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G says overall peloton standard has gone up; Evenepoel, 20, sets 2020 alight; Froome returns to racing; World Bicycle Relief delivers 500,000th Buffalo Bike; Dowsett's drug test dilemma; Vintage Poulidor ad; Free TdY climbs guide + more on the live blog

Today's live blog with Alex Bowden (daytime) and Simon MacMichael (evening)...
20 February 2020, 21:56
20-year-old Evenepoel sets 2020 on fire with third win of season

The last year or two has seen an amazing bunch of youngsters break through into the men’s pro ranks … and while it’s early days in the 2020 season, it’s legitimate to ask whether Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel may be the best of the bunch.

Aged just 20, he notched up his third win of the season today at the Volta ao Algarve … and as you’ll see from the video below, he did it in some style.

What a talent.

20 February 2020, 19:46
Aussie champ Amanda Spratt gets Goat-o-bombed

It's often said that cyclists with decent climbing ability are "mountain goats" ... well, we don't know if this one is of the mountain variety, but it certainly goat-o-bombed Australian women's road champion Amanda Spratt of Mitchelton-Scott when she was out for a ride yesterday ...

You may have to click on the pic to see the full image.

20 February 2020, 16:47
An early preview of the summit finish of Stage 15 of this year's Tour de France
20 February 2020, 16:32
The principle of induced demand in a cartoon
20 February 2020, 16:23
geraint thomas ineos 2020
Peloton as a whole ‘more professional’ than two years ago, says Geraint Thomas

Geraint Thomas feels that the general standard within the peloton has risen since he became Tour de France champion in 2018.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: "Early season races are so much quicker than they were even two years ago. The whole peloton is training better and they are more professional.”

20 February 2020, 15:45
Renault driverless car (image taken from YouTube video).jpg
Will we still need walking and cycling routes in a world of autonomous vehicles?

According to Xavier Brice, the CEO of Sustrans, there two different futures are currently being imagined stemming from the arrival of autonomous vehicles.

“First up, a heaven, of easy mobility as portrayed by autonomous vehicle (AV) manufacturers, with shared-use AV freeing up road space for public spaces and accidents reduced to near zero. Or alternatively, a hellish, dystopian pod-world, with single-occupancy pod-armadas leading to an irresistible demand for more roads, and with people cloistered away in walkways and tunnels; Bladerunner but with added trees.”

He reckons the reality will turn out to be somewhere in between.

Either way, in a piece on City Metric, he argues that in a world of micro-mobility and driverless cars, we will still need dedicated space for the public to move under their own power.

20 February 2020, 15:18
Caja Rural's rivals taken aback by rider's stage win in the Ruta del Sol
20 February 2020, 15:08
Hackney councillor fails to appreciate a well-known difference between the UK and the Netherlands

Different Hackney councillor to the one earlier on.

This one's Vincent Stops, who is apparently not averse to waging "a bitter Twitter battle with Hackney’s cycling community" according to the Hackney Post.

20 February 2020, 13:51
chris froome ineos 2020
Chris Froome will return to racing at the UAE Tour this week

Froome said: “It’s all I’ve thought about for months now - being back racing. It will be a huge relief just to be back in the peloton again. It feels like I’ve been given a second chance to come back to pro racing after a crash like that. I’m definitely not taking that for granted.

“The year’s gone incredibly well so far but having said that I do still need to manage expectations. I’m still quite a way off where I was at the Dauphine before the crash. It’s going to take me a while to get back to that shape.”

20 February 2020, 13:43
Video: Camden motorist takes short cut down segregated cycle lane

If you're wondering whether the driver felt at all guilty about doing this...

20 February 2020, 13:40
Hackney councillor's 'zero emission vehicle' joke passes people by
20 February 2020, 12:27
Buffalo bike
World Bicycle Relief delivers 500,000th Buffalo Bike

As part of a 102-bike delivery to Bar Union Secondary School in Kakamega County near Kisumu, Western Kenya, World Bicycle Relief has delivered its 500,000th Buffalo Bike.

World Bicycle Relief delivers specially designed, locally assembled, rugged bicycles for people in developing nations.

 

20 February 2020, 12:12
How's your German?

​With the World Track Champs being held in Germany this year, the GB team has been brushing up on key phrases. Well, they're key if you're a track cyclist.

All we've ever needed is 'drei bier, bitte'

20 February 2020, 11:36
London Bridge from South Bank (CC licensed by oyxman via Wikimedia).jpg
London Bridge to close for waterproofing (cyclists can still use it)

London Bridge is to close to all traffic except buses, licensed taxis, pedestrians and cyclists from March 16 until October.

The work will see the original protective waterproofing layer below the road surface replaced, along with 24 bearings.

Cyclists will be able to use the bridge as usual throughout the works, although there will only be one lane open in each direction, shared with buses and licensed taxis.

Transport for London says “[Cyclists] may find they have a better journey by using a different route such as Southwark Bridge or travelling outside of the busiest times.”

They add that roads on the approaches to London Bridge north and south of the river will be busier than usual, especially at peak times on weekdays.

20 February 2020, 10:55
Geraint Thomas still working on some of the pro cycling basics
20 February 2020, 10:29
The people of Hereford are looking out for the bikes in their local share scheme

We usually get stories of share bikes being thrown into rivers and canals by vandals, so this is a nice change.

20 February 2020, 09:43
Get a FREE copy of this year's Tour de Yorkshire Ride Climbs Guide by Simon Warren
20 February 2020, 09:28
Video: Pro cyclists doing core work and singing
20 February 2020, 09:20
Brilliant vintage ad for Paris department store starring Raymond Poulidor

"You can really find everything at la Samaritaine," is the tagline for this ad starring "The Eternal Second," Raymond Poulidor.

20 February 2020, 09:17
Alex Dowsett's drug test dilemma

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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7 comments

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
0 likes

So is G implying doping is back in a big way?

I really can't imagine there being any new training techniques to have improved the riders by any real measure the last 2 years...wasnt marginal gains all about finding a load of tiny improvements because all the big or basic stuff was well understood and known about?

Or does he mean theres been an influx of new, impressive young talent?

Avatar
RobD replied to EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
0 likes

The knowledge of the training may have been around for a while, but actually getting riders to do it all is probably more tricky, when riders can do ok without dedicating their entire lives to training. It seems like everyone is now embracing new training more, so that the 'domestiques' on teams are probably in better shape than many team leaders from a decade or two ago.

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
2 likes

So I went to CityMetric to read the Sustrans article on the future and came across an excellent article by someone called Laura Laker about killer drivers on pavements-

https://www.citymetric.com/transport/think-roads-are-dangerous-sometimes...

Avatar
Dingaling | 4 years ago
0 likes

Would be better if the German was actually correct!

Avatar
EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
0 likes

Love the Poulidor advert  1  3

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NZ Vegan Rider replied to EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
0 likes

Me too  3

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iandusud replied to EddyBerckx | 4 years ago
0 likes

I lived in France for over 20 years up till 2013 and Raymond Poulidor was on the tele everyday of the TDF as a pundit. He was such a lovely bloke and so knowledgeable about the pro cycling scene. He was very humble too. 

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