"Gone in fixie seconds": Opinion split over minimalist bike lock set-up... but is it actually that bad?; Tom Pidcock insists "training won't change" and talks of mental fatigue; Merida revenue up but profits down + more on the live blog

As first reported by London Centric, the e-bike firm Forest (originally called Human Forest) is understood to be under investigation by the ASA for its free 10-minute ride promotion... that it turns out isn't exactly completely free of charge. 

The bikes cost 29p per minute to use, but as a sweetener Forest claims to offer the first 10 minutes of your journey for free; however, you'll still need to pay an unlock fee and a £1.90 service fee. 

Human Forest told UK Tech News that the service and unlock fees are "well communicated" when users sign up, therefore it is implied that the free ten minutes applies to the £2.90 you'll save for your first 10 minutes of riding, rather than saving on those fees. 

Forest claimed in a September blog post that it had "sacrificed 11m" to offer the 'free' rides: “Our 10 free minutes of riding every day is a unique, unwavering and unmatched identifier of the Forest brand and our mission. It’s something we’ve offered riders since day one so we wanted to shout about how far we’ve come,” said Agustin Guilisasti, the CEO of Forest. 

So, can you claim something is free if you need to pay to access the free bit? We'll be following this case with interest and reporting back soon... 

Reading's mayor, a Labour councillor of 51 years, has called for a cycle lane project in the town to be seen through to improve "the respective safety of pedestrians and cyclists".

The Reading Chronicle reported how Tony Page told a council meeting there is "still considerable local support for the scheme" on Bath Road and Castle Hill, with £1.3m funding having been won by the council back in March 2022.

"As a resident of Castle Hill I can report that there is still considerable local support for this scheme, which was the subject of high-level and detailed public consultations some years ago," he told the meeting.

"Local residents along Bath Road and Castle Hill are facing daily challenges with often speeding cyclists using the pavements in a dangerous manner. The sooner the segregated cycle lanes are installed, the better it will be for the respective safety of pedestrians and cyclists."

In reply, a Labour councillor concerningly suggested they forecast having "insufficient funding for the full scheme as originally designed", with transport officers having consequently paused the tendering process to instead "put together a series of options which will be discussed with members before an agreed approach is taken".

Councillor Ennis said: "These predominantly relate to the signals on the Castle Hill roundabout, and the design option for cyclists and pedestrians to traverse through this junction. Once the updated design has been approved by members, officers will recommence the tendering process and aim to commence construction on this scheme next year."

Costa Rican cyclist Andrey Amador has retired from professional cycling. The 38-year-old shared a video on Instagram explaining the decision and it comes six months after he suffered fractures when his bike and leg were run over by a truck driver near Barcelona in May.

"It was not an easy decision. It wasn't planned, but in life and cycling, there are times when you have to listen to your body and where taking care of your health should be the priority," he explained.

Amador won a stage at the 2012 Giro d'Italia and enjoyed some of the best performances of his career at the Italian Grand Tour, finishing fourth on GC in 2015. He was also a loyal domestique and helped Nairo Quintana to Giro glory in 2014 and Richard Carapaz to the maglia rosa in 2019. 

Yep, that's the Tom Pidcock talking about Ineos Grenadiers klaxon going off again. Speaking to Rouleur, the 25-year-old committed to putting "a bit more mental energy towards specifically the road" next season, but insisted his training "won't change".

"It's not like I've been training this year on the mountain bike all the time, I just focused on it because it was the one race I wanted to win this year if I was going to pick any," he said.

"I have more potential on the road. What I said after the Olympics to my girlfriend was that I wanted to try and prove myself there."

Bringing an end to the topic of discussion, Pidcock reportedly gave a wry smile as he commented, "It's been other things fatiguing me mentally this year..." 

No prizes for guessing what those other things might be... Pidcock's future one of the most talked about topics in pro cycling during the latter stages of the season. Reports of tensions with the Ineos Grenadiers hierarchy came to a dramatic crescendo at the final Monument of the season Il Lombardia. On the eve of the race Pidcock was deselected by his team despite being "in great shape", cue weeks of speculation about whether he'd be leaving the team this winter.

Geraint Thomas weighed in on the situation, questioning the "people who are around Tom".

"I don't actually know what has gone on, but all I know is, when you're the highest-paid rider in your team, and it's obviously a really c**p situation," he said. "He's not happy, the team's not happy. How has it got to this point? I don't know.

"People who are around Tom, I don't think help. I don't know how… The fact is that he had a great chance of performing today [at Il Lombardia]. I saw that Zak had said it's a management call, it's not a performance call. I certainly don't know anything about that. We're just riders, eh? What do we know about management?

"It's just not good, is it? All the bull**** aside, he's a great talent. He's a good guy, when I'm around him we have a nice time, so it's not good to see that situation. We'll see what happens."

Not long after, an anonymous pro cyclist writing in the Belgian press claimed Tom Pidcock is "a bit of a loner" at Ineos Grenadiers and caused friction. The saga rolled into November, two-time British national champion Brian Smith dubbing Ineos "Team Circus" and sticking up for Steve Cummings (a rider he managed at MTN-Qhubeka back in the mid-2010s) who has left his DS role at Ineos.

"No real surprise to see Steve Cummings leave Team Ineos," Smith wrote. "Must be hard to do your job when gagged for most of the year. 

Turning to the Pidcock saga, Smith addressed the rumours linking the rider to the Q36.5 team: "Team Circus continues, after allowing your marquee rider to leave the team while willing to pay 20 per cent of his salary then doing a U-turn to keep him. Not sure this is over. Ivan Glasenberg has invested in Q36.5 and owns Pinarello. A match for Pidcock who was keen on the move.

"These decisions were helped by Team Circus pulling Pidcock from Lombardia. Why you may ask? Had the form, thought he could win but did not want to risk paying the high bonus."

Anyway, after all that Pidcock is still at Ineos Grenadiers and looks set to ride for the team in 2025... something tells me these aren't the last chapters that'll be written on the Tom P x Ineos epic...