You’d have thought that, after a decade of British dominance at the Tour de France, the UK’s major news outlets would be used to reporting on cycling’s biggest races by now.
Well, think again.
After an in-depth discussion of the latest exits from the Premier League managerial merry-go-round earlier this morning, BBC Breakfast’s sports reporter John Watson turned his attention to the Tour of Flanders, much to the surprise of every cycling fan watching.
But nope, Watson wasn’t set to describe how Tadej Pogačar made history by becoming only the third male rider ever to win both the Tour de France and Ronde van Vlaanderen, or how Lotte Kopecky took an emotional second consecutive win in her home race, just weeks after the death of her brother.
Watson was on the big red sofa, rather inevitably, to talk about that crash…
🚨🚨 The Ronde made the BBC Sports news! #BBCBreakfast
OK, we wouldn't know the result, or that Pog became only the 3rd person to win both Ronde and TdF!
Or that Filip Maciejuk was disqualified, but hey 🤷♂️ #RVV23#RVVmenpic.twitter.com/kquYHrqp3O— John Maguire 🇺🇦 (@velo_bristol) April 3, 2023
So, no mention of who actually won yesterday’s races, or even – considering it’s the BBC – that two British riders, Fred Wright and Anna Henderson, made the top ten.
Or that the Ineos Grenadiers’ Brit Ben Turner was seriously injured in the crash (more on that later), or that the rider responsible, Bahrain Victorious’ Filip Maciejuk, was disqualified for the manoeuvre and later apologised.
> Horrendous Tour of Flanders crash sees Bahrain Victorious pro disqualified
Nope, just lots of references to Maciejuk riding on the pavement (maybe John is in the middle of an intense game of anti-cycling bingo?) and, strangely, “rubbernecking”, as if the riders checking on the condition of their stricken teammates are the equivalent of nosy motorists passing a crash on the motorway.
“When it goes wrong in cycling, it goes wrong spectacularly,” Watson opined. The same goes for cycling reporting on the BBC, I guess.
But who knows, maybe Lorraine’s currently undertaking an in-depth analysis of Alpecin-Deceuninck’s use of resources during that frenetic first hour in the crosswinds? I’ll check…
Is there anything Tadej Pogačar can’t do?
The 24-year-old Slovenian cemented his status as the greatest all-rounder in the current male peloton (and perhaps of the last fifty years), ratcheting those Merckx comparisons up another notch, by pulling off a staggering solo display at yesterday’s Tour of Flanders.
In case you missed it (which I’m sure you didn’t), the two-time Tour de France winner launched attack after attack on the sport’s most mythic cobbled bergs, before dispatching some of the finest classics talents we’ve seen in years to win comfortably in Oudenaarde.
[SWpix/Zac Williams]
It was truly era-defining stuff.
And, as regular readers of the live blog will know, Pog isn’t just the current king of cycling, he’s also a member of its meme aristocracy, a standing underlined by his nonchalant tweet to swanky jumper supremo Adam Blythe– just fifteen minutes before the race rolled out from Bruges yesterday morning.
However, it goes to show that 274km of chaos and cobbles can leave even one of the sport’s greatest ever talents tired and mentally drained.
While Pogačar’s pre-race tweet reminded us of his Gen Z status, he more closely resembled your auntie Karen on Facebook in the hours after his win.
In a (since deleted) celebratory post, the four-time monument winner committed the cardinal sin of image posting on social media – he forgot to crop the photo:
And not only that, Pog left his camera roll open for all of us to see, with references to David Brent and (rather aptly) cartoon King of the Hill giving us even further insight into his love of memes:
Tadej Pogačar: king of cycling, king of memes, king of tufts, king of not cropping photos…
Just when you thought you’d heard every possible angle on the whole 15-minute city debate, in comes the Catholicism, delivering a rousing mass on the evils of convenient shops and healthcare.
Yep, you read that right. Earlier this month, the Catholic Herald, the 135-year-old London-based Roman Catholic monthly magazine, published an article titled ‘The Catholic argument against 15-minute cities’ (I wish I was making this up).
In the article, the Herald argues that the idea of providing “everything you need to live well in an urban setting” stands in stark contrast to the anti-government, individualistic stance of the Roman Catholic Church – which, famously, has never told anyone how to live their lives.
