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Residents threaten to “pop bike tyres” after kids clear woodland of rubbish to create cycle track – as housing association fences off area due to “severe damage”; Cyclists v Sainsbury’s; Visma Control Room trolled; Tour hits Alps + more on the live blog

As the Tour heads back into France and up into the clouds, Ryan Mallon is hoping he’s packed his climbing legs for a high-altitude days of cycling news and views on the Tuesday live blog
Tue, Jul 02, 2024 09:41
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Residents threaten to “pop bike tyres” after kids clear woodland of rubbish to create cycle track – as housing association fences off area due to “severe damage”; Cyclists v Sainsbury’s; Visma Control Room trolled; Tour hits Alps + more on the live blogWoodland fenced off after children create bike track (Bon Afron Housing Association)
02 July 2024, 11:55
“They threatened to pop their tyres!” Local kids who cleared woodland of rubbish to create bike track accused of anti-social behaviour and causing “severe damage” by residents, as housing association fences off entrances to ward off young cyclists

A housing association in south Wales has come under fire from residents, after it fenced off the entrance to a woodland that was being used by children as a cycle track after the youngsters allegedly cleared it of litter.

Throughout June, the group of local kids, all around primary school age, spent their weekends clearing rubbish from Garw Wood, which runs between houses in Croesyceiliog, a suburb of Cwmbran, to create a makeshift bike park.

However, last week the Bron Afon community housing association fenced off the entrances to the ancient woodland, a decision it claimed was due to “anti-social behaviour in the area which has caused damage” – but which local parents have claimed was due to pressure from residents who had threatened and swore at the children.

Woodland fenced off after children create bike track (Bon Afron Housing Association)

“It was overgrown and full of brambles and has been for decades,” local resident Robin Willis, speaking to Nation Cymru, said of the woodland.

“And a group of local kids have gone in over the last three weekends and cleared it and made a little bike track – it’s only 200 or 300 yards.

“The area was overgrown and people have used it for a shortcut, and the boys have cleared rubbish out of there. They had four black bags of rubbish out of there and there were cans, glass, and plastic bottles.”

Mr Willis said that his children, aged nine and 10, heard the boys riding their bikes and that he was happy for them to join in.

“My boys heard them playing over the fence and they were all well-mannered boys. I got speaking to them, realised I knew their parents, and I had no problem with my boys playing with them,” he said.

The local resident also said he took a photograph of one of the black bags that the boys filled with rubbish when they were creating their homemade cycle track.

> “It will be like living next to a motorway!”: Residents oppose school’s BMX cycle track project out of fears that they’d lose their “peace” and “privacy”

However, the Bron Afon housing association has said that it has been contacted by “concerned local residents groups” who claimed that “severe damage” had been caused due to bark being removed from some mature trees.

These complaints prompted Bron Afon to install metal fences at each of the entrances to the woodland, which it says will remain close until the area is made “safe”.

The association added that it is concerned about the woodland being used for riding bikes, along with the creation of ramps.

It said that while the ramps may not “inherently harm the woodland, associated activities and lack of proper planning can lead to negative consequences”, including damage to trees, flowers, and the soil, and the disturbance of the “delicate eco system of the ancient woodland”.

It added that “increased human activity can disturb wildlife habitats, scare away animals, and disrupt natural processes”.

“We are sorry to tell you that we’ve had to fence off the entrances to Garw Wood in Croesyceiliog.  This is due to anti-social behaviour in the area which has caused damage,” the association said in a social media post.

“Once we make them safe, we will let you know when everyone can enjoy Garw Woods again.”

The association also denied claims that the bike-riding children had helped clear “decades” of rubbish from the area, instead insisting that its grounds maintenance team cleared “large amounts of litter (bottle, cans, and other litter)” from Garw Wood over the past week and that there was “no evidence of any being cleared”.

“The woodland is part of a regular inspection regime carried out by Bron Afon and regular woodland management has been carried out by Bron Afon and local resident groups over the past five to 10 years to encourage natural regeneration and growth of wild flowers, especially the bluebells,” a spokesperson said.

Child riding bike in Garw Wood, South Wales (Robin Willis)

Bron Afon’s claims that the children were causing damage has been disputed, however, by Robin’s wife Emma, who also claimed that the boys were subject to threats from residents angry at them cycling in the woodland.

“There wasn’t any damage and no anti-social behaviour,” she wrote on Facebook.

“The only harassment was coming from tenants of the flats by the woodland who were threatening the kids, swearing at them and threatening to pop their tyres!

