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10 Top cycling stories you might have missed this week

Some of the highlights from another action-packed week on two wheels in our road.cc recap...

1. Paula Radcliffe "the female version" of Lance Armstrong? His nemesis Betsy Andreu thinks so

Paula Radcliffe (right) at the 2007 Great North Run (CC BY 2.0 by Conor Lawless)

Betsy Andreu, who played a key part in the downfall of her husband Frankie’s former team-mate Lance Armstrong, has thanked Paula Radcliffe for confirming what she had been told – that the women’s marathon world record holder was considered by some to be “the female version” of the disgraced cyclist. 
Read more here

2. Post-race ‘punch up’ in Muensterland

punch up quick step rider

Florian Senechal, the rider throwing the punch, thought that Max Walschied had cut him up, causing the crash. But as Senechal finishes his leadout, he looks over his shoulder and drifts. Not looking where you're going isn't advisable and Senechal is unable to avoid Walshied who is diving for a wheel. How long until this is in a Top 10 Cycling Fights video? (Watch it by clicking the link below). 
Read more here

3. Shimano GRX Di2 - First Ride on Shimano's first gravel-specific groupset

shimano-grx-launch51

Shimano has finally recognised the growing popularity of gravel, adventure and bikepacking with the launch of a new groupset intended to meet the demands of riding a drop bar bike off-road. It’s called GRX and I got to ride it over a few days in a very wet and muddy Eifel region of western Germany in the LtD Gravel Raid, a weekend of sweet gravel, food, beer and festival vibes.
Read more here

4.Norwich levels off infamous tree pits in cycle lane – claims that was always the plan

Prince  of Wales Road, Norwich (via Norwich Cycling Campaign).PNG

You may remember the new segregated cycle lane that was being built in Norwich with trees in the middle of it. Transport for Norwich has now filled in the pits in which the trees were planted, claiming that this had always been its intention.
Read more here

5. Boardman sparks helmet row after Pedal Me bike taxi ride

Helmet Row (picture copyright Simon MacMichael)

Pedal Me offer a taxi service and e-cargo deliveries throughout London, and Mr. Boardman decided to take advantage of Pedal Me to get a quick and eco-friendly lift across the city. He makes the point that cultural norms deem that it isn't at all alarming he is not wearing a helmet in this photo as a cab passenger, even though he is just as exposed and travelling the same speed as he would be if he was piloting the bike. An interesting and/or true observation from Manchester's walking and cycling commissioner?
Read more here

6. Cycling UK slams "awful" cycle storage on GWR's high-speed trains

GWR bike storage (picture courtesy Sam Jones, Cycling UK)

Cyclists on two of the UK’s main rail lines are encountering problems with bike storage on the latest generation of high-speed trains – not only because space is extremely limited, but also due to many being unable to physically fit their bikes in the allotted spaces, with Cycling UK describing the provision as “awful.”
Read more here

7. Guardians of The Stray in Harrogate claim site has been left with "atrocious damage" due to World Champs Fan Zone flooding

Harrogate Worlds 2019 fan zone mud (credit Simon MacMichael)

Leading guardians of The Stray in Harrogate say it may take a "very long time" to restore the grounds of the park back to its previous condition, after heavy flooding combined with huge crowds and churning from heavy goods vehicles on site has left deep mud and giant puddles all over the previously green grounds.
Read more here

8. GB Worlds medallist breaks collarbone due to 'punishment braking' driver

Lauren Dolan (picture credit SWPix.com, Alex Whitehead)

Dolan, who scooped a bronze medal as part of Great Britain's Team time trial mixed relay squad last week, has revealed that on a training riding just two days later, she ended up in hospital with a broken collarbone thanks to an assault by an impatient driver who deliberately braked in front of her and her father on a training ride in Devon.
Read more here

9. Edinburgh cycling campaigner's call for 20mph speed limit to protect riders gets a sadly predictable response from newspaper's readers 

20-mph-sign

A prominent cycling campaigner in Scotland has called for speed limits for motor vehicles to be reduced in Edinburgh to help safeguard cyclists – but his appeal has been given short shrift by readers of the newspaper which published his appeal.
Read more here

10. Zwift national champion stripped of title

british-cyclling-zwift-eracing-championship-2019-picture-copyright-simon-wilkinson-swpix-16 (1)

British Cycling has upheld a charge of Unsporting Conduct in the British Cycling eRacing Championships and the winner of the inaugural event, Cameron Jeffers, has been fined, banned and stripped of his title. A British Cycling statement said: “The charge related to manipulation of pre-race data to gain an unfair advantage via in-game equipment by the winner of the event, Cameron Jeffers.

We’re reading this as ‘he lied about his weight’. We could be wrong...
Read more here

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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