Man buys stolen bike for £80, tracks down owner online; Dutch PM gives cycle parking attendant a surprise; Peloton van blocks bike lane; Brailsford rides 460 miles during Team Ineos training camp; New Rapha EF kit + more on the live blog

If your frozen hands haven’t quite been able to operate a phone or computer to read all the essential news on road.cc this weekend, here’s what you’ve missed assuming you’re in a warmer room now… 

Doctor thrown off train because he hadn’t reserved space for bike – even though there were four available

“Alarming” rise in doping cases in cycling last year

Great-grandmother takes on bike thief

Eroica founder discussing launch of pro gravel race series with UCI

“No evidence” drug-driver caused teen cyclist’s injuries, says CPS

Thanks Louise,

I probably should, referencing the tweet and all the responses

Hopefully LNER will address the substance of these comments & make useful changes

Thanks for getting in touch,
Graham

— Dr Graham Mackenzie (@gmacscotland) January 19, 2020

LNER refused Dr Graham Mackenzie on a train with his bike after working a long night shift, even though four spaces were available. Despite showing a stringent adherence to the rule that no bike can grace the train without being booked on – even if there is space – it appears they’re more relaxed about how that booking is made, telling Mr Mackenzie to simply hit them up on Twitter to reserve a space… totally standard and normal policy, of course. 

Since our article was published Mr Mackenzie told road.cc he intends to make a formal complaint to LNER, and said their responses “weren’t useful.” 

The team’s head honcho appeared to have simply done the full week’s training that his team were tasked with doing, covering a few miles less than Michal Kwiatkowski posted on Strava from last week’s big week in Gran Canaria. 

It appears Brailsford’s only rest day was on 14th January, and he began the week by riding 85 miles (136km) with nearly 3000m of climbing. It all culminated in a monster 111 mile (180km) tour of Gran Canaria yesterday, where he climbed over 4000 metres and averaged 232 watts over the seven hours of riding – he even bagged a KOM on the Barranco La Aldea-Entrada Tunel section

Brailsford was diagnosed with prostate cancer and wasn’t able to ride while he recovered in the summer of 2019, but it appears the 55-year-old has well and truly kicked it into touch if these latest stats are anything to go by. 

“People won’t cycle in the cold.” pic.twitter.com/rjdwWYyKF0

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) January 20, 2020

And bloody cyclists always run red lights, so I’m told… 

The Bristol Post’s interview with James Anthony revealed the 56-year-old has started to name potholes in the Bristol suburb of Hartcliffe. Mr Anthony calls the one hanging over the cycle lane in the photo above as “The Wave”: “It’s just like waves creeping up a beach – but there is no beach”, he said. 

On his pothole tour, he also introduced the reporter to Mega Crater and the broken eggshell; Kyle Dudd of Bristol City Council insists they are committed to road maintenance, saying they repair 4,500 a year across Bristol’s 650 mile road network. 

The centre of Ghent has been car-free since 2017, and The Guardian have interviewed locals to ask them how it’s affected their day-to-day lives: 

“A city where you can hear people walking and talking mixed with the quiet zoom of bikes is such a vast improvement over the incessant noise of cars”, said IT manager Manu Joye, while University research assistant Moritz Gallei says: “The expanded area has made it much safer for cyclists. Complementary policies have been introduced like the cycle streets which have led people to cycle more. There are also fewer accidents and the city has become quieter to live in.”

The only negatives mentioned are that public transport could be improved further and that it was perceived the city was quieter when the ban was introduced because of ‘negative communications’. 

#podporujemehrdiny @NeroDrinks_CZ trail labirint #handbike #nosuspension pic.twitter.com/zQRajAWzc5

— Michal Kosík (@Michalkosik83) January 19, 2020

@GeraintThomas86 speaks about riding @LeTour again this year and a return to the @giroditalia in the future#ITVCycling pic.twitter.com/CpZTY2exZv

— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) January 20, 2020

In the interview with ITV, Geraint Thomas says he wants another shot at emulating his 2018 Tour de France success, all but counting himself out of this year’s Giro d’Italia. Ineos announced last week that Richard Carapaz will have a shot at defending his Giro title (won with Movistar) as team leader, while Thomas and Bernal will once again be joint leaders at Le Tour; however Chris Froome has openly admitted that he wants a shot at a fifth Tour title, which could potentially see a three-pronged Ineos leadership battle if he wins his battle for fitness in time for the Grand Departe on the 26th June.  

When you pull up at the lights alongside the driver who just close passed you. pic.twitter.com/GMLXNkle5J

— Beefeater Bend (@tdfbeefeaters) January 20, 2020

The second best place for your @onepeloton, besides your solarium or vacation yurt, is a bikelane. pic.twitter.com/rU6m2RCjQV

— Kyle Ashley (@theBicyKyle) January 18, 2020

It’s the very expensive gift that keeps on giving, and we can’t work out whether they intentionally seek bad PR or if numerous people working for them just seriously lack self-awareness… but after trying to sue a YouTuber for daring to use the word ‘peloton’, creating a series of cringey bourgeois ads that starred in this epic Twitter thread, posting huge losses on the stock market and making a festive advert widely considered sexist, now photos have emerged of a Peloton delivery van parked in a U.S cycle lane. 