“All the boys wanted to do was make a track to ride their bikes down, it was an absolute pleasure to hear them all having so much fun! As I said woodland areas always grow back, that’s nature for you. Those boys went home every day happy telling their parents about all the fun, and that they had they built something for them and were excited every day to go out and play!”

02 July 2024, 16:28
‘Look at those pesky youths doing exactly the type of thing I complain youths these days don’t do enough of. The little gits’
02 July 2024, 15:09
Tadej Pogačar wins stage four, 2024 Tour de France (ASO)
Tadej Pogačar lands first blow of Tour de France with stunning Galibier attack after flawless team performance, as flying Slovenian superstar opens up 45-second gap to Evenepoel and Vingegaard

All day long, you knew it was coming.

What initially appeared set to be a day for the breakaway – it’s too early for the GC contenders to really go for it, we thought, that descent at the end will negate things, we thought – soon turned into a classic Alpine war of attrition, as UAE Team Emirates’ white armada stamped their authority on an ever-dwindling bunch.

Into a headwind, one by one they set an asphyxiating pace as the Tour snaked into France the hard, mountainous way only it knows how, their stoic, impassive leader Tadej Pogačar ominously lurking in the background.

By the time they reached the foot of the Galibier proper and its increasingly steep slopes and gasping for breath altitude – the rest was just a draggy, annoying prelude, we had thought – many of his rivals were reaching the end.

On the Galibier, the doomed remnants of the breakaway reeled in, they dropped like flies. Yellow jersey Richard Carapaz, gone. 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas, gone. 2019 Tour winner Egan Bernal, gone. Dauphiné winner Matteo Jorgenson, and rest of Jonas Vingegaard’s hitherto dominant Visma-Lease a Bike team for that matter, gone.

But then we waited, for maybe longer than we expected. A quickly aborted stint by a fading Adam Yates gave way to some harrying and cajoling as Juan Ayuso was ushered to the front to share turns with João Almeida, a brief period of respite that allowed Primož Roglič (almost gone) to recover and regain the wheels.

Then it happened. Pogačar’s burst, with 900m left to the top, was predictably exhilarating, Vingegaard’s immediately response encouraging. But, like we saw more than a few times last year, the elastic began to stretch as the Slovenian, fully aware of how long he could sustain his searing pace, piled on the pressure.

Vingegaard, in his first test since that crash, ultimately ceded – but not by much, crossing the summit only eight seconds down on his eternal rival.

On the rapid descent down to Valloire, things stayed roughly the same, Vingegaard’s descending skills – deemed superior to Pogačar’s, at least before April – keeping him in sight of the rampaging attacker in the white. But halfway down the gap began expanding; a consequence, perhaps, of the Dane’s lack of confidence so soon after his Basque Country spill.

Meanwhile, Remco Evenepoel – the only one in the shot behind the big two in that final uphill kilometre – also came under pressure on the descent, dropping from third on the road to sixth, as Ineos Grenadier Carlos Rodriguez underlined his podium credentials.

The clearly in-form Belgian needn’t have worried too much, however, as those chasing Pogačar eventually coalesced, before he outsprinted them all for some vital bonus seconds.

All the big bonus seconds, and 35 seconds on the road besides, went to Pogačar, the 25-year-old driving hard to the line, aware that every second counts in a Tour that remains delicately posied.

And with a 45-second gap over Evenepoel and a 50-second gap over Vingegaard the top of the GC standings (with teammates Ayuso and Almeida also handily placed in the top eight), Pogačar and UAE certainly made their first foray into the mountains of this Tour count.

Vingegaard, for his part, will be buoyed by the fact he could respond to that initial searing attack, and easily lived with the best of rest, while remaining within a minute of Pogačar, so early on in a Tour that could have passed him by. He’ll be less content, however, with the apparent superiority of UAE over his Visma outfit, who have long been established as the Tour’s dominant team.

In any case, we definitely have a Tour de France on our hands.

02 July 2024, 16:16
Hold on, how fast was Pogi?

And into a headwind, too. Blimey.

Before you mention it, yes I know that those most recent comparisons were recorded during the final week of the Tour, and not during the fourth stage, but still.

That’s an extraterrestrial time, especially when you consider two of the ‘domestiques’ who helped set that blistering pace were able to latch onto the chasers and finish in the top eight of the stage.

I think the next three weeks are going to be fun…

02 July 2024, 16:11
“Don’t cross the road in front of the riders!”

Jeepers.

Now, that’s what you really don’t want to see when you’re plunging down an Alpine descent at 90kph.

And I thought the idiots in fancy dress running alongside the riders were dangerous enough…

02 July 2024, 15:58
“This was more or less the plan”

Day one in the mountains, and job number one very well done for UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar, who stamped their authority on the Tour with a peerless performance in the Alps, carving out the first real gaps of what promises to be a scintillating GC battle.

