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We’re often reminded that the highest levels of the sport of cycling take place on public roads—often freely accessible to fans and amateur cyclists. Which means most anyone can show up to watch a race without paying an entrance fee or buying a ticket, and almost anyone can test their own legs on the very same roads on which the pros race. We very much appreciate this egalitarian aspect of the sport. However, this very public sport can also be used by the public in ways beyond sport and spectating. Such is the case with protest. It is not uncommon to see a stage of a grand tour delayed or disrupted by protests or to see protest language (whenever it is not scrubbed clean or covered up) painted on to the very roads over which the peloton passes. And with the sport taking placing on public roads in the public domain, it means that on occasion races are completely disrupted, and we spectators are forced to look past the bikes and races to gaze upon something disruptive to our lives and thinking. For more on recent disruptions to bike races, head over to The Inner Ring to read Etoile de Blockages.

off the back of the newsletter

The UCI Cyclocross World Championships are this weekend, and MvdP is returning to the spot of his first Men’s Elite title (nine years later). We always love when Matej Mohorič wins a race (because we always love his interviews). Here’s another Rookie Report by Sam Boardman. The Belgian national team is making life-size dolls of Van Aert and Evenepoel.

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