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Video – Casey Neistat back with world’s first ‘Tesla’ Cyberbike; Jakob Fuglsang denies Michele Ferrari link, while doctor claims he’s never been convicted of doping; André Greipel in ALS awareness Zwift ride; Poole shared infra woes vid +more on live blog

Happy Monday! Jack Sexty is running your live blog today, with Simon MacMichael taking over later this evening.
UPDATED Tue, Feb 04, 2020 13:12
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03 February 2020, 19:40
"I have no case to answer" says Jakob Fuglsang

Astana’s Jakob Fuglsang has broken his silence over claims he trained with banned doping doctor Michele Ferrari, with the world number-two ranked rider insisting he has “no case to answer.”

Jakob Fuglsang of Astana

In a ststement published on his Instagram feed, the 34-year-old said: “I contest that I have met with Dr Ferrari. I am not aware of any report and I can confirm that no procedure has even been opened by competent anti-doping authorities against me.

“Accordingly, I have no case to answer,” he added. "I am extremely concerned that such rumours could be spread out in the press."

03 February 2020, 19:20
Video: Casey Neistat is back – with a ‘Tesla’ cyberbike

Remember New York Cit-based videographer Casey Neistat, first featured here on road.cc with his Bike Lanes video back in 2011, which has now amassed more than 25 million views on YouTube?

Well, he’s back with a new video in which he showcases the world’s first ‘Tesla’ cyberbike and talks through how it was put together.

Okay, it’s not actually a Tesla, but with an outer body styled to resemble that of the Tesla cybertruck memorably unveiled by Elon Musk in November, it certainly turned heads when Neistat took it out on the streets, and the T-word was the one that sprung to many people’s lips when they saw it.

There was method in Neistat’s madness, however – beneath all that carboard, aluminium and plastic lurks a forthcoming model from e-bike brand Super 73 that he was asked to test, but which the company asked him to keep under wraps.

So, in the same vein that car manufacturers will often modify the bodies of new models during road testing to throw photographers trying to get spy shots for automotive publications off the scent, the ‘Tesla’ body here is designed to camouflage what’s really underneath.

It's a pity, though, that in so doing, it means that the bike is left with the turning circle of an oil tanker, but you can’t have everything.

03 February 2020, 15:30
BBC video on cycling through 'Europe's deadliest air' in Serbia

Campaigner Jasna Cizler says cycling in the Serbain capitial of Belgrade feels like “an extreme sport” at times because of the heavy traffic and high levels of pollution. She organises critical mass events promoting cycling once a month, and says two wheels are the key to cleaning up Serbia's dangerous air. 

03 February 2020, 16:24
Zwift and André Greipel hosting virtual ride to raise cash for ALS awareness in tribute to Greipel's mother
zwift greipel als challenge

Greipel's mother passed away after a long fight with Lou Gehrig's Disease (known as ALS in America) in 2017 after initially being diagnosed in 2013; and on 8th February at 5pm, Zwifters are invited to join the 'André Greipel Fight ALS Mega Ride'. Zwift are hoping it will be the biggest group ride on the platform ever, and they will also donate $1 for every rider that joins up to $10,000. 

The event description says: “Gudrun was Andre's biggest supporter, and now it's up to us to help support him and her legacy by joining him in the fight against ALS. With this ride on February 8th, we’re raising awareness and money to accelerate the pace of ALS research. The donations go entirely to ALS researcher Professor Prudlo, currently conducting research at the DZNE, the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases.”

Lou Gehrig's Disease is thought to affect up to 450,000 people across the globe - much awareness was raised back in 2014 through the Ice Bucket Challenge, where participants filmed themselves pouring icy water over their heads and donating to a relevant charity. 

You can side up for the André Greipel Fight ALS Mega Ride here. You'll also unlock in-game 'Fight ALS' kit by participating. 

03 February 2020, 15:24
Felt unveil brand new AR aero road racer for 2020
felt ar 2020

It's faster, lighter, stiffer and more integrated and all that jazz, and we'll have a full story with all the details on the site soon. 

