The biggest cycling stories of 2024

2024 was another jam-packed year for cycling.

It was the year of a new government and a new direction for cycling as transport in the United Kingdom. The year of an Olympic Games, a staggeringly dominant star for the sport of cycling and Mark Cavendish's Hollywood farewell. The year of more challenging times for the bike industry, big names reporting huge losses, established brands disappearing and many others simply in survival mode. 

Add to the mix all the usual culture-warring coverage cycling gets in certain sections of the media, local rows over bike lanes and town centre bike bans, new tech, ever-present issues around crime, theft and road danger, there's been no shortage of stories to cover these past 12 months. This is the year that was in cycling...

January

The year began with a depressing report by the Liberal Democrats that bike theft has been effectively "decriminalised" in the United Kingdom, after Home Office data found that 89 per cent of 365,000 reported cases have gone unsolved since 2019.

Things didn't get much better as the new year settled in, the bad news from the bike industry continuing into 2024. First, Raleigh confirmed redundancies, then Orange Bikes' assets were put up for sale by an administrator; although, fortunately, the beleaguered mountain bike brand was able to buy its frame manufacturer, "streamlining" business and allowing a route forwards.

At the same time, we heard concerns from the Association of Cycle Traders that the Cycle to Work scheme is "sucking the lifeblood out of cycle shops" — and broke the bizarre news that WiggleCRC (following its downfall at the end of 2023) still owed Haribo £20,000.

> Air-filled aero backpacks, crank length debates and falling bike prices — here's our 2024 cycling Tech of the Year

Our most read story of the month was also the most read for the entire year, that being the tale of the London cyclist being threatened with legal action for posting a video of a close pass by a driver in a company-branded van.

There was some light relief in January too, provided by a vicar who claimed his 170-year-old Altrincham church is "under threat" because of... a cycle lane. 

February

Redundancies at Zwift, Mike Ashley's Frasers Group set to take over at Wiggle Chain Reaction, Shimano reporting a £93m loss in sales from its crank inspection programme — the big industry stories showed no sign of slowing down in February. That's without even mentioning the Bicycle Association reporting that 2023 saw the worst bicycle sales in the UK since 1985.

Elsewhere in the world of cycling: Richard Branson fell off his bike (and claimed "body armour is a must" for cyclists), Sir Chris Hoy earned plaudits for his bravery after revealing his cancer diagnosis, and a cyclist in Dublin was threatened with a €13 million fine and two years in prison over a bike shed on her front drive.

You continued to read our daily live blog in your hundreds of thousands, plenty of discussion caused by two particular tales of a 'countryside stand-off' between a cyclist and lorry driver on a narrow lane, as well as a viral video of a queue-jumping driver using a bike lane to bypass gridlocked traffic. God bless the live blog.

Thoughts and prayers to Q36.5 pro Frederik Frison who missed the opening classics of the racing season due to "quite extensive damage to private parts" in a dog attack.

March

There's a bit of a bike industry woes theme for 2024 (you could make that any of the post-pandemic years, to be honest)... March was the month that saw Giant report profits halved and sales down 16 per cent. British manufacturer Ribble reported it had halved its losses, while there were bargains to be had as Wiggle Chain Reaction's final stock was cleared out. Soon after, the online retailer relaunched (with its old orange logo) following Frasers Group's purchase of its brand and intellectual property.

March is the month that really gets the racing juices flowing, Elisa Longo Borghini and Mathieu van der Poel taking memorable Flanders victories, after Jasper Philipsen had thwarted Tadej Pogačar and the rest at Milan-San Remo. Despite being denied that big monument win, the Slovenian's dominance at Strade Bianche would be an ominous sign of things to come in 2024.

