“You can build the worst cycle lane in the world and still smash cycling records”: Locals shocked as numbers of cyclists using “transport hell” bike path surges and injuries fall; “Unfair” Giro headbutt DSQ “based on short clip” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“You can build the worst cycle lane in the world and still smash cycling records”: Locals shocked as numbers of cyclists using “transport hell” bike path surges and pedestrian injuries fall
The cycle lane on Edinburgh’s Leith Walk, it’s fair to say, has received some well-deserved stick over the years.
Since it was first introduced in the Scottish capital, the active travel infrastructure has been the subject of constant complaints about its (since-amended) “moronic” zig-zag cycleway design, insufficiently wide cycle lanes, a traffic light button that is unreachable for those on bikes, bike racks that can be pulled out of the ground, lampposts in the middle of the path, and its inability to prevent lorry drivers from parking on it.
But guess what? It still works.
According to analysis of Leith Walk’s cycling counter by Edward Tissiman, last year’s record number of cyclists using the infrastructure in a single day has been broken at least ten times, while a new record was set on 30 April, when 2,568 cyclists passed the counter.
New all-time record set on the Leith Walk cycle lane – 2,568 cyclists on 30th April, 2026. There has been another surge in cycling this spring after slow growth in 2025, and last year’s record has already been broken 10 times.
— Edward Tissiman (@edtiss.bsky.social) May 17, 2026 at 8:35 AM
Tissiman also noted in his post on BlueSky that, based on his own observations, around two-thirds of Leith Walk’s cyclists pass the counter site, so the real daily record for the cycle lane is probably a lot higher. And with the sun shining at the moment, expect the records to keep tumbling this summer.
Which just goes to show, even the most heavily derided, questionably designed cycling infrastructure can still encourage more people to ride bikes (especially when the alternative is mingling with heavy city centre traffic).
> Cyclists fed up with “ridiculous” lamppost blocking busy cycle lane for five months
But still, it’s fair to say some locals were shocked by the figures.
“Remarkable considering what a terrible piece of design that path is. Hard to think of a system that could more effectively put more modes of transport in conflict with each other,” wrote Simon Gibbons.
“Two-way cyclist v cyclist on narrow paths dodging other cyclists, bus users, and pedestrians while road vehicles don’t know what will come at them and from where. Confused visitors on foot fearing for their lives. No signs to guide anyone. Plus trams. It’s Bosch’s missing panel depicting a transport hell.”
For Chas Booth, the answer to the cycle lane’s popularity is simple: “Build it and they will come.”
And referencing the unflattering moniker bestowed upon the Leith Walk cycle lane by the Scottish tabloid press, Jonty wrote: You can build the worst cycle lane in the world (according to the Daily Record) and still smash cycling records.”
“Amazing how you can build a dogshit segregated bike lane and YET still break records. Should go to show: BUILD. BIKE. INFRA!” added Abbi.
Meanwhile, Edward also pulled up some more stats to show that, despite some residents raising vocal concerns about cyclist behaviour on the bike lane, the infrastructure also has succeeded in making the area safer for everyone.
“With thousands of cyclists now using Leith Walk every day, it does suggest that the recent and dramatic fall in pedestrian casualties might be related to the introduction of this active travel infrastructure,” Tissiman added, noting the drop in collisions on the road between 2019 (when there 12 pedestrian casualties, including two fatalities) and 2024, when there were two.
“Over the last ten years, only one of these collisions involved a cyclist – in 2018, before the cycle lanes,” Tissiman added.
“There are a lot of issues with Leith Walk which remain unresolved. However, there is no doubt at all that the changes have been a significant improvement for pedestrian safety.”
Cycling-related Accidental Partridge of the Day: Vernon Kay says “you never see anyone on an electric bike pedalling”… and reckons it’s all to do with “road tax”
If you tuned into Vernon Kay’s Radio 2 show this morning, you may have heard the coiffured presenter offering one of the more random on-air takes about cycling, illegal e-bikes, and – deep breath – road tax.
