Hawaii is hill-climbing heaven (or hell, depending on your perspective)...
4:52:55. That's hours, minutes and seconds... the new Strava KOM for the monstrous Waikoloa beach to Mauna Kea summit segment set by pro rider-turned-KOM hunter Phil Gaimon. Ascending a quite ridiculous 4,195 m, the 89.46km climb averages 4.7 per cent. That's like Box Hill... 41 times.
Poor Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale pro Larry Warbasse, all that effort and your KOM's gone like that. More concerningly is Gaimon battling his way to the top over nearly five hours of exhausting climbing, only to not ride back down and enjoy the descent?! Psychopath behaviour... or maybe just someone strapped for time...
Where to next, Phil?
Adam Yates abandons the UAE Tour ❌
The UAE Team Emirates rider is forced to withdraw from the race after a horrible crash earlier on in Stage 3 🤕💥#UAETour2024pic.twitter.com/4ghVCoXFW3
— Eurosport (@eurosport) February 21, 2024
The team of Adam Yates has now confirmed their rider suffered a concussion in the hard crash that ended his race, medical director Dr. Adrian Rotunno explaining...
Unfortunately Adam Yates has been diagnosed with a concussion after his crash today at the UAE Tour. He is stable with other superficial injuries. For the sake of Adam's health, and as per concussion protocols, he was withdrawn from racing. He will need recovery, and the medical team will continue with neurological monitoring and rehab going forward
Can you do cyclists now Jacob? It's a slow news day for us too ya know🤷♂️ https://t.co/fOBUjCp4ht
— road.cc (@roadcc) February 21, 2024
[ASO/Clara Langlois Lablatinière]
Not exactly the most shocking revelation of 2024, Patrick Lefevere opening his mouth and being made to look more than a bit silly. Marion Rousse, the former professional rider who has forged a successful post-racing career as a television pundit and director of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, has responded to Lefevere's comments published in the Belgian press this morning about her and her partner Julian Alaphilippe.
Scroll a bit further back on the live blog to see those in full, but the short recap is the Soudal Quick-Step team boss accusing Alaphilippe of too much partying and drinking, and claiming "Julian is seriously under the spell of Marion. Maybe too much".
Cue social media statement from Rousse...
— Marion Rousse (@Roussemarion) February 21, 2024
"Whatever Mr Lefevere's feelings towards me, it is unacceptable to attack our private lives as he does," she wrote, before proceeding to drop the mic-drop line... "So no, I don't drink alcohol, never even."
"Missed for the holidays also because with a three-year-old we prefer to be in shape in the morning. You will also not succeed, as you have already mentioned to me, in preventing me from working to keep me busy and stay with Julian for the time of his career.
"I am passionate about the missions I carry out and know that I have a lot of projects. But I tell you, under no circumstances do I allow you to talk about my private life. Thank you now for stopping talking wrongly and showing more respect and... class."
[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]
This is far from the first time Lefevere has come under fire for his words in the press. It's almost a year to the day since he was heavily criticised after claiming that women’s cycling is "being pushed artificially" and that many pros "are not worth" the current minimum wage set by the UCI.
Last year too Lefevere accused Alaphilippe of "hiding" behind crashes and illness, while Remco Evenepoel said his boss, as well as his father, would be "better off keeping quiet" following contract speculation and rumours in the press.
Some of Lefevere's most grimmest claims came in the form of his 2021 verbals against Sam Bennett, whose Tour de France absence saw Mark Cavendish step in and win four stages to match Eddy Merckx's record, and included saying the Irishman had "played with his balls" by returning to competition with the Irish national team.
And it was in his Het Nieuwsblad column too where he compared Bennett's return to Bora-Hansgrohe to a "woman who still returns home after domestic abuse". Nice boss to work for...
Pre-race favourite Adam Yates is out of the UAE Tour. Yates' abandon came after a heavy crash [below] during stage three, the British climber continuing for a short while before stepping off during the ascent to the finish at Jebel Jais.
المرشح الأول وقائد فريق «الإمارات» آدم ييتس يتعرض لحادث ويكمل السباق#طواف_الإمارات#UAETourpic.twitter.com/ZDUKtYK594
— قناة أبوظبي الرياضية (@ADSportsTV) February 21, 2024
It appeared Yates was back on his bike very quickly after the fall, prompting some to question if the appropriate concussion checks were made, concerns not yet addressed by the 31-year-old's team or the race itself...