> Was Tadej Pogačar’s staggeringly dominant 2024 the perfect season? We rank cycling’s greatest individual years, from Burton and Coppi to Vos and Pogačar

The classics season was somewhat overshadowed by Wout van Aert's horrendous crash and, as ever, some of the biggest talking points involved issues around the sport, not necessarily just the racing. As if to prove that point, March saw THAT Visma-Lease a Bike TT helmet debut, Lance Armstrong beg for attention with a podcast rant about at the current generation "f****** hugging it out" after races, a hookless rim debate following several high-profile incidents, and Israel-Premier Tech drop mention of Israel from its team vehicles as a "precautionary measure".

Track cycling great Dame Laura Kenny announced her retirement, Mollie King raised £1.1m for Comic Relief with a mega charity ride, and the soon-to-be-deposed Conservatives launched one final driving-friendly Budget.

April

Several bizarre sagas dominated the fourth month of the year, kicked off by a "power struggle" at Scott as sacked CEO Beat Zaugg claimed he was still in charge and his successor had "no idea about the European bicycle market"... something about not airing your dirty bib shorts in public.

Lotte Kopecky was crowned queen of Roubaix in a world champions' double, Mathieu van der Poel obliterating the men's race in the rainbow bands. 

It was the behaviour of one roadside spectator that caused as many headlines in the week after, the woman throwing a cap at Van der Poel's bike as he passed at speed on the cobbles. The CPA riders' union promised to take "action" and the 'fan', a hospitality tent guest, turned herself in saying there was "never any intention to harm".

Arkea B&B Hotels' rider Florian Sénéchal didn't hold back in his post-Roubaix interviews and told the media his Bianchi sounded like it was "becoming cardboard" on the cobbles. The Frenchman changed bikes four times due to "carbon noises", a public spat ensuing as the bike brand blamed the team's mechanics for ignoring "specific instructions".

Back in the non-racing world, Shimano posted a huge fall in sales, while power meter and indoor bike brand Stages ceased operations and laid off all its staff. Giant subsequently sued Stages and recruited four of its top executives.

May

An inquest into the death of an elderly pedestrian, who died from injuries sustained in a crash with a cyclist riding laps of Regent's Park, was the start of months of talk about stricter legislation for cyclists in the UK, calls led by Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith.

New dangerous cycling laws had looked set to pass, but Rishi Sunak calling a general election meant there was too little time. Talk of legislation has continued throughout the second half of 2024.

In one of the most bizarre stories of the year, the Telegraph newspaper then published a headline on its front page claiming cyclists (sorry, "Lycra lout cyclists") are "creating death traps all over Britain" by riding at 52mph in a 20mph zone. Yep, that's faster than Olympic track sprinters and 'facts' sourced from erroneous Strava data and dodgy GPS. The story, co-worked on by a former BBC fact checker (no, really), was widely ridiculed, the Telegraph later editing the story and getting a telling off from press regulator IPSO. For many, the damage had already been done though.

May also saw Mercian Cycles enter voluntary liquidation and Kona Cycles bought back by its founders, one month on from mass job cuts. Tadej Pogačar dominated the Giro... and was amusingly flagged on Strava for his efforts.

On the live blog, thousands more of you got involved in our discussion about sales, proving once again that we all love a good moan about the price of bikes. 

A personal favourite ended the month, a former cycling film actor accused of motor doping at a French stage race... subsequently allegedly dramatically fleeing as his teammate knocked down the race's director with van. His lawyers then responded to the alleged motor doping and said he had "already been convicted by the press without any evidence", strongly denying that he cheated at Les Routes de l'Oise stage race or played any part in assaulting the race director. One normal day of cycling, that's all we ask...

June

Our tech gurus Mat and Jamie spotted plenty of new bikes at the Dauphiné, Jeremy Vine sued ex-footballer Joey Barton for £75,000, a council backtracked over cycling fines issued by "cowboy" wardens, and Cav was awarded a knighthood. A vintage month of road.cc news...

London's Royal Parks began its review into its cycling policies and cancelled Richmond Park time trials over fears cyclists would break 20mph speed limits. The Royal Parks cycling saga has rumbled on ever since. 

The spectator who threw a cap at Van der Poel during Paris-Roubaix was offered a deal to avoid prosecution, but must participate in rider safety campaign.