03 February 2020, 15:06
Looks like a right hoot: man takes owl for a bike ride

Is it even cycling unless you take your owl with you? 

03 February 2020, 14:00
"I've never been convicted of doping”, says Dr Michele Ferrari in statement
Michele Ferrari Photo by Maryse Alberti, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Ferrari posted a statement in regards to allegations that he was working with Astana's Jakob Fuglsang on his 53x12 training website. Here it is: 

“Once again I unfortunately find myself compelled to deny the latest media hoax that concerns me.

The following is my reply to the "Secret Report" mentioned by the newspaper POLITIKEN:

- I have not had any relationship with athletes from Team Astana for over 10 years
- I haven't been to Monaco/Nice for at least 12 years
- I have never been on a scooter/motorbike in my entire life, let alone motorpacing a cyclist
- I haven't been to the Vuelta Catalunya in 2019. I haven't physically been present at a single race since 1994
- The "Report" is based on false reports from probable interested parties
- I have no base in Lugano, a place where I have never been
- I have never been convicted of doping.”

Ferrari was mentioned 489 times in the US Anti-Doping Agency's Reasoned Decision document over the Lance Armstrong/US Postal scandal published in 2012, and as is evident above, still denies any wrongdoing. 

Astana have also released a statement today on this most recent case, which you can read more about here. 

03 February 2020, 14:06
Kids: don't ride the rollers like this

Youtuber Mike Boyd - who makes videos specifically showing himself 'learning stuff quickly' - could have made things a whole lot easier for himself in his attempt to learn how to ride rollers. Placing a shagpile between the rollers and his perfectly suitable wooden floor probably wasn't the best place to start, and reverting to an e-bike that's already moving to get used to them before hopping on his own (very dirty) bike was a dodgy move too. We also witness Boyd hurting pretty much every part of his body other than his head, so perhaps some body armour rather than a helmet would have been more useful to him on this occasion. 

If you want to see someone who has truly mastered the rollers, look no further than the very talented Ruby Isaac... 

03 February 2020, 11:53
Video from Poole cyclist demonstrates issues with shared use paths

“A bicycle lane should be direct, fast and separated from pedestrians AND vehicles. Not cyclists shoved into pedestrian areas because the councils are too lazy to do it properly”, the video's protagonist said to road.cc as he sent us this 7 minute clip showing the perceived problems with Poole's shared bike/pedestrian paths. 

At the beginning of the video one of the captions reads: ”Whoever thinks cycling at 20-30mph in the same space as pedestrians needs their head examining. Bicycles and pedestrians DO NOT MIX!”

We're then shown various sections of the shared path that are far slower to get around on by bike compared to using the road, and another section where the narrator claims there is a 'cyclists dismount' sign. 

In the second half of the video our man appears to be on a motorbike, and rides a route with heavy traffic. He suggests this much faster route should simply have a clear, marked cycle lane to allow for all modes of transport to get to where they want to go safely and efficiently. 

What's the solution? Is fully separated infrastructure like they do in the Netherlands a pipe dream in our densely populated nation that relies on the car, or does shared infrastructure need ripping up so we can start again? Let us know your thoughts in the comments of course... 

03 February 2020, 12:41
Breaking: Astana issue statement on Fuglsang allegations (full story to follow)
Jakob Fuglsang (picture credit RCS Sport).JPG

In the statement relating to yesterday's story about Fuglsang's alleged involvement with Dr Michele Ferrari, the team say: “Astana Pro team has taken note of the press article by Danish and Norwegian media relating to the existence of an alleged confidential report by CADF suspecting some riders of the team to have been in contact with banned Dr Michele Ferrari.

“...for the time being, no procedure has been initiated against any rider affiliated to the team. The Astana Pro Team trusts that if the CADF had any evidence of wrongdoing by any rider of the team, disciplinary proceedings would have been immediately initiated in accordance with anti-doping regulations and the World Anti-doping Code.”

