A cyclist in Swansea has described how he came off his bike after riding into a fishing line stretched across a popular cycle route – and warned that had a child ridden into it, the consequences could have been much more serious.

Jonathan Ace, 38,  told Wales Online that his cycle helmet was cracked and he was left with “a banging headache” after the incident on the city’s promenade this morning.

He said: "I was just out for a general bike ride but fortunately at the time I was having water so I wasn't going flat out.

"It cracked my helmet and I was only going between 10 and 12mph. It's frightening if I had been going about 18 or 20mph it could have been a different story.

"The wire hit me on my chest and pushed me off the bike. There was fishing braid wrapped around my bike afterwards and it was all caught in the pedals and wheels.

"I've got scratch marks on the bike too. I had a banging headache after it and thought 'shall I just go home?' but I decided to just carry on."

"The wire would have been neck height on a child,” he added. "It's stupid. I don't understand what these people get out of it.

"I've fallen off to the side of the bike but if had been a child then they would have flipped over like a somersault.

"Where is the sense in these people doing it?"

South Wales Police have been notified of the incident.

Another absorbing day in the mountains (read our report on Stage 16 here) brought the end game of the 102nd edition of the Giro d’Italia into sharper focus, with four stages left – one of those, on paper, unlikely to see major action in the overall – before Sunday’s relatively short, 17-kilometre time trial in Verona.

Before the weekend, Roglic was many people’s clear favourite for the overall, with the big question being whether any of his rivals would be able to take sufficient time out of him to maintain an advantage on the final day.

As things stand, the question is whether the Slovenian, his confidence rocked by a mechanical problem followed by a crash on the way into Como on Sunday, and losing more time today, will enter that closing stage with a realistic chance of overhauling riders in front of him.

Nibali, now 22 seconds in front of Roglic, would be a realistic target, assuming the Jumbo-Visma rider does not lose more time.

Carapaz, now 2 minutes 9 seconds up on the Slovenian, would be perhaps 30 or 40 seconds out of reach given their comparative results in both the time trials so far in the race, both of which Roglic won.

The other scenario to consider is how Carapaz will fare with the burden of leading a Grand Tour in its final week, a new experience for the Ecuadorian. His Movistar team have so far played a tactical blinder, though, and he has a superdomestique working for him in the shape of Mikel Landa, fourth overall.

Nibali – twice a Giro champion, and also a winner of the Tour de France and Vuelta – knows how to bide his time, however, as witnessed in the 2016 race when a victory on Stage 19 set him up to take the maglia rosa on the penultimate day.

It could well be that the race will only be settled in that final time trial in Verona – but right now, if we were putting money on it, we’d guess the tussle would be between Nibali and Carapaz, with Roglic having to settle for aiming for a hat-trick of victories against the clock.

Then again, this is the Giro – and as we saw last year, anything is possible in the closing days.

Some cyclists rode up the Gavia today to check and see if it was really blocked.....it was.

Photo: Saliinvetta pic.twitter.com/COn316PSrV

— Race Radio (@TheRaceRadio) May 27, 2019

"Surely these Giro organisers are just being snowflakes about 'elf and safety?" thought these intrepid cyclists; however it turned out there was something behind the decision to reroute stage 16 away from the Gavia after all...

Giro de Italia 2019: Cómo acabó la bici de Roglic en la baca del Movistar | Deportes | EL PAÍS https://t.co/r34J00JPejpic.twitter.com/0o3e9TzpqU

— Carlos Arribas (@carlosarribas) May 27, 2019

This rare sight of a rival team rider's bike on another team's car happened thanks originally to a mechanical suffered by Primož Roglič, whose Bianchi is wracked up on the Movistar vehicle in the photo above. The odd sequence of events materialised on stage 15 when Roglič needed a new bike, so teammate Antwan Tolhoek gave him his because the Jumbo-Visma car was way back from the lead group, handing out drinks to riders in the main peloton. 

