"A hotel or a circus?": Peter Sagan opens a cycling resort based on his career; Wales' First Minister cycles to work and tells everyone "Don't forget your helmets!”; Team GB crash out of World Team Pursuit qualifying at Glasgow + more on the live blog

The man has checked out, but that doesn't stop you from checking in. Would you prefer a Tour de Suisse room, or a Roubaix rooftop terrace?

As we all know, for all the glory and stardom elite pro cycling brings, and especially to someone of Sagan's stature and palmares, it also greets them with a cruel, early retirement. It also seems to have forced Sagan to come up with some crazy ideas to, well, keep the jet-set lifestyle going while not earning the seven-figure checks.

The former world champion from Slovakia, who will be calling it a day at the end of this year, has decided to go for a themed resort, based on his own career. Call it showboaty, over-the-top, and kitsch, or call it impressive, ingenuous, and admirable, but the resort, in the city of Žilina, Sagan's home town, has divided opinion on social media — not unlike the man himself of late.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Peter Sagan (@petosagan)

Loved and adored in his heyday, the star sprinter has had a tumultuous end to a studded career. But nonetheless, this luxurious looking mansion, called 'SP Resort' just screams Sagan from the first look.

Oh, and as some have pointed out, the logo looks a bit like the symbol of a 20th century European fascist genocidal empire.

Sagan wrote on Instagram: "A one-of-a-kind boutique sports hotel tailor-made for all you passionate cyclists out there! With just a dozen cozy rooms, this place is all about providing an unforgettable experience for fellow riders like you. It doesn't matter if you're a seasoned pro or just an absolute cycling beginner, this resort is the perfect oasis for your two-wheeled adventures!"

He continued adding that the resort has world-class amenities, ensuring that "you're pampered like a celebrity". The place will also be home to the future "Peter Sagan Hall of Fame", expected to open in the autumn.

Thankfully, Ewan Wilson on Twitter has done a mini-review of the many rooms on offer, should you feel like you want to make a decision on which one you'd stay in. I'll share some of my favourites...

🇧🇪 Flanders Room
This is one of the more impressive rooms. The emblematic yellow and black colours are embraced and respected in this room.
The carpet looks a little odd and the bedside map is also a bit strange. Just imagine waking up on vacation to a map of Belgium.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/TbTREfycEA

— ewan wilson (@ewanswilson) August 2, 2023

🇫🇷 Roubaix Room
The room is really well laid out and the earthy tones are respected in the interior design choices.
I forgive the map on the wall because the cobble effect carpet is sublime.
Bonus points for a rooftop terrace. No evidence of Roubaix there though. Booo!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/1EwMKrCnuz

— ewan wilson (@ewanswilson) August 2, 2023

🇨🇭 Tour de Suisse Room
Full commitment to the theme here. Log cabin vibes and the cowbell is commendable and kind of kitsch.
The Swiss flag is incorporated into the bed sheets and the chair to really drill in the Swiss theme. It’s perfection – it’s prime 2018 Sagan.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pic.twitter.com/qnM4I2zRTf

— ewan wilson (@ewanswilson) August 2, 2023

I have to say, the Suisse room is my pick out of the bunch, and the Roubaix and Flanders also don't look too shabby. But there are a few duds too, beginning with the horrible, toxic waste green-coloured, Tour de France room.

🇫🇷 Tour de France Room
This room does not do Sagan’s 7 Tour de France green jerseys justice.
The room is garish yet bare. The shade of green is borderline offensive – nauseating even. It looks like a room at one of those Nickelodeon hotels from the 2000s.
⭐️ pic.twitter.com/eaD0QN3d5g

— ewan wilson (@ewanswilson) August 2, 2023

And the bland, boring MTB room. A shame...

🚵‍♂️ MTB Room
This seems to be the most basic room. No frills and no real commitment to the theme to be honest. It seems like an afterthought. Even the wall art had to be cut out to make space for an A/C unit.
Would I trade this for a room at an Ibis? Maybe…
⭐️ pic.twitter.com/1N24Dre57s

— ewan wilson (@ewanswilson) August 2, 2023

Indulgent as hell? Yes. Will the rooms look like poorly-maintained Airbnbs in a while? Yep. Will it be ridiculously expensive? Sure. Will I spend my savings to book a stay? Ummm, absolutely.

As a Twitter account put it: "Humility is something Peter Sagan can never be accused of...", or as another person said: "Insanely on brand for Sagan. yeah, it’s gonna tank".

There were some pressing questions asked too...

Do Manx guests get elbowed out of the bar if they order a bottle of Evian? https://t.co/iwEgGb6KbD

— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) August 2, 2023

Even more pressing questions...

