Well, if he can do it, surely I can too? *completely ignores the fact that I can’t any of the other things he can*
But the point still stands — I still have a couple things in common with arguably the best rider of this generation, the Slovenian wonder machine who just seems to keep getting better and better with each race, Tadej Pogačar. The first one being that we both don’t mind drinking a pint of the good stuff after a hard day’s work, the other… well, I’ll get back to you on that.
In an interview with the Dutch news publication HLN, Pogačar’s agent Alex Carrera said that the freshly crowned champion of Giro d’Italia sometimes drinks beer after finishing races.
When asked if it was indeed true, Carrera, who’s also the agent of other names in the peloton such as Cian Uijtdebroeks and Jasper Philipsen, said: “It hasn't happened yet in this Giro. But yes, before. The evening before the final stage of the Volta a Catalonia, Tadej talked to me for a long time and drank one beer.
“One won’t hurt. It is conducive to recovery and helps to relax. Cycling has changed a lot in recent years, but the rider's head is still more important than the legs. By the way, who won the final stage in Catalonia?”
If you’re looking for the answer, it was indeed Pogačar who won the sprint finish on the streets of Barcelona, after a week of utter domination where he won four stages out of the seven, in what would be his first stage-race GC win of 2024.
And as you’d expect, cycling fans are chuffed at this latest information, with one person on social media saying: “It's official boys. Post ride beers are good for you!”, while another added: “Beer and cycling go together like chammies and seats.”
Another thing we can be certain of now is no chance of Pogačar moving to Visma Lease a Bike, given boss Richard Plugge’s dislike for brews, or at least his riders having one.
Anyone know of any team bosses super-chill with their riders drinking beer? How about Marc Madiot, who told Plugge to “shut his mouth” after he pointed out that the French team’s riders were drinking beer on the rest day at last year’s Tour de France? Folks, you heard it here first, Tadej Pogačar to Groupama-FDJ, here we go!
Marc Madiot approves this message. Jumbo doesn't...
— Margeride (@Fmargeride) May 31, 2024
In the meantime, maybe Pogačar can try and get Tom Pidcock to down a couple pints with him… Or maybe he just doesn't like Amstel.
XO Bikes, a charity-owned bike shop that trains ex-offenders to become bike mechanics, has launched the Recycle To Work Scheme, meaning you can now buy a budget used bike through the Cycle to Work Scheme.
The bikes from XO Bikes are primarily aimed at those looking for sub-£1,000 budget, typically costing in the hundreds of pounds, rather than in the thousands. Their stock consists of reliable workhorses from well-known brands, including Giant, Specialized, Pinnacle, Carrera, and Decathlon’s Triban.
So far, four scheme providers have got on board with XO Bikes’ new idea, GCN reports. The first providers to sign up have been GoGeta, the Green Commute Initiative, Cyclescheme and Vivup, but the company’s hopeful that more will join them.
The conception of XO Bikes came about when four years ago, Stef Jones began volunteering in HMP Brixton Chaplaincy and soon started coming across folks who couldn’t find jobs due to their prison record.
Two years later, Jones, along with Rob Love who has experience in management and operations, created Onwards & Upwards – a charity that creates businesses specifically to inspire, train and employ formerly imprisoned people, with XO Bikes as the first of their five businesses so far.
Since getting off the ground in March 2022, they’ve trained 44 mechanics to Velotech Gold Standard, over half of whom are now in full-time employment in the cycling industry.
The bizarre story of a cyclist who was accused of fleeing an amateur French stage race after allegations of motor doping were levelled against him has taken another turn, after the cyclist - Giovambattista Iera - has furiously denied all allegations of wrongdoing through a statement distributed via his lawyer.
Through lawyers, Iera says he has "already been convicted by the press without any evidence", strongly denying that he cheated at Les Routes de l'Oise stage race or played any part in assaulting the race director...
If you aren’t familiar with Travis and Sigrid by now, under what rock have you been living? The London cyclist quickly shot to social media fame for riding around London streets with the most adorable ball of fluff, Sigrid, a deaf Norwegian Forest cat, in his front basket, and have collected 310,000 followers on Instagram and more than 26 million likes on TikTok (hey, he even came on our road.cc podcast!)
> Meet Travis the human and Sigrid the cat, the viral sensations who have just switched to an e-bike
However, as anyone would know fame doesn’t come without its perils. Well in this case, the perils are the daily problems cyclists have to face on the roads, which can range from the average roadside shock jock to the drivers who can put entire lives at risk.
