New AI tech to give cyclists “smoother uninterrupted journey” through traffic lights and priority over drivers; GB News slams Tour of Britain “6 days of traffic delays”; Van Aert crashes out of Vuelta; Rubbish bike lanes; Cav 3.0? + more on the live blog

The new-look Tour of Britain Men finally gets underway this morning, as a peloton featuring headline acts Remco Evenepoel, Julian Alaphilippe, and Tom Pidcock navigates both an unusually early start (I dread to think what the footballers would say about a 10.30am kick off) and a lumpy 182km route in the Scottish Borders around Kelso.

And while you’d assume that GB News, of all things, would welcome the return of a race that puts Britain on the world stage and showcases and celebrates the country’s landscape and people, it turns out that the union flag-draped website is instead concerned with much more important things: motorists.

(Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)

“Drivers have been warned to expect six days of delays as The Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain cycling tournament kicks off affecting major roads,” GB News proclaimed in their solitary article about the race – not ‘tournament’, for goodness’ sake – which for some reason was illustrated by an image of commuters using a city cycle lane.

Bemoaning the opening stage’s use of the A68, “which about 9,200 vehicles use per day”, the article painstakingly notes all the roads affected by the six-day race, while also pointing out that, ahead of Sunday’s final, relatively flat stage from Lowestoft to Felixstowe, “parking suspension signs will be positioned in areas where on-street parking restrictions will apply this include ‘no waiting’ cones being put in position on Saturday September 7”.

(Yeah, I’m not sure punctuation or grammar is a massive concern at GB News, judging by that last sentence.)

> British cyclist to miss Tour of Britain after being hit by driver who tried to "squeeze huge 4x4 past at high speed" on country lane blind bend before returning to "verbally abuse and threaten" female rider

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

In any case, the slapdash ‘cyclists are causing disruption for you poor drivers’ story has had the desired effect, stoking some good ol’ anti-cycling sentiment among the ‘news’ outlet’s readerships.

“I feel sorry for all those people trying to get around, it’s a nightmare,” wrote Sheila in the comments. “Totally agree about road tax etc, they say they pay car tax so don’t need to, hmmm, you have two cars you pay twice, so that doesn’t mean you don’t. Although apparently cyclists, like labour can do what they want.”

Yep, that’s right, straight from the Tour of Britain to road tax in one comment. Classic.

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“It’s time cyclists were forced to pay road tax and insurance,” added another commenter. “They must also be forced to step off the bike to let faster vehicles pass.”

You try telling that to Remco, mate.

Meanwhile, Styggen, demonstrating some in-depth knowledge of the UCI calendar, said: “Cycling clearly isn’t fun if it doesn’t cause maximum pain for road users – timed to coincide with the end of the summer holidays and when most kids are going back to school, parents back to work etc…”

 (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

Yeah, David Lappartient, get it sorted! Obviously forget that the lines of flag-waving schoolkids cheering the bunch on provide some of the race’s most emblematic images…

“That should do wonders for the dwindling relationship between motorists and cyclists,” concluded Bob.

Oh, he means the race, not the silly article.

I think we should leave the last word on this, as usual, to Dave Walker:

It’s @RideLondon this weekend. pic.twitter.com/2kUEQqnotM

— Dave Walker (@davewalker) May 23, 2024

SPECTACULAR WIN! 😮

Marc Soler is the winner of an ACTION PACKED Stage 16 at La Vuelta! 💥#LaVuelta24 pic.twitter.com/zOjSqMzVvB

— Eurosport (@eurosport) September 3, 2024

Amidst the atmospheric gloom at the top of the Lagos de Covadonga, Marc Soler put in the most Marc Soler performance imaginable to solo to a stunning stage victory on one of the Vuelta’s most famous climbs, as behind Ben O’Connor grimly battled through the clouds to hang on to the red jersey by just five seconds.

A mercurial presence at the best of times, Soler’s performance on Lagos de Covadonga was a fitting tribute to that iconic ascent’s constantly shifting, variable gradients and romantic mythology.

Dropped on its early slopes as the breakaway, still reeling from Wout van Aert’s race-ending crash, was split to pieces due to the sustained pressure exerted by DSM’s British climbing star Max Poole, Soler clawed his way back to the front group, containing Poole, Filippo Zana, and the Spaniard’s UAE Team Emirates’ colleague Isaac Del Toro, before immediately going over the top.