What if we kissed in the Peter Sagan hotel room?

— Tom Krupa (@TomKrupa6) August 2, 2023

I'll see myself out.

If you haven't heard, Netflix, riding high on the success of Tour de France: Unchained, has released a documentary film on the life of none other than Mark Cavendish.

I haven't got around to watching it yet (it just released yesterday, cut me some slack!), but it's high on my to-do list for this weekend. Meanwhile, here are some reviews floating around on social media:

A beautiful, inspiring film about arguably the greatest ever British sportsman.

— Dean S Laccohee (@locadocan) August 2, 2023

Mark Cavendish, greatest cycling sprinter EVER. Documentary was fantastic. Raw emotions, powerful behind the scenes look at this family and all they've gone through. @MarkCavendish I believe in you and hope you heal well enough to give it one more try.

— Reyhombre 74 (@Reyhombre1) August 2, 2023

> Mark Cavendish wants his Netflix documentary to boost mental health awareness

On Reddit, u/guitarromantic wrote: "Watched the first half last night. I was quite surprised/impressed at how honest/critical the show is of him. The sports psychologist who basically says 'he was overweight, unfit, being paid too much and lying about his training/diet' was a pretty amazing thing for someone with Cavendish's ego to allow to stay in the film. Perhaps it does prove he's matured a little in his later years."

Another Reddit user wrote: "I think in all an all it was very good documentary. It has production and dramatic values for the non-cycling fan. It was also nice that they focused a lot on people around him: his wife, coaches, psychologist, team mates.

"But what I really missed was that the show failed to explain the importance of his childhood years, inner motivations, insecurities etc for his great success but also severe mental health problems.

"Also some people, namely Doug Ryder and Sagan comes across in a quite unfavorable light, maybe not totally fair."

And if you had forgotten, the trailer for the documentary (whose title I am still not a fan of), heavily featured an American called Lance Armstrong. Don't know what he has to do with cycling, but for some reason it seems he features significantly in the film itself too.

Total shame that @netflix gives Lance Armstrong a chance to flap his gums in the Mark Cavendish documentary. That cheat's opinion is null and void in modern cycling. Should be put out to scrap, not spouting shite about the world's best sprinter. #markcavendish #neverenough

— matt (@mttcrss) August 2, 2023

It's only 90 minutes long, so if you found the time to watch it last night, let me know what you thought about it.

While Luton's promotion has brought joy and pride to its fans, one man is celebrating it his own way.

56-year-old Mark Crowther revels in mammoth cycling challenges, having already raised over £25,000 for multiple charities by cycling to football stadiums across the country.

He has supported Luton Town since 1981/82, the season in which the team won the Second Division and were promoted to First Division. So to see his team back in the top flight of English football, it could only mean one thing. Another cycling challenge, only this time, to see the Hatters play every away game of the Premier League.

Crowther has already started his training, with a 100-mile ride to see Luton take on Ipswich Town in a pre-season friendly. And to top it all off, he has received immense backing from the club and its players.

Excited for the first pre season friendly for @LutonTown against @IpswichTown at @ColU_Official 😀
100 mile cycle to the game 🚴‍♂️ great pre season prep for my premier pedal challenge supporting @KeechHospice @NOAH_Luton @MindBLMK @ProstateUK https://t.co/g6GzWjEAxF
COYH 🧡👏😀⚽️ pic.twitter.com/1Zf8ZzQWYW

— mark crowther (@markcrowther66) July 25, 2023

He told Bedfordshire Live: "I'm lucky enough through what I've done to be able to get to know Mick [Harford, former manager and current recruitment officer for Luton] and he's an absolute legend of the club It's just been an absolute honour for me. Everyone at the club has been so supportive and can't do enough."

Crowther has always selected charities which he feels a close connection to, often because of the connection with mental health. He said: "I wanted to focus on trying to raise awareness. It's my opinion that nobody should struggle on their own and there's always someone to talk to and I wanted to share that message."

Scotland is ready! Oh wait... 🙃 #GlasgowScotland2023 pic.twitter.com/LZ8tuidbPp

— Katy M, Worlds Edition (@writebikerepeat) August 2, 2023

Great Britain's defence of their men’s team pursuit world title has ended in a crash in qualifying at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow.

The team was on course for the second-fastest qualifying time behind Denmark until 26-year-old Charlie Tanfield, winner of gold medal in individual pursuit in 2018 and a part of the squad which won the team pursuit world title in the same year as well, lost his wheel following Dan Bigham on the final lap and suffered an unfortunate crash on the final bend at the Sir Chris Hoy velodrome in Glasgow.

