"I'm impressed!": Council fills "cavernous" pothole two hours after the Jeremy Vine Show's producer posts video of "horrible cycle crash"; Vollering asks to "delete pictures" after celebrating second place in Tour de France Femmes + more on the live blog

Not been the best couple of days for Dutch star rider Demi Vollering, has it?

First the awkward victory celebration yesterday, only to be later told that she had actually finished second, over a minute behind the actual stage winner Yara Kastelijn.

And now, after a very visible and blatant drafting controversy in today's stage, she's been hit with a 20 second time penalty, pushing her down from second to seventh in the general classification, 1:03 minutes behind teammate and leader Kopecky and crucially, 11 seconds behind her chief rival van Vleuten.

> Some not so itsy-bitsy drafting going on here...

Demi Vollering a reculé à la 7e place au général à l'issue de cette 5e étape : la Néerlandaise a reçu une pénalité de 20 secondes pour abri prolongé derrière la voiture de son directeur sportif après une crevaison. #TDFF2023 pic.twitter.com/yXRWOVIqiPhttps://t.co/pPWbBZRJ8G

— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) July 27, 2023

The whole fiasco happened when with 60km left to go, the SD Worx rider got a rear puncture. As she got off the bike, she started taking her bottles out of the cage, expecting a bike change. However, the mechanic proceeded to perform a rather slow wheel change instead, dropping Vollering behind the peloton.

And then to catch up, she decided to tuck in behind her team car, essentially relaying her towards the back of the peloton with as much minimum effort expended by the rider as possible.

And with something so blatant and obvious, your live blog host had called it that it might be pushing the rules a bit too far, and that Vollering could be set for a time penalty besides a fine as well.

Drafting Vollering was such a terrible call for the team car to make. Demi should have been wise enough to refuse, she’s lucky it’s only a 20s penalty.

— David Hunter (@cyclingmole) July 27, 2023

Before the start of the stage today, SD Worx had already lost their sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who was forced to abandon with a sudden sickness.

All in all, not a very ideal day for the Dutch team (apologies everyone for calling them a 'well-oiled victory machine' early in the day and bringing the commentator's curse to life).

But one rider for whom the day went more than ideally is Canyon/SRAM's Ricarda Bauernfeind — the 23-year-old German becoming the youngest cyclist to win a stage in Tour de France Femmes, fending off the chasing duo of SD Worx's Marlen Reusser and Movistar's Liane Lippert.

🥹When the rider wins, the team wins too

🥹Une coureuse qui s'impose et c'est toute l'équipe qui gagne#TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @Gozwift @WMNcycling pic.twitter.com/IfYqwUBJeV

— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 27, 2023

"To be honest, I still cannot believe it. It's just incredible. I had the support from my teammates, from the cars behind and all the partners yeah, everyone helped me and supported us and it was just an incredible team ride I would say," Bauernfeind said in disbelief at the finish line.

She added: "We had to chase the first group because we missed it and my teammates did such a fantastic job and then it was up to me and I tried to attack and it work out."

"I think its also for the team, we waited for the win the whole year and now I did it, or we did it. It's fantastic."

🫢Speechless

🫢Sans mots#TDFF2023 #WatchTheFemmes @Gozwift pic.twitter.com/ExwUKZ1l7i

— Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift (@LeTourFemmes) July 27, 2023

So after that chaotic and eventful day, this is how the standings look, before tomorrow's flat sprint stage, which will be followed by a brutal summit finish and then finally, a time-trial.

The 29-year-old Colombian, currently riding for UCI Continental team Team Medellín–EPM, has released a press release statement on his social media after he was provisionally suspended by UCI for “use and possession of a prohibited substance” before 2022 Giro d’Italia earlier this week.

López, an explosive climber, who won the Queen stage of Tour de France in 2020, and finished on the podium of both Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in 2018, had been sacked by Astana in December after the team claimed that it “had discovered new elements” linking him to alleged doping doctor Marcos Maynar.

However, he has spent 2023 dominating the South American racing scene for Team Medellín – EPM, until it was cut short earlier this week with UCI's decision.

> Miguel Angel Lopez being investigated as part of doping probe in Spain

My Spanish isn't the best, but with the help of Google I can read that he said that he was unaware of "the tests and evidence taken into consideration by the UCI to make this decision".

Miguel Angel Lopez on his way to winning Stage 17 of the 2020 Tour de France (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

He added: "I would like to state that there is no objective evidence of the alleged doping, that all the results of my analyses and my biological passport are negative, and that the undersigned has never received, used or even requested any prohibited substance, neither in the Giro d'Italia, nor ever throughout my sports career, as was also reported at the time to the ITA [International Testing Agency] with whom I collaborated with as soon as it was required.

"I want to state that I will use all the legal means at my disposal to clear my name, and that I will request, immediately, that the agreed precautionary suspension be lifted, since I understand it to be completely disproportionate, taking into account, in addition, that the facts for which I have been temporarily suspended have been made public, known for more than 9 months.

