If you hadn’t been keeping count, the “Hell of the North”, Paris-Roubaix is less than three week away. And the feared, mythical pavé sections of the race, built in the 19th century tend to come loose every so often due to bad weather, wear and tear, and large vehicles going over them.
As one would expect, it’s not just going to make the race more challenging, but also a lot more riskier and unsafe as the potholes left by the loose cobbles get filled up with water, making it dangerous for the riders.
So each year before the race, the forçats du pavé from Les Amis de Paris–Roubaix, a group of fans of the race formed in 1983, look after the route, seeking to keep the course safe for riders while maintaining its difficulty. But this year, they have been aided in their noble pursuit by some students.
Paris-Roubaix: des étudiants restaurent un chemin pavé avant le début de la course pic.twitter.com/KHRBBvfh8Q
— BFMTV (@BFMTV) March 19, 2024
BFMTV reports that this year, students from the Lomme horticultural high school have also volunteered to refurbish a section of the course in Mons-en-Pévèle, one of the most gruelling and bone-breaking parts of the track 60 kilometres from the finish and classified five stars, implying the most difficult level.
A student explained: “We will first remove all the stones. We will then remove the earth, the sand, everything that was in there and we will be able to bring everything back to level.”
“Then, we fill the wheelbarrows to put them in the trench that we created yesterday so that it is flat and prevents water from seeping in,” added another. The cobbles are then placed again in a staggered pattern.
Frédéric Vergelle, trainer in landscaping at the Lomme horticultural high school said: “Large ruts are caused by the passage of heavy vehicles which will cause the loosening of paving stones and the formation of large puddles.”
Meanwhile, Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix has also started their repair works.
New work zone : Haveluy 🙈😁 pic.twitter.com/2PIKKEJEq2
— Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix (@A_ParisRoubaix) March 18, 2024
I wondered on the live blog yesterday, if the Volta was also going to be an "easy spin with some friends" after the Slovenian called the fastest ever Milan-San Remo as such.
And by the looks of it, it seems that's the case partially once again — stage two, with a treacherous summit finish atop the frigid, wet, and snowy mountains, at the Vallter 2000, the highest road climb in Catalonia, looked to be an "easy spin", although he was missing a few friends. In fact, all of them.
Because at ten kilometres to go, Pogačar who was pacing the peloton by leading in the front, blew the rest of the field to bits with another of his smooth, effortless attacks, leaving the rest of the riders staring in awe.
🏆 @TamauPogi, imperial a @Vallter2000!
🏔️Tadej Pogačar @TeamEmiratesUAE, el rey de Vallter!
💥No rival for Pogačar at Vallter!#VoltaCatalunya103pic.twitter.com/x0NVi0wWSd
— Volta a Catalunya (@VoltaCatalunya) March 19, 2024
His former teammate Mikel Landa, now at Soudal Quick-Step, was the only one who could follow, along with Bora-Hansgrohe's Aleksandr Vlasov, although the young ebullient Frenchman Lenny Martinez did make a few valiant attempts to do so.
Pogačar conceded that the climb wasn't too easy though. "It was tough, you could feel the altitude and the weather made it more difficult," he said after finishing the race. "I was just riding at my own pace. Nothing special."
I would like to disagree. I think we are witnessing something quite special, in fact.
Ross Mendham, a former Dragons' Den contestant who earned £60,000 of investment on the show, appeared in court yesterday having been arrested for breach of bail conditions, although Norfolk Police have said he will not face action for the crash...
The Welsh Conservative party seems to have performed a miracle: They have posted something so absurd and asinine that Twitter, the graveyard of coalition and reason, has united in shaming and lampooning their remark that “Labour and their lycra clad lobbyists are slowing Wales down with their blanket 20mph speed limit”.
The Welsh Government, which is in the process of electing Vaughan Gething as its new First Minister after the surprise resignation of Mark Drakeford, introduced a 20mph speed limit not to a rapture of applause, but raised eyebrows, controversies and conspiracy theories (the last one seems the natural public reaction to most things now) last year.
Despite the directive just calling for roads and streets with a 30mph speed limit to be reduced to 20mph, with local councils still ultimately holding the power to have the final say on it, Conservatives have taken up the issue as if people are being forced to drive down the M4 or the A470 at 20mph speeds.
And while the Westminster Tory Government continues to pledge its allegiance to drivers to halt the so-called ongoing “war on motorists” and continue its “angry rhetoric” on traffic calming measures like low traffic neighbourhoods, 20mph speed limits, and even public transport schemes, the Welsh wing of the party has taken it upon themselves to mount an assault on the 20mph warriors — you know, road safety campaigners, transport experts, and mums and dads who want safety for their children.
And the next step in its assault has come in the form of a Twitter post yesterday, with the most shoddy use of Photoshop I’ve seen in a while, and that’s bearing in mind the Princess of Wales’ latest endeavours with it.
🥀 Labour and their Lycra clad lobbyists are slowing Wales down with their blanket 20mph speed limit.
💪 We will SCRAP Labour and Plaid's blanket 20mph speed limit and get Wales moving.
🚨 Enforcement begins today. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/htzXERsm73
— Welsh Conservatives 🏴 (@WelshConserv) March 18, 2024
The Welsh Conservatives wrote: “We will SCRAP Labour and Plaid's blanket 20mph speed limit and get Wales moving,” with a cyclist wearing a jersey and a helmet, made to seem as if they’re holding a speed gun pointing at a car.
And cyclists, not just the lycra clad ones, mind you, have blasted the post.
