Adam Yates goes running (he's pretty quick) + other fast-running cyclists; Are airless tyres the future?; 10 reasons drivers get angry at cyclists; Tom Pidcock's app; "Staggering" thefts + vandalism halt bikeshare scheme; Bollards! + more on the live blog

The level-headed people of Facebook weren't getting too excited by Adam Yates' Barcelona Marathon exploits...25 per cent of the original comments were along the lines of 'not surprising for an endurance athlete'...brilliant. Another simply concluded, "not too bad". All that effort, (just under) three hours of suffering, all for a 'not too bad, but then again he is a pro athlete...so not that surprising'. 

The live blog comments were thankfully less miserable. Troon couldn't help but admire Freddie Ovett's compliance to tan line standards.

Anyone else dust off the running shoes when the winter weather turns? Ride On reckons there's some decent crossover..."Totally agree that cycle fitness makes you a faster runner. Hadn't run 5k properly for a long time and just achieved a PB 21:11 based on my increased fitness from cycling, no running training involved." 

I seem to be preferring the 'leave the bike and running shoes at home' approach at the moment. Does walking to the shops count as off-season training?

North Wales Police are trying to track down a cyclist who was seen on a bridge around the time of a serious two-vehicle collision in the early hours of Sunday 31 October. The collision in Garden City saw four people taken to hospital after a Mercedes driver, who had been involved in a police chase earlier in the night, collided with a minibus driver.

Police have now appealed for a cyclist, seen on Blue Bridge at the time of the incident, to come forward. Sergeant Liam Ho of the Roads Policing Unit said: "The cyclist may hold vital information that will help our investigation, and I would appeal for them to contact us either by our online live webchat or on 101, quoting reference Z159500."

Birmingham City Council is to install segregated cycle lanes at a busy junction in the south of the city, four years after a cyclist was killed. Dr Suzanna Bull died after being hit by a lorry driver at the junction of Pershore Road and Priory Road in Balsall Heath.

In 2019, the driver of the vehicle, Robert Bradbury, was jailed for 21 months for causing death by careless driving after it came to light that his view was blocked by a dashboard tray table at the time of the fatal collision.

Work is due to begin this week and should be completed by next summer, the council explained. As part of the upgrade, dedicated signal-controlled cycle crossings, as well as segregated cycle lanes with new pedestrian crossings, will be added.

Councillor Waseem Zaffar said the authority was "committed to developing a city that is great for walking and cycling by providing safe cycle lanes and crossings".

pic.twitter.com/ujxdSmNKTi

— CUSS BROTHER (@BUSSCRO) November 8, 2021

Transport for London is running a survey to hear road users' thoughts about the active travel infrastructure on Park Lane. TfL says responses "will support our decision on what we do next, alongside the monitoring we are doing".

The Park Lane pop-up cycle lane was opened in May 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic, here's what Simon made of it when he went for an early summer spin to test out the new infra...

We💛this song.#WorldBollardAssociation pic.twitter.com/HtBgTQXqsJ

— World Bollard Association™ (@WorldBollard) November 8, 2021

No doubt this will already be on the 'Car crashes into building - please post your Local news stories' forum thread...

Nextbike has halted its bike sharing scheme in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan after a "staggering" amount of theft and vandalism. The operator has hired private investigators after more than half its bikes were stolen or damaged. Since its launch, around 136,000 people have used the bikes across 1.2 million rentals. However, 260 bikes have since been scrapped due to vandalism, and a further 300 bikes have been stolen.

Nextbike's managing director Krysia Solheim said its "teams simply cannot keep up with the level of damage and theft being carried out".

"The bikes will be back on the streets early next year, but if vandalism and theft continue at this rate, we will have no other choice but to pull the scheme permanently," she said.

16 of the stolen bikes were recovered in the first two days after private investigators were called, investigators said they were "shocked by the behaviours they witnessed".