Tolhoek was then left on the side of the road with Roglič' bike, so Movistar stepped in and gave the stricken rider one of their Canyon bikes to finish the stage. According to El Pais, the Movistar mechanic even swapped the Shimano pedals over for Tolhoek, as the Movistar bike was fitted with Look pedals. Movistar then loaded up the broken Bianchi onto their team car. So there you have it! 

Did my own little gran tour back home in Monaco. Now its time to pin The Numbers on the Jersey again for @TeamDiData here are some stats. 21 days including 5 active rest days rides. Longest ride was 7,5h. 2 travel days. Let the racing begin
Thx to @AlexanderKamp1 for the company pic.twitter.com/cXRnYEnWIm

— Michael Valgren Hundahl (@MichaelValgren) May 27, 2019

Michael Valgren clocked up some pretty impressive numbers during a 21-day training block.
The Dane logged a staggering 2,248km with 39,400m of climbing. That resulted in a TSS of 3,776 and a calorie burn of 63,807Kcal.
So, there are some numbers to aim for! It makes us tired just looking at them...

Stuart Hayes shattered his pelvis after being hit by a deer in Richmond Park last week - and was subject to abuse from some dark corners of the Internet after the Friends of Richmond Park Facebook page wrote "cyclist learns the hard way" to report on the incident, suggesting Hayes was at fault for riding too fast. His wife Michelle Dillon has since posted on Twitter to explain that the deer actually ran at Hayes and tried to avoid the deer, while he said himself on a blog post: "I received a lot of lovely messages which I really appreciated, however a charity decided to capitalise on the situation and use me to look like a bad example for cyclists and vent their anger towards all cyclists using Richmond Park. This particular post was all over social media and there were some hurtful comments in there and personal attacks which can really make you feel like crap when your laying in a hospital bed with a broken pelvis. However I tried not to get too wrapped up in it all because I wanted to focus my energy on getting better quickly, now I'm back home I can focus on the more important things and I'm hoping to be back training as soon as I can. Of course I have a lot of rehabilitation ahead of me and I'm sure I will learn a lot from this experience that I can only pass onto others, especially my athletes that I coach. You always learn the most from your own experiences."

Hope you enjoyed the long weekend folks! Here's a round-up of our top stories (and weird leg photos) from the last few days...

Movistar's Jose Joaquin Rojas posts picture of his legs mid-Giro d'Italia - and photo goes viral

New cycleway opens in Yorkshire – but council's cycling champion“disappointed” by "irresponsible" cyclists who chose to ride on road instead

The best cycling films on Netflix, Sky Cinema and Amazon Prime Video

Cycling shorts are the hottest trend of the summer – here’s our cheeky guide on how to wear them for …maximum stylistic effect

Just In: Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc - £10,000 aero superbike arrives in for review

 

 

 

 

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Look what we’ve just got in the post! #panini #cycling #tourdefrance #letour #paninistickers #kidatchristmas

A post shared by road.cc (@road.cc) on May 29, 2019 at 7:45am PDT

The postie has reminded us that Tour de France fever is coming by dropping off our 2019 TDF Panini sticker album!

A woman’s response to her husband starting to shave his legs because he’s a “cyclist,” posted to Australia’s version of Mumsnet, has been picked up by the press there and abroad.

Writing on Kidspot, in an article since republished by outlets including news.com.au, Olivia Williams said: “You might think one’s husband going south of the border with a shaver is just the calling card of the modern man, but my husband went WAAAAY south. Deep south.”

The husband, apparently, did the deed while his wife was away for the weekend, having raised the matter with her previously and been left in no doubt what her opinion was.

She admitted that her husband is “certainly a few pedal strokes further up the proverbial mountain than the easily recognisable and much meme-ified MAMIL,” but added that “he has no need to be shaving off milliseconds from his Saturday morning ride time with a new-found penchant for personal grooming.

“My husband is in shape,” she continued. “He’s super fit. One might say he is like a younger, balder Lance Armstrong; minus the mountains of disgrace, disrepute, doping and tell-all Oprah interviews. So not like Lance Armstrong at all. But he’s the only cyclist I could name, and that’s the extent of my willingness to research the matter.”

