“To serve and protect?” Group of cyclists “buzzed” by police car driver at 78mph in 40mph zone – as chief “pissed off” at officer’s overtake… and motorists complain about cyclists not riding single file; Tour de France hits the Mûr + more on the live blog

‘To protect and to serve’, first adopted by the LAPD back in the 1960s, may since have become the motto of police forces across the United States and Canada.

But for one batch of American cyclists this week, it could well be changed to ‘overtake and scare’ – after they were “buzzed” by a police officer travelling at 38mph over the speed limit earlier this week.

“Passed on a recent small group ride by the local police going 78mph in a 40mph zone,” Reddit user 3robbio posted on the social media platform this week, before sharing footage of the officer’s unnervingly fast overtake, the speed of which was captured by the cyclist’s rear radar camera on his Garmin.

“Another rider in the group reported with the video to the police chief, who he said was pissed off and angered by the poor actions of his staff. Hopefully will see some improvements in the future (if only short lived).”

However, while the police chief was frustrated by his officer’s overtaking skills, some Reddit users – inevitably – tried to pin the blame on the cyclists… for, you guessed it, riding two abreast.

“Taking up an entire lane. Vehicle is literally as far as they can get from you. Completely douche behaviour,” one commenter said.

“Why are all of you guys in the middle of the road when a car is passing?” asked another.

“Because we had a stiff sidewind from the left and were setting up for a right turn,” replied Robbio. “Had the vehicle been approaching at a more reasonable speed, either my radar or that of one of the riders in the back would have given notice in enough time to move slightly right.”

“As a bicyclist driving on the street you have to drive behind each other on the right side,” ‘Suspicious dig’ noted, inaccurately.

“Incorrect,” countered Rob. “Bicyclists are legally allowed to ride two wide and occupy the entire lane the same as a motorist in my state.”

But at least someone saw the bright side of the whole debacle.

“I’m just shocked you got a response from anyone in the police department. That’s awesome,” wrote HealthOnWheels.

You have to take your wins where you can get them, I suppose…

> “We won’t sugar-coat it – we received lots of pushback”: Strava restores old URL links after backlash – as social fitness giant says controversial policy stopped spam problem “getting out of control”

A charity providing bikes to refugees across the UK has launched a summer sale, offering 20% off refurbished bikes from Monday 14th to Thursday 31st July. Use the code SUMMER20 at checkout to get the discount.

The Bike Project refurbishes donated bikes and uses the proceeds to give bikes to refugees and people seeking asylum — many of whom are living on less than £10 a week. Since 2013, the programme has helped thousands of refugees rebuild their lives, offering access to safe transport, cycling lessons, community rides, and ongoing repair support.

One recipient, Comfort, said: “The bike gave me freedom to travel anywhere I wanted and allowed me to integrate into society… It lifted me out of my depressive state and revived my hope.”

Lizzie Kenyon, Chief Executive of the charity, said: “Buying a bike from us enables us to support more refugees with a bike of their own. So many people tell us about how transformative a bike is for them when they most need support. We hear time and time again about the huge difference our work has made to them as they rebuild their lives here.

“We are proud to be supporting refugees across London, Birmingham and beyond with refurbished bikes, kindly donated by the public. The Bike Project only exists because of the generosity of our supporters.

“By buying a second-hand bicycle from The Bike Project, we can ensure more refugees can get a bike of their own. Please do check our summer sale – you’ll benefit, and refugees will too. I call that a win-win!”

The bikes are fully serviced by professional mechanics and come with a 14-day money-back guarantee. They’re available for collection from the charity’s Deptford depot, local delivery within nine miles of London Bridge, or nationwide shipping.

Find a bike here. Donate a bike here. 

Pinarello has unveiled the Dogma GR — a £12,000, race-focused gravel machine that it claims is the lightest aero gravel bike on the market, weighing in at just 7.35kg for the top build. It features the same high-end M40X carbon used on the Dogma F road bike, paired with aero tube shapes and Princeton carbon wheels. Also launched: a refreshed Grevil F range, now “lighter, faster” and priced from £3,000 to £10,000.

> Pinarello launches "lightest aero gravel bike" at 7.35kg for the top-end model, and boosts performance of Grevil F range

To mark the launch, Pinarello shared a social clip of Tom Pidcock tearing it up on the Dogma GR, captioned simply: “NO FEAR.” Fitting.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by PINARELLO (@pinarello_official)

Tadej Pogačar might have looked composed as he handed back the yellow jersey yesterday — but behind the smile, he was scratching his head.

