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"Anyone got the route?": Critérium du Dauphiné riders copy group rides everywhere and miss their turn; Camera shows 91km/h just before another crash hits race; Kopecky wins again at ToB; Castelli's "aero sleeves" amuse us all + more on the live blog

You've almost done it, the weekend's just around the corner at the top of the last climb... Dan Alexander is here for one more live blog before we can all ride off into the sunset...
Fri, Jun 07, 2024 09:09
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"Anyone got the route?": Critérium du Dauphiné riders copy group rides everywhere and miss their turn; Camera shows 91km/h just before another crash hits race; Kopecky wins again at ToB; Castelli's "aero sleeves" amuse us all + more on the live blogCritérium du Dauphiné riders miss their turn (Eurosport/Discovery+)
07 June 2024, 14:45
"Anyone got the route?": Critérium du Dauphiné riders copy amateur cyclists everywhere and miss their turn

I've got to admit, I do love it when the pros are brought back down to the level of the rest of us and made to see that even the most amateurish mistakes can befall any cyclist (regardless of if you can push 7w/kg or not).

Today's edition: route-following gone wrong. A familiar one for any of you who've been on a group ride, or do sportives where your progress relies on following roadside signs — a missed turn, off course, that moment of realisation, the inevitable... "Anyone got the route?"

In such situations everyone rushes to their roles. You'll get at least one grumpy rider cursing the person meant to be in charge of directions, you'll get the chirpy rider who believes they "know exactly where we are" and can wing a diversion on the fly (despite having not had the navigational nous to notice things going wrong in the first place), you'll get someone sheepishly blaming their headunit for their own mistake, and of course you'll get complaints all the way back to the point at which you're back on track, extra punishing metres which the cycling gods always seem to make uphill just so you suffer more.

In fairness to the pros at the Dauphiné, when you're racing a WorldTour pre-Tour de France warm-up event, you don't expect it to be like a small-time Sunday sportive. Far more blame has to go for the lack of marshalling or whoever in the lead car missed their turn. Top marks for the roadside supporters doing their best to point out the mista... ah, they're gone...

Not so for the riders and teams, but quite amusing for us enjoying from the sofa. 

07 June 2024, 15:45
Red Bull gives you wings... (but more importantly a pro team contract)...
Red Bull Junior Brothers Programme 2024

A global talent scouting initiative aimed at discovering the next generation of professional road cyclists, the Red Bull Junior Brothers Programme 2024, has completed its econd annual search for two promising prospects to keep an eye on. 

After "an intense week of testing at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre (APC)" in Thalgau, Austria, Georgs Tjumins and Karl Herzog have earned a contract with Bora-Hansgrohe's U19 team, Team GRENKE - Auto Eder, Karl the brother of current Bora-Hansgrohe pro rider Emil Herzog.

> A-Levels, angry sportive riders, and forgetting your gloves at Paris-Roubaix: A beginner’s guide to racing in Europe and the fight to become a pro cyclist

Who knows, perhaps it won't be long before it's Primož Roglič towing them to victory?

07 June 2024, 15:44
Wheely petty
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Zipp Speed (@zippspeed)

07 June 2024, 15:33
Primož Roglič wins Critérium du Dauphiné with all too familiar summit finish sprint

If the Tour gives us one thing (other than Cav up fit and firing for win number 35, of course), I'll go for Primož Roglič getting a crash-free run at the yellow jersey. A certain other Slovenian at UAE Team Emirates will make it tough to win outright, but it would be great to see a fully fit Roglič having another shot.

Aleksandr Vlasov deserves plenty of plaudits for his work to set the Dauphiné stage six victory up, towing his teammate and Giulio Ciccone to the closing metres before the Bora-Hansgrohe leader set off on one of his familiar stage-crushing uphill sprints. Behind, Remco Evenepoel struggled a day on from yesterday's crash, Roglič taking enough time to sit atop the GC, 19 seconds clear of the Belgian. Gutsy rides from Matteo Jorgenson and Derek Gee keep them in the hunt for a podium place, we'll see how their GC credentials fare during the mountainous weekend to come.

