...and so far, it would appear the internet thinks the team's new bikes are dressed quite a bit better than the riders themselves, after the new large-worded jersey proved pretty divisive when it was unveiled before Christmas.
Of the new partnership between Campagnolo and BMC - one we haven't seen before in the pro peloton - Campagnolo commented: "BMC is a brand that shares a great deal with Campagnolo - a pursuit of innovation, a desire to produce distinctive and premium products, but most importantly, a passion and commitment to cycle racing."
AG2R Citroën's MD Vincent Lavenu said: "We are very happy to have Campagnolo with us for 2021. Campagnolo is renowned in the cycling world for its performance products, its racing heritage and love for the sport. Combining such an excellent brand with our new bike partner BMC gives me great confidence as we head into a new chapter for the AG2R Citroën team."
You can see the new team bike in all its glory in this fancy unveiling video below...
FYI i rode 10,000km in 2020.
— Alex (@alexdoesporn) January 4, 2021
Our opinion piece on mileage goals has caused a fair bit of debate this afternoon. Do you care about how far you, or someone else, rides in a year? Or is it simply how much you enjoy your cycling that matters?
'hawkinspeter' commented: "Excellent piece! The thing with modern cycling (or at least for me) is that we've got loads of different metrics we can obsess over and they're all useful in different ways, but it's so easy to let performance anxiety to get in the way of just getting on your bike and enjoying a simple ride."
'dassie' commented: "If people want to set distance/frequency targets, and then let others know how they did - it really doesn't bother me at all. Each to their own, sometimes it can inspire others to ride more - wherever they choose. Similarly, I acknowledge most cyclists I see out on the roads, but don't expect any reciprocation. Just do what you've gotta do, be considerate, and ride."
I heartily endorse this message from @VecchioJo re this whole ‘Ride A Bajillion Miles At X time of year / for Y reason’ schtick. He’s right. No-one cares. But good on you if it’s what you need. https://t.co/TqmOTPAtBP
— Mike Stead (@tweetymike) January 4, 2021
How 2021 is going so far: pic.twitter.com/PsROVm6Oqf
— Katy Moon (@Oog) January 4, 2021
We've a feeling this gif is going to come in handy quite a lot this year.
HE IS BACK
(video by @DoCiclismo)pic.twitter.com/34abkr5ItKhttps://t.co/GIGf3f7dgp
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) January 4, 2021
Fabio Aru has a cult following on Twitter, mainly for his extraordinary portfolio of facial expressions that can only be explained by the pain of being a professional bike rider. The Italian completed his first race for his new team, Qhubeka Assos, this weekend in Italy and looks as miserable as you'd expect someone carrying their bike through freezing mud to be...Here's some more Fabio for your amusement...
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) December 3, 2020
@ManCityCouncil Well done for the filters this morning in #Levenshulme can you make sure signs to tell drivers that the roads are dead ends are installed swiftly so drivers know what to do
5 minutes on Manor Road saw 3 vehicles mounting pavement @basat_m@Dzidra78@bernardstonepic.twitter.com/EX3jUWRDJq— Andy (@Lets_getcycling) January 4, 2021
These behind the scenes documentaries following cycling teams at big races are becoming more common. Deceuninck-Quickstep, EF Pro Cycling and Team Sunweb released their own videos covering the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España last year. Now, it's the turn of Jumbo-Visma and Astana.
Dutch broadcaster, NOS, follow Jumbo-Visma at the Tour de France and capture the shock and disbelief following the stage 20 time trial as Tadej Pogačar snatches victory from Primož Roglič. The hour-long film also covers Wout van Aert's two stage wins, Roglič claiming the race lead on stage nine and offers an interesting insight into life in the peloton as one of the world's best teams at the biggest race of the year. The link for the Jumbo-Visma documentary is here. Astana's shorter video can be watched at the top of this post.
Skleroza straszna choroba 🤷♂️😱niedobry sen kierowcy pic.twitter.com/ZKrtbEs3JV
— PiotrMakowiec (@piotr_makowiec) January 4, 2021
Nothing to see here. Just a new bridge over the cycle lane for you to ride under...
Congratulations to @tfl's Santander Cycles team for a record breaking year.🚲🚲 There were 10,434,167 hires in 2020.🚲🚲 Many thanks to everyone who hired one. pic.twitter.com/hOw7xk4axj
— Will Norman (@willnorman) January 4, 2021
In what was a stinker of a year for many of us, a sharp increase in all types of bike riding was one silver lining - you can check out our more in-depth review of 2020 in cycling here.