Inspector Darren Grady from South Wales Police added that the theft and vandalism would be stamped out, and said "in the city centre alone, nine people have recently been convicted at court for such offences resulting in prison sentences, fines and community work".

The service has been part funded by the welsh government, which says it will be "sticking with the scheme" in the new year.

"It's especially heart-breaking to be doing this during COP26, when the eyes of the world are on the UK as leaders look to agree on climate change solutions," Solheim concluded.

Do you prefer to invest in gear that has enough cycling features to cover you while riding, but also doesn’t look out of place off the bike? 

Frosty morning dog walks, cold crisp trail rides, wet and windy morning cycle commutes, Stolen Goat says it has you covered with its new range of Adventure Down and Waterproof Jackets. 

Made from responsibly sourced duck down, the Adventure Down Jackets are showerproof and cut to ensure comfort (and minimal flapping) in the riding position when you’re on the bike, while remaining casual enough to wear all day long. The jackets have fleece-lined hand pockets and the sleeves can also be zipped off for converting into a gilet once the weather warms up again. 

The Waterproof jacket offering has built-in stretch for a comfortable fit, while a two-way YKK Aquaguard front zipper and taped seams should keep the rain at bay.

MAAP reveals its new Transit Apparel collection that’s been designed to look and perform just as good off the bike as on it to encourage commuters to choose two wheels over four. 

> How environmentally sustainable is your cycle clothing?

“We’ve partnered with innovative product performance specialists like Primaloft, Polartec and Drirelease on new fabrics to remove the guesswork from commuting, empowering riders to get from home to work and everywhere in between with confidence in their clothing choice,” says the Australian cycling apparel brand. 

Four-way stretch materials have been used to provide full range of movement with no adjustments necessary, while reflective details have been included to give extra visibility for city riding. 

“Lightweight, waterproof, windproof and DWR fabrications provide the ultimate warmth to weight ratio when the weather turns,” claims MAAP.

The Roam Jacket, for example, features a Cohaesive hood adjuster system that keeps the rain at bay whilst preserving visibility with the press of a button, or two.

Aiming to deliver on style and comfort, the full line up consists of jackets, a hoodie, t-shirts, trousers, shorts and a beanie with unisex fits.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Adam Yates (@adamyates7)

"I think I’ll stick to bike riding," an exhausted Adam Yates concluded at the finish line of the Barcelona Marathon having clocked an extremely respectable 2:58:44. Not quite Tom Pidcock pace, but very strong nonetheless...

"Couple of weeks on the beach not the most ideal prep but I’m happy with 2:58:44 here at Barcelona Marathon," Yates told his Instagram followers. I wonder if the climber from Bury got the full Eliud Kipchoge Ineos treatment with pace makers in strategic aerodynamic formations and laser beams on the ground...probably not.

Yates isn't the only WorldTour pro to turn to running during the off-season. Anyone who follows Wout van Aert on Strava will know the Belgian loves to top up his winter training with some speedy 10ks.

Back in February, poor Pidcock found himself living rent-free in the minds of the global running community after claiming to have set a British record 5km while out for a run around Leeds. In fairness to the Ineos prodigy, he was only reporting what his Garmin Forerunner 935 said he'd clocked (13:25 if you're interested), albeit with some questionable GPS.

The time, 30 seconds off Mo Farah's career-best, caused a stir, especially in the 'I Was, Or Am A Runner' Facebook group, whose meltdown at the claimed time was all too entertaining...one person asked if he'd forgotten to get off the bike...another blasted it "glib and disingenuous", while one final to the point reply simply called it "complete bollocks"...

If we're talking about pro cyclists who genuinely are top running talents, look no further than Mike Woods who set Canadian junior records at the mile and 3,000m distances as well as winning gold at the 2005 Pan American Junior Athletics Championship. 

The Israel Start-Up Nation rider had his say on Pidcockgate, saying: "I don't mean to knock the guy, as he is an incredible athlete, but based off that vid and his GPS data, I'd bet a lot of money he was running far closer to 15 min pace (still a very respectable time)."