L.A. Intentional: cyclist escapes serious injury after shocking hit and run; Ealing's LTNs have gone, but the traffic hasn't; Proviz on a Peloton; Rudi Selig's lunchbox; An interesting bit of route design in France + more on the live blog

With the 2022 road season now under way in earnest, we’re finally seeing all the shiny new kits and bikes in action, instead of the endless barrage of promotional material we were subjected to in January.

With that in mind, Pro Cycling Trumps – in its own inimitable style – has provided a handy guide for fans to get to grips with the new fashion trends in the peloton (as well as a generally accurate ranking system).

We can’t have anyone sitting down for Opening Weekend wondering why Cofidis are suddenly cool, and why Michael Matthews is wearing a jersey that looks like it was attacked by a massive blue felt tip…

2022 Men’s World Teams Kits and Bikes rated 😶➡️😍 pic.twitter.com/SoQU4036aj

— pro cycling trumps (@procycletrumps) February 4, 2022

So, who do you reckon is rocking the hottest threads this season? I’ll have another think over the weekend, so stay tuned for road.cc’s definitive, super official ‘best of 2022’ kit list… Or not, we’ll see how it goes. 

Apologies for that headline, but I couldn’t resist…

Anyone who thought that Remco Evenepoel’s struggles on the sterrati at last year’s Giro were a one-off may start to reconsider after today’s frenetic finish at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, won by Bora-Hansgrohe’s Aleksander Vlasov.

To be fair to the prodigious Belgian, who looked so convincing riding into yellow on Wednesday’s stage, Evenepoel held his own after a wobbly start on the gravel section of the final climb to Antenas del Maigmó. However, his efforts on the dirt roads soon appeared to take their toll as he quickly looked laboured and over geared during the frighteningly steep (but tarmacked) final kilometre to the finish.

There were no such problems for Vlasov, who finished 14 seconds ahead of Ineos Grenadiers’ Carlos Rodriquez and over 40 ahead of Evenepoel in eighth, ceding the Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl rider of the yellow jersey in the process.

As the first true summit finish of 2022, today’s exhilarating and unpredictable finale bodes well for this season’s stage races.

Today’s stage also bodes well for the grand old man of the World Tour, Alejandro Valverde. The 41-year-old looked strong while riding over the gravel in support of Movistar teammate Enric Mas, proving that there’s still life left in the old dog yet.

While the grizzled Spaniard insists he will retire at the end of this season, I’m convinced he’s trying to outdo 50-year-old can’t-believe-he’s-still-racing Davide Rebellin. But sure, that’s what cycling needs more of, riders who were knocking about the peloton in 2005. Right?

Proviz, a brand known for producing enhanced-visibility sportswear, has been struggling on the marketing front lately.

In November, the company received a lot of flak on social media for this provocative Facebook post:

A post that's captured plenty of attention on social media today is this one from @ProvizSports.

The company have now deleted it but you can read some of the reaction they received to it, and their subsequent response to the post, right here 👉 https://t.co/uTOygiZlmR#cycling pic.twitter.com/HVCz2hlBdc

— road.cc (@roadcc) November 20, 2021

 While Proviz apologised for that particular blunder, they’ve come in for some more light-hearted ribbing after announcing a partnership with Peloton, the exercise equipment business.

A few of our readers were quick to question why a brand with a USP of visible, outdoor clothing would associate itself with an indoor fitness firm.

One reader wrote: “Zwift would have been a stretch but vaguely logical.... but Peloton? Has anyone who owns a Peloton ever even exercised outside? (Snark obvs).”

Another said: “They are definitely trying to position themselves as a sort of Rapha-lite brand for trendies and I agree it's a poor strategy (I speak as one who loves his ProViz jacket). They have a USP and do it really well, but as far as I can see their latest offerings don't really offer anything anyone else isn't providing and they are pretty ambitiously priced as well.

“As for a special jersey for Peloton, give me strength! One of the relaxing things about going on Zwift is that one can sling anything on, I wouldn't want to do indoor training that made me feel I had to dress up for it.”

But perhaps we’re all missing the point and Proviz are actually staying loyal to their raison d'être, as one reader observed: “Given the propensity for drivers to hit buildings, maybe the hi-viz will protect you?”