Meanwhile, it was revealed that Sir Bradley Wiggins' medals and trophies were set to be seized after he was declared bankrupt. The revamped women's Tour of Britain was back on the calendar, although British outfit Lifeplus Wahoo were rocked by the news that thieves had broken into a van ahead of stage two and stole all their bikes. In an uplifting turn to a depressing story, other teams and British Cycling banded together to lend the Lifeplus Wahoo riders bikes so they could continue the race.

July

July means one thing, right? Le Tour. Biniam Girmay made history as the first black African stage winner. Sir Cav followed, delivering No.35 and an afternoon of sporting immortality that'll live long in the memory of all who saw it. Groenewegen wore an 'aero beak', De Gendt relieved himself in a bottle, drunk fans made a fool of themselves once again, the UCI fined a rider for stopping to kiss his wife, and when all was said and done it was Tadej's Tour, even if there was plenty of discussion about a controversial new carbon monoxide rebreathing practice, which has now been banned by the UCI.

Oh, there was also the small matter of a general election in the UK, a Labour landslide the outcome and Cycling UK calling on the new government to put "divisive rhetoric" around active travel to bed "once and for all" with "coherent and committed" investment for cycling.

Hefty fines and a controversial town centre cycling ban, plus another 'shedgate' planning row meant it was business as usual elsewhere in the road.cc world. The former of those issues, the Public Spaces Protection Order in Grimsby which has banned cycling in parts of the town centre, made further headlines when the council announced it would be blaring a 'no cycling' message on speakers every 15 minutes in the town centre. 

July ended with an insurance company admitting a "mistake" after a cyclist's stolen bike claim was initially declined as there was apparently "no evidence" of damage to their lock... well, only because the thief nabbed the lock too. A couple cycling from the UK to Africa made headlines too after they only made it as far as Oxfordshire before their bikes were stolen.

August

Triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt turned heads with his plan to switch to cycling and win the Tour by 2028, ambitions that were shelved after his disappointing defence of his Olympic title. Anyway, it gave us a fun week regardless. The Paris Olympics also saw Tom Pidcock ruffle the French crowd's feathers en route to another MTB gold, Anna Henderson claim an impressive TT silver, Remco pull off the double, Kristen Faulkner's stunning solo success, and Emma Finucane's arrival as GB's next track star.

Away from the Olympics, Katarzyna Niewiadoma took a hugely popular yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes, despite defending champ Demi Vollering's final stage Alpe d'Huez heroics.

There was brief uncertainty at Raleigh as the iconic British brand risked being struck off the register due to late financial accounts, although the situation was quickly addressed by the manufacturer's parent company who accepted responsibility.

We also reported Evans Cycles' £22.8m loss, a rider's "no regrets" handlebar set-up that saw them cut off their drops for good, and the new Labour government's claim it would invest "unprecedented levels of funding" in cycling.

September

Some of the greatest feats of cycling performance were seen in September: Pogačar's season-capping worlds win, Lael Wilcox's Around the World cycling record and, of course... the Box Hill KOM war. 

We also had a chuckle at the band of YouTubers who tried cycling across England in a straight line... only to end up hating Halfords and the National Cycle Network. The Telegraph turned its attention to AI traffic lights that are designed to prioritise cyclists, it was announced RideLondon will take a "hiatus" in 2025, the £500 Grimsby cycling fines continued, Giant bought Stages, and David Attenborough encouraged a child to stage an anti-cycle lane protest over a plan to "sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees" for a new bike route. It's fair to say September was a mixed bag.

Most bizarre was our interview with a 'Strava mule', the story that some users are purchasing paid-for activities to keep up appearances and impress their followers. It turns out even if it's on Strava, it might not have happened.

We shouldn't move on without mentioning the death of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer at the World Championships, the latest tragic reminder of the dangers pro cyclists face every day. 