.@onepeloton van parked in the bike lane on Washington St in @CityofHoboken. Spinning will never be an ally to people who actually ride bicycles. pic.twitter.com/jSN1ZgFqAL

— Bicycle Progressive (@BicycleProgress) December 14, 2019

While we can’t confirm 100% if the image is genuine there are other photos of Peloton vans blocking bike lanes floating around the Internet, and the sheer irony was not lost on Twitter. Some have made the suggestion that Peloton may even have an ulterior motive in making cycling outside more unpleasant, but we’re saying nothing of course…

It’s @onepeloton job security. They have their delivery vans put real cyclists in real danger, cyclists become too scared of death to ride on the road, but they miss cycling, so their husbands buys them a Peloton bike (because how else is she gonna drop that baby weight, hmmm?)

— Ian Tyssen (@IanJTyssen) January 18, 2020

Gentle reminder from @onepeloton that you can ride a bike indoors then take an Uber afterwards to get to your destination. pic.twitter.com/xddrgkrK9k

— Motorisms (@motorisms) January 19, 2020

Milltag have enlisted the skills of legendary graphic designer Peter Saville for their latest custom collection, that pays homage to the first Factory Records poster that appeared in 1978; the label went on to sign bands such as Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and OMD. 

The Milltag x Factory collection includes a jersey, bib shorts, cap, snood and track mitts, with all items available to pre-order from 27th January on Milltag’s website. 

It’s been leaked so much at events already we pretty much knew what was coming anyway, but now the new Rapha kit for EF Education First is officially launched. You can buy it all now on Rapha’s website, and above is a video with some sneak peeks at what the team’s ‘alternative calendar’ will involve in 2020.

Gaerne’s latest high performance shoe has a microfibre upper with ‘laser-drilling’, which they say provides supreme breathability and comfort. Two BOA dials provideva realiable closure system, and Gaerne’s super light and thin carbon sole shoul transfer every watt through to the pedals.   

The price in euros is 309.90, more info on Gaerne’s website. 

We have renamed the group – we will now be called the:

All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking

Discussion of cycling issues by decision makers, campaigners and the media, often takes place in an ‘active travel’ agenda, which largely comprises cycling and walking.

— APPCG (@allpartycycling) January 20, 2020

The group will now be known as the ‘All Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking’, with Labour’s Ruth Cadbury and the Conservative’s Flick Drummond serving as co-chairs. The APPCG say that although their main topics for discussion will still be ‘cycling issues’, cycling and walking groups often have similar concerns: “The APPCG Committee therefore decided that a standalone cycling group runs the risk of appearing somewhat anachronistic and detached from the current direction of political and policy debate”, they said. 

THIS IS BIG — A new 7- storey @IKEA store will have ZERO parking (a typical US IKEA has parking for 1,700 cars). “The whole building is geared towards pedestrians, subway & streetcar riders, & cyclists — there’s no space for cars.” Via ⁦@FastCompany⁩ https://t.co/AVL51Eg5Wh

— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) January 20, 2020

Plans for a less nightmare-ish Ikea have been revealed for the Austrian capital, with customers only able to get there by bike, walking or using public transport, with no car parking spaces at all. Fast Company report that two of the building’s seven storeys will be used as a hostel, and the open roof will serve as a huge garden for you to chill with a pear cider and a few meatballs. Hopefully the deliveries – which will all be made by electric vans – are going to be slightly cheaper than the current price at UK Ikea branches to have your Billies sent to your doorstep… 

Has anyone had their bike stolen? Just bought this for £80 and it’s got a bike lock on it. Apparently it’s from the Crosby area. Bought it so I can get it to back to the right owner. I know it’s a £1350 bike and id be heartbroken if it was me. Give us a shout pic.twitter.com/uwb3iFwpx7

— Ste Burke (@SteBurke44) January 20, 2020

It’s only Monday afternoon, but here’s your good news story for the week. Ste Burke was offered a pristine Whyte mountain bike (with the lock still attached) worth £1,350 for just £80. Knowing something wasn’t right, he bought it anyway so he could return it to its original owner: “I’d be heartbroken if it was me”, he said. 

Mr Burke believed it was stolen from the Crosby area of Merseyside, and has since been in touch with road.cc to say he is still trying to track down the owner and, will ensure it goes back to the right person – we’ll update as and when that happens. What a gent!

Yes, we know there are only three in the picture, that gets explained in the replies (which are well worth a read anyway).

Yes. A family of four out on their PENNY FUCKING FARTHINGS pic.twitter.com/bo0qQjwxSh

— iCod (@icod) January 18, 2020

Look at this. The workers who are building our new safe cycle path #CW9 in West London — heroes every one — and some of us local cyclists have brought them breakfast this morning pic.twitter.com/0czgv2XeuG

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) January 18, 2020

This warden at a Dutch bicycle parking garage -who is of Kurdish origin- was so pleasantly surprised that the Dutch prime minister arrived at the garage alone, without body guards, that he filmed the check-in procedure (apparently with permission of the PM). https://t.co/7G07DFbL99

— Mark Wagenbuur (@BicycleDutch) January 20, 2020

There’s a happy ending on that stolen bike story from Merseyside earlier – the kindhearted Twitter user who bought the bike (complete with lock) for £80 because he was suspicious about its provenance has been contacted by the bike’s owner who got burgled a couple of days ago and is delighted he will be getting his bike back!

Was messaged on here by someone and it ended up being the fellas who’s bike it was. He had the key to the bike lock and all the paperwork to go with it. Ended up being from dovecot. Said his house got had off two days ago and…. (1/2)

— Ste Burke (@SteBurke44) January 20, 2020

He’d saved up and spent £1250 on the bike last year. Said his house has been had off but he’s made up that he’s managed to get his bike back, so happy days. It’s in the right hands now

— Ste Burke (@SteBurke44) January 20, 2020