road.cc recap: ten of our top stories this week

1. Ireland abandons plan for close pass law and sets to work on ‘dangerous overtaking of cyclists’ offence instead 

Ireland’s Minister for Transport, Shane Ross, says the Government has called a halt on plans for a minimum passing distance law intended to protect cyclists. The Attorney General advised that a specific minimum passing distance would be difficult to enforce and so Ross is now proposing a ‘dangerous overtaking of cyclists’ offence instead, for which a minimum passing distance would not be stipulated.​
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2. Lorry driver who shared footage of filtering cyclists says he'd like to see them invited on 'ride-alongs' to learn about blind spots

A Stroud HGV driver has shared dashcam footage of filtering cyclists near Temple Meads train station in Bristol and called for lorry firms to invite cyclists on ‘ride-alongs’ to appreciate the challenges presented by the vehicles’ blind spots.​
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3. Is this the new Campagnolo Super Record EPS 12 speed groupset on Valverde's Canyon Ultimate?

Campagnolo became the first to launch 12 speed road groupsets last year, unveiling Super Record and Record cassettes with a dozen sprockets. Both of these groupsets were mechanical, but we reckon road world champion Alejandro Valverde may have just shown off the electronic version for the first time on his new Canyon Ultimate CF SLX...​
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4. A removable windscreen for urban bikes

From our Thursday live blog, the Veltop literally has you covered with a 'windscreen' to provide shelter from the rain... 
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5. Dimension Data’s new BMC race bikes unveiled - will team embrace disc brakes this season?

There’s been a game of musical chairs amongst the professional teams during the off-season with many of the WorldTour outfits swapping bike and equipment sponsors, with Mark Cavendish’s Dimension Data team switching from Cervelo to BMC for the 2019 season.​
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6. Unprecedented interest since Geraint Thomas’s Tour de France success but Welsh cycling needs more investment

Geraint Thomas’s former club Maindy Flyers is the biggest it’s ever been and Welsh Cycling has reported a six per cent rise in membership from 2017 to 2018, but investment is needed to capitalise on this interest, according to the latter’s chief executive.​
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7. New roads should prioritise cyclists and pedestrians says NICE

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says cyclists and pedestrians should get priority when new roads are built or when old ones are upgraded. In draft guidelines for planners and local authorities(link is external), it suggests reallocating road space, restricting motor vehicle access and introducing road-user charging and traffic-calming schemes.​
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8. Press watchdog slams “dangerous dickheads” anti-cyclist article

New Zealand’s press watchdog, the Media Council, has ruled that a newspaper article that appeared under a headline that referred to cyclists as “dangerous dickheads” was “inaccurate, unfair” and “unbalanced.” For those of us in the UK used to seeing regular anti-cyclist diatribes going unchecked in the mainstream media, it’s a refreshing decision, albeit one from the other side of the world...​
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9. Thief tries to steal bike from outside police station - and gets arrested

This week's Darwin Award goes to this Oregon man, who tried to steal a bike from outside a police station and was promptly arrested after officers spotted the attempted theft on CCTV.
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10. Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome both target Tour de France

As Team Sky enters its 10th and final year of sponsorship by the broadcaster, Tour de France champion Geraint Thomas and four-time winner of the race Chris Froome have both said that they are targeting the yellow jersey this July. Definitely not at all awkward!
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