“I’m super happy. This was more or less the plan, and we executed it really well. It was a dream stage, and to finish it off solo is incredible,” the 25-year-old, back in yellow with a 45-second gap over Remco Evenepoel, and 50 seconds over reigning two-time winner Vingegaard, said at the finish.

“I wanted to hit hard today. I know this stage really well, and I’ve trained here for a lot of weeks. It felt like a home stage passing through Sestriere and Montgenèvre, so it was really nice racing here. And bonus seconds at the top, too.

“I had confidence at the start, and I had good legs, so I had to try. There was a lot of headwind on the climb, so it wasn’t too hard in the wheels. The team did a super good job and I didn’t want t go too early because of the wind, so I had to make all the difference I could in the last 800m.

“I knew the downhill, but I was a little bit surprised to see the wet road in the first few corners, so it was a bit scary! But this descent was super-fast and if you know the road, it helps.”

When asked about his current healthy lead after four stages, the Slovenian sensation added: “It’s very good news, and I’m happy to be in this place. And I’m very happy with my shape and how I feel on the bike. Let’s continue day by day.”

02 July 2024, 14:32
Yellow jersey Richard Carapaz dropped early on Galibier as UAE set scintillating pace

Looks like we’re set for yet another Tour GC leader, as EF’s Richard Carapaz is distanced with 6km to go to the top of the Col du Galibier as UAE Team Emirates, now led by Adam Yates on the front, set an absolutely relentless pace on the first massive climb of this year’s Tour:

And with Geraint Thomas and Visma’s Matteo Jorgenson, a key domestique for Jonas Vingegaard, now dropped, the Tour has well and truly started!

02 July 2024, 14:27
Police investigate incident which saw cyclist suffer fractured jaw, broken teeth, lacerations, and a concussion after being pushed off bike by car passenger
Sulham Hill (Google Maps)

> Cyclist seriously injured by car passenger who pushed rider off bike

02 July 2024, 14:10
Small avalanche at top of Galibier descent – but Tour organisers clear it in minutes

Remember all that snow at the top of the Galibier from a few weeks ago?

Well, some it ended up on the road about half an hour, just after the summit of the 2,642m-high climb, on the descent into Valloire:

Luckily, ASO was on the ball, as ever, and the road has been very, very quickly cleared.

Though just looking at the sheer power being put down by UAE Team Emirates on the Lautaret at the moment, in preparation for what appears to be the inevitable Tadej Pogačar attack, I wouldn’t be surprised if the entire Alps starting shaking.

Fire, snow, and a potential early GC battle? Today’s stage has had everything so far…

02 July 2024, 13:45
“All we asked for was support for shoppers who want to be more environmentally friendly and get healthier”: Sainsbury’s refuses request from cycling shoppers for more bike parking facilities

In the latest in an increasingly long line of ‘cyclists versus supermarkets’ stories, a Milton Keynes branch of Sainsbury’s has refused a request from bike-riding shippers to install more cycle parking facilities.

The call for more bike parking at the shop on Avebury Boulevard was initially launched six months ago by campaign group Cycling CitizensMK, who had a meeting with Sainsbury’s management before recently being told that more bike parking was not part of the store’s plans.

“It’s a great disappointment they’ve said no,” Hazel Dean, one of the campaigners, told MKFM. “All we asked for was support for shoppers who want to be more environmentally friendly and get healthier in the process.”

Sainsbury's bike parking, Milton Keynes

Dedicated cycle racks are currently located at Sainsbury’s Milton Keynes Central store, but the cyclists say that particular branch is not easy to access by bike.

“There’s a road railing I can chain my bike to near the entrance, but sometimes it’s filled with other bikes,” regular shopper Mick Toms added.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “Our stores receive lots of requests for support from communities we serve, and we help in a range of ways, including our food donation partnerships. Unfortunately, due to the high volume we receive, it is not always possible to accommodate them all.

“We’re sorry for any disappointment this particular decision may have caused and will keep this feedback in mind in case it’s something we may be able to help with in the future.”

The lack of suitable bike parking facilities at supermarkets has proved an issue across the UK for the growing number of shoppers using bikes.

Aldi bike racks blocked by grow bags (Simon Colley/Twitter)

> Aldi apologises after bike racks blocked with compost left customer asking "why do you hate cyclists so much?"

In April, Aldi apologised and promised to ensure cycle parking racks are free from supermarket stock in future after one customer found themselves unable to lock their bike due to a pile of compost grow bags outside their local Royston store.

