Bjarne Riis set for WorldTour return with NTT; Rohan Dennis on eating disorders; Boss trolls new cyclist; Pointless cycle lane; Aussie cyclist cops $915 fine; Cycling booms in Paris; Shocking close pass on 11-year-old girl + more on the live blog

Though it didn't translate into votes for Jeremy Corbyn ...

Over 300 likes - I think this is my third most popular tweet ever - politicians, say you are taking up cycling and you will be loved https://t.co/kNzCXp0xqF

— Ed Davie (@EdDavie) January 6, 2020

Six French teams will take part in this summer's Tour de France with organisers confirming that B&B Hôtels-Vital Concept  and Team Arkéa-Samsic have been given the two wildcard places for the race. They join fellow UCI Pro team Total Direct Energie, which secures a place automatically by topping last year's second-tier rankings, plus the country's three UCI WorldTour teams, AG2R-La Mondiale, Cofidis and Groupama-FDJ.

Also lining up at the start in Nice will be the remaining 16 UCI WorldTour outfits - 
Astana, Bahrain-McLaren, Bora-Hansgrohe, CCC, Deceuninck-Quick-Step, EF Pro Cycling, Israel Start-Up Nation, Lotto Soudal, Mitchelton-Scott, Movistar, NTT, Team Ineos, Jumbo-Visma, Sunweb, Trek-Segafredo and UAE Team Emirates.  

The Mail reports that anyone caught cycling in pedestrianised zones in Barrow-in-Furness could end up with a £50 fine starting from today. PC Emmie Doughty said: “In a nut shell, cycling has been banned on the pedestrianised area in the town centre for some time.

“We have been aware of complaints that have been made to us about people cycling and a recent accident which involved an elderly female being run over and sustaining some serious injuries.

“As part of the force wide week of action we have added this issue to the list of things we are dealing with this week. We have decided to advise people for the first couple of days and then take enforcement action.

“Anyone found to be contravening this will receive a £50 fine.”

A shopper helpfully told The Mail: “I am sick to death of cyclists. They pick and choose which rules to follow.”

The Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) outlined their proposals as part of a package of safety measures to improve safety and traffic flow. 877 cyclists were seriously injured on Swiss roads in 2018 - more than the 779 hurt in cars - and FEDRO say these changes could help to reduce injuries and deaths further. 

The Pedestrian Mobility Switzerland organisation is said to be concerned, fearing parents might join their children cycling on footpaths which could increase risks to pedestrians. FEDRO expect the number of cyclists to increase by 32% by 2040 and drivers by 18%, saying that measures must be taken to accommodate extra traffic via all modes of transport. ​

Cycle facility of the month outside Belfast pic.twitter.com/6HOKvFvwLk

— Julian Todd (@goatchurch) December 25, 2019

We appear to have missed this over the Christmas break, but... is this cycle lane between Belfast and Bangor in Northern Ireland the most pointless you've ever seen, or can you top it? Let us know in the comments if you have any 'better' examples. At least the bollards are happy... 

It’s lovely to see so many bollards using the facilities.

— Airburstoverfylingdales, James (@dorisisaway) December 26, 2019

Arguably Australia has far more pressing things to be worrying about at the moment, but a Sydney cyclist has took to Facebook to share photos of three separate fines he racked up in just a day to act as a warning to others. The hapless rider's crimes were riding without a helmet, riding through a red light and riding on a footpath, with the total amount in fines totalling $915. 

“Friendly warning to Sydney bike riders and unfamiliar tourists ... Riding without a helmet, riding on a footpath, not stopping before a red light, or doing all three at once could land you $915.00 in one go,” he wrote according to Yahoo News. 

“The joke is on me today, don’t let the joke be on you.”

On a local Sydney cycling Facebook group responses were mix, with some expressing sympathy yet others taking issue; one described riding on the footpath as "selfish and arrogant", while another said no helmet and running red lights are "big no no's." 

The fine for riding without a helmet was set at $73 for years, but has recently quadrupled to a whopping $344. 

Today, our riders met with locals from the bushfire affected community of Woodside in the Adelaide Hills. Every January, the towns in the Adelaide Hills come out and show us so much support at the @tourdownunder (1/3). pic.twitter.com/bINSu07Mq6

— CCC Team (@CCCProTeam) January 7, 2020

The scale of the disaster is unprecedented, with a reported 17.9 million acres of land burnt, 2,000 homes destroyed and millions of animals killed. The Polish World Tour team CCC took time to visit a community affected in Adelaide Hills. The Tour Down Under begins on January 21st, with concerns over unsafe parts of the course due to felled trees and fire damage. 

More than 87 million hires have been made since TfL launched in July 2010, nicknamed 'Boris Bikes' after the then-Mayor of London and current Prime Minister Boris Johnson. There are now 12,000 Santander Cycles on the streets of London in 781 docking stations, with five more set to open along Cycleway 4 in Southwark this spring. Londin's walking and cycling commissioner Will Normans says:  

“The London cycle hire scheme has gone from strength to strength over the past decade, and like many I now couldn’t imagine our city without it. I’m delighted that the scheme is set to expand even further in 2020 to enable more Londoners to take to two wheels – helping improve our health and tackle congestion and air pollution at the same time.”

To mark the scheme's decade, TfL say there will be a number of "unique prizes that money can't buy", rewarding prolific users who have racked up the most journeys, those who used the scheme in its first year and people with interesting stories to share about their experience of Santander Cycles. 12 winners will be rewarded with bikes named after them, free annual membership and other prizes. 

If you used the bikes in their inaugural year, have a story to tell or think you might have completed the most journeys, you can email cyclehire10 [at] tfl.gov.uk for your chance to win. 

Looks like Stages power meters are going to be getting cheaper again which is great if you're a fan of power.

Prices are now starting at $299USD/ £299/ €299/ $549AUD for the Shimano 105 R7000 left crank. That's down from £429 and the price change is effective as of now on Wiggle, Merlin Cycles and other online stores.

Here are the key prices...

Shimano Ultegra R8000 $349USD/ £349/ €399/ $649AUD
Carbon BB30, GXP Road, and GXP MTB L $499USD/ £439/ €499/ $799AUD
Shimano Ultegra R8000 Power LR $729USD/ £689/ €749/ $1199AUD
Shimano DuraAce R9100 Power LR $999USD/ £939/ €999/ $1499AUD

“In one year, bike use in the French capital is up 54 percent”. A phenomenal behaviour change resulting from impact of introducing safe segregated cycle routes. @forbeshttps://t.co/hMwwX0acIH

— Cyclox (@cycloxoxford) January 6, 2020

Forbes report that a road survey conducted by the mayor's office in the French capital found bike use is up 54%: “It's the culmination of years of growing restrictions on cars, the introduction of bike-sharing services, and most recently the construction of bike lanes across the French capital", said François Picard, host of 'The Debate' on France 24.  

There are now 840,000 bike trips a day in the city - more than motorcycles and scooters - althugh car trips are still far higher at 12.8%, but have dropped by 5% since 2010. Mayor Anne Hidalgo plans to build an extra 870 miles of bike lanes by the end of 2021 as part of 'Plan Velo', with the eventual aim to have every Parisian less than two kilometres away from the bike network.