Mark Cavendish takes 194mph “absolute beast” SUV for drive around Isle of Man as “car enthusiast” Manx Missile named Aston Martin ambassador (before picking up knighthood); Pogačar’s “zone zero” hangover focaccia ride with F1 star + more on the live blog

For some reason, Britain’s cycling stars have a long history of acting as ambassadors for car firms (see Chris Hoy and Chris Boardman’s involvement with Lotus) or promoting the latest fuel-guzzling, oversized SUV (David Millar’s divisive decision to show off his new Ineos Grenadier last year springs to mind).

And today, Mark Cavendish has joined both of those illustrious clubs, after the self-admitted car enthusiast was handed the keys of Aston Martin’s new “ultra-luxury performance” SUV for a quick spin (emphasis on quick) around the Isle of Man, to celebrate his appointment as the British sports car brand’s first ever Global High Performance ambassador.

With retirement seemingly looming after his record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win in the summer – though nothing’s written in stone just yet, of course – Cavendish’s first foray into the post-cycling world will apparently see him make use of his “unparalleled speed on two wheels” (which Aston Martin must reckon is a transferable skill) to help expand the brand’s presence in international sport and “shine a spotlight on its class-leading performance cars”.

Which explains why the former world champion was tootling around the Formula One grid and chatting with Martin Brundle last week in Singapore, then.

According to Aston Martin’s press release, Cavendish’s “deep understanding of high performance makes him a true one-of-a-kind and will play a key role for Aston Martin”.

The Manx Missile’s ambassadorial role will also apparently enable Aston Martin to “tap into Cavendish’s knowledge to continue building on the high performance culture within the brand whilst bringing insight from the world of high performance competition into the brand’s product and marketing plans and will represent the company at selected events.”

And to mark his latest involvement with a sports car brand (though it’s fair to say the McLaren partnership while at Bahrain didn’t work out too well), Aston Martin shipped over to Cavendish’s home on the Isle of Man their brand-new DBX707, which the British company describes as the “supercar of SUVs”.

According to Aston Martin, “with a top speed of 194mph, the blistering DBX707 is a fitting match for Cavendish, who drove the car for the first time on the famed roads of the Isle of Man, synonymous with two-wheel speed.”

Now, I’m no expert, so maybe someone with a more in-depth knowledge of Top Gear will enlighten me, but why does a SUV need to have a top speed of 194mph? Is there a school run version of Formula One I don’t know about?

Nice to see Cav keeping it to a sensible 32mph

Anyway, at least they painted it to match Cav’s Tour green jerseys (kind of).

Along with the mandatory photos of Cav posing inside and outside the car, they even conducted a rather menacing photo shoot that made it look like the DBX707 was being driven by an impatient motorist, travelling very closely to the 39-year-old’s back wheel, furious that the fastest sprinter in cycling history was holding them up:

And to make things even more realistic, Aston Martin included a close pass pic for good measure (though I imagine Cav could be the one doing the overtaking in that particular shot).

Oi mate, 1.5 metres!

Anyway, Cavendish said he’s “excited to get stuck into his new role” showing off unnecessarily large cars.

“I’ve long admired the brand’s dedication to pushing boundaries, and now, to be part of that drive for peak performance is a unique privilege,” Cav said, in a statement that was definitely written by him, and him alone.

“For a car enthusiast like me, it really is a boyhood dream come true to represent the iconic Aston Martin wings. Together, I believe we can achieve something truly remarkable.

“I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the DBX707, it’s an absolute beast, handling the twists and turns of the Isle of Man with ease. They’ve even fitted it with a bike rack for me!”

Classic.

> Shimano’s AI automatic shifting touted to launch in 2025, as cycling components giant admits it “can’t break Bosch’s hold on e-bikes”

Just when you thought all the worlds drama was over…

Three days after Latvia’s Toms Skujiņš narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the world road race championships – after putting in arguably the ride of his life on the punchy Zurich circuit – the 33-year-old’s national cycling federation has published an open letter to the UCI arguing that the man who did secure the third step on the podium, Mathieu van der Poel, shouldn’t have even made it to the finish, after TV footage clearly showed the defending champion mounting the pavement while attempting to overtake a number of riders.