And unfortunately, they haven’t been immune to these perils. Last November, the pair were knocked off their bikeby a moped rider, only for advice from a police officer pulling up at the scene in an unmarked car with blue lights flashing recommending the cyclist wears a helmet.
The crash footage was shocking enough, with Sigrid falling from the HumanForest hire bike's basket towards the moped. All involved were thankfully uninjured, aside from a “bruised up butt cheek and aching knee”, Travis told us.
Now in the latest video shared by the cyclist, full name Travis Nelson, the duo can be seen riding in South Bank, London, when a coach driver passes them at an flinchingly close distance by a coach driver in a Kings Coaches bus, a London tours company.
Just another day on the streets of London. pic.twitter.com/vLD489zA8o
— Travis and Sigrid (@sigirides) May 30, 2024
And shockingly, or un-shockingly depending on how cynical you’re feeling today, peeps on social media have found Travis at fault for “riding too close” to the bus when he had “acres of space” to move to his left.
“How far away were you from the kerb? The poor coach driver had no where to go,” wrote one Twitter user, before being swiftly reminded by several that Travis was “following the highway code unlike the coach driver”.
And true enough, Highway Code’s Rule 72 states that you should position yourself in the centre of the lane “to make yourself as clearly visible as possible”, while Rule 167 says that the following driver should not overtake when approaching a junction, as they were.
Travis has since then shared another video which shows a better footage of the coach driver overtaking him. He also mentioned that he’s reported the close pass to the Met police. road.cc has contacted Kings Coaches asking for comment.
Not being honest about what exactly? I know it's very common for drivers to lie through their teeth, but cyclists generally tell the truth. We have the receipts. pic.twitter.com/djKI228CEH
— Travis and Sigrid (@sigirides) May 31, 2024
Former winner of the 8-day French stage race Critérium du Dauphiné, Chris Froome, after finishing almost 18 minutes behind the 20-year-old explosive Groupama-FDJ rider Lenny Martinez at the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes, is set to start this year's race on Sunday. Anyone got the odds for betting on any new excuses? I mean, disc brakes are so 2021...
We're looking forward to what promises to be a thrilling week of racing at the @dauphine👊
🔹 Former winners @chrisfroome and @jakob_fuglsang feature in the IPT line-up
🔹 First starts in the race for @DerekGee7 and @MasonHollyman#Dauphiné🇫🇷 #YallaIPTpic.twitter.com/lf6qAHgI1J— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) May 31, 2024
A video shared by cyclist who has been frequently posting videos on their social media and YouTube account, has shared yet another video of 13, yes, 13 drivers going through a temporary roadworks red light, without even slowing down.
I wonder how the goalposts will shift this time?
13 Motorists drive through a red traffic light. pic.twitter.com/FAHD8Nva8z
— CycleGaz™ (@cyclegaz) May 31, 2024
Almost everybody who has ever jumped aboard a bicycle has, even for only a fraction of a second, fantasised about competing in a Grand Tour like the Giro d’Italia. There’s a unique excitement that comes with the idea of soaking up the sights and sounds of one of cycling’s greatest events, whilst competing against the world’s best bike riders.
Of course, the reality is that such experiences are reserved for the very few – those talented, dedicated and lucky enough to be among the riders selected to compete. Mere mortals can get close with Grand Tour-themed sportives or leisure rides that give a taste of the experience, but they never get to feel the same adrenaline-fuelled excitement of true competition.
But there is another way...
When a footpath is blocked by a car: "What's wrong with you? Just go round it"
When a residential street is closed to cars: "IT IS LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO GO ROUND THIS"— Prof. Ian Walker (@ianwalker) May 31, 2024
For episode 78 of the road.cc Podcast, we donned our reading glasses, grabbed our bikes, and headed over to the National Cycle Network, that underfunded, unwieldy, often fractured, but very important collection of routes, lanes, and paths used by cyclists across the UK and which forms the central subject of Laura Laker’s brilliant new book, Potholes and Pavements.
After an in-depth behind the keyboard chat with Laura, we then turn our attentions in part two to the upcoming general election, and what its outcome may mean for cycling and active travel, with Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, a senior research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, a think tank that earlier this month claimed the UK was “travelling in the wrong direction” when it comes to transport.