That instant, very Soler-esque attack dragged Poole clear – and dropped Del Toro, much to the chagrin of those in the UAE car, I imagine – as Zana lurked in the background. For much of the climb, 21-year-old Poole, a second and third placed finisher on this Vuelta already, looked in control, his relaxed, steady tempo in clear contrast to Soler’s ragged, sufferfest style.

But despite Poole’s outer confidence, it was Soler who launched after Zana had bridged across, as the Spaniard soloed his way through the gloom to his third Vuelta stage win and his first pro victory for over two years.

🔥 🤩 How many attacks from the favourites today?

😜🥰 ¿Cuántos ataques han hecho los favoritos hoy?#LaVuelta24 pic.twitter.com/pV6fIq8uqT

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 3, 2024

Behind, the GC battle continued to offer us tantalising clues as to the outcome in Madrid, without providing anything in the way of a definitive conclusion.

An early Mikel Landa attack was snuffed out by the steady pace of Enric Mas, the Movistar man sniffing blood as red jersey in waiting Primož Roglič looked unsure behind, failing to react immediately to the Spaniard’s accelerations and only poking his nose in the wind once the road tilted downwards.

But despite the Slovenian’s less than assured performance, he still emerged through the fog at the finish on the wheels of Mas and Richard Carapaz, his 1.20-plus lead over the pair befitting the unusually cautious approach on the climb.

🇪🇦 #LaVuelta24 - Meta 🏁. Enorme @EnricMasNicolau (9°); encabezando la nómina de favoritos para la CG, en la gran victoria de Soler (UAD) en Lagos.

🔴 O'Connor (DAT) salva el liderato por 5", respecto a Roglic (RBH). Ⓜ️ Mas 3°, a +1:25" 👊

📺 @Eurosport_ES pic.twitter.com/dzZkTEbvlU

— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) September 3, 2024

And speaking of leads – Ben O’Connor’s determined, plucky streak in red continued, despite the Australian being dropped almost immediately once Mas accelerated with seven kilometres left.

The Decathlon-AG2R leader was forced to watch as rider after rider pulled away from him on the Covadonga’s steepest slopes, but buried himself to concede just 58 seconds to Roglič – and keep hold of the red jersey by just five seconds, heading into two relatively routine days before the weekend’s denouement.

❤️🤜 🇦🇺 @ben_oconnor95 #LaVuelta24 pic.twitter.com/3M3nDDkS4S

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 3, 2024

As any Marc Soler performance will tell you, the Vuelta certainly isn’t over until it’s over.

A drink-driver who drank “five pints and a measure of spirit” during an evening-long pub session before driving home, hitting and killing a cyclist while speeding at 38mph on a 30mph road, has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Read more: > Woman who drank “five pints and measure of spirit” before killing cyclist on drive home from pub jailed for six years

If the inherent unpredictability of the Tour of Britain Men needed underlining any further, the chaotic attacking that characterised much of the last 40km into Kelso ultimately resulted in a sprint from reasonably-sized bunch on the town’s cobbled streets, as Soudal Quick-Step’s next big sprinter Paul Magnier secured arguably the biggest win of his pro career in impressive fashion.

The 20-year-old neo-pro, who joined Soudal Quick-Step from British development team Trinity Racing at the start of 2024, survived the wave of attacks that took place on Scott’s View and Dingleton, where his teammate Julian Alaphilippe stretched things out from the bottom, before Remco Evenepoel briefly launched over the top.

(Will Palmer/SWpix.com)

However, a brief lull in proceedings as the Ineos Grenadiers took control, working for British champion Ethan Hayter, saw a large group bridge back up to the front, resulting in a fast, frenetic, and at times chaotic run-in to Kelso.

With Evenepoel and then an elbow-swinging Alaphilippe providing lead-out duties for Magnier, the young French prodigy was placed perfectly heading into the decisive final corner, where the equally well-positioned Hayter’s chances blew up in smoke, as the Ineos rider inexplicably drifted well wide, losing 20 places and any hopes of winning in the process.

Back at the front, Ethan Vernon’s Israel-Premier Tech took control, but there was no stopping Magnier, who added to his Baby Giro and Tour of Oman wins this year with another big sprint victory.