The incident, which took place with around 59km remaining on Sunday’s elite men’s road race, saw Van der Poel jump up on the footpath to accelerate past Remco Evenepoel, Jai Hindley, and Tobia Johannessen to close down an attack, narrowly avoiding a line of fans watching from the pavement – a move the Latvian Cycling Federation said “endangered spectators” and should have resulted in the Dutchman’s disqualification from the race.

de heer #mvdp mag per direct uit koers gezet worden #Zurich2024 pic.twitter.com/rSn8FQgLkD

— De Waaslandwolf (@DeWaaslandwolf) September 29, 2024

Over the past few years, the UCI has attempted to clamp down on instances of riders mounting pavements to gain a few places in the bunch, a common feature in the Belgian classics, where positioning is paramount and road furniture is plentiful.

According to the UCI’s rules, mounting a pavement is punishable by a fine of up to 1,000CHF (£888), a 25-point deduction, and a yellow card. However, in cases where a rider is deemed to have earned a serious advantage or endangered others while mounting the pavement, they can be disqualified.

For instance, at the 2018 Tour of Flanders, Luke Rowe was ejected from the race after being caught weaving through spectators on a bike path, while 2023 Gent-Wevelgem winner Marlen Reusser was disqualified from this year’s race for the same indiscretion.

> Luke Rowe "gutted" at Tour of Flanders disqualification

And now, after Van der Poel’s pavement-hopping manoeuvre went completely unpunished at the worlds (with not even a yellow card in sight), potentially robbing their rider Skujiņš of what would have been a well-deserved bronze, the Latvian Cycling Federation’s president Sandis Akis has called on the UCI to “apply its rules consistently” and avoid favouritism to the sport’s biggest stars in an open letter protesting the non-decision.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“We wish to draw your attention to a potentially dangerous race situation and the fact that the video of this moment is circulating on social media showing a very dangerous move by Mathieu van der Poel during the Elite Men World Championship in Zurich 2024, as the Dutch rider rode on a walkway with 58.4 km to go,” Akis said in the letter.

“According to the rules (UCI Cycling Regulations 2.12.007: Race Incidents Relating to Road Events Rule 7.6), a rider jumping onto a walkway and endangering the public or other riders must be disqualified immediately.

“The issue isn’t merely that he was riding on the pavement, which would typically result in a fine of 200 to 1000 CHF; in this case, van der Poel wasn't even given a fine. The real problem is that he endangered spectators, a violation that has consistently been penalized with disqualification this year, as seen with Marlen Reusser at the 2024 Gent-Wevelgem and Luke Rowe at the 2018 Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Akis continued: “Van der Poel almost rode into a spectator while overtaking three riders on a footpath with no other particular reason, as he was not avoiding a crash. After the race, the representative of the Latvian Federation tried to discuss this race situation with UCI commissaires. One of the race commissaires stated that all of the commissaires had seen the situation, deemed it not dangerous and something to be penalized.

“The Latvian representative insisted that the rules apply to everyone, but the commissaire argued that it wouldn't be good for the sport, interpreting the rules as they saw fit. The Latvian representative was subsequently sent away. It seems that some are more equal than others, especially when it comes to unpopular decisions to be made.

“As a relatively small Federation, we are deeply concerned about this decision. If van der Poel had crashed into a spectator on the road, would that have been good or bad for our sport? We urge the UCI to apply its rules consistently to ensure the safety and integrity of cycling and not to leave this kind of potential accident without response, just because it would be so-called damage of reputation.

“We, as a part of the cycling world, expect the UCI to publicly explain the decision of commissaires to avoid similar situations, as paying no attention to this situation creates a ground for greater risk to racing in the future which is something no one wants.”

An ambassadorial role with Aston Martin and a knighthood? It’s certainly been a bumper day for Mark Cavendish.

The greatest sprinter of all time (now that’s a much more straightforward debate) was at Windsor Castle today to officially receive his award from Prince William, capping a year in which he made cycling history by winning his record-breaking 35th stage win at the Tour de France.

“I’m a proud Brit,” the 39-year-old said after becoming Sir Cav. “I’ve represented the country many, many times in my career, and with all the proud of the flag and to know you’ve been recognised by your country and his Highness is something very, very special."

“To have an award, to have it bestowed upon you, a honour is not something generally you’re used to as a sports person.

“As a sports person you have a goal and you put the work in to achieve that goal. As a cyclist it’s a race, it’s a win and you are generally in control of how you get there and it’s a process that comes.

