2012 London Nocturne video - penny-farthings and folders

For footage of the Elite Men and Rapha Women's Criterium, make sure you don't miss the Channel 4 coverage at 07:10 on Sunday 17th June.

IG Markets London Nocturne

For a full version of this write-up centred on the Rapha Women's Criterium race, click here.

Today is the 9th of June - and that means tonight is the night of the unique, spectacular and enormously popular IG Markets London Nocturne in which the best riders Britain has to offer go head-to-head with the best of the rest of the world.

The Parcours

The parcours (click the image to enlarge)

The races takes the simple, familiar criterium format that is so ideally suited to TV on a 1.05km circuit around Smithfield Market with the women racing for 30 minutes plus three laps from 20:45 (race programme here). They begin on Long Lane (51°31'7.61"N 0°6'5.29"W) at the Rotunda Garden, now a tranquil place among the insane London traffic but for centuries the site of public executions, then head south-west and follow the curve of the road as it leads for 237m to a tight right corner after onto Snowhill before an even tighter right 80m and mere moments later back onto Long Lane. After passing the Poultry Market on the left, they turn 90 degrees left into East Poultry Lane and under an 81m covered section (signs at both ends say "DEAD SLOW," but the riders won't be paying much attention to those) and then right again onto Charterhouse Street for a straight and almost flat 210m blast along the northern side of the Meat Market. Another 90 degree right turn takes them onto Lindsey Street, then 90m later they arrive at the last right turn back onto Long Lane to pass by the VIP area and pass the finish line to begin a new lap. To add to the fun, the race features the IG Speed of Execution Challenge a an alternative to intermediate sprints - timing chips fitted to each bike will measure the speed at which they cross the line after each lap, the fastest riders winning £500. For many of the riders, especially in the women's race, that's a lot of money: expect it to be hotly contested (it's also an excellent idea aimed at making the race more thrilling to those spectators who are watching the race simply because they happen to be in the area but don't follow the sport - exactly what cycling needs to gain new fans).

Profile - click to enlarge

Hazards

This being one of the world's busiest cities, there is street furniture aplenty all along the parcours - it'll all be covered in thick padding, of course, but it still hurts if a rider hits it. One obviously hazardous point, especially on the first and last laps when a large number of riders are altogether and traveling at speed, is the intersection between Snowhill and Long Lane where riders are squeezed into a narrow section bending to the right: a place where it will be very easy to collide with the crowd barriers. An added danger, and one far harder to predict than street furniture, is diesel spills left by the hundreds of trucks that make deliveries to and pick up from the Meat Market - this is especially likely to be the case along Lindsey Street where riders will pass through the loading bays right after the corner (look for the painted "HQ" on the white wall to the left). If the roads are wet, diesel can be lethal. There are more loading bays all along Long Lane, making the Lindsey Street/Long Lane corner (by the brasserie) another potential dangerpoint. There's also a tricky bottleneck section just before arrival back at the Rotunda Garden where the footpath juts right out into the road, reducing the width of the road from 10m to 4m - if all the riders try to get through at the same time, there'll be problems.

Weather
Well, how about that? After nearly a week of rain and with another week of rain expected to start tomorrow, it looks as though Saturday is going to be dry and even quite warm at 20C - which will come as good news to the participants of the London Naked Bike Ride also taking place today. It'll be a little cooler this evening when the race kicks off, but since large cities remain a few degrees warmer than surrounding countryside and the buildings provide shelter from the wind around 16C can be expected during the women's race.

Spectating
All points along the parcours are easily accessible and the event is free to watch. Obvious vantage points are the start line (especially due to the Speed of Execution Challenge), though large crowds will gather here (51°31'7.61"N 0° 6'5.11"W); the Snowhill/Long Lane corner (51°31'3.87"N 0° 6'16.84"W); the exit of East Poultry Lane (especially if the cafe over the road is open, 51°31'9.59"N 0° 6'10.61"W) and the Charterhouse Road/Lindsey Street corner (51°31'12.48"N 0° 6'0.86"W).

TV
Channel 4 will be showing highlights of all the races - including the women's criterium, penny-farthing race and the longest fixie skid contest - in a 55-minute programme to be broadcast at 07:10 on Sunday the 17th, the first time they've covered cycling since they gave up the right to broadcast Tour de France coverage eleven years ago. Channel 4 is available via online streams around the world and the programme will be made available on their 4OD catch-up service.

