“The UCI will probably make it illegal by overnight”: Can Luke Plapp make white bib shorts work?; 130 riders abandon Spanish race after news of doping test at finish line; “I can’t catch a break”: Chris Froome fractures wrist + more on the live blog

Gather round, it's the return of the white shorts in the peloton. Only the brave and the bold will survive, and Luke Plapp surely has that chutzpah in spades.

The Aussie, riding in yellow at the Paris-Nice (best race on the planet, some will say) and in control of proceedings, after an incredible showing on the summit finish of the fourth stage that left not just Remco Evenepoel, but Plapp, also shocked.

So a surprise lead in the general classification, what do you do the next day? Well of course, go full noughties, conjure the spirit of Cadel Evans, and turn up to defend your yellow jersey with white shorts!

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by GreenEDGE Cycling (@greenedgecycling)

> "That's going to sting for a while": Jayco-AlUla's Luke Plapp with some of the worst road rash we've seen... but still manages to complete stage three of Tour Down Under

Now, we all know how cycling fans feel about white shorts. Some will welcome it wholeheartedly, others might try to dispel it with the fervour and urgency of Father Merrin in the Exorcist. But is Plappy the chosen one, who’ll negotiate peace between the two factions and make them a believer, in the auspiciousness of white shorts?

Ah, sadly no. We did get quite close though, because the general consensus seems that the 23-year-old Australian who’s lit up the cycling scene, winning the National Championships three times in a row, has more or less managed to make the dreaded white shorts work.

Plapp asked Filippo Ganna in the Instagram comments if he’d succeeded in making the white shorts classy, and he gave him a big thumbs up, although he also shared his own rules for jersey and bib shorts combo, which goes something like: “black shorts with leader jersey, white shorts with national or worlds jersey”. Well, now that’s a logical take!

So did Adam Blythe, the former GreenEDGE rider commenting: “100% yes! YES YES YES!!”

> Mathieu van der Poel's THOSE white bib shorts at Milan-San Remo

Quite a handful seemed to agree with Ganna and Blythe in giving Plapp their online mark of approval. “Baller - UCI probably make it illegal by midnight,” wrote one fan. Another person said: “In most cases I’d say no. But it looks alright in this case,” and a third added: “Not everyone can pull that look off… but he's nailed it! Well done!”

But as usual, where there’s approval, there’s also condemnation, and some weren’t holding back on expressing it: “Where is the UCI when we need them?”, wrote one person, while another added: “White shorts are a crime”.

Hey, if it works! As one commenter wrote: “The only reason to hate white shorts is beacuse only a few are the chosen ones to pull them off nicely.” Maybe Luke Plapp is one of the chosen ones…

An official report into the success of Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTNs) schemes throughout England – ordered by Rishi Sunak last year as part of his “pro-car” plan to stop local councils from installing them – which concluded that they are effective in reducing traffic and generally popular among residents was buried by Downing Street, government sources have claimed.

> Government tried to bury report which found that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are effective and popular

I'm usually quite content with Cardiff roads, but these last few weeks have laid bare the city's shortcomings and the gradually deteriorating conditions of the tarmac, first the "minor lake" on the castle cycleway last week, and now this massive hunk of a pothole, ready to wreck havoc on cyclists.

#Potholes are a big topic of conversation 💬 right now- look 👀 at the size of this one we spotted in #Cardiff on our morning 🌅 #cycling commute. If you can do better than that, share your examples of monster 👹 potholes in the comments! pic.twitter.com/rRLDffYEn9

— Cardiff Cycle City | Dinas Feicio Caerdydd (@CdffCycleCity) March 8, 2024

Happy International Women's Day everyone!

In 1896, American civil rights leader, Susan B Anthony, wrote: 

"I think [the bicycle] has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world. I rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a bike. It gives her a feeling of self-reliance and independence the moment she takes her seat; and away she goes, the picture of untrammelled womanhood."

The significance of bicycle on human history may seem frivolous to some, but the impact of this revolutionary, joyful, and profound tool has not only been on transport and commerce, but also emancipatory, considering the role it played in the suffragette movement in the 19th and 20th century.

In fact, Alice Hawkins, founder of the Leicester Women’s Suffrage and Political Union, broadened the political cause outside the upper echelons of society, bringing it to the working class women in Northern or Midland towns and rural areas. And she, and her fellow suffragettes found their icon in the bicycle.

A hundred years ago, she cycled around Leicester promoting the women's rights movement, and caused outrage by being one of the first ladies to wear pantaloons in the city.