“Visma wanted… yeah, I don’t know what they were trying to do,” he said after stage six, reflecting on a finale in which Jonas Vingegaard’s team suddenly ramped up the pace and nearly dragged him back into yellow. “They went full throttle on the last two kickers. Maybe they had information that Van der Poel was losing time at the front and was struggling. Maybe Visma wanted to give me the yellow jersey today.”

Pogačar and Vingegaard arrive at the finish of stage six of the 2025 Tour de France stage six, by Zac Williams/SWpix.com

Earlier, UAE had spent the first two hours of the stage responding to a flurry of attacks from Visma-Lease a Bike — with Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot and Victor Campenaerts all trying to get in the breakaway.

When Matteo Jorgenson launched a move, Pogačar even had to respond personally. “We survived those two hours well,” he said. “And then we decided whether or not we were going for the stage win. Then we decided not to use our bullets and rode at our own pace... The goal was to expend as little energy as possible today.”

> "Jonas simply didn't have the power": Visma-Lease a Bike count losses after punishing day against the clock

Visma’s late push nearly spoiled that plan, closing the gap to Mathieu van der Poel — who ultimately took yellow by a single second. But from the Visma camp, there was little sign of sympathy or second-guessing.

“It’s a good thing he doesn’t get it,” team DS Grischa Niermann told Sporza. “We have our own tactics and did exactly what we wanted. Period. Did we want him in yellow? Absolutely not. I hear that, but I think UAE rode until 6 kilometres before the finish and they set the lead. Then they also decided that Pogacar almost stayed in the yellow jersey.”

Jonas Vingegaard during stage five time trial of the 2025 Tour de France, by Zac Williams/SWpix.com

Asked about Pogačar’s confusion, Tiesj Benoot didn’t hold back either. “That he’s confused? I’m often confused too when we go into the mountains,” he joked. “No, we never talked about keeping Tadej in the yellow jersey.

“The fact that he almost stayed in yellow is because they didn’t give Van der Poel enough of a lead. I thought Mathieu would take the yellow jersey by a minute or two. We just wanted to ride the last two climbs as quickly as possible. That made it easier for Jonas not to lose any time on such an explosive finish. There was nothing more to it. Yellow wasn’t even considered.”

Whether deliberate mind games or just misaligned tactics, the psychological tension is already simmering. Visma are still recovering from Vingegaard’s time trial loss, while Pogačar looks relaxed but fully alert to every move. The GC battle is still in its early stages, but the gloves are already halfway off.

After a brief cameo in yellow, Tadej Pogačar handed the maillot jaune back to Mathieu van der Poel yesterday — and did so in typically gracious fashion. Posting a photo on Instagram, he wrote: “One day in yellow – always an honour. Bravo Mathieu Van der Poel to claim it back and all the breakaway riders today – respect, what a ride, what a stage. And our Tim Wellens back to polka dot jersey.”

All very noble. Until Van der Poel dropped into the comments with: “You think 1sec is enough for me to keep it to Paris?”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tadej Pogačar (@tadejpogacar)

It’s a joke, of course — Van der Poel isn’t riding for GC and will almost certainly be handing the jersey back to one of the big names in the mountains. But while he’s got it, why not have a bit of fun with the all-important one-second gap over the world champ?

The Tour de France returns to Brittany today for a 196.6km test from the windswept coast of Saint-Malo to the equally lovely and treacherous slopes of Mûr-de-Bretagne — a climb so iconic it’s earned the nickname of Breton Alpe d’Huez.

After a week of lumpy, leg-sapping terrain, stage seven offers yet more bumps — and a finish that has made headlines before. The Mûr, 2km at an average of 6.9 per cent, will be tackled twice: the first ascent comes with 20km to go, the second forms the uphill finish in Guerlédan.

The last time the Tour visited in 2021, Mathieu van der Poel produced one of the most memorable rides of his career — attacking both ascents to take the stage and the yellow jersey. Four years on, he’s back in yellow, and with another explosive uphill finish on the cards, you wouldn’t bet against him trying again.

But there’s another familiar name in the mix. Tadej Pogačar briefly took hold of the maillot jaune after the time trial on Wednesday and, after yesterday’s stage six (aka, The Ben Healy Show), now trails Van der Poel by just one second. With bonus seconds up for grabs on the line, and gradients that suit his punchy style, today’s finish could see the yellow jersey change hands once more.

(A.S.O./Billy Ceusters)

“This is a climb where tactical sense is almost as decisive as physical strength,” warned race director Christian Prudhomme. The GC favourites may well wait for the mountains — but on a climb this steep and this legendary, don’t be surprised if the Tour explodes early.

As ever in this part of the world, fans lining the hill would be holding and waving the Gwenn-ha-du, the iconic black-and-white flag of the Celtic region, that in your live blog host’s opinion, is one of the coolest-looking banners for the peloton to race past.