Cyclopunk's News Digest 27.03.12

Cav&Wiggo for Romandie - Women's Nocturne will go ahead if 50 riders enter - A Very Belgian Intrigue: Merckx, the policeman and the corruption investigation - Conflicting reports on future of Women's GP Ciudad de Valladolid - No easy win at Dauphine this year

Cav and Wiggo to ride Romandie
Britain's two top living (male*) cyclists Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins are due to line up at the start of next month's Tour de Romandie, rather than waiting for the Tour de France as had been expected, according to the Team Sky website.

With many people still wondering if the two riders will be able to work together, mindful of the fact that they have clashed in the past, all eyes will be on the race.

They'll be joined by Chris Froome, Jeremy Hunt, Danny Pate, Richie Porte, Michael Rogers and Kanstantsin Siutsou at the race which takes place between the 24th and 29th of April.

*Nicole Cooke. 'Nuff said.



Smithfield Nocturne Women's Race
After receiving an "overwhelming response" in support of the event and consultation with British Cycling, Nocturne organisers have confirmed that the women's race will now go ahead - provided 50 riders have signed up by the 30th of April.

The race had been cancelled at the request of British Cycling, which runs a women's race the following day. However, as an enormously popular televised event, riders and fans alike felt that the Nocturne was the more important event, especially with respect to the long term future of women's cycling, and rallied together in support.

New sponsorship has inspired a name change to the Rapha Women's Elite Criterium. The race is open to members of female pro teams who are able to satisfy conditions relating to recent results and category. More details - and entry form - here.

...and it'll be on Channel 4
Channel 4 have secured rights to broadcast the Smithfield Nocturne live on the 9th of June, and say they will also make it available on their 4OD catch-up service. This is an interesting development and, if successful, could potentially encourage Channel 4 - who gave up their right to broadcast Tour de France footage in 2001 to make more room for cricket and hasn't shown any cycling since -  to consider showing more in future.


A Very Belgian Intrigue

(image credit: Nationaal Archief, public domain)

Eddy Merckx has become embroiled in a corruption investigation surrounding a Belgian police commissioner.  It appears that Merckx's company had supplied one consignment of bikes for use by officers on duty and was due to supply another when police chiefs decided to switch to a new supplier because officers argued over who got issued a Merckx bike each day and who got one of the older, non-Merckx ones. The case is part of a larger investigation into police procurement of vehicles, including the purchase of between 60 and 80 cars from Toyota.

It is alleged that Commissioner Philippe Boucar then supplied details concerning the supply of 48 bikes by one of Merckx's competitors, including cost, thus allowing his company an unfair advantage and opportunity to respond by lowering their rice to secure the contract - corruption, in other words, which has led Magistrate Jean-Claude van Espen in Brussels to indict Boucar, Merckx, another police commissioner, a police procurements officer and an accountant. In return for supplying the details, Boucar is said to have been permitted to purchase a carbon fibre Merckx bike for himself at a massively reduced price.

Merckx's indictment was delayed in order that the five-time Tour winner, widely considered the greatest cyclist of all time and Belgium's favourite son, would have time to go to Paris where he was inducted into the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur, the highest honour in France, by Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysée Palace.

Conflicting reports on Spanish Women's World Cup Round
Following an announcement by the Spanish National Federation (RFEC) that this year's GP Ciudad de Valladolid would not go ahead this year, the UCI have released a press report saying it will look at ways in which it can help ensure the event takes place. No reason was given for the suspension, but with many races experiencing financial problems and the Spanish economy currently in a dreadful state, it's probably safe to assume that withdrawal of sponsorship was at least the main cause. This means that until the UCI deems the time fit to tell us, we can only guess at what sort of assistance they'll provide - though a cash injection seems most likely.

Meanwhile, Dutch website NOS says that the UCI have now announced the official cancellation of the race; leading to some confusion over what is actually going on.

"We bear the [women of] cycling a warm heart and are therefore concerned about the deletion of this contest," said Pat McQuaid in an official press release. "I hope that we can offer a helping hand." It's not clear if they have since decided they cannot help the race or if NOS is reporting older news - however, as the loss of the race would reduce events in the Cup to just eight - the lowest since 2000 - it seems unlikely that a decision would be made so soon after the press release.

