These wands have been in for 1 HOUR and the staff at @MartinCoUK have already tried to destroy them. A tale in 4 videos.@BCC_Help@bhamconnected@BCRbirmingham 1/4 pic.twitter.com/1MjuVSNNDg
— Sophie Watson 🚲 (@swat_transport) September 15, 2020
In the footage, a driver is shown parking inside a cycle lane with recently installed 'wands' on Carver Street in Birmingham. At least five cars are parked inside the cycle lane - rendering it useless - and after attempting to bend on a wand and pull it out of the ground, two people are then shown unscrewing and removing it entirely.
This man owns the white Audi directly behind and could have easily reversed out the way. They'd rather unscrew the wand and take it inside. 3/4 pic.twitter.com/cSiSnQ02yL
— Sophie Watson 🚲 (@swat_transport) September 15, 2020
Sophie Watson, who uploaded the footage to Twitter, said: "Cones have been here for 3 weeks now and I'm pretty sure all cars here belong to staff at the branch. Plenty of room left in front and behind to get out. I just wish I could say I was shocked watching this."
Update: wand has been put back. 5 cars have appeared in the cycle lane this morning. Will this ever be usable?! 😤 pic.twitter.com/vRyzDtaWLA
— Sophie Watson 🚲 (@swat_transport) September 16, 2020
This is criminal damage and theft.
They need reporting to the Police and the Council for this.— Dom from cyclicalmonkeys.com (@Tdr1nka) September 15, 2020
Should not be parking there in the first bleeding place!!! Absolutely stupid!
— ARK (@KindRandomAct) September 16, 2020
Today the missing wand appears to have returned, but the cycle lane still cannot be used because of cars parked within it. The policing unit for the Jewellery Quarter area of Birmingham have now said they will "try and get someone down to speak to the owners of the vehicles". The people in the footage allegedly work for property management company Martin & Co.
Ok, that might be twisting the truth a little... but a new study from Golf Support has found that by ranking the percentage of participants who have picked up injuries while playing/doing their sport, cycling only just makes the top 10.
Football tops the list, with 71% of players reporting that they have picked up an injury, and darts is the 'safest' with just 18% reporting injuries (how 18% of darts players managed to pick up an injury is surely the question that needs asking here).
The most common reason given for injuries were 'another person’s carelessness' (something cyclists can definitely relate to), while three in five said they required medical attention after sustaining their injury.
Pogacar pushes away too-close fan. pic.twitter.com/CWpBkhcwYN
— DANIEL McMAHON (@cyclingreporter) September 16, 2020
Lots of dickheads on the road.
Pogacar getting distanced. He's not having a good time in this crowd. pic.twitter.com/9LwGr3DoDt
— VeloVoices (@VeloVoices) September 16, 2020
Lots of idiots on this climb, unfortunately.
— Richard Moore (@richardmoore73) September 16, 2020
The Slovenian was seen pushing a fan back with around 2km to go, which obviously shouldn't be happening during a global pandemic. Some have called for barriers to be installed on climbs, or at least ensure that riders are given more space.
Cracking end to the #TDF2020 stage 17 today, but really disappointing to see so many fans still shouting in the faces of passing riders while not wearing masks. There's a pandemic on, lads. Sort yourselves out, you're a disgrace. #cycling
— Phill Tromans (@PhillTromans) September 16, 2020
Looked like fans got in the way of Pogacar when Lopez attacked too. They really need to give riders more space, and even more during an effing pandemic.
— Niamh Lewis (@lewis_niamh) September 16, 2020
Last week, Movistar Team and Andre Greipel were among those calling for fans to wear masks and respect the riders, after TV footage captured a number of maskless spectators getting too close to riders in the Pyrenees.
Movistar pleaded: "Please wear a mask, use it correctly, and keep some distance. Do it for us and the rest of the field."
How do you think the Tour's idiot problem should be solved?
🏆 @SupermanlopezN wins at the Col de la Loze!