Meanwhile, Lidl recently came in for criticism when the cycle racks at one of its London stores were filled with plants and compost for sale.

And last summer, customers at a newly opened Aldi store in Leamington Spa joked that the cycle racks “are definitely middle aisle bike stands” after discovering that they could be quite easily pulled out of the ground.

Having been left red-faced by the ordeal, Aldi quickly rectified the issue and confirmed the works to fix the stands to the ground had been completed shortly after concerns were raised.

02 July 2024, 13:20
I can’t believe it’s not carbon! Our favourite things we noticed at Bespoked’s return to Manchester
FiveCoolThings-2024-07-01

> I can't believe it’s not carbon, awesome integration, and a subtle Shand rebrand: Five Cool Things from Bespoked Handmade Bike Show 2024

02 July 2024, 12:57
Fire in Briançon puts Tour stage in doubt – but officials say blaze now under control and race to carry on as planned
Fire in Briançon during Tour de France stage four 2024

The Tour’s route organisers have been fretting over the last hour or so, after a fire in Briançon – which the race is set to pass through today at the bottom of the descent of the Col de Montgenèvre – caused toxic fumes to engulf the Alpine city.

The blaze, and its side effects, prompted the local authority to order schools to close their windows, and was being tackled by 50 firefighters and 15 fire engines.

However, with the Tour about to cross the border back into France, less than 14km from Briançon, it was announced that the fire was under control, that the fumes had abated, and that the race could pass without any fuss. Which has prevented a few furrowed brows and headaches in the red car at the front, anyway.

02 July 2024, 11:38
L’Équipe’s cartoonist tackles the Tour’s return to France… and the results of a certain general election

As the Tour de France – a race that has always been firmly embedded in its nation’s wider social, political, and cultural consciousness – prepares to return to its homeland this afternoon, it does so at a particularly tetchy, tension-filled moment in France’s history, with the right-wing National Rally aiming for a majority in parliament following the first round of voting at the weekend.

And the Tour’s return to a potentially very different French political climate hasn’t escaped the attention of L’Équipe’s cartoonist Soulcié, who this morning depicted the peloton crossing back over into France only to be surrounded by RN posters and the news of their electoral success, prompting one rider to tell the rest: ‘Come on guys, speed up!’

Maybe, that’s why they were all riding so slowly yesterday…

02 July 2024, 11:20
Giant bids to buy assets of bankrupt power meter brand Stages for $20 million

A subsidiary of Giant has made an initial $20 million bid for the assets of Stages after the power meter brand ceased operations and laid off all its staff earlier this year.

Giant initially showed interest in purchasing a one-third share in Stages last year, the bike manufacturer’s board approving a bid of around $20 million, although negotiations fell through before Stages ceased operation and laid off all its staff in April.

2022 Stages indoor bike trainer, 2024 Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1

Read more: > Giant bids to buy assets of bankrupt power meter brand Stages for $20 million

02 July 2024, 10:52
And up we go… The Tour heads back into France and enters the Alps (briefly) with a trip to the Col du Galibier

The Tour de France’s opening three days in Italy certainly lived up to their billing, featuring some brilliantly unpredictable, exciting racing, spectacular scenery, and Italy’s typically passionate tifosi.

But all things must pass, and the Tour finally heads back into France midway through today’s 140km stage between Pinerolo and Valloire – which also just so happens to be the race’s first excursion into the Alps (before returning in the third week for a much more prolonged, brutal showdown).

TdF 2024 S04 Profile.jpeg

A long 40km drag will take the riders above 2,000m altitude for the first time this Tour, and to Sestriere (the scene of Lance Armstrong, 1999, and all that), before crossing the border at the Col de Montgenèvre.

Then, the Col du Galibier will take centre stage. The second-most used climb in the Tour’s history after the Tourmalet, the 2,642m-high, 23km-long monster will be tackled from its easier side, via the open, steady Col du Lautaret.

The final 8km to the top, however, are the steepest of the entire climb, and could prove decisive in the breakaway or maybe, just maybe, crack the GC battle wide open before the 19km fast descent to the finish in Valloire.

TdF 2024 S04 Map.jpeg

According to Strava, Thibaut Pinot set the KOM for this side of the climb on stage 18 of the 2019 Tour, which was won by Nairo Quintana, also in Valloire, at the height of Pinot-mania and just a day before the Frenchman’s tearful abandon with injury when the yellow jersey was within reach.

Pinot’s time that day for the 23km, 5.5 average gradient climb was 52.46, while Strava says the average pro takes just under 58 minutes to climb the Galibier’s southern side.

