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“You can’t polish a climate turd, but you can sprinkle it with active travel glitter”: Cyclists slam proposals for ‘bike bus’ through controversial tunnel; Pogačar makes a splash (literally); Decisive Tour de France time trial + more on the live blog

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Aero position dialled in, skinsuit fitted to a tee, and warm-up complete, Ryan Mallon’s ready for a big day on the live blog… Oh, and there’s something important going on at the Tour de France too
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13:48
Cycling Mikey gets accused of supporting Chelsea (credit - CyclingMikey YouTube)
We don’t need vigilante cyclists like Cycling Mikey – because “cyclists already own the roads”, says Spectator article

The Spectator is certainly churning out the, ahem, interesting cycling takes lately, isn’t it?

Less than a month after the paper’s assistant features editor Robert Jackman told its readers to beware of the “vigilante cyclist” and “lycra-clad informant” who is “out to get you” (“you” in this instance referring to law-breaking drivers), columnist Jake Wallis Simons has claimed that, actually, there really isn’t any need for camera cyclists such as Cycling Mikey reporting instances of dangerous or distracted driving – because, apparently, “cyclists already own the roads”.

> Driver caught using mobile phone launches foul-mouthed tirade at CyclingMikey — and accuses him of supporting Chelsea

Wallis Simons, who self-describes as “one of those awful cyclists” wearing Lycra and riding Bromptons, focused the attentions of his latest column on a recent, expletive-filled Mikey video (you know, the one with the foul-mouthed, football and innuendo-obsessed phone driver), which he claims saw the famous camera cyclist pull up the motorist for a “hollow supposed offence”.

“Who exactly was the motorist endangering by texting in stationary traffic?” he asked.

Wallis Simons then questioned, after recently beginning to commute in London again on bike, “Why on Earth would anybody be a van Erp-style cycling vigilante?”

He continued: “As I’ve discovered for myself these past few weeks, cyclists already own central London.”

> “Mike van Erp is out to get you”: Spectator article tells drivers to beware of the rise of the “vigilante cyclist” and “lycra-clad informant”

“My preconception before going full Brompton was that London would be a hellhole of danger,” he writes. “Cyclists, I thought, would be disparaged and disregarded by motorists, and squashed by oblivious HGV drivers while turning suddenly left.

“What I discovered was a different world… London is a different place compared to 15 years ago. There are far more cyclists now, moving in great swarms and chevrons and phalanxes, and there are established rat-runs along cycle lanes that sometimes evoke the spirt of the peloton.

“Drivers seem hyper-aware of us, accelerating considerately, behaving courteously, crawling along behind without pounding the horn and even giving way on occasion. Once you get the hang of your regular route, and learn to predict where the traffic will come from, it feels… well, maybe not safe, but certainly not unsafe.

“All of which is to say that in central London, cyclists rule the road. Most of us don’t bother obeying red lights when there’s no reason to do so, channelling the spirit of the driver with his phone out in a traffic jam perhaps. Personally, I always observe the Highway Code, of course. But it’s bliss.”

I knew a red light would pop up eventually…

> “Italy’s cyclists are a public menace”: Spectator journalist claims Italian government’s “crackdown on cyclists is long overdue”

Anyway, Wallis Simon, continuing on with his anti-cycling bingo game, but with the clever trick of referring to himself when relying on those tropes, concluded that London is now “the cyclist’s playground: we ride the wrong way up one-way streets, cruise along the pavements, ignore zebra crossings, and flex our speed in the plentiful cycle lanes.”

Full house!

“So, van Erp, why bother with the vigilantism? Face it: we’ve won. Motorists have lost. The handlebar is the new symbol of our era. Truly, Britain has arrived in the age of the bicycle.”

Hmmm… Thoughts? Comments?

13:12
DSM sprinter Sam Welsford turns up late for time trial… and then immediately crashes on first corner

It’s fair to say that Sam Welsford’s first ever time trial at the Tour de France couldn’t have got off to a more inauspicious start if he’d tried…

The Team DSM sprinter, and his teammate Alex Edmondson, somehow managed to rock up late to the start ramp (a trick known in pro cycling circles as ‘pulling a Delgado’), the countdown timer beeping down as Welsford made his way up the steps, with the race officials simply waving him off on his merry, and slightly embarrassed, way.

