“Two tins and piece of string”: Fans slam British Cycling’s “amateurish” paywalled coverage of cyclocross champs – but some brand it “good first step”; Drivers should pay to use bike lanes, says Terry Wogan’s son; SD Worx AI clip? + more on the live blog

You may have to bear with us over the next few hours, because it’s a big day here at road.cc. Along with our siblings ebiketips and off.road.cc, we’re packing up our (digital) bags today and heading over to a whole new website back-end thingy.

I’ll be honest, this kind of stuff sails right over my head – just leave me to the cycling chat – but it means from tomorrow we should have a faster loading site, giving you a generally better user experience.

Oh, and it means you may not be able to comment on any stories today, while we shift all our belongings from the old place to the new place. What else are you going to do with your time now?

> Read more on what’s going on here: Engineering works on road.cc!

A new cycle lane in Gloucestershire has been causing some concern among the area’s cyclists, as well as the local university, after a spate of near slips:

> Cyclists raise safety concerns after slips and near misses on new cycle lane

Plus, in case you missed it, there was plenty of other cycling-related activity going on over the weekend – including the moment Soudal-Quick Step’s classics squad interrupted their training ride to push a stranded driver’s van free from a wall… Pro cyclists, eh? What a lovely, selfless, but not very strong bunch.

> “Probably wouldn’t be possible with a bunch of climbers”: Soudal Quick-Step push car free after motorist somehow managed to get vehicle stuck on roadside wall

> “For cyclists, potholes are far more than an annoyance”: British Cycling welcomes government’s new pothole traffic light ratings showing which counties “are fixing potholes effectively”

> British bike component manufacturer accuses Hong Kong brand behind viral aero front mech cover of “blatant copy”

> Mayor who knocked cyclist off bike after “four or five pints of Stella” resigns

> Just when you though Remco couldn’t get more aero — Specialized reckons its new kit can save 25w (but there’s a catch), plus MyWhoosh wants to give riders Bitcoin rewards

Oh, and I decided to write something silly about Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United’s ongoing misery:

> Why are Manchester United in crisis? Because Sir Jim Ratcliffe is too busy cycling, apparently

On 2 January, you may recall, Wout van Aert’s rather promising cyclocross season was abruptly curtailed, mid-epic battle with Mathieu van der Poel, when he crashed in snowy, icy conditions at the Zilvermeercross, sustaining a small fracture in his ankle and forcing him to undergo surgery.

But this morning, Wout proved that he won’t be hanging around this year, jumping on his bike for a training ride (posted on Strava, of course), just 10 days on from his nasty ‘cross crash:

Sure, it was only a light 20-mile spin. But still, Wout’s back.

More top work being done here by the London Cycling Campaign’s Women’s Network:

Regent’s canal is a popular?‍♀️route – efficient, vehicle free & scenic. But cycling after dark vs during the day feels a vastly different proposition. How socially safe would you feel here at night? @londoncycling.bsky.social volunteers tested 2 new proposed routes to bypass the canal ⬇️

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— Westminster Cycling Campaign (@westminster-lcc.bsky.social) January 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM

> Get ready to roll with the road.cc Recommends Tyres of the Year 2025/26

While Cam Mason and Anna Flynn were stamping their authority on South Shields’ slip and slide course, ‘crossers across the continent were vying for their own national champs’ jerseys.

In Belgium, the heartland of cyclocross, Thibau Nys survived a crash and a late charge from Emiel Verstrynge to defend his elite men’s title, after Marion Norbert Riberolle put in a patient, assured performance to take the women’s crown.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Belgian Cycling (@belgian_cycling)

And up in the Netherlands, Tibor Del Grosso also did just enough to make it two Dutch titles in a row, holding off Pim Ronhaar and Lars van der Haar, despite dropping a chain and crashing near the end. In the women’s race, Lucinda Brand failed to capitalise on her storming season-long form, losing time early and having to settle for third behind silver medallist Puck Pieterse and winner Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, who soloed to victory.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Cycling Ireland (@cyclingireland)

And for all you ‘cross completists out there, here’s a rundown of the headline national champs winners from a wintery weekend:

Belgium: Thibau Nys and Marion Norbert Riberolle

Netherlands: Tibor Del Grosso and Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado

Great Britain: Cameron Mason and Anna Flynn

Ireland: Dean Harvey and Freya Whiteside

Spain: Felipe Orts and Sofia Rodriguez

France: Joris Delbove and Celia Gery

Italy: Filippo Fontana and Sara Casasola

> Regent’s Park to get new pedestrian crossings as part of crackdown on ‘dangerous’ cyclists

Interestingly, there was no mention of car drivers in the Royal Parks’ press release on the crossings, just cyclists (and a vague reference to ‘road users’) – despite all the collisions and crashes involving motorists in Regent’s Park. Weird that, isn’t it?

