Welcome to FriYAY's Live Blog with Liam Cahill (AM) and Simon MacMichael (PM)
We know that loads of you have cameras on your bike so if it happens to capture something mind-boggling then send it in for WTFotD.
It'll be a bit like You've Been Framed, but we won't give you £250, or coverage on ITV primetime.
We will be sending out T-shirts to the best contributors though.
You can email it through to info [at] road.cc
Well, we've thought of a new feature. First there was Near Miss of the Day, now we present to you WTF of the Day!
What happened here? Answers in the comments below. Socks for the funniest answer. Go.
Based on medical advice Team Jumbo-Visma will withdraw from Paris-Nice.
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) March 6, 2020
Another team to put rider and staff safety first is Jumbo-Visma who, having announced that they wouldn't be starting the Italian races, have now also pulled their team from Paris Nice.
Plan A ❌ Plan B ❌ Plan C ? 🤷🏼♂️
I want to thank my team for this brave decision. Health and family comes first! https://t.co/a7nurrcyNX— Wout van Aert (@WoutvanAert) March 6, 2020
The riders seem to be supportive of the decision, despite it being an early-season target with a lot of work gone into preparing for the race.
tough choices in crazy times. a huge amount of work went into this race as the first major goal of the year but the team has put rider welfare first. (hopefully) plenty more races to come. I'm glad they can think long term gains when I sometimes struggle to see past my nose. https://t.co/dbE2UzNszA
— George Bennett? (@georgenbennett) March 6, 2020
The Bombtrack Beyond Junior is ripe for some family bikepacking, the 24" wheeled adventure bike is purpose-built for little people and specced so they can keep up with mum, dad and the siblings. The latest Bombtrack video will inspire some summer trips for sure, read more on off-road.cc
The handbuilt bike show that always delivers some of the most interesting, wackiest and beautiful designs has set a new date later in the year due to coronavirus.
It's the latest in an increasingly long line of trade shows to be cancelled after Sea Otter Classic was cancelled last night.
The new date for the show is October 16th – 18th with all presold entry tickets being carried forward to the new dates. Anyone seeking a refund can contact Ticket Line customer services
Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo, Giro di Siclia, Trofeo Binda and the Settimana Coppi e Bartali all scrapped in last 24 hours. No pro racing in Italy until the Tour of the Alps 20-24 April. Organisers hope to run all these races some point later this year
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) March 6, 2020
Following several days of rumours, some rather big races due to take place in Italy during March have been cancelled.
The organisers, RCS, have announced that Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan Sanremo will not take place, though they hope to run the race at a later date.
Also cancelled is the Coppi e Bartali, leaving a gap in the race calendar for many pros.
The four-time Tour de France winner paid tribute to Nicolas Portal, the Team Ineos DS who passed away on Wednesday.
Portal had been in the DS role for all of Froome's TdF wins and Froome says that 'it's hard to imagine where to go from here".
Team Ineos decided yesterday to suspend their race programme until the Volta a Catalunya later this month. This is in part due to the shock of losing Portal and in part due to the ongoing confusion caused by the coronavirus.
Wondering how you were going to do your gravel intervals (grintervals)?
Well, Stages is now offering their G3 power meter on Shimano GRX left-hand cranks for $349.
If you're based in the US then you can send your existing crank in for a factory fitting from $299. That makes this a reasonably cheap upgrade for your gravel bike.
With Ineos, Astana, Mitchelton-Scott, CCC and UAE Team Emirates all sitting out Paris-Nice due to coronavirus concerns, organisers ASO have said that remaining teams will be allowed to field eight riders instead of seven.
Two teams from the UCI Pro Teams category – B&B Hotels-Vital Concept and Circus-Wanty Gobert – have also been invited to the race.
Following the postponement of Strade Bianche, CCC Team has withdrawn from Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico because of the coronavirus situation.
CCC's Chief Medical Officer, Dr Max Testa said:“Cycling is a unique sport with teams travelling from town to town on a daily basis at stage races, staying in different hotels every night, and coming into contact with the general public in a largely uncontrolled environment.
"The health of riders, staff, and the general public is the priority and with many unknowns around what protocols can viably be put in place at stage races, we believe our withdrawal is the right decision.
“At this point in the season, instances of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTI) and fever are high and it is inevitable that riders and staff will fall ill during the races. Without a detailed quarantine plan, and rapid testing protocol and delivery of results, teams are actively putting riders and staff at risk of exposure, transmission, and quarantine.
"We also need to think about the risk of quarantine for our riders and staff when they return to their home countries from these races. For these reasons, we have decided to withdraw from Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.”
CCC Team President, Jim Ochowicz: “It was not a simple decision to withdraw from Paris-Nice, or Tirreno-Adriatico, which we expect to be officially cancelled in the wake of the cancellation of Strade Bianche.
“We are acting in the best interests of our riders and staff, and taking responsibly to reduce the risk of transmission at these stage races. The situation with COVID-19 is changing rapidly and we will continue to monitor the evolving situation and adjust our race calendar accordingly.
“We wish to express our ongoing support for both the ASO and RCS, however, we stand disappointed with the lack of direction by the UCI at this critical moment in the sport as all men’s and women’s teams have been left to fend for themselves.”
On Tuesday off-road.cc brought you the news that the first UK cycling race had been cancelled due to Coronavirus as the organisers struggled to take out cancellation insurance. Today, our eagle eyed Jo Burt spots an Instagram post from the race venue Marston Lodge teasing a 24-hour race on the same weekend - who's keen?
Statement: We trust the health authorities of the individual countries and will act according to their guidelines. Thus, we assume there is no elevated risk for our riders or staff competing in the upcoming races. We are evaluating this changeable situation as it progresses. pic.twitter.com/7lSxwt16Z7
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) March 5, 2020
One team bucking the current trend of teams pulling out of races is German World Tour team Bora-Hansgrohe.
The team of Peter Sagan will be taking to the start line of Paris-Nice with the extra rider afforded to them after a number of big teams dropped out.
We come across some pretty hopeful prices on eBay for old tat, but this one takes the crown.
Ok, so it might be vintage and significant in the history of cycling (I wouldn't know, I wasn't around in 1985), but £443.83 for a used cycling bottle. Really?
If you really want to buy it, you can do so here.