“Complete joke”: Cycling fans aghast as Mark Cavendish snubbed by BBC Sports Personality of the Year; “Slow down the bikes to save lives,” says team boss; Storey slams UCI amid 100/1 SPOTY odds; Pidcock still on Pinarello mtbs + more on the live blog

If you thought Tadej Pogačar failing to make the BBC ‘Sports Personality of the Year – World Sports Star’ shortlist (try saying that after a few pints) was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Because this morning, the Beeb announced its nominees for the main SPOTY award. And while Champions League winner (but not quite Euro 2024 victor) Jude Bellingham, Olympic 800m champion Keely Hodgkinson, 17-year-old darts phenom (but not yet world champion) Luke Littler, and some cricketer (Joe Root) were all accounted for, one name was notably missing from the shortlist.

A certain record-breaking Manx Missile.

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Yes, despite Mark Cavendish – the winner of the ultimately meaningless award back in his world title winning year of 2011 – roaring to his 35th Tour de France stage victory in July, at the age of 39, to become the outright most successful stage hunter in the history of his sport’s biggest race, helping him gain a knighthood in the process, there was no space for cycling’s fastest ever sprinter on the BBC’s shortlist.

Some are calling it the biggest SPOTY cycling snub since the all-conquering Beryl Burton was barely given a mention during the 1967 coverage of the event, even though she surprised the Beeb’s bigwigs by finishing second to Our ‘Enry Cooper in the public vote, despite none of her races being broadcast on television in the UK. (Okay, I’m the one calling it that.)

In any case, there’s plenty of cycling fans (and the occasional MP) on social media fuming with SPOTY’s glaring Cav omission.

> “Does anyone at the BBC watch cycling?”: Fans furious after Tadej Pogačar snubbed for World Sport Star of the Year shortlist, claiming cycling has “gone to the bottom, behind darts”

“Complete Joke. How isn’t Mark Cavendish on the list?” asked one BlueSky user.

“Decent list, but would have had Cavendish on there. Part lifetime achievement but also for the past 12 months. France will be stunned by his omission,” said Steve.

“How is there no space on the SPOTY list for Mark Cavendish in a year when he becomes the all-time greatest stage winner of the Tour de France against the odds; the icing on what was already an incredible sporting comeback?” asked Conservative Kingston-upon-Thames MP Ben Obese-Jecty.

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Others noted that, while it could be said that Cav’s 2024 – when considered on its own, compared to some of his other mind-bogglingly successful years – isn’t up to much (just the one Tour stage? Pah!), the same accusation could be labelled at England’s record Test run scorer Root.

“Root had another excellent year, but not his greatest. If we are doing overall achievement, the lack of a Cavendish vote is crazy,” said another user.

(Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

But before we sharpen our pitchforks and head on down to Broadcasting House just yet, cycling did at least make it on to the SPOTY shortlist, courtesy of the Burton-esque Dame Sarah Storey, who dominated at the Paris Paralympics to secure the 18th and 19th golds, and 29th and 30th medals, of one of the greatest sporting careers of all time.

At the age of 47, Storey just kept adding to her glistening palmares, winning the road race and time trial gold at the para-cycling worlds for a stunning tenth time, to bring her rainbow jersey tally to 39. Yes, 39 world titles – not even the BBC could ignore that.

Oh, and Olympic and world triathlon champion Alex Yee has also been nominated, after his thrilling suspense-laden win in Paris. So that counts as a third of a nominee for cycling too, right?

While much of the furore within the cycling world surrounding this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year shortlist focused on Mark Cavendish’s glaring absence, the one cyclist who did get nominated – record-smashing Paralympic legend Dame Sarah Storey – has been ranked a 100/1 outsider by bookmakers to scoop the prize.

And in a strikingly similar situation to Beryl Burton back in the 1960s, whose groundbreaking achievements were largely ignored by the UK press, those lowly odds, Storey says, are an indictment of the UCI’s inability to properly promote para-cycling, a branch of the sport the 47-year-old claims “disappears” from public view between each Paralympics.

Storey has reached the SPOTY shortlist for the fourth time in her long, illustrious career, after securing her 18th and 19th Paralympic gold medals in Paris, before following that up with her 28th and 29th world titles.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

“I won four gold medals in 24 days in September 2024 and this is the fourth time I’ve been on the list,” she told the Telegraph today. “So maybe someone with a crystal ball will tell me whether all those ‘fours’ means it’s a good thing.”

However, Storey, who doubles up as Greater Manchester’s Active Travel Commissioner, believes her often lowly positions in the public Sports Personality vote over the years are a reflection of the lack of coverage and support her sport receives.

“I think we don’t get enough coverage between Games,” she says. “Para-sport disappears for the four years in between. There isn’t sufficient funding and support for any of the para-athletes – maybe except tennis – for athletes to be professional athletes. So, the vast majority of para-athletes will have a job of some kind, will be doing some work alongside.

“We have to train like we’re full-time, we have to deliver the performances as though we’re full-time. But we don’t get the coverage to bring the finance into the sport that we need to deliver that professional level. And it’s really, really challenging.”

“You only have to look at comments when I was found to be out of Dancing on Ice,” she said, referencing the recently fractured ankle that ruled her out of participating in the celebrity skating programme in the new year.

“People were like, ‘Well, who is she? Hopefully, she’s replaced with someone who’s more well-known’. And that just says a lot, doesn’t it? People don’t see para sport on the TV enough to know who their most successful athlete is.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Sarah Storey (@damesarahstorey)

Asked how she would change this situation, Storey said: ““I would make sure that we utilise some of the coffers that are in there, in the international governing bodies, to start to speculate to accumulate on the coverage front. We need to see the event at the highest level – world championships, World Cup events – on the TV. We need to see that streamed with proper coverage.

“At the moment, you have to work really hard to find out who’s done what. And even when I’m following my own sport and I know where to look for it, it’s not well laid out, it’s not well done.

“So, when you look at the way the UCI do things, the only reason we got coverage at the World Championships in Zurich was because we happened to be part of the event where the able-bodied riders were. If we were stand-alone, like it will be next year in Belgium, I can almost guarantee the coverage will be nothing like what we experienced in Zurich.

(Ed Sykes/SWpix.com)

“The UCI have had hold of para-cycling since 2006-2007. So, in almost 20 years, very little has improved.

“Those integrated events are really important. And I think once we’ve got coverage, once we’ve got a narrative in between the Paralympic Games, we start to see those personalities coming out.

“Many people have, more than once, assumed that I’ve retired. And they were very surprised and pleased to see that I was selected again for another Games. So, I think it’s really important that people don’t make that assumption just because they haven’t seen you race on TV.”

While Katy Marchant’s horror crash at the Lee Valley Velodrome on Saturday night appears to have reignited the debate on track racing safety protocols – particularly when it comes to trackside barriers seemingly ‘protecting’ spectators from the action on the boards – cycling’s decision makers also continue to be locked in an ongoing discussion about safety on the road.

And, after a 2024 road season marred by a horrendous high-speed crash at the Itzulia Basque Country and the tragic deaths of Swiss junior rider Muriel Furrer and Norwegian pro André Drege during races, Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot has claimed “there’s only solution” that would make the sport safer: “slow down the bikes”.

The outspoken French manager’s suggestion, which he says could emulate Formula 1 by “saving lives” while not hindering the spectacle on display, comes just two weeks after Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme argued that crashes such as the one in the Basque Country in April – which left two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard with serious injuries, hindering his eventual yellow jersey defence – are caused by riders “going too fast”.

> EF boss Jonathan Vaughters slams “fat cats who have never raced so much as a child’s tricycle” after Tour de France director blames crashes on “riders going too fast”

Speaking at the annual general assembly of the association of race organisers (AIOCC) in Italy, Prudhomme said: “Beyond the behaviour of the athletes and the work of the organisers, it is absolutely necessary to reduce speed by appropriate measures: the riders are going too fast.