The average amateur? Well they take one hour, 50 minutes, and two seconds. Which would probably get me to the foot of the climb, if I’m honest…

I think I’ll just prefer watching them today.

02 July 2024, 10:37
“I hit the ground at at least 60kph”: Jasper Philipsen able to carry on at Tour de France after recovering from high-speed crash

Jasper Philipsen will start this morning’s stage of the Tour de France in Pinerolo this morning, his Alpecin-Deceuninck team have confirmed, after the reigning green jersey winner went down heavily in a high-speed crash with 2km to go during yesterday’s ride to Turin, scuppering his chances of taking the first sprint stage of the race.

His Alpecin teammate Jonas Rickaert, meanwhile, will also head into the Alps today after suffering a bruise on his leg in the same crash.

“Soon the fourth stage will start in the Tour de France with Jasper Philipsen, who crashed yesterday,” Alpecin-Deceuninck, who were also hampered by a late double puncture for Mathieu van der Poel yesterday (the world champion’s first puncture of the season, according to his team boss), announced this morning.

“Luckily our top sprinter had a good night and seems to have recovered well from the bruise and abrasion on the right buttock.

“Also Jonas Rickaert, who suffered a bruise on the right lower leg, is feeling better after treatment with ice and an anti-inflammatory. We start at full strength again this afternoon and Jasper and Jonas can recover a bit more today with the next sprint stage in mind.”

Speaking to the Belgian press after the stage, which saw him roll in in 118th place, six-time Tour stage winner Philipsen said: “The damage is not too bad considering the circumstances. I think I hit the ground at at least 60kph but luckily it was a good road.

“We were able to switch gears quite well after Mathieu's flat tyre, but then riders in front of us got caught up and I had no place to avoid them. That is a shame, especially because you miss the sprint and thus points for the green jersey.”

02 July 2024, 10:25
Scenes

Alright, before we hit the Alps, just one more look at the reaction to Biniam Girmay’s magical stage win, this time courtesy of an understandably euphoric Intermarché-Wanty team car:

I take it they were happy about the win?

02 July 2024, 09:57
Dylan Groenewegen's aero beak, 2024 Tour de France stage three (Eurosport)
€350 for what?!

The tale of Dylan Groenewegen’s aero Batman beak has taken another bizarre turn (yes, really), after the Dutch champion revealed that the UCI ordered him to remove the much-derided nose cover mid-stage, before he sprinted to fifth place, bare nose hitting the breeze, behind Biniam Girmay in Turin.

And what’s even more bizarre – but not that surprising, considering the current state of high-level cycling tech – is that the aero beak, an add-on to Scicon Aeroscope glasses, is currently displayed on the eyewear and clothing manufacturer’s website…

… And, when it’s available, it can be purchased for just €350.

€350. For an ‘aero’ nose piece.

Scicon nose cover

> A bridge too far? Scicon prices bizarre aero 'beak' at €350, as Dylan Groenewegen reveals UCI ordered him to remove nose cover during Tour de France stage

I think I need a lie-down…

Game’s gone.

02 July 2024, 09:24
Visma-Lease a Bike 'Control Room'
Let the mind games commence! Tadej Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates troll Visma-Lease a Bike’s barred Tour ‘Control Room’

I know it’s only the first Tuesday of the Tour de France, but today the peloton is getting ready for the first of two separate forays into the high Alps over the course of the next three weeks (those cruel, cruel taskmasters at ASO), including the not-too-insubstantial matter of a trek over the monstrous Col d Galibier, before a high-speed plunge to the finish in Valloire.

And, with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard already trading blows (and the occasional turn) on the roads of Bologna, it’s safe to say that the mind games have well and truly started between those two perennial yellow jersey rivals and their teams.

Visma-Lease a Bike 'Control Room'

> UCI looking into Visma-Lease a Bike's Tour de France 'Control Room' after team unveils "high-tech van" for tactical analysis and real-time decisions

And with Visma-Lease a Bike’s much-vaunted Tour ‘Control Room’ – basically a high-tech van the Dutch squad said would enable them to collect real-time data during the race and therefore “make the best tactical decisions, quickly and accurately” – banned from the race’s premises by the organisers, let’s just say that there’s been plenty of scope for some good-natured trolling.

Yesterday, Pogačar’s UAE Team Emirates squad gave their own take – complete with the not-so-subtle use of the Crédit Lyonnais yellow jersey lion – on Visma’s banned attempt to turn the Tour into a slightly sweatier version of Pro Cycling Manager:

I don’t know about you, but give me a cuddly lion in cycling glasses over a glorified VAR truck and nerds banging on about ‘data collection and visualisation’ any day…

And UAE Team Emirates weren’t the only ones to stick the boot into Visma.