"Furthermore, the need, origin and urgency of said measure has not yet been explained or reasoned, and the reasons that justify it have not been provided or explained.

"Such a decision by the UCI 10 days after the Glasgow Cycling World Championship is a precautionary suspension that not only damages my honor and damages the presumption of innocence of this cyclist, but it also damages. and harms my entire team, the TEAM MEDELLIN, the Colombian national cycling team, and, ultimately, the good name of the entire international cycling community, by questioning my sports career, without any evidence or adverse analytical results, and without any intervention, detected or found in my possession substance of any kind.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Miguel Ángel López Moreno (@miguelsuperlopez)

He finished the statement by thanking his fans, family, team and country for the support and "promised to fight to clear his name of any suspicion".

While we are discussing potholes on today's live blog, there's some more good news coming in from Westminster.

Transport journalist Carlton Reid reports for Forbes that an influential group of British MPs has told the Department for Transport (DfT) that “future investment [in major roads] should focus more on maintenance and renewal rather than brand new projects.”

Instead, the Tory-led transport committee recommends "cancelling complex and costly enhancement projects."

In February, the Welsh government decided to halt or amend almost all major road building projects – which forms part of a new transport plan that aims to reduce carbon emissions, improve road safety, and prioritise cycling, walking, and public transport use.

Cycling UK had praised it as "the most significant change in UK roads building policy over the last 20 years", with the charity’s head of campaigns saying the move represented a “marked shift from other UK administrations’ simplistic and outdated views of building more roads as the answer to all transport woes from congestion to poor air quality".

Could we be in for another nationwide transport policy shift? Something tells me this is going to be a bumpy ride...

A petrolhead writes that this is a “very biased piece of anti-car driver propaganda masquerading as journalism.” https://t.co/k1ptNJNNBA

— Carlton Reid (@carltonreid) July 27, 2023

Don't tell anyone but I'm a Pogi fan through and through, but man I can't stop loving these two Danes!

Team mate, friend, countryman.

Mads is THE perfect wingman.#TDF2023

pic.twitter.com/rlTVAgiO6r

— Anna Mac 👑🪱 🌈🖤 (@AnnamacB) July 27, 2023

"Yet another argument for five-year retests"?

Or at least that's what some people are calling for following a social media altercation involing road safety advocate Adam Bronkhorst and Colin Gregson, after the former shared a screenshot of a post from an anti-ULEZ Facebook page encouraging motorists to sticky a second licence plate on top of the orginal one as a "way of getting around ULEZ".

While we can discuss how wrong that is in the first place all day long, let's move on to Mr Gregson's replies shall we.

"Great news from Cheshire. The footpath along the River Weaver which has and is multi and equal rights of way has been given priority to PEDESTRIANS. Cyclists have been relegated !!! Majority of them have never heard of a 🔔".

I don't know what's going on, but Bronkhorst seemed to get it and replied saying that pedestrians have always had priority, and that drivers have to give priority to cyclists on the roads.

"Since when do drivers have to give priority to cyclistsbon roads???" asked Gregson.

Bronkhorst said: "Since it’s written in the Highway Code. Are you saying you don’t know the Highway Code?"

The glorious reply from Gregson to this was, if you can believe it: "Passed my test in 1988. not opened it since. oh and its merely a "code" its not actually legally binding. No one ever gets prosecuted for breaking the highway code."

> Most drivers still don't know Highway Code changes, poll shows

I keep up to date with the law changes. Yes. And refer to it often. It’s your responsibility as a driver to know the rule changes. You have to do it. You do know this right?

— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) July 27, 2023

Brilliant. Another driver who let alone is unaware of the Highway Code changes, but hasn't even bothered to open it since 1988. Just brilliant.

Yet another argument for five-year retests.

— 🚲 🚗 60BPM (@willbramhill) July 27, 2023

Or as this tweet put it better...

They drive over us

— Blue is the Colour (@Jacksarback) July 27, 2023

> Motorbike riders slammed for pushing and clipping Tour de France Femmes rider, after Jumbo-Visma claim race-ending crash was caused by moto

“If you can’t pass safely, don’t pass. We need better education for some motorbike riders,” riders’ union president Adam Hansen said, after one of the motorbike riders was fined 200 Swiss Francs for the dodgy manoeuvre.

Among the 22 teams competing in the 2023 Women's Tour de France, familiar bike brands take centre stage. From Bianchi to Trek, Canyon to Giant, the women's peloton boasts an array of top-tier bike manufacturers, which for many is the highlight of the racing season, bringing the pro women racing to everyone's screens.

> Tour de France Femmes 2023 - what bikes are the women riding?

Bonus points to anyone who guesses correctly what equipment Team Canyon-SRAM Racing uses!