(Will Palmer/SWpix.com)

Launching with just under 200m to go on Kelso’s cobbles, the 20-year-old easily saw off Vernon, Trinity’s Bob Donaldson, and Tom Pidcock to underscore his status as one of the sport’s fastest, most exciting young sprinters, while taking his first pro leader’s jersey to boot on a typically chaotic day at the Tour of Britain.

What a way to prove that you’re worthy of having two former world champions in Alaphilippe and Evenepoel to lead you out…

We assumed it wouldn’t take long, thanks to the front-loaded nature of the route, for the GC battle at the Tour of Britain to erupt – and we haven’t been disappointed, as after a fast, attritional stage on heavy Scottish roads, pressure from the Ineos Grenadiers on the draggy Scott’s View climb has unleashed wave after wave of attacks off the front of the bunch.

The British team’s impetus dragged clear an elite group of favourites briefly clear with just under 40km to go, including Soudal Quick-Step’s headline duo Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe, along with Oscar Onley, Stevie Williams, and Ben Turner – though notably Tom Pidcock was missing as the gaps opened.

That move effectively killed off the break, with the impressively strong Julius Johansen hanging on to take enough points to lead that particular classification, as fellow escapee Callum Thornley dropped back.

Calm has briefly been restored before the Dingleton hill, where things may explode once again, however.

⚔️ 𝙒𝙊𝙐𝙏 𝙑𝙎 𝙑𝙄𝙉𝙀

The first battle for the 💙⛰️ between Vine and Van Aert goes to the Belgian...

¡Primer puerto... y primera batalla entre Vine y van Aert por la 💙⛰️ que va para el belga!#LaVuelta24 | @loterias_es pic.twitter.com/dWs0IhLv7X

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) September 3, 2024

Meanwhile, down in Spain, Wout van Aert is busy doing Wout van Aert things, playing with mountains jersey rival Jay Vine in the sprint atop the Mirador del Fito climb – before just continuing himself on the descent, quickly opening a minute gap on the large breakaway he simply rode away from.

He may not win later this afternoon on the iconic Lagos de Covadonga, but the man’s scarily strong.

Looks like someone is having the time of his life at #LaVuelta24 😁 pic.twitter.com/Q5bcS5ZdAY

— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) September 3, 2024

Oh, wait, sorry – that’s just Quick-Step at the Vuelta. You can see why I was confused though…

Read more: > Israel-Premier Tech cycling team confronted by pro-Palestine group at Tour of Britain, with more protests planned this week

Is Cav Comeback 3.0 on the cards?

Probably not, but reports emerging from Italy this morning – from sources allegedly close to Astana – have claimed that the 35-time Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish will race on for one more season at the Kazakh team which delivered the Manx Missile to that record-breaking triumph in July.

However, as it stands, Cavendish – who said at the end of the Tour that it would “likely” be his last race – will take part in the ceremonial Tour de France Prudential crit in Singapore in November, before hanging up his wheels for good.

And those Italian reports of another season for the 39-year-old, and a possible tilt at extending his Tour stage win record, have already been refuted by the Cycling Podcast and ITV’s Daniel Friebe, who dismissed them this morning as “not true, according to my sources” (which may or may not be currently based on the Isle of Man).

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

And if the idea of Cavendish, having achieved everything he set out to during his victory-laden 18 years in the peloton, signing up for another season of pain and suffering wasn’t already strange enough, British Cycling this morning provided yet more evidence to back up the thesis that the Manx Missile has raced in anger for the last time, by announcing that it will celebrate Cavendish’s career at the final stage of the Tour of Britain in Felixstowe on Sunday.

Cavendish will attend the stage with his family and friends, as the governing body marks his “contribution to the sport”.

“Mark is one of the greatest British riders of all time and we’re honoured that he will be joining us for the final stage of the 2024 Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Men,” British Cycling’s CEO Jon Dutton said today.

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

“We have been proud to support Mark from his early days on the Great Britain Cycling Team academy to his final Tour de France. His passion for the sport has been a real inspiration to so many, not least the next generation of road and track champions. 

“It is truly special to have him return with his family to celebrate his remarkable career at a race where he has left such a significant mark, and we hope he enjoys what is set to be an incredibly exciting final stage, from the other side of the barriers.” 

Now, that doesn’t sound like something you’d do for a rider who’ll be lining up at the Tour of Turkey next year. But you never know…