Concluding her post, she wrote: “So, I made a deal with him. If he shaves his legs, I’m not gonna. But I took it up a notch. I’ll grow out my underarm hair until I can braid it. My landing strip will become the literal untaming of the shrew. My legs will rival the Belanglo State Forest in both the density of native vegetation and impenetrability.

“And he liked that idea about as much as I enjoyed feeling like I’d traded in my husband for an oiled-up Peter Andre, wrapped in a silken sheathe found in the props department of a Pantene commercial. Phew.

“That’s what I call a close shave.”

A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by driving without due care while unfit through drink/drugs, reports The Argus. The incident happened in Bexhill, West Sussex on Sunday, and police are appealing for witnesses. 

Top speeds on that breath-taking Mortirolo descent:@giuliocicco1@TrekSegafredo: 77.2km/h@vincenzonibali@Bahrain_Merida: 80.2km/h@rogla@JumboVismaRoad: 83.1km/h#VelonLive#Giro#cyclingpic.twitter.com/o0cffL5C1G

— Velon CC (@VelonCC) May 28, 2019

The rain didn't stop the riders from reaching some hair-raising speeds, with Roglic hitting 83.1km/h on his descent as he attempted to claw back some time on Nibali and Carapaz ahead of him... ultimately it wasn't to be. 

Edinburgh City Council has unveiled plans for a major protected cycleway through the Scottish capital. Find out more here.

What's all this about?! #Giropic.twitter.com/7QOQkfPOVv

— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) May 30, 2019

A new study claims that people should go running rather than cycling if they want to keep their bones healthy.

Researchers at the University of Mississippi found that 28 per cent of men aged 35-50 participating in the study had early signs of osteoporosis, compared to 26 per cent of women, reports Telegraph.co.uk.

Subjects were scanned to calculate their bone mineral density (BMD), which is thought to peak at age 30.

Lead researcher Dr Martha Bass said:“We typically associate loss of bone mineral density with post-menopausal women, but our findings showed elevated risk in younger men.

“Almost all participants who were found to have osteopenia were surprised and I think this is a more prevalent issue than anyone expected."

She added that weight-bearing exercise such as running was best for maintaining BMD, saying:  “calcium plays a larger role when bones are still developing. After that, the body begins to rely on weight-bearing exercises to keep bones strong. It really does boil down to use it or lose it.”

13 cyclists in the Glacier National Park in Montana were stranded on Monday's Memorial Day public holiday following an avalanche.

Park staff had to clear a rockfall that had happened at a site the cyclists had already passed on the Going To The Sun Road then had to wait several hours for the snow to stabilise so they could begin to clear it.

Heads up, biking fans. #GlacierNationalPark#GoingtotheSunRoadpic.twitter.com/cjZuXX8Gnb

— GlacierGuidesMTRaft (@GlacierGuidesMT) May 28, 2019

British Cycling says 20mph Restricted Roads Bill would make streets safer pedestrians and cyclists.

Full story here.

Postcard from #Giro  pic.twitter.com/Q4Vah7WZz4

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 31, 2019

He argues that the future of cycling is all in one team and says Ineos will ‘park the bus’ at the Tour de France.

Full story here.

Our man Pat shares a moment he had out on the bypass on this morning's commute. One of those that demonstrates that the camera doesn't always give a true impression of how close a pass was - though it's pretty close and fast. It takes quite a lot to shake up an experienced rider like Pat, but a stiff drink (coffee we think) and he's back to his usual composed self now.

If you've been watching the Giro on Eurosport (or the highlights on Quest) you'll have noticed Adam Blythe's shirts.

So have his co-presenters.

 

 

 

 

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#SquadGoals | #RodamosJuntos | #VamosRichie | #Giro  @ilariobiondi / @bettiniphoto

A post shared by Movistar Team (@movistar_team) on May 30, 2019 at 7:01am PDT

 

 

 

 

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We've got something to show you / Tenemos algo que enseñaros @RichardCarapaz @canyon #MyCanyon #RodamosJuntos #VamosRichie #Giro

A post shared by Movistar Team (@movistar_team) on May 30, 2019 at 2:55am PDT

They launched in the capital last week ... we spotted this one at Acton Central Overground on Friday evening. We also saw a couple being ridden past the Houses of Parliament yesterday ... it's difficult to miss them.

