“Nasty” anti-cycling activists accused of “drumming up hate for safety measures” after claiming new bike lane will make heavily congested road already lined with cars “an open air gas chamber”; Cav’s retirement plans; GB changes + more on the live blog

Another day, another blatant anti-cyclist piece in the Telegraph. And you thought the whole ‘culture wars’ anti-cycling crusade in the national press was over, didn’t you?

Yesterday, we reported that Iain Duncan Smith’s campaign for updated legislation to punish instances of ‘dangerous cycling’ continued at the weekend, with the Conservative MP penning a column in the Telegraph titled: “Dangerous cyclists should be driven off our roads”.

Unsurprisingly, the headline “horrified” some cyclists (and even those usually found on the anti-cycling side of the fence) online, many urging IDS to look beyond just those who ride bicycles if he wishes to improve safety on UK roads.

One cyclist accused the politician of playing into a “culture war” narrative around cycling, while others suggested the “driven off our roads” headline could encourage violence against cyclists.

> Cyclists "horrified" by Iain Duncan Smith's Telegraph column suggesting "dangerous cyclists should be driven off our roads", as Conservative MP accused of ignoring main road safety issues in latest call for stricter legislation

And now, another Telegraph article – this time concerning a plan to install a new cycle lane in the London borough of Haringey – has attracted the attention of cycling campaigners, who argue that the article’s claim that the infrastructure will increase congestion on what is already the UK’s fourth most congested road, turning it into an “open air gas chamber”, is merely part of an attempt to “drum up hate for people just trying to get to A to B on a bike safely”.

According to the Telegraph, “the London Borough of Haringey wants to halve a stretch of the road’s existing capacity by installing a two-way cycle lane on an A-road that passes by Hornsey railway station” – a short 500-yard stretch where, a quick search of Google Street View will reveal, is lined with parked cars on either side, already limiting the road’s width considerably.

A public consultation document published in August by the local authority outlining the scheme on the A103 said: “The Council’s approved Walking and Cycling Action Plan indicates an ambition to provide a number of key strategic cycle routes through the borough providing safe cycling in both the East-West and North-South directions.

“This will help connect to local amenities and link routes to adjacent boroughs allowing cyclists to travel longer distances beyond the borough boundary.”

However, longer, safer, and faster routes for cyclists isn’t something the Telegraph is interested in, apparently.

“The road in question, the A103 in Haringey, is the fourth slowest council-managed highway in the whole of the UK,” the article stated, complete with a drawing of the road (below) under the title ‘Haringey’s A103 is grinding to a halt’.

“Average speeds along the part of the A103 that runs through Haringey last year were just 5.9mph, making it the fastest-growing road for congestion in the country – and now council planners want to halve the road’s traffic capacity along a 500yd stretch serving a key public transport link.”

Hmmm… So, the road’s been horribly congested and “grinding to a halt” for ages, despite not having a single cycle lane on it. Explain to me again how that’s the fault of cyclists?

Oh don’t worry, they’ll tell us alright.

Tasmine Akunjee, a local solicitor, told the newspaper the cycle lane would “worsen pollution by concentrating harmful traffic emissions into the one lane”.

“It’s just a open air gas chamber, isn’t it, really, for anyone who’s on that road?” he said.

“Because you have buildings on either side, you get an inversion effect where the atmosphere at road level is pretty much kept in place because there isn’t a lot of air movement there, comparative to the amount of fumes being generated.”

A103, Haringey, London (Google Street View)

Meanwhile, Keith Prince, the Conservatives’ transport spokesman at London’s City Hall, added: “This proposed cycle lane, on a notoriously slow part of road, will have significant knock-on effects for residents and commuters with far-reaching repercussions.

“Something has clearly gone very wrong on the A103 and finding a solution should mean listening to residents, not ignoring them.”

“It’s one lane there, already!”

However, at least Simon Munk, the London Cycling Campaign’s head of campaigns and community development, was on hand to explain why congestion may have more to do with people in cars than a new, very short bike lane.

“The A103 even just in Haringey is a road with several markedly different sections. Given where the short section of cycle track is proposed, it seems unlikely it would have further impact on congestion on the A103 overall,” Munk said.

“But that’s for TfL and Haringey Council to consider – and they’ve almost certainly either already looked at it or will look at if/when this scheme goes into construction.