🏆 @SupermanlopezN s'impose au Col de la Loze !@Continental_fr#TDF2020pic.twitter.com/ZMcPeAOpOV
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 16, 2020
It looked like Pogačar was going to catch Roglic on that brutal final kilometre... but the yellow jersey held on and then some, even managing to put a valuable few extra seconds into Pogačar - full stage report here.
There's Teletubbies on the course. It's going mad!
Roglic remains in the driving seat!#TDF2020pic.twitter.com/H4Um9uoD5h
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) September 16, 2020
Roglic looks to put more time between himself and Tadej Pogačar, but his compatriot is coming back fast.
💛 The battle for the GC is on! 🇨🇴 @SupermanlopezN is the first to attack. Roglic, Kuss and Pogacar follow.
💛 La bataille pour le classement général est lancée ! 🇨🇴 Miguel Angel Lopez y va. Roglic, Kuss et Pogacar sont les seuls à suivre.#TDF2020#TDFunitedpic.twitter.com/EIYLGTtkjb
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 16, 2020
Carapaz is caught, Roglic looks pretty infallible and let Sepp Kuss go for the stage win... but Kuss went back for Roglic, and now Miguel Angel Lopez of Astana will take the stage.
With 5km to go, 🇪🇨 @RichardCarapazM counts a 45" lead!
A 5km de l'arrivée, 🇪🇨 @RichardCarapazM dispose toujours d'une avance de 45" !#TDF2020pic.twitter.com/nhAk6PMEts
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 16, 2020
There's around 3km or so to go now, and the GC group are less than 30 seconds away from the Colombian. Meanwhile, Mikel Landa got dropped like a stone...
Oh Landa... pic.twitter.com/NW2hrkkJ0y
— Joe Bone (@josefbone) September 16, 2020
#SkodaTour
The riders will ride in a neutralized cortege to the final circuit where a new start will be given in Syren. pic.twitter.com/fETA8N0HSP— ŠKODA TOUR LUXEMBOURG (@skodatour) September 16, 2020
There were numerous complaints among the riders and team staff about cars in the road, including a near miss with a tractor, which meant that all teams agreed to neutralise stage two after just 18km.
Nicolas Guillé - who was driving AG2R La Mondiale's team car, told Direct Velo: "We already complained about a lack of security after the first stage. There were cars all over the place.
"This start of the second stage was a continuation of what we saw yesterday, with vehicles travelling in the opposite direction of the race. It was really dangerous, so we decided to stop."
After some negotiations, the neutralised peloton agreed to ride to the finish circuit in Syren for a restart and a 42.5km modified stage, which was won by Arnaud Demare of Groupama FDJ.
In a survey of over 2,600 people carried out by the City from the City of London Corporation, 59% said that better cycling provisions and renewable energy were the most important things for tackling climate change. 49% said they would prioritise changing the way they travel, and 95% said that combating climate change was important.
The survey also found that those aged between 25-34 were keenest to make changes. Catherine McGuinness, Policy Chair at the City of London Corporation, said: “It is clear that tackling the global climate crisis is a top priority for many City workers, residents and visitors, and we share their desire for change.
“Together we will build a greener City, where we can all play our part.
“These results will be built in to our Climate Action Strategy, which will reduce the City’s carbon emissions and ensure we are resilient to climate change.”
The City Corporation say they have invested heavily to achieve their goal of becoming net-zero emission and climate resilient in the future, including the introduction of a City-wide speed limit of 20mph, the UK’s first 24/7 zero-emission vehicle street at Beech Street, and the ‘All Change at Bank’ scheme which they claim has transformed a former accident hotspot. They also plan to expand the existing Square Mile cycling network, introduce more cycle parking and potentially introduce a new 15mph speed limit.
Costing just £10 a month or £80 a year, Apple's new Fitness+ service features "world-class workouts by the world’s top fitness trainers" according to the tech giants, and will be viewed as serious competition to the likes of Peloton, Les Mills and Fiit. This coincides with the launch of the sixth generation Apple Watch, which now has plenty of extra detailed features (blood oxygen levels anyone?) to tempt serious athletes as well as more casual users.
There are spin sessions and many other sports/exercises on Fitness+, with many of the floor workout designed so they can be done in hotel rooms, at the park or in your living room: "It’s easy to turn any place into a state-of-the-art studio", say Apple.