Chatting, classic radio-style, about getting your food delivered on hot days, Kay quipped: “You mean Ronald McDonald is going to come and personally bring your burgers… on an electric bicycle?”
When his co-host Ellie Brennan asked, “What’s that?” (I think it’s part of a running joke), the M&S Dress the Nation presenter couldn’t contain himself.
“What’s that?! See, what’s one of them? Still got pedals. Why? You never see anyone on an electric bike pedalling. Do you know what I mean?” he laughed.
“It must be something to do with the law, so they can skirt past having a road licence or paying road tax or whatever. There you go, it is flabbergasting.”
Oh dear. I reckon Vernon may have to sign up for the same ‘legal e-bike versus illegal electric motorbike’ BBC seminar that Adrian Chiles was forced to attend after his daft, ill-informed Panorama episode last year.
And don’t get me started on the ‘road tax’ comment…
“When you nearly get clotheslined by Bambi at 30kph…”
The perils of riding in Richmond Park were laid bare for Chris Hill yesterday, when one of the park’s deer population decided to cross the road right at the last minute, giving poor Chris the fright of his life in the process.
Wait for it…
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The award for best response goes to Ch Brambles, who posted in the comments: “Probably shouting ‘cycle in single file’ at you!”
“He took matters into his own hands,” laughed Chris.
Is that the most unique Near Miss of the Day we’ve ever seen?
Pretty (easy) in pink: Jonas Vingegaard blows everyone away (again) to solo to career-record fourth grand tour stage win at the Giro
Well, who saw that coming? Oh yeah, everyone.
After his Visma mountain domestique Davide Piganzoli – who stage by stage is becoming one of the revelations of this most benign of Giros – exploded the GC group with a mere turn of the pedals or two, Jonas Vingegaard didn’t waste any time.
Piganzoli swung over, Vingegaard looked around, accelerated, and was gone.
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Felix Gall, the only man capable of matching the Dane uphill (or at least keeping him in sight) couldn’t respond, the Austrian on a rare, non-TT related bad day at this Giro. Instead, as has been the case for at least the last week, the GC contenders who aren’t named Jonas agreed to fight amongst themselves.
As Vinegegaard’s gap ballooned, Netcompany Ineos’ former Giro winner Egan Bernal set the pace for teammate Thymen Arensman, the ensuing stalemate and lack of massive gaps between Arensman, Gall, Derek Gee-West, and Jai Hindley a stark contrast to the gulf in class between the pink jersey and the rest.
There’s a country mile between Vingegaard and his GC ‘rivals’. The rest of the top five? You could throw a blanket over them.
By the finish, Vingegaard was over a minute clear, setting another new record for a climb in the process. Gall won the sprint for second, ahead of Hindley, Arensman, and Gee-West.
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Once again, everything went perfectly to plan for a Visma team eager to assert their authority over a race straining at the bit to be let loose. They controlled the breakaway, whittled things down, and their leader flew to his fourth win of this year’s Giro, the biggest grand tour stage win haul of the Dane’s career and his first in the pink jersey.
In many ways, today’s fast, frenetic stage was no different to how Vingegaard and Visma approached Sunday’s stage in Milan. They sensed things could get chaotic and immediately moved to snuff it out. And the rest of the race (maybe with the exception of a temperamental Giulio Ciccone) was happy to oblige.
Another big mountain day, another Visma suffocation of the peloton. At this stage, as Vingegaard jumps on a turbo-stationed time trial bike immediately after destroying the field with yet another perfunctory, expected display of dominance, it’s hard not to get the impression that this year’s Giro is all just one big elaborate training session for the Tour de France.
How to drop your own teammate: The Red Bull tactics manual
The break’s been reeled in, the peloton’s hit the final climb, and riders are dropping like flies out the back door.
The infernal pace at the bottom of the Cari climb was set by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, who succeeded in doing nothing more than cracking and dropping their own teammate, and co-leader, Giulio Pellizzari. Oops.