07 June 2024, 15:23
"Read the Highway Code – that is not a safe pass": Police say post advising drivers to give cyclists "an arm's length" of space while overtaking was published "in error"

Meanwhile in Britain... 

Thames Valley Police criticised for 'safe' overtake post (Thames Valley Police Roads Policing)

> "Read the Highway Code – that is not a safe pass": Police say post advising drivers to give cyclists "an arm's length" of space while overtaking was published "in error"

07 June 2024, 15:02
Camera shows 91km/h just before another crash hits race

If the cameraman pulls the classic 'get a shot of the speedometer on a fast descent', the last thing I want to see when the camera returns to the race is two riders flying towards the edge of a bend. Thankfully, Mason Hollyman and Thibault Guernalec managed to slow themselves down sufficiently to avoid disaster, both up on their feet and back on the bike quickly.

07 June 2024, 14:31
Lotte Kopecky wins stage two of the Tour of Britain

There's no doubt about who won today, the world champion doubling up at the Tour of Britain, taking a second sprint victory in as many days, this time gracing Wrexham with her power. A cracking ride by Anna Henderson to stick with the rampaging Belgian over Horseshoe Pass, but it's a tough ask going head to head with Kopecky at the finish.

SD Worx teammate Lorena Wiebes was on hand to win the sprint for third and suddenly the team is halfway to winning every stage of the race. Can anyone stop them as the race heads to Warrington and Manchester this weekend?

Kopecky's GC lead will be 17 seconds heading into tomorrow, Letizia Paternoster, Pfeiffer Georgi and Lizzie Deignan a few of those a bit further back.

Again, credit to British Cycling for two entertaining stages and the sort of scenery that makes UK races so great to watch.

07 June 2024, 13:54
15-year-old boy arrested after violent attack on cyclist near Box Hill which left victim seriously injured with punctured lung when masked thugs on motorbike kicked him off popular cycle path
A24 towards Leatherhead with shared-use path running parallel (Google Maps)

> 15-year-old boy arrested after violent attack on cyclist near Box Hill which left victim seriously injured with punctured lung when masked thugs on motorbike kicked him off popular cycle path

07 June 2024, 13:01
Transport for London offers unlimited free Santander Cycle rides every Sunday in June
Cyclist in London santander cycles hire bike - copyright Simon MacMichael

Transport for London and Santander Cycles are offering unlimited free 30-minute rides on Sundays in June as part of the launch of TfL Cycle Sundays, a new programme of leisurely routes deisgned to encourage more Londoners to enjoy the city by bike.

Find out more on the TfL website.

07 June 2024, 12:32
Britain's "most expensive street" bans cyclists and pedestrians – after complaints about "dangerous" cyclists causing "near misses" and putting residents and diplomats "at risk"
Kensington Palace Gardens (licensed CC BY SA 2.0 by LondonEnte on Flickr).jpg

> Britain's "most expensive street” bans cyclists and pedestrians – after complaints about “dangerous" cyclists causing "near misses" and putting residents and diplomats "at risk"

07 June 2024, 10:52
Dauphiné dropouts continue — Juan Ayuso and seven others won't start stage six

More than a few riders sporting bandages at the start today... 

Juan Ayuso and seven others, including 20-year-old British rider Lukas Nerurkar (who finished third on stage three and seventh on stage two), are out of the Dauphiné and won't start today's stage. However, far from crash injuries, the Brit has tested positive for Covid (how very 2021 of him) and teammate Harry Sweeney has an illness too. It's all going on over in France.

Ayuso, who was eighth on GC and one of six UAE Team Emirates riders to crash yesterday, is the biggest-name dropout ahead of today's HC summit finish at Le Collet d'Allevard. There'll be plenty of bruised bodies out there today.

07 June 2024, 09:55
07 June 2024, 09:46
Lifeplus-Wahoo will continue Tour of Britain despite bike thefts

Good news from Wrexham, Lifeplus-Wahoo will start the second stage of the Tour of Britain. 