Full story to follow.  

03 February 2020, 11:39
Malaysian cycling federation boss detained on corruption charges
malaysia police car

Malaysian National Cycling Federation president Abu Samah Abdul Wahab has been accused of giving contracts to his family, and has been detained for four days for investigations on abuse of power - he was arrested at his home last week according to local media. 

Malaysia's youth and sports minister told the Malay Mail that we “wasn't sure” why Wahab was arrested, but was confident the Federation would conduct their investigations in a “fair and transparent manner.”

03 February 2020, 11:25
Storey bags three world titles at Para-cycling World Champs
dame sarah storey

Storey's success story continued at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Milton, Canada at the weekend as she scooped gold in the WC5 individual pursuit, the omnium and the scratch race. It means she's now won 38 titles in total across 20 world championships across swimming and cycling. 

There were also victories in the tandem sprint events for Team GB, with duos Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott and Neil Fachie and Matt Rotherham winning gold medals. 

03 February 2020, 11:22
Need wider pedals? Shimano has been listening
03 February 2020, 10:57
Evenepoel takes overall win at cursed Vuelta a San Juan
remco evenpoel vuelta a san juan 2020

With a rogue dog, an rogue idiotic spectator and a sexism scandal taking centre stage away from the main event, the prodigious 20-year-old Belgian provided the entertainment in it by becoming the youngest rider to win in the race's 38 year history. He commented modestly: ““I always try to be in good shape and give my absolute best, I am always motivated and ready for a new challenge. This is who I am. I am fortunate to have an extraordinary team around me and I want to stay with my feet on the ground and be the same Remco you know.”

03 February 2020, 09:31
“The only ad that should matter”: Former car ad producer hits back at car-centric Superbowl ads with touching alternative

The Superbowl was its usual OTT self last night, with the Kansas City Chiefs' victory over the San Francisco 49ers sometimes appearing like a sideshow to what the whole thing is truly about... grandiose entertainment and rampant commercialism. 

When the game was in timeout and when Shakira and Jennifer Lopez weren't doing their thing, the relentless advertisements rolled; and with tens of millions changing hands for a few seconds of exposure, any ads to do with transport were inevitably on behalf of giant motor producers such as Jeep and Hyundai... admittedly the Jeep commercial (above) was pretty good. 

Enter Tom Flood. He claims to have produced car commercials in a past life and is now an advocate of active travel, so made the charming video above to promote safe infrastructure for cycling to school. In reference to the car ads' emphasis on vehicle safety, the text reads: “We don't need bigger vehicles or more technology to protect our kids going to school... we just need safe routes for them to get there. 

”Brought to you by the humble bicycle.”

Touché and chapeau, Mr Flood! 

03 February 2020, 08:57
Bernal crashes hard at Colombian National Championships

The Tour de France champ somehow managed to finish second despite this very nasty fall on a descent, leaving him with some serious flesh wounds... 

Ineos teammate Ivan Sosa crashed out, with  EF Pro Cycling’s Sergio Higuita of EF First claiming the victory -  Bernal rolled in 1min 15secs behind the winner. 

Jack Sexty

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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11 comments

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes

There was an almost pro cycling story on the BBCs South Today at lunch, students in Southampton are using bicycles and trailers to pick up household food waste and turn it into compost.

I saw quantities of snowdrops at Mapledurham on Saturday.  Slowly spring is approaching.  I wonder if it will be as wet and warm as this winter has been.

According to my mother there are daffodils out in Bexhill on sea.

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TeresaDay | 4 years ago
0 likes

Shared cycle lanes are dangerous. Especially at school start and finish. Try getting past 2 mums with buggies with various children on scooters , oh and theres an excited dog on a lead. I'd rather be on the road thank you.

Avatar
luke.lon replied to TeresaDay | 4 years ago
2 likes
TeresaDay wrote:

Shared cycle lanes are dangerous. Especially at school start and finish. Try getting past 2 mums with buggies with various children on scooters , oh and theres an excited dog on a lead. I'd rather be on the road thank you.