“It’s often claimed cycle tracks are a significant cause of congestion in London – but this rarely turns out to be the case, and far more often such tracks add capacity to the road in terms of overall journeys made.”

> Conservative government “pursued poisonous culture wars” between cyclists and drivers, says new transport secretary – as Labour vows to “take back streets” for all road users

Since the article’s publication, the angle taken by the Telegraph and some of the quotes used have been condemned as yet another example of “nasty” culture wars “nonsense” against cycling.

Criticising Tasmine Akunjee’s claim that the A103 is an “open air gas chamber” and that the cycle lane will “worsen pollution by concentrating harmful emissions into the one lane”, the London Cycling Campaign tweeted: “First, comparing main roads to ‘gas chambers’ is really not OK, people. Second, It’s one lane there already!”

A103, Haringey, London (Google Street View)

“Indeed, culture war nasty nonsense,” agreed the Healthy Streets Stroud Green account.

“Intending to drum up hate for people just trying to get to A to B on a bike safely. Trying to make folk angry about safety measures. Do those trying to block change prefer to keep the KSI stats high – is that it? Is that what they want?”

Meanwhile, Robert Davis, the chair of the Road Danger Reduction Forum, added: “The fact is that there is indeed a ‘culture war’ perpetuating negative – and above all, dangerous – views of people riding bicycles and it needs to be countered. However tedious it is to tell the truth to bigots.”

> Is cycling ‘woke’? Cycling and culture wars discussed with a Conservative aide

And in another Twitter post, the LCC’s Munk argued that “this kind of rhetoric tends, frankly, to come from folk who don’t ‘understand’ what cyclists are doing to stay safe/alive or why much, nor understand Highway Code, rules of road etc. It’s an ‘outgroup’ accusation that’s all about deflecting ‘blame’ elsewhere.

“We’re talking about 500 metres of road here. The level of accusation and anger for a short stretch of cycle track really seems out of proportion with reality. What next, ‘cyclists are eating the dogs? They’re eating the cats’?!

Oh dear Lord, don’t get Trump involved…

Anyway, the brilliantly named ‘Cycleway, my arse!’ brought us all back to the question at hand – the cycleway.

“What better way is there to relieve a congested road than by installing infra for transport which more space efficient and free flowing?” they asked.

“Good quality cycle lanes on busy main roads are like stents in arteries which are clogged with cholesterol.”

Now, that would make for a great Telegraph headline!

He’s been noticeably coy on the subject since winning that record-breaking 35th Tour de France stage win back in July, but it seems that we’re creeping ever closer to finding out exactly what Mark Cavendish plans to get up to when he hangs up his aero racing bike for good (probably) at the end of the year.

And it may involve following the well-trodden path of many ex-pros into a team car, or in some other management capacity in the sport. Oh, and some running, too.

Last week, after months of speculation, Tour de France organisers ASO essentially confirmed that Cavendish had raced competitively for the final time in Nice, on the final time trial stage of his history-making Tour, by announcing that his appearance at next month’s Tour de France Prudential Criterium in Singapore would be the  “the last race for sprint legend Mark Cavendish” (it’s not really a race, but you get what they mean).

> Mark Cavendish set to race for final time as a professional in November at Tour de France Singapore Criterium, organisers ASO confirm

However, in a new interview with Men’s Health, which focused on his post-retirement plans, the newly knighted Sir Cav remained elusively ambiguous and noncommittal when it came to his plans for 2025.

“I’m still racing this year, I’m contracted until December. I’ve got races in the far east in [November],” the 39-year-old told the magazine. “What is guaranteed is that I’m never doing the Tour de France again.”

 (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Yes Mark, but there are other races too, you know?

Reflecting on the latest of his many retirement U-turns last year, following his race-ending crash at the Tour, Cavendish continued: “I changed my mind so much over a three-month spell. I crashed out and I had good and bad luck, but I thought that was it. People said to me, I can’t finish like that. But I’m the one person who knows how fucking hard it is.

“I chopped and changed my mind from day to day and even now, I haven’t entirely committed to what I’m doing, except for the fact that I cannot prepare for the TdF ever again. Cycling is hard enough, the TdF is another level. That is a dead cert

“I had no idea how my head would be after doing my last Tour de France, but it just feels like every other one. You say the same thing when you finish every time: ‘Fuck that, I’m never doing that again’. Then two days later you’re telling yourself you can’t wait to go again.”

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Despite leaving the door open, still, to a reduced programme of smaller races next year – just no Tour, okay? – Cavendish the went on to talk about his post-retirement plans, which could involve a step into management, which he says he has been preparing for a while.

“I speak to Peta a lot about replacing the thrill of what I do,” the Astana sprinter said. “Even before I was a bike rider, I always had to be the best I could be. If there was a spelling test at school, I had to win it. At sports day, I had to win. I was a perfectionist.

“Everything I did in my teenage years was building up to be a cyclist. I knew I wanted to ride for T-Mobile, so I asked to learn German to make that happen. I went to work to save money to make it happen. I had a plan to turn pro. When I was pro, I had a trajectory of races I wanted to win and how I wanted to progress. I was fortunate for most of my career that it worked. Then suddenly you’re older.

(ASO/Charly Lopez)

“For me, though, it’s not about stopping, it’s about starting something new. I will always ride a bike, but the past few years I’ve known what I want to do after. I’ve set the wheels in motion for that. I want to stay in management in the sport, I still love it.

“I brought a lot of people to this team [Astana Qazaqstan] over the past two years, and I know what it takes to be successful. I’ve been building up to the moment I’m not racing.”

> “The Tour de France is bigger than cycling. And we’ve done it”: Record-breaker Mark Cavendish’s greatest ever Tour de France stage wins

And if he’s not in a team car or bus, orchestrating the next great sprint train, or piecing together a fresh new squad (will crisis-stricken Ineos come calling? Hmmm…), Cavendish could soon be swapping his cycling shoes for some running ones – at least occasionally, anyway. And because it’s handier than setting up all your bike kit.

“I will always ride my bike, but I want to run now,” he said. “It’s pure – get your shoes on and off you go! I’ve already agreed to do the Paris marathon with my brother. He started cycling before I did, and he was better than I was. Past four years, he’s started to get fit. He’s riding and started running. For the first time since we were kids, he’s lighter than me.

“I’m really looking forward to the time when I don’t have to wake up and do a specific programme on a computer. I can just ride with my friends, it doesn’t matter if I go fast or slow.”

The fastest man in the world turned weekend plodder – whatever Cav does in 2025, that’s a trajectory I can get behind. Just not the Paris Marathon bit, that’s a step too far.

The post-Olympic reshuffle at Team GB continues as Sara Symington, the cycling team’s head of Olympic and Paralympic programmes, has stepped down from her role in what she described as “an incredibly hard decision”.

A former pro cyclist, Symington represented Britain at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics, and a string of world championships on the road and track, going on to become a performance director in archery, netball, and athletics, before rejoining the Great Britain Cycling Team in October 2021.

However, after a relatively subpar Olympic Games in Paris, which saw only Tom Pidcock and the women’s team sprint take gold as part of Britain’s worst medal haul for 20 years, Symington has today announced her resignation.

Sara Symington (Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

“I still pinch myself that I have been afforded an opportunity to work in the sport that I competed in as a rider and continue to love both on and off the bike,” she said in a statement.

“To step away has been an incredibly hard decision but it’s the right one for me at this moment in time. I want to thank Sparky, the team behind the team and all the riders for the journey into and through the Paris 2024 cycle.

“It is one I will cherish forever and know as we move into the LA cycle the team will continue to inspire the next generation; rise to the challenges and wear the jersey with pride. 

“On a personal note, I am off travelling by bike for a while whilst deciding ‘what next’!”

While she steps away from her main cycling role, she will continue to sit on Manchester City Women’s Football Club’s Technical Advisory Board and on the Skateboarding GB Board as a Non-Exec Director.

Meanwhile, GB cycling performance director said a replacement will be recruited once a review of the team’s structure ahead of LA 2028 is complete.

It’s been in the offing for almost four years now, but today Body Rocket – the tech start-up behind the “world’s first” real-time and on-bike drag measurement system, which could eliminate the need to visit a wind tunnel to find out how un-aero you and your bike are – has opened for pre-orders via Kickstarter.

As Jamie discovered when he trialled the system out last month, Body Rocket is a device which fits onto your bike in the form of sensors on your seat post, stem, and pedals. It can then stream real-time aerodynamic drag force data to a Garmin head unit for some useful post-session analysis, potentially making those elite aero gains accessible to the masses.

> What we learnt using the "world's first real-time aerodynamic drag force measurement system for cyclists"

The idea is that the device is used similarly to a power meter, in that it remains fitted to your bike for use during both training and races.

According to Body Rocket, this will not only allow you to see how your position affects your CdA (coefficient of drag) as you ride – something that would normally require a prohibitively expensive trip to a wind tunnel or velodrome – but can also help to make “a comprehensive picture of your aerodynamic data which you can analyse to identify incremental improvements”, such as when experimenting with different positions, movements, and kit.

With pre-orders launching today, Body Rocket intends to begin shipping to consumers from May 2025. A variety of order tiers and options are available at launch on Kickstarter, from early bird discounts starting at £2,200, to aero coaching packages with renowned former pro cyclist Alex Dowsett and his coaching company Thighs Club.

So far, after just one day, the company has already reached almost £18,000, on its way to its £22,000 goal.

“This is a significant moment, both for Body Rocket and for me personally,” Body Rocket’s founder Eric DeGolier said today.

“It’s the culmination of years of ideation, development and refinement and I’m really proud of what we, as a team, have accomplished. We set out on a mission to make aerodynamics more accessible to all cyclists and triathletes and I’m pleased to say that we have achieved that and can’t wait to start manufacturing and shipping.

“Seeing our systems out in the world, in the hands of consumers, has the potential to not only advance human performance but also help shape the development of new generations of cycling products and progress our entire collective understanding of cycling aerodynamics.”

Do you love cycling, heritage sites, and criss-crossing the English and Welsh border? Well, Cycling UK has got just the bike route for you.

Launched today, the Marcher Castles Way does exactly what it says on the tin (‘marcher’, of course, being the medieval word for ‘borderland’), offering a new multi-day route which connects some of the best roads, bridleways, and cycle paths the West Midlands and Wales has to offer, while paying homage to the history of the four important strongholds built to battle the Welsh advances into England during the 11th century.

History, fighting the English, and long-distance cycling – what more could you possibly want?

Crossing the English and Welsh border eight times, the full 180-mile route starts in the historic town of Shrewsbury before taking in the Roman city remains at Wroxeter, the famous Ironbridge, and crossing over Offa’s Dyke.

While not quite as long as some of Cycling UK’s other routes, such as King Alfred’s Way, Marcher Castles Way still packs in 16,500 feet (5,000m) of climbing, covering several key valleys and hills.

Cycling UK has also developed three shorter alternatives to the main route, which it says will be “ideal for people only in the area for the weekend or building their confidence with off-road riding”.

Despite it not being formally waymarked, the route does incorporate signposted paths such as the Jack Mytton Way for several sections and parts of the National Cycle Network. Anyone looking to try it out can download the route file to a GPS cycling computer or smartphone from the Cycling UK website.

“Long-distance cycle routes are a fantastic way to explore the UK. They connect cities, towns and villages together, creating new economic avenues for tourism in the region. They also offer people a healthy and green way to explore the UK’s beautiful countryside,” Cycling UK’s chief executive Sarah Mitchell said, announcing the route.

“Cycling UK’s new route, Marcher Castles Way, provides endless options for people looking to explore the West Midlands and Wales. Riders can choose to break up the loop into stages, use public transport to visit different points, or take on the challenge of the whole ride. We know exactly what benefits come with cycling and we can’t wait to see and hear all the incredible stories that come from riders enjoying this epic route!”

Today (or Tadej) the peloton, tomorrow the fashion world:

Oh, suit you, sir!

Unfortunately, cycling golden couple Pogi and Urška’s new modelling career, which they’ve launched alongside fellow Slovenian pros, Luka Mezgec and Matevž Govekar isn’t for Marks and Spencer (though I’d have loved to have seen them appear on that M&S-sponsored design show on ITV with Vernon Kay).

But it’s still part of German fashion brand s.Oliver’s new range in Slovenia (s.Oliver have sponsored the Slovenian national team since 2022), and I have to say – there’s a real Bond villain on holiday in Shoreditch vibe going on.

“I felt quite relaxed today, we were in the right company, the right team, and maybe that would be something I could do in the future. We all liked the clothes we wore, and you can see it in the photos,” Žigart told Slovenian website Journal after the photo shoot.

Meanwhile, Pogačar appeared to be longing for his tracksuits.

“For everyday activities, I prefer to wear casual, sportswear,” the world champion said. “However, when I attend formal events, I wear a dress that is in slightly different, special colours, not in the classic black or dark blue. I really liked the dark green jacket I wore on set. And if I had to choose, I would choose just that.”

But then again, Pogačar wears white shorts with his rainbow jersey, so what does he know about style?

You know things are bad for cycling infrastructure where you live when a sign marking the beginning of a short, barely protected bike lane can’t last a week without being knocked over and flattened by rule-breaking motorists.

But that’s the case in Preston, where the council has been forced to replace a cycle lane sign for the second time in a matter of weeks since it was installed, after it kept getting destroyed by oblivious drivers.

Oops... Sorry sign, I didn’t see you!

Earlier this year, Preston’s Pedder Street became a no-right turn into Leighton Street as part of a number of road changes related to a bus gate scheme, Blog Preston reports.

These changes included the creation of a short painted cycle lane, marked by a new sign mounted on a small kerb separating the lane (albeit briefly) from traffic.

However, within weeks of the sign being installed, it had been flattened by a driver, with locals telling Blog Preston that the area’s no-entry signs are constantly being flouted by motorists turning into Pedder Street from Maudland Road.

Last week, Lancashire County Council replaced the broken sign with a new one – only for it to be promptly flattened within days and removed once again.

“We would ask that motorists follow the rules of the highway in order to keep themselves and other road users safe,” a Lancashire Country Council spokesperson said in response to the latest bout of bike lane bumper cars in Preston.

“We will undertake the necessary repairs, but it is disappointing that this has happened a second time.”

I’m sure asking politely will do the trick this time.

As cyclists, we’re well used to the jarring, biting, and fleeting barrage of noise made by a motorist or car passenger, as they lean out of the window of their two-tonne metal box, desperate to tell us that we shouldn’t be on the roads, or to criticise what we’re wearing, or mention the Tour de France… I could go on.

So, picture our surprise when we learnt that the grand opening of a new active travel route and protected bike lane in Limerick (which means a few local dignitaries turned up with signs and borrowed bikes) was disrupted by a “heckling” driver – who on his way past shouted out a demand for more cycle lanes in the city.

Yes, that rather unexpected request took place during the unveiling of the new 1km Father Russell Road Active Travel Scheme in Raheen in Limerick, which offers a new protected pedestrian and cycling facilities on a road frequented by local school pupils, while connecting with another active travel scheme, work on which is set to begin in early 2025.

“Yesterday’s Active Travel Limerick launch of the Fr Russell Rd had a heckler shout at us from his car during the photo op,” Dave Tobin, deputy chair of the Irish Cycling Campaign, tweeted.

“He was demanding that Limerick Council get more cycle lanes into the city centre sorted ASAP! A very direct request for Mayor John Moran‘s mayoral programme!”

Well, that’s something you don’t see every day.

And the passing ‘heckler’ driver wasn’t the only one extolling the virtues of cycle lanes in Limerick.

“The opening of this scheme in Limerick City is a great example of how we are providing people in local communities with more sustainable travel options,” Anne Graham, the CEO of Ireland’s National Transport Authority, said at the route’s launch, Irish Cycle reports.

“The recently published Walking and Cycling Index found that, every day, those who walk and cycle take nearly 32,000 cars off the road in the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area.

“By further improving our active travel infrastructure in Limerick, we will encourage more people to choose walking, wheeling and cycling for their everyday journeys.”

However, not all heckling in Limerick over the years has been of the pro-cycling variety.

> “In the middle of the road!” Motorist berates children cycling “harmlessly home from school” on empty cul-de-sac

Last May, we reported that a motorist in the Irish city was the subject of fierce criticism on social media after berating a group of schoolchildren for riding their bikes “in the middle” of an empty residential street.

A clip of the incident, filmed by Limerick-based cyclist Aidan Hogan, showed a group of young cyclists riding home from school when a driver exits her car after appearing to park it on the street.

The driver then gesticulates towards the children and calls out: “The middle of the road, in the middle of the road!”

“I’ve experienced every type of abuse from drivers while cycling over the last few years, both with and without kids, so very little surprises me,” Aidan told road.cc at the time.

“This did surprise me, however, as it was the most innocuous of circumstances – a deserted cul-de-sac with a handful of happy 10-year-olds harmlessly pottering home from school.

“You have to laugh really.”

Less of this and more of the Fr Russel Road variety of heckling, please.