Oops.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Australian – finally underway – immediately crashed on the very first corner, a slippery bend that brought down three of the first ten riders down the ramp.

Of the non-tardy members of the peloton, Soudal-Quick Step’s TGV Rémi Cavagna is currently in the hotseat, covering the 22.4km hilly course in 35.42, 24 seconds clear of former world champion Mads Pedersen.

Now, Tadej and Jonas, please, please, please, turn up on time, okay?

12:34
“The most funded e-bike company in the world” VanMoof declared bankrupt
12:18
Driver gets six points and substantial fine for overtaking cyclist towards oncoming car… but Twitter says they left “plenty of room”

Ah, the old Failing to Supply Driver Details trick, and then not pleading guilty despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary… Looks like it’ll just end up with you having an extra six points on your licence and forced to cough up over £1,200 in fines and costs.

But don’t worry, because anti-cycling Twitter will claim you left “plenty of room”, so that’s some consolation…

08:52
Silvertown Tunnel bike bus plans (Transport for London)
“You can’t polish a climate turd, but you can sprinkle it with active travel glitter”: Cyclists slam proposals for ‘bike bus’ through controversial tunnel as “bikewashing”

Just when you thought you’d seen every weird, head scratching proposal in the world of active travel, Transport for London go and reveal their plans for a ‘bike bus’ to shuttle cyclists through the forthcoming, and much-maligned, Silvertown Tunnel in London.

And no, I’m not talking about the kind of bike bus that sees children cycle to school in a mini parent-led peloton.

According to TfL, who announced a consultation on the plans yesterday, a “bespoke” shuttle bus could run every 10 minutes under the Thames and carry only cyclists and their bikes, which would either be brought onto the bus or loaded onto a trailer behind it.

Pedestrians would not be able to use the bus, with conventional zero-emission buses set aside for them.

Silvertown Tunnel bike bus plans (Transport for London)2

The cycling shuttle bus idea comes after TfL said back in 2019 that it could not afford to build a walking and cycling bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, and that it would be “unsafe” to allow cyclists to ride through Silvertown Tunnel, which will open in 2025 and link the Royal Docks and Canary Wharf with north Greenwich.

The new tunnel has been the subject of vociferous criticism over the years, with campaigners and councillors claiming that it will encourage car use, result in more lorries entering London, and increase pollution.

However, TfL says that the shuttle bus is the best option for cyclists crossing the river in east London as services could be tailored to “uncertain demand”. People on bikes can currently use the cable car – which is free in the morning – or walk their bike through the Greenwich or Woolwich foot tunnels, though frequent lift closures often mean cyclists are forced to carry their bikes up and down the stairs.

> Greenwich foot tunnel bike commuters face months of carrying bikes up stairs

TfL also says that they are considering in the future a cross-river ferry service which could be used by pedestrians and cyclists, though several attempts at a high-speed ferry service have been dropped in the past due to costs.

Praising the proposals for the Silvertown Tunnel shuttle bus, Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner, said: “These plans will mean that cyclists will benefit from easier travel between the Greenwich Peninsula and Silvertown, enabling more people to make the switch to active travel and helping to build a better, greener London.”

However, despite Norman’s praise, cyclists on Twitter have been scathing – to put it mildly – of the ‘bike bus’ plans.

“This is 2023. The climate is at a tipping point. We must reduce car use by 27-40 percent according to London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s own carbon plan. So putting bikes on a bus instead of creating bike lanes is bonkers. Please repurpose the Silvertown Tunnel, the sooner the better,” wrote Victoria Rance, a local teacher and the founder of the Stop the Silvertown Tunnel Coalition.

“I do also think that bus is ridiculous. It will be a huge disruption to people’s journeys,” added another Twitter user. “If there is enough demand for a bus then there should be enough demand for a bike path.”

