A classic of the genre...
The MGIF is just irresistible 🤦 pic.twitter.com/idu3xGID8r
— Jim's Wheels (@JimsWheels) June 6, 2023
Having seen the footage, CyclingMikey said the phrase that comes to mind is that the driver would struggle to organise an alcohol-based festivity in a brewery. Another viewer suggested they "can't resist the quick glance in, the look of utter contempt, and then the shake of the head as I cycle on" when this inevitability of cycling on British roads unfolds to them.
Admittedly not often as dangerous as a high-speed close pass or 'sorry mate I didn't see you', the must get in front (MGIF) is a more confusing experience and will leave you questioning: 'why?' Whether it is to get ahead at a junction, with a red light looming or, in this case, simply to sit in traffic two seconds sooner.
Anyone got any theories? What is it about a person riding a bicycle from A to B that requires a select few to feel the need to always get in front no matter what's ten metres ahead?
Dan Walker has spoken to the Mirror about the incident which saw him knocked off his bike in Sheffield back in February...
"It's probably the shock of seeing my face, it was quite badly damaged, wasn't it? I remember lying on the tarmac and coming round after 20 minutes or so, and I saw the faces of the two ambulance guys and the police officer.
"And I remember the first thing I did was I shook my arms, shook my legs, and I sort of moved my back, and thought, 'It hurts a bit and it aches and I can feel sort of blood in my mouth, I can feel wetness in my mouth, but I don't think I've broken anything'.
"And then in the days after that, I think you do have a bit of self-reflection and you do think about your priorities and things you've said or things you haven't said and things you want to do. When you're told you're 50 centimetres away from having your head run over and you think, okay, there's a time to reset and take stock and think about what you want to do.
"I had my head and back scanned, went through a concussion protocol and was back at work within a fortnight and back on a bike a week after that. The first roundabout I came to was a bit hairy, but I don’t even think about it now. I am really thankful I was wearing a helmet, thankful I didn’t break anything and thankful that I'm still around.
> Why is Dan Walker’s claim that a bike helmet saved his life so controversial?
"So I think that is quite a big thing to go through and then come out the other side of and get back on a bike and enjoy it again. That's where I'm at."
In example number 17,549 of 'professional cyclists showing just how much better they are than us', here's how Tadej Pogačar eased himself back into outdoor training post-wrist fracture...
Just the 97 miles there, at altitude, in 40°C heat, climbing more than 4,000m of elevation at an average speed of 19mph (30.5km/h)... oh, and titled 'Vrum vrum', of course. Only fair to point out the two-time Tour champ hasn't been sat on the sofa for the last two months (well, he might have been outside of training hours, to be fair) getting a bit of work done on the home trainer and by running...
"I lost some training and couldn't do much on the road in the last four weeks. So I need to focus more on the intervals and long training sessions outside," he said on Friday.
"I've been training quite well on the home trainer and running. The shape is not as bad as I thought it was going to be after training on the rollers, and the wrist is getting better every day. And now I'll try to get as much as possible out of this camp here.
"Hopefully I will be 100 per cent for the Tour. Maybe the wrist will not be at 100 per cent, but I think the legs can be – you don't need wrists to train the legs."
On the racing front, the 24-year-old has scrapped his usual Tour of Slovenia tune-up appearance and instead will stay at altitude with his team at Sierra Nevada and Alpine training camps, only pinning on a number twice – at Slovenian TT champs and the national road race – before the Grand Départ in Bilbao.
Jamie and Mat have been out at the Dauphiné, snapping pics of unreleased bikes (I know, they've got a tough life)...
> New Ridley road bike breaks cover at Critérium du Dauphiné
> BMC prototype aero superbike spotted at Dauphiné
They also spotted a certain defending Tour de France champion's Cervélo, with some rather eye-catching SRAM 1x à la Primož Roglič at the Giro...
And so I guess the natural next question is... should we be copying the world's best and ditching our front mechs?
