Police deliver perfect mic drop reply to cyclist-bashing comment; Comedy gold Olympic mugshots; Cav wins again; Phil Gaimon calls out ESPN report of NFL coach's 'bicycling accident'; Pog touches down in Tokyo + more on the live blog

The obvious choice would be the final stage into Paris. The first half is a procession where no attacks go and the second half is a fast paced drag race along the Champs Elysees. How far could we last?

2)

— Sam Larner (@SamLStandsUp) July 20, 2021

Here's a bit of Wednesday afternoon fun because, let's be honest, we've all sat in front of the TV wondering if we could hang on at the back...

That period was actually pretty hill with over 500m of elevation. Even so, pretty much all club cyclists could match that speed and that average power for that period of time.
However, it's not a walk in the park...

4)

— Sam Larner (@SamLStandsUp) July 20, 2021

Mark Cavendish is yet to open talks with Decuninck-Quick-Step about extending his contract for 2022. Eurosport reports that Cav was apparently considering retirement had he broken Eddy Merckx's record but is now hopeful of returning next year to reach 35.

Speaking at the Roselare Criterium which Cav won yesterday in team boss Patrick Lefevere's home town, the Manxman said he hadn't started discussions about a new deal. 

"I haven't seen Patrick yet. I just got back from Paris, so I haven't talked about my future within the team yet. I want to enjoy today," Cav said.

"After arriving in Paris, we had a small party. You can't plan or do anything big in these corona times, but everyone on the team was there, so we had a 'bubble party' in which we discussed our Tour de France again. I'm going to make some time for my family now. I missed my wife and children. And I also want to recover a bit after a tough Tour."

MyLondon reports interest in bike hangars in Southwark is so high that some people face waits of up to four years to secure a space. The news outlet reports almost 10,000 people are currently on the waiting list. In a further 11 London boroughs, more than a thousand people are waiting. Some councils were quick to address their figures by pointing out how many hangars they plan on building.

Brent Council, for example, has secured funding for 70 bike hangars over the next two years, which will provide 420 new spaces. Croydon Council is also installing hangars for 180 new spaces.

An Turas Mor (354 mile off-road bike route from Glasgow to Cape Wrath) FKT 33 hours 31min⁣
⁣
Well that was a big day on the bike at the weekend!! My butt is slightly tender today!! ⁣
⁣
Massive thanks to @rachael_run for supporting and feeding me pizza and cups if tea! ⁣
⁣ pic.twitter.com/VTWALbWjkK

— Donnie Campbell (@GetActiveRunnin) July 19, 2021

Last weekend, Scottish rider Donnie Campbell smashed the record for the 350-mile off-road route from Glasgow to Cape Wrath, completing the course in 33 hours 31 minutes. The 36-year-old from the Isle of Skye set off at 5am on Saturday and survived on pizza and cake delivered by his wife, Rachel.

"It was actually a very enjoyable route but I suffered a lot of pain from the vibration created by the rugged trail. I had a very sore left hand and arm during the ride and my bum really suffered. The terrain was pretty unforgiving at times," he told Deadline News.

"Near the northerly mountain of Ben Hope there was a climb up to a height of about 450 metres. The track was so rutted that I was forced to get off my bike to push. I was really fatigued by this point after riding so far. Then I had to descend on a steep and rugged track and go along a boggy loch shore. I was walking more than cycling.

"The ride lost its sense of fun then and I just wanted to get to the end. It was a relief when I did. However, I’m pleased I’ve finally done it because it has been my goal for summer 2021 and I am really happy with the time."

Dear Meg,
We’ve DM’d you.
Yours sincerely,
The Police x

— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) June 23, 2021

This morning's blog lead has inspired us to take a look in the archives for some similar stories. Surrey Police Road Policing Unit seems to be the gold standard. Last month the force's Twitter account slid into the DMs of one angry tweeter who called cyclists who ride in the middle of the road (probably primary position) "a dickhead". Charming.

Then in 2017, there was the time the account's admin told someone they were "too childish to drive". And to complete the hat-trick, in November, when faced with the usual whataboutery, Surrey Police released a chart explaining exactly why road safety enforcement focuses on car drivers. Can Mr admin please have a word with the Richmond Park officer from Friday?

Hi @espn it’s not a “bicycling accident” when he was hit by a car https://t.co/K6LYtxnGNR

— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) July 20, 2021

 Phil Gaimon has called out ESPN's reporting of the news that New York Jets assistant coach Greg Knapp is battling life-threatening injuries after being hit by a motorist while cycling in California. ESPN reporter Rich Cimini wrote Knapp had suffered injuries in a "bicycling accident" before going on to say "Knapp, 58, was struck by a single motorist".

On Twitter, former pro and full-time Strava segment sniper Gaimon shared the story with the message: "Hi ESPN. It's not a 'bicycling accident' when he was hit by a car."

Knapp was hit on Saturday at a busy intersection just before 14:50 local time, according to the San Ramon Police department. ESPN reports that based on preliminary investigations, drugs or alcohol were not a factor and the driver is said to be "cooperating with police".

Yesssss!🔥

Bedankt aan de mannen van @JumboVismaRoad die er alles aan hebben gedaan om ons te laten juichen. 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/e2MRoNCqlw

— Dylan Groenewegen (@GroenewegenD) July 20, 2021

Dylan Groenewegen won a bike race for the first time in 17 months yesterday, his first since returning to the sport following a nine-month suspension for his role in Fabio Jakobsen's horror crash at the Tour of Poland last August.  

"This is more than just a win for me," Groenewegen said. "I went through a very difficult period in which cycling came second. A lot has happened. Of course with the accident, but also in my private life. We have continued to work hard and it is very nice to finally win again. The team has been fully supporting me all the time and I am very grateful to them for that. That has helped me a lot. It is a big relief that I finally won again."

Northumbria Police is rightly quite pleased with its efforts to jail dangerous driver Kyle Walsh who was caught thanks to a cyclist's camera and sentenced to six months. Sharing the news on Facebook, the force warned motorists they "will take action" if they are seen driving recklessly or endangering other road users in cyclists' footage.

As per, this was prime territory for anti-cyclist bingo and whataboutery wailing...Thankfully Northumbria Police was prepared...

David Chow must have been confident he'd served an ace: "Can drivers submit footage to prosecute cyclist's [sic] that think they own the roads. Oh we can't because, they have no reg to identify them." A weak start there, David. Just the old 'cyclists break the rules and need reg plates'...Not even a 'road tax' rambling...Disappointing.

You might want to sit down for Northumbria Police's reply..."Hi David, can you tell us how many drivers were killed in a collision with a cyclist in the last five years? We'll answer for you, it was zero. Irresponsible cycling puts the cyclist at risk, not the driver. It doesn't make it okay, but we focus on our resource in the areas that are most likely to cause serious injury or death. It's the person behind the wheel, not the one behind the handle bars, that can cause the greater harm."

Game. Set. Match? No, David's having another go...

David replied: "I don't have the answer but I can say not all drivers are dangerous.
Seems nowadays we all get demonised from the minority of dangerous ones."

Admitting you don't have the answer isn't a great start, David. Here's the finisher from Northumbria..."That's nonsense David. Where in the post have we demonised drivers? We've highlighted an example of how a cyclist's head-cam has helped us take a dangerous driver off the road. If he had been allowed to continue driving in that way there's a good chance someone could have been killed. We simply [want] both drivers and cyclists to consider sending footage of similar incidents to continue to take people like this off the roads. That's ultimately the aim of this."

Now that's game, set, match...