Over on Threads, roadie.tony shares some great videos summing up the experience of a cyclist here in the UK. Recently he posted the video below — and while many of his posts contain relaxing footage of gravel trails or road-riding in the pleasant winter sun, this one’s a less enjoyable watch.
As cyclists are slower and more vulnerable on steep climbs, particularly in this urban setting with a hefty door zone and consistent traffic in both directions, Tony (quite reasonably and politely, we'd suggest) simply asked for a little bit of patience from motorists... "Please be aware and give us more room than you usually would," he asked.
You probably see where this is going as — along with the discussion among cyclists that it prompted, including some advising to ride in primary position and away from the door zone, deterring close passes and staying free from any swinging doors — there were the usual depressingly predictable comments too.
"Or you know, unmount, push your bike, and don't be a bother to other road users?"
"There is no space for a cyclist, no extra line, don't be there."
"If you're not able to hold your vehicle straight, you shouldn't use public road."
"If you can't do at least half of the speed of traffic dismount and walk on the sidewalk... I'd never for my own safety do something like this unless I can keep pace with rest of traffic."
"The fact that you rode into that bottleneck without turning to look is insane, you created the most dangerous part of this situation. The rest wasn't really that bad."
The bucketloads of more than questionable 'advice' that funnily enough isn't in the Highway Code, probably tells us how seriously we should be taking these comments. Thankfully, given the fact this is Threads and not the cesspit of a certain other social media site, there were plenty of replies that were from Tony's actually followers and fellow cyclists.
"Little bit of patience saves lives. Stay safe mate."
"That's not 1.50 m distance. None of them."
Tony's since shared a follow-up video with some thoughts:
This Kask visor, seen here on Filippo Ganna during last year's World Championships and which has been in use since 2022, has been banned by the UCI. Velo reports the UCI jury told teams ahead of yesterday's UAE Tour TT that it wasn't to be used, leaving Ineos Grenadiers in a bit of a pickle.
Clearly it wasn't too much of an issue, Josh Tarling winning the stage, team sports director Oli Cookson explaining how a "good resolution" was found.
"Obviously the result there, I don't think it would have changed the result, if you look at the time difference there," he said. "But no, all good. We're always looking to work within the rules and also to push the sport forward, and that will be with our sponsors and the materials as well. I think there's always that balance.
"There's a lot of good people in the team, and we had options in place. It was all done with Kask and we had other options. All good in the end."
There has been some confusion about the UCI's decision not least because... well, the visor was released way back in 2022 and has been raced ever since, not least by Filippo Ganna during his Hour Record success.
Was there ever any doubt?
The world champion is up and running for 2025, sprinting to victory on stage three of the UAE Tour. While a summit finish, yes, the Jebel Jais stage of the race seems to become a bit of a sprint every year; the shallow gradients, smooth tarmac and wind direction often keeping things together until the final kilometre.
To nobody's surprise it was Pogačar with the fastest kick to the line, the UAE Team Emirates rider looking likely to take the overall victory this week too. Shout out to Oscar Onley in second, while a battling ride from Josh Tarling keeps the British time trial star in second on GC, despite losing touch near the top.
A couple more sprints are up next for the peloton (unless the wind blows) before the final stage to Jebel Hafeet on Sunday will give Pogačar the chance to double his tally. Colnago has already been in touch to let everyone know the Slovenian rider was aboard the new aero bike, the Y1Rs today, another sign of how un-summit-finish-y Jebel Jais is as a climb.
The CiCLE Classic, Britain's answer to Paris-Roubaix or Strade Bianche, is still expected to mark its 20th anniversary this year having been abandoned due to heavy rain and flooding in 2024.
However, race director Colin Clews is facing a last-minute change to the route before Saturday 26 April, roadworks around the traditional finish town of Melton meaning plans will need to be changed.
