11 things we've learned this week

1. This will never catch on, Mark 

The cyclist famed for riding round the world inside 80 days has now set his sights on the prestigious penny farthing hour record. Will you be seeing more of this on your local velodrome soon? We doubt it, but good luck Mark all the same... surely round the world on a Penny Farthing has to come next!
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2. Alexander Vinokourov: never far away from controversy

 The Kazakh Olympic champion has seen plenty of scandal in his career (some of it still ongoing) and in this video, where he pranks his team by disguising himself as an old man, is controversial for a less obvious reason... look closely and you'll see he swaps bikes after the 'big reveal' at the end. Perhaps not such a surprise prank after all then! 
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3. Despite the boom in popularity, there is still a lot of work to be done to get more people on bikes

According to the latest government figures, cycling still accounts for just two per cent of all journeys in England, a level that’s remained static since 1989. The national cycling charity, Cycling UK, says that this is the effect of a long term failure by successive governments. It doesn't make for good reading, but hopefully we can all keep spreading the message that two wheels is the way forward for healthier, more efficient journeys. 
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4. 'You wouldn't get that on a football field' etc etc...

 Flying the flag for cycling being one of the hardier sports out there, the Swiss rider Steve Morabito told Cycling News how he popped his shoulder back in after going flying from a crash, finishing the stage of the Tour Down Under in what must have been pretty excruciating pain.  
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5. Hopefully lessons can be learned from this sad situation

An Italian prince who was killed near Knightsbridge tube station in October 2016 cut in front of the HGV that hit him immediately after overtaking it. After hearing that the German lorry driver would not have been able to see Filippo Corsini, senior Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox gave a conclusion of accidental death. Can safety be improved around these junctions? We hope a legacy can be made from this case to avoid similar incidents on British roads. 
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6. Sagan's awesome, but his choice of tats? Not so much... 

Our live blog sprung to life on Thursday with most of the curiosity directed towards peter Sagan's tattoo of...Peter Sagan. Is it the most self-indulgent thing ever, or some level of double-irony we're not aware of? Who knows!
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7. Banning cycling to school is not exactly encouraging...

A school in Nottingham has banned pupils from cycling until they have successfully completed Bikeability training. In a letter published on the website of Ellis Guilford school, head teacher Dr Sally Coulton said that the ban had been introduced in response to “a growing number of students cycling to and from school in an extremely dangerous way.” Are the school right, or are they sending the wrong message? It certainly seems unfair and heavy-handed on pupils who ride safely to school and back with no issues, and Chris Boardman seems to agree it's not sending the best message.   
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8. The Chris Froome potential scandal isn't going away fast 

Pro rider Romain Bardet has waded into the predicament of Chris Froome case, saying he should voluntarily withdraw from racing pending the resolution of his failed anti-doping control for the anti-asthma drug salbutamol. It seems the sooner this is resolved, the better. 
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And when Floyd Llandis becomes a voice of reason, you know it's bad

The American former cyclist who was stripped of his 2006 Tour de France victory after testing positive for testosterone, has said that the Chris Froome salbutamol case could lead to the end of Team Sky. He hit out at Team Sky’s much vaunted “zero tolerance” approach to doping, saying "there’s no belief in that zero tolerance system any more”. 
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10. This kind of nonsense doesn't help anyone 

Irish TV programme the Late Late Show has been slammed by cycling campaigners following an anti-cycling rant during Saturday evening’s transmission. One guest on this week’s programme, an institution on TV in the Republic of Ireland since it was first broadcast by RTE in 1962, likened cyclists to “farm animals", and another compared cyclists to “trash.” Dublin Cycling Campaign has now lodged an official complaint to regulators over comments of guests Maura Derrane and James Kavanagh in the segment, and against the show’s host, Ryan Tubidry. It's certainly worrying to hear this type of talk broadcast on national telly, on an influential show. 
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11. Maybe you're missing the point, Lord Wilson... 

As Lord Winston repeated a claim that cycle lanes lead to increased air pollution in London this week, we can't help thinking he's missed the point entirely. Idle engines may indeed burn more fuel... but if you get all these people on bikes there would be no problem in the first place! 
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