Welcome to Wednesday's live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team.
22/01/2020, 19:45
Lachlan Morton tosses his curls one last time before having them chopped off for Aussie bush fires fundraiser
Before Lachlan Morton cuts off those curls for bushfire relief charity, we had to get a SLOW MO HAIR THROW https://t.co/be5DXy5v9L
— The Peloton Brief (@pelotonbrief) January 22, 2020
22/01/2020, 19:40
Phil Gaimon's medical insurance woes flagged up by US presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders
Phil Gaimon's 'Worst Retirement Ever' got even worse last year when he was saddled with a six-figure medical care bill after a velodrome crash ... and now, Bernie Sanders, who is hoping to get the Democratic nomination for this year's US Presidential election, has flagged it up as an example of what is wrong with the country's healthcare system.
No big deal, that’s just @philgaimon’s story of post-crash debt being used by @BernieSanders campaign as an example of the flaws in the American for-profit health insurance system pic.twitter.com/shV0jye4iW
— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) January 21, 2020
22/01/2020, 19:37
Loving this video of a school cycling bus from Ireland
Lovely glimpse of a different, healthier, better Ireland... and the car-hell we live in now. https://t.co/AcPyR4TS2s
— Cathal Mac Coille (@CMacCoille) January 22, 2020
22/01/2020, 16:41
Silca launch Nastro Cuscino bar tape... at $50 a pop
The tape from luxury tools and accessories brand Silca is just 3.5mm thick, but they claim it provides comfort equivalent to a 4.5mm thickness thanks to the 'Cuscino' texture, inspired by F1 tyre technology. You can also wrap the tape in a moderate or high texture so you can tune your level of grip. Silca have also developed a fully adhesive 'butterfly' back of the tape to better cover the back of the lever clamp area without adding bulk.
You also get aluminium expanding bar end plugs thrown in, and at $50 we'd expect so too. There's no word on UK availability yet, but you can check it out on Silca's US website here.
22/01/2020, 16:31
If you get offered a Tacx Neo under a bridge for 40 quid...
I keep having strange thoughts of a shady character under a bridge saying “Ere mate, ya wanna buy a direct-drive smart turbo trainer?” whilst pointing to a Tacx Neo in a half ripped box that looks like it has been thrown out of the back of a lorry. https://t.co/uFj9Hu4Q1x
— Mike DF (@MikeyDF27) January 22, 2020
...just say no. Why these thieves are going for gear that's probably more difficult to flog and a whole lot heavier than actual bikes we don't know, but you can read the full story here in any case.
22/01/2020, 14:18
One-of-a-kind 'pony trike' for sale for £4,500 ONO (ponies not included)
When the little one is sorted with a 12 grand gold-plated bike and your spouse is happy inside with their Peloton (see further down the page), how about treating yourself to a pony trike? Far from an object of pure indulgence, this contraption that owner Emma Massingale claims is probably only one of its kind in the world is actually seriously impressive, and well worth the £4,500 asking price for someone who needs to carry some serious cargo and their equine friends. It can haul two ponies, 250kg of cargo and has multiple shelving decks depending on your needs... looks like great fun until you need to go uphill!
Ms Massingale is a horse trainer and documents her adventures on her Instagram page and Youtube channel. In summer she took the trike and two ponies on a 1,034km adventure across Europe, raising thousands for working horse charity The Brooke - check it out below.
Ponies not included unfortunately!
22/01/2020, 12:02
“You’ll love the puddle of sweat that soaks into your designer carpet”
"Why pay $200 for a bike that can take you places, when you can pay $2200 for a Peloton that doesn’t take you anywhere?", asks Youtuber JP Sears in this latest takedown of the spin bike corporation.
He also says Peloton can give you a sense of belonging to mask childhood abandonment issues, and the added cost "reaffirms that you're getting a boutique fitness experience, which is what you want as a well-off white person."
22/01/2020, 11:48
London's going Dutch
If you'd told me 10 years ago that Blackfriars Road would have a wide segregated bike lane, wide pavements, dozens of hire bikes, lots of bike racks, 'continental' outdoor seating and planting, bus stop bypasses...I'd have said dream on. Well...... pic.twitter.com/UHf5X92mOD
— jamiewallace (@jamiewallace) January 21, 2020
Blackfriars has seen quite the transformation in the last decade, and we can only hope the rest of the city goes the same way...
22/01/2020, 09:57
When your truck painting lines for a 'cycle lane' needs more protection than the actual cyclists
@KovBlog @trafficanxiety Cycle lane line being repainted by Morrison’s Binley the council believes extra protection is needed to be put in place to paint the lines. But no extra protection is needed to use the ‘cycle lane’ how does that work then pic.twitter.com/9yh8QEmXyN
— The Lord Glencoe (@jmac69) January 21, 2020
You can't help but recognise the irony in a truck needing the protection of cones to paint lines for a cycle lane where there is no protection... maybe they should leave the cones out permanently?