You know the road racing season’s about to kick off when you belatedly find out about the results of the Aussie championships around 12 hours after they happened…

And a bit like Groupama-FDJ at the French nationals – with their army of 30 riders at the start line – the men’s Australian road race championships have recently been Jayco-AlUla’s to lose. In fact, the Aussie WorldTour team won four of the six Aussie titles between 2020 and 2025, with the two they lost going to Luke Plapp, who now rides for, you guessed it, Jayco-AlUla.

But that dominance came back to bite them at the weekend, when Jayco duo (and former Aussie champs) Luke Plapp and Luke Durbridge threw away a formidable winning position to let Conti team rider Patrick Eddy sneak in to nab his first ever pro win.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

Eddy, who now rides for Australian Continental squad Team Brennan after two years at Picnic PostNL, hunted down attacker Durbridge, who had been out in front for 40km, in a dramatic final kilometre, before bursting off Plapp’s wheel for the win.

Disaster for Jayco, then, but pure ecstasy for Eddy, who was let go by Picnic at the end of 2025, after spending four years with the Dutch squad’s development and WorldTour teams.

And the 23-year-old wasn’t going to let the moment pass without reminding Picnic, and head coach Rudi Kemna, of what they’re missing in 2026.

“A few months ago, I felt like most of the cycling world gave up on me. But there was just those handful of people around me who just kept believing in me, kept telling me to keep at it, keep hustling. This is for them,” Eddy told broadcaster SBS after the race.

And with a wink, he added: “I told Rudi Kemna I’d make him look a bit silly when he gave me the flick, so that one’s for you, mate.”

Brilliant. You just can’t get more Australian than that.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

And Eddy’s surprise win became even more impressive when it was later revealed by his partner, British Continental rider Libby Smithson, that he’d stayed overnight in a hospital earlier in the week to be by her side after she was struck by a motorist while training.

“I have no words for how proud I am,” Smithson wrote on Instagram. “On Tuesday night Pat slept in the hospital with me and got zero sleep even though his biggest goal of the year was in a few days.

“This is just one example of all the selfless things he does for me and everyone in his life. He’s been through so much this year, but he’s never stopped showing up for everyone else. No one deserves it more I wish I could properly put into words how f****ing amazing you are.”

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

Meanwhile, in the women’s race, 20-year-old Mackenzie Coupland righted things for the Jayco-AlUla family, beating Ruby Roseman-Gannon to secure her own first pro win – not a bad way to start your first season in the WorldTour, eh?

 

 

 

 

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Just when Óscar Rodríguez thought having to wear the Ineos Grenadiers’ new orange and white kit would be the worst part of his January, the 30-year-old Spaniard crashed in training, sustaining a hip fracture that will force him to undergo surgery, the British team revealed this afternoon.

“As a result, the first part of 2026 will be spent focusing on recovery and rehabilitation for Oscar. We wish him well and a speedy return to fitness,” Ineos said in a statement.

Rodríguez, who joined Ineos in 2024 from Movistar has one pro win to his name – a stage of the 2018 Vuelta a España, when he was riding for Euskadi-Murias. He raced the Vuelta for Ineos in 2024, finishing 24th on GC.

Random bike lane in Stockholm.

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— Martin Trapp (@trappmartin.bsky.social) January 10, 2026 at 1:19 PM

Apparently, there’s been road racing going on over the weekend, at an ungodly hour and in some place called ‘Australia’, which means one thing… Last call for 2026 team announcement videos!

Unfortunately for SD Worx and their classy new kit, however, their attempt to create a funky, special effects-laden clip, featuring each rider morphing seamlessly into the next, hasn’t gone down too well on the internet:

This is what ready looks like. Hello, 2026. ?

Next chapter unlocked. ?#wesparksuccess
?️ Girafeo pic.twitter.com/HUv8PUW3xH

— Team SD Worx – Protime (@teamsdworx) January 9, 2026

In fact, some have claimed it’s the work of that sneaky so-and-so Artificial Intelligence.

“Use people who do real work instead of AI garbage, cheers,” Matthias, the guy behind the NairoInGreen account, posted in response to the video.

But according to SD Worx, his AI accusation has rendered him a five-legged dog barking up a tree with no branches.

“This video was created by real artists,” the team claimed in a lengthy response to a cheeky fan on the internet.

“Our videographers Girafeo carefully planned every morphing transition while filming with the riders. We even hired a dedicated special-effects professional next to our 2 videographers who worked on the transitions, meticulously refining every step. So 3 professionals worked on this video.