EF Education-EasyPost, who have now inherited the lion from UAE after Richard Carapaz skilfully slipped into yellow yesterday (becoming the first Ecuadorian to do so), also offered up their own variation on a Tour control room:

Ah, Visma, they keep making it so easy for everyone (apart from on the road, of course, where it really matters).

02 July 2024, 08:42
“There are a lot of obstacles, especially if you are an African rider. Today everyone will believe African riders can do everything”

It says a lot about the Tour de France, and why it’s so compelling, that at the end of one of the most benign, unremarkable, even boring stages we’ve seen in years, history was made.

Cycling fans won’t remember much, if anything, of the opening 230km of yesterday’s soporific amble through northern Italy between Piacenza and Turin.

2024 Tour de France stage three sprint finish won by Biniam Girmay (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

But they will remember that on 1 July 2024, on stage three of the Tour de France, Biniam Girmay beat the best sprinters in the world, a moment that has transcended the Tour and the sport (just one glance at the global press coverage confirms that) and one that will live long in the memory of cycling fans everywhere.

And that’s certainly the case in cycling-mad Eritrea, where I imagine the party is still continuing this morning.

That effect on his home country, and what stage three in Turin could mean for the next generation of budding Eritrean cyclists, was clearly on Girmay’s mind as he crossed the line a bike length ahead of Fernando Gaviria.

Speaking after the stage, the 24-year-old, whose almost constant use of ‘we’ underlines the collective effort which catapulted him to Tour success said: “There are a lot of obstacles, especially if you are an African rider. It’s not easy because you race in local races so you don’t have a lot of time to show your potential.

“Everything changed when [Daniel] Teklehaimanot wore the polka dot jersey [in 2015]. He showed everything possible that gave me a lot of positives that I could also be part of the Tour and win a stage.

“Today everyone will believe African riders can do everything.”

> Biniam Girmay makes African cycling history at Gent-Wevelgem

Reflecting on his upbringing and his father’s role in cultivating his love for cycling, which has now culminated in wins at the Tour and Giro d’Italia, as well as Gent-Wevelgem, Girmay added: “He would say come on guys, turn on the TV it’s time to watch the Tour de France. He always showed us how the race worked, how difficult it is, and that it is the number one sport in the world.

“I remember in 2011 when [Peter] Sagan won and I asked my father if it would be possible to be part of that one time and my father said: keep working hard and everything is possible.

“On sprint stages, we don't see a lot of black riders who can win stages. When we grow up, the mentality is that we just do it on the climbs, everyone has a slim body and less weight which means we are more suited to hard endurance races.

“For me, mentally I grew up as a sprinter with Cavendish and Sagan as idols. To win today is unbelievable and gives me a lot of motivation."

And Girmay, who called on cycling’s top teams to branch out further afield when scouting young talent for what he says is now a “global” sport, is also clear about what his stage win means for Eritrean and African cycling.

“It means a lot personally for me but especially for the continent because it’s been a long time since a black African rider won in the Tour de France,” he said.

“That means a lot, especially for Eritrean cycling because we have a long history of cycling and we have the cycling blood. We know a lot about the Tour de France, so to win today was amazing.

“Before I came to France two weeks ago, every single day I went out training [at home in Eritrea, where he’s still based] they said they were waiting for the Tour de France and if I won one stage they would also celebrate there. Now, I don’t know what to expect, it’s going to be on fire.”

And thank goodness there were no unruly prosecco corks to dampen the celebrations this time…

02 July 2024, 08:07
Biniam Girmay wins stage three, 2024 Tour de France (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
“He’s a legend”: Biniam Girmay’s history-making Tour de France stage win “massive for African cycling”, says Mark Cavendish

I think it’s fair to say Biniam Girmay’s stage win at the Tour de France yesterday was one of the most universally popular victories the race has seen for years.

The superbly taken sprint triumph – a perfectly executed balance of precision, power, and speed amid the chaos that was yesterday’s run-in – ticked off, like so many of the pioneering 24-year-old’s successes over the past three years, a series of firsts.

A first Tour de France stage win for Girmay himself. A first Tour victory for his Intermarché-Wanty team. A first stage win on the sport’s biggest stage for Eritrea, and a first triumph on the sport’s biggest stage for East Africa and for black African cyclists.

So, it was perhaps fitting that the rider who is currently 34 stages to the good on the race’s record books was one of the happiest to heart about Girmay’s maiden Tour win.