“The faster they go, the greater the risk and the more they endanger themselves and others.

“We already said it here last year: our car and motorbike drivers no longer have a safety margin! Imagine the consequences if one of our drivers, subjected to too much pressure, lost control on a mountain descent or when racing through a built-up area.”

And while the Tour director’s stance has drawn criticism from the likes of EF Education-EasyPost manager Jonathan Vaughters, who branded the comments “absolutely infuriating” and dismissed Prudhomme as one of the sport’s “fat cats who have never raced so much as a child’s tricycle”, it has nevertheless attracted some degree of support from Vaughters’ fellow team bosses, namely Groupama-FDJ chief Marc Madiot.

Marc Madiot (ASO/Pauline Ballet)

In an interview with Le Parisien, Madiot, who’s managed the French squad since 1997, said that slowing down the technology on offer is key to creating a safer environment who “don’t want to understand” the inherent risks they face during races.

“The equation is impossible,” the two-time Paris-Roubaix winner and expert car door panel beater told the French newspaper.

“The guys are riding faster and faster on terrain where everything is designed to slow down the vehicles. And downhill, it’s worse than anything.

“And since a lot of guys don’t want to understand anything, there’s only one solution: slow down the bikes.

“Formula 1 has never stopped restricting cars. Not only has it saved lives, but its spectacle has lost nothing. Honestly, is a race at an average of 48kph less exciting than one at 55kph?”

> "Profound safety problem" in elite cycling, finds report... but riders union president says it's "getting safer"

The great leap forward in bike technology over the past decade – which promoted one smiling French “champion” to tell Le Parisien that the bikes “almost ride by themselves” these days – and its effect on safety was also noted by France’s philosopher cyclist Guillaume Martin, who’s set to move to Madiot’s Groupama-FDJ team in 2025 after five years at Cofidis.

“The equipment allows you to go faster,” Martin told the paper. “I have the impression that the bikes break every time you fall, which means they are more violent.

 (ASO/Billy Ceusters)

“We can do like in F1 where everyone has the same tyres. That way we wouldn’t have any differences in grip. We can choose a brand that isn’t hyper-efficient with tyres that make you go a little slower. From one tyre to another, the speed can vary by 3kph.”

> Tour de France pro slams "heavier" Look bike for poor performance, but Cofidis team unimpressed and point out same "cutting-edge equipment" has been ridden to numerous big Grand Tour wins

Meanwhile, other suggestions for reducing speed, such as increasing the UCI’s 6.8kg minimum weight for bikes, were dismissed as “stupid” by Groupama-FDJ’s performance director Frédéric Grappe.

“Heavier, the bikes would go faster downhill. There are other avenues, however,” Grappe said, before calling on cycling’s governing body to act on certain aero-focused rider positions on the bike.

“The centre of gravity has been moved forward,” he said. “The saddles are too high and the handlebars too low. As a result, riders’ arms are too straight and they can no longer bend their elbows when it comes to reacting quickly to a problem.

“Seeing riders skidding off the front wheel on a descent is completely abnormal. Everything is done to get themselves into trouble.

“Smaller handlebars are also making turning more complicated. And another consequence is that, in a peloton, the guys are closer together. That increases the danger.”

(SprintCyclingAgency)

Also speaking to Le Parisien, Kiko Garcia, the general director of the International Association of Cycle Race Organisers, argued that a “lot of things are possible” on the bike tech front to help make the sport safer.

“We race organisers can’t secure everything and we ask for help from the bicycle industry and other bicycle families,” he said.

“But the very good news is that equipment manufacturers are not at all closed to the idea of ​​building slightly slower bikes. The will is common. I’m sure that changes will be decided soon.”

I don’t know what they put in those cobblestone trophies, but it seems to make you obsessed with Tadej Pogačar.