The horrendously strong Visma duo of Sepp Kuss and Davide Piganzoli took over, exploding the group and almost immediately dropping former pink jersey Afonso Eulálio who, with over 7km to go, looks set to tumble off the podium and down the top ten.
Judging by the searing pace at the moment, Vingegaard certainly means business. Again.
Is Jonas Vingegaard heading to Netcompany-Ineos next year? No, says the Dane
A few months ago, the prospect of Jonas Vingegaard jumping ship from Visma-Lease a Bike to join cycling’s transition team par excellence, Ineos, would have been dismissed as fanciful, at best.
But the arrival of Danish AI net company Netcompany as the British team’s new title sponsor has set tongues wagging in recent weeks concerning the potential of a big money move for Denmark’s biggest cycling superstar.
You can see where these rumours came from. Ineos have been crying out for a new, Bonafide grand tour contender capable of challenging Tadej Pogačar, and both Vingegaard and Netcompany would financially benefit from a joint Danish partnership.
But, speaking during his rest day press conference, Vingegaard insisted he has no plans to leave the team he’s won two Tours de France, a Vuelta, and (barring disaster this week) a Giro.
“This year is my eighth year as a pro,” Vingegaard said. “I also don’t see myself riding until I’m 35. I’m turning 30, so that’s actually not in so many years.
“I would also say that I don’t see myself changing team. To add to that, I see myself finishing my career in this team.
“I’ve said in the last few years that I’ll take it year by year. That’s what I’ve done at least since my [Basque Country] crash in 2024, and at this moment I don’t see myself retiring. If I still enjoy it, then I will keep riding.”
So that’s that sorted, then.
Are you looking for something that showcases your love of both cycling and coffee? Well, you could always wear your retro Faema jersey from the ‘70s… Or you could spend over two grand on a Zwift-branded espresso machine
Apologies to any sprinters praying for a short, gentle start to the Giro’s final week
When grand tour organisers include a short, sharp mountain stage in the third week, it’s because they’re hoping for some flat-out, exciting racing from the gun.
Most of the time, it’s a damp squib (remember the 2019 Tour’s pointless F1-style start grid?), but sometimes it works. And today at the Giro, so far, has been one of the better examples.
The pace, attacking, and fight to get into the breakaway have been relentless from the start and, approaching the halfway mark, it’s only starting to stabilise now.
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Up front, Guilio Ciccone is busy doing Ciccone things (like sprinting hard for a handful of mountain points), while in the peloton Visma are controlling things and keeping the break within touching distance, to tee things up for another Vingegaard victory, just in case you were thinking of getting too excited.
Oh, and most importantly, over on TNT Sports, Adam Blythe – out on the road on the moto this week – elicited a knowing chuckle from Millennials around the UK by relaying the weather conditions with a classic Inbetweeners reference.
“It’s hot. Maybe too hot.”
Keep it up, Adam.
Italian rider booted off Giro d’Italia apologises for sprint headbutt but insists “it’s unfair to judge what happened based only on a short clip”
The 2026 peloton’s answer to Mark Renshaw (or at least that’s what I’m calling him) Enrico Zanoncello has taken to social media to publicly apologise for his now infamous mid-sprint headbutt in Milan, which sent Bob Donaldson clattering to the ground and saw the Italian thrown off the Giro.
Bardiani-CSF-7 Saber sprinter Zanoncello was disqualified from his home grand tour on Sunday night after footage emerged of him recklessly throwing his head, Mark Hughes-style, towards Jayco AlUla rider Donaldson, causing the Australian to crash at high speed as the peloton sprinted for minor places at the end of a frenetic, controversial few laps around Milan.
In an Instagram post, Zanoncello apologised for the headbutt, claiming it was a result of a chaotic sprint which saw him lose control of his bike and struggle to remain upright.
