In the same week that cyclists have criticised plans to completely close a road in the Lake District due to storm damage– which Cycling UK says would “block off a key part of the National Cycle Network” and force cyclists to use “a narrow section of busy A-road, hemmed in by walls with fast traffic and HGVs” – a holiday firm in the area has urged visitors to ditch their car in favour of a bike if they want to take in the sights.
With the majority of the Lake District’s 16 million visitors a year travelling by car, the sight of queues of traffic and badly parked vehicles on narrow roads has become a ubiquitous one in the region during the holidays, prompting last year’s ban on parking at some of the area’s major tourist spots.
Following that ban, the Friends of the Lake District group said that “we have reached a tipping point where we can either embrace a radical re-think on transport within the Lake District National Park or risk destroying the sense of tranquillity and escape that this landscape has delivered for generations”.
A rare car-less image in the Lake District…
And this week, Jerry Rebbeck, from the Elterwater-based holiday cottages company Wheelwrights, has now called on visitors to take to two wheels when soaking in the picturesque views, and reducing congestion and keeping vulnerable road users safer in the process.
“There are lots of ways to travel around the Lake District without a car,” Jerry said on the company's website. “Cycling and hiking from place to place is one of the best ways to see the park whilst reducing congestion. There are plenty of places to hire bikes if you don’t have your own.”
As part of his tips for properly enjoying the area, Rebbeck also criticised the standard of driving from some holiday makers.
“People are often driving over the speed limits on the country roads in the Lake District or accelerating down straight sections of road and then braking at corners. This type of driving increases noise and air pollution, as well as emptying your wallet, as it uses fuel much quicker,” he said.
“Driving smoothly and adhering to local speed limits will be better for the local environment and better for your bank account.”
Not that the local authorities are making the switch from car to bike in the Lake District easy, of course.
Last week, we reported that Cycling UK has launched a campaign in response to Cumberland Council’s consultation to completely close a storm-damaged road, which forms part of the National Cycling Network and described by the cycling charity as “one of the only safe road cycling routes leading towards Keswick”.
The quiet route alongside Thirlmere reservoir was badly damaged during Storm Arwen in 2021. Having been temporarily closed for two years, it now faces permanent closure.
Cycling UK has objected to the proposals that would see cyclists forced to use the A591 instead, “a narrow section of busy A-road, hemmed in by walls with fast traffic and HGVs”.
Furthermore, it was revealed that the council's diversion route “only stipulates suitability for vehicular traffic; therefore no diversion route is provided for pedestrians and cyclists at this time”, a plan Cycling UK has branded “ridiculous”.
Jonas Vingegaard wins Stage 16! 👏👏👏
His late attack pays off and grants the Jumbo Victory rider a solo victory! 🙌#LaVuelta23pic.twitter.com/WJXPDZeuNH
— Eurosport (@eurosport) September 12, 2023
He may have been caught ‘doing a Dumoulin’ during week one of this year’s Vuelta a España, but this afternoon on the steep slopes of the Bejes in the Cantabria region of Spain, Jonas Vingegaard showed us all his best Bernard Hinault impression, attacking from the foot of the climb to take his second stage win of the race and – most importantly – move within 30 seconds of his Jumbo-Visma teammate Sepp Kuss at the top of the GC.
Not that the emerging internecine battle for the red jersey was at the forefront of Vingegaard’s mind as he launched his stage-winning move with just under four kilometres to go. The two-time Tour de France winner was clearly emotional as he crossed the line, dedicating the win to his friend and teammate Nathan Van Hooydonck, who is currently being treated in hospital after being involved in a road traffic incident this morning.
According to Jumbo-Visma’s Attila Valter, the team were informed at the foot of the climb, just moments before Vingegaard’s move, that Van Hooydonck was awake in hospital, and that he appears to be recovering better than expected from the crash.
“I’m just happy to win today,” Vingegaard said after the finish. “We had some terrible news this morning, and I just wanted to win for my best friend today. Luckily, we’ve had some good news about his condition, and that’s a big relief for me and the team, and I hope he can recover soon.”
"I wanted to win for my best friend today."