For Apple Watch users, Fitness+ will also recommend workouts and training plans based off activity tracking from your watch. You'll also get three months of Fitness+ for free.
For more info, head over to the Fitness+ landing page on the Apple website.
Who knows. There's plenty of evidence that they've been struggling to keep the wheels turning during COVID times. Maybe they figured the UK wasn't worth the hassle given Brexit is around the corner.
— Jez Ash (@supremerouleur) September 16, 2020
Are Rose 100% definitely no longer selling bikes to UK customers, and is it all because they are refusing to set up bikes front brake/right? We've not heard back from them and the rumours are flying, after a would-be Rose customer claims they received this letter below.
Shocking news, it turns out Rose Bikes is no longer supplying the U.K. market due to the braking setup. A friend shared this message with me below... Real shame after my review the excellent Reveal recently pic.twitter.com/TazhAubObi
— david arthur (@davearthur) September 15, 2020
Ddi you have your eye on a Rose, and have you heard otherwise? Let us know in the comments or email us at info [at] road.cc
Dave Brailsford and myself aren’t the best of friends, but good grief, the number of outright moronic comments regarding his #tdf rider selection is astounding. @INEOSGrenadiers picked the best team they could based on the data available. End of.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) September 16, 2020
As the current EF Pro Cycling manager references, he hasn't always seen eye to eye with Brailsford (once suggesting that Bradley Wiggins' 2012 Tour de France victory would always be blemished by his use of a TUE), but has slammed some of the criticism Brailsford has received over his team selection.
"@INEOSGrenadiers picked the best team they could based on the data available. End Of", said Vaughters.
Lance is bitter and vindictive. End of story.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) September 16, 2020
He also had time to reiterate his thoughts on a certain Lance Armstrong when asked a question about Jumbo Visma's Sepp Kuss moving to EF Pro Cycling, calling the disgraced Texan "bitter and vindictive."
"And, I might add, totally out of touch with modern cycling. #livinginthepast", added Vaughters.
🚩 Wheels are rolling, the "queen stage" is underway!
🚩 Les coureurs sont partis, l'étape reine du #TDF2020 est lancée !#TDF2020#TDFunitedpic.twitter.com/V4sz3KF9MI
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 16, 2020
Stefan Küng of Groupama FDJ has also dropped out to focus on the world championship time trial.
On an athletics track just in Gümligen just outside of Bern, Switzerland, Manuel Scheidegger smashed the previous record for the farthest distance travelled in one hour while doing a front wheelie. The previous mark was 25.86km, and Scheidegger destroyed it by going 30.95km in the 60 minutes. The rules stipulate that the rider's front wheel must never touch the ground throughout the whole attempt.
We're not sure if Scheidegger's attempt has been ratified by Guinness World Records yet, but he's uploaded the activity to Strava if you want to analyse more details. It's not the first rodeo for this Swiss wheelie specialist either, as back in June, Scheidegger completed the first wheelie'd everesting. It took him over 21 hours, with all challenges raising funds for the Wheels for Nepal charity.
The hastily rearranged event will now be held in Imola, Italy, and Team GB have now announced their elite men's squad. Some big names are missing because of preparations for the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana, but Performance director Stephen Park said he is "confident" the team will get some good results. The selections are:
Elite Men’s Road Race
Hugh Carthy
Matt Holmes
James Knox
Tom Pidcock
Luke Rowe
James Shaw
Elite Men’s Time Trial
Alex Dowsett
Geraint Thomas
Shocking news, it turns out Rose Bikes is no longer supplying the U.K. market due to the braking setup. A friend shared this message with me below... Real shame after my review the excellent Reveal recently pic.twitter.com/TazhAubObi
— david arthur (@davearthur) September 15, 2020
The German retailers will no longer be sending bikes to the UK, according to a message reportedly send to a potential customer.
Rose say it's because they are now only setting up brakes 'Euro style', and as they're not allowed to send bikes here with the brakes set up the other way round/not set up, that gives them no option but to pull out of the UK. They say it's also not possible to get around it by ordering from Rose's overseas sites, as they've blocked deliveries to UK addresses.
