Love them or hate them? Wout van Aert uses handlebar bag; Pete Buttigieg's White House spin; Vintage Prince Philip bike polo pics; Matthews wants more respect in peloton; 'Gravel sunglasses'; Jakobsen back racing + more on the live blog

Last week when we were deciding which devillish April Fool's story to go with we shortened it down to a final shortlist of three...One of which was a gravel turbo trainer. I fear we're getting closer to that becoming a reality by the day. Last week we also brought you Lezyne's new gravel-specific pump (yes, it also inflates road tyres). This week's 'gravel-specific' product of choice is Scicon Sport's new glasses...

Designed with a semi-rimless frame and interchangeable lenses, the Gravel Sports Lifestyle model looks like a solid pair of glasses. They've got SCN-PP™ True Vision Lenses for optical clarity and protection on and off the bike as well as an interchangeable nose pad. They look pretty smart too...what makes them gravel glasses remains a mystery however...

🔥🐺THE WOLFPACK🐺🔥

🤩EZIN ZARA HAIEN KONTRA JOAN!

¡DOBLETE HISTÓRICO DEL @deceuninck_qst !

🥳@JosefCerny @MikkelHonore

🤩We can hear @PatLefevere celebrating from Ondarroa!

🏆 @BancoSabadell #Itzulia2021 pic.twitter.com/nW1kLC7tMA

— Itzulia Basque Country (@ehitzulia) April 9, 2021

It's not everyday you see this...Similar scenes to Richard Carapaz and Michal Kwiatkowski at last year's Tour de France for Mikkel Frølich Honoré and Josef Černý today in the Basque Country. I wonder if we will get an answer to the question of how they decided who gets the win? 

Tomorrow's final stage has seven categorised climbs packed into just 111km of racing and ends at the climb of Arrate where stage one of last year's Vuelta a España finished with Primož Roglič winning the first of his four stages...

One for your scrapbook!
A Wolfpack exhibition in #Itzulia2021!
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/jznEzZOpEk

— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) April 9, 2021

Had a great laugh with @RealStephens check it out 🤣 https://t.co/dPy4FS2YB3

— Michael Matthews (@blingmatthews) April 7, 2021

 Michael Matthews told Matt Stephens' Unplugged podcast he thinks the behaviour in the peloton is getting worse by the year. The Aussie returned to Team BikeExchange at the start of this season and enjoyed another consistent Classics campaign, finishing sixth at Milan-San Remo and fifth at Gent-Wevelgem. However, having turned 30 at the end of last year, Matthews says he has witnessed significant changes to the peloton in recent years.

"In terms of the peloton, respect between the riders has definitely gone,” he said. "When I first turned professional it was really like there were guys in the peloton you looked up to and if they said something, that’s what you did even if you were in a different team. Even for me coming back into the Classics again, every year it is just getting more and more crazy. Cycling now has just turned into more like a boxing match than a bike race.

“It is quite difficult to go out and race your bike now in these Classics when there is just zero respect in the peloton for each other and, it doesn’t matter who you are, someone is going to bomb underneath you in a corner or take you out, or headbutt you, or elbow you or anything."

Matthews finished just outside the top-20 at the Tour of Flanders. Earlier in the day Yevgeniy Fedorov and Otto Vergaerde were kicked out of the race for a clash at the front of the peloton. Eurosport commentator Adam Blythe branded the pair "muppetts" for their stupidity.

The Duke of Edinburgh - Prince Philip at a bicycle polo match 1967 .... #RIPPrincePhillip pic.twitter.com/T5q3wE7SWL

— classicretro (@classicretro) April 9, 2021

Here's the part where we find a way to relate big story of the day to cycling... and a throwback to when Brompton earned themselves the Prince Philip Designers Prize, awarded annually to recognise a lifetime contribution to design. 

For anyone who may have ended up on this blog without speaking to anyone or reading anything else in the media today, the Duke of Edinburgh passed away this morning aged 99. 

Wout van Aert uses handlebar bags so all you “just use your pockets” haters can take note. 😏 pic.twitter.com/bDK6FtLDYs

— Grace (@thisisgrace) April 8, 2021

Admittedly you don't need extra storage space when you've got a team car and half a dozen willing teammates to fetch you anything you could possibly need...However, now back in training, Wout van Aert has been converted to the nifty handlebar bag. Unsurprisingly, with this being cycling, there has been no shortage of horrified replies...

"Cervélo S5 with handlebar bag!? Something is definitely going wrong in this world," was Patrick Toutain's assessment. But does anyone really care about the 'right' way to carry your food and spares? Apparently so...

For the love of Christ https://t.co/ZcBaHFtS2m

— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) April 9, 2021

Not gonna fit many Percy Pigs in there though is he

— tom owen (@tomowencc) April 8, 2021 

Gravel Epic is hoping to bring the spirit of the Haute Route – a multi-stage, timed and fully supported road cycling event – to the gravel world. The 2021 routes in Marrakech and Switzerland will offer two challenging options for riders looking for some post-lockdown adventures. Gravel Epic Switzerland will be held in the Swiss canton of Valais on the weekend of 25-26 September and will take in the stunning Alpine scenery through gravel tracks, forests and small farm roads. Climbing segments will pit riders against each other with a GC format similar to all the biggest races you watch the pros ride...

Both the Swiss event and the Atlas Mountains route just outside Marrakech (7-9 October) are fully supported with aid stations and mechanics. "The cycling market has changed so much in the last few years and by expanding our portfolio of events we want to offer unique experiences to cyclists from all horizons. We wish to stay true to our values and DNA and are focusing on delivering exceptional events in iconic destinations," Haute Route CEO Julie Royer explained. 

"While gravel participation is growing fast in Europe, we want to bring something new to the scene and offer a multi-day race with a true sense of adventure. This is what we know how to do best and we want to put our 10 years of experience in Haute Route towards the success of a new series in gravel."

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg biked to the White House for today's Cabinet Meeting, it would appear. pic.twitter.com/XfYRB3COqm

— DJ Judd (@DJJudd) April 1, 2021

 Joe Biden's Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has committed to trying to build a "culture of cycling" in the US during his time in office and was leading from the front with this spin to a cabinet meeting at the White House. Another video showed Buttigieg returning to his office, half an hour away from the White House, also by bike.

Despite being debunked by Snopes and the video being "clearly from the Department of Transportation" car park, plenty of Trump-supporting critics were less convinced and claimed he'd been dropped off next to his destination for a cheap photo opportunity...

Conservative commentator Dinesh S'Souza published a story headlined, 'Buttigieg CAUGHT Faking Green Lifestyle, Rides Bike to Work After Car Drops Him Off Near Destination'...

While another Twitter user described it as "Pete Buttigieg’s dog and pony show. Use an armoured Suburban to bring a bike within a short distance of the destination. Unload it and ride in with a security detail in tow, pretending to save energy."

Snopes contacted the US Department of Transportation and a spokesperson confirmed he had cycled his six-mile commute to the to the cabinet meeting and back again.