A Giro d’Italia rider asked on Twitter how any beers he needed to down to replace the Calories burnt in Saturday’s monster stage in the Dolomites … and the answer was one that would leave even the most hollow-legged of beer aficionados legless, never mind a cyclist at the end of a three-week Grand Tour.

“Today at the Giro I consumed 6,300 Calories,” wrote Groupama-FDJ rider, Jacopo Guarnieri.

“Can anyone tell me how many beers I need to drink to replenish?“

Oggi al #giro ho consumato 6300kcal. Chi mi sa dire quante birre devo bere per una corretta reintegrazione?

— Jacopo Guarnieri (@jacopoguarnieri) June 1, 2019

Eurosport commentator Rob Hatch suggested that Daniel Lloyd, who has been working for the channel during the race, might “know something about that.”

“14 x 330ml Duvels,” Lloyd shot back. “Then you’d have enough left over for a Bud Light, but I wouldn’t bother with that bit.”

14 x 330ml Duvels.

Then you'd have enough left over for a Bud Light, but I wouldn't bother with that bit.

— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) June 1, 2019

“I’m gonna have a funny night, then,” replied Guarnieri.

Another response came from his former Astana team-mate Enrico Gasparotto, now riding for Dimension Data.

“More than you could manage, no doubt,” he said.

Più che riesci senza dubbi!

— Enrico Gasparotto (@enrigasparotto) June 1, 2019

We’re not sure whether he took up Lloyd’s advice of downing a baker’s dozen plus one bottles of the 8.5 per cent ABV Belgian beer … but he finished 117th out of 142 riders in yesterday’s concluding individual time trial in Verona.

The ultracyclist has been dipping his toe in the water with mountain biking, riding the Highland Trail 550 last week - and he made a splash, though not in the way he intended ...

When you've only been riding a mountain bike for an hour, but you're one to always jump in at the deep end... I saw Dustin nail the river crossing and thought I'd have a go! #ht550@HT_550#mycanyonpic.twitter.com/pQ8wW81csq

— James Hayden (@JamesMarkHayden) June 1, 2019

Are you kidding me?! Woke up this morning to find out my @TrekBikes Madone is stolen! It was in the team bike room @LottoLadiesTour in the middle of a row of bikes from @knwu. Please RT or let me know when you saw anything pic.twitter.com/MSU7Ga7jQY

— Ellen van Dijk (@ellenvdijk) June 2, 2019

Thanks for all the retweets about my stolen @TrekBikes Madone. Most likely somebody from another team in the hotel stole it, as only these people had access to the room. Somebody surely knew what he/she was looking for. Cheers to all the sympathy on twitter! pic.twitter.com/H15i4uZ1hz

— Ellen van Dijk (@ellenvdijk) June 2, 2019

The final episode of Mitchelton Scott's Grio d'Italia.
The team missed their big goals with Simon Yates finishing 8th, 7'49" down on a very impressive Richard Carapaz of Movistar.
But it wasn't all bad news. The race saw fan-favourite Esteban Chavez returning close to the form of a few years ago. He took an emotional stage win late in the race.

Lotto-Soudal's Adam Hansen explains ...

Ouchee. Click through on the tweet for more pictures and the full story.

so i know we were all worried about disc brakes being unsafe, but can we talk about sharp thru axle levers? pic.twitter.com/Qa8QIZ5cM7

— Colin Reuter (@resultsboy) June 3, 2019

Wiltshire ultracyclist Ian To will be having a fresh crack at the Land’s End to John O’Groats record in the coming weeks – and after two previous failed attempts, will be hoping it’s third time lucky.

No precise date has been set for his latest crack at the record – or rather, records, because he has no fewer than four in his sights.

