“It’s a fantastic pension scheme”: Chris Froome branded “the worst signing in cycling history” and a “half-time clown” by former pro after “undignified, meagre” season; Froome admits “I’m not looking for victories” + more on the live blog

Tom Pidcock’s future at Ineos is up in the air, Mark Cavendish has been busy receiving knighthoods and chatting about future plans, and even Bradley Wiggins has been floating around, riding charity events and hanging out with Pete Wicks and Kate Garraway on Celebrity Catchphrase.

So, it was only a matter of time before Chris Froome’s name popped up somewhere.

The four-time Tour de France winner is currently racing in China at the Tour of Guangxi, where he managed to infiltrate the strong morning break of eight riders on today’s second stage, alongside the likes of Dries De Bondt, Daan Hoole, and Taco van der Hoorn.

However, with around 40km to go on the day’s only categorised climb – a Cat 3 ascent averaging 3.3 per cent – Froome drifted off the back of the breakaway, which managed to hold on until the final kilometre as Soudal-Quickstep’s Warre Vangheluwe won a chaotic sprint.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Israel – Premier Tech (@israelpremiertech)

Despite its abrupt and early end and an ultimate 106th place finish, that 142km stint in the break today by Froome arguably represents the 39-year-old’s most impressive performance of what has been an almost completely anonymous 2024.

The Israel-Premier Tech rider’s best result this year so far was a 21st on stage six of the Tour du Rwanda, while his brief forays into elite European stage racing (what used to be his bread and butter during the glory years at Sky), at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Critérium du Dauphiné, and the Arctic Race of Norway yielded nothing higher than 70th.

Which is all probably why Froome – who remains one of the highest earners in the peloton – has this week been branded the “worst signing in cycling history” by former Danish pro-turned-journalist and pundit Michael Rasmussen.

Speaking to Viaplay’s cycling show, Rasmussen – who famously also had a habit of mysteriously disappearing (during training in Italy while trying to elude the anti-doping authorities, though, not at races) – once again pulled no punches when it came to evaluating the seven-time grand tour winner’s career swansong.

FroomeDog versus the Chicken, part two

“He has almost become a half-time clown who tours around to all kinds of small races. It simply has to be the worst signing in world history for a cycling team,” the spindly climber known as ‘the Chicken’ said.

“Not for Froome, though. Because it is a fantastic pension scheme that he has started there.”

Ouch.

“It is undignified to look at,” Rasmussen, who was kicked off the 2007 Tour de France while on the cusp of winning the race after he was found to have lied about his whereabouts for testing, continued.

“The wild thing is that it is his own decision. You can say that for five million euros a year you can probably take a few defeats along the way. Sportingly, it’s pretty meagre. It is an undignified end to a career like his.”

> Chris Froome downplays war of words with team owner, claims criticism of bike set-up and performances "blown out of proportion"

Of course, Rasmussen isn’t the first to question Froome’s position at Israel-Premier Tech, the squad he joined in 2021 after a hugely successful decade-long spell at Team Sky/Ineos.

Even IPT’s co-owner Sylvan Adams last year publicly stated that Froome did not represent “value for money” for his team, after the British rider claimed he felt “let down” after being omitted from the squad’s 2023 Tour de France line-up, and that his form had suffered from “frustrating” equipment issues.

(ARN/Aurélien Vialatte)

When asked on the Radio Cycling podcast whether Israel-Premier Tech’s deal for Froome – reported to be worth around €5 million a year – represented value for money, Israeli-Canadian billionaire Adams said: “Absolutely not. How could we say we had value for money? We signed Chris to be the leader of our Tour de France team, and he’s not even here. So that cannot be considered value for money.

“This is not a PR exercise. Chris isn’t a symbol, he isn’t a PR tool, he’s supposed to be our leader at the Tour de France and he’s not even here, so no, I couldn’t say he’s value for money, no.”

This week’s rant isn’t the first time that Rasmussen has publicly criticised Froome’s current form, either.

> “What a load of BS... Froome could ride his Pinarello from 2015 and still wouldn’t crack the Tour of Rwanda top 20”: Fans and former pros, including Michael Rasmussen, ridicule Chris Froome’s claim that bike set-up was “centimetres” off from Team Sky days

Last November, the four-time Tour winner made the now-infamous claim that his recent bike set-up at Israel-Premier Tech – including his reach and saddle height – was “centimetres” off from his Pinarello-riding, grand tour-dominating position at Team Sky, a claim dismissed as “bullshit” by Rasmussen.