Vos plots course in Flanders
Dutch megastar Marianne Vos says she has set her sights on victory at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, which is due to take place on Sunday the 1st of April. "So far, I've failed to win this race," says the 24-year-old. "I would like to change that. I have been close a few times, but each time I had to let others win" - she has twice come third and once second in the prestigious race.

Now riding with a Rabobank team assembled largely to support her and having already won the first two rounds of the World Cup right after dominating the cyclo cross season, there's every reason to expect this is her year.

Stage profiles and route, Criterium du Dauphine

Col de Joux-Plane has featured in seven editions of the Tour
de France, most recently in 2006.
(image credit: Jambon CC BY-SA 3.0) 

The ASO have published stage profiles and a map of the route of the 64th Criterium du Dauphine, immediately sparking widespread opinion that it will be a spectacular race. A challenging selection of high mountains, shorter climbs and time trials ought to provide a competition in which no rider will be able to gain a decisive upper hand until near the end of the race, leading to plenty of battles along the way.

Stage 7 is the Queen with two Cat 1 climbs (1,173m Col de Plainpalais and 1,613m Col de la Colombiere) followed by an Hors-Categorie ascent of the 1,691m Col de Joux-Plane - 11.7km in length with a maximum gradient of 10%. Stage 6 comes close with 1,501m HC Le Grand Colombier. Stage 4 is a 53km time trial.

Stage: 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8. Stage 1 is a 5.7km prologue to be held in Grenoble - the profile is not yet available.

Women's Nocturne cancellation proves the need for a British Women's Cycling Council

Since the IG Markets Nocturne began five years ago, it's grown into one of the most popular cycling events in Britain with a combination of top quality hard criterium racing and fun events (including the now-legendary folding bike race) that have ensured thousands of people show up for a night of free family entertainment. It also receives TV coverage; and is therefore precisely the sort of event that can benefit women's cycling - the audience, infrastructure and cameras are already in place; giving the teams a chance to prove that women's cycling is every bit as exciting, competitive and interesting as the men's. Nocturne organisers recognised this fact and decided that they'd benefit too - after all, Britain's female professional cyclists are at the pinnacle of their sport and have a small but dedicated following who will flock to any such an event.

It worked superbly well in 2011. Unfortunately for 2012, "outside influences" - namely British Cycling - have prevented a women's race from going ahead due to a race they organise and which takes place the next day. Are the riders' pretty little heads likely to become confused as to which race they should enter? Are they too weak and feeble to do both? Or is it just sour grapes due to the fact that the Nocturne is a bigger, more successful event than the British Cycling race? (The organisation has been contacted for a response and it'll  add it to this article if they provide one.)

Teams not consulted
Cyclopunk approached Stefan Wyman, manager of the British-based Matrix Fitness-Prendas team, to find out if teams had been consulted in the making of the decision. He sent us the following response:

"The Smithfield nocturne was a stand out event in 2011.  Professional promotion, closed circuit, exciting commentary and a huge crowd, made for a thrilling evening race.  This was all topped off with television coverage making this event exactly what I feel women’s cycling in the UK needs.

My team spent the day with a sponsor on their trade stand and we handed out over 400 signed team fan cards during the event.   This kind of sponsor and fan interface is another big factor missing in women’s racing. 

I understand trying to help promote a national series race in the north of England, but I think that encouraging the cancellation of what was in my opinion the UK’s premier women’s criterium is very short sighted.  We are crying out for more races, and we need opportunities for riders in both the North and the South.  I personally believe that riders that want to compete in both, will compete in both, as they did last year.  But we need CHOICE.  

Perhaps a better and more practical solution to getting riders committed to the National Series would be an increase in overall prize fund, or an adjustment to the rules that encourages greater participation.  Surely cancelling other progressive events is not the answer?

I also feel the most disappointing part of this affair is the lack of consultation with women’s teams and riders in the UK.  Me, nor my riders were consulted as to whether it was a good idea, nor according to what I have read elsewhere were any other riders.  

Perhaps it’s time we start a women’s cycling council in the UK to take forward the work done in the past by the WCRA [Women's Cycle Racing Association]."

Team Mule Bar Girl responded to the news on their Facebook page:

Emma Pooley: "Going on
television is a big step in that
TV time is worth so much to
a sponsor."

