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Live blog: Can you win the Tour de France? AMAZING game on Twitter, Top Gear break out the Brompton; Stars give fascinating insights on what makes the Tour unique + more

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
UPDATED Tue, Jul 09, 2019 00:42
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Live blog: Can you win the Tour de France? AMAZING game on Twitter, Top Gear break out the Brompton; Stars give fascinating insights on what makes the Tour unique + more Geraint Thomas Cardiff homecoming 2018 (picture copyright) Charlie Forgham-Bailey, SWpix.com_
08 July 2019, 17:17
Can you win the Tour de France? Take a look at this AMAZING Twitter game

We've been wasting a lot of time at road.cc towers today on this AMAZING Twitter thread that starts with the question, Can you win the Tour de France?

Follow the thread, make your choices, click on the blue arrow button wherever it pops up, and have fun!

08 July 2019, 16:15
It'll buff out...

The latest we've heard is that Kasper Asgreen is in far better shape than his bike after falling hard on stage 3. The Dane put in a shift before his team mate rode away from the peloton to take the stage win, and rolled across the line on a spare bike as Alaphilippe was been presented with the yellow jersey on the podium. 

08 July 2019, 15:01
He's done it

Julian Alaphilippe stayed well clear of the peloton to take the stage 3 victory and the yellow jersey - full story to follow. 

08 July 2019, 14:49
Tour latest - Wellens suffers mechanical and loses lead

Wellens has been passed by Julian Alaphilippe, who is motoring towards the finish with about 5km to go. Will this put the Quick Step man in yellow or will the peloton catch him? 

08 July 2019, 14:45
Brad on a bike proving popular with the riders and fans

Eurosport have certainly upped their game by sticking Bradley Wiggins on the back of a motorbike to provide live updates at this year's race. Here he is having a friendly chat with an Arkea-Samsic rider mid-race.

08 July 2019, 11:11
Top Gear break out the Brompton (not for the first time)

Some top notch British engineering popped up on Top Gear last night. No, not that £276,00 Rolls Royce Cullinan SUV (though we’re sure it’s very good mind if you like that sort of thing… and you don’t look at the front end), it was of course the Brompton emerging from the Cullinan’s capacious boot.
British engineering at it’s best, and it folds, and it’s a lot, lot prettier than the Roller. Brompton's marketing department must LOVE Top Gear.

08 July 2019, 12:59
Want to wear the Maillot Jaune? Tandem

According to the Dutch Cycle Embassy this is stage 1 (and 2 with his teammates) winner Mike Teunissen training in his homeland with Peter Winnen on a battered old tandem, aged 12. 

08 July 2019, 12:24
The Tour de France in gluten

Baker Gregory Piraux was inspired to create the Tour de France map in bread after a meeting with Tour director Christian Prudhomme - after 30 hours of work, here is the result...

Looks pretty hefty, I'm guessing you'd have to eat it in stages...

08 July 2019, 13:17
Lucy Kennedy guilty of premature celebration as Marianne Vos steams past her to take Giro Rosa stage 3 victory

Australian rider Lucy Kennedy is the latest to learn her lesson from an early celebration, as Marianne Vos put down a phenomenal sprint to beat her on the uphill finish to stage 3 of the Giro Rosa...

08 July 2019, 12:30
Giant launch Cadex, a new high-end whees and components brand
giant cadex wheels10.JPG

 

All the details here on the revival of the Cadex name, transformed into a high-end carbon wheel and component manufacturer.

08 July 2019, 12:16
You can't accuse the UCI of not being thorough ...
08 July 2019, 12:28
Tour de France tech highlights
alex dowsett canyon 2.JPG

 

Click here for some of the coolest bits and bobs we spotted on our travels last week. 

08 July 2019, 10:15
08 July 2019, 10:14
Dumbest question of the Tour...so far...

What else could we blanket ban to improve safety? Pop your stupidest ideas in the comments.