Those are:

LEJOG Guinness World Record – 44 hours, 4 minutes and 20 seconds

(set 2001)

LEJOG Road Records Association Record – 43 hours, 25 minutes and 13 seconds (2018)

1000 Miles – 55 hours and 59 minutes (2001)

24 Hour Record – 507 miles (2018).

The Swindon Wheelers member is waiting for conditions to be just right – a weather forecast of dry, not to hot unlike last summer’s heatwave, and a decent enough tailwind to put that RRA record within reach would be ideal.

A crowdfunding page has been set up for the effort and is currently just over hallway past the £3,500 target.

We wish him all the best.

Moped riders in Amsterdam have been out protesting against a new law that forces them out of cycle lanes and also makes it compulsory for them to wear helmets, reports The Guardian.

According to the Guardian, nearly 50,000 people have backed a petition which says that making people on mopeds ride alongside faster-moving motor traffic will cause more collisions, while consultation on the new law received an unprecedented number of comments.

Despite a €95 fine, many are ignoring the law, with one woman riding her moped in a cycle lane saying: “It hasn’t been properly thought through.

“It’s very unclear when we are allowed on the bike lane and where we aren’t, and there are certain junctions where there’s just not enough space on the road. I find it absolutely terrifying.”

Amsterdam’s bicycle mayor, Katelijne Boerma, commented: “If there’s a lack of space – which is the case for cyclists – then people start behaving badly and the bike lanes and a lot of pavements in the centre for pedestrians have a kind of ‘surviving the jungle’ attitude.

“We all need to work on our fietsfatsoen, which is an old-fashioned word for courtesy. The taxi driver blames the cyclist, the tram driver blames the car driver … but at the end of the day traffic is all of us.”

Nasty incident in Worcestershire at the weekend. Lots of riders punctured, but none injured, thankfully.

Read the story here.

Sir Bradley Wiggins has been looking ahead to next month's Tour de France on his Eurosport podcast - and particularly, what the dynamic might be between the Team Ineos pairing of four-time winner Chris Froome and defending champion Geraint Thomas.

He says that Thomas would work for Froome if he needed to - but repeatedly said that he hopes the Welshman is in the same form he was last year when he clinched the yellow jersey.

No prizes for guessing who the Wiggins household hopes will do better out of ythe pair.

 

 

 

 

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La Brompton #tallbike di @zio_bici

A post shared by @ bromptonitalia on Jun 2, 2019 at 10:47am PDT

Bromptons are almost exclusively useful because of their compactness and how easy they are to fold. So obviously we're all screaming out for a tallbike version...

Bizarre goings-on involving a near-naked man wielding a bicycle wheel in Renfrew near Glasgow earlier this week ...

Neutral service just isn't what it used to be https://t.co/84pYDmbdMA

— Tommy Two-Phones (@140CharTerror) June 5, 2019

I SAID DISC BRAKE AND 12 SPEED YOU USELESS SH.....

— Gibby(@agibby76) June 5, 2019

Another #Pluginadventure update from the road. The road toward Hinckley is a dream #TheSustainableRace#SupportAlice@rachelburden@bobbyllew@FullyChargedShw@VoltBikesUK@voltbikesPRpic.twitter.com/p1hIpVYtKx

— Plug In Adventures (@pluginadventure) June 5, 2019

Ramsey (not the comedian), who holds the Guinness World Record for being the first to ride an electric vehicle the entire length of the 10,000 mile Mongol Rally, set off on Sunday for the journey between Aberdeen and Silverstone, where he plans to arrive in time for the Fully Charged Live show at the race circuit. He's currently well in front of his competition in the form of a Renault Twizy, that needs recharging every 50 miles in contrast to the VOLT e-bike, which needs recharging every 60. 

Chris was taking a break in Hinckley this morning with plenty of time to spare, and being about 40 miles from Silverstone that means he should be arriving at the finish today. Further updates when we get them. 

The new guest house, located in the heart of the heart of the Pyrenees, offers week-long guided tours of some of the most famous/infamous routes that have featured in the Tour de France, plus lesser known gravel and downhill rides if you prefer dirt. 