Jonas Vingegaard dedicates his Stage 16 win to Nathan van Hooydonck 💛🖤#LaVuelta23pic.twitter.com/Ny25DnlZ9O
— Eurosport (@eurosport) September 12, 2023
Mixed up confusion in the friendly battle for red
Putting aside the obvious emotional element that drove the Dane’s victory, Vingegaard’s move – which saw him gain over a minute on all his GC rivals – arguably raised more questions than answers as we begin the Vuelta’s decisive third week.
With Primož Roglič’s late attack snuffed out relatively easily by Juan Ayuso and Enric Mas, and with Sepp Kuss looking uncharacteristically ragged, shipping four seconds to the group in front (albeit on a short, punchy climb which certainly doesn’t suit the American’s steady style), it is clear that Vingegaard has emerged as Jumbo-Visma’s strongest card.
However, that fact didn’t appear to be clear within the chaotic chasing group – instead of limiting their losses to Vingegaard, UAE Team Emirates instead sent Finn Fisher-Black up the road in pursuit, the young Kiwi putting in a great ride to finish second on the day, though using energy that, GC logic dictates, could have been spared in the service of fourth-placed Ayuso’s battle for the podium.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Jumbo-Visma’s rivals may not appear to have any grasp on how to counter their three-pronged offence, but it seems like the Dutch team don’t fully know how to approach their clear tactical and physical superiority either. Unless their tactic is to simply create chaos (which, to be honest, it could well be).
By chipping away at Kuss’s lead over the past few stages, Vingegaard has put the American in an uncomfortable box, from which he is forced – by the unwritten cycling decree of ‘never chase your teammate’ – to watch the Dane slowly lift the red jersey off his shoulders.
Of course, in cycling you’re not supposed to attack your leader either, but such is the sheer strength of Jumbo-Visma’s race-leading triumvirate, they can certainly afford to play games with their rivals, and amongst themselves, at the moment.
Whether or not those games erupt into all-out warfare, especially tomorrow on the fearsome Angliru, remains to be seen.
Ah, nice to see that the UCI’s Glasgow 2023 sign is still coming in handy for mischief-making football fans…
Spotted at the Scottish border today. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/TmIYLRWps2
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) September 12, 2023
A Giro d’Italia win, a Tour de France podium, three Tour stage wins, four Giro stages, two Vuelta stages, a world individual time trial title, two Olympics medals… And yet, Tom Dumoulin will forever be remembered for that one moment on the side of the road on the way to Bormio in 2017.
The retired Dutch rider’s ascent into verb status continued on yesterday’s rest day at the Vuelta, when Jonas Vingegaard detailed the reasons behind his more sluggish than usual (of course, when it comes to Vingegaard, this is all relative) form in the Spanish grand tour, including the bacterial issue that saw him grovel through the first week of the race.
“I suffered more from stomach bacteria than I let on at the time,” the double Tour de France winner told Danish TV. “It doesn’t bother me anymore, but it did in the first week. I had no strength anymore.
“I ‘did a Dumoulin’. It wasn’t the proudest moment of my career. It only happened once. And luckily it was a quiet stage the next day. If that hadn’t happened, I could have dropped down the overall rankings. After what I’ve been through, I’m glad I’m still in the game.”
A lot like Dumoulin’s untimely call of nature, six years later. I’m sure Tom will be hoping ‘did a Dumoulin’ doesn’t catch on, unless it relates to a brilliant time trial win or a gritty performance in the mountains, though that might be a forlorn hope…
What’s this about? We’ve just had the best week of the whole ‘summer’, and you’re already talking to us about indoor winter training? Time just keeps slipping away…
> Wahoo introduces £1,400 Kickr Move indoor trainer with “the closest real-world ride-feel”
Filippo Ganna’s by-now obligatory time trial victory aside, it’s been a rough Vuelta a España so far for the Ineos Grenadiers.
While the Jumbo-Visma sledgehammer continues to smash the peloton to pieces (more on some unsubstantiated speculation surrounding the make-up of that hammer in a moment), and UAE Team Emirates gamely try to usurp the yellow and black dominance – while doing their own bit of demolition work to the rest of the cycling calendar – the British squad appears to be languishing in racing no man’s land, a shadow of the merciless Skybots of the 2010s.