> Why is the 15-minute city attracting so many conspiracy theories?
According to writer James Jeffrey, a regular in the Spectator, the concept of 15-minute cities will “disincentivise the family unit” and punish those who have children, while echoing the worst excesses of 20th century communism, which led to “millions of lives lost”.
And, if you thought that was bad, 15-minute cities are also similar, Jeffrey says, to the repressive tactics employed by the, wait for it, Taliban.
“I’ve experienced transport being excessively controlled by the Taliban, and I can assure you it sucks,” he writes.
“Their IED campaign in Afghanistan’s Helmand province was so deadly effective that the British Army lost its freedom of movement.
“Admittedly the use of IEDs is an extreme form of traffic fines—but the principle is the same: someone else interdicting your movement. It changes everything.”
Okay…
The article, predictably, has been roundly condemned by cyclists and various non-conspiracy theorists:
Because, famously, Jesus drove everywhere. https://t.co/042Dl13a33pic.twitter.com/ZAEcl1UOpo
— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) April 2, 2023
Hilarious. His claim that the Taliban's public transport policies are a cautionary tale against state-led transport infrastructure is especially sublime.
— Phineas Harper (@PhinHarper) April 3, 2023
Isn't the Vatican a 15 minute country?
— Martin (@martyj21) April 2, 2023
However, it does pose one important question: What does the Pope – who, of course, lives in the world’s oldest (and only) 15-minute-country and, by all accounts, loves cycling – think of the whole debate?
And now we head over live to the Catholic Herald’s headquarters, where an anti-LTN and 15-minute cities protest is breaking out…
Thanks to road.cc reader Awavey for reminding me of this classic in the comments! Careful now…
🏆 = 💛
The perfect start 👌@ethan_hayter▪️ #Itzulia2023pic.twitter.com/t04K9St2IP
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) April 3, 2023
In better news for the Ineos Grenadiers, Ethan Hayter took the opening stage of the Tour of the Basque Country this afternoon into Labastida, launching in the dying metres of the tricky uphill finish to bear Mauro Schmid and John Aberasturi after an inch-perfect lead out from teammate Omar Fraile:
¡¡Victoria de Ethan Hayter!! El corredor inglés del Ineos ganó en el sprint y se queda con la primera etapa de la Vuelta al País Vasco, en segundo lugar termina Mauro Schmid, tercero Jon Aberasturi y cuarto Álex Aranburu.😍💪👍 #Itzulia2023pic.twitter.com/pDmx2DBQ3J
— ⚡Maza⚡ (@MazaCiclismo) April 3, 2023
“The team really backed me, as I wasn’t amazing in Catalunya,” Hayter said after the race. “But I’ve stepped up here. I just have to thank them.
“Omar’s an expert in Basque Country racing and I only had to do the last 100 metres. It’s really nice to get this.
“I broke my collarbone in the Tour Down Under and it took me a while to come back from that, hopefully, this will give me more confidence to keep going forward.”
Have we considered the possibility that Jordan Peterson is just a gullible motherfucker? pic.twitter.com/eMdVEKXnDI
— Rusty Idols 🇺🇦 (@Cliffor18175753) April 2, 2023
Last Ronde news story for the week, I promise (and then of course we move onto Paris-Roubaix)…
While the Ineos Grenadiers’ Tom Pidcock briefly looked like infiltrating his way into the Big Three after Tadej Pogačar initially put the pressure on up the Oude Kwaremont, the young British hope eventually faded before finishing a lowly 52nd – and it was all down to the dreaded bonk.
“What a job these boys did yesterday,” Pidcock posted on Instagram today. “Unfortunately I couldn’t repay them.
“It was all mint until I had a compete hunger flat, I’m amazed I even made it to the finish. A stupid mistake, but there’s always next year.”
A cyclist in the Amazon area of Ponta Negra, in Brazil, died after suffering an anaphylactic shock having swallowed a bee while training.
News outlet G1 reports the insect flew into the rider's throat and stung him. He called the emergency services when he started to feel ill but was found unconscious by paramedics and firefighters.
The cyclist was transferred to hospital following several resuscitation attempts but passed away on March 30, with anaphylactic shock the cause of death.
Back in 2021 a US-based cyclist crashed and was taken to hospital after a bee flew into his bicycle helmet and began stinging him.