No motor vehicles using Westminster Bridge. Maybe it's time to rip up the road and convert it to a pedestrian only bridge. pic.twitter.com/4SYhUJS6H9
— 4 Chords No Net (@4ChordsNoNet) January 3, 2021
Part of the reasoning for removing the Kensington High Street cycle lane was that it wasn't being used by cyclists so it should be ripped out for to make room for another lane of cars. 4 Chords No Net has posted these tongue in cheek updates of traffic on Westminster Bridge, suggesting maybe it's time to rip out the road to make room for more pedestrian access...
Two hours later and it's still only buses, pedestrians and a single bicycle using the bridge. Time to restrict access. pic.twitter.com/pVMxKQ8eZf
— 4 Chords No Net (@4ChordsNoNet) January 4, 2021
Bill Hulley went even further and said: "Learn from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council, rip out the entire bridge, those people could swim if they want to."
The start of a new year means Annemiek van Vleuten and Marriane Vos have been able to sport their new team kits for the first time. Van Vleuten shared the photo above of her first training ride wearing the Movistar blue with her new Canyon. While Vos showed off the Jumbo-Visma Women kit at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup race in Hulst, finishing 11th. 2021 is the first year of Jumbo-Visma's women's team with Vos their star signing for the debut campaign.
🇳🇱 #Hulst
Only the first of many 😃 pic.twitter.com/xXIvFHXGKT
— Team Jumbo-Visma Women (@JumboVismaWomen) January 3, 2021
Juliette ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0tVcjnykjw
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) January 4, 2021
2021 is looking 🚀 #northwaveshoespic.twitter.com/Cqzza9woac
— Alex Howes (@alex_howes) January 3, 2021
Mathieu van der Poel impressed again, winning the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup event in Hulst yesterday. The Dutch sensation also set out his plans for the 2021 road season in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. Van Der Poel will return to the road at the first WorldTour event of the year, racing the UAE Tour at the end of February. Significantly, this means the 25-year-old will skip the opening weekend of the cobbled classics before using either Tirreno-Adriatico or Paris-Nice as preparation for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
Van Der Poel told the Flemish newspaper that he will take a break following yesterday's victory in Hulst to train ahead of the final few weeks of his cyclo-cross season, culminating with the World Championships on January 31.
Should have took them to the park .. much safer https://t.co/htjiEZvi27
— Mr Vanderlay (@vanderlay) January 3, 2021
Great spot by 'Sriracha' in the comments this morning. One of the other replies to Jeremy Vine's tweet offers a neat answer to all those saying they should be cycling in a park and not on the road...
These cyclist vs ostrich videos are becoming a regular feature on the blog. Before Christmas we shared this video of an ostrich in South Africa getting involved in a group ride. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum went one better, 'racing' two of the flightless birds.
As well as learning that ostriches have a top speed of 43mph (70km/h), this morning has taught me that the Crown Prince of Dubai is a keen cyclist. It's a nice life for some.
Small children cycling in Kensington this morning — now in greater danger since the protected cycle lane was ripped out. The space is now blocked by parked cars. pic.twitter.com/uHQU2i49ts
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) January 3, 2021
The message Jeremy Vine wanted people to take from this video was probably that cycling for vulnerable road users has been made more dangerous since the Kensington High Street cycle lane was ripped out. Kids have to ride past parked cars, avoiding any doors that may suddenly open, and worry about traffic overtaking from behind...
However, that's not how everyone saw it...The replies to Vine's tweet are full of people accusing the children of poor riding. Seriously...
John Marshall said: "Also in danger because they failed to look, signal, look manoeuvre. The one at the back did glance a couple of times, but no indication. The adults who taught them need to give them another lesson. I'm actually on the side of cyclists being safe. I'm not trying to abdicate drivers responsibility, but we still have drunk and drug drivers. For the sake of a tiny bit of inconvenience, why not take precautions?"
Parked cars! It’s a road. Why not go to the safety of a park with children?
— bestm8te (@bestm8te) January 3, 2021
Irresponsible parent putting children’s lives at risk. Cars must have priority on our roads and if there isn’t a safe space for — young — cyclists they shouldn’t be on the road!
— Steve Nilsen (@stevenilsen3) January 3, 2021
They should be arrested
Get to a park or walk— Teddy Bass (@teddyboybass) January 3, 2021