Jason Donovan, Jeremy Vine, and the Amazing Close Passing Bus Driver; Déjà vu as Ineos and Jumbo-Visma involved in plans for new cycling breakaway league, reports suggest; Jan Ullrich launches aftershave and roll-on deodorant range + more on the live blog

Ah, I see my MP, the expenses-loving DUP politician Jim Shannon, is making great use of his parliamentary time by asking inane questions about cycling number plates and insurance…

> Minister for Transport Jesse Norman confirms government has no plans for cyclists to be registered and insured

Also, fact fans will be delighted to learn that bike number plate advocate Mr Shannon’s constituency boasts greenways and cycle paths so covered in leaves and debris that one local cyclist, covered recently on the live blog, has resorted to clearing the routes themselves in recent weeks.

Slightly different location this morning, a bit closer to home . This is a shared use path in Comber #reclaimthepath #AdoptACycleLane Once again neglected by the utterly useless AND Borough Council. Got about half of it done in the time I had. pic.twitter.com/iUZlGwHYKR

— Belfast Cyclist (@BelfastCyclist1) October 9, 2023

> Reclaim the Bike Path: Cyclist frustrated by neglected, leaf-covered bike paths takes matters into their own hands

Great to see I’m being properly represented at Westminster, it’s so heartening.

Jobs have been cut at British Cycling amid “lower than forecast sponsorship and rights fee income growth” and “declining membership” in the financial year when the governing body controversially announced an eight-year partnership with oil giant Shell.

A leaked draft of British Cycling’s annual report and financial statements for the year up to April 2023 showed 11 redundancies had been made out of approximately 250 employees, while membership had fallen by seven percent and there had been a £1.35 million loss in commercial income.

Read more: > Redundancies at British Cycling amid “declining membership”

It’s like 2009 all over again…

Hess Cycling, the formerly Luxembourg-based women’s team owned by Swiss private equity group owner Rolf Hess (hence the name), has applied for a British Continental licence for 2024, with the aim of taking to the start line of the following year’s Tour de France Femmes.

A British team aiming for success at the sport’s biggest race – where have we heard that before?

Not only does 68-year-old Hess want his eponymous team – which at the moment only contains one British rider, Alice Williams – to become the first UK-based squad in the Women’s World Tour, he also wants a team capable of “consistently” winning the Tour.

Which is where the big bucks come in. Hess’s team this year had a budget of £650,000, more than six times that of the other six British Continental women’s teams, and he hopes to build it to £4.3 million over the next five years.

“Today is the start of our journey to elevate Hess Cycling to become Britain’s leading professional women’s cycling team,” Hess, who lives in London and runs his business from the UK, said in a statement.

“Over the last 12 months we have worked to build the management team and commercial structures and we look forward to supporting the cycling community here in Britain and further afield.”

The team says it will release its full list of riders for 2024 next month, which will include “riders that currently compete at WorldTour level”, while also developing a “core focus” on emerging British talent, such as new signing, exciting 17-year-old prospect Holly Ramsey.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Hess Cycling Team (@hesscyclingteamofficial)

“Britain is a sporting nation,” Hess told the BBC this week. “It has always been a sporting nation, football, cricket, whatever. Britain has always been more open to gender equality compared to countries in the southern part of Europe.

“We didn’t buy a team – we are building a team,” he says, while adding that the team will encourage their riders to carry on with their studies, as long as they are active on social media promoting the squad as ‘influencers’.

He also pointed out that riders who, for example, help promote his group’s perfume company could be “given a chance to create her own product and she will be remunerated on a permanent basis, post career” (watch out, Jan).

“This is what I think we are saying which is unique until other teams start doing it, which I hope happens. I’m not prepared to be the owner of a team who does exactly same as all the others. You have to see that language, that signature, in the way we conduct the business.

“My time would be wasted unless we have a unique way of doing things.”

Bike and scooter sharing scheme Beryl is launching a campaign this week encouraging its users to continue travelling sustainably as we enter the colder temperatures and darker nights of the winter months.

According to Beryl’s Annual Rider Report, over 40 percent of all bike, e-bike, and e-scooter riders cited weather as a factor that affected their confidence.

To help reverse this trend – and keep their user numbers up, understandably – Beryl is launching their campaign this Sunday (when the clocks go back) which will “provide helpful advice and challenge common misconceptions about winter riding to try and prevent people from reverting to high emission modes of transport, such as private cars”.

Quizzes (with prizes), how-to sessions, and videos have been designed to ensure cyclists feel safer on the roads, that they can adapt to changing conditions, and boