Pinarello says it has dropped 108g from the weight of its Dogma F road bike but that if you’re looking for those all-important marginal gains – and Pinarello-sponsored Ineos Grenadiers always is – the 0.2% reduction in drag makes more difference to your speed out on the road. In case you’ve forgotten, this is the bike that Ineos Grenadiers really, really didn’t want us to see at the Dauphiné earlier this month.
> New Pinarello Dogma F: the secret’s out… so is it a secret you’d want to keep?
We knew about it, we were all expecting it, and now it's finally here. After Wout van Aert was spotted riding a blue Cervélo two weeks ago, it was all but confirmed that Visma-Lease a Bike's Tour de France special kit was going to be, yes, you guessed it, blue. Because why not, as if there aren't enough blue kits in the peloton anyway.
So now that the kit's finally out of the bag (ha!), here it is in all of its glory, a special "Resnaissance" design takes over the bright honeybee yellow and black of the Dutch team to mark the Grand Boucle's Grand Départ in Florence this year.
Discover our Tour de France jersey: https://t.co/Ouli38Exvwpic.twitter.com/R7HTctRgQm
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 20, 2024
> Wout van Aert spotted on BLUE Cervélo amid Visma-Lease a Bike "leaked" Tour kit rumours
The team's website reads: "The 111th edition of the Tour de France makes its way from Florence to Nice, from the birthplace of the Renaissance to the land where it bloomed like never before. The Grand Départ takes place in the city of creative thinkers, revolutionary innovators, and versatile artists such as Michelangelo, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Donatello. These figures are emblematic of this unique period when the worldview shifted, placing humanity at the center and prioritising knowledge and progress."
Richard Plugge, CEO of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, said: "With this beautiful cycling jersey, we not only honour this historic period and beautiful city and region, but it also symbolises our dedication to innovation and renewal. This commitment extends both within our team and in our collaboration with partners.
Now if you ask me, that is a magnificent jersey. I'm a sucker for intricate patterns and the hues of blue and gold woven together looks amazing, in your live blogger's opinion. And it's leagues better than the horrendous jersey that got leaked a couple of weeks ago anyway.
However, the question still stands, did the peloton really need another blue kit? I think Visma's jersey parallels Bahrain Victorious' jersey situation last time around — a great kit, but just happens to be blue when there are so many other shades to choose from.
So let's put Visma's jersey to the ultimate test: the road.cc live blog poll!
Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, Wilco Kelderman, Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Wout van Aert, and Jan Tratnik.
Wow, that's strong, strong team. You know what, I can't wait for the next Saturday! Team Emirates vs Visma, Pogačar vs Vingegaard — let the fireworks go off!
The moment we have all been waiting for. We are very happy to announce our Tour de France line-up. ⚜️🔹#limitlessthinkingpic.twitter.com/Qmj2H9JinE
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 20, 2024
And that does prove that our tinfoil hat theory that Jorgenson's picture in the French Alps was indeed a soft launch of the Visma team, with only Kelderman and Kuss missing from the team's altitude training camp.
Jonas Vingegaard, the defending champion, who'll be looking to add a third maillot jaune to his wardrobe, said: "I am excited to start the Tour. The last few months have not always been easy, but I thank my family and Team Visma | Lease a Bike for their unwavering support. We have worked together to get to this moment, and of course, I am very excited to see where I stand. I feel good and very motivated."
Visma-Lease a Bike's Sporting Director Merijn Zeeman said: "I am very proud of Jonas and the coaching team. He is coming back from a serious injury. In the last few weeks, he has shown what a champion he is, both mentally and physically. Of course, we don't know how far he can go yet. We are being cautious because he has not been able to race, and his preparation has been less than ideal, to say the least. But he will be there, healthy and motivated."
The news that Vingegaard will be riding the Tour de France would come as a massive relief for many fans, after several doubts lingering over the Danish rider's ability to recover from the horror crash at the Itzulia Basque Tour and get fit in time.
And the cherry on the top is that Wout van Aert, the phenomenal puncheur and essentially a true all-rounder, who not only has the ability to win races himself but also crucially for the team, can determine the stage outcomes with his attacks, is also fit to race after his own crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen where he broke his collarbone and a couple of ribs.
Van Aert said: "I am really looking forward to the Tour de France. Of course, this was not the plan initially, but after my development in the last weeks, I really wanted it, and the team agreed. Our main goal is, of course, to ride a top classification with Jonas. I want to contribute to that with an excellent team."