Records are there to be broken:
2023:
1.030.099👊🏻#RVV23#flandersclassicswomenhttps://t.co/o4e0PydAhN
— Tomas Van Den Spiegel (@tomasvds) April 3, 2023
This morning’s Tour of Flanders ‘report’ on BBC Breakfast reminded us here at road.cc of a certain Mark Cavendish’s scathing review of the Beeb’s coverage of cycling following the ill-fated 2012 Olympic road race:
Ouch. I bet that still stings.
Do a Columbo, do a Columbo…
Oh, just one more thing about the Tour of Flanders, sir.
Where do you reckon Tadej Pogačar’s sensational Ronde win ranks in the, admittedly scary, list of blistering performances the 24-year-old Slovenian has already churned out during his still young career?
Does yesterday’s staggering solo domination – punctuated by brutal attack after attack on the Oude Kwaremont, Paterberg, Koppenberg, and Oude Kwaremont again – top his era-shattering smash and grab time trial to Le Planche des Belles Filles at the 2020 Tour de France?
Or do you think his savage Tour-killing attack on stage eight of the 2021 Grande Boucle, though the pouring rain to Le Grand-Bornand, most accurately sums up the Pog phenomenon?
A.S.O., Charly Lopez
Or perhaps you’re a bit hipster and prefer his startling entrance onto the scene as a 20-year-old at the 2019 Vuelta, where he leapfrogged onto the podium with a spectacular stage win on the penultimate day? Or what about his Strade Bianche decimation last year, or his destruction of Paris-Nice last month?
There’s plenty to choose from, if we’re honest, so if I haven’t mentioned your favourite above, let us know in the comments!
But don’t think for a moment that was the only Pog poll this lunchtime…
Yesterday, when asked about the potential to win all five monuments (he’s currently on three), the UAE Team Emirates star noted that nothing was impossible, and that “some extra kilos” were all that was separating him from a future stab at Paris-Roubaix.
Which probably explains why the Ronde’s organisers immediately starting supplying him with frites…
Tadej : "I'd have to put on a bit of weight to race in Paris-Roubaix "
Belgium : #RVV2023https://t.co/kL58xJhFOn
— Marie (Taylor's version) (@Briicol) April 2, 2023
What do you think? Is a monument clean sweep possible for the only rider who actually seems capable of living up to the billing of the ‘Next Merckx’?
Transport for London has launched a new initiative which will see it working with boroughs, businesses, and the freight and servicing industry to promote the use of cargo bikes and transform how deliveries and servicing trips are made in the capital.
According to TfL, cargo bikes could replace up to four percent of van kilometres by 2030, a figure that rises to 17 percent in central London.
The government’s Cargo Bike Action Plan, which was launched on Friday at the National Cargo Bike Summit in London, will aim to address the barriers that inhibit or prevent a shift from vans to two wheels.
The plan will involve developing a London safety standard for cargo bikes, exploring opportunities to provide space, such as micro-hubs and parking to support last mile cargo bike operations, monitoring key cargo bike routes, supporting further cargo bike uptake, ensuring suitable capacity for cargo bikes on future TfL cycle schemes, and providing businesses with the tool and information they need to make the switch to cargo bikes.
> “Adrian, you’re wrong!” Pedal Me’s co-founder on cargo bikes
“Cargo bikes are no longer a niche concept, and they can be real game changers when it comes to delivering freight and servicing trips,” says London’s cycling and walking commissioner Will Norman.
“Not only do they provide environmental benefits by not contributing to air pollution, they also make journeys more efficient, and present a much lower risk of danger to people walking and cycling than vans and HGVs.
“I’m delighted that TfL is launching this action plan to explore how we can grow the use of cargo bikes on our road, to help both the environment and the health of Londoners, and build a better, safer, greener London for everyone.”
Just don’t tell Adrian Chiles…
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) April 3, 2023
Yesterday’s Tours of Flanders were something else, weren’t they?
They had basically everything you could want from a cold Sunday in early April: a frenetic and chaotic start, crosswinds and echelons, controversy (though we could have done without the mass crashes, I suppose), a trademark Koppenberg squeeze, tactical intrigue and long-range attacks from favourites, and, finally, two worthy winners and two staggering solo performances.