Biniam Girmay wins stage three, 2024 Tour de France (ASO)

> “It’s our moment, it’s our time”: History-maker Biniam Girmay becomes first black African rider to win a Tour de France stage in chaotic sprint in Turin, as Richard Carapaz takes over yellow jersey from Pogačar

“Is he the first Eritrean stage winner?” a beaming Mark Cavendish asked ITV4’s Daniel Friebe at his Astana team bus after the stage.

“Because Daniel [Teklehaimanot, Cavendish’s teammate at Dimension Data] had the [polka dot] jersey for one day.

“Oh, that’s brilliant, isn’t it? This race is so massive, cycling’s massive in Eritrea, that’s super good. Super good for him, for African cycling – he’s a legend, isn’t he? Very nice, very nice.”

Biniam Girmay wins stage three, 2024 Tour de France (ASO/Charly Lopez)

 (ASO/Charly Lopez)

While Cavendish was clearly happy to see Girmay and Eritrea strike gold for the first time at the Tour, a crash with 2km to go – while not bringing the former world champion down – scuppered his own chances of making history with a record-breaking 35th stage win in Turin.

“Yeah, we weren’t the only ones lucky to stay upright. I hear it, but I’m too little to see what’s going on, and I hear people in front of me going. And then I’m skidding and just waiting for someone to hit me from behind,” Cavendish said.

“But lucky we kind of got through. But we were way off, and with 2km to go you’re out of it. So it’s just lucky everybody’s okay.”

Mark Cavendish, 2024 Tour de France, stage 3, Piacenza to Turin (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

When asked about a number of mechanical issues he appeared to have during the stage, including a double wheel swap with 90km to go, the 39-year-old said: “I didn’t feel bad, but I don’t think anybody felt great today. I’ve always been fidgety, changing different stuff. But I’m not changing my cleats for once in my life, so it was okay.”

As we’ve all learned over the past 17 years, Cavendish fussing over his bike usually means he’s got his eyes on the prize. Though he’s just got to get over the massive Galibier this afternoon before he starts worrying about his cleat position again tomorrow…

Ryan Mallon

After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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50 comments

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OldRidgeback replied to mdavidford | 5 months ago
8 likes

So kids on bikes having fun are damaging to the environment but non-biodegradable rubbish isn't? 

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chrisonabike replied to mdavidford | 5 months ago
2 likes

mdavidford wrote:

road.cc wrote:

These complaints prompted Bron Afon to install mental fences

Not disagreeing with the sentiment, but I don't think we're supposed to use that word like that these days...

a description of "No-longer-politically-correct-term" Frankie Fraser there?

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Car Delenda Est replied to mdavidford | 5 months ago
3 likes

I've had them installed to keep the ramblers out of my mind palace

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Ryan Mallon replied to mdavidford | 5 months ago
0 likes

I’m blaming the Tour on this one…

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brooksby | 5 months ago
7 likes

Quote:

the youngsters allegedly cleared it of litter.

Yeah, cos that is just eeevill! 

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brooksby replied to brooksby | 5 months ago
12 likes

Second point - minor point, but does Bron Afon housing association actually own that "ancient woodland" or it is just adjacent to land that they do own?

If they don't have title on the woodland then are they legally able to fence it off?

If they do have title, then how come they didn't tidy it all up and litter-pick it themselves, and took no interest in it until some kids started making use of it cos cyclists??

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ROOTminus1 replied to brooksby | 5 months ago
15 likes

Its funny how the appropriate channels to make improvements off your own back are almost always impenetrable, but if someone wants to complain, contractors appear with "mental fences" faster than police attending a robbery in progress

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Pub bike replied to ROOTminus1 | 5 months ago
4 likes

"faster than police attending a robbery in progress"

That doesn't suggest much urgency.  I thought Police don't attend robberies in progress anymore 'cos they don't have the resources etc. and it is too dangerous to attempt to apprehend criminals in the act especially in vehicles which in any case requires a level of approval that can take weeks to clear etc. so they rely on "intelligence" after the fact ie can't be bothered etc.  And in any case all the officers have been "abstracted" on to other duties (pizzas) etc.

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Miller | 5 months ago
11 likes

It's a crying shame that the french, in their beautiful country, with excellent social protection, have convinced themselves that they're so hard done by that a hard right populist government is the answer. Well, they may soon find out that although populists have all the answers, all their answers are wrong, and the one thing a populist government is useless at, is governing.

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brooksby replied to Miller | 5 months ago
2 likes

Miller wrote:

…the one thing a populist government is useless at, is governing.

They could look at the last fourteen years of British "Govt" to demonstrate that.

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Pub bike replied to brooksby | 5 months ago
2 likes

They can have our lot after they've cleared off by 1st class post on 5th July.

