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"Cutest moment of the Champs?": Three-year-old cyclist races against Julian Alaphilippe; Cyclists rave about Montreal’s "incredible" cycling network; Van der Poel, Sagan and Pidcock go mountain biking; Robots coming for cyclists? + more on the live blog

It's the middle of the week and Adwitiya is on the live blog hot seat for today's round up of all that's bubbling in the cycling world...
Wed, Aug 09, 2023 09:41
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"Cutest moment of the Champs?": Three-year-old cyclist races against Julian Alaphilippe; Cyclists rave about Montreal’s "incredible" cycling network; Van der Poel, Sagan and Pidcock go mountain biking; Robots coming for cyclists? + more on the live blogThree year old racing against Alaphilippe at road race world championships (Twitter)
09 August 2023, 11:49
"Cutest moment of the Champs so far?": Three-year-old cyclist races against Julian Alaphilippe at the Worlds

Now isn't this what it's all about?!

Took the corner like a pro, checked for his opponent once across his shoulder, and left Loulou in the dust!

The moment was captured by the little kid's father Murray during that unforgettable and epic Men's Elite Road Race at Glasgow this weekend, where Van der Poel was crowned champion with a broken shoe.

But drawing all eyes towards himself was Cam Duff, as he had the time of his life and raced against the 2020 and 2021 winner of the road race championship, making a memory that will last a lifetime.

Alaphilippe at Glasgow World Championships (Alex Broadway:SWpix.com)

Alaphilippe at the UCI World Championships, Glasgow (Alex Broadway:SWpix.com)

Cam Duff, joined Romain Bardet's son Angus in racing the pros and showing them how it's done on their own turf. A month ago in July (it's already been a month?), Bardet's three-year-old stole the show on the legendary and fabled climb of the dormant volacno, the Puy de Dôme, as he sampled the raucous atmosphere on the lower slopes, attacking the climb with all the panache of his dad in his pomp.

> Romain Bardet’s three-year-old son steals the show (again) on the Puy de Dôme

And surprisingly, that attack on the Puy isn’t the first time young Angus has enjoyed riding his bike like a Tour pro. Back in March, the future star made his ‘pro’ debut at Paris-Nice, riding with his old man on his way to the team bus after a stage.

Nonetheless, Cam has proven that you don't need to be a Tour stage winner's son, just need a bike, and the bottle to take it up to the pros and compete. Ahem, I've just got the bike, sorry.

Cam, a keen cyclist already, was gifted his bike on his third birthday by his parents, who took a train from Edinburgh and stayed in Glasgow the whole day to enjoy the race, reported Glasgow Live.

"It was great and really good fun and the atmosphere was incredible," said Cam's father. "We watch the Tour De France highlights every night and we got to see the cycling happening live and it was so fast, it was a great day. You just appreciate it so much because it is taking place in Scotland, this is a once in a lifetime thing you can do and see and we loved it."

He added: "Cam is tilting his head looking for him and we had no idea it was Julian Alaphilippe so it just made it even better and it’s nice people are enjoying the video.

"He was smiling while watching them. The boys were buzzing the whole day and at the end of the day the tracks were still open so Cam was racing down the streets of Glasgow getting cheered on by everyone so that was good fun.

"He is competitive, when I race him I am not allowed to win or it’s a strop."

See, that's the bottle I'm talking about. Mark the name, Cam Duff, coming to take your KOMs, and maybe win some rainbow jerseys in a few years.

09 August 2023, 15:44
Montreal's cycling network: Your take

We began the blog with some outstanding cycle lanes from Montreal in Quebec, Canada, and seems cyclists were rightfully raving about it — it is, indeed, as good as it looks. An existing and functional cycle network on earth, who would have imagined?

Here's some of the comments from road.cc readers about the story...

Miller: "I was in Montreal for work quite a few years ago, 2004 I think, and did some cycling while there. Their network of bike paths extends all round the environs of the city so you could actually do a long ride without being hassled by cars. Which was nice."

chrisonatrike: "RE: Montreal - glad to see something positive in North America (bit of a nadir for cycling infra)!
"The good - looks like they have: a) a network (most important) and b) separated cycle paths (or at least protected cycle lanes) with a reasonable width."

Steve K: "On the subject of Canada, I happen to be there at the moment. Currently in Toronto, but last week I was just down the road near Peterborough. It's been interesting to see all the same debates here as in the UK - but (from what I've seen) more positivity. Modal filters on some roads, but described as "café streets" and I was greeted by this article in the local paper."

This week Peterborough Canada newspaper

 

09 August 2023, 15:29
The rising price of entry-level road bikes — how much does it cost to get into road cycling now vs 10 years ago?
2023 Cost of entry level road bikes

As someone who  just got a road bike and is having to accessorise with equipment and kit, I can tell you, and you would know it already, that cycling is not cheap. But how expensive is it now than 10 years ago? Emily finds out...