That chasm between those top two teams and Ineos – one that has been steadily opening since the British team last tasted success at the Tour de France in 2019, courtesy of Egan Bernal – has arguably never appeared so gaping as it has done at this Vuelta.
As Jumbo-Visma march relentlessly on to a possible, if not probably, 1-2-3 in Madrid – which would make them the first men’s team in history to win all three grand tours in one season – Ineos do not have a single rider within an hour overall of red jersey Sepp Kuss.
GC hope Geraint Thomas – who, with two podiums at the Tour and Giro, has almost single-handedly kept Ineos’ hopes for grand tour success alive over the past two years, at the age of 37 – has looked forlorn throughout the race, a victim once again of crashes and misfortune, while Bernal rather understandably is still a long way away from his Tour-winning best, following last year’s horrific training crash.
Untimely crashes also saw Laurens De Plus and Thymen Arensmen exit early, though Ganna has at least been on hand to provide some flashes of brilliance, even popping up in the occasional bunch gallop.
Ganna doing Ganna things (Rafa Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency©2023)
The Vuelta has epitomised, then, what has been an often painful and turbulent period of transition for Ineos, characterised by bad luck, crashes, and perhaps some questionable development and transfer policies.
But, speaking at yesterday’s rest day press conference, 2018 Tour winner Thomas believes such a transition period is inevitable after a prolonged spell of dominance.
“For a start we were dominant for more or less a decade from 2012 to 2019 when we were constantly winning the Tour and on podiums,” the Welsh rider said.
“Naturally in sport there’s a changing of the guard. For us as a team, I still believe we’re good but Jumbo-Visma and UAE have overtaken us, certainly when Tadej Pogačar is riding in front of us.
“I just think that with dominance a lot of it is down to morale and confidence in the team. Speaking from personal experience, you obviously need the leader to win but when you have strong leadership then everyone else can go up a level with that.
“You can sense that here with the way the domestiques are going. Gesink has found his legs of old and Van Baarle and Valter, they’re all riding really well and it’s a snowball effect. It’s the opposite for us in this race. It started really badly losing De Plus and then it was one thing after the next. With Jumbo, they’ve just moved the game on. We’re doing everything that we can.”
Thomas battles for the win from the breakaway on stage 11 (Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency©2023)
“We’re still trying to be positive and we can either laugh or cry so we try to make light of it. We’ve got a few memes in our group about how it’s going. It’s not been a total disaster.
“If you look at Carlos [Rodriquez, the team’s 22-year-old Spanish stage racer], he was fighting for the podium in the Tour and then he had that crash. He could have been fourth, ended up fifth but he’s a young guy who joined the team when he was 19. That’s a real success story. I was 15 seconds away from winning the Giro.
“We’re a young team and it’s been a bit of a team in transition for the last couple of years, for a number of reasons really.”
Jumbo-Visma pro Nathan Van Hooydonck has reportedly been seriously injured and is in a “life-threatening condition” after crashing his car in Belgium this morning.
According to Het Laatste Nieuws, the 27-year-old, a key domestique for Wout van Aert and Jonas Vingegaard at the classics and the Tour de France, was driving his pregnant wife to the hospital at around 8.30am when he fell ill while stopped at a set of traffic lights in the town of Kalhmthout. This caused him to accelerate across the junction, hitting five cars on the other side.
Van Hooydonck, who had just returned home from helping Wout van Aert win the Tour of Britain on Sunday, was resuscitated at the scene and was taken to hospital, where he is believed to be in critical condition, a spokesperson for the border police zone told the Belgian press. His wife, who was not injured in the collision, was also taken to hospital for a check-up.
Three other people involved in the crash, including a child, suffered minor injuries.
Van Hooydonck leads Jonas Vingegaard around the Arc de Triomphe on the final stage of the 2023 Tour de France (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
One onlooker told Het Nieuwsblad: “I immediately walked to the black Range Rover. I saw that there was a pregnant woman in there and I immediately tried to reassure her. Two social workers from the police immediately arrived to take care of the woman.
“Then I went back to the car to see how the man was doing. I think he must have had an epileptic fit or something. We immediately started resuscitating him and when the emergency services arrived I went to see if I could do anything to other people.”