The Escape to the Pyranees Tour de France week runs from 14-21 July, with the chance to watch some of the stages as well as ride the roads yourself, and there is also a mountainous week from 10-17 August and further tours in later August and September. Prices from €1450 for a twin room with everything included for a week, head over to their website for more info.   

The car that struck cyclist Josh Dey was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit him with such force it sent the medical student spinning through the air and left him fighting for his life in the middle of the street. He spoke to @ChloeKeedyITV about what happened. pic.twitter.com/UelQ6KjamF

— ITV London (@itvlondon) May 2, 2019

The 22-year-old was struck by 29-year-old Sean Fagan, who was driving on the wrong side of the road as he hit Dey and left the scene. Full story to follow. 

 

 

 

 

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Just another bicycle day @lagalaxy

A post shared by Zlatan Ibrahimović (@iamzlatanibrahimovic) on Jun 3, 2019 at 12:16pm PDT

The Swedish superstar stored a stunning overhead bicycle kick for his team LA Galaxy on Sunday, so naturally here he is posing with bike a couple of days later. Zlatan was quoted as saying this would be one of the wondergoals he'd rather forget, however, as the Galaxy actually lost the game 2-1 to New England Revolution. 

Virtual spin class firm could be valued at more than $8bn. (We really feel like we're missing something here.)

Full story here.

Recent figures from Belgium have found that 68% of cyclists don't wear helmets, report the Brussels Times. In the Walloon region it's even higher at 71%, and only Hungary and the Netherlands have a lower rate of helmet use nationally. 

The Belgian road safety institute Vias reported that wearing a helmet reduces the risk of a serious head injury by 60% in the event of an accident. They also said that in autopsies of cyclists who died in accidents and did not wear a helmet, 37% of them could have survived if they had worn one; however the Flemish cycling policy centre Fietsberaad found that helmets don't offer much protection in accidents with high-speed or heavy vehicles such as cars, lorries and trucks, but they do provide protection in collisions with objects and lower speed falls.  

Fietsberaad also say that safer cycling comes from proper cycling infrastructure, which explains the Netherlands higher safety rates even though helmet use is low. 

Businesses would benefit from more productive employees who would be less likely to take time off sick says health watchdog.

Full story here.

An S-pedelic rider near Antwerp has been fined 55 euros for doing 41km/h in a 30km/h zone. Full story over on eBikeTips.  

James Hayden offered a bit of advice to motorists earlier this year after he suffered a nasty close pass.

Today he suffered another one. By a police officer.

Close-passed at speed by @metpoliceuk SV68BYD in Beckenham, A2015 at 10:35 6/6/19. @MetCycleCops get this driver some training as their standard is well below acceptable.

— James Hayden (@JamesMarkHayden) June 6, 2019

Thanks guys smashed the last 40miles at 18-20mph, full power all the way and still had 3nothes left on arrival.

Your eBike is awesome and super reliable, been no issues whatsoever

— Plug In Adventures (@pluginadventure) June 5, 2019

On yesterday's live blog we caught wind of a 'sustainable race' between a VOLT e-bike and a Renault Twizy over 532 miles... and the e-bike, with the record breaking e-biker Chris Ramsey atop of it, ending up winning comfortably thanks to the quicker recharging and better range than the car. 

“A career in crashing people out is not what I’m trying to do. It doesn’t pay very well and you don’t get on very many teams for that skill, and you don’t get to finish very many races.”

Full story here.

An upgrade to their magnetic scanning technology plus a ‘tracker’ that can be attached to bikes.

Full story here.

While you may expect a retailer that sells bikes to be optimistic, the latest forecasting from Halfords suggests that UK e-bike sales, if they continue on their current trajectory, could jump from around 50,000 in 2019 to a whopping 1.5 million by 2050. Full story over on eBikeTips. 

Local cyclists say situation will only improve when nearby cycle lane is finished.

Full story here.