Amazing seeing pros having to zig zag up the gradient!#SaudiTour pic.twitter.com/lD81huVw58

— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) February 4, 2022

Speaking of monster climbs, check out those eye-watering gradients at the Saudi Tour today, on what’s been touted all week as the ‘Saudi Angliru’.

Little wonder – while ‘only’ three kilometres long, those 17 and 18 percent stretches certainly rival its Asturian namesake (though I suspect there may be a few of you in the comments eager to point out that your local hill is tougher…).

Lotto Soudal’s Maxim Van Gils continued his team’s blistering start to the season, riding away on the double-digit gradients to secure his squad’s fourth win of 2022. Considering they only won 12 times during the entirety of last year, things are already looking rosy for Lotto Soudal.

Tim Declercq also proved tractors can handle steep inclines, taking a popular third place on the stage with a strong finish in the select group that trailed Van Gils by 40 seconds.

Hey @roadcc maybe you should have "a token bit of white paint, which actually encourages close passes, of the day" feature.
(The name may need a little work) https://t.co/HpVX06Bfdf

— (((Colin))) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🇪🇺 (@baroncols) February 4, 2022

The title might need some workshopping, but I think the idea has legs...

Some tech news for all you nerds out there. Peak Design has launched its new mobile smartphone mounting line which consists of an Everyday Case (£27.46), available for a range of iPhone and Samsung mobile models, along with a whole family of mounts, chargers and accessories that are designed to connect seamlessly to the case using a built-in magnetic locking technology called SlimLink for easy, one-handed attachment and removal. 

Two of the mounts are designed for use when cycling. The streamlined Out Front Bike Mount (£45.79) has been designed to hold your phone in front of your handlebars for optimised viewing, while the Universal Bar mount (below, £33.29) uses a silicone band to attach to a wide range of standard bar diameters.

Your phone can be removed instantly with the press of a button, and other features include an accessory mount (for the Out Front mount) which lets you attach a bike light or action camera.

How sturdy and smooth is this system, I hear you cry? Well don't worry, as we'll be soon getting the case and mount in to put it to the test!

For now, I think I'll just stick to my 2008 CatEye computer...

Really disappointed about that lunchbox, Rudi Selig. pic.twitter.com/Qdb4thIaGB

— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) February 3, 2022

Get battered by echelons, lose a lot of skin and bruise some ribs in a crash, then eat your lunch out of a cardboard box by the back of a van in a desert…

Just a normal day on the Saudi Tour for Lotto Soudal’s Rudi Selig – whoever said being a professional cyclist was a glamorous job?

Back in August, you may remember, we reported on the blog that Ealing Council pledged to remove almost all of the area’s Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.

This decision was made after a consultation which essentially amounted to a simple referendum on each of the existing schemes.

The consultation – described by Adam Tranter, the Bicycle Mayor for Coventry, as “the blueprint for how NOT to make decisions on transport policy” – received 22,000 responses, or 6.47 percent of Ealing’s residents.

These respondents, described as the 'most vocal and engaged' of Ealing's population, voted for seven of the nine LTNs under discussion to be scrapped.

The success of the anti-LTN agenda in Ealing, according to Tranter, was down to the persuasive narrative that LTNs cause congestion to boundary roads, increase traffic times and worsen the air quality of main road residents (though the council itself denied that these fears had materialised since the schemes were implemented).

Yesterday, the 'Better Ealing Streets' Twitter accounted posted images of an area where the LTNs had been removed. Instead of empty streets and cleaner air, there are now – you guessed it – lots of cars stuck in traffic:

Ealing's LTNs gone.

Those that got them removed promised it would sort the traffic.

The motor traffic is still here, jamming up main roads AND back streets, rendering entire areas an anathema for walking wheeling or cycling AND breathing

We ask them again, what next? pic.twitter.com/a401aQthAj

— Better Ealing Streets (@BetterEaling) February 3, 2022

The account wrote: “Ealing's LTNs gone. Those that got them removed promised it would sort the traffic. The motor traffic is still here, jamming up main roads AND back streets, rendering entire areas an anathema for walking wheeling or cycling AND breathing. We ask them again, what next?”

Meanwhile, on a Healthy School Street in Newham:

Cycling, walking peacefully and chatting on the school run in our #healthyschoolstreet. I love how normal this is now. (If an errant car comes along the street it has to crawl along and everyone gives it some side eye in a very British way.) pic.twitter.com/NkA3cy4oA2

— Rachel Tripp (@rectripp) February 3, 2022