"All of our thanks and appreciation goes out to the many teams that offered and gave their spare team bikes and their mechanics' time to get our girls on the road. We wouldn't be starting without them!"

Lifeplus-Wahoo at the start of Tour of Britain stage two (Lifeplus-Wahoo/X)

There could be no more popular stage winners today... 

07 June 2024, 09:23
Chris Froome: I was one of the lucky few

Speaking to ITV's Daniel Friebe, Chris Froome said he was "one of the lucky few" who avoided yesterday's crash. 

"I just went off into the bushes when I saw what was happening on the road," he explained. "Just carnage. The roads were super slippery coming down that descent and all it took was one or two guys to touch their brakes... one crash turned into 60, 70, 80 guys all on the floor at high speeds. Pretty gnarly. One of the more nasty crashes I've seen."

07 June 2024, 09:05
British squad hit by bike theft at Tour of Britain as all 14 bikes stolen from mechanic's van – just days after team's rider was hit and "threatened" by 4x4 driver
Ribble Endurance SLR bikes stolen from Lifeplus-Wahoo at Tour of Britain Women (Lifeplus-Wahoo)

> British squad hit by bike theft at Tour of Britain as all 14 bikes stolen from mechanic's van – just days after team's rider was hit and "threatened" by 4x4 driver

07 June 2024, 08:55
One month on from Simon Pegg's 'me passing cyclists' skit... actor faces second driving ban for speeding in three years

Almost one month to the day since this live blog...

Simon Pegg 'me passing cyclists' skit (Simon Pegg, Instagram)

> Is he (Shaun of the) Dead wrong about cyclists? Simon Pegg slammed for 'me passing cyclists' skit, blasting people on bikes "riding two abreast" and "in the middle of the road"

The Evening Standard now reports Pegg faces his second driving ban in three years after being caught speeding at 36mph in a 20mph zone in Hackney in October. The Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and Mission Impossible actor served a six-month ban in 2021 after amassing 13 penalty points for four speeding offences, but he has now pleaded guilty again to an offence in the autumn, meaning he faces another potential ban.

At the time of his last ban, Pegg's lawyer told Wimbledon Magistrates' Court that he "deeply regrets" the offences and a ban would cause him "difficulties". However, court documents show Pegg was caught by a speed camera in Hackney Wick driving at 36mph in a 20 zone and he has pleaded guilty, the sentencing hearing expected to be held on June 24.

07 June 2024, 08:46
Scramble for refunds as cycling sportive organiser goes into administration after suffering heavy losses through the pandemic
Sportive ride (image credit: Sportive HQ)

> Scramble for refunds as cycling sportive organiser goes into administration after suffering heavy losses through the pandemic

07 June 2024, 08:25
Castelli reveals all about its "aero sleeves" base layer, and people are saying things…

For 99 of your hard-earned pound sterling you too can be the owner of this, the Castelli Bolero Short Sleeve base layer and add "aero sleeves for aerodynamic gains" to your cycling wardrobe...

In fairness, it's quite obviously a product for people who ride professionally and don't have to pay for their kit or those with too much money to care but still, you can't be putting pictures of that on your website and not expect the internet to do what it does best — take the piss.

Weighing just 54g (because it's missing more than half the base layer), Castelli says these are "sleeves with aero trip ribbing for maximal aerodynamic gain"... "If you have a keen eye, you'll have noticed the lines running down the arms of our pro riders when they race TTs. These aero ribs are our Bolero sleeves — here in a short-sleeve version. The ribs create aerodynamic trip strips, making our Aero Jerseys and San Remo Speedsuits even faster."

100 Climbs author Simon Warren joked he's waiting for the gravel version, while Gareth Cartman was begging us to tell him it's actually the result of asking AI to design an aero cycling product release. Admittedly, others did take things a touch more seriously...