“But to have something that is bestowed upon you and it feels different because it’s super humbling.”

Nice to see Cavendish sneak in one of his characteristic ‘supers’ even in an interview at Windsor Castle.

Reflecting on the ceremony itself, the former world champion said: “I was really nervous. His Royal Highness was superb. I didn’t honestly know I’d be nervous, but I’m so incredibly proud of representing the country.”

Cavendish also revealed that he’s spoken to Prince William about the ill-fated occasion on which they last met.

“I think the last time we met was at the Tour de France in Yorkshire and I crashed at the end of that stage. He asked me if I was doing anything else up there, and he was talking about my career, which was very nice.”

He continued: “I never thought growing up that anybody in cycling would be knighted and to just see that in my career, that cycling was important enough, with Sir Brad [Wiggins], Sir Dave [Brailsford], Sir Chris [Hoy], Dame Laura [Kenny], Dame Sarah [Storey], it’s pretty special.

“Cycling as quite small and niche when I started, to know it’s big enough and successful enough in this country, it gets recognition, it gets rewarded, that’s special enough for me.”

(ASO/Billy Ceusters)

After joking that one of his sons assumed that he’d walk out of the ceremony in full armour, Cavendish then gave a tantalising hint about his future career plans, which have been the subject of speculation since that all-encompassing 35th Tour stage win.

“I’ve still got races this year,” Cavendish said, referring to the upcoming ASO-organised crits in Singapore. “I’m still training for them, it will be really nice to race as a Knight Commander.”

Although, considering those crits can’t really be deemed races, is there a chance we may see Cav racing in the peloton in 2025? In any case, there’s one race he definitely won’t be lining up at next year, if he does decide to continue in the peloton.

“I’ve already said I won’t do another Tour de France,” he said. “That’s public knowledge, I won’t do another Tour de France.”

So… you’re saying there’s a chance?

We’ve got some more updates from the fiasco currently engulfing UK-based cycling distributor I-ride, after we reported yesterday that all the company’s staff have been made redundant and are still without pay for last month after the business entered administration.

A source has told road.cc today that the news came as a shock to employees, with anger reportedly mounting about the situation, and that on the surface there were few indications that the company was so deeply troubled.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ian Wilson (@ianwilson_martlet)

Orro Bikes, I-ride’s flagship in-house bike brand, had an active Instagram account up until around five days ago, and over the weekend Sir Bradley Wiggins was pictured riding an Orro bike as part of his ‘Ride With Wiggins’ charity sportive departing from Sandon Hall in Staffordshire. 

On Sunday, Ian Wilson, the co-founder and chairman of the Martlet Group, i-Ride’s parent company, posted a photo of Wiggins during the charity ride on his own Instagram, writing: “So proud to see Bradley Wiggins on an Orro Venturi bike today. Thanks to Project Pau for making it happen”.

Read more: > Major UK cycling distributor behind Orro Bikes enters administration and 'all staff asked to leave without September pay'

As he explained in a recent episode of the road.cc Podcast marking the brand’s 20th anniversary, Rapha co-founder Simon Mottram may have viewed his now-iconic cycling clothing company back in 2004 as the antithesis of the loud, brash, and poorly designed kits that proliferated across the sport back in the ‘80s, ‘90s, and early noughties.

> 20 years of Rapha: Co-founder Simon Mottram on tiffs with Team Sky, MAMILs and cycling's skin-suited future

But fast forward two decades (or Past Forward, as Rapha termed their birthday celebrations), and the company is busy paying homage to the time that cycling fashion forgot, releasing a new limited edition collection based on the cooler end of the vibrant ‘90s spectrum, with subtle and not-so-subtle references to EPO-era stalwarts Carrera (sans jean shorts), ONCE, and Motorola.  

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by PALACE (@palaceskateboards)

After two wacky change-out kits at the Giro d’Italia for EF Education-EasyPost, the collection also marks Rapha’s third collaboration with skateboard brand Palace.

“A selection of heritage Rapha silhouettes have been injected with Palace’s signature irreverence, with playful inversions of cycling’s distinctive language, colours, and sponsors,” the British brand said, announcing the collection, which goes on sale next week.

“Once again, our most disruptive collaborators help us look to the future – reimagining classic cycling style with post-modern panache.”

