Lime biking comedian falls in London canal – and the internet loves it; “Sustainable transport. What is that:” bike lane upgrades stir anger; Councils not using powers to build cycling routes; Evenepoel & Vingegaard rumours aplenty + more on the live blog

 

 

 

 

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Speaking to Het Laatste Nieuws on the occasion of the newspaper’s year-end award ceremony, the double Olympic champion has given his first indications as to where he’ll be lining up next season.

It will be Evenepoel’s first season at  Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe having wrangled his way out of Soudal-QuickStep. And, along with Florian Lipowitz, Primoz Roglic, Jai Hindley and Giulio Pellizzari, there’s quite a bit of climbing talent and ambitions for his new bosses to manage.  

Kicking off his season (do you see what I did there?) at either the UAE Tour or Volta ao Algarve, Evenepoel has confirmed that he will return to the Tour de France next year despite a route that is short on his specialism of the individual time trial.

“[It’s] a bit atypical for the Tour. Difficult. A bit of everything, everywhere. But [it’s] attractive. It will be another fun challenge. But there are other valued goals.”

Like Jonas Vingegaard, Evenepoel has also left the door open to riding the Giro d’Italia for the first time since 2022, though he will wait to see the race route when it’s announced on 1st December. But team bonding will be key.

“I also need to get used to my new teammates as quickly as possible, and vice versa. For that reason, it will be important to ride Paris-Nice and/or Volta a Catalunya with them. But once the Giro route is known, decisions will be made.”

If not the Giro then Evenepoel might be tempted to return to the spring classics. Having previously focused on the Ardenne Classics, a return to Milan-Sanremo and the Tour of Flanders can’t be ruled out either.

“At the moment, we have a plan A and plan B. The first includes a Classics campaign, the second the Giro. Based on the Giro d’Italia route, we’ll assess things internally and we’ll decide in consultation on what’s feasible physically and in terms of training.” 

With the World Championships also in mind, regardless of his spring, the Belgian will pause after the Tour de France to refocus on the rainbow bands that will be up for grabs in Canada this year. The Vuelta a Espana is off the table. 

For now, we’ll just have to wait and see…

Remember Sofiane Sehili? The ultra-endurance cyclist imprisoned in Russia for nearly two months whilst attempting to break the World Record for crossing Eurasia? Well our Ryan has interviewed him!

> French ultra-endurance cyclist released from Russian prison almost two months after being arrested for “illegally crossing” border during cycling world record attempt

It’s a great conversation and one you can either read below or listen to wherever you get your podcasts!

> “I’ve done some stupid things in my life, but this was beyond stupid!” Ultra-endurance cyclist Sofiane Sehili on breaking into Russia, 51 days in jail, and cycling’s most dramatic failed record attempt ever

A good morning to user ‘Moist von Lipwig’ in the comments whose finger is on the same news pulse as our Megan Huws. I’m just pleased we get to put the word ‘nonsensical’ in a headline…

> Slovakian government mocked over “nonsensical” 6km/h speed limit for children cycling on pavements

Why believe whatever Remco Evenepoel or anyone in the know actually says when you can savour every last expression of cycling media’s last proper gadfly?

Never one to believe the hype, Italian pundit Beppe Conti has shared his latest gossip from the cycling world that includes some pretty outlandish claims…

Beppe Conti news/rumors from Radiocorsa [THREAD]

– Vingegaard wants to race Giro, but his team does not agree. They believe it would make him lose focus ahead of TDF. Visma thinks the Tour route is perfect for Vingegaard and that riding the Giro would only waste energy. pic.twitter.com/JessydlfyF

— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) November 14, 2025

Vingegaard/Visma loggerheads, Uno-X trying to sign the Dane, and Evenepoel to skip the Tour for the Vuelta and Hour record? I suppose we could do with a good laugh… 

Considering cycling doesn’t get that much good publicity in certain silos of the internet, it’s worth appreciating the nuggets of good news when they come as well. There might even be an apt metaphor about the arrival of buses for this story.

Because residents of Horsham in Sussex are making steps towards installing a Dutch-style roundabout in the town. The design prioritises pedestrians and cyclists and narrows road width for vehicles. 

> Property developer pays for £950,000 Dutch-style cycling roundabout to prioritise cyclists and improve safety… but furious locals still claim “nightmare” project is “wasting” taxes

The proposal is one of many being put forward for resident consultation but has the support of the local council who have also overseen the introduction of a similar roundabout in nearby Chichester, the BBC reports.

And sticking with Sussex, and the Beeb for that matter, they’re also reporting that construction could start next year on construction for new sustainable travel infrastructure along the seafront in Hove.

The changes, along the A259, include new two-way cycle lanes, pavements, bus stops, loading and disabled parking bays, and improved crossings. The changes, roughly two-thirds funded by central government, also come with the support of residents looking to revitalise the local area. Lovely stuff…

Friend of road.cc Laura Laker has done an investigation into local authorities and the obstructions they face in building rural cycling infrastructure and found something rather revealing.

Whilst Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPOs) are commonly used to build roads and mean local authorities can buy land in order to construct “projects deemed important”, they are used just 1% of the time for rural cycle routes. Landowners are also reportedly more obstructive when dealing with these CPOs compared to motorways.

This is because the CPO requires “proof that the path is needed for the convenience or enjoyment of a substantial section of the public or local residents. That need is balanced against the impact on the landowner or other interested parties. However, local authorities fear the legal costs or time they can’t afford, and having so few precedents of successful CPO cases doesn’t help.”