Tanfield was the third rider for Team GB, and since the time is taken on the third of your four riders to cross the line, this means they are out of contention for medals.

Unless of course they would have done a rerun, which would have needed them to use the same four riders. However, with the nasty-looking gash on Tanfield's left shoulder, the team decided against it.

Tanfield, originally from Yorkshire, was thankfully up on his feet and able to walk back unassisted after receiving medical treatment on track for several minutes.

Glasgow Worlds is off to a flying start with the track cycling event amidst pay dispute strikes, but Team Great Britain, the defending champions of Team Pursuit, haven't seen the best of it.

With Dan Bigham leading and stretching the riders out on the final bend, Charlie Tanfield, going over 60km/hr, hit the deck hard just 40 metres before the finish. 

Tanfield was up and walking soon, but suffered a nasty gash on his left shoulder. The problem for the team now is, that to qualify they'll need to do a re-run, but reportedly with the same four riders, meaning Tanfield might have to brush off his injuries and put his helmet back on.

This was a nasty crash at the Cycling World Championships.

Thankfully after a few minutes of medical treatment, GB's Charlie Tanfield was able to leave the velodrome unassisted.#BBCCycling pic.twitter.com/I4vV69WmCA

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 3, 2023

The 26-year-old has had his share of bad luck in Team Pursuit in the past as well. At the Tokyo Olympics 2021, he dramatically crashed out, which led to an enraged outburst from Danish rider Frederik Madsen — who rode into the back of Tanfield — as the Dane protested and shouted "f*** them" while the British rider was sat on the floor.

> Danish team pursuit rider apologises for confronting Team GB's Charlie Tanfield after dramatic crash

If you were following the road.cc news yesterday, you probably saw that GCN reported that Eritrean star Biniam Girmay, along with his three teammates, were denied visas to the UK for the UCI World Championships starting today.

However, late last evening, a source with knowledge of the application process told road.cc that Biniam was issued with a UK visa on Thursday 27 July, the day before another member of the Eritrea team had their application approved.

While Girmay may have been, contrary to initial reports, issued with a visa last week, he will not be making the trip to Scotland for the world road race championships – one of the 23-year-old’s big targets for the season – after sustaining a hip injury and experiencing “severe pain” in a crash the Clasica San Sebastián.

However, the visa status of the other three Eritrean riders who have been reportedly denied entry to the UK, Natnael Tesfatsion, Merhawi Kudus, and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, remains unclear, with a spokesperson for the Home Office saying that the department does not "routinely comment on individual cases".

Muddy waters...

> Biniam Girmay’s teammates reportedly refused UK visas, as Eritrean star pulls out of Glasgow world championships citing injury

If you didn't know, today is "Cycle to Work" day, an initiative by Cyclescheme UK to encourage more people to start using a bike for their daily commute to and from their workplaces.

With the Prime Minister of UK getting accused of seeking to sow division between motorists and cyclists earlier this week, it's surely nice to see Wales' First Minister, donning a sweater (is that a grey or a blue sweater?) and riding a Wisper 705 e-bike, complete with a pannier rack and a basket, embracing the bicycle as his mode of travel and asking others to join him as well.

"I try and cycle to work as often as I can. It keeps me active and gives me some quiet time to think," wrote Drakeford. "I’m happy to support #CycleToWorkDay, and encourage everyone to join in – but don’t forget your helmets! It’s good for you, and good for the planet."

Your move, Rishi.

I try and cycle to work as often as I can. It keeps me active and gives me some quiet time to think.

I’m happy to support #CycleToWorkDay, and encourage everyone to join in – but don’t forget your helmets!

It’s good for you, and good for the planet. pic.twitter.com/2WGLx9Jm3h

— Mark Drakeford (@PrifWeinidog) August 3, 2023

However, Drakeford's plea to everyone to not forget their helmets, has certainly not gone down well with some.

Helmet debate aside, the post seems to have been picked up by anti-cycling Twitter, who are blaming him for ignoring drivers and building more cycle lanes, while cyclists, on the other hand were quick to point out the inadequacies of the cycling infrastructure in Cardiff (your live blog host takes no joy in confirming this).

my experiences of commuting by bike in Cardiff:

Every day all day these cars are parked in a cycle lane and across the pavement along Cathays Cemetery for at least 8 months. Pedestrians (sometimes with baby pushchairs) have to walk into the road and also dangerous for cyclists. pic.twitter.com/VmKTIdNMvx

— Phil Swan (@DrPhilSwan) August 3, 2023