What's it gotta take?! After coming agonisingly close to win the Tour de Suisse, only to be pipped 75 metres before the finish line for her maiden Tour win, Flemish newspaper Het Nieuwsblad ran a headline, referring to the Slovenian rider Urška Žigart as "Pogačar’s girlfriend".
It led to a lot of backlash, even Pogačar reposting on his Instagram a joke headline referring to him as Žigart's boyfriend (in what I would like to reiterate was a joke first made by Mr Mallon a full day before Canadian Cycling Magazine got to it; yes we take our jokes very seriously at road.cc).
> The best way to deal with a silly headline... Tadej Pogačar edition
And if that wasn't pandering and embarassing enough for the Flemish newspaper, they were at it again yesterday, posting this on Twitter.
(and his girlfriend) what a bunch of idiots. Not reading this garbage anymore. https://t.co/DRHJGuShPc
— Pieter De BOISERIE 🔶🇺🇦 (@pdeboiserie) June 22, 2023
They're never going to learn, are they?
who is Tadej Pogacar????
— abby 🎗️ (@wildewisteria) June 22, 2023
Oxford, a safe space for low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) admirers, but also a punching bag for traffic neighbourhood critics.
The Oxfordshire County Council held a meeting yesterday to discuss the Cowley LTN and it was decided that the bollards at Littlemore Road, Littlehay Road, Crescent Road in Cowley will be replaced with automatic number plate registration (ANPR) cameras, and emergency service vehicles, taxis and Royal Mail will be allowed to pass through the LTNs.
As you'd expect, emotions were running high.
"The LTNs were a grubby deal done by [city] Labour with the [county] Tory administration. It’s a disaster from start to finish. I fear for safety of my residents. This council should be charged for manslaughter if anything happens. It is a class war," said a City councillor.
Another speaker said: "We are to be hemmed in with cameras. This city is under siege from its own council, the enemy from within. You do not care that our lives are imploding. We are sacrificial lambs on the altar of your egos. This is the scream of a city."
Sajad Khan: “I am representing black cab drivers. We’ve been getting stuck in traffic jams. We are having to refuse bookings if it means getting trapped in traffic. We are asked to make a huge investment in 2025 in zero-emission taxis. Not everyone understands the taxi trade.”
— Oxford Clarion (@OxfordClarion) June 22, 2023
But amidst all the commotion, active travel experts were left wondering: If it ain't broke, why fix it?
Data released last week showed that air pollution levels across Oxford saw an overall improvement during 2022, with overall NO2 levels down by 8.3 per cent, and a 24 per cent drop when compared to pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
Zahara Plummer from Oxford Livable Streets said: "LTNs have brought about safer streets and cleaner air. We support the use of ANPR cameras for emergency services. But including taxis was not consulted on. People don’t believe that what’s consulted on will be the recommendations put forward."
Cllr Dan Levy, county Active Travel champion said: "There are real benefits to physical barriers: they mark out a safe space for walking, cycling, playing games. I can see the benefit of blue badge holders being allowed access, but not taxis. Taxis will go through in large numbers."
Scott Urban, @urban_turbo: “The unshakeable truth is that the Cowley LTNs are working as designed. So why ANPR? The emergency vehicles already have a clear route through each of the LTNs via unlockable bollards. Limit ANPR use to where there is a bus route.”
— Oxford Clarion (@OxfordClarion) June 22, 2023
And besides, people were left baffled at the inclusion of taxis among the remitted vehicles, with many cyclists wondering, "Are taxis public transport now?"
At least, Lid Dem Cllr Andrew Grant thinks so...
“Taxi numbers are predicted by officers to be low. I don’t accept that taxis always speed; they are professional drivers. Public transport is third in the hierarchy after walking and cycling. Are taxis a form of public transport? Yes they are.”
— Oxford Clarion (@OxfordClarion) June 22, 2023
The decision has not gone down well...
I'm so disappointed and angry. We weren't consulted on these exemptions. This will make our LTNs high-traffic again, full of taxis which in my personal experience are some of the most reckless drivers in the city. @AndrewGant3 what we're you thinking? https://t.co/HzjMtOGFYL
— Laura F (@dantsis87) June 22, 2023
when your #LTN isn't actually a #LTNhttps://t.co/C4rfyf5AYH
— Bob From Accounts 🚲 (@BobFromAccounts) June 22, 2023
a compromise I expected and one that'll please no one, but they clearly listened to the mobility concerns of many and made a decision. Whether it helps anyone give up their car I dunno, the main issue seems to be school run and commuter traffic here. https://t.co/hvDXyAxgB4
— Tom Lloyd (@tomlloydwrites) June 22, 2023
What do you think? Do taxis form an integral part of transport, thus making them indispensable to the overall public transport infrastructure? Or is it going to increase road danger and keep rat running high, while not incentivising people to take up cycling?
2023 Cycle Show Chris Froome, by Cycle Show
Some quotes from the man himself, after missing out on this year's Tour squad for Israel Premier Tech:
"I’m obviously disappointed with the decision. The Tour de France holds an incredibly special place in my heart.