“Want to say something about what happened yesterday,” the Italian, who was taking part in his third Giro, sprinting to two top ten placings in the opening week, posted. “I sincerely feel sorry for the guy involved in the fall. Never wanted it to end this way.
“It was a very chaotic flight, I got a left shoulder, lost control of the bike, and at that moment I had no space left to avoid contact. Even the headbutt was a consequence of the fact that I was trying to regain control.”
View this post on Instagram
However, the 28-year-old also suggested that his disqualification was unfair and based on a snippet of footage of the crash, which failed to show the argy-bargy going on to Zanoncello’s left, which he claims forced him to use Donaldson as an emergency cushion.
“There was never any intention to harm or endanger anyone. I’m really sorry about what happened,” he continued. “I also think it’s unfair to judge what happened based only on a short clip; seeing the full pictures, the dynamics seem different and clearer.
“Taking myself away from the responsibilities of the accident, leaving the Giro this way hurts and it’s definitely not how I wanted it to end. I wish all the best and a speedy recovery to those involved.”
Another more in-depth look at the headbutt felt around the world
Now, this is an interesting, zoomed out deep dive into the non-TNTified footage of Enrico Zanoncello and Bob Donaldson’s coming together in Milan on Sunday:
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From that widescreen analysis, it seems like Zanoncello is less the second coming of Mark Renshaw and more the recipient of some classic sprint argy-bargy (in this case, coming initially from Groupama-FDJ’s Paul Penhoët), with poor Donaldson taking the brunt of a wave-like series of high-speed pushes and shoves.
What do you think? Looking at that evidence, is Zanoncello right? Was Donaldson’s Milan crash simply the result of a racing incident? And was the decision to disqualify him based on a short, narrow social media clip that wasn’t representative of what really went on in that sprint?
More than 80% of serious or fatal cycling collisions occur in daylight and on straight roads, new data from Ireland shows
“I still have more to give in cycling”: Former Tour de France podium finisher Pauliena Rooijakkers announces pregnancy, but says she plans to return to racing
Pauliena Rooijakkers, the Dutch climber who finished third at the Tour de France Femmes in 2024, announced yesterday that she is taking a break from racing to become a mother for the first time later this year.
The 33-year-old joined UAE Team ADQ at the start of this season, after two successful years at Fenix-Deceuninck, but last raced in February at the Setmana Valenciana.
In a statement released by her team, Rooijakkers confirmed that she will follow in the wheel tracks of the peloton’s previous cycling mums, Lizzie Deignan and Ellen van Dijk, and return to racing in the future.
“In recent years, the level of women’s cycling has increased enormously,” Rooijakkers. “It is a sport that demands more and more from our bodies and, as athletes, there are times when we also have to face difficult moments related to health and personal wellbeing.
“Over the past months, with the support of the team, I have worked a lot on myself to rediscover balance, well-being, and peace of mind.”
“This pregnancy came as a surprise, but as a woman it makes me incredibly happy. For me, it is also a positive sign and confirmation that my body is healthy again. These are completely new emotions for me and I probably still need time to fully realise everything that is happening, but I can truly say that I feel deeply happy and grateful knowing that soon a child will become part of our lives.
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“Right now I want to fully enjoy this new chapter of my life, but I also feel that I still have more to give in cycling. My intention is to return to racing after the pregnancy.
“Even during these last months I have continued riding almost every day and closely following all the team’s races on the TV. Cycling remains an important part of my life and I’m looking forward to returning to competition next season, just as many other athletes have successfully done after experiencing motherhood.”
Looks like Rick Zabel’s enjoying his retirement…
The big German (and son of green jersey monster Erik), who retired two years ago, at the tender age of 30, doesn’t appear to be regretting the fact he’s not slogging over a series of Alpine monsters this month.
Instead, the former BMC, Katusha, and Israel-Premier Tech rider has been spending his May in Bolivia, 3,700m above sea level, riding his bike (as you do) on the Salar de Uyuni, which at 10,000sq km is the largest salt flat in the world:
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Yeah, but is it more fun than winning a stage of the Tour de Yorkshire? Also, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for cleaning the salt off that bike afterwards…
Does another day of Vingegaard mountain supremacy beckon at the Giro?
