The most-read VeloNews stories of 2021

It’s always fun to look back at our statistics from the year, seeing which stories caused the biggest stirs. Some are predictable; some — ‘Cyclist mounts jet engine to road bike, hits 82mph’ — not so much.

Here they are: the stories most read by you, our audience, in 2021.

10: Cavendish yells at mechanic, then apologizes, for bike incident

Mark Cavendish apologized to his mechanics for a Tour de France strop after video emerged of him complaining about his bike before storming off to the team bus.

Footage showed the 36-year-old British sprinter checking out the feel of the front end of his bike before yelling at his team mechanic and slamming his front wheel into the ground before the start of the 19th stage from Mourenx and Libourne.

9: Leomo Type-S Cycling Computer review

How much data is too much data? Leomo’s Type-S cycling computer gives us an opportunity to discover exactly that. With real-time body motion analytics on top of all the other features you expect from a GPS cycling computer — not to mention a camera, a smartphone-style screen, and even smartphone calling capabilities — the Type-S is a data powerhouse. But this consumer-friendly unit is not the right tool for all riders, and it’s best to consult a professional before making changes to your body position.

8: Taiwanese cyclist mounts jet engine to road bike, hits 82 mph

Here’s one way to win Strava KOMs.

In bike news that’s too weird not to share, a cyclist in Taiwan has become an internet sensation after mounting a small jet engine to his road bicycle and then filming himself riding the bizarre contraption.

According to the Taiwan News, a 37-year-old Taiwanese man with the surname Wang purchased a small jet engine designed for a radio-controlled airplane, and then worked with a university professor to mount the engine to his bike.

7: Anna van der Breggen pulled from bike by Tokyo official

https://twitter.com/takeikyosuke/status/1419925482280165378?s=20

The mishaps for the Dutch cycling squad continued in Tokyo with Anna van der Breggen yanked from her bike by an official at the Fuji International Speedway as she and her teammate Annemiek van Vleuten went to recon the course ahead of Wednesday’s TT, according to Tweets by cycling coach Kyosuke Takei.

6: UCI to ban the supertuck, forearms time-trial position on road bikes

In a memorandum issued on February 8, the UCI indicated it will ban riders from racing with their forearms on their handlebars, in a time-trial like position, when on a road bike.

A week before, the UCI indicated it would begin to enforce the rule prohibiting riders from the ‘supertuck’ descending position, where a rider sits on the top tube and curls into a tight position on a downhill.

Both rules will start being enforced — and this is apparently not a joke — on April 1.

5: Jonathan Vaughters on Tadej Pogačar’s dominance, Tour de France prep, and releasing power data

Jonathan Vaughters of EF Education-Nippo believes Tadej Pogačar’s early lead in this year’s Tour de France can be explained by the twin factors of uncharacteristic weather conditions and chaotic, uncontrolled racing dynamics.

And Vaughters, the longtime U.S. team manager, told VeloNews that he disagreed with suggestions by Pogačar’s coach that the race’s other GC favorites had made errors in their preparations for the Tour.

4: Officials arrest ‘Opi Omi’ sign woman who provoked stage 1 crash at Tour de France

https://t.co/W9g7RkhDdQ pic.twitter.com/YI8ZDKjFVU

— Freddie Shires (@fshires) June 30, 2021

Police arrested the woman they say caused Tony Martin (Jumbo-Visma) to crash on stage 1 of the 2021 Tour de France.

The suspect, who held a sign in front of the peloton and provoked a high-speed crash that blocked the peloton, was taken into custody Wednesday in Landerneau, where stage 1 finished.

3: Canyon warns consumers, teams to stop riding the new Aeroad following van der Poel handlebar incident

German bike brand Canyon has asked owners of its new Aeroad CF SLX and CFR aero road bikes to stop riding them following the incident at Le Samyn when a portion of  Mathieu van der Poel’s handelbar broke and fell off during the race. Canyon-sponsored teams have discontinued riding and racing the Aeroad as well.

2: Rapha goes baggy with Performance Trailwear

All products include repair patches, made with excess fabric from the same garment that would otherwise have been headed for the landfill. Should the need arise to make a repair to a garment, you’ll be able to do so efficiently before your next ride. Rapha notes that any damage to the Performance Trailwear that cannot be repaired at home will fall under the free repair policy, and garments can be sent to Rapha for fixes.

1: A photo gallery of Ashton Lambie’s world-record day at the track

American Ashton Lambie set a world record in the individual pursuit on August 18, breaking the 4-minute barrier for the 4km effort at a velodrome at altitude in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Photographer Kit Karzen was there to document the effort.

Lambie wrote a Project Sub-4 column for VeloNews on his preparation for the attempt:

• Part 1: My journey to set a world individual pursuit record
• Part 2: Big watts in Big Sky Country
• Part 3: Wait, why are we going to Iceland?
• Part 4: Everything came together to break the world record, but I failed. I was devastated
• Part 5: ‘Just execute’ – The numbers and the aftermath of a world record

You should also check out the gallery on Lambie’s bike that our CyclingTips colleague Ronan McLaughlin assembled with Karzen’s photos.

Readers — Thanks for following the sport with us this year. Happy new year!