The letter also says: "Furthermore, we do not sell any single frames or forks for dumping protection reasons.
"At this point in time, we cannot say if and when ordering for UK citizens will be possible again."
road.cc have contacted Rose Bikes for more details - but as their UK website no longer includes bikes for sale, we can all but confirm the news.
Mais LOOOOOL @PierroooRolland🤣🤣
Allez une madeleine demain puis digestion tranquille, une remise à l'ouvrage jeudi et c'est bonb😜
— Damien Jacobs (@Dam3210) September 15, 2020
It appears Rolland has a back-up plan if he doesn't manage to wrestle the real thing from Benoit Cosnefroy, comically retweeting the competition above.
Speaking to reporters yesterday evening, Brailsford admitted that Ineos need to go away and have a re-think if they are to compete with Jumbo-Visma next year.
He said: “Have we got to go back to the drawing board? Totally, and that’s quite exciting in some respects. We’ve got to put together a team and a coaching staff that can deliver and try and win the race again."
Denying that he "took a gamble" with selections, Brailsford stood by his decision not to take Chris Froome or Geraint Thomas to the Tour, adding: "I don't gamble.
"People are entitled to their opinions, but I didn’t gamble with selection. They were big decisions. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t. I’m sure that people have a lot to say but they’re not privy to the facts that I’ve got.
“It was a good decision, regardless of what anybody else may think.”
🇨🇴 @Eganbernal has abandoned the #TDF2020.
🔎He is the first defending champion to abandon the Tour since 🇬🇧 Chris Froome, in 2014. pic.twitter.com/PIUAZrzl0c
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 16, 2020
And the last one before Froome? Bernard Hinault in 1980. It really has been all or nothing for Ineos since they began dominating in 2012.
The young Colombian has thrown in the towel, after struggling to make an impact and losing huge chunks of time to Primož Roglič in the mountains.
A short statement (that has crashed the Ineos Grenadiers website at the time of writing) from Sir Dave Brailsford says: “We have taken this decision with Egan’s best interests at heart. Egan is a true champion who loves to race, but he is also a young rider, with many Tours ahead of him and at this point, on balance, we feel it is wiser for him to stop racing.”
Egan Bernal said: “This is obviously not how I wanted my Tour de France to end, but I agree that it is the right decision for me in the circumstances. I have the greatest respect for this race and I am already looking forward to coming back in the years ahead.”
Is Brailsford now ruing that big decision not to include Chris Froome or Geraint Thomas in his squad?
Number 1. Shane Archbold, meth cook from the Louisiana bayou. pic.twitter.com/vkDh9HrKoM
— tom owen (@tomowencc) September 15, 2020
Tom Owen has re-imagined what some of pro cycling's biggest stars would be doing if they weren't pro cyclists - do you think the observations are spot on?
Hugh Carthy, singer in mid-2000s indie band called something like The Twiglets or The Bang Bangs pic.twitter.com/dAivV8Wyhe
— tom owen (@tomowencc) September 15, 2020
Michael Morkov, kindly therapist operating out of Copenhagen's trendy Vesterbro neighbourhood. Collects vintage port. pic.twitter.com/QtNc3ElYLr
— tom owen (@tomowencc) September 15, 2020
Cyril Barthe is a 16th century libertine who died of syphilis aged 28, leaving behind four illegitimate children and a single volume of quite bad poetry. pic.twitter.com/uEiyiClB0M
— tom owen (@tomowencc) September 15, 2020
Jose Joaquin Rojas competes on the amateur over-40s mixed martial arts circuit in the northwest of England and works on the doors at a nightclub called at the Tropical Lounge in Wigan that is anything but tropical. pic.twitter.com/0QneEmWE9V
— tom owen (@tomowencc) September 15, 2020
Richie Carapaz got excluded for setting off the fire alarm three times in a single day at your secondary school. Your mum says you're not to hang about with him. pic.twitter.com/NtbUj60X99
— tom owen (@tomowencc) September 15, 2020