> The rising price of entry-level road bikes — how much does it cost to get into road cycling now vs 10 years ago?

09 August 2023, 15:14
Your Specialized SL8 builds...

If you've got £12,000, or in this case £4,750 to spare, and have given yourself an early Christmas present in the shape of an SL8 frameset, feel free to share your builds!

This one's by Jimmy Chi, weighing at just 6.66 kilos, and yes, that's with pedals. Won't be going anywhere near a UCI race with that, but who cares about that anyway when you've got the latest shiny frame, and that spectacular Recon Harry cassette.

Specialized SL8 build (Facebook: Jimmy Chi)
Specialized SL8 weight (Facebook: Jimmy Chi)
09 August 2023, 14:46
Chris Boardman goes cycling on an OVO bike in Glasgow

 

09 August 2023, 13:07
European Gran Fondo champion and former Paris-Roubaix star fails doping test now
Moris Sammassimo (Facebook)

46-year-old Moris Sammassimo, the European Gran Fondo Men’s 45-49 champion has been preliminarily suspended for testing positive for banned performance enhancing substance by the National Anti-Doping Organization Italia.

Sammassimo is a former pro who finished third at Paris-Roubaix U23 in 1998. In 2022 he returned to racing on the Italian gran fondo circuit, winning the European Fondo Championships at Gran Fondo Matildica, placing 8th at the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Trento and 4th at Gran Fondo Michele Scarponi.

The "substance" in question? Clenbuterol. Very old-school. I guess once you know the stuff you like, you wouldn't be too keen to change it?

And it would make sense, as this is not Sammassimo's first time being charged with doping. Sammassimo. In 2003 the Italian newspaper La Tribuna di Treviso reported that he was implicated in doping activities as an amateur cyclist.

09 August 2023, 11:34
Suspected drink and drugs driver who killed cyclist told police “there was nothing dangerous” about his driving at time of fatal crash
A638, South Elmsall (Google)

The motorist, who was found to have traces of cocaine and cannabis in his system, said: “I heard a bang but I did not see anything. I did not think I hit a cyclist.”

> Suspected drink and drugs driver who killed cyclist told police “there was nothing dangerous” about his driving at time of fatal crash

09 August 2023, 11:13
Pope meets the Vatican cycling team

I'll be honest, I keep forgetting that Vatican has a cycling team (and turns out teams for a lot of other sports too), so it always comes as a jolt from the blue.

09 August 2023, 10:34
Little robot cyclist coming through

First they came after the... and I said nothing. Now are robots coming after us?

09 August 2023, 09:33
Glasgow e-bike rider crashes into Italian pros on cycle path, falling into river and ruling Simone Consonni out of world championships
Filippo Ganna, Francesco Lamon, Jonathan Milan, Simone Consonni of Italy during the Team Pursuit, 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships (Charlie Forgham-Bailey/SWpix.com)

Italian track rider Simone Consonni’s world championships was brought to an abrupt end on Tuesday morning, after a cyclist on an e-bike collided head-on with him and teammate Francesco Lamon as the pair enjoyed a leisurely spin along the River Clyde on one of Glasgow’s cycle paths.

He was spotted last night by road.cc at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome sporting a heavily bandaged left wrist and with his arm in a sling, and it was later confirmed that he had sustained a broken right collarbone and a broken left scaphoid when the e-bike rider hit him head on.

> Glasgow e-bike rider crashes into Italian pros on cycle path, falling into river and ruling Simone Consonni out of world championships

09 August 2023, 09:24
THIS IS NOT A DRILL! Van der Poel, Sagan and Pidcock to participate in Cross Country MTB World Championships?

Is this real?! Is it really happening??!

Mathieu van der Poel, Peter Sagan and Tom Pidcock have all been spotted in the trails of Glentress Forest, possibly prepping for the Cross-Country Olympic world championship tomorrow.

This Worlds might just prove too much for me folks!

09 August 2023, 09:17
A what now??
09 August 2023, 08:11
"It exists, and it's beautiful!": Cyclists rave about Montreal’s "incredible" cycling network

It's not that you cyclists collectively gush over something, so the rare occurrence when it happens, you can place a solid and confident bet that it's going to be good.

The videos, posted by Tom Flood on Twitter show him going through Montreal, the largest city in Canada's French-speaking Quebec. And from my two dime six-month Duolingo experience, I can say, ça me plaît.

Not going to lie, it's making me a bit envious, and apparently others too, for many of whom Montreal is becoming a their trip destination. See, that's how you make your city visitor and resident-friendly as well as a hotspot for tourists. Checkmate, Brighton councillors.