"Our hearts are broken, we have no words," Swiss Cycling said. "We are losing a warm-hearted and wonderful young woman who always had a smile on her face. There is no understanding, only pain and sadness."

October

Autumn began with Lachlan Morton completing his staggering 450km-a-day epic around Australia, and the Ineos Grenadiers vs Tom Pidcock disagreements reaching new heights.

The first Budget under the new Labour government received a mixed reception on the cycling front, Cycling UK lauding the recouped additional £100m for cycling & walking, although some argued it didn't go far enough.

I-ride, the major UK cycling distributor behind Orro Bikes entered administration and 'all staff asked to leave without September pay', a stark reminder of the uncertainty that still faces the bike industry at the close of 2024. On the same topic, we broke the news of Rapha's spiralling £22.7m losses, a seventh consecutive year in the red.

Shimano and UK distributor Madison faced more tough questions as a UK bike shop claimed it had been "banned" from the crank inspection programme due to failing 100% of them.

> Shimano Hollowtech crank failures, one year on — how the component giant's handling of this dangerous debacle is continuing to damage its reputation

It was also announced there'll be no free-to-air coverage of the Tour de France in the UK from 2026, Eurosport becoming the exclusive broadcaster.

In Grimsby, the anti-cycling speaker messages were deemed "too repetitive" and cut down to two an hour, while in West Yorkshire one cycle lane consultation event was cancelled and the police called due to "intimidating behaviour".

The lorry driver who killed former pro cyclist Davide Rebellin was jailed for four years.

Sir Chris Hoy revealed his cancer diagnosis is terminal and he has two to four years to live. "I'm feeling fit, strong and positive, and overwhelmed by all the love and support shown," Hoy said, the NHS announcing that his brave revelation had prompted a near sevenfold increase in prostate cancer advice searches.

November

Cav bowed out at the Tour de France's Singapore Criterium, leaving some a little bit underwhelmed by his 'win'. A new Transport Secretary was appointed too, Heidi Alexander backed to put "cycling front and centre" after the shock resignation of Louise Haigh over decade-old phone fraud offence.

Paddy McGuinness completed his epic five-day, 300-mile Raleigh Chopper charity cycle, raising over £7.5m, a couple of million shy of the amount we revealed Wiggle made in profit during its administration sales.

Talking of eye-watering sums of money, Endura posted a £14m loss and it was revealed that Wiggo's unpaid debts have doubled to almost £2m. November also saw cycling clothing brand Assos take legal action against online fashion giant Asos, and the future of Orro was secured by an investment company.

December

The year wound down with Campagnolo's return to the WorldTour aboard Cofidis's Look bikes. There was also just enough time for one more kick in the teeth from the cycling industry's bad news cycle, David Millar's CHPT3 clothing brand entering liquidation and ceasing trading.

Tom Pidcock's Ineos exit was confirmed and Remco Evenepoel urged everyone to use the Dutch Reach when opening vehicle doors, that after he suffered multiple fractures after 'colliding with swinging door of postal truck' while training. Here's to less of that in 2025...

And finally... 

(From road.cc editor Jack Sexty): 2024 has been an eventful year in cycling as always, but it's been a particularly challenging one for our tech editor Mat Brett after he was involved in a serious collision while out on his regular lunchtime bike ride back in June. The list of injuries was simply terrifying, and after it became clear he was going to pull through we genuinely didn't know what life was going to look like for Mat going forward; however, we're very pleased to report he's made an utterly remarkable recovery, is back on the turbo trainer and signed in for work like nothing happened in the autumn! 

While all the sympathy and well wishes should rightly be directed at the man himself, there was of course a Mat-shaped hole at road.cc for the thick of Tour de France season and beyond, which was a huge challenge for the team across our whole company. You can't replace an irreplaceable colleague, but we gave it our very best and hope you all still enjoyed our tech coverage through the second half of the year before fully normal service resumed. 

We're elated that 2024 has ended on such a positive note for us, and hope the same can be said for all of you. Here's to a great 2025! 

Any highlights of yours that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below as always.