(SWpix/Zac Williams)
With the Flanders buzz only starting to fade away now, and with the aim of not making it a very long day on the live blog for any non-racing fans (I’m sorry), I’ve decided to compile some of the news – and memes, there are always memes – into the following Tour of Flanders round-up.
Or Ronde-up (sorry, again)…
1.Congrats @TamauPogi& everyone from the team!! 😍
2.Thanks everyone for the many messages ❤️
3.Thank you to the people working in the hospitals in Oudenaarde & Herentals
4.Collarbone in 4 pieces. A lot of pain, but should already be much better in a few days. https://t.co/Xq5pxNLXK1— Tim Wellens (@Tim_Wellens) April 3, 2023
In the midst of all the action-packed racing, yesterday proved a day of carnage for much of the peloton.
The big pile-up of the day, sparked by Bahrain-Victorious’ Filip Maciejuk’s risky off-road dash to the front (you know, the one covered by BBC Breakfast), left several riders injured.
UAE Team Emirates’ Tim Wellens – who was set to play a key role for Tadej Pogačar later on – broke his collarbone in four places, while Peter Sagan and Danny van Poppel were among those to suffer cuts and bruises which ended their race.
UPDATE: After being forced to abandon the Tour of Flanders due to a crash, @benjeturner was taken to a local hospital for imaging, which revealed a radial fracture to his left arm.
Heal up quick Ben, we’ll see you back on the road very soon. pic.twitter.com/i644cWEtA7
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) April 3, 2023
Ineos rider Ben Turner – whose spring campaign was already impacted by a fractured elbow sustained during a crash at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad – also sustained a radial fracture to his left arm after going down in the crash.
2022 Gent-Wevelgem winner Biniam Girmay also went down hard in a high-speed spill later in the race, spending last night in hospital with concussion, though Matej Mohorič escaped serious injuries in the same crash.
Meanwhile, the Maciejuk pile-up debate shows no signs of slowing down, as Movistar’s Carlos Verona weighed in on the controversy, and the “lack of respect” currently in the peloton:
Unfortunately it is not only you taking too much risk in the bunch nowadays. This sport is getting more and more dangerous for behaviors like yours today and I hope @UCI_cycling starts to do something because there is no respect in the peloton anymore! 😞 https://t.co/eg49XpIU43
— Carlos Verona (@Carlos_Verona) April 2, 2023
That “lack of respect” was also witnessed up close by one fan, who assumed he was just going to have a jolly day watching the race cruise by:
Chaos!! pic.twitter.com/AAhxbVMtNr
— Dieter Vanthourenhout (@vanthourenhout) April 2, 2023
Speaking of spills, Pogačar’s attack on the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont was so powerful that it sent this fan flying backwards into a nearby table:
This fan was so overwhelmed at Pogačar's performance, he knocked over his lunch table!@TamauPogi had better send this man a burger! 😉
Watch the race highlights of the #RVV23 over on GCN+ 👉 https://t.co/8FSJcLL3Gxpic.twitter.com/o0kGqoTeKZ
— GCN Racing (@GcnRacing) April 2, 2023
Or perhaps it was a case of too much Kwaremont on the Kwaremont…
And on the subject of enjoying a beverage or two on the side of a cobbled hill, André Greipel and Marcel Kittel – members of the Retired German Sprinters’ Alliance – were giving off strong ‘dad and son on a stag do’ vibes yesterday:
Marcel Kittel will be 35 in one month 🤯
I swear this guy stopped aging at 21 🥵
(📸 : Marcel Kittel IG) pic.twitter.com/kiJgFqySiF
— Cycling What Ifs ❓ (@cyclingwhatifs) April 3, 2023
Oh, and did I mention Pog is king of memes?
How it started... ...How it's going#RVV23🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/zWHWHEndtT
— Will Newton (@InsidePeloton96) April 2, 2023
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) April 2, 2023
While Lotte Kopecky is certainly the queen:
Who’s that with Lotte Kopecky?!?!! https://t.co/jBbI2LYPuq
— The Movistarlets II (@Movistarlets2) April 2, 2023
Now, that’s enough of the Ronde (for the time being, at least)…
Looks like a certain Mr Van der Poel was busy on his phone last night…
> Tadej Pogačar uploads Tour of Flanders win to Strava... gets flagged
I suspect @mathieuvdpoel
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) April 3, 2023