I’m not Lycra clad at all but walk/cycle/usePT and applaud the 20mph rules. Have you seen how much carnage is caused by speeding? Lots #cycle, not your lazy clickbait types. pic.twitter.com/ecv26CcBQx
— Ruth Mayorcas (@RuthMayorcas) March 18, 2024
“Ahhh, so basically, you don't care about children being able to walk around their neighbourhoods or to school safely,” wrote James Stafford, while Nick Hawksworth wrote: “This is why nobody likes Tories anymore; Name calling nasty party.”
One person replied saying: “Playground comments about clothes are disgusting and fuel road crime. Shame on you,” while another commented: “Way to alienate people and the proof that you are finished as a government nationally, certainly becoming more and more irrelevant in Wales.”
Folks, do you think they may have read too much into its one-off win in the Uxbridge by-elections, opposing London’s ultra-low emission zones?
> Whose ULEZ is it anyway? Political chicanery as clean air zone set to expand to outer London
Here are some more replies on the tweet…
Seems you misunderstood what a 20mph speed limit on urban roads are about, I've put it in picture terms for you. pic.twitter.com/zs9YlzZgQo
— James Stafford (@Jamesdestafford) March 18, 2024
Are these Lycra clad lobbyists? pic.twitter.com/Krhj3JLKvz
— Ian Barnes (@Ianbarnes2001) March 18, 2024
This is what you're doing here, not just supporting the abuse but using it in your campaigning, you are encouraging and enabling people to take out their anger and frustrations on people cyclinghttps://t.co/4ZVD3Bqqyk
— ReCyclingDave (@cycling_dave) March 18, 2024
Despite me cynically looking for them, not a single anti-cycling or pro-Tory comment in the replies! Have the Tories managed to unite Twitter?
The irony deepens when you consider that just three years ago, senior members of the Welsh Tories were calling on the Welsh Government to bring in a 20mph limit calling it a “common sense” plan.
And funnily, some of the lycra clad cyclists they accuse of lobbying the government into making the nationwide changes are the same ones who are going to be somewhat negatively affected by the blanket speed limit, in losing many routes previously used for time trials.
In November last year, Cycling Time Trials (CTT) introduced a ban on events taking place on roads with 20mph speed limits, with existing courses in such areas going to have to be scrapped or modified to avoid the zones. Many cyclists feared that this would spell the end of safe time trial courses and could be the tip of the iceberg for British racing.
I think they’re giving us too much credit. If the lycra lobby were indeed so powerful, maybe they’d fix up all the potholes first…
Actually, make that two. (I'm only excited because I'm not climbing, but instead going to be watching from my couch)
We know one rider who's probably excited about the stage two finish!#VoltaCatalunya103📺: Peacock pic.twitter.com/fZkdeBgRMd
— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) March 19, 2024
Of all the places you could have put this @SheffCouncil you put it slap bang in the middle of a #cycle lane! pic.twitter.com/GZUSEmgiye
— CyclingInASkirt (@CyclingInASkirt) March 18, 2024
If you missed last week’s big news story, former Saturdays star and BBC Radio 1 DJ Mollie King gave us all a reason and inspiration to get on our bikes and attempt something outside our comfort zones.
In memory of her father Stephen, who died of a brain tumour in 2022, she took on the challenge of riding her bike from London to Hull — that’s 500 kilometres — without having ever cycled on the road before, and ended up raising £1.1 million for charity Comic Relief in the process.
However, viewers have complained that she wasn’t given enough airtime. One BBC viewer fumed: “Five days of cycling for just five seconds of airtime for Mollie King. Poor form.” And a second raged: “Mollie cycles five days straight for Comic Relief, but more airtime is given to British Airways.” A third added: “I thought the same! @MollieKing did an amazing job!”
On crossing the finish after five days of suffering on the saddle, King said: “This week has been time for me to think about what’s happened, to think about my dad and to process the fact that everyone’s donated so much. I wish I could thank everybody individually. It has been such a team effort. I cannot thank everybody enough.”
“Matt, these past few days have been so tough,” she told her radio co-host. “And I would not have got there today if you had not been there by my side. You talked me back onto that bike when I couldn’t do it anymore. If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t be here.”
Just a moment, dropping a DM in Jeremy Vine's inbox...
Making its way to our list of wonderfully peculiar but lovely cycling competitions is the latest entrant: Beachy Head World Championship Penny Farthing Hill Climb TT.
Don't let the elaborate name get to you, it's as simple as it sounds. You climb a hill as fast as you can on a penny farthing with a wheel diameter in excess of 46 inches — come on, this is not the UCI, we take our rules and regulations seriously here.
Back for a seventh year, this is the only cycling event of it's kind in the world specifically for penny farthings, taking place in Eastbourne, East Sussex on 11th August. The course if 4.69km with an elevation gain of 150m, with riders setting off at an interval of one minute to tackle the climb to Beachy Head.
"The quickest riders take just over 13 minutes to reach the finish line", says Visit Eastbourne. "We expect around 25 to 30 riders this year, with the final rider arriving at the top at around 11am. A prize giving ceremony will then take place where the winner will receive the 'Block of Wood' trophy containing the names of past winners."
After reigning world champion Mathieu van der Poel bowled one over your live blog host's head by sharing a video of himself at the Canyon headquarters in Koblenz, Germany, and raising my hopes for a new bike drop but instead announcing a mammoth 10-year deal with his bike brand of choice, it's Mark Cavendish's turn to appear at Wilier's HQ in Rossano Veneto, Italy.
So it can naturally mean one thing only right? A 10-year deal for Cav? Bring it on, he's just getting started!
Won the lottery recently? Found €30,000 down the back of the sofa? Looking for a new bike to take you into summer? Well, Pope Francis might just be the man to call...