Because the two men who hold the joint record for the most Paris-Roubaix victories, Tom Boonen and Roger De Vlaeminck, can’t stop talking about the Triple Crown-winning Slovenian.

At the Velo d’Or awards on Friday, where Pogačar claimed the titular award for best male rider in the world, as well as the Eddy Merckx Trophy for his classics success in 2024, Belgian legend Boonen told the crowd he was “100 per cent” convinced the three-time Tour de France winner could rewrite the rules of the sport by becoming the first rider since Bernard Hinault to win both the Tour and Paris-Roubaix – the only monument Pogačar is yet to tackle (though he’s also still waiting to break his duck at Milan-Sanremo, of course).

> Tom Boonen apologises to Colnago for claiming Tadej Pogačar is on a slower bike than rivals

“I am 100 per cent convinced he can win it,” the 44-year-old, who matched De Vlaeminck’s record tally of four wins at the Hell of the North, said at the awards ceremony.

“He is one of those riders who can handle a bike well, he can do everything with a bike. And Paris-Roubaix is ​​not too difficult. It is just about riding fast on the cobblestones and taking the wind into account. But if he can’t win it, who can?”

Pogačar, for his part, brushed off Boonen’s lofty expectations in his usual dry manner.

“Try to avoid the big rocks as much as possible. Use the side of the road and everything will be fine!” the Slovenian laughed. “It’s easy for him!”

But while Boonen is confident Pogačar can push his career to even greater heights by winning all five monuments, Monsieur Paris–Roubaix himself, De Vlaeminck, doesn’t seem to be as in thrall to the Slovenian as the rest of the cycling world.

“With me, Merckx, or [Freddy] Maertens, Pogačar would never have ridden alone in front for 90 kilometres,” the famously taciturn Belgian classics legend told Het Nieuwsblad.

“I don’t want to give interviews anymore after which everyone thinks I’m the bad guy,” the 77-year-old, who was one of Eddy Merckx’s biggest rivals in their 1970s heyday, continued.

“But I don’t want to lie either. Eddy Merckx says that Pogačar is better than him, but I totally disagree. He’s the best right now, I can hardly enjoy it because of that.

“I wonder: who is the opposition. [Remco] Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard, but he only rides the Tour. Come on guys…

“It could be that Pogačar will become the fourth rider ever to win the five Monuments. He only has Milan-Sanremo and Paris-Roubaix to go.

“But then you have to look at who the opponents were. Where are the Italians? The [Francesco] Mosers, [Felice] Gimondis and [Franco] Bitossis that we had to ride against? Can you name one good Italian rider at the moment?”

Stereotypically harsh from De Vlaeminck… But fair?

Of course, the Van der Poels, Pedersens, and Van Aerts of the current peloton will have plenty to say about both Pogačar’s chances of winning Sanremo and Roubaix, as well as the depth of the class of 2024.

> Café owner claims “pointless” cycle lane “destroying” business as lost parking spaces mean customers of 10 years “won’t turn around anymore”, but council points out safe and attractive streets “boost economic activity”

It looks like the cyclocross weather gods got their weekends mixed up this season.

Because, after the benign and pleasantly warm conditions which greeted the riders in Dublin at the start of the month, Sunday’s planned World Cup round on the Italian island of Sardinia was subjected to a massive storm that ultimately forced the organisers to cancel the elite men’s and women’s race on safety grounds.

The cancellation came after gusts of between 65 and 90kph ravaged the coastal course in Cabras – which was set to host a World Cup event for the first time – on Saturday night and Sunday morning, leaving barriers, tents, and portable toilets littered across the course.

Il n'y aura pas de Coupe du monde de cyclo-cross ce week-end : la manche de Cabras (Italie), qui devait se tenir aujourd'hui, est annulée en raison de vents trop violents.

🎥 Hélène Clauzel (IG) #CXWorldCup pic.twitter.com/mVVwo68N6E

— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) December 8, 2024

The makeshift press tent, which the organisers transport to different venues, and which includes a bar and dining facilities, was also struck by lightning overnight, setting it on fire.