"So British Cycling have asked Smithfield Nocturne NOT to hold a women's race because it makes the girls tired for a big BC race the next day. The last I checked we weren't living in North Korea and we are allowed to choose how we spend our time. The Nocturne Women's race is one of the most talked about on the calendar, it's the one we get bubbly with excitment for. It took a big effort and some beautiful support for it to happen in the first place, just to have it taken away, it totally sucks!!!" 

Does BC have women's cycling's interests at heart?
Wyman's point concerning a council promoting women's cycling in Britain is a good one and likely to be shared by Emma Pooley, who has been calling on the women's peloton to unite in an effort to get fairer deals for female cyclists for some time. Right now, it would seem that riders, managers and those with an interest in women's cycling need to push for that more than ever, because with this sort of attitude from the National Federation those who wish to promote women's cycling and ensure it receives the exposure it has for so long deserved have an even harder task ahead of them than was previously thought.

How you can help
Keep an eye on Mule Bar Girl for petitions and further details and you can contact British Cycling to share your opinions on their misguided decision via this link. Nocturne organisers have hinted that if there is sufficient support, they may decide to go ahead with the race anyway - for more details and a pre-prepared email, click here.

Smithfield Nocturne - let's make the women's race happen!

If you've missed the news, British Cycling have asked Smithfield Nocturne organisers to cancel the women's race because there's another race - organised by British Cycling, funnily enough - the next day. The reason they've given is that the Nocturne tires the riders out, reducing competition at the BC event; but there's an unmistakable sour grape flavour to the whole story because the Nocturne is by far the more popular event, and gets TV coverage.

Mule Bar Girl, a team that was due to take part, has been informed that if Nocturne organisers receive a sufficient amoung of support, they'll take on BC and run the race anyway. It'll take you two minutes to email them, especially if you simply copy and paste the following message, so please take the time to do so.

______________________________________

Dear Sir or Madam,


I was upset to read that British Cycling has requested the women's race at the Smithfield Nocturne be cancelled. Nocturne has become so popular that it's now one of the premier showcases for the sport in this country and with women's cycling receiving so little exposure and facing serious problems due to lack of sponsorship, it's simply become too important an opportunity to increase exposure to be missed.


I have heard that, should you receive sufficient support, you will go ahead and run the women's race in spite of British Cycling. I hope very much that you will do so.


Yours,
<your name here>

_______________________________________

You can email your message to info@nocturneseries.com or send it via this webpage. This is about much more than just one race.

See also: Why we need a Women's Cycling Council

Cyclopunk's News Digest 14-15.03.12

No women's race at the Smithfield Nocturne

Since the IG Markets Nocturne began five years ago, it's grown into one of the most popular cycling events in Britain with a combination of top quality hard criterium racing and fun events (including the now-legendary folding bike race) that have ensured thousands of people show up for a night of free family entertainment. It also receives TV coverage.

That, obviously, is precisely the sort of event that can benefit women's cycling - the audience, infrastructure and cameras are already in place; giving the teams a chance to prove that women's cycling is every bit as exciting, competitive and interesting as the men's. Nocturne organisers recognised this fact and decided that they'd benefit too - after all, Britain's female professional cyclists are at the pinnacle of their sport and have a small but dedicated following who will flock to any such an event.

Brilliant. Fantastic. Win-win, hunky-dory, spiffing and sorted. Except for one thing: "outside influences," namely British Cycling, have prevented a women's race from going ahead due to another race taking place the next day - a race organised by British Cycling, funnily enough. Are the riders' pretty little heads likely to become confused as to which race they should enter? Are they too weak and feeble to do both? Or is it just sour grapes due to the fact that the Nocturne is a bigger, more successful event than the British Cycling race?

Team Mule Bar Girl responded to the news on their Facebook page:

"So British Cycling have asked Smithfield Nocturne NOT to hold a women's race because it makes the girls tired for a big BC race the next day. The last I checked we weren't living in North Korea and we are allowed to choose how we spend our time. The Nocturne Women's race is one of the most talked about on the calendar, it's the one we get bubbly with excitment for. It took a big effort and some beautiful support for it to happen in the first place, just to have it taken away, it totally sucks!!!"

With that sort of attitude from the National Federation, those who wish to promote women's cycling and ensure it receives the exposure it has for so long deserved have an even harder task ahead of them than was previously thought. Keep an eye on Mule Bar Girl for petitions and further details - and you can contact British Cycling to share your opinions on their misguided decision via this link.