07 June 2024, 07:44
"A good 300 metres... just sliding, hoping to stop at some point": Critérium du Dauphiné riders' "pretty scary" day, as shocking roadside footage emerges of high-speed crash

The doctors and physios of the Critérium du Dauphiné were working overtime last night, the peloton trying to get its head around the sheer scale of how many riders were involved in the high-speed crash that brought an end to racing on stage five yesterday afternoon. The person behind the @keyshawn__bava account on Twitter/X shared roadside footage of the incident that shows the quite incredible high-speeds that riders were sliding down the wet road at.

 British pro Fred Wright was one of those involved, explaining to ITV and the other TV cameras: "Everyone had that feeling, 'it's a little bit slippy maybe'. We were racing to the top of the climb to get into that descent in a good position. It was a straight road but maybe just a touch on the brakes and bikes underneath people at the front... when that happens there's not really much you can do.

"It's a memory I don't think I'm going to forget for a long time, I was just sliding downhill for what felt like a long time, I've never slid on my back... a good 300 metres, didn't know where my bike was, just sliding, hoping to stop at some point. Pretty scary stuff."

Team Visma-Lease a Bike confirmed that Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk will miss the Tour de France, the former suffering the suspected fractured collarbone many predicted when he was seen sat on the roadside with his arm in a sling. Kruijswijk has "a small fracture in his hip".

The UAE Team Emirates medical update confirmed that SIX of the team's seven riders were affected, all "provisionally cleared to race" today. Dr Adrian Rotunno earned his money yesterday...

Kruijswijk, Van Baarle, Ådne Holter, Rémy Rochas, Axel Mariault, Laurens Huys, Milan Menten and Luke Durbridge were the DNFs from yesterday, while Intermarché–Wanty's Kobe Goosens is listed as a rider who will not start stage six. Let's see how everyone else feels this morning... stiff, sore and bruised, I'm guessing... and having 'enjoyed' the 'joys' of trying to sleep with road rash. Grim.

Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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41 comments

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wycombewheeler replied to fwhite181 | 5 months ago
0 likes

Interesting the speed of aquaplanning is a function of pressure, rather than tyre width? In one sense the two are related, narrower tyres need higher pressure.

Avatar
Paul J replied to fwhite181 | 5 months ago
3 likes
fwhite181 wrote:

With the pressures involved in bike tyres (~75+ PSI) compared to the ~25PSI of car tyres, the physics of wet tyres doesn't make sense for cycling. Tread on car tyres is there to shed water that builds up between the road and the tyre, allowing the rubber to stay in contact with the tarmac (preventing aquaplaning). For a car running 25PSI, the speed of aquaplaning is ~40MPH. For a cyclist at 80PSI, it's about 95mph. Therefore, wet-weather/tread-patterned tyres don't do anything for road cyclists except reduce the amount of grip they have. (The ever-useful Sheldon Brown did the maths here: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/tires.html#hydroplaning)

I'm not sure I can agree with Sheldon Brown here.

The argument by Jobst Brandt that he links to refers to motorcycle tyres as proving lack of hydroplaning, but motorcycles - particularly in racing - /do/ switch to grooved wet tyres when it's raining. The tyres used in high-level racing have grooves in the direction of travel in the middle, and angled on the shoulder (the tyre meets the road at an angle in cornering).

Now, a major difference in wet tyres v slicks is the compound. Wets having much softer rubber, which can still generate some heat even with the cooling effect of rain. The grooves may also help to generate that heat, besides displacing water directly, as they allow the rubber to move more.

I'm not convinced by Sheldon's reference to aircraft tyre pressure charts. He gives no further references. The chart relating risk of hydro-planning purely to pressure and speed is surely in the context of /ridged/ aircraft tyres. The risk may well be much worse for smooth tyres. On the information Sheldon gives, you can not conclude the risk is the same for slick tyres.

Having ridden motorbikes and bikes for a long time, different tyres definitely have different behaviours and levels of grip in the wet. And the hardness of the rubber is a major factor. Long lasting, cheap, hard-rubber tyres tend to slip readily in the wet. Soft, fast wearing tyres have more grip, particularly in the wet.

