👷♂️ Some personal news. I’m sadly having to hang up my hi-vis jacket at the end of this month. It’s genuinely been a pleasure working with such a dedicated team in a role I have enjoyed immensely 🤜🤛 #OCCHighwayspic.twitter.com/xeHi2cZR8Z
— Cllr Liam Walker (@_Liam_Walker_) December 16, 2020
Councillor Liam Walker found himself in hot water after replying to a tweet which suggested cyclists should "f*ck off over" to the Netherlands and that cyclists are "constantly w*nking off the Dutch." The councillor apologised after criticism from cycling groups and politicians, however a panel concluded he breached Oxfordshire County Council's code of conduct. He announced his resignation this afternoon on Twitter.
In a statement he said: "I have apologised to those who were genuinely offended by the tweet. It is regrettable that the process has taken up valuable staff time and that taxpayers' money has been used to investigate; at times, aspects of the response have felt disproportionate."
Tadej Pogačar spoke to L'Équipe this week and explained his mixed emotions about beating Primož Roglič in such a brutal fashion on the final TT stage of the Tour de France. Pogačar claimed the Yellow Jersey from his compatriot on Stage 20 with a devastating performance in the individual time trial stage to La Planche des Belles Filles."At the time, I didn’t really know what to feel. Everything was tangled up in my chest, I had conflicting emotions," he said.
"I had been a Roglič fan since his first results. Between the ages of 15 and 20, I was shouting in front of my television for him to win, and now I was the one who had beaten him, who had denied him from achieving what he had been dreaming of for years… It was really strange. I kept telling myself: 'That’s racing, that’s sport, it’s normal that I want to win.'
"A few minutes after he finished, I was in the television tent and he came to find me and give me a hug. I’ll never forget that moment. It’s as though he was giving me permission to enjoy it and telling me it wasn’t my fault."
This is a landmark moment and thanks to years of campaigning by Ella’s mother Rosamund, who has shown an extraordinary amount of courage. I'm pleased to have supported the family in their efforts to secure justice. Today must now be a turning point. 1/2 https://t.co/QH8bnvx0SB
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) December 16, 2020
In a landmark case, exposure to air pollution has been recorded as the medical cause of death of nine-year-old Ella Kissi-Debrah. It is the first time exposure to air pollution has been recorded as the medical cause of death in the UK. A coroner ruled that dangerous levels of air pollution "made a material contribution" to the child's death in 2013.
At the end of the two-week inquest at Southwark Coroner's Court, assistant coroner Philip Barlow stated: "I will conclude that Ella died of asthma, contributed to by exposure to excessive air pollution." The recorded medical cause of death was acute respiratory failure, severe asthma and air pollution exposure.
Ella and her family lived 25 metres from the South Circular Road in Lewisham, south east London. Professor Sir Stephen Holgate told the inquest that Ella's condition, combined with the air pollution she experienced on a daily basis had put her at "exquisite" risk. He added that he was "almost certain" her asthma would have been "substantially less severe" if the level of pollution in the area had been within lawful EU limits.
Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL) has acquired a majority stake in Canyon Bicycles. Founder Roman Arnold will retain a 40% stake in the company and reinvest a substantial amount of the proceeds from the sale. He will also stay on as the chairperson.
The investment comes after Arnold's decison to step down as CEO following a record year which saw €400 million of sales. GBL already controls a majority stake in Adidas and their investment signals the end of TSG Consumer Partners relationship with Canyon.
Egan Bernal's 15-year-old brother, Ronald, is on the radar of Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec manager Gianni Savio, who is interested in signing him once he turns 18. Savio confirmed to Cyclingnews that he would be happy to help Ronald develop — similar to how he aided Egan's trajectory up until 2018 when the 2019 Tour de France winner moved to Team Sky.
Savio said: "I spoke to Vladimir Chiuminatto, who runs the Bernal fan club in Colombia and we spoke about Ronald. They say he has some of the talent of his brother and I’d be happy to help him just as I did with Egan but not until he’s 18.
"Everyone knows how I helped Egan develop and I’d be happy to do the same with Ronald but it’s far too early to think he’d automatically follow in Egan’s footsteps. Egan rightly wants to protect his younger brother and so do I, so let’s give him time to develop."
Egan is currently facing months of rehabilitation to recover from the spinal problem that hindered him in 2020.
