Footage of bat-wielding road rage driver being pepper-sprayed by cyclist in Poland goes viral; Pello Bilbao blasts UCI “hypocrisy” over Israel-Premier tech; TfL Highway Code awareness campaign + more

The Danish Cycling Union (DCU) has confirmed that there will be no homecoming celebration on a balcony in Copenhagen this year to mark Jonas Vingegaard’s Vuelta victory, as the 28-year-old prioritises his recovery ahead of the European Road Championships in two weeks’ time. Mads Pederson – who won the points classification – will also miss out on a Danish knees-up to mark his success. 

“We at DCU have tried all possibilities because the Minister of Culture wanted to celebrate Vingegaard’s triumph”, the governing body told Feltet.

“However, Jonas needs to come home and recover after a tough Vuelta, and we have great respect for that.” 

An official celebration is instead due to take place at Visma Lease-a-Bike HQ in the Dutch city of Den Bosch today. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Josh Panzer (@biciclette_d_epoca)

Here’s one we might have forgot to give a once over for Commuting Week, a pretty large oversight so hopefully you can forgive us just this once… 

> Best folding bikes

Our spotter-in-chief has come up with the vintage goods again, happening across this (what appears to be) genuine 1995 track bike as used by the Greek national cycling team at the time. 

The seller, representing Miclo Bikes Limited based in London, says this is an original Metron track bike in a size medium with Shamal tubular wheels and 165mm C record cranks (short cranks aren’t such a new thing, then). 

The price is set at £3,500, and if you’re interested in owning this slice of Greek cycling history you can check out the listing here while it’s still live. 

Yamas!

 

 

 

 

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Just the legendary German sprinter towing a mate up a hill, barely breaking sweat. The 42-year-old strangely credits Shimano Germany and Schwalbe tyres for the effort, which is modest to say the least. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by CYCPLUS (@cycplus_official)

Cycplus is promising +/-1% accuracy, up to 2,200 watts of resistance and cordless riding (at low intensities) in its new $499 (around £366) R200 trainer. You can also shift virtually with Cycplus’ app and its BC2 device, which is sold separately. 

More on this later in the week, and of course we’ll be asking for one to review in full. 

This post originally said the R200 trainer was priced at $399, but this was an error when switching between countries on the Cycplus website. We’re now getting a UK price of £368.07 excluding shipping and taxes at checkout, still very reasonable indeed compared to similarly-specced smart trainers. 

For those not in the cycling bubble…this was a message to all of corporate sport.

Last night, the final podium ceremony of the Vuelta was cancelled (for important reasons, but not for this point).

So the teams and the riders improvised.

What we saw was the real thing. https://t.co/kJQE7b5Peg

— Ned Boulting 🏳️‍⚧️ (@nedboulting) September 15, 2025

For those of you still catching up, stage 21 of the Vuelta was cancelled on Sunday after pro-Palestine protesters breached security around the finishing circuit in Madrid.

As we also mentioned on yesterday’s live blog, an improvised finish complete with hastily erected sponsor backdrops and drinks coolers in place of a podium were thrown up, and Ned Boulting sees it as a rather more genuine representation of the sport compared to the usual corporate fanfare we’re used to witnessing. 

Putting aside the circumstances, you can’t deny there was something charming about a two-time Tour de France champ hopping on a drinks cooler to claim his third Grand Tour victory, popping champagne likely bought from a local corner shop. 

TfL has released details of a new poster campaign to promote the observation of Highway Code rules on its road network. Some are aimed at cyclists – such as the one above stating that cyclists must always stop at red lights – while others are aimed at drivers or a mix of the two, like reminding drivers and cyclists to let pedestrians cross before they turn, and letting drivers know they must let cyclists pass before turning (below). 

Despite the latest data from TfL revealing that, as always, incidents involving motor vehicles are far more likely to results in serious injuries and death, that hasn’t stopped numerous people on social media claiming that cyclists are causing most of the issues: 

“90% of the danger on London’s roads are cyclist / escooter and ebike. Cars are pretty reasonable”, one incorrectly claimed, while another said without evidence: “Cyclists should receive training they are often the worst offenders against pedestrians.” 