08 July 2019, 09:19
Tech randoms from the Tour de France

We were out in Brussels ahead of the Tour de France nosing around the team trucks. Here's a gallery of bikes and equipment we spotted Trek, Pinarello, Specialized, Canyon and more, plus lots of interesting new products and top hacks.

- Tour de France 2019 Tech Highlights - Sagan's bike, new Bontrager XXX shoes, SRAM custom rings and much more

valverde movistar17.JPG
08 July 2019, 08:37
Congratulations Dr Ian Walker! Europe Cycle Record smashed

Ian has completed the 6,350km top to bottom route in just 16 days, 20 hours and 59 minutes - more on this later. 

08 July 2019, 08:08
Guardian journalist Pete Walker gets early preview of Channel 5's "Cyclists: Scourge of the streets?" documentary... and it's even worse than it sounds

The documentary has caused much controversy before even airing (on tomorrow night at 9:15pm if you really want to put yourself through it), and Guardian journalist Pete Walker has got an early preview. Walker goes as far as to say the documentary may put cyclists at risk: "On Wednesday morning, I’ll be a little bit more wary when I cycle into work. I’m always hugely careful, anyway – the trip involves sharing space with tonne-plus lumps of speeding metal – but this time I’ll be particularly on my guard. Why? Because Channel 5 are putting me, and others, at risk."

Walker quotes numerous false statements presented as fact in the program, such as the idea that Britain has gone 'bike mad' when in fact journeys made by bike in the UK are stuck on around 2%, and using the lack of helmet-wearing by cyclists as an indication that people who ride  bikes are more likely to flout laws; when in fact there is no law in the UK that says cyclists must wear helmets. 

The program also features a man driving a 4x4 down narrow country lanes, bemoaning the capacity of Britain's roads and complaining that he is unable to overtake them on blind bends. 

Numerous people are voicing their concerns on social media about riding the day after the documentary airs; although others are relieved that it's only on Channel 5...

08 July 2019, 08:03
Jumbo Visma's win from the team car

They've been the surprise package of the opening stages so far, bagging stage 1 via Mike Tiernessen and dominating the TTT - here's that second stage from the team car. 

08 July 2019, 07:58
Nothing changes...

From our friends at Angry People in Local Newspapers, here's a gloriously retro photo of a girl pointing at a pothole which, judging by her facial injury, was presumably responsible for flinging her off her super cool Raleigh Chopper. Wonder if the council have got round to sorting it yet?

08 July 2019, 07:53
Want the best Tour insights? Follow the Tour de France helicopter on Twitter

Every July since 2015, the mysterious 'Helicóptero del Tour' has popped up with a daily update from the Tour de France, and every single one looking like the above. Who needs live coverage and race reports when you've got in-depth info like this? 

Jack Sexty

Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story). 

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16 comments

Avatar
ConcordeCX | 5 years ago
5 likes

"What else could we blanket ban to improve safety? Pop your stupidest ideas in the comments"

blankets.

 

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
0 likes

I took a peek at C5's website, very revealing, and I trust they will be getting an avalanche of complaints after it's aired.

From the Channel 5 website:

“Hello and welcome to the Channel 5 Programming pages

What we DO want are programmes that are engaging, intelligent, well made and have a relevance to the viewer.

We particularly like factual shows – Specialist Factual, Documentaries and Factual Entertainment. These can be poppy, tabloid type shows or serious pieces, there’s room for all tones and textures. But they need to have a good, grabby title.

Ben Frow

Director of Programming”

And “The Independent Producers Handbook aims to give helpful and practical guidance to all our programme-makers and editorial staff on the Ofcom Broadcasting Code rules and the main areas of law that apply to the making and broadcast of programmes.”

 

The Ofcom Broadcasting Code has quite a few sections, including:

“Section two: Harm and offence

This section outlines standards for broadcast content so as to provide adequate protection for members of the public from harmful and/or offensive material.

Section three: Crime, disorder, hatred and abuse

This section of the Code covers material that is likely to incite crime or disorder, reflecting Ofcom’s duty to prohibit the broadcast of this type of programming.