The third and final rest day now in the bag (providing a much-needed 24 hours to decompress after all that Milan madness), the Giro heads back into the mountains this morning, as the peloton sets down the gelato and mentally prepares for the long slog towards Rome.
And kicking off week three is an entirely Swiss affair, featuring a short, sharp 113km route through the Canton of Ticino, a few mid-stage lump and bumps, and a cat one assent to the finish in Carì. Which at 11.7km and a 7.9 per cent average gradient should provide a rude awakening for anyone still dusting off the rest day cobwebs.
Will Visma light it up once again and will pink jersey Jonas Vingegaard solo clear for his fourth mountain stage victory of the race? Probably…
Another motonormativity cartoon classic from Dave Walker
It’s important that we understand the root cause of traffic congestion!
#Motonormativity
Via @davewalker.bsky.social— Active Travel Please! #MobilityIsEquity (@activetraveltt.bsky.social) May 25, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Gather round everyone, it’s time for your bank holiday cycling news round-up!
While you were out enjoying the sun, there was still plenty going on in the world of cycling over the bank holiday weekend.
On Saturday at the Giro, Jonas Vingegaard and Visma-Lease a Bike made light work of what looked, on paper, like a barnstormer of a mountain stage, the Dane moving into the pink jersey as Afonso Eulálio finally relented, and essentially ridding the race of any remaining GC intrigue. Cheers, Jonas.
Then on Sunday – which for all the world promised to be a boring, pan-flat bone thrown to the sprinters – the Giro descended into chaos, as Vingegaard wielded his new pink jersey power to protest the “dangerous” nature of the city centre circuit in Milan, forcing the organisers to neutralise the GC times with a lap to go.
And it’s fair to say, based on the fallout in the Italian media yesterday, a few people aren’t too happy with Vingegaard’s role in the Giro’s latest Milan-based shenanigans. During yesterday’s rest day, I spoke to commentator Brian Smith about what it could all mean for the future of race safety decisions:
Away from the Giro, there were plenty of non-racing cycling stories about, including the news that Amsterdam is set to introduce a speed limit trial on one of its bike lanes:
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@jackcycles - no it reflects the reality that most folk are scared to cycle because of inconsiderate and dangerous drivers. Cycling numbers markedly increase when it is made safe to do so.
"Kickstands make every bike ride better" Can't think of any of my rides in the last few weeks that would have been "better" with a kickstand; a few that *might* possibly have been a bit more of a pain with one (especially with the amount of plant growth at the moment in the South West of the UK), but none it would have improved. So there we go, nice easy proof by contradiction.
I'll be surprised & amazed if all of those billions are actually delivered. I expect to hear, in a few years' time, that only a fraction of that was taken up for various reasons, & the rest was therefore diverted towards other 'number one issues'.
@bensynnock to be fair, there does seem to be a marshall shown in the picture.
@Rendel Harris Going down the hill was usually Ok ish, it was coming back up that was the problem, especially at night. Near the top it narrowed with hedges on a low wall, not somewhere you would chose to ride on your own in the dark. Best time was race days when it is all stationary!
As the Danish government has pointed out nobody can afford to ignore active travel. The extra funding for defence will come from reduced motor traffic road maintenance requirements but Streeting knows that if he has done some "proper" research. (Proper implies reading and understanding research papers produced by transport specialists not watching a couple of YouTube videos and the opinions of the Dog & Duck clientele).
The problem with testing is it would be trivial to have someone, perhaps an ex-Volkswagen engineer, create a "test mode" which could be easily engaged, and stealthy.
@MaxiMinimalist Be who you are. Absolutely. Provided you don’t annoy the rest of mankind by blathering on a load of bigoted old shite regarding what people choose to call themselves and how they choose to identify when it doesn't affect you in the slightest.