Today’s weather verdict, brought to you by @GeraintThomas86☔️#LaVuelta23pic.twitter.com/yJaCRkOVgx
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) September 12, 2023
It seems as if Thomas’s ambivalent approach to the bad weather rubbed off on the rest of his Ineos teammates, who all inexplicably missed the main break at the start of the stage, forcing them into a gruelling hour-long chase, which – at the time of writing – has only just succeeded in bringing the attackers back.
Now we’re all back together and the sun’s out (mostly), we’ll see if any Ineos riders can infiltrate Breakaway Mark 2 – if not, I imagine an Alex Ferguson-patented hairdryer could soon be installed on the Death Star…
We can confirm that earlier today our rider Nathan van Hooydonck became unwell while driving his car, leading to his involvement in a traffic accident. He was subsequently transported to the hospital, where he is receiving good medical care. We cannot confirm rumours that his…
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) September 12, 2023
Following this morning’s reports from Belgium that Jumbo-Visma pro Nathan Van Hooydonck was involved in a road traffic collision this morning, after falling ill while driving, his team confirmed the news at lunchtime with a short statement on social media.
“We can confirm that earlier today our rider Nathan van Hooydonck became unwell while driving his car, leading to his involvement in a traffic accident,” the statement says.
“He was subsequently transported to the hospital, where he is receiving good medical care. We cannot confirm rumours that his condition is critical. He is undergoing further medical examinations. Thank you all for your messages to Nathan and the team.”
Meanwhile, Jumbo-Visma DS Grischa Niermann told reporters at the start of today’s Vuelta stage: “He had an accident and he had to go to hospital. He’s there now, I think in an induced coma. It’s very harsh news, for us, for everybody. Our thoughts are with him and his girlfriend. We all hope and wish for the best.”
Now, here’s something you don’t see everyday (unless you enjoy watching outtakes from Hot Fuzz)…
A police officer in Gosport channelled her inner Jens Voigt on Friday evening, borrowing a BMX from a (probably befuddled) young boy before chasing down, and eventually arresting, a suspected thief – and promptly returning the bike to its grateful owner.
Gosport Police, who posted a video of PC Harriett Taylor’s unique take on the individual pursuit, said the officer, after spotting the suspect in the White Lion Walk area, approached the surprised youngster and asked him for a quick lend of his bike – a request which I imagine was greeted with a look of fear, confusion, and a shrug of the shoulders – leading to the arrest of the 47-year-old man on suspicion of theft, burglary, and shoplifting.
NO, YOU WEREN'T MISTAKEN: If you thought you spotted PC Taylor riding a child's bike in the town centre last night, we can confirm that your eyes weren't deceiving you. She was indeed riding a child's bike in the town centre earlier this evening! 1/5 pic.twitter.com/2TQnnvSNhl
— Gosport Police (@GosportPolice) September 9, 2023
“Thank you so much for the generous loan of your bike, young man! You, and your bike, were a great help to us!” the force tweeted. “It was a truly brilliant joint-effort from everyone involved!”
And, if you’re struggling with the Jensie reference, here’s the iconic image of the big German telling everything to shut up as he made his way gingerly down the Col de Peyresourde at the 2010 Tour de France, bloodied, battered, and forced to ride a young spectator’s bike, with his own Specialized destroyed and the team car nowhere to be seen…
Remember that day when Jens Voigt borrowed a kid's bike in the 2010 Tour De France? #cycling#cyclinglife#ciclismo#cyclisme#wielrennen#TDF2020#procycling#cyclingclips#tourdefrance2020#TDF2010pic.twitter.com/cTWnLjRhEe
— Pro Cycling Memories (@ClipsCycling) April 24, 2020
“My father just wailed, from grief, and he has never recovered from that. And I’ve kept it in a box for seven years, and that’s why I’m here because no-one else, no family should have to go through that.”
> Chris Boardman speaks about losing his mum at the hands of killer driver for the first time
Israel-Premier Tech’s transformation from a pre-retirement home for aging climbers to a stage-hunting, attacking machine continues at pace, as UAE Team Emirates’ George ‘He did a Landis’ Bennett becomes the squad’s eighth new signing for 2024.