"Shared" means... shared. You just have to be aware that there other users and adjust accordingly. Expecting to be able to "cycling at 20-30mph in the same space as pedestrians" is unreasonable.

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alansmurphy replied to luke.lon | 4 years ago
3 likes

I in part agree that trying to cycle quickly on a shared use path is akin to the arrogant motorists close passing a cyclist but it raises the wider question about why they are put in place at great expense. They are maybe of limited use for those looking to travel at <10mph but they aren't a great 'active travel' incentive. Furthermore, put them in place and watch drives increasingly endanger a cyclists life due to perceived righteousness...

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StuInNorway replied to luke.lon | 4 years ago
2 likes
luke.lon wrote:
TeresaDay wrote:

Shared cycle lanes are dangerous. Especially at school start and finish. Try getting past 2 mums with buggies with various children on scooters , oh and theres an excited dog on a lead. I'd rather be on the road thank you.

"Shared" means... shared. You just have to be aware that there other users and adjust accordingly. Expecting to be able to "cycling at 20-30mph in the same space as pedestrians" is unreasonable.

Shared goes both ways, people walking 4 abreast using the entire width, buggies side by side using the entire width, and not opening a gap if requested by someone waiting to pass is not "sharing" that's "commandeering"

Avatar
HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
8 likes

"Is fully separated infrastructure like they do in the Netherlands a pipe dream in our densely populated nation...?"

I believe the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe, so that won't be right. Plus, prioritising the form of transport that uses the most space per person doesn't make sense in a densely populated country.

We are quite capable of building good segregated cycle infra in the UK - even Birmingham can do it! It's not even all that costly compared with roads.

We know what the solution is, we just have to put more pressure on government and councils to deliver it.

Avatar
Jack Sexty replied to HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
2 likes

HarrogateSpa wrote:

"Is fully separated infrastructure like they do in the Netherlands a pipe dream in our densely populated nation...?"

I believe the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe, so that won't be right. Plus, prioritising the form of transport that uses the most space per person doesn't make sense in a densely populated country.

We are quite capable of building good segregated cycle infra in the UK - even Birmingham can do it! It's not even all that costly compared with roads.

We know what the solution is, we just have to put more pressure on government and councils to deliver it.

All very good points, cheers - I probably wasn't been clear enough that I was playing devil's advocate/trying to present the opinion of a typical person who might be against building Dutch-style infrastructure. I often see population bandied about as a reason we can't do it here even from politicians, when of course that's not an excuse as you've pointed out. 

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to HarrogateSpa | 4 years ago
0 likes
HarrogateSpa wrote:

We are quite capable of building good segregated cycle infra in the UK - even Birmingham can do it! It's not even all that costly compared with roads.

Not done the A38 one, but the A34 does have some issues not mentioned in the article linked. For example the lane just after the Pictures listed Newtown Centre disappears and reappears several times along the way and has a lot of pavement furniture on it. Also, cars aren't aware that they need to stop before the Cycle zebra and only stop for the Pedestrian one so block it off. 

Also the amount of Pedestrians who just use it as an extension of the Pavement (well it is nicer to walk on as it is flatter) means it is still a shared path even when seperate. 

Still alot of people use it that wouldn't have so it is a success (I just use the adjacent bus lane). 

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HarrogateSpa replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 4 years ago
0 likes

Fair points. I did it on a Sunday morning when there was hardly anyone around, but there were a few people walking on the bike lane.

The A38 Blue Route is very similar to the A34 one, but I'd say a bit better.

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Kendalred | 4 years ago
3 likes

So has Evenepoel changed nationality over the winter then? That'll disappoint a lot of Belgians, although if there's now a spare Belgian passport out there, I'll gladly have it.

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Matt_Z | 4 years ago
0 likes

I believe Ivan Sosa crashed out and it was Higuita from EF that won it

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