The Criterium du Dauphine starts on Sunday. Chris Froome will be leading an Ineos team that will also feature Vasil Kiryienka, Michal Kwiatkowski, Gianni Moscon, Wout Poels, Ian Stannard and Dylan van Baarle.

The Dauphiné is a more conventional build-up to the Tour de France for Froome after last year’s win in the Giro d’Italia.

“It was quite nice in a way watching the Giro on the TV and actually not racing,” said Froome. “Also remembering my feelings coming out of the Giro last year – it’s so different to how I feel right now. Hopefully I’ll be a lot fresher now coming into this next block and more ready to race, as opposed to being on the back foot trying to recover from the Giro.”

Speaking about team-mate Pavel Sivakov, who finished ninth in Italy, Froome added: “Pavel was very, very impressive. For a 21 year old to have ridden a top 10 in just his second Grand Tour – that takes some doing and it goes a long way to showing what kind of engine he has for the future.”

Another day, another tax. Nice one @SadiqKhan#NoMoreTaxespic.twitter.com/8d1VffZNk3

— TaxPayers' Alliance (@the_tpa) June 9, 2019

You may have heard of the TaxPayers' Alliance, which claims to be a "non-partisan grassroots campaign for lower taxes and government transparency" but in reality is a right-wing lobby group that has received hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding from the US; it is often wheeled out on BBC News to provide [checks notes] balance on stories about increased public psending - such as on cycle lanes.

Today, it has attracted criticism by describing fines for motorists breaking new 20mph limits in London as a 'tax' - while also suggesting there is no evidence that lower speed limits save lives (spoiler - they do, and there is a wealth of studies to back that up). Cue the rightfully cutting and sarcastic stream of replies ...

I’ve literally never been hit with a speeding fine. Not once, in over twenty years. Am I a tax evader?

— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) June 10, 2019

Perhaps you should rename yourselves FinePayers' Alliance.

— Richard Hallett (@hallettrichard) June 9, 2019

It isn’t a tax you buffoons. Don’t want to pay it, don’t exceed the speed limit. I’m a taxpayer and you do not speak for me.

— Dan Jarvis (@worldcupdan) June 9, 2019

Looking at the TaxPayer's Alliance website they appear to be a legitimate operation with an 18-strong team, although we're not too sure who's funding them. Most of their tweets and blog posts seem to read like something from a Jacob Rees-Mogg manifesto, if such a thing existed, with one praising Donald Trump's lowering of taxes for big businesses in the US and another claiming that cutting taxes for corporations like Amazon would lead to economic growth in the UK. 

Bit of Monday morning news for you, from this week's "Active Travel Group" meeting at @LBRUT ...

Kew Road is likely to get full protected cycling. #NotACarParkpic.twitter.com/fpKky8r9CW

— Richmond Cycling (@RichmondCycling) June 10, 2019

It  was announced in a Richmond council meeting today that the busy road is set for a full protected cycle lane, which will hopefully make scenes like the one in the image above a thing of the past...

Long story short, it has a roof rack and a drinks cooler.

But what else makes a car a "cyclist's car"? Well, according to Skoda, you'll need to fit it out with a pressure washer for cleaning off some amazingly muddy road bikes.

Then obviously, you'll want to strip off in a car park and do your laundry before you get home to your washing machine. So you'll be needing a washing machine in the boot. They don't specify how you'll dry the kit, but we're sure it'll be fine tied to the aerial...

Who needs seats anyway? You'll obviously want to leave one of your children at home so that your bike can ride along in the car. Then be sure to take your other two bikes on the roof rack. 

But oh gosh! A mechanical has befallen you en route. Not to worry! You've got a specific place for a toolbox. You could never just put that in the boot. 

If you're still thinking 'wow! This is the car for me', then, unfortunately, it's just a concept car. So sad, but don't worry, you can still have "a KAROQ Velo inspired accessory package, which includes a ŠKODA Multi-tool, ŠKODA Bicycle tyre pump and bracket and ŠKODA Bicycle Lights". Available to order from local ŠKODA Retailers.

