Merry Christmas from road.cc Santa and his pedal powered elves!

@mdavidford sequins, surely? 😉

Yikes - don't think I'd want to go anywhere near anything where 'joy givers' are in operation - all sounds a bit Black Mirror.

Report from the front: it's already here - just check out any of many 'articles' on the Oxford Mail site, or some of the comments on the Abingdon Blog any time cycling is mentioned.

Is that a mixed media metaphor?

Has anyone else ever looked so self righteous and arrogant on a police mugshot?

It's slightly weird, the more expensive the bikes they dump on us, the more the industry looks in peril. Being someone who rides motorbikes as well as bikes, to say the cycle industry is taking the p155 is an understatement. 10 grand of motorbike buys you so much more than another average 10 grand bike that scores 3.5 in the reviews. Wake up guys and smell something, the golden goose is well and truly migrating.

Gaining credit for 'remorse' for an attack against a cyclist in a UK court is as simple as declaring 'yeah, yeah, remorse, remorse'. If you conjure up a few tears, you'll be established as a 'humanitarian' and be sent home with an award, and that's only if you can even get the case past the established resistance from the police.

This year I went to see the Clitheroe Blackpool stage of the Tour of Britain Women where the girls had to wait around in the rain because of closed roads due to typical Lancashire banzai drivers crashing all over the place. Next year the men's TdF comes close to me on the hills SE of Lancaster, which is lucky. Unfortunately, the TdF women Leeds to Manchester stage would involve a lot of miles on Death Highways through lots of towns, so that's out

I've applied to be a volunteer, or a "joy giver" as they are insisting on calling it. I'm surprised at the prices, generally in Scotland there's been good crowds anyway for events and they've been very inclusive. Last year the crit circuit for the final stage of the Women's Tour of Britain in Glasgow was kept closed for 3 hours after the race for the public to ride on (mostly, there were still pedestrian crossings with marshals) closed roads, and a wee circuit for younger riders or anyone unable to manage the full circuit.

@ChrisA - at sentencing 'lack of remorse' is indeed an aggravating factor which is why any advocate worth their salt is at pains to say how the incident has left their client tangled up in blue.