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mctrials23 replied to Miller | 5 months ago
1 like

I mean, their options are to continue with the status quo which they are not happy with or try and alternative. The alternative in most peoples eyes is the opposite side of the coin. Like it or not, uncontrolled and unmanaged immigration is causing problems across Europe and its only going to get worse as climate change really kicks in over the coming decades. 

Unfortunately, its a very hard problem to deal with and the right wing govenment will find it equally as hard but the French will have all the other issues a right wing government cause as well. 

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chrisonabike replied to mctrials23 | 5 months ago
2 likes

Problems of success (and exploitation by us collectively) running up against human nature.  How "rich" we feel is an extremely relative thing (eg. others we know/are told about locally).  Sadly that has almost no relation to global or historic averages.

Vast simplification but for example the UK's the equivalent of a gated community.  We've been very happy to import some hired help where they'd do the garden and look after grandma for peanuts then leave at the end of the day.

It's still working really well for us; the vast majority of migration is on the UK's terms (several ways).

In the immediate future lots of other places are looking less liveable (in part because we've been having it so good) while UK is predicted to remain a relatively green and pleasant land.  Issue isn't going away, however we frame it.

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Matthew Acton-Varian replied to mctrials23 | 5 months ago
2 likes

Economic and settlement migration has existed for centures, nay millenia. The way the world exists now wouldn't have happened without it. The system of passports, visas and what is effectively a licence to move countries is a much more modern phenomenon that only really became the default within the last century or so. The freedom of movement within the EEC was seen as a way to reverse that trend through closely aligned trade routes. But in order to qualify for freedom of movement you had to be a citizen of an EEC nation (either through birth or through permanent citizenship - which takes many years to obtain). But the open trade market meant that unless a country had its own internal job market struggles, the movement was never going to be en masse, and would mostly even out between nations. What is claimed as uncontrolled and unmanaged is actually part of the refugee crisis, which falls under UN ruling, and a different complex puzzle altogether.

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mdavidford | 5 months ago
2 likes

Quote:

with Visma-Lease a Bike’s much-vaunted Tour ‘Control Room’ [...] banned from the race’s premises by the organisers

Which is entirely pointless, since it doesn't need to be on 'race premises' in the first place, so it seems a bit petty really.

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Matthew Acton-Varian replied to mdavidford | 5 months ago
0 likes

Race premises includes any designated area in use by the race organisers. This includes the areas surrounding team hotels, starting area, the course and finishing area. Despite receiving data through sattelite, relaying it to team cars will most likely be done via radio which has a limited range. This means the van would need to follow the race convoy or at least be positioned somewhere near the finish

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mdavidford replied to Matthew Acton-Varian | 5 months ago
0 likes

Well they don't seem to think so - apparently they'd not applied for it to be accredited to be part of the race in the first place.

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Matthew Acton-Varian replied to mdavidford | 5 months ago
0 likes

The race organisers keep tabs on all official vehicles in case that in the event of an incident (crash, theft etc) insurances are covered and there are legal protections in place to protect the teams and organisers. As this would be an official vehicle in the vicinity of the race, it has to be covered by these measures otherwise in the event of an incident there will be serious consequences from authorities that threaten the race organisation and could bring the race and/or team into disrepute.

Secondly, the rules on rider data strictly state that personal metrics can only be viewed by the rider it belongs to, unless it is publically available. The team cannot legally access that data mid-race.

If a rider's HR and power data is made available to broadcast TV, then they could use it in real time, but all the teams could also react in real time. Most riders use GPS head units to collect and display their data, but it doesn't get "published" until after the ride - only once the complete file is uploaded to training apps used by the riders and teams does the information become public. And some keep certain metrics private.

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mdavidford replied to Matthew Acton-Varian | 5 months ago
0 likes

The point is, the team don't seem to think it needs to be in the (close) vicinity of the race.

I don't think that's quite right about the data - there is some data that's only permitted to be viewed by the rider during the race, but there's other data that can be shared. If there wasn't, there'd be even less point in banning the 'control centre', since it wouldn't have anything to do anyway.

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Matthew Acton-Varian | 5 months ago
12 likes

Biniam's achievement is fuly deserved, regardless of his background. Not many people in the world can say they have won a stage of the Tour. An accomplished young rider rubbing shoulders with big names, and I am hoping a few more stage wins will come his way in the future. He has had bad luck, barged out by other riders and come from too far back to challenge. But he has consistently been challenging for sprint victories at the highest level for some time. With any luck, this will push more opportunities to the best cyclists the African continent has to offer. The cycling world will be all the better for it.

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