More evidence of a two-tier scheme of active travel infrastructure is never something we like to read and in rural areas where there are, inevitably, fewer people means the legal battle that can entail drags on. 

Laker goes on to detail how some councils have attempted to navigate this quandary by using so-called Path Creation Orders that would reduce the bureaucratic nuisance of trying to buy the land outright from an unwilling owner but would instead require paying compensation to the landowner. It’s an interesting read that you can digest in full here.

Death, taxes, Facebook comments frothing over the prospect of cyclists having somewhere safe to ride a bicycle. At a certain point, the internet writes itself. 

Today’s dose of Facebook comes from the comments section of South Gloucestershire Council where the council, along with the West of England metro mayor, are championing a new stretch of bike lane built along along the A4174 ring road. Road resurfacing is also underway, but residents seem more concerned by the roadworks that the resurfacing requires than the efforts to improve the road quality.

The object of derision? That only one cyclist could be spotted in the video. 

“Look at all the cyclists, 100s of them??” wrote Jonathan Begley.

“Wonder how much the cyclist got paid ??” added Julia Adams.

“Using the same cyclist 3 times and then another twice (while also waiting in the back ground of another shot) Wonder how long they waiting for them to come by to ask them to film them a few times” Luke Cox speculated, adding that it was a “Complete farce”

Besides the paid actor speculation, there seemed to be some nuance squeaking through on the margins.

“Looks fantastic. I rode that way a couple of times in September, what had been done at that point was already a massive improvement on what was there before.” Danny Colyer said.

Other cyclists meanwhile questioned the efficiency of the upgrades.

“I’ve been cycling from Bromley Heath to the Abbeywood roundabout for 8 years and there has been absolutely no increase in commuter cyclists in all of that time,” wrote Deb Bryant. “The new cycle lanes are a massive waste of time and money, they are unnecessarily wide and the ring round itself would’ve benefited from widening of the driving lanes rather than putting in such wide cycle lanes.”

“Cycled that route for years never as bad as they make out, waste of money IMO could be spent elsewhere you’ve only got to watch the video 1or 2 token cyclists whilst filming compared to how many cars?” Andrew Cross said.

Julie Coppin meanwhile took a more philosophical view to the entire discussion writing simply, “Sustainable transport. What is that”. Fingers crossed that’s enough Facebook for today…

One bit of news that slipped under our noses yesterday was an announcement from the Mayor of London yesterday that the Congestion Charge will increase from £15 to £18, a first increase since 2020. 

But whilst electric vehicles have been exempt from paying the charge since 2019, that exemption is being replaced by a tiered system of discounts. Electric vans and HGVs will receive a 50% (£9) daily discount whilst electric cars will be deducted 25% (£4.50)

There will remain a residents discount also for locals who buy electric vehicles, whilst the rate will be brought into line with other public transport fares, enabling the charge to rise alongside Tube fares without consultation. Whether this encourages people to switch from vehicles to bicycles isn’t yet clear.

Sadiq Khan said the move would “ensure it stays fit for purpose” adding that “keeping London moving by reducing congestion is vital for our city and for our economy.”

Izzy Romilly from climate charity Possible said that “tying the Congestion Charge to public transport fares is welcome. It’s only right to make sure that public transport doesn’t get disproportionately more expensive than driving.

“We need to cut traffic and invest in accessible and affordable public transport, and make sure Londoners can walk, wheel and cycle safely. This will put us on the path to a healthier, fairer London – reducing air pollution and making the city safer for everyone.”

But Richard Dilks, CEO of shared transport charity Collaborative Mobility UK, warned that the increased charge, coupled with the end of the EV exemption, “load more cost onto the capital’s car club fleet and risk denying Londoners and visitors access to shared cars that cut costs and emissions – and in particular to shared EVs.

“We urge the Mayor and TfL to stop treating shared cars as if they are privately-owned ones, which is completely illogical and a disservice to Londoners.”

This is worth your time, not least so you can find out what Boris Johnson has to do with a floating bus stop in Shrewsbury

> Local politicians claim cycle lane is “putting lives at risk” amid reports of fire engines being forced to use it — but resident claims complaints are from those who “obviously don’t want the cycle paths”

I suppose some headlines can be laced with an element of exaggeration…

The dangers I face cycling to work: bad drivers, potholes, and today a gang of 22 turkeys in the heart of Cambridge. The world is a dangerous place.

[image or embed]

— Tim Longman ?️‍? (@timlongman.bsky.social) 14 November 2025 at 16:29

The algorithms have been brewing nicely this week with Australian comedian Nathan Hugh Robért recounting his latest sitcom-ready mishap of taking a Lime Bike through London. It’s a story that’s already racked up 1.6 million views on TikTok and more than 230,000 likes. 

@nathanhughrobert

I fell in a London canal

♬ original sound – Nathan Hugh Robért

If your brain’s attention span has already been corrupted by the machines, then here’s a shorter, snappily edited postscript that sees Robért returning to the scene of the crime. It’s even set to piano music to hold your focus that little bit longer on that wretched device… 

@nathanhughrobert

Part 2 | I fell in the canal

♬ original sound – Nathan Hugh Robért

It’s not even the first time we’ve reported on cyclists falling into canals. Notably, in August we reported on commuter Klaudia Mitura when she fell in the canal after appearing to be shoved by a walker in Manchester. The walker, who chose to remain anonymous, later insisted she had clipped them with her handlebars. Thankfully, you can see that one for yourself…