Police force slammed for "cycle like you drive" advice; Is this Cav's next team?; AG2R splash the cash on Jungels' BMC Masterpiece; Alpe d'Huez...on a Brompton; Beefeater Bend is back (+Tour de France Queen Stage); Tour scenes + more on the live blog

I'm going for a bike ride because how can you not after watching that.

— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) July 14, 2022

Enjoy pretending to be Tom Pidcock on your evening ride later. Catch all the results, GC implications and jersey holders from stage 12 of the Tour de France over on our news story... 

Here we go again...

Merseyside Police, undeterred by the frosty reception it got last time, have pushed their "cycle like you drive" social media tag, this time to let the public hear they had reported two cyclists for running red lights...

2 pedal cyclists reported in as many minutes after both observed contravening red traffic lights. First at Kensington and the second at Durning Road. Remember folks, #CYCLELIKEYOUDRIVE (red lights are for cyclists too) #MRPU #SYN1 pic.twitter.com/AxV5ikitx4

— Roads Policing Unit (@MerPolTraffic) July 13, 2022

Amusingly, as pointed out by hirsute in the comments under here, someone replied with this...

‘Cycle like you drive’. I don’t want to kill 5 people every day and injure 30k per year. Really poor show pic.twitter.com/s7WxRjebRY

— Herzberg (@herzberg19) July 13, 2022

Oh, and don't forget these too...

#CYCLELIKEYOUDRIVE https://t.co/17fbODDbBJ

— TBSteve (@TBStevesPix) July 13, 2022

#CYCLELIKEYOUDRIVE https://t.co/jx5YAtofAF

— TBSteve (@TBStevesPix) July 13, 2022

#CYCLELIKEYOUDRIVE https://t.co/D3FfWxJZr9

— TBSteve (@TBStevesPix) July 13, 2022

Another reply said: "This tweet is hugely misguided and based on two false assumptions: 1) that all cyclists drive (they don't); 2) that all motorists drive safely, respectfully and within the law (they definitely don't). You are between implicit bias and downright prejudice and should know better." 

While another pointed out the ironic timing of cycle like you drive getting another airing...*checks notes*...three days after four Merseyside Police officers were hospitalised in a serious crash involving two police cars.

Cycle like you drive...

🗑 Right in the trash, thanks @tompidcock!

🗑 Directement dans la poubelle, merci @tompidcock !#TDF2022 | #LAveniraVélo pic.twitter.com/k1sYvsTUdB

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 14, 2022

Last night, Simon attended an event in London and did his best private investigator impression, leading us down a path of everything makes sense or wild speculation or both, perhaps? You decide for yourselves...

I'll hand you over to Simon...

If you're a long-term reader of road.cc, you'll know that we don't exactly go into the minutiae of who is going where during transfer season. But you'll also know that we keep a keen eye out for where certain riders may be headed when they are finding a new team.

And while he may no longer be the hottest property around, we know that many of you will be interested in where Mark Cavendish ends up next season, and whether he'll get a crack at that 35th stage win to move him ahead of Eddy Merckx.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevre made it clear earlier this week that Cavendish – winner of the points jersey last year and four stages to draw him level with Merckx, but dropped this year for Fabio Jakobsen – no longer figures in the team's plans.

And much has been said and written about the British champion's future since then.
Did we get a glimpse of where that may lie last night? Well, perhaps.

We've had a few discussions in the road.cc office in the past fortnight about where he might end up, but most teams we think of has either an overall contender, or a sprinter on its roster for next year.

Bar one, and it was at a party to celebrate that team's participation in the Tour de France, and its women's team's upcoming debut at Le Tour Femmes, that we spotted Cav yesterday evening at an event held by kit supplier Rapha in partnership with Palace Skate.

Few team bosses are as shrewd business-wise as EF Education-EasyPost's Jonathan Vaughters, and with a stage victory and polka dot shine from Magnus Cort, the US-registered team is having a great Tour.

So, seeing Cavendish yesterday evening at a function hosted by Rapha, the team's kit supplier, has got our thinking caps a bit overheated, perhaps – though bear in mind that our collective brains at road.cc have been overloading the past couple of weeks about where he might end up.

But think about it. A team that even 12 months from now may not have a top-3 GC contender, but which understands the PR value to sponsors that would come from Cavendish winning just one stage of next year's race?

Perhaps we're reading too much into him being present last night at an event hosted by the company that supplies the team's kit.

But could we also be looking at smoke and correctly finding the seat of the fire?
One thing we do know is that we'd love to see him ride next year's Tour de France … and to grab that record-breaking 35th stage win.

What do you reckon? Would you like to see Cav is EF pink next July?

He's ready. pic.twitter.com/FTIEdRwi5v

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) July 14, 2022

Vamos! Nairoman to win the stage, Bardet second, both two minutes clear of Vingegaard and Pog... make it happen... 

Well that's pretty much confirmed then...

The move by the Welsh Government demonstrates a continued commitment towards safer streets and more liveable neighbourhoods, which Cycling UK hopes is a bellwether for a wider national shift across the UK.

The Senedd has voted in favour of a default 20mph speed limit on restricted roads, typically residential and built-up areas with high pedestrian activity.  The introduction of the new limit will transform road safety for more vulnerable road user groups, as evidence clearly shows reducing speed limits is one of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce road casualties. 

> Wales set to reduce default speed limit to 20mph in residential areas 

They're on their way...

Bend 20 here we come! pic.twitter.com/RpDDuI6Wwk

— Beefeater Bend🎶🍻 (@tdfbeefeaters) July 14, 2022

Although there might be some sore heads... 

It’s 11.25pm and I think that’s some sort of bin lorry.🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/7zU9jGFdFC

— Beefeater Bend🎶🍻 (@tdfbeefeaters) July 13, 2022