#cyclists holding you up for a few seconds going up a steep hill on a narrow 20mph residential road? Then just drive at full speed on the opposite pavement which is apparently fine....#cycling in #Sheffieldpic.twitter.com/qOx1BqokNy
— CyclingInASkirt (@CyclingInASkirt) February 15, 2023
If ever you wanted to despair at the mindset of some people we share the roads with, just take a dive into the replies to this one...
Given you about 4 miles of space & you’re still whining
— battered chicken lips (@MPezaro) February 16, 2023
He could perhaps not drive on the pavement at speed on the other side of the road - or wait 20 seconds to pass?
What if he'd hit a kid coming out of one of those houses?
— CyclingInASkirt (@CyclingInASkirt) February 16, 2023
Cycle a bit quicker then rather than holding up the car. Simple.
— flying carrot #FBPE #NOTMYBREXIT (@e30325ialpina) February 16, 2023
It's not the first time we've covered the CyclingInASkirt account here on the live blog, back in November the rider, try not to eye roll, 'sparked debate' (as certain tabloids would say) about road positioning by uploading a video of a motorist's frantic braking to avoid hitting her as the driver pulled out of a parking space.
"This is why cyclists ride in the middle of the road," the rider concluded, only to be told in no uncertain terms by many an upset blue bird app user that cyclists should anticipate danger...
Yep, it's your fault we almost knocked you off.
Oh no, I appear to have strayed into one of those 15-minute cities, there's even a map showing the boundaries, I hope they let me back out 🤪 pic.twitter.com/wxIJVamwG9
— Simon MacMichael 🏴🇮🇹🇪🇺❤️💙🚲 (@simonmacmichael) February 16, 2023
The live blog will be back tomorrow morning when we'll hopefully be able to confirm that Simon did manage to find his out alive...
A winning start to 2023 for the former world champion...
What a comeback.
Yes Elisa Balsamo wins but Lotta Henttala is second after having her baby Olavi 13 months ago and three seasons off the bike.
Amazing stuff. pic.twitter.com/gO7WZb51wP
— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) February 16, 2023
Elsewhere on the Iberian Peninsula, Magnus Cort taught Ilan Van Wilder a lesson in not celebrating too soon...
Magnus Cort won stage 2 of @VoltAlgarve on Alto da Foia with a great bike bike throw, shocking the naive Van Wilder on the inside of the corner. 👏 Alaphilippe's premature celebration is contagious, it seems... #VAlgarve2023
📽️@BlancoAseguradopic.twitter.com/v4LxTA9d0U— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) February 16, 2023
And thankfully it seems Tom P got through today's stage without catching the eye of the comissaires...
We didn't expect doctors exposing local councils for inaction to be on today's live blog, but that's what's happening in North Tyneside.
More than 50 doctors and health professionals have penned a letter to the council urging them to get on with the seafront cycle lane on Whitley Bay, the BBC has reported.
The council had proposed a cycling route between Whitley Bay and North Shields in 2021, taking cyclists from St Mary's lighthouse to Tynemouth before connecting to North Shields Fish Quay and Northumberland Square. The North Tyneside Council even received £3.5m from Active Travel England and £750,000 from the cycling charity Sustrans for this plan.
The letter, penned by 54 current and retired NHS staff who also live in the area, said the "seafront 'sunrise' route" would: "Make people fitter, improve air-quality, help tackle global-warming and boost local tourism.
"We believe the project is vital for health and the environment.
"At a time when obesity, air pollution and climate change are costing lives, pushing ahead is a matter of urgency.
"We implore councillors to ensure work is not delayed any longer."
The council said in response that they are fully committed to the project and "a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes", and asked people to await an "announcement very soon" (for a project that's been left hanging for more than a year, it wasn't very clear how soon will be very soon).
Meanwhile, another doctor on Twitter highlighted the poor infrastructure for parking cyles in Whitley Bay.
@NTyneLibDems@NorthTyneCA@npnorthtyneside@NTynesideLab
There's a lack of cycle parking facilities in Whitley bay, I frequently have to lock to barriers or lampposts. It wouldn't be difficult to make improvements like these. What do you say? pic.twitter.com/5yTrAH354s
— Sarah Walpole (she/her) (@sarahcwalpole) December 11, 2022
And if you're wondering what does the "sunrise cycleway" look like after all, we've got you:
Woke up early, couldn't sleep, so watched the sun rise over the sea. It was quiet, peaceful, but people were out being busy. @SunriseCycleway living up to its name - really well used too. pic.twitter.com/4Pts8ynJDE
— Jason Judge - 💙🇺🇦🇮🇪🇪🇺 ❤ Life #PutAMaskOnIt (@JasonDJudge) September 15, 2020
We know, makes us want to get up early and dash out on our bike too.
#69RdS🇪🇸 - 🏁 FINISH
This last climb was pure horror! Very impressive effort from 🇪🇸 Mas, but 🇸🇮 Pogacar was just too strong. #DomestiqueLivepic.twitter.com/UnzMMZwxMx
— Domestique (@Domestique___) February 16, 2023
Tadej Pogačar continued his imperious start to the 2023 season in Spain this afternoon, taking the second stage of Ruta Del Sol, his third win in as many races...