I'm not 100% sure of the effect of patterning. I do prefer Vittoria Corsas, with their very fine grooves, over slick contis, in damp conditions. Havn't really objectively tested - and I can't rule out differences in tyre compound in that preference.

Avatar
Steve K replied to Patrick9-32 | 5 months ago
2 likes

Has anyone mentioned that tyre treads are pointless on road bikes yet?

Avatar
Patrick9-32 replied to Steve K | 5 months ago
4 likes

Steve K wrote:

Has anyone mentioned that tyre treads are pointless on road bikes yet?

No, nobody has! Would you mind giving me a patronising explanation of basic physics please while you are at it?

Not sure why these people are all blinkered into thinking wet weather tyres means the same width and pressure but with some knobbles. 

I am sure is definitely possible for a bicycle tyre to grip on that road, at least enough for the best riders in the world to slow down slightly without immediately crashing, maybe not in the package and form factor of a "road bike tyre" though, and if I am wrong then they shouldn't be racing there in those conditions.

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quiff replied to Patrick9-32 | 5 months ago
0 likes

Patrick9-32 wrote:

I am sure is definitely possible for a bicycle tyre to grip on that road, at least enough for the best riders in the world to slow down slightly without immediately crashing

Would be interesting to know exactly how the first person went down - but after the first person hits the deck, the problem is that nobody is trying to slow down *slightly* any more, hence the domino effect  

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Patrick9-32 replied to quiff | 5 months ago
0 likes

quiff wrote:

Would be interesting to know exactly how the first person went down - but after the first person hits the deck, the problem is that nobody is trying to slow down *slightly* any more, hence the domino effect  

These are top pro cyclists, not newbies on hire bikes at centre parks, they have enough skill and muscle memory not to just grab a handful of front brake when something happens ahead of them without any finesse or control. (One or two of them, maybe, but half the peleton?)

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Paul J replied to Patrick9-32 | 5 months ago
0 likes

Not sure about the first to go down - that /might/ have been a touch of wheels, they were certainly very close to another rider - but from the 3 available videos (moto behind, helo overhead, spectator vid) the vast majority of the rest who went down on the road (rather than off the side) went down cause they braked, locked and lost the front.

Avatar
Patrick9-32 replied to Paul J | 5 months ago
1 like

Paul J wrote:

Not sure about the first to go down - that /might/ have been a touch of wheels, they were certainly very close to another rider - but from the 3 available videos (moto behind, helo overhead, spectator vid) the vast majority of the rest who went down on the road (rather than off the side) went down cause they braked, locked and lost the front.

That's my point here, it was not possible on the equipment they were using for them to safely race on that road as, as soon as there was an incident, they all crashed semi-independently. If it were reasonably possible for a human using that equipment to stop safely, those riders are the ones most likely to be able to do so, the fact that they couldn't means that either they shouldn't have been racing at all or they should have been racing using equipment suitable for the conditions. 

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mikewood replied to Patrick9-32 | 5 months ago
2 likes

Shiny tar where the surface has been through too many heat cycles and the gravel has disappeared. In those conditions you go for the dull bits, not the shiny bits but not easy in a group!

You'd even include it in the pacenotes on tarmac rallies for the same reason in the wet

Avatar
Gimpl replied to Patrick9-32 | 5 months ago
3 likes

Patrick9-32 wrote:

I feel like the UCI should be regulating wet weather tyres with some grip in conditions like this, if they all had to use them it would mean nobody had an advantage and maybe they would be able to stop safely. Most of those who went down did so before they got to the crashed riders ahead. It was as if they were trying to brake on ice and everyone who put the brakes on lost the front wheel instantly. 

Please ignore the usual twattery you have experienced on here so far. 

As another biker I completely understand what you mean. It's not about tread but could be the compound.

Unfortunately many people on here are more interested in feeling important than posting anything useful.

Avatar
NotNigel | 5 months ago
4 likes

not good for the women's tour of Britain.
 

https://x.com/LifeplusWahoo/status/1798975684502605859

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