But no cartoon ducks this time, unfortunately. Although, since this is another Rapha-Palace collab, expect to see these babies appear for hundreds of pounds on eBay in the not-too-distant future.

Thoughts on the new threads? Reckon they’re good enough for the winter club ride?

> No plans for further changes on “optical illusion” cycle lane which claimed over 100 trip victims, despite cross-party councillors’ efforts

Tadej Pogačar will be hoping that his post-worlds hangover clears soon, as it was confirmed this morning that the newly crowned world champion will debut his rainbow jersey at the Giro dell’Emilia on Saturday, ahead of his attempt to win a fourth straight title at Il Lombardia the following weekend.

Pogačar has finished second at the last two editions of the Giro dell’Emilia, one of Italy’s most prestigious classics, which concludes with multiple ascents of the iconic and steep San Luca climb in Bologna, the scene of the Slovenian’s first concerted attack at this year’s Tour de France, which proved enough to put him in the yellow jersey at the end of stage two.

He’ll face stiff competition this Saturday, however, with three-time Giro dell’Emilia champion Primož Roglič and Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel also set to headline a strong field at the 215km race.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

After that San Luca tune-up and debut in the rainbow bands, the UAE Team Emirates rider is expected to race Tre Valli Varesine, which he won in 2022, on 8 October, before heading to Bergamo for his final race of the season at Il Lombardia, where Pogačar will be hoping to win the seventh monument of his career and his fourth straight edition of the Race of the Falling Leaves.

If he pulls off that historic feat in Como, he would emulate Fausto Coppi’s four-year winning run in the late 1940s.

First, the Triple Crown, then potentially emulating Il Campionissimo – he just can’t help himself, can he?

Though just don’t wear white shorts with the rainbow jersey, or you’ll ruin everything, okay Pog?

Two years ago, you may remember, TV’s Amanda Holden made live blog headlines and angered cyclists across the UK by claiming, live on Britain’s Got Talent, that people who ride bikes with cameras were “asking for trouble”.

Holden’s comments came after ‘comedian’ and BGT finalist (and eventual winner, apparently) Axel Blake delivered a shockingly awful, obvious, and unfunny anti-cycling rant as part of his winning route, complete with references to “spiked shoes” (no idea), “spandex”, the Tour de France, and cyclists hating drivers cutting them off. Yes, it was that bad.

> Britain’s Got Terrible Cycling Takes: Amanda Holden says cyclists with cameras are “asking for trouble” after BGT contestant performs anti-cycling bingo comedy routine

Following Blake’s abysmal anti-cycling bingo performance – greeted with whoops of laughter from the probably delirious or possibly drugged-up audience that would still apply to watch that Ant and Dec-fronted rubbish – Holden, acting in her ‘talent judge’ capacity (I don’t get it either), couldn’t wait to join in on the fun.

“The whole cyclists thing, I’m so with you,” she said. “Why do they wear the cameras? They’re asking for trouble already!”

So, imagine our surprise when, fast forward to 2024, we found out that the very same Amanda Holden is taking part in a 250-mile cycle for charity. It’ll be 250 miles over five days, but still.

Yes, next week, the Heart Breakfast presenter will ride from her mum’s house in Bude, Cornwall, to Heart’s studios in London’s Leicester Square, taking in Somerset, Berkshire, Wiltshire, and Surrey long the way, to raise funds for Heart’s charity, Global’s Make Some Noise, which helps fund vital projects delivered by small charities tackling issues such as mental health, poverty, and homelessness.

“I can’t quite believe that I’m going to be cycling over 250 miles from my mum’s house in Cornwall to London for Global’s Make Some Noise – it’s a massive challenge!” Holden said in a statement announcing her latest challenge, which gets underway on Monday.

“I’m told it’s not going to be particularly flat so I’m gonna have buns of steel by the end of this! Knowing that every mile I cover will help raise funds for those local projects providing a lifeline directly to those who need it most is what will keep me going. Plus, I’ll get the nicest Cornish sendoff from my mum with a big cuddle!”

Anyone looking to donate to Global’s Make Some Noise should head over to heart.co.uk for more details.

Fair play to you, Amanda – but maybe a week spent cycling on British roads will open your eyes as to why some cyclists choose to wear cameras.

Let’s just hope she hasn’t been getting tips from Simon Cowell, anyway…