Since Tadej Pogacar turned pro in 2019, UAE Team Emirates has won 148 races.
Pogacar is responsible for 33% of these victories.
— CafeRoubaix (@CafeRoubaix) February 16, 2023
Here's the incident...
Looks like this was the incident (Pidcock is in the lower left moving up) pic.twitter.com/q62fye76em
— Citizen's Rest (@yardsalesman) February 15, 2023
And some have pointed to this one too...
Certainly not the worst we've seen but enough for the Volta ao Algarve commissaires to relegates Tom P from his fifth place on stage one all the way back to 135th. In truth it won't matter too much, Pidcock would not have got any bonus seconds for his original stage finish and he'll get the same GC time as everyone else in the peloton.
But hey, there's never a good day to be 200 Swiss francs (£180) lighter, is there? Well, I guess if you won the lottery you wouldn't care too much... (now I'm just going off on a tangent as usual)...
Ahead of Pidcock, Alexander Kristoff won the lumpy stage, beating Jordi Meeus in the sprint. Stage two later today looks right up the young Brit's street, finishing up Alto de Foia, a 7.7km climb averaging six per cent.
The ever-growing highlight reel of Dom Whiting's DnB escapedes...
I bolted DJ DECKS to my BIKE and this is what happened 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/psjghub9Qw
— Domonic (@domwhiting) February 16, 2023
I’m sure the commissaires would have preferred this to the bunch crash which might have happened otherwise!🙄 https://t.co/x7EWdlSrsr
— Nick Jones 💙 (@resophonick) February 16, 2023
The important debate of the day — which pro rider would you most like to be barged out the way by? Miller reckons Pidcock is the obvious answer, but there could be other contenders... A Pozzovivo push? A Bardet bump? A Chaves collision? A knock from Knox? An Elissonde elbow?
Legin is unconvinced by the verdict... (the jury's that is, not Miller's...)
"There was nothing to see there apart from the normal movement you get in a sprint."
But lesterama replied: "Apart from the push. If Tom had backed off, no issue: could be argued as averting a crash. He was seen to take advantage during and after the push, so relegation was inevitable."
ChuckSneed: "Maybe the other rider shouldn't have gotten so close. Tom had his line and stuck to it."
.@OfficialTfGM can we get Erik Ten Hag to front our transport campaigns? Lot to love here. Active travel, those waiting for a bus behind him. pic.twitter.com/IbphNzLRaZ
— Cllr David Meller 🌹 (@cllrdavidm) February 16, 2023
Live blog regular Harry Gray couldn't help but suggest Erik's adapting to life in Britain well, carrying "shopping on his handlebars instead of using a pannier bag". Got to admit, the precarious game of keeping one overfilled bag out your spokes is a personal favourite of mine. Up the difficulty by wrapping the bag around your wrist for a more secure base, but significantly less blood flow...
Maybe Erik and I need to have a read: Best pannier racks — all your bike luggage possibilities
🤤😍 @canyon_bikes | @AvVleuten#AeroadCFR | @SetmanaCiclista🧡 pic.twitter.com/WXoIcPOoBP
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) February 16, 2023
According to a news report from Italy, Fausto Pinarello — the president with 20 per cent of the company set up by his father in the 50s — is tempted to buy back the bike manufacturer and "is thinking about it more than once".
Nordest Economia reports Fausto has a month and a half to make an offer to L Catterton, the current controlling shareholder with 80 per cent, and is looking for a partner to help fund it.
"It's normal for a fund to want to leave after six years," he said about their exit. "I'm giving it a little thought and with a partner who believes in the project I think we could go a long way. The sector works and we are happy. And I am more than willing to continue to pass on the tradition."
Don't look at us Fausto, we don't have the pennies to buy a Pinarello, let alone the whole thing...
Did you know that 68% of trips in the UK are under five miles? It's a distance that many of us could easily cycle or walk. With Lent just one week away, we'll be encouraging everyone to give up the car for those short local journeys.
Let's #DriveLessCycleMore. pic.twitter.com/AtlD2hFQLX
— Cycling UK (@WeAreCyclingUK) February 15, 2023
Plus it means you can load up on carbs on Shrove Tuesday...
What's the @strava segment I should use for Col de la Madone for Worst Retirement Ever?
— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) February 16, 2023
Assuming Gaimon lands on the Col de la Madone via Gorbio segment like most people are suggesting he'll have a certain Richie Porte to beat, who set his top time of 24:23 in May 2016 two months before finishing fifth at the Tour de France.
Of course, just as football did not begin in 1992, cycling existed before Strava segments and KOMs and the Madone was one of Lance Armstrong's favourite training climbs back when he lived in Nice.
The top times the pros talk of is for a longer ascent, Lance's best (30:47) ahead of the 1999 Tour, Tom Danielson beating it by 21 seconds.
"I think the previous time I set was a 30:14, or 30:24, in 2013. Then Froomey got 30:09, and I did 29:40 last year," Porte explained in 2015. Those times were for the longer 13.6km ascent, but if 37-year-old, retired Gaimon can top this leaderboard we'll certainly not begrudge him his KOM...