An unusual type of helmet which appeared on the heads of a handful of cyclists in the year’s Tour de France has been banned from all international competitions.
Developed in China, the ‘Superlift’ is a small aerofoil wing that attaches to the top of a standard cycling helmet and, depending on speed, can generate a lift of up to 22kg. This effectively reduces the overall weight of the cyclist and machine by a significant amount, enough, claim other competitors, to give the wearer an unfair speed and effort advantage.
Top UK cyclist Ricky Sadler was in doubt that it is cheating. ‘Course it is. A few years back it was electric motors inside bike frames, then they was having full body blood transfusions from teenagers to boost their oxygen and now this. Where’s it going end, eh?’
No sources cited, image is photoshopped.
Ha ha! Thank you for pointing out these anomalies. In fact this news was first reported in ‘Bespoke Cycling’ (26 September 2018) and its sister news sheet ‘Chain Male’ the following day. The photo was supplied to Spoofflé.
It was later revealed in the Lycra Weekly that when the bodies were recovered from the marina all of them were wearing Buzzy Bobby Bee suits! Whether this had any bearing on the demise of the riders it is unclear.
Sorry I should have replied to my comment to make it come in the right place. Perhaps the editor at Spoofflè could alter this?
Dear Steve, thank you for your request. Our IT infrastructure and going forward team have investigated your suggestion and have advised our Editorial team that this feature is planned for inclusion in Spoofflé Blog version 29,0, scheduled for release in January 2024.
This one is just unfair and should be banned. However when this was tried on the London to Brighton charity bike ride this year several contestants on the downhil run to Black rock took off and unfortunately drowned in the Marina!
Thank you Steve. The Editorial team really do appreciate the regular, pithy comments made by Spoofflé’s UK reader. In fact, Editorial Assistant Sky Beckinsale said this morning that she thought there was not enough pith in Spoofflé stories. I can see the cause – we spend most of our time taking the pith out, not putting it in.
Hi Tim nice to see you back at your full time job of trying to brighten up my day after a weekend of running around in orange romper suits and waving coloured flags!