If you stab someone and they die that's murder, if you stab someone and a doctor saves them that's attempted murder. If you create a hazard and kill someone that's manslaughter, if you create a hazard and a doctor saves them that's fly tipping.
Courts have the power to impose a driving ban for a non-driving offence, although I don't think it's used very often. Sentencing Act 2020 - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/17/group/THIRD/part/8/chapter/1/enacted
9 thoughts on ““You can build the worst cycle lane in the world and still smash cycling records”: Locals shocked as numbers of cyclists using “transport hell” bike path surges and injuries fall; “Unfair” Giro headbutt DSQ “based on short clip” + more on the live blog”
I don’t have the counts for this but feel that some of the improvements in safety may be due to reduced motor traffic. (At least at the foot of the walk – while Picardy place has also seriously improved there’s no getting away from the fact it’s still a football-pitch-sized traffic gyratory.)
If that’s the case, is the explanation for the fall in motor traffic:
a) because all the tram works and parking space removals have simply put shops out of business there *?
b) that the traffic just went elsewhere and now there’s gridlock on eg. Easter Road etc.?
c) some of that motor traffic has been replaced by tram, bus, cycling or walking, and some has simply “evaporated” – people have found other ways of achieving what those journeys were doing and/or they were simply “optional”?
* The works (repeated, due to essentially hubris/incompetence in planning / survey) certainly were a major economic hit, but spoiler: the road is still lined with shops, which seem to be doing a good trade.
@chrisonabike That Leith Walk has fewer KSIs is a very good thing. Who’d have thunk more cycling and more public transport would mean fewer injuries?
BTW the arrangements on Leith Walk are still far from optimal *. And a lot of that cycle traffic is delivery riders (lots of food outlets there).
BUT as long as it sticks there’s a chance it’ll get improved at some point. If you’re prepared for pedestrians occupying the cycle path or suddenly stepping into it, people riding against the flow, unnecessary waits at some lights and of course the odd blockage it’s fine to cycle there.
* Some appear actually stupid – as usual probably the logical consequences of decisions elsewhere (some at national level eg. I think some possible smarter traffic light phasing may be hard to do due to expectations around movements here). Some are likely “but we don’t want to impact motor traffic flow over *here* so we can’t have (nice thing like default green for trams) on the walk”.
@chrisonabike Due to the reasons I’m there and routes I follow as a result I generally only cycle up the Walk not down. So my speed is that much lower. Therefore it’s easier to dodge and stop for inattentive pedestrians. But it is a real issue. And I imagine much worse if I were going downhill.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj0pp4dpvn3o
Sad but not shocking news of the death of a cyclist involved in a collision with a number of motorcyclists.
I can totally relate to this having had my closest moment to being killed on the same road but on a different stretch just a few weeks ago, with motorcyclists seeing this A-road as a means to go faster than the conditions of the road allow – lots of blind bends and dips etc.
As per usual, dubious wording by the BBC.
Yes, there are some nice roads in the Wolds, but the A-roads are horrible for cycling and the driving culture is intolerant of cycling.
I bet Milan, Groenewegen, and co. didn’t assent to it.
Zanoncello DSQ’d whereas he was trying to recover his balance. During this year’s Tour of Flanders, a group of 50-plus riders, including Pogi and Remco, ignored a red light. No disqualifications, no fines were issued to the guilty riders whereas TV footage allows for easy identification. Do cycling nobles and their entourages have special immunity that allows them to break the UCI rules without retaliation?
Skipping lightly over the fact that something is either unique or not, it can’t be “most unique”, no, there have been quite a few reported on here, seems to be quite a common deer/antelope behaviour:
https://road.cc/content/news/video-deer-jumps-across-road-and-crashes-cyclist-287179
And this one reported on by your good self Ryan – you can’t have forgotten coming up with “Deer miss of the day”, surely?
https://road.cc/content/news/deer-jumps-over-cyclists-during-gran-fondo-304913