The 33-year-old New Zealander joined UAE from grand tour rivals Jumbo-Visma in 2022 to bolster Tadej Pogačar’s mountain support, but arguably failed to live up to expectations, failing to finish the only grand tour he started for the team, after leaving last year’s Tour de France before stage 10 with Covid.
However, Bennett – who will be taking orders from the car from his The Social Distance podcast co-host, and Israel DS, Sam Bewley – hopes his two-year deal with Israel will revitalise the autumn of his career.
Welcome, George Bennett!
2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣ 🤝 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣
“𝘐’𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘗𝘛. 𝘐’𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵… pic.twitter.com/1mz0S0CCVx
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) September 12, 2023
“I’m really excited for my future with IPT. I’m already close with a lot of people in the team and it’s clear that there is a great culture and desire to grow and I want to be a big part of that. I’m looking forward to chasing results personally and as a team and to have the resources to be the best rider I can whilst surrounded by great people,” he said.
“I see a lot of opportunities, especially in Grand Tours and in the high mountains and I can’t wait to get started.”
Bennett will form part of a raft of new signings at Israel-Premier Tech, including current UAE teammate Pascal Ackermann, whose sprint train has also been augmented by the arrivals of British rider Ethan Vernon, Hugo Hofstetter, and Michael Schwarzmann.
Considering Joop Zoetemelk couldn’t even manage a single pull-up when he appeared on Superstars back in the day, this – courtesy of UK-born Aussie track sprinter Matthew Richardson – is something else:
Alright Froomey, you’re up next…
It feels like ages since Jérôme Pineau– the man behind the whole B&B Hotels boom to bust debacle and Mark Cavendish transfer saga that dominated the gossip pages last winter – last popped up on our screens.
And it feels like even longer since the words ‘motor doping’ were uttered in the direction of the pro peloton, and not just by French pensioners doing hill climbs or Italian jokers ripping up gran fondos.
But today those two dormant news stories collided with a thud, as former Quick Step rider Pineau accused Jumbo-Visma of taking advantage of some motorised assistance on their way to that stunning 1-2-3 on the Col du Tourmalet last Friday.
> Former pro cyclist accuses Jumbo-Visma of motor doping, questions Sepp Kuss' Tourmalet performance
As reported by Dan this morning, Pineau told RMC’s Les grandes gueules du sport podcast: “We see the images… I’m not talking about doping, but about something much worse. Mechanical doping? Yes, mechanical. If you look at Sepp Kuss’ attack on the Col du Tourmalet, against riders like Juan Ayuso, Cian Uijtdebroeks – who is seen as a great talent – and Marc Soler. They’re not losers on bicycles, are they? Kuss rides ten kilometres per hour faster during his attack, then has to brake by a spectator and then rides ten kilometres per hour faster again.
“How can you explain that? Cycling is my sport, I lived from it and still live from it. It's my passion, but I'm scared. It worries me very much. I see certain things happening... On the Col de Spandelles [during the 2022 Tour stage finishing at Hautacam] Kuss goes ahead for ten seconds without pedalling. I don't know how that's possible.”
Stage winner Jonas Vingegaard surveys the damage on the Tourmalet (Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency©2023)
While Pineau himself acknowledged that he has no evidence to substantiate his claims – and it must be noted that the UCI routinely test for mechanical doping at races – this isn’t the first time that the Dutch team have been linked to similar claims.
Back in 2016, during his first season with the then-LottoNL-Jumbo squad, Primož Roglič (one of the Tourmalet triumvirate) was accused of using a hidden motor by French TV programme Stade 2, especially in the wake of the Slovenian’s time trial victory on stage nine of the Giro d’Italia, something the team has always denied.
And this morning, Jumbo DS Merjin Zeeman – whose team was also forced to deal with a much more old-school doping problem last month following Michel Hessmann’s positive test for a diuretic– hit back at Pineau’s claims, even taking aim at the ex-pro’s handling of B&B’s collapse last year.
“Comments of a ‘team manager’ who signed multiple riders and staff and then in October it turned out that he was fooling everybody and put all these people in a bad position? That person can talk about others?” Zeeman said via text, according to GCN.
Shots fired… Though I for one can’t imagine the noise surrounding Jumbo-Visma will die down anytime soon – especially if Roglič, Vingegaard, and Kuss are all standing on that podium in Madrid on Sunday.