chapeau designer, I'd still think you were a total 'toot' for putting it in or for anyone using it, but it probably would make me smile on the road if I heard it used.

As for the rest, it looks purely functional at best,those Audi design gurus they borrowed sure didnt go for the stylish route.

But isnt this darn thing supposed to spend all its days up mountains,in deserts or stuck on farms (maybe Clarkson will get one) where on earth do they think theyll encounter any cyclists anyway ?

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
4 likes

Awavey wrote:

Now if the 'Toot' button played the classic French TdF style directeur sportif car horn warble, I'd say chapeau designer

Beat me to it. Either that, or a nice 'Ding'.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
6 likes

mdavidford wrote:

Awavey wrote:

Now if the 'Toot' button played the classic French TdF style directeur sportif car horn warble, I'd say chapeau designer

Beat me to it. Either that, or a nice 'Ding'.

The buses in Paris have a really sweet "ding" bell that they use solely when coming up behind cyclists in shared bus/cycle lanes to let you know they're there - makes moving over a pleasure (and they always give plenty of room!).

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DoomeFrog replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
4 likes

Having ridden back down from the Cow & Calf after TdY stage and being "warbled" by several DS's coming from behind it actually made me feel happy to be on a bike.

I would definitely be up for the ability to switch the toot to a warble although it would probably be lost on most leisure cyclists.

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Awavey replied to DoomeFrog | 3 years ago
4 likes

Yes, I think it was when a ToB stage finished in Aldeburgh (the Womens tour has finished there too but I think I drove that time) and theres only one main road out of Aldeburgh, not the nicest to cycle on either most of the time, but every DS team car that came past me as I rode home after the stage had finished, gave me the "warble" as they passed, which yes sounds crazy but actually did give me a big cheesy grin and cheered me up as a road cyclist thing.

But yes I think you are right most leisure riders would probably be scared silly by it, missed opportunity by Ineos though.

Avatar
peted76 replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
0 likes

Awavey wrote:

Now if the 'Toot' button played the classic French TdF style directeur sportif car horn warble, I'd say chapeau designer, I'd still think you were a total 'toot' for putting it in or for anyone using it, but it probably would make me smile on the road if I heard it used. As for the rest, it looks purely functional at best,those Audi design gurus they borrowed sure didnt go for the stylish route. But isnt this darn thing supposed to spend all its days up mountains,in deserts or stuck on farms (maybe Clarkson will get one) where on earth do they think theyll encounter any cyclists anyway ?

Maybe it's designed with mountain bikers in mind 1

Avatar
peted76 | 3 years ago
3 likes

Not that I want another giant car being designed and released on roads designed for smaller vehicles.. the idea of a giant car with a gentler horn isn't a terrible one. 

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brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

Thoughts? - surprise surprise no surprise

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OnYerBike | 3 years ago
10 likes

Ah yes, the "bow before your master" button.

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the little onion | 3 years ago
16 likes

Dear Ineos Grenadier designers

Go f*** yourself

Every cyclist ever

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jmcc500 | 3 years ago
4 likes

As the 'toot' will still be governed by the same laws on when it is appropriate to use the horn, it makes no sense to do so with a 'kinder, quieter' tone - if you need to use the horn then making it friendly is not necessary. If you don't need to warn someone of an immediate risk to their or your safety then you don't need to toot them. Simple.

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