> Councillor blames fall in Brighton’s tourism since 2020 on parking prices…

Flood continued: "Grab a Bixi and just go. My partner rode the electric version (first time) and was truly ecstatic about the ride."

"One unfortunate outcome of these more human spaces in the city was the devastation to Mont Royal when it was closed to drivers."

Very unfortunate...

Meanwhile, a quick Google search tells me that Bixi bikes is a public bicycle sharing system serving in Canada and also the biggest in North America, and from the consensus on Twitter, eBixi are supposedly *check notes* much better than drugs for some people. Interesting comparison, one which your blog host is unfortunately not at the liberty of saying whether he concurs or not, but is inclined to believe so.

09 August 2023, 08:54
“The kid can cycle, but can the driver drive?”: Parents demand safer cycling infrastructure as video shows 5-year-old having to navigate traffic and blocked bike lane
5-year-old cyclist on the A10, London (Twitter)

That kid deserves a chapeau from all of us. But makes you wonder, why on earth would someone see this video and not advocate for safer roads where children are free to cycle without constantly looking over their shoulder?

Francesca Savage, the five-year-old's mother, told me yesterday that her son has had no professional training other than from his parents and has been riding a bike since before he had even turned three.

And why does a cycling lane have operating hours? Are you allowed to cycle only specific hours? Imagine if the same was to be done for cars...

“In Haringey less than half of house holds own a car so many people rely on active travel and public transport. The cycling lane parking makes it an unsafe environment for more vulnerable road users and will prevent them from potentially making the switch from their car to a bike,” Save said.

> “The kid can cycle, but can the driver drive?”: Parents demand safer cycling infrastructure as video shows 5-year-old having to navigate traffic and blocked bike lane

Adwitiya Pal

Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.

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8 comments

Avatar
Patrick9-32 | 1 year ago
4 likes

The most unhinged defence of all time: "Suspected drink and drugs driver who killed cyclist told police “there was nothing dangerous” about his driving at time of fatal crash"

If there was nothing dangerous about your driving it wouldn't have killed someone. 

Avatar
chrisonabike | 1 year ago
1 like

RE: Montreal - glad to see something positive in North America (bit of a nadir for cycling infra)!

The good - looks like they have: a) a network (most important) and b) separated cycle paths (or at least protected cycle lanes) with a reasonable width.

So this seems to be at getting to what we might call the "London" level*.  So there's still room for a bit better.  Call it "Copenhagen" level - ubiquity, more convenient, some really good bits of infra.

And - maybe one day - the gold standard.  "Dutch" if you will - where it looks like the place has been "designed" almost as much around cycling as driving.  And where they're still improving things.  (Some neat diagrams of different levels here).

* Of course London's a real mixture including "we've provided for cycling!  We've given cyclists what we call 'the finger' " from Kensington and Chelsea.  I'm thinking of the best bits here.  Below that level there are only "the odd disconnected cycle lane / recreational paths, normally shared with walkers" and then "none (paint and signs)".

Avatar
mattw replied to chrisonabike | 1 year ago
2 likes

I think that is a fair comment.

How many people cycle in Montreal in billion km pa?

The KSIs seem to be rather higher than London per pop on a quick examination. Though still far below normal North American rates.

Avatar
Miller | 1 year ago
0 likes

I was in Montreal for work quite a few years ago, 2004 I think, and did some cycling while there. Their network of bike paths extends all round the environs of the city so you could actually do a long ride without being hassled by cars. Which was nice.

Avatar
Slartibartfast | 1 year ago
0 likes

'Car lanes' only during certain hours are a thing, e.g. bus lanes.

Avatar
Steve K | 1 year ago
2 likes

On the subject of Canada, I happen to be there at the moment. Currently in Toronto, but last week I was just down the road near Peterborough. It's been interesting to see all the same debates here as in the UK - but (from what I've seen) more positivity. Modal filters on some roads, but described as "café streets" and I was greeted by this article in the local paper.

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Steve K | 1 year ago
0 likes

Meanwhile in Old Peterborough car is still king.  (Despite actually having quite a bit of interesting legacy 1980s (?) shabby - but not too bad for the UK - genuine separate cycle infra, being flat etc.)

Of course, there's a plan... not familiar with this though.  I just pass through the place occasionally.

Avatar
Steve K replied to chrisonabike | 1 year ago
3 likes
chrisonatrike wrote:

Meanwhile in Old Peterborough car is still king.  (Despite actually having quite a bit of interesting legacy 1980s (?) shabby - but not too bad for the UK - genuine separate cycle infra, being flat etc.)

Of course, there's a plan... not familiar with this though.  I just pass through the place occasionally.

Car is still king in Canadian Peterborough too, really. Though I was very impressed with how much room drivers gave cyclists and pedestrians when passing them.

I'm at Niagara Falls now, if anyone cares 🤣

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