Responding to our story on Froome’s comments (cheers Michael!), the Dane wrote: ““What a load of BS from Froome. Any pro cyclist who has done 1,000s of hours on a bike will instantly feel a change in the set-up.

“Froome could ride his Pinarello from 2015 and he still wouldn’t crack top 20 in Tour du Rwanda with his current level.”

To be fair, the Chicken was right – Froome only managed 27th overall in Rwanda this year…

The world track championships are underway in Ballerup, Denmark – kicking off with an almost immediate crash for China’s women’s team sprint squad – but the GB team will be missing Josh Tarling, whose turbulent 2024 has made room for yet another setback.

The 20-year-old, who had been set to make his track worlds debut in Denmark, teaming up with Mark Stewart in the Madison, crashed earlier this month at the Tour of Croatia, suffering broken ribs.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

And today, British Cycling confirmed that Tarling, after two excruciating medal misses in the time trial at the Olympics (where he was denied bronze due to a puncture) and world championships, has been “medically withdrawn” from the squad due to his injuries, and will be replaced by Ethan Hayter for the Madison.

“No track worlds for Josh having suffered broken ribs during his crash at Tour of Croatia,” his dad Michael tweeted today. “Luck in 2024 has been bad or missing, so on to 2025.”

Less than a week after earning plaudits from cyclists for accusing the previous Conservative administration of pursuing “poisonous culture wars against road users of all descriptions”, Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has been criticised by road safety campaigners this afternoon, after penning an article supporting lower car insurance premiums, in which she argued that “owning a car for most people is a lifeline, not a luxury”.

In the article for the Mirror, titled “When people are priced out of driving it risks holding them back”, Labour minister Haigh wrote that “car insurance is an essential for millions up and down the country”.

“It’s not just a legal requirement, but something that protects all of us on the road. Yet, in recent years, millions of responsible drivers have seen a hike in premiums far outstripping rises seen in other countries,” she said.

“That’s why this government stood on a manifesto commitment to tackle the rising cost of car insurance. We promised to back drivers and today, we’re making good on that promise.”

> Conservative government “pursued poisonous culture wars” between cyclists and drivers, says new transport secretary – as Labour vows to “take back streets” for all road users

Launching a new taskforce this afternoon, which will include Which? and Citizens Advice, along with representatives from the insurance, price comparison, and car industries, Haigh says she will “bring together industry experts and consumer champions with a simple aim: to reduce high premiums and get drivers a fair deal”.

“I know insurance is a complex market, with many factors affecting prices. But this government was elected to serve working people, and fix parts of the economy that had stopped working for them,” she continued.

“That’s why we’re determined to take action. Because owning a car for most people is a lifeline, not a luxury.

“When people are priced out of driving it risks holding them back from accessing work or medical services; visiting family and friends; or even being able to drop the kids to school.

“It means harder times for families already struggling to get by. I won’t let that happen. That’s why delivering a fair deal for drivers is central to this government’s mission to grow the economy and create opportunities for everyone, wherever they live.”

> Labour government to invest "unprecedented levels of funding" in cycling

Haigh’s ambition to stop people being “priced out of driving” hasn’t gone down too well, however, with cyclists and road safety campaigners.

“A politician could show leadership qualities by explaining that a key reason for high premiums is that drivers are NOT DRIVING AS WELL AS THEY SHOULD BE,” Robert Davis, the chair of the Road Danger Reduction Forum, wrote on social media this afternoon in response to Haigh’s new taskforce.

“Louise Haigh, couldn’t you have mentioned that people driving badly and causing crashes is a key reason – if not THE key reason – for high insurance premiums?”

Turning his attention to the Transport Secretary’s claim that owning a car is a “lifeline, not a luxury”, Davis continued: “Half the households in my borough in London do not have access to a car. Do we not have ‘a lifeline’?

“Do you want us to have cars and add on to the number of car journeys which the Mayor of London is – correctly – trying to CUT?

“If you want to make things cheaper for the poorest (who in urban areas are in households unlikely to have access to a car), how about shelling out billions for housing etc. etc. first?”

On the list of tasks Haigh implied was impossible without a car, Davis added: “So how do you think those without cars do these things?

“And don’t you want us to be able to do these things by using active travel and public transport? Do you want us to all have cars and INCREASE the amount of motor traffic making decarbonisation targets and much else impossible?

“We thought that you were interested in kids going to school (and much else) by active travel or public transport – please don't disappoint us!”

I think after last week’s cycling PR boost for the Transport Secretary, we’ll call that one a score draw.