“A city which cannot afford to build a dedicated bridge or tunnel for cycles and pedestrians, but dedicates countless billions to new infrastructure for more cars. Embarrassing,” wrote Nick.

Some noted that, despite TfL’s claims that the bike bus will cater to all types of cycles, the potential difficulties in manoeuvring cargo bikes, non-standard bikes, and hand cycles off the bus.

“Doesn’t this just have all the same issues as the cable car, which also has a door on one side?” wrote Alex.

Others, meanwhile, have referred to the proposals as “deeply impractical” and a “ham-fisted” attempt at “bikewashing” the Silvertown Tunnel project.

“Evidence that whilst you can’t polish a climate turd, you can sprinkle it with active travel glitter,” Jon chipped in (rather poetically, I may add) on the proposals.

“Silvertown Tunnel will likely increase, rather than decrease, greenhouse gas emissions, will, at best, redistribute air pollution rather than decrease it, will cause induced traffic, and is incompatible with the targets for climate action  linked to the 2015 Paris accords.”

But otherwise, it all sounds great, yeah?

So, what’s the alternative?

“Repurposing the tunnel would be so much better. Or building the cycle bridge,” argued the Greenwich branch of the London Cycling Campaign.

“All Silvertown will bring is more pollution and more congestion. It is incompatible with a responsible climate policy in its current form.”

11:47
Jumbo-Visma willing to sue Tour de France spectator who caused huge crash while taking selfie

Is Opi-Omi Part Two also set to go down the legal route? Not that the first court case put an end to questionable roadside antics from fans, mind you…

Spectator causes crash on stage 15, 2023 Tour de France (GCN)

Read more: > Jumbo-Visma willing to sue Tour de France spectator who caused huge crash while taking selfie

11:27
The cycling/basketball (or netball, I suppose) crossover you never knew you needed…
10:48
2022 Commonwealth Games women's road race (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
Commonwealth Games cancellation “represents a missed opportunity to inspire the next generation of cyclists”, says AusCycling

AusCycling, the governing body of cycling in Australia, says today’s announcement that the 2026 Commonwealth Games won’t go ahead in the state of Victoria as planned puts in doubt “crucial pathway opportunities” for young cyclists in the country.

This morning, Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews announced that the state was cancelling its plans to host the 2026 edition of the Games, which took place last year in Birmingham, amidst escalating costs, raising concerns about the future of event.

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) had initially struggled to find a host for 2026, before Victoria volunteered in April 2022. However, Andrews has now said that Victoria had been “happy to help out”, but “not at any price”.

> Commonwealth Games marshal verbally abused by cyclists and motorists for enforcing road closures

And now AusCycling, which boasts gold-medal winners from last year’s Commie Games such as Rohan Dennis and Georgia Baker, says it is “disappointed” by Victoria’s decision to cancel.

“Victoria 2026 offered an opportunity to inspire and unite Australia in a way that only a home Games can: bringing together a nation through sporting excellence and a shared celebration, and showcasing the best of Australia to the world across a wide range of sports,” a statement from the governing body said.

“This event was especially important to the sport of BMX Racing, which was to make its Games debut; and to para-cycling, whose integration into the Commonwealth Games programme alongside able-bodied competition is not seen in other events at this level.

“Today’s decision puts in doubt crucial pathway opportunities for young and developing athletes, for whom a home Commonwealth Games would have been a key milestone and a career highlight.

“It also means the loss of significant opportunities for developing Australian coaches, officials, volunteers and staff. Particularly, our thoughts are with the staff of the Organising Committee and everyone involved in the planning of the Games, for whom today’s news will be especially difficult.”

> Commonwealth Games horror crash “close to being a complete catastrophe”

Marne Fechner, the Chief Executive Officer of AusCycling, added: “Today’s announcement that Victoria will not host the 2026 Commonwealth Games is an extremely disappointing outcome for our athletes, coaches, sport and for those who have been working tirelessly to deliver the Games.

“We acknowledge the difficult economic environment. However, the decision to withdraw, rather than adapt the delivery model, represents a missed opportunity to showcase our amazing athletes and inspire the next generation of cyclists and riders across Victoria and Australia.

