Bradley Wiggins' liquidated businesses owe over £1m; Misleading 'Dutch Reach Challenge' TikTok vid "unfortunate", say Cycling UK; Froome dropped on Vuelta stage 1; Decathlon revive 2005 Ti racer as 'GRVL' bike + more on the live blog

Two businesses that list Bradley Wiggins as a director are now insolvent, with Wiggins Rights Limited owing over £654,000 and New Team Cycling Ltd owing £587,000. According to the statement of affairs documents listed by Companies House, the biggest debt is to HM Revenue and Customs, which is owed £272,000 by Wiggins Rights Limited. It also owes 101 Ride Ltd, another company that names Wiggins as a director, £238,000, while New Team Cycling Ltd owes thousands to companies such as Pinarello and Trinity Sports Management. 

The statement of affairs for Wiggins Rights Ltd said creditors are likely to be left £54,000 short of the total money owed, and the assets available for preferential creditors are listed as "uncertain" for both Wiggins Rights Ltd and New Team Cycling Ltd. Wiggins' ex-wife Cath is also named as a director for both companies. 

A spokesperson for Bradley Wiggins told Cycling Weekly that his involvement "was not on a day to day", adding: “Experienced professionals were trusted to run both the financial and operational elements of the businesses. It must also be made clear that an investigation into lost assets is still underway. For clarity this in no way affects Bradley’s personal solvency.”

In July, Wiggins was the subject of a bankruptcy petition from HMRC, with London's High Court hearing how he had been facing financial struggles. The hearing lasted five minutes, with Wiggins' lawyers telling the judge that they had met with HMRC representatives on 14th July to agree a solution. The petition was dismissed, and Wiggins was ordered to pay £916 to cover HMRC's costs from the hearing.

Finishing in 71st place, Froome's Vuelta is already over. Thibaut Pinot finished almost 10 minutes off the winner, while Dumoulin is left with a glimmer of hope after dropping 'just' 51 seconds. 

🏁Etapa 1 | Stage 1

🙋🏻‍♂️🏆 ¡PRIMOZ ROGLIC @rogla, ganador en Arrate! 🏆#LaVuelta20 pic.twitter.com/fSnDQa4mtt

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) October 20, 2020

🎥El sufrimiento de Froome (@INEOSGrenadiers) para seguir el ritmo en el Alto de Elgeta / 🇬🇧 Hard efforts by former winner @chrisfroome to keep the pace from the bunch at Elgeta climb! #LaVuelta20 pic.twitter.com/K2V8EuZfUU

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) October 20, 2020

It looks like it could be too much of an ask for Froome to compete for the red jersey, as he's already lost a big chunk of time on stage 1. Primoz Roglic won the stage, while Froome's Ineos teammate Richard Carapaz came second. 

We're just waiting to find out exactly how much time Froome lost. 

The last place you'd expect comments that could be seen as negative towards the humble bicycle is the Netherlands... but this time even Amsterdam has been pushed too far, after the council say that the huge number of bikes tied to railings on the city's many bridges are spoiling the views, and forcing pedestrians into the road due to deep piles of bikes on the narrow pavements. 

A spokesman told The Guardian: “Due to the large number of bicycles parked at the bridge railings, pedestrians no longer fit on the narrow sidewalks and walk on the roadway. This creates unsafe situations.”

Rather than fines or heavy policing, Amsterdam have chosen a more Amsterdam style of prevention by putting in flower baskets to deter potential bike parkers... that'll teach 'em. 

#Giro 🇮🇹 Gran victoria en San Daniele del Friuli para Jan Tratnik 🇸🇮 (Bahrain) tras soltar en el duro repecho del último km a Ben O´Connor 🇦🇺 (NTT). Ellos han sido los más fuertes de la fuga de 28 que ha protagonizado la etapa. pic.twitter.com/ZE3S0eCrWV

— Ciclismo a Fondo (@Ciclismoafondo_) October 20, 2020

The Slovenian triumphed on the hilly 229km stage, blowing away Ben O'Connor of NTT in the final kilometre - that'll be Tratnik's first stage win at a Grand Tour at the age of 30. 

Herman De Croo, the father of current Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and Belgium's longest-serving politician, was the only person who was reported for breaking coronavirus restrictions at the Belgian classic on Sunday. 

De Croo was fined for not wearing a mask, and was caught on camera without one when cyclists drove past his home in Brakel. 

He told Het Nieuwsblad: “I made a mistake and should indeed have worn a face mask."

“It doesn’t matter whether I was all alone at home or not. Everyone along the entire route of the Tour is obliged to wear a face mask. I should have known that and will pay the fine.”

Despite the one ministerial hiccup, the governor of East Flanders Carina Van Cauter said the event was a success: "The fans have behaved in an exemplary manner, proving that cycling can be corona-proof. A boost for the future", she said. 

I did not know this. https://t.co/VtHURwrMDU

— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) October 19, 2020

Chris Boardman didn't know it, and neither did we... but according to these figures shared by Henk Swarttouw, the vice-president of the European Cyclists' Federation, cycle tourism is quite a lot more valuable than cruise tourism in terms of revenue and number of jobs generated. 

Ready to take on the 2020 @lavuelta, my last race for the @INEOSGrenadiers! Let’s do this 👍 pic.twitter.com/wjLcBmJttv

— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) October 20, 2020

Will this be the comeback to end all comebacks for the two-time Vuelta winner? Froome also gave an interview with the BBC yesterday, saying that he feels like his career is far from over... 

“I don’t feel like I’m anywhere close to finished” 💪@chrisfroome says he feels he’s been given a second chance after a horrific crash last year.

He’s racing in the #Vuelta which starts tomorrow. His final race for @INEOSGrenadiers 🚴♂️#5LiveBreakfast

🎧 Listen @BBCSounds pic.twitter.com/OoLwCrBax3

— BBC Radio 5 Live (@bbc5live) October 19, 2020

Detailing his long and slow recovery, Froome says he feels like he's been given a "second chance" after recovering from his horror crash last year, and hopes to carry on racing at the top level for "another few years". 

DISCLAIMER: THE BELOW VIDEO IS NOT HOW YOU DO THE DUTCH REACH

@veygouk

Let's protect cyclists and do the Dutch Reach together ##Veygodutchreach ##Tiktokchallenge ##Drivingtips ##Fyp ##Cycling ##Drivingchallenge

♬ original sound - Veygo Insurance

Their intentions were good we're sure, but unfortunately this TikTok video that attempts to show us how to do the Dutch Reach falls dangerously short.

The Dutch Reach technique is encouraged to prevent the dooring of cyclists and motorbike riders, and means you open the car door with your hand furthest away from the door (your left hand in the UK) so you naturally look behind you when opening it. Veygo's TikTok video looks to be heading in the right direction, with the dancing driver taking her left arm and looking round... but then inexplicably, she turns to the camera to give us the thumbs-up, and opens the door with her right hand anyway. 

If you want to show your kids how not to do it, show them the video above. If you want to teach them the proper technique, see the video below from Cycling UK. 

UAE Team Emirates say that the Colombian won't start stage 16 of the Giro d'Italia - here's their statement: 

After undergoing a PCR test on yesterday’s Giro d’Italia rest day, UAE Team Emirates’ Fernando Gaviria has tested positive for COVID-19.

 

All other riders and staff returned a negative test, and will undergo further testing today.
The teams medical staff are monitoring the situation closely and doing all they can to ensure the we can proceed safely.

 

Gaviria was immediately isolated following the test result and is feeling well and is completely asymptomatic. This is the second time the Colombian has tested positive for the virus, after also having it in March.