The high tide had to be explored on the #cyclebus today. Checking in with a tidal river every day really is a joy. pic.twitter.com/bO85Kqx8n3
— Limerick School Cycle Bus (@CyclingBusLmk) December 16, 2020
Now live! We are a directory to help you find companies delivering goods or services by #bike and #cargobike across the UK. Choose to shop with them for greener, quieter and safer streets.https://t.co/x1ldsuzFF7
— Brought By Bike (@BroughtByBike) December 15, 2020
Brought By Bike is a searchable directory of companies and tradespeople who deliver by bike. It was created to make it simple for anyone across the UK to find plumbers, bakers, electricians and anything else you can think of that will travel or can be delivered by more sustainable means. So far they have 180 listings (and the list appears to be growing as we type), including 19 bakeries, 11 gardeners, 10 breweries and 10 plumbers.
This stylish Hill & Ellis bag is designed to be 'perfect for the day ride, or a short commute' and can be attached to your saddle or handlebars. Handcrafted from leather in the UK, the bag is made from materials sourced as close to Hill & Ellis's London workshop as possible. It is available in seven colourways and costs £80.
In Baltimore there’s a business called Pork n’Pine where Santa comes to your house on a bicycle with a fresh 9-foot-tall Christmas tree strapped to the front, and a sack of pulled pork sandwiches. This is undoubtably the most brilliant business concept in human history. pic.twitter.com/rA9B2jSSSB
— Allison Robicelli (@robicellis) December 13, 2020
This is a unique business idea I can can get behind. Pork 'N Pine in Baltimore delivers Christmas trees and pork sandwiches via bike couriers dressed as Santa Claus... A tree delivered on a bike would be impressive enough but to get a pulled pork sandwich too... Someone in the UK needs to take notes. The service is so popular it has completely sold out for 2020.
Speaking to The Herald, six-time Olympic gold medallist called on cyclists and drivers to be "less tribal." Hoy was speaking about how the UK can follow countries like The Netherlands and Germany in achieving a culture of active travel. He said: "My dream is, that in 20 years time we can look back and see the same thing that happened in Holland or Denmark or Germany where you aren't a cyclist, you are just someone getting around.
"People need to be less tribal about it. People see themselves as cyclists or drivers when in my opinion we are just people trying to get around. I think because the boom in cycling has come off sport, like the Tour de France, people buy all the gear but in other countries they don't cycle in lycra, a lot of people don't wear helmets."
Hoy believes the biggest barrier to people wanting to cycle to work or school is safety and that normalising cycling is crucial in encouraging more people to travel by bike.
"Holland wasn't always a cycling country, the big push came in the 1970s," he explained. "I do think it is the answer and it is achievable but it won't happen overnight and it won't be an easy process. Any change comes up against resistance.
"If you are absolutely determined never to ride a bike and all you want to do is drive a car then fair enough but if there are more people on bikes then there are less cars and drivers are going to benefit too. The biggest barrier to people cycling to work or school is safety. If there is a collision between a cyclist and a car, it's the cyclist who is going to come off worst.
"We are all someone's husband, wife, son or daughter, we should be looking out for one another. You don't see the cyclist stopping at the red light, you only remember the ones that jump the lights in the same way that you only remember the white van that was aggressive."
If you were the gentleman I followed down Kensington High Street today, apologies. I just wanted to see what the experience was like on two wheels since the cycle lane was ripped out. Here's your answer — pic.twitter.com/XfD4YENPMH
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) December 15, 2020
One of the key reasons for the Kensington High Street cycle lane being removed was that it was causing congestion...This video, shared by Jeremy Vine, shows what it is like to cycle down the High Street now the wands have been removed for a few weeks.
The broadcaster followed up the video by saying: "Someone will die on that street. But many will simply not brave it on a bicycle. They'll use cars, and the congestion will get worse. The irony is that the council acted after being attacked in the Daily Mail by Nigel Havers, who said the cycle lane had ruined his Sunday walk."
However, the message that some took from this is not how little change removing the bike lane has made to congestion but rather that the cyclist in the video is riding dangerously...
Totally irresponsible riding with no regard for his, pedestrians or other road users safety?!
He (and yourself) took so many risks that I was waiting for a foreseeable accident to happen! Cyclists aren’t “King’s of the Road” so queue and “make progress” when it’s safe to do so!— gary logan (@garylogan1) December 15, 2020
What the hell were they doing?! Thats seriously dangerous cycling! Vehicle's will have no idea that a bike is come and from what angle. They are all over the place! If you want to ride like that then you accept the danger that comes with it.
— Neil Bramley (@njbramley) December 15, 2020