“In total, 300 transitions, actions, and SFX edits were done by them to ensure the 15 morphes feel natural. The result: a truly unique team presentation video.”

People still weren’t having it though.

“Oh my God, you even used AI to write this tweet,” replied Devon.

And Emma said: “If you did use human artists, that’s amazing. But with images like this, you can’t blame people for assuming that the transitions were made with AI”…

Hmm, does look dodgy, to be honest. She has a point (even if it is a weird, mishapen point).

And Matthias responded with his own receipts:

“Thanks, my favourite team b̶̡̪̣̠̂̇̑̿d̶̡̹͕̙̼̲̂̎̈-̸̼̖̼̔ẉ̶̡̻̯͍̃̌̔̾o̷̧̳̞͎̠̎r̶̯̘̖͋̈͌̀͘͠x̷̛͕͓̊̂̈́͝, has assured me no AI was used,” he said. Ouch…

I was tempted to take a deep dive into the video and work out whether those odd stills were really down to some AI corner cutting or whether they were genuinely the work of, as SD Worx insisted, “real artists”.

Then I realised I couldn’t be bothered…

Over the weekend, I had the misfortune of stumbling across TalkTV’s ‘Grumpy Old Men’ programme on YouTube (well, I say ‘stumbled, Dan sent it to me, the eejit).

In case, you’ve been lucky enough to avoid it, the premise is fairly simple: three, you guessed it, ageing men get together, backed by a laughingly bad faux pub green screen, to complain about things. And shout a lot. And tell terrible jokes. On the internet.

> “It is just stupid not to wear a helmet”: Richard Madeley blasts “idiot” cyclists without helmets who think they’re “immortal” – and calls on spouses to “lay down the law”

First up, there’s Jeremy Kyle, a man who made his name by shouting at working-class people on daytime TV – a show, you may remember, that was once described by a judge as “human bear-baiting” and later pulled from production following the suicide of a guest.

Next, there’s Ash Gould, brother of sports and politics broadcaster Jonny Gould. And finally, hosting the whole thing is Mark Wogan, the son of the late, great Irish TV and radio legend Terry Wogan. Nepotism is alive and well.

The running order was classic TalkTV angry nonsense stuff. They spent most of the 23 minutes on air complaining about apps, security trays at airports, fancy food in restaurants, and having to pay for shopping bags (seriously, what year is this?).

So, naturally, we were always going to end up on cycle lanes at some point.

Segueing seamlessly from complaining about escalators in tube stations, and the suggestion that commuters could pay to use the ‘fast side’ to bypass those standing more easily, Wogan Jnr came up the idea that motorists should also be able to do the same thing: pay extra to use an additional fast lane.

“All those bike lanes that Sadiq Khan put in, we could use those!” he said, eliciting a long and audible groan from Mr Kyle at the mere mention of cycling infrastructure.

“Or celebrity lanes… if you are famous, you can go in the bike lane in your car. And just wave at people and be pleased to see you.”

That jokey transport policy suggestion (or at least I hope he was joking), obviously led to some classic blokey chat about Holly Willoughby, Philip Schofield, and the Queen’s funeral. Which probably means it wouldn’t be the best idea.

> “Do you pay road tax?” GB News host admits he jumps red lights while cycling

Anyway, believe it or not, some of TalkTV’s listeners weren’t overly enamoured at the suggestion that cycle lanes – whether the work of Boris Johnson or Sadiq Khan – had “ruined” London.

“The Netherlands and other European countries have embraced cycle lanes and are not ruined,” said fleetfut in the comments.

“Most people who drive in London WANT to, but they don’t need to,” added David, while Collins claimed: “Cycle lanes are the least of London’s problems” (probably best for all of us not to unpick that statement).

> “I get irrationally angry about cyclists”: Jeremy Kyle and GB News’ primetime anti-cycling bingo ranting

Of course, this isn’t the first time Jeremy Kyle has joined in with a game of anti-cycling bingo.

Back in 2022, while standing in for Piers Morgan on his ‘Uncensored’ TalkTV show (out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh?), Kyle jumped on a stationary bike for a mega rant about cyclists.

“How do you get to use the highways with no licence, no insurance, and without paying any tax, and with absolutely no speed limit? The answer is, of course, as easy as riding a bike…” he started.

“This is the only time ever you’ll see me doing this. I get irrationally angry about cyclists, I mean it. Don’t come near me, I’m a cycle-path.”