Zeeman added: "Just like Jonas, Wout has had to deal with a considerable physical and mental blow. But once again, Wout has shown himself to be a rock-solid champion. His class as an athlete and leadership qualities add value to our team. We are happy to have Jonas and Wout at the start, together with an excellent team. And also in this unique Renaissance jersey that was unveiled today."
Alongside, Laporte, fresh off the back of winning Paris-Nice and the Dwars door Vlaanderen and finishing second at the Critérium du Dauphine, as well as Sepp Kuss who took the win at the Vuelta last year and is arguably the best domestique in the peloton, Jan Tratnik who won the Omloop het Nieuwsblad this year and Benoot who secured a podium position at the Amstel Gold Race — I repeat, that is one strong team.
Right after we saw the English team (they just went 1-0 up against Denmark by the way) on electric mountain bikes, with priceless reactions from Jude Bellingham, Jarrod Bowen, Jordan Pickford, and more, here's the Polish football team, who play Austria tomorrow, beating the rush hour traffic in Hannover.
The Polish national team beating traffic in Hannover. 💪🏼 👌🏼
Source: @emiliysh1r1n on TikTok#EURO2024pic.twitter.com/63FfJvqoaG
— De Filmende Fietser (@FilmendeFietser) June 19, 2024
I swear I've seen similar designs at a nearby Wetherspoons... Or as road.cc reader Paul J put it:
Colchester City Council has apologised and agreed to waive all fines recently – and mistakenly – issued to cyclists for allegedly breaching the local authority’s rules on cycling in pedestrian areas and on pavements, after local campaigners complained that people on bikes were being unfairly targeted by third-party “cowboy” wardens “running amok”, discouraging people from cycling in the city.
In a statement issued in the wake of road.cc’s in-depth examination of the controversy and the backlash from Colchester’s cycling community, the council admitted that it understands the “frustrations” of the city’s “responsible” cyclists concerning the implementation of its Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) – ostensibly designed to prevent anti-social, nuisance, and dangerous behaviour in the Essex city, but which local cyclists have claimed is being used as a “money-making scheme” by a private organisation contracted to the council.
Imagine going so quick that the driver almost launches the team car into the air trying to keep up with you... That's Josh Tarling for you all, Ineos Grenadiers' time trialling sensation who made it back-to-back wins at the British championships– and continued his fine preparation for the Olympics this summer – with another impressive ride on the 30km course around Catterick, North Yorkshire yesterday.
Josh Tarling going so quick the team car almost took off trying to keep up with him.@BritishCycling@INEOSGrenadierspic.twitter.com/bDxVaEfCkq
— Luke Dixon (@luuuuuukey) June 20, 2024
Looks like Visma-Lease a Bike has taken a page out of Arsenal using the Piccadilly Line's seat fabric as the design inspiration for its (training) kit... *this is a joke please don't sue me Richard Plugge*
— #SiempreGino (@NairoInGreen) June 20, 2024
And since you asked for more kit pictures, here you go...
First training in TDF jersey 😍 #limitlessthinkinghttps://t.co/9q52GFpZlNpic.twitter.com/QvItKs8zLj
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 20, 2024
Double Olympic gold medallist Katie Archibald is set to miss this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, after breaking two bones in her lower leg, ripping ligaments, and dislocating her ankle in a bizarre fall in her garden earlier this week.
In news that will leave a serious dent in the Great Britain track team’s medal hopes for Paris, Archibald – an Olympic champion in the team pursuit and Madison, and who won a rainbow jersey as part of GB’s team pursuit squad at last year’s world championships in Glasgow – confirmed in an Instagram post that she underwent surgery on Wednesday for a string of injuries, suffered after tripping over a garden step on Tuesday.
We dare you to say his name five times! You don't have to believe... just beware. Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Don't say again!
Somebody is going to get a nasty surprise when they come to pick up their bike in Lothian road #Edinburgh😱🐝 pic.twitter.com/7afGuOjjGF
— Nichola Kane (@NicholaKane_) June 19, 2024
Another case of cyclists simply trying to make life a little safer for themselves and others, and even then getting injured and hit by motorists on the road.
This latest incident comes from Chicago, where three volunteers from Bike Lane Uprising, a campaign to make reporting vehicles obstructing the cycle lanes easier in the USA and Canada, were hit by drivers while riding to and from events to advocate for making streets safer for cyclists.