"Despite the race plans being known to Leicestershire County Council for several months, it has come as a significant blow that only now has the race organisation been informed of restrictions upon road usage which pose a threat to the race's viability," Clews told the Melton Times.
"Thankfully Rutland County Council have responded positively to an urgent approach made to them to assist in the race finish, in addition to the race start, taking place within Oakham in 2025. But with just nine weeks to go before the race date, there is much to be done to ensure the race happens once again as planned."
The women's and junior races are unaffected and will run as planned on Sunday 23 March.
Not what we expected to see, but here's Supreme's SpongeBob-themed latest cycling collab with Castelli...
Our resident cycling cartoonist Jo, the artist behind the Mint Sauce collection, is "conflicted" but is happy to admit the "image on the arse of the shorts is genius". Maybe this is one for the cool Gen Z kids, although it's always fun to see a brand like Supreme take an interest in cycling.
The collection is part of Supreme's Spring-Summer 2025 collection and also features a water bottle, socks (aero, of course) and cap. Thoughts?
Shades of those iconic EF Pro Cycling x Rapha x Palace kits. I feel like dusting the poll machine off.
Changing cables (if you still have 'em), punctures, bleeding disc brakes, replacing a bottom bracket? What maintenance work do you do at home and what do you leave to a bike shop and the professionals? It's a topic Rebecca explored in this feature you might have seen on the site already.
I thought we'd share some comments on the blog this morning as home maintenance is always a topic that gets plenty of discussion and, frankly, we like reading about it, so here.
mark1a: "I do a fair amount of my own maintenance on the fleet, for me it's not really about saving money, especially once the equipment cost is taken into account, it's about doing it at my own convenience rather than having to book in elsewhere, and the enjoyment and satisfaction of working on bikes as a hobby without the pressure of having to do it as a day job. I also keep a few consumables in my workshop (chains, cassettes, tyres, cables, brake pads, etc), and did a Cytech training course a few years ago too. As well as my own stuff, I do the odd job for friends and family if they can't afford to take something to the shop.
"Decent LBS around my way were a bit scarce for a while, up until a few years ago the two nearest shops I trusted were an equidistant 30 miles in opposite directions from home. However a new place has recently opened in town which I go to for certain jobs (use it or lose it), for example, things that only need doing on occasion such as hydraulic brake bleeding, frame facing, etc, it's worth booking in and paying for.
"Finally, one point not mentioned in the article, which can make a huge difference in running costs and can save a lot of money - is having the facilities and know-how to carry out timely servicing on the drivetrain. Keeping it clean and properly lubed, and knowing how to use a chain checker can make the difference between just replacing a chain, and facing a bill for chain, cassette and chainrings."
I'll echo that mark1a, I love picking out a particularly grim-looking weather forecast around March/April to get a whole bunch of pre-spring/early summer maintenance done... servicing everything after a long winter, stripping it all down, cleaning, re-greasing, re-torquing, new cables, brake pads, any drivetrain replacements, bar tape, perhaps even ditching the winter tyres, all over a couple of days I'd be avoiding the rain anyway, getting everything crisp for those glorious spring weekends and summer rides.
It just guarantees getting it all done when I want, not around a shop's understandably hectic schedule, plus you get the satisfaction of the job. Anything more technical is normally just worth me taking it in, but for all that more basic stuff, controlling when it gets done is my priority. Nothing worse than your bike being in the shop when the weather's nice.
Anyway, enough of my rambling, back to the comments:
StevenCrook: "I do as much of my own maintenance as I can because I like to learn new stuff. Also it means I can operate independently if I need to and can get repairs and maintenance done when it's convenient for me."
Geoff H: "I enjoy working on my bikes! But for those rare jobs that take an expensive tools (and some expertise) that will sit ... and sit ... and sit. I leave to my LBS. For them it's just the cost of doing business and they will perform these jobs on a regular basis."
the infamous grouse: "I will happily pay for someone else to endure the faff of restoring wheel concentricity, trueness and dishing."