"Physically I was ready, but unfortunately I was unable to show my full ability at the races assigned to me due to equipment issues.
"I respect the team’s decision and will take some time before refocusing on objectives later in the season and returning to the Tour de France in 2024."
2023 Fleche Wallone - Tadej Pogacar (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
If there were any doubts about Pogačar's form going into the Tour de France next week, I think he has well and truly put them to bed with an absolutely dominating performance at the Slovenian time trials yesterday.
He beat the second-placed Marko Pavlič by a whopping 5 minutes and 14 seconds, and even outdid his 2020 time by 27 seconds, setting a time of 29:43 with an average speed of 31.699 km/h for the 15.7km course.
The 2020 and 2021 Tour winner, then told UAE's national news that his scaphoid wrist fracture injury at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April came at "perfect time".
"Naturally I didn't want it to happen like that, but I was due a long break and I guess the injury just forced me to rest a bit more," he said.
The 24-year-old has enjoyed a barnstorming season so far, already winning two tours: Vuelta a Andalucía and Paris-Nice, before proving his all-round capabilities with monster performances during the spring classics seasons, winning the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold and La Flèche Wallonne.
> Incredible Tadej Pogačar wins Tour of Flanders with stunning solo move
Is there anything the Slovenian steamroller can't do? Get a particular Flemish newspaper to call Urška Žigart by her name. More on that shortly...
We've got Cav and company's latest trim for the Tour de France, and it's something I'm seeing a pattern with all these new Tour kits: They are blue.
⚡️🔥 What a news!
Astana Qazaqstan Team presents the new design of its @GiordanaCycling jersey which will be wearing by the riders at the @LeTour, which starts in Bilbao on 1st July.
📰👉Read more: https://t.co/SqS40SZthI#TDF2023#AstanaQazaqstanTeampic.twitter.com/JGZybVtG5u
— Astana Qazaqstan Team (@AstanaQazTeam) June 23, 2023
Okay I am not going to lie, I think the kit is amazing. But, are we going a bit overboard with the blues?
First DSM, Bora, and now Astana. Add Bahrain's and Movistar's blue-tinted kits, and potentially Groupama with a blue-ish kit, it's going to be a sea of riders in the peloton, quite literally.
> Team DSM unveil new name and new very, very, very, very dark blue kit
If I had nothing better to do I would moan about how having similar coloured kits in the peloton is boring and not a good overall watching experience for the viewers, no matter how good they look individually, and it seems that I exactly have nothing better to do other than moaning about a kit on the live blog. Jolly times!
At least Uno-X has a bright red kit! Now, bring on Lidl-Trek!
Edinburgh Council is back at it.
We have had drivers blocking cycle lanes, but blocking cycle hangars? That's a new one.
You know what’s great? @cyclehoop bicycle hangars🚲
But you’ll only be able to open them 1/4 of the time because @Edinburgh_CC didn’t put parking restrictions near them, so you can’t open the doors and use your bike to go to work…#edinburgh#cycling#sustainabletravelpic.twitter.com/tYNqLKdWyK
— Tom Woolnough (@TomWoolno) June 22, 2023
But seriously, imagine you get off your work and go to the hangar to fetch your bike, and then you see this. What would you have done?!
Chris Froome (copyright Zac Williams, SWpics.com)
Oh my word. I guess that's what eras are, they came to an end.
Once in a generation rider, four-time Tour winner Chris Froome has not been selected by Team Israel Premier Tech for the Grand Tour squad, set to start next Saturday if you weren't aware...
Israel's line-up selection released today morning, and the team wrote it was a "a versatile team aiming for stage wins".
"I believe that each of our eight selected riders has what it takes to be victorious in this race," said the team's Sports Manager.
Besides Froome, South African rider Daryl Impey was also left out of Israel Prem Tech's squad.
End of an era 😢 https://t.co/nTFAc8JJ01pic.twitter.com/hBBfL238Lg
— Beefeater Bend🎶🍻 (@tdfbeefeaters) June 23, 2023
It sucks but this might mean that the time's finally running out for the 38-year-old. He's out of contract at the end of the year, and the Brit had earlier revealed he had been struggling with a minor tendon injury at the start of the year, but that the Tour remained "the ultimate goal".
"It’s the race in which I’ve had my nicest feelings, where all the best riders in the world compete in their best form," he said. "Obviously I’m not going to go to the Tour to fight for the overall, but if I can try to go for a stage win, that would be great."
Besides, the four Tour wins, Froome also won a Giro and two Vueltas, cementing himself as one of the greatest of all time. But since his crash in 2019, he has only finished in the top 10 once, climbing with aplomb at the top of the Alpe d'Huez and finishing third in last year's stage 12 of the Tour. His last stage win came at the 2018 Giro, his last Grand Tour win too.
You are going to be missed Froome, a lot. Who will be the butt of our long-running young-man/old-man jokes, who will we wait for to pile up on disc brakes... what I'd do to watch Cav and Froome have a go at it, one last time at the Tour...