Find out more about why we urge @MayorofLondon and @grantshapps to collaborate and stop this rogue borough from leaving cyclists exposed to preventable road danger https://t.co/Kjl7aw5jCY
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) March 30, 2021
🎙️ @PhilippeGilbert: "We took the time to analyse everything there was to discuss and we came to the conclusion that it is a lack of mental and physical freshness. I think it is due to all the work I did after my crash at the Tour de France last year."https://t.co/HyICsXPxzw
— Lotto Soudal (@Lotto_Soudal) March 29, 2021
Lotto-Soudal have announced their star rider and five-time Monument winner Philippe Gilbert won't be racing at the Tour of Flanders this weekend. Gilbert won the race in 2017 but hasn't reached his usual best this season and "will take a period of necessary rest, both physically and mentally" before the Ardennes Classics later in April.
"We decided with the team that I would take a period of rest now because it is not going well at all," Gilbert explained. "It’s been a few weeks now that things haven’t been going well. We took the time to analyse everything there was to discuss and we came to the conclusion that it is a lack of mental and physical freshness.
"I think it is due to all the work I did after my crash at the Tour de France last year. I am still human. I put in a lot of work, without any decent rest really, because during the weeks off the bike. When you find yourself in this stage, the only way to let your body work naturally, is to give it some rest."
British Cycling asked cyclists to treat 15-person group rides as a maximum not a target now that the lockdown rules have eased slightly. British Cycling-affiliated clubs can go out with up to 15 riders, with the rule of six in play elsewhere. We're interested to hear about your plans, especially having heard concerns 15-person rides might be mistaken for rule breaking by those not in the know...
Most of you said you'd stick to riding on your ones for now.
43 days to go, the greatest tour! #TdRwanda21#cycling#Rwandapic.twitter.com/6vTJUKP2aA
— Robert Cyubahiro McKenna (@RobCyubahiro) January 8, 2021
Rwanda is bidding to be the first African country to host cycling's World Championships, with an inspection team from the UCI expected to visit in May. The East African country faces competition from Morocco for the 2025 championships. This year's rainbow bands will be won in Flanders before Australia in 2022, Glasgow 2023 and Switzerland in 2024.
Rwandan Cycling Federation president Abdallah Murenzi said he is keen to meet with the UCI's technical team to persuade them Rwanda is a suitable host. "A technical team from UCI is expected in Rwanda in May to assess whether what we presented in the document of submission are the same as what is on ground," he told New Times Sport. "We have received positive feedback about our bid, but that won’t be enough for us to win the bid because we still face competition from Morocco. What the inspection team will observe during their field visit will decide who wins the bid."
So, so lovely. Meanwhile in Wandsworth, this is one of the LTNs that they cancelled and this was our normal evening traffic. pic.twitter.com/AFaZYXv3mX
— Sasha Brendon 💙 (@SashaBGood) March 29, 2021
Heavy traffic and congestion in your area? Step one: blame low traffic neighbourhoods. Step two: get low traffic neighbourhoods removed. Step three: return to traffic-free, empty streets...Oh, hang on a second...
Some scenes from Wandsworth last night where an LTN scheme was removed after complaints. Wandsworth Labour active travel and transport cabinet speaker, Jo Rigby, commented on the video saying: "'‘Open our roads’ they demanded. Chances are that every single one of these drivers signed a petition to end the LTNs."
One local disputed Rigby's claim, arguing that the problem is that, "that particular road was narrowed last year which was not reversed. As a local driver, I have been stuck here too and believe that is the reason for the build up, nothing to do with LTNs."
However, as Steve Morgan pointed out: "Reason for the build up is the cars. The cars that are blocking the road for...other cars. If the road has been narrowed and some parked cars have blocked the road. Then the reason is...cars."
By contrast, elsewhere in London...
Just a reminder that the London Fields Low Traffic Neighbourhood was implemented on 9 September 2020.
As of today it has been in place for 6 months and two weeks.pic.twitter.com/rAGOyl3yVw
— London Fields #LTN (@enjoyLDNfields) March 29, 2021