22/01/2020, 10:48
Froome confirms he will return to racing at the UAE Tour
Good news! I’ll be back racing at the @uae_tourpic.twitter.com/nR8lfw5YNr
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) January 22, 2020
Froome's first competitive race since his horror crash while recceing the Dauphiné time trial back in June will be at the UAE Tour, which starts on 23rd February.
"Training's been going really well over here in Gran Canaria, so I'm really happy to announce that I'm going to be starting my season at the UAE Tour next month starting in Dubai. It's a race I missed out on last year so it's a great place to start my season this time around", says Froome - full story here.
22/01/2020, 10:37
Trek-Segafredo now using Pirelli tyres
Mads Pederson and team will use Pirelli's P Zero Velo tubular tyres for racing, with Pirelli saying: "The technological aspect is at the core of this partnership with the Trek-Segafredo team, as it will also see a continuous technical development on the product, with particular emphasis on the new P Zero Velo tubulars, ultimately giving amateurs an increasingly performing product."
With Trek-Segafredo announcing a complete switch to disc brakes in late 2019, we did wonder if this committal to innovation might extend to tubeless tyres; but it appears they're sticking with the tried and tested for now.
22/01/2020, 10:27
Viviani assesses his wounds
In his first major race for new team Cofidis, the Italian crashed hard on stage two of the Tour Down Under and managed to avoid any broken bones. Simon Yates and Richie Porte were amongst the other riders to go down, with Yates left nursing a severely gashed left knee.
22/01/2020, 09:02
For the child who has everything?
Here's a gift for sale on eBay that would make Veruca Salt blush... it's only a vintage Bobbins kids' bike plated in 24k gold with an asking price of $16,000 (about £12,250). The seller Leoget077 says: "This 12’’ classic vintage-style bike by the famous ‘Bobbins bike’ has been 24k gold-plated by Alpha Gold UK giving the ultimate child’s bike, with stabilisers, chain guard and a reupholstered leather seat. Even the bell inside is gold-plated! The perfect bike for the perfect Prince or Princess in your life for Christmas."
As we're now into January we'll assume the bike didn't sell in time for Christmas last month, but if your nipper has a birthday coming up and you have 12 grand lying around then why not make an offer? Strangely the seller appears to be based in Holt in the United Kingdom but postage is specified to the US-only; they've also listed a gold-plated stunt scooter for £6,500 if that's all your child is worth to you.
Anyone who does splash out is also welcome to get in touch with us for a free pair of road.cc socks as well to sweeten the deal... for everyone else though, check out our guide to the best kids' bikes that don't cost into four and five figures.
22/01/2020, 10:24
$16k, and they can't even put the brake on the right way around...
Front brake on backwards? https://t.co/v6dh9QNV9q
— Elisabeth Anderson (@velobetty) January 22, 2020
Maybe you need to fork out a bit extra for a working front brake...
22/01/2020, 09:46
Tour Down Under stage 2: Caleb Ewan wins in sprint finish
The number of riders contending the sprint was greatly diminished due to a huge pile-up a few kilometres out from the finish, and Ewan's victory was quite textbook with Daryl Impey coming in second.
22/01/2020, 08:47
Council approve £19 million plans for new cycling and walking network across Cornwall
Plans for four multi-use trails for cyclists, horse riders and walkers have been backed by councillors in Cornwall. The Saints Multi-Use Trails will cost £19 million to build, and will link Newquay, Perranporth, St Agnes and Truro.
The first trail will link Perranporth and Newquay directly, another will run from St Newlyn East to Carland Cross, one will be from Idless to Trispen and the last from St Agnes to Truro. The council hope that as well as people using them for leisure, the trails will also encourage commuters to ditch their cars.
Negotiations with land owners are still taking place, but cabinet member for transport Geoff Brown says that discussions have been positive and no compulsory purchase orders have had to be made yet.
Councillor Paul Wills said: "These are not just for cycling, it will be for horses and walkers as well. It can only be a wonderful thing.
"Once this scheme has been completed could we extend it further? Newquay to Padstow for example, or Padstow to Bude.
"The more we can encourage people to get out and enjoy our countryside on dedicated routes will be good for our people, our economy and our environment."
22/01/2020, 08:36
Ok Peloton...
We'll kick off today's blog with this tempting offer. Unfortunately we're not sure where it's listed or how much it will set you back, but presumably a bit less than the two grand the Peloton bike of today will cost you...