No less than 3 of our volunteers have been hit in the last couple of weeks - all while coming or going to advocate for making Chicago streets safer for bicyclists. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before one of us are killed biking. pic.twitter.com/aTPGhtAKkP
— Bike Lane Uprising® (@bikelaneuprise) June 19, 2024
“No less than 3 of our volunteers have been hit in the last couple of weeks - all while coming or going to advocate for making Chicago streets safer for bicyclists. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before one of us are killed biking,” the organisation wrote on Twitter.
They added that one volunteer was hit a few weeks ago, and a second volunteer knocked unconscious while cycling back from a town hall event for the campaign. They woke up in the hospital with a bloodied face, with the doctors having to cut their Bike Lane Uprising t-shirt from their body.
And finally, the third volunteer had just helped get the first volunteer (who got injured a few weeks ago) to a train station after a presentation event, and shortly after that they were clipped by a driver who never even stopped to see if they were okay.
The white shirt pictured above belongs to the third volunteer, while the one below, which had to be cut off after the crash, belong to the second.
Volunteer #2’s shirt after it was cut off them by medics. They were biking home after tabling a town hall event for us. They woke up in the hospital. No idea what happened. pic.twitter.com/oaSyhGLM6Z
— Bike Lane Uprising® (@bikelaneuprise) June 19, 2024
“It's always the same. Fight for resources. Car lobby will always fight for it when cyclists demand their cycle lanes. It's easy to use cars as weapons because laws have been made to favour car drivers even if they kill. Solution: Putting more cycling advocates in Public life,” wrote Jaswinder Singh in the replies.
If any product harmed and killed as many people as cars do, it would be pulled from the shelves.
— hojichasunrise (@hojichasunrise) June 19, 2024
And unfortunately, this sort of incident isn’t unheard of here in the UK. Last year, a recently elected councillor was riding on a designated “safe cycle path” to a road safety meeting in Oxfordshire, when a motorist cut across her and clipped her wheel. She ended up undergoing surgery after sustaining multiple injuries, including a nasty facial wound.
The councillor later noted that it was “ironic” that she was hit by a driver on her way to a meeting called to discuss the potential for road safety improvements in Oxfordshire.
Describing the alleged hit-and-run collision, which took place at the junction of Fern Hill Road, as the bike path briefly enters a residential area, the councillor said: “I wasn’t going fast because I am a cautious cyclist, and I was going downhill and had my hands on the brakes. I must have been going at about 10 miles per hour.
“He came right into my blind spot. I was just thinking ‘he’s not going to stop’, and within a second of thinking that, he hit my back wheel. I rolled over the wing of the car and hit the pavement with my head and my knees.
“You don’t expect it as a cyclist when you are on a safe cycle path for someone to come into the side of you.”
A judge has ordered Kaitlin Armstrong, who was sentenced last November to 90 years in prison for the murder of Moriah Wilson, to pay the leading gravel cyclist’s family $15 million in damages.
The parents of Anna Moriah Wilson, known as Mo, filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Armstrong in a bid to ensure that the convicted killer never stands to profit from any potential book or film deal based on the murder, which attracted widespread media attention around the world and left the United States’ close-knit cycling community in shock.
In another unfortunate piece of news, Birmingham Police said that it was investigating after a “cyclist died in a collision with a car in Birmingham yesterday” — and cyclists are giving the force stick for ignoring mentioning the driver.
“There's always a cyclist but never a driver. There's always a car but never a bike,” wrote one cyclist in the replies.
Cyclist dies in a collision with a DRIVER. Fixed it for you @BrumPolice
My condolences to the family. https://t.co/7SB4Va7wkl
— 🚴🏻♂️Ralpha (aka Phil)🚴🏻♂️ (@2wheelsnot4) June 19, 2024
The force added: “The cyclist, a 48-year-old man, was sadly declared dead at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by officers.
“The driver of the black Ford Focus, a man aged 68, was not injured and remained at the scene. He is helping with our investigation.”
Det Sgt Paul Hughes, from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We’re appealing for anyone who saw what happened, or who has dash cam or other footage, to do the right thing and get in touch.”
Meanwhile, Team GB triathlon athlete and cycling and walking campaigner from Birmingham, Sarah Chaundler said: “If you look on Crashmap’s website you’ll see in the last 10 years, there’ve been 100+ collisions within roughly a 50m radius of where he was killed. These streets just aren’t safe.”
A first-time Grand Départ in Italy, and an unprecedented finish outside Paris as the race concludes in Nice on the Côte d’Azur – whatever else happens on this year’s 111th edition of the Tour de France, those two aspects alone will make it a unique and, let’s hope, memorable one.
Stop me if you've heard this before: A former member of France's National Assembly on cocaine getting chased by the police on Paris bike lanes for speeding...