“We welcome the Government’s commitment to funding regional housing and to investing further in sporting communities and events in regional Victoria.”

10:25
“I would really appreciate for him or any winner to have more than two seconds of TV time, so he can show his son what he achieved”
Wout Poels Tour de France 2023 stage 15 (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

> Tour de France TV broadcasts urged to give stage winners more airtime over GC battle

CPA riders’ union president Adam Hansen has called on broadcasters to give riders and sponsors the “exposure they deserve”, after stage 15 winner Wout Poels got around two seconds of airtime as he celebrated crossing the line on Sunday in Saint-Gervais – before the television director abruptly cut back to the GC group.

What do you reckon? Would split screens – showing both the breakaway and the GC battle, as Hansen suggests – solve the problem and provide fans with a better viewing experience?

Or is the sometimes chaotic nature of watching pro cycling on television, and the inability to cover every aspect of the action as it unfolds on the road, part of its charm?

For example (and I know this doesn’t apply to the Wout Poels case), how many times have you excitedly shouted at the TV ‘Where did they come from!’, when a rider seemingly appears from nowhere at the pointy end of a race?

Or what about bringing in, at least on online platforms like GCN, a choice of which group you want to watch, like the old ‘Player Cam’ function on Sky Sports’ football coverage.

What’s the UCI’s number again?

10:10
Heading into the third week of the Tour like…

That’s how you know Peter Sagan’s time at the top is well and truly over, when the young kids are stealing his grupetto moves… 

09:29
Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, stage 15, 2023 Tour de France (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
The Race of Truth: Tour de France set for crucial showdown between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard

Right folks, it’s time. After yesterday’s much-needed rest day, one of the tightest and most hotly contested Tours de France in years returns this afternoon, with a tough, complicated 22.4km time trial in the foothills of the Alps.

It may be the only effort against the clock in this most rouleur-phobic of Tour routes, but they don’t call it the Race of Truth for nothing. Today, Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard will take a break from their two-week-long roles as each other’s shadows, tactics and bonus points set aside, and leave everything out there on the road, the yellow jersey on the line.

And, if I’m honest, I have no clue who’s going to come out on top.

TdF 2023 S16 profile.jpeg

Because, as Simon noted in his Tour preview, time trials may be the race of truth, but today’s mix of short, sharp hills and fast rolling terrain proves that the truth can often be complex.

The early climb on today’s course, the Côte de la Cascade de Coeur – 1.5km at eight percent – will precede around 12km of flat-out effort on wide roads with sweeping bends, until the main event, the Côte de Domancy, which the riders will tackle in the last six kilometres of their TT effort.

TdF 2023 S16 final climb.jpeg

At 2.5km and an average gradient of 9.4 percent, with sections of more than 15 percent, the Côte de Domancy is roughly the equivalent of tackling Belgium’s famous Mur de Huy twice, and raises arguably the all-important question of today’s time trial – to change bikes or not to change bikes?

Bernard Hinault, 1980 world road race championships

For cycling fans of a certain age, the Domancy is also synonymous with five-time Tour winner Bernard Hinault’s dominant victory at the 1980 world road race championships in Sallanches, when it was climbed a staggering 20 times over the course of a brutal 268km that saw only 15 riders finish. So you know it’s going to be hard.

In many respects, today’s mixed terrain time trial has echoes of that Tour-upending final TT at La Planche des Belles Filles in 2020, something which may fill white jersey Pogačar with confidence as he heads to the start ramp this afternoon, and the whole of the Jumbo-Visma crew with dread…

09:05
Will Tadej Pogačar make a big splash at today’s potentially Tour-deciding time trial?

‘Alright Tadej, take it easy on the rest day, just keep the legs spinning, focus all your energy on the big time trial coming up, this is where we could win the Tour de France… Or do a backflip into the pool, it’s up to you…’

Bonus rest day shenanigan points, by the way, go to larker-in-chief Marc Soler, for channelling his inner Bukayo Saka. Never change, lads, never change…

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