For the next minute-and-a-half Kyle then recited the greatest “what’s not to loathe?” anti-cycling hits: cyclists “dressing up like the Tour de France”, the “chaingangs…riding side by side, whilst us tax-paying motorists queue behind getting later and later and more irate”, “your Jeremy Vines, with more cameras than Kodak, picking fights and running red lights”… And on, and on.

Strangely, as if to prove his point, Talk TV then ran a tape showing close passes, motorists hitting cyclists, road rage violence, and a driver about to run a red light… There you go, Jeremy.

The mud, freezing cold temperatures, and howling winds of South Shields’ Gypsies Green weren’t enough to stop Cameron Mason, as the 25-year-old put in an assured ride in treacherous conditions to claim his fourth straight British national cyclocross title yesterday afternoon.

He was made to work for it, however, with Spectra’s Toby Barnes piling on the pressure on the ultimately victorious Scot, whose careful race management and careful cornering proved enough to open up an unbridgeable 15-second gap.

Olly Hassell/SWpix.com

Barnes, meanwhile, was able to forge clear of Thomas Mein to claim second, with Mein later fading out of contention as Ben Askey won the battle for bronze.

“It was really tricky, probably one of the trickiest wins I’ve had,” Mason said at the finish. “Toby pushed me all the way, and I just couldn’t stay on my bike for some of those laps. I put together a few good laps in a row and managed to find the gap.

“There are so many corners, there’s not many places to put the power down, then for the other parts of the lap I was under pressure and the wind was absolutely savage.”

Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

In the elite women’s race, Anna Flynn conquered the South Shields mud with a dominant ride to secure her first ever national title.

After last year’s junior national champion Zoe Roche set a blistering pace during the opening lap, Flynn took her time before powering into the lead on lap three – and she never looked back.

The 23-year-old – who’s mostly focused on the road, finishing fifth at last year’s road race championships – cruised to the finish, almost a minute and a half clear of silver medallist Xan Crees, who saw off Grace Inglis in the battle for second.

Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

“I still feel a bit shocked. I did it a bit different this year with a lot of training for road but I think it’s come in quite well, I’m coming in quite fresh to these races and I’m really happy with how I’ve done,” Flynn said at the line.

That road training certainly paid off, anyway…

Despite what social media may tell you, and fortunately for British Cycling, the response to yesterday’s £2.99 cyclocross champs coverage isn’t all doom and gloom.

In fact, our very own racing and off-road event organisation specialist, Matt Page, reckons BC’s YouTube stream was pretty decent – and we all have to start somewhere, right?

Here’s what Matt had to say:

I’m going to stand up for BC, and the coverage, and I thought it was OK. It has to start somewhere.

I can imagine the weather conditions didn’t help and probably caused issues with the wireless signalling for the cameras.

I know how much that style of setup would have cost to hire and manage. It’s not a simple setup, and without having a major outside broadcaster like the BBC onboard, the level of tech needed is always going to make it run at a loss, even with lots of people paying to subscribe.

The difference between Belgium and here is that over there it’s practically a national sport, so they will have the setup to make it fully professional. While it could be improved, for a first-time live streaming broadcast, I thought it was fine and a good step to begin.

What do you reckon?

Mud, wind, and epic racing… yesterday’s British cyclocross championships in South Shields had it all. But now for a quick show of hands – who paid £2.99 to watch the races on British Cycling’s YouTube? Don’t be shy, now.

Well, of those fans who did cough up “less than the average price of a coffee” to vault the governing body’s new paywall (introduced as a trial for the ‘cross champs as part of BC’s “dynamic new approach to domestic sports coverage”), some were less than impressed.

> British Cycling trials £2.99 subscription to watch cyclocross national championships on YouTube… and claims paywall part of “dynamic new approach” to “inspire new fans and deepen engagement”

Or at least, the ones who decided to complain on the internet weren’t impressed, anyway.

Olly Hassell/SWpix.com

“What’s happened to the men’s live broadcast as we can’t see the riders?” Ian Ramsbottom asked on X. “I may as well be listening in the radio. Great commentary but wrong cameras being shown?  Have you gone down to one camera?”

“You’ve got some cheek asking members for additional money to watch this amateurish production,” said Dave. “The commentators seem to be seeing what’s going on but we’re mostly watching empty fields. Abysmal, think I’ll just watch the Belgian champs (for free).”

“Found the live feed for the Dutch cyclocross championships which makes British Cycling’s two tins and a piece of string approach look like what it is. I wasn’t expecting much and they underdelivered,” Stuart Derrick wrote.

Olly Hassell/SWpix.com

And M said: “A disaster, even more so when they’ve asked people to pay for it! I’d love to know how many people did cough up… what a rubbish idea for the sport.”

Oh dear. Back to the drawing board?