A bridge “as big as a bus” has been installed in the Somerset market town of Shepton Mallet, offering cyclists a traffic-free path over the busy B3136 as part of the local council’s plans to provide a 30-mile active travel route between the market town and Clevedon.

Known as the Strawberry Line, taking its name from a section of the Great Western Railway famous for transporting strawberries to London markets, Somerset Council says the project “encourages people out of cars, reducing congestion and pollution, while promoting active travel and a healthy lifestyle”.

The double-decker bus-sized bridge, lifted in by crane yesterday, will also provide a safe passage for locals to the town’s football club, which residents say has been “cut off” by the busy main road.

“It’s a really big day for the Strawberry Line and it’s a big day for Shepton,” Mick Fletcher, chair of the Strawberry Line Society, said.

Further works are also underway to connect the bridge to new and existing paths, which together will create a safer route for residents in South Shepton to cycle or walk to the playing fields, scout hut, football club, and towards Shepton Mallet Community Hospital.

“It’s exactly at the point where the section of the Strawberry Line runs out of Shepton and towards Wells,” Mr Fletcher added. “We’ve got two sections working towards each other.”

Announcing the bridge’s installation, Richard Wilkins, the council’s lead member for transport and waste services, said: “A huge thank you to our community groups and volunteers for progressing work, your efforts have transformed the disused railway into a vibrant pathway for everyone to use. We have been honoured to support you in making the Strawberry Line a success.”

The bridge, which will be officially opened in November, and the Strawberry Line will eventually form part of the larger Somerset Circle, a 76-mile traffic-free circuit which aims to link the north Somerset coast with Bristol, Bath, the Mendip Hills, and Cheddar.

So, for reasons unbeknownst to even myself, after falling down an internet music rabbit hole late last night, I stumbled across quite possibly the oddest website I’ve ever seen (even counting the road.cc live blog)… a little page called the ‘Time Traveling Wilburys Generator’.

The generator does what it says on the tin – based on the respective ages of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne at the time the Wilburys were founded in 1988, it allows you to form your own equivalent supergroup from any year of your choosing.

And, when I gave 1992 a whirl in the generator, look who popped up in the line-up – only Britain’s most famous long-distance e-bike cyclo-tourist and one-hit wonder, Timmy Mallett…

I can picture the scene now:

Altogether now – ‘Well, it’s all right, cycling around in the breeze…’

Yeah, it’s that time of the week, alright.

A small, family-run e-bike business in Melbourne has been left decimated after it was engulfed in flames twice in one day following an arson attack by ram raiders driving a suspected stolen BMW – with Australian police even suggesting that the bike shop wasn’t even the intended target of the attack.

Cargocycles, in the inner-city Melbourne suburb of Brunswick East, was destroyed after a group of unknown offenders rammed an allegedly stolen BMW into its garage door at around 2.55am on Tuesday morning, before entering the shop and setting it, along with the car, alight.

Police have been told that one of the attackers also accidentally set his own arm on fire, and was spotted by witnesses running from the scene.

(David Crosling)

Sky News reports that emergency services quickly gained control of the fire, moving the shop’s array of now-destroyed e-bikes – which also included those belonging to customers that were in the process of being serviced – into a pile outside.

However, while checking the bikes to ensure all the flames had been extinguished, a lithium battery belonging to one of the e-bikes exploded, setting off a second fire.

“We were devastated to be targeted by ram raiders and firebombed last night,” Cargocycles posted on Facebook following the attack, which destroyed their entire shop.

“Police, arson chemists and insurance are investigating so we will keep you posted on socials. We are a small family-run business and are passionate about cycling and will reopen as soon as we can. Thanks for your support during this difficult time.”

Cargocycles in Brunswick was unfortunately burnt down in this ram raid. My friend’s cargo bike was in for servicing and was completely destroyed. ☹️ https://t.co/7DXJ45vgNf pic.twitter.com/Bn9v67avmr

— Stephen B (@BicycleAdagio) October 15, 2024

9News has since reported that the bike shop, however, was not the intended target of the attack, with local police reporting that the gym upstairs – which has links to a prominent criminal underworld figure and which only moved to the area in April, after it was gutted by another fire – appears to have been the focus of the arson attack.

Eschewing the age-old Belgian tradition of signing an old pro’s son or daughter, the Turnhout-based Kempen junior squad appear to have gone down the cloning route when it comes to developing the latest cycling talent:

Or maybe this is a Football Manager regen-style situation, and there’s been a glitch in the database?

See, this is the kind of stuff you waited with bated breath for when the live blog was down this morning…

Ouch. These trips to Turkey are getting out of hand…