Section five: Due impartiality and due accuracy

To ensure that news, in whatever form, is reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.”

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/broadcast-codes/broadcas...

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
0 likes

In his several interviews Mike Teunissen does seem like a charming young man.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

sock-height-measuring device

I hesitate to ask, for fear of looking stupid, but is that a real rule/thing? 

Avatar
OnYerBike replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

sock-height-measuring device

I hesitate to ask, for fear of looking stupid, but is that a real rule/thing? 

Yes, I believe so. I believe the rationale is to prevent socks being used to aid performance via muscle compression and/or aerodynamics. 

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/check-illegal-socks-reaction-u...

Avatar
brooksby replied to OnYerBike | 5 years ago
0 likes

OnYerBike wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

sock-height-measuring device

I hesitate to ask, for fear of looking stupid, but is that a real rule/thing? 

Yes, I believe so. I believe the rationale is to prevent socks being used to aid performance via muscle compression and/or aerodynamics. 

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/check-illegal-socks-reaction-u...

Wow.  Well, OK then... 

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to OnYerBike | 5 years ago
0 likes

OnYerBike wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

sock-height-measuring device

I hesitate to ask, for fear of looking stupid, but is that a real rule/thing? 

Yes, I believe so. I believe the rationale is to prevent socks being used to aid performance via muscle compression and/or aerodynamics. 

https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/check-illegal-socks-reaction-u...

i'm surprised they're using a mechanical device in this day and age. I'd have though an internet*-enabled laser device with an app would be better able to take into account variables such as fabric stretch, rate of droop over time at different altitudes, fibia:tibia:sock ratios both lengthwise and circumference, change in ratios resulting from dehydration and vein bulging, etc. It's a complex matter.

Or they could just blanket ban socks and insist that pro cyclists paint their ankles instead.

*I mean, we all like net stockings, don't we...?

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... | 5 years ago
6 likes

Reading the Guardian article account of that program also furthers my deep loathing of black-cab drivers.  As if listening to LBC doesn't do that enough.

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 5 years ago
5 likes

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

Reading the Guardian article account of that program also furthers my deep loathing of black-cab drivers.  

Cockroaches.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 5 years ago
1 like

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

Reading the Guardian article account of that program also furthers my deep loathing of black-cab drivers.  As if listening to LBC doesn't do that enough.

We should cut their brake lines and drop bricks through the windscreens ... just a bit of bantzyesSugar in the fuel tank totally acceptable however!

 

I never got a reply from CH5 nor OFCOM, despicable bags o shite!

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... | 5 years ago
1 like

The trouble with complaining about that C5 bilge, is that I don't feel I could complain without first watching it and (a) doing so would make me want to smash my TV and (b) I don't have a TV (haven't had one for nearly 20 years now).  So I'd have to buy a TV, and a licence, just in order to annoy myself and smash the thing.

Avatar
NPlus1Bikelights | 5 years ago
4 likes

Ofcom accept complaints after airing. Pre complaints could goto 

viewerenquiries [at] channel5.com

They will get improved ad revenue from this irresponsible crap. Hopefully OfCom will pull the series. Please do complain.

Avatar
peted76 | 5 years ago
4 likes

Very well done to Ian Walker!

It's more than a bit mental if you think about it, more superhuman! 

.. 230 miles a day (average) for 16 days straight!

Which is 45% further than the Tour de France covers this year in 23 days.

Chapeau indeed!

Avatar
Housecathst | 5 years ago
4 likes

To be fair to channel 5 I understand their running a follow up show next week called. “British motorists, ISIS terrorists ? Who’s side are you on ?” 

They’ve spent 5 mins on YouTube and realise that there’s  is enough death and destruction caused by motorists for 300 seasons.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
3 likes

Well done Dr Walker! laugh

Avatar
squidgy | 5 years ago
4 likes

Thats not a raleigh chopper , its a Tomahawk!

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