Faced with the treacherous conditions, and with the threat of 100kph winds to come, on Sunday morning the round’s organising committee consulted with local authorities, World Cup organisers Flanders Classics, the riders, and the UCI before deciding to pull the pin, while ruling out the possibility that the event could be rescheduled before the end of the season.

“The safety of the riders, staff, volunteers, and the public could not be assured,” the UCI said in a statement.

“Ensuring the safety of our athletes, fans and all personnel remains our utmost priority as we make this necessary decision.”

Weather girl Lucinda Brand giving us live updates about the weather on Sardinia, I hope for everyone that the race can still continue today #CX #cyclocross #Cabras #CXWorldCup pic.twitter.com/BZOezOGMXf

— Tonke (@TonkeBerg) December 8, 2024

However, with the World Cup now venturing far beyond cyclocross’ northern European heartland, the riders were left rueing the cost of an ultimately fruitless trip to Italy.

“It's a bit of a sour apple to bite financially,” Eli Iserbyt, who would have been one of the riders most in danger of being blown away by the strong winds, told Sporza.

“I think every rider has invested about 1,000 to 1,500 euros to be here. That is difficult to recover.

“I weigh 55 kilograms and with my bike and my rims it would be very difficult to stay upright here. I think I was going to have to hold on to my bike well.”

“I think cancelling is the only right option, no matter how hard it is for the organisers,” added Dublin winner Michael Vanthourenhout. “Once you get here, you know that racing is not feasible.

“It’s already difficult to just stay upright. Everyone has made an effort to get here, also financially. I think that today only safety should play a role.”

Meanwhile, Toon Aerts – who took his first World Cup podium in Dublin since returning from a doping ban – said of the financial hit of travelling to Italy: “Yes, it did cost some money. That’s just the way it is. We will have to earn that back at another time.

“Just staying straight with the bike would be super difficult. It’s a shame, because it’s a very nice location here. I was looking forward to it. It was a nice lap. Anyway, we have to accept this. I think cancelling is also for our own good.”

More cycle path sabotage news, this time courtesy of a new mountain bike trail in Guernsey and a wooden stake with nails:

> New cycling route sabotaged with wooden stake and nails, as “hazard” protesting new access granted to cyclists raises safety fears

Well, despite all our combined prayers, it turns out the leaks were – unbelievably – right.

This morning, Colnago finally unveiled its new aero road bike for 2025 – the Y1Rs, designed specifically for UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar and, the Italian brand claims, the “most aerodynamic road bike in the WorldTour”.

That may well prove to be the case – but when it comes to looks (which is why we all love bikes really, isn’t it?), it’s fair to say opinion is divided.

And when I say ‘divided’, I mean 95 per cent of cyclists on social media are aghast.

> The bike Pogačar wins Milan-San Remo on? Colnago claims outlandish new aero road bike is "most aerodynamic in the WorldTour"

“Good call from someone at Colnago to do the promo shots based on painting the rear black and photographing it in the dark against a black back drop. It’s almost like they’re trying to hide it,” said Mark, who could be on to something there.

“And there we have it, what was left of Colnago’s soul is gone,” added Ryan

“Colnagos used to be works of art, not this time,” agreed George.

“Definitely the ugliest bike on the WorldTour, quite the achievement,” said another Facebook user.

Meanwhile, most of you were busy working out what brands, other than Colnago, were actually behind the Y1Rs.

“Looks like a cut and shut job,” said one Instagram user. “Front end of a Cervélo. Back end of a Madone or Foil.”

“Hybrid Cervélo S5 and Trek Madone... It’s not Colnago,” concluded Pawel.

“Co-Trek-go,” said Phùng.

Back to the drawing board for that gag – and probably for Colnago too, judging by the reaction so far.

“It’d need to be fast,” added Jimmy.

No pressure then, Tadej, you only have Colnago’s entire aesthetic reputation resting on your shoulders…