Have Skoda not heard of simply riding from home?

Today I’m announcing my retirement from professional cycling. Not many athletes get to end their career as current National champion, fit, healthy & still loving their sport, but that’s how i’de like to end mine Please read more here https://t.co/ZO1L9g4ieb

— Nikki Brammeier (@NikkiBrammeier) June 10, 2019

The 32-year-old current national cyclocross champion said she wanted 'to end on a high', calling time on her career shortly after announcing she is expecting her first child with husband Matt Brammeier, himself a former pro and now a cycling coach. 

Monday feeling

@therussellellispic.twitter.com/C3bLTuRqmP

— Elia Viviani (@eliaviviani) June 10, 2019

What goes on at a kit launch party for a cycling team made up of "a ramshackle bunch of cycling enthusiasts who happen to work in or around the UK adult entertainment industry"? Who knows, but if you're lucky enough to be on the guest list you can find out at Look Mum No Hands! on 20th June for the Porn Pedallers' new kit launch party. It's been made by Le Col, and Porn Pedallers also donate £10 of each sale of their branded kit to the Terrence Higgins Trust. While the event is by invitation only, anyone can go along to the after-party at Platinum Lace strip club on Leicester Square from 10.30pm onwards - info above. 

...here's a load of mountain bikes in South Wales spotted flaunting their Bike Balls. They're available from a selection of retailers with a puerile sense of humour nationwide...

A change of name could be on the cards for Team Dimension Data as its sponsor's parent company NTT - in full, Nippon Telephone and Telegraph, the fourth largest telecoms business in the world - brings the business under its own corporate identity.

Inner Ring's suggestion that the team could relaunch ahead of the Tour de France - a race for which Dimension Data also provides data services - seems like a good call.

Dimension Data brand name to vanish, replaced by parent company NTT of Japan https://t.co/bNiSXZ4WDJ No news on what this means for the cycling team yet, eg a relaunch for the Tour de France or something else

— the Inner Ring (@inrng) June 11, 2019

...Alex Dowsett, the Katusha-Alpecin pro cyclist has been casually schooling a disgruntled motorist on Twitter who got rather upset at having to pass a small group of riders who were riding two abreast.

If it’s not safe to overtake a car it’s probably not safe to overtake a cyclist. You’d still have to be on the other side of the road whether it be one cyclist or many. If the cyclists were to go single file they would be longer than a double decker bus 1/2

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019

2/2 thus requiring a larger overtake distance, which would be a higher risk to you and your passengers as well as the cyclists. This formation actually protects both you and the cyclists from an unsafe overtake. pic.twitter.com/9ddzVbaMhf

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019

3/2 I’m a driver and a cyclist, and I have sat behind cyclists until it’s safe to overtake, i timed the amount of time that passed until a safe opportunity to pass presented itself and I am overly cautious (as everyone should be). Less than 10s was the norm, 40s was the max.

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019

4/2 so I guess the follow up question should be, if an unsafe overtake were to be made, creating a risk of injury or worse, as well as a possible lawsuit for the driver, is it worth it for 5-40seconds added onto a journey?

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019

I know the question of an unsafe overtake was never part of your initial tweet so I’m not suggesting that was implied, I guess just extending the why of the cyclist’s formation towards motorists that may consider an unsafe overtake! Hope you understand where I’m coming from.

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 10, 2019

They are 2up bud, just not exactly on the wheel, offset slightly

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) June 11, 2019

It seems that the issue with this photo is that by sitting just off the wheel in front, which is a sensible group ride safety measure, the group appears to be 3 abreast in places. So, should we all be religiously sticking to the wheel in front of us?

Couldn’t believe my eyes! C. 70 year old gentleman cycling his wive up to Notting Hill among the busy traffic @RuthMayorcas@ToryCycling@RBKC@TfL@paulgannonbike@citycyclists@theJeremyVine@darrenmoorepic.twitter.com/HMm11aGpl9

— Michiel Joseph (@MichielJoseph) June 9, 2019

Just a shame about the congestion around them!