Alice Hawkins statue, Leicester (image by Kiran Parmar on Flickr, CC BY 2.0 DEED)

It's safe to say, the bicycle has played not just a major, but also wholly vital and unforgettable role in the fight for the women’s suffrage.

To celebrate this day, London Cycling Club wrote on Twitter: "Bicycles provided women with newfound mobility, independence, and a platform to challenge societal norms. Riding bicycles became a symbol of liberation, breaking barriers and empowering women to push boundaries in a male-dominated world. 

"From the suffragettes to modern-day trailblazers, women have pedaled their way to progress, one revolution at a time."

Happy International Women’s Day!

Did you know that the bicycle paved the way for women’s rights at the turn of the 20th century?

Check out this film to see how the power of bicycles has become a tool for women over the years: https://t.co/iHctYNXnb9

Credit: Corbis Historical pic.twitter.com/nebnZwqwwJ

— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) March 8, 2024

However, despite times having moved forward, cycling, both as a means for transport and a sport, is predominantly more populated with men, and quite significantly underrepresented when it comes to not just women, but women from ethnic minorities too.

> Cycling Twitter account criticised for sexist meme posted on International Women's Day

In January, a shocking report from London Cycling Campaign revealed the extent of abuse women still to this day face when cycling — from verbal and physical abuse, to sexual harassment and intimidation from motorists and other road users.

The report, based on a survey of 1,000 women who cycle in London, found that nine out of ten women who ride their bikes in the capital have experienced abuse, with over one in five claiming that such experiences forced them, at least temporarily, to give up cycling. And 77 per cent of said that they experience harassment and intimidation at least once a month.

"Get off the road", taunts of "bitch, "slut", unsolicited photos and sexual comments, groping or slapping when stopped at traffic lights, and even accusations of poor parenting when cycling with children were also appallingly prevalent! It's bizarre how centuries have passed and we are still continuing to fail an entire gender.

> “We’ve learnt to normalise rubbish behaviour”: What stops women cycling? Abuse, intimidation, and how to make cycling safe for everyone

This International women's day, it's time to not only recognise the bicycle as a tool for women liberation, but also to continue forwarding and championing women cyclists' safety. So, keep riding, and keep making this world a better place, one pedal stroke at a time!

A rational and balanced response from the so-called "jokers on the internet", who'd have thought?!

I don't follow any bike racing stuff and I am a huge star wars fan. So I may not be best placed to judge an exaggerated & contorted helmet shape. But this seems bad press for bike sport when everyone is discussing who looks the silliest instead of who rides the fastest. https://t.co/fLulT0ONpM

— Roo (2 inch trials) Rider (@commuteroo) March 7, 2024

A councillor who supported the controversial reopening of a rat-run bridge to motor traffic has come under fire and faced calls to apologise from active travel and road safety campaigners after claiming that children who are struck by motorists travelling at 30mph “don’t” die, and that she’s “seen children hit by a bus and they’ve bounced up and asked for a milkshake”.

Conservative councillor Bobbie Dove’s comments – described as “reckless and flippant” by RoadPeace – were made during a recent debate at Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council concerning the proposed implementation of widespread 20mph speed limits in built-up areas throughout the conurbation.

Read more: > “I’ve seen children hit by a bus and they’ve bounced up and asked for a milkshake”: Active travel campaigners blast councillor’s “reckless, flippant” road safety comments during 20mph debate

Chris Froome's list of misfortunes has compounded once again, with the veteran rider being forced to abandon after fracturing his wrist at Tirreno-Adriatico.

The four-time Tour de France winner suffered a nasty crash of day two of the Italian stage-race. However, initial medical reports and scans didn't show any broken bones, and he continued to race for two more days in the peloton.

This morning, Froome shared the unfortunate update on Twitter that he would be returning home for surgery after further scans revealed that he did indeed fracture his scaphoid in that crash, adding: "I can’t catch a break".

Confirmed last night that I fractured my scaphoid on stage 2 so I won’t continue today 🥴 Heading home for surgery. I can’t catch a break 😖 #tirrenoadriatico pic.twitter.com/18d1nhZvWj

— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) March 8, 2024

> Chris Froome "let down" by Tour de France snub, blames "frustrating" equipment issues

This news won't do much good for the 38-year-old's Tour de France ambitions. Just before starting the second stage, he had revealed that he was aiming to fight for a place on the Tour de France line-up, after missing out on selection last year.

He had already expressed his feelings of being "let down" by his team after the selection snub in 2023, and the rift between him and Israel-Premier Tech only seemed to grow after the team's co-owner claimed that Froome has not represented “value for money” since joining the team in 2021.