Welcome to Tuesday's live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MaMichael and the rest of the team.
11/06/2019, 12:22
Change of name for Team Dimension Data as parent company NTT rebrands business?
A change of name could be on the cards for Team Dimension Data as its sponsor's parent company NTT - in full, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, the fourth largest telecoms business in the world - brings the business under its own corporate identity.
Inner Ring's suggestion that the team could relaunch ahead of the Tour de France - a race for which Dimension Data also provides data services - seems like a good call.
Dimension Data brand name to vanish, replaced by parent company NTT of Japan https://t.co/bNiSXZ4WDJ No news on what this means for the cycling team yet, eg a relaunch for the Tour de France or something else
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) June 11, 2019
11/06/2019, 11:35
You couldn't make it up etc...
#awkwardpic.twitter.com/slpWc97QpE
— Alex fernihough (@A13ex_f) June 10, 2019
As Kil0ran says in the comments section, there is almost insufficient levels of popcorn in the world to get us through this Whyte vs Rich Energy saga - as a photo is now doing the rounds of Rich Energy Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean riding... a WHYTE mountain bike! Awkward...
11/06/2019, 09:31
And continuing the Twitter madness...
...Alex Dowsett, the Katusha-Alpecin pro cyclist has been casually schooling a disgruntled motorist on Twitter who got rather upset at having to pass a small group of riders who were riding two abreast.
If it’s not safe to overtake a car it’s probably not safe to overtake a cyclist. You’d still have to be on the other side of the road whether it be one cyclist or many. If the cyclists were to go single file they would be longer than a double decker bus 1/2
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019
2/2 thus requiring a larger overtake distance, which would be a higher risk to you and your passengers as well as the cyclists. This formation actually protects both you and the cyclists from an unsafe overtake. pic.twitter.com/9ddzVbaMhf
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019
3/2 I’m a driver and a cyclist, and I have sat behind cyclists until it’s safe to overtake, i timed the amount of time that passed until a safe opportunity to pass presented itself and I am overly cautious (as everyone should be). Less than 10s was the norm, 40s was the max.
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019
4/2 so I guess the follow up question should be, if an unsafe overtake were to be made, creating a risk of injury or worse, as well as a possible lawsuit for the driver, is it worth it for 5-40seconds added onto a journey?
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019
I know the question of an unsafe overtake was never part of your initial tweet so I’m not suggesting that was implied, I guess just extending the why of the cyclist’s formation towards motorists that may consider an unsafe overtake! Hope you understand where I’m coming from.
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019
They are 2up bud, just not exactly on the wheel, offset slightly
— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 11, 2019
It seems that the issue with this photo is that by sitting just off the wheel in front, which is a sensible group ride safety measure, the group appears to be 3 abreast in places. So, should we all be religiously sticking to the wheel in front of us?
11/06/2019, 08:40
Whyte Bikes still locked in bizarre online battle of words with energy drink brand, who were sued for copying the Whyte logo
Enjoy the free PR while you can guys. Those with an IQ higher than their age realise you are Mickey Mouse. Oh how we will laugh in due course. We are actually investing money in F1 whilst you are investing zero. Total parasites who knew about us for 2 years before piping up #F1
— Rich Energy (@rich_energy) June 10, 2019
For some context to the above, energy drink brand and sponsor of the Haas F1 team Rich Energy burst onto the scene with a logo that looked remarkably similar to the distinctive antler logo used by Whyte Bikes - Whyte noticed, and so took Rich Energy to court a couple of months ago and won quite convincingly. The judge said: "I am satisfied on the balance of probabilities that both Mr Kelly and Mr Storey (Rich Energy's CEO and web designer respectively) have lied about not being familiar with Whyte’s logo. I find it more likely than not that they were familiar with it, and that they directly and knowingly copied it."
Case closed? It appears not, as Rich Energy continue to use the logo and make childish swipes on social media. Whyte couldn't help but do some trolling of their own, placing their logo on a Mercedes F1 poster - to which Rich Energy's social media person clearly didn't get the joke, bizarrely saying in their Tweet above: we are actually investing money in F1 while you are investing zero".
The brand are still getting something of a pasting in the comments, we've picked some of the best for you below. Anyone actually ever seen a can of Rich Energy in a shop, by the way?
A bike company not investing into F1. What a disaster! No idea how @WhyteBikes will survive this..
But seriously though, please stop this unprofessional social media circus @rich_energy it's just immature
— AbsolutePowerUnit (@JhinGin) June 10, 2019
— Peter Russell (@PeterKuninch) June 10, 2019
Hey @HaasF1Team does this company represent your views? Calling other established companies, and people, parasites?
— Matthew Leppard (@leppard_matt) June 10, 2019
Wow have you guys employed @realDonaldTrump as your PR advisor
— Jamie Burke (@JamieRBurke) June 10, 2019
This just makes me want to buy a @WhyteBikes and I don't even ride a bike.
I have never seen something so unprofessional from a professional company. You claim you are a big brand yet noone heard of you before you sponsored @HaasF1Team
Tweets like this destroy brands
— james ward-gwilliam (@jameswardg) June 10, 2019
11/06/2019, 08:35
Why not?
Couldn’t believe my eyes! C. 70 year old gentleman cycling his wive up to Notting Hill among the busy traffic @RuthMayorcas@ToryCycling@RBKC@TfL@paulgannonbike@citycyclists@theJeremyVine@darrenmoorepic.twitter.com/HMm11aGpl9
— Michiel Joseph (@MichielJoseph) June 9, 2019
Just a shame about the congestion around them!