Why the hell is Yates not being checked for concussion? Completely ridiculous that he's back on the bike without a concussion check after hitting his head this hard
— Jens Dekker (@jens_dekker) February 21, 2024
With Yates out, the door was opened to his teammates and rivals who sensed opportunity in the absence of the race's leading climbing talent. UAE Team Emirates set the pace, a monstrous shift seen by Mikkel Bjerg at the head of the peloton, but it was Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale who earned the day's victory with some clever teamwork and a perfectly timed two-up attack at one kilometre to go, setting up Ben O'Connor for solo victory.
الأسترالي بين أوكونور يفوز بالمرحلة الثالثة من طواف الإمارات..
شاهد إثارة اللحظات الأخيرة قبل خط النهاية.. #طواف_الإمارات#UAETourpic.twitter.com/r5tJkKrbRP
— قناة أبوظبي الرياضية (@ADSportsTV) February 21, 2024
The Australian climber was followed home by compatriot Jay Vine, who takes the race lead from teammate Brandon McNulty.
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
[Zac Williams/SWpix]
Soudal Quick-Step team boss Patrick Lefevere making headlines with eye-catching comments about his own riders? Never...
Speaking to Flemish newspaper Humo ahead of the start of the classics this weekend, Lefevere accused two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe of "too much partying" and "too much alcohol", adding that in November he told one of his star riders that "if you mess up one more time, I'll fire you on the spot".
[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]
Addressing the Frenchman's lack of results in 2023, Lefevere said he believed the explanation is Alaphilippe's partying, and suggested "Julian is seriously under the spell of Marion [Rousse, his partner]".
"Maybe too much. Julian is a young dog full of energy — you should let him cross in the yard every now and then. And you must also say: this far and no further. There is still a bad boy inside him," Lefevere said.
"I spoke to him in November last year, in the presence of Marion and his manager Dries Smets. I said: 'It cannot continue like this. If you mess up one more time, I'll fire you on the spot.' The message has arrived. He is getting back together."
Coincidentally, the team's own podcast aired today, a new episode with Alaphilippe featuring his admission that he has "lost that feeling" of "competing for victory" over the last two seasons.
"I want to become the best version of myself again, I believe that is possible. Now I just lack some self-confidence," the 31-year-old, who has just begun the final year of his contract with the team, said.
Alaphilippe finished sixth on GC at the Santos Tour Down Under and will line up for Soudal-Quick Step at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad this Saturday.
Let's get Wednesday underway with some more footage from PassPixi, the cyclist behind the range of magnetic warning patches to tell drivers it might be best to be safe, considerate and smile, because you're on camera...
Of course, none of the above would be necessary if everyone out there showed as much competency as this Dinsdale Contracts lorry driver.
"Watch and learn, my fellow motorists… great stuff from this Dinsdale Contracts driver. I got a cheery pip-pip too for slowing up and holding left," PassPixi said.
Watch and learn, my fellow motorists… great stuff from this Dinsdale Contracts driver. I got a cheery pip-pip too for slowing up and holding left #cyclingpic.twitter.com/59vCtSvyRI
— PassPixi (@PassPixi) February 20, 2024
Refreshing. As was the reaction, a couple of attention-seeking replies aside, everyone getting involved to think about how much safer the roads could be if this was the norm.
Road User 101: "Nice example of why there doesn't need to be so much grief on our roads. Helping large vehicles to pass is easy and rarely time consuming. Passing safely is essential and rarely holds you up much, anyway."
Andy Fallon: "It doesn't take a lot does it? [I've] Done similar, flat road approaching a bend, nothing coming so slowed down so lorry could out, passed and in with no issues. Cost me about five seconds."
Here's another positive one...
This fantastic @PP_OConnor driver should give lessons on how to pass people on bikes!!! Love it #cyclingpic.twitter.com/DUIb6GNahG
— PassPixi (@PassPixi) February 7, 2024
Worth highlighting the good ones that should set the standard when we get a chance, after all we've got more than enough in the archives at the other end of the scale.