Chicci becomes 15th foreigner to win Nokere Koerse

Francesco Chicchi
(image credit: johnthescone CC BY 2.0)

Today brought us the 67th edition Flanders semi-Classic Nokere Koerse, traditionally the domain of second-division tough guys while the A-listers are preparing themselves for Milan-San Remo and a race that had been won only fourteen times by non-Belgian riders - fifteen, now that 31-year-old Italian Francesco Chicchi of Omega Pharma-QuickStep has added his name to the list of victors.

A 12-man break was caught with 40km to go, at which point a larger group of 14 riders escaped before being reeled back in just 18km from the finish, then various hopefuls tried and failed to launch attacks in the last 9km but were all chased down and pulled back in. Boy Van Poppel (3rd) of United Healthcare and Vacansoleil's Kris Boeckmans (2nd) tried hard to get the better of Chicci as the UCI 1.1 race entered its uphill closing straight, but Chicchi powered away form them and right up to the line.

The race brought misfortune for Rabobank's Jos Van Emden, however - the Dutch 27-year-old crashed and is believed to have broken his shoulder, though medical confirmation has yet to be announced. (Race results available here.)

Definitive Milan-San Rem start list revealed
See it here. Team Sky looks like this...

  201    CAVENDISH, Mark
  202    HAGEN, Edvald Boasson
  203    HUNT, Jeremy
  204    EISEL, Bernhard
  205    HAYMAN, Mathew
  206    LÖFKVIST, Thomas
  207    STANNARD, Ian
  208    KNEES, Christian

Chavenel out of Milan-San Remo
Omega Pharma-QuickStep star Sylvain Chavanel's hopes for Milan-San Remo have been smashed after he suffered an attack of bronchitis on Thursday morning. The 32-year-old Frenchman, who was eighth at Paris-Nice and ranked among the favourites for Saturday's Monument, began to cough and experience breathing problems during a training ride. Team doctors and managers decided to pull him from the race in order to give him time to recover for the upcoming Northern Classics. He will be replaced by Matteo Trentin.

Nibali to Astana rumours

Has €4 million persuaded Nibbles todefect?
Smells like rot, we say.
(image credit: Richard Masoner CC BY-SA 2.0)

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, Tirreno-Adriatico winner Vincenzo Nibali has secretly signed a €4 million, two-year deal to ride with Astana in 2013/14. The 27-year-old Italian, nicknamed The Shark (or, by English-speaking fans, Nibbles), was thought to be discussing a contract extension with his current Liquigas team, making the rumour seem likely to be unfounded.

"Imagine you're the guy deciding whether to renew Liquigas' sponsorship and you read that??!!" Garmin-Barracuda boss Jonathan Vaughters told us.

Other News
28-year-old Dries Devenyns will not ride in  Milan-San Remo this year after suffering a broken shoulder, ay Omega Pharma-Quickstep management .Tom Boonen will lead the team, which also consists of Sylvain Chavanel, Gerald Ciolek, Nikolas Maes, Jérôme Pineau, Niki Terpstra, Stijn Vandenbergh and Peter Velits.

Team Sky's time at the top of the UCI rankings proved fleeting - they've been replaced in the wake of Tirreno-Adriatico by RadioShack-NissanTrek, previouly in third place. Sky are now in second, while Movistar move down to third. Alessandro Valverde is still far ahead in the riders' category with 167 points, while Tirreno-Adriatico victory places Vincenzo Nibali into joint second place alongside Sky's Bradley Wiggins. Spain continue to lead the nations, having upped their points from 205 to 250; while Australia, who were previously second with 193 have added only four and as a result are overtaken by Italy with 217. Great Britain slips from third to sixth and is now trailing behind the Netherlands and the USA (but we'll soon see about that when Cav wins Milan-San Remo).

X-ray results have confirmed that Rabobank's Theo Bos sustained no fractures in his Nokere Koerse crash. The 28-year-old, who won the Dwars door Drenthe earlier this year, will resume training next week.

Tweets

Fabian Cancellara ‏ @f_cancellaraModern style of the hotels for the future. #emtpyminibars.They put just a vending machine toward the elevator. #unclass view photo

the Inner Ring ‏ @inrng@f_cancellara are you sure Chris Horner just didn't get there before you?