Still, others had a more measured approach: “The instructions are a reminder to all people on wheels to drive with courtesy and within the law to keep everyone safe”, said one. 

TfL says the posters form part of its Vision Zero strategy, which aims to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from London’s transport network by 2041, and was also introduced because some elements of the Highway Code – particularly newer additions concerning cyclist and pedestrian safety – are not widely understood by the public. 

“[The] new campaign aims to raise awareness of the Highway Code, with a particular focus on highlighting key rules designed to protect people walking, cycling and motorcycling”, says TfL. 

“[The] campaign will appear on roadside posters across the capital and TfL’s social media channels and is supported by the DfT. 

“Recent TfL survey found only 16 per cent of people understand key Highway Code rules designed to keep everyone safe. Latest data shows cycling and motorcycling and walking remain the most at-risk road users in London.” 

In the Greek port city of Piraeus, six people – including customs officers – have been arrested for their alleged part in a criminal network that imported goods illegally from China to avoid customs duty.

According to the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), over €250 million–worth of goods including e-bikes, textiles and footwear were seized during the huge raid, and compliance has been higher since the crackdown happened. The operation has been dubbed ‘Investigation Calypso’. 

European Chief Prosecutor Laura Codruța Kövesi said: “Highly organised criminal networks have been specialising in this kind of fraud for years. They have grown accustomed to cause massive damages to our finances and economies with close to no risk.

“Investigation Calypso sends these criminals a simple message: the rules of the game have changed, no more safe havens for you! Now we need to turn this spectacular success into systematic work: we need dedicated and specialised police, customs and tax investigators in the whole EPPO zone.” 

The EPPO estimates that just the e-bikes that were seized in the raid will have resulted in €25 million in unpaid customs duties and €12.5 million in VAT losses. Those e-bikes filled 500 shipping containers, and those that have been opened so far were found to be heavily undervalued. On average, only 10-15% of the actual number of e-bikes in a container were declared, according to the EPPO. 

The 35-year-old, who has a post pinned to his Instagram page that simply says “Stop genocide on Gaza”, expressed surprise that he has not been asked about his views on the conflict or the disruptions at the Vuelta a Espana before during an interview with Spanish publication El Periodico. 

Reiterating his belief that the invasion of Gaza by the state of Israel should be considered a genocide of the Palestinian people, Bilbao blamed the UCI and the Spanish government for not taking action to protect riders before the start of the Vuelta, and questioned why Israel-Premier tech were able to race when Russian teams are banned. 

Bilbao said: “It’s not easy for me to give my opinion on this issue and say that I want Israel-Premier Tech out of the peloton when I have former teammates and acquaintances there with whom I get along well and who I know work hard within the team. It’s a very complicated situation, and they’re suffering too.

“But, at the same time, I don’t understand the UCI’s hypocrisy when they made a different decision with [Gazprom-RusVelo]. I don’t understand the difference. Why some and not others? I don’t know if they think the problem will be solved if Israel and [the team’s owner] Sylvan Adams leave the team and Premier Tech remains [a] Canadian team. Maybe it’s a compromise. But I repeat: I don’t understand the UCI’s hypocrisy.” 

Bilbao also claimed there other riders in the WorldTour peloton who hold similar views to him, but suggested they are not as “radical” and want to “avoid awkward situations.”

“One race stops, but not the whole world”, continued Bilbao.

“This shouldn’t be the main discussion when more than 60,000 civilians have died in Gaza; 20,000 of them were children.

“…they’re in a prison with an open sky, their homes destroyed, on the verge of dying of hunger, and with no safe place in the Gaza Strip. They [the state of Israel] bomb hospitals and camps. It’s inhumane.” 

In an interview with Sporza, the 31-year-old Belgian revealed some more details around the fear that engulfed the peloton during the Vuelta a Espana, claiming that some Israel-Premier Tech riders wanted to go home, and even asked other riders if there were any spots on their teams for the 2026 season. 

“They’re [Israel-Premier Tech riders] wearing that shirt with that flag… they were really struggling and just wanted the Vuelta to be over.

“Some riders even asked if we had a spot on the team for next year. They also felt they couldn’t go home because they were getting paid and would risk being fired. That was very sad for them.”

Vervaeke said the atmosphere changed following the infamous scenes during stage 11 in Bilbao, claiming that some protesters jumped from bridges with ropes in an attempt to stop team cars, and tacks were placed on the road.  

He continued: “We just wanted to race, and we didn’t want the race to be jeopardised. But we were in danger. That can’t be the intention. It felt like we were in a political conflict. That’s taking things too far, and in Madrid it simply wasn’t sustainable anymore.”

Hyundai owners have no time for you, say 53% of a small number of Hyundai owners

Punted back up our inbox today after we may have failed to spot it during a heavy influx of questionable studies sent to us because SEO experts most likely noticed increased search activity around any modes of travel that aren’t the London Underground during last week’s tube strikes, is another questionable study courtesy of insurance firm Cycleplan. 

Based off a sample of 1,000 drivers, the study managed to ascertain that “Hyundai owners are the most frustrated with cyclists”, 53% of them to be exact. That’s compared to 52% of MG drivers, 51.3% of Tesla drivers, 51% of Nissan drivers, and 50.8% of Merc drivers.

Even if we were to assume that those surveyed were only owners of those five brands of car, we’re going to put it out there and say it’s a bit of a reach to claim that Hyundai owners are absolutely the most annoyed at us out of all the drivers of all the cars in the UK. Were Morris Minor owners consulted? What about the 187 people (according to Autocar) that get around in an Ineos Grenadier 4×4? Answers on a postcard please, if you aren’t accosted by a hotheaded Hyundai driver on your way to get one…

From this mysterious sample of 1,000, the researchers also concluded that Gen-Z drivers (those born roughly between 1997-2012, who can also drive in this instance) are “the most nervous sharing the road with cyclists”, Newcastle residents are “the most friendly towards cyclists”, and 78% of drivers “feel confident they know the traffic rules that apply to cyclists” (there’s some stuff further down the page that contradicts this somewhat). 

Cycleplan also shares some advice that is a little more universal, reiterating the need for drivers to leave 1.5m of space when overtaking cyclists, and be patient and observant. 

“Our research highlights drivers’ perception of cyclists and how vulnerable they are on roads”, says Alan Thomas at Cycleplan. 

“Some drivers feel nervous sharing the road with cyclists; however, it’s encouraging to see that most have the knowledge to act responsibly. There is a need for better education and investment in cycling infrastructure to ensure the safety of drivers and cyclists on the roads.” 

 

 

 

 

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Tom Pidcock’s take on the 2025 Vuelta’s car park ceremony after bagging third place overall. In the comments, people are saying it’s “the best podium ever”, “heartwarming” and “making the best out of the situation” amongst other (almost all positive) things. 

Mężczyzna, który zwrócił uwagę kierowcy jadącemu pod prąd, został przez niego zaatakowany kijem bejsbolowym. W obronie własnej użył gazu pieprzowego, co powstrzymało napastnika.Szczecin
byu/pcc2048 injebacsamochody

We’ll warn you again that the video above contains very strong language and sensitive content

The driver of the red Porsche – who has a UK number plate – is accused by the cyclist of going the wrong way down a one-way street. A foul-mouthed argument ensues, before the driver appears again with a baseball bat at 1:55 into the clip. 

The cyclist points what looks like a pepper spray can towards the driver – who is now advancing towards him – and we see the driver holding his face at the end of the clip after the spray has been deployed. 

Pepper spray is legal to carry by anyone over the age of 18 without permission or registration in Poland, however owners who deploy the spray when faced with an imminent threat are expected to report the incident to the police. 

The incident reportedly happened in the city of Szczecin in northwest Poland. 

“People freak out about their metal boxes, and touching their car is like touching them personally”, said Kompot45 in the comments section on Reddit. 

We’re currently trying to find out more details, and will update this blog if we get them.