When it comes to culture war discourse around cycling, things had become a bit quiet lately. Too quiet.

After a brief, extremely welcome period of respite following a general election campaign which saw cycling and active travel largely sacrificed on the so-called ‘War on the Motorist’ altar, the political and ideological conflict, and divisive rhetoric, surrounding riding a bike kicked into gear again this month.

 

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First, speaking in the House of Commons, Labour’s new transport secretary Louise Haigh accused the previous Conservative government of “pursuing poisonous culture wars” against roads users of all stripes (an attempt to steer things in a new, less shouty direction that was somewhat undermined by the transport secretary’s promise to “back drivers” on “essential” car insurance prices a week later).

Then, as if to prove Haigh’s point, Iain Duncan Smith’s latest column calling for updated cycling legislation in the Telegraph was rather unwisely titled ‘Dangerous cyclists should be driven off our roads’. Yikes.

The same newspaper then quoted a solicitor claiming that introducing a 100-metre-long cycle lane on what is already one of the UK’s most congested roads would make it “an open-air gas chamber”.

And earlier this week, Thames Valley Police were accused of “stoking a culture war” for naming their latest attempt to clamp down on the use of illegally modified e-bikes and e-scooters ‘Operation Lycra’ (no, I’m not sure why either).

London cyclists (Ayad Hendy via Unsplash)
London cyclists (Ayad Hendy via Unsplash) (Image Credit: Ayad Hendy via Unsplash)

> Conservative government “pursued poisonous culture wars” between cyclists and drivers, says new transport secretary – as Labour vows to “take back streets” for all road users

So, with the Telegraph, Iain Duncan Smith, and even Thames Valley Police fanning the culture war flames with questionable public pronouncements lately, we’re faced with one, grimly inevitable question: Are the cycling culture wars back? And did they ever go away?

To answer that question, we’re joined on this week’s episode of the road.cc Podcast by the brilliant transport and sustainability journalist Carlton Reid and the London Cycling Campaign’s Simon Munk, both of whom are well used to tackling attempts to place cycling firmly within the culture wars narrative which dominates our current political landscape.

After Carlton provides a compelling review of one very cycling-focused, and Telegraph-disappointing, chapter of former prime minister Boris Johnson’s new memoir (spoiler alert!), we ask why and how cycling become embroiled in the culture wars, assess the role of conspiracy theories and motonormativity in hindering cycling projects and policy, and offer up our own (somewhat ambitious) plans to put a stop to the cycling culture war once and for all.

Tom Pidcock, 2024 Tour of Britain (Elliot Keen/British Cycling/via SWpix.com)
via SWpix (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

(Elliot Keen/British Cycling/via SWpix.com)

While cycling’s place in the culture war discourse remains up in the air, in the Week in Cycling, Ryan and Emily ponder what the future holds for Tom Pidcock.

Over the past few weeks, the British star has become entangled in what may yet prove the pro cycling transfer saga of the winter, following his dramatic last-minute exclusion from Il Lombardia amid reports of a dramatic falling out with the Ineos Grenadiers (which, let’s face it, wasn’t much of a surprise considering some of Pidcock’s public displays of disgruntlement during what has proven a turbulent, if still successful, year for the double Olympic champion).

What next for Pidcock? And what, as another staff overhaul takes place this week, is really going on within the Ineos Grenadiers? And most importantly, what do Tom’s dogs think?

Plus, with cyclocross star Eli Iserbyt suspended for angrily stamping on rival Ryan Kamp’s bike after a crash, we ask Emily: What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done during a race?

The road.cc Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and if you have an Alexa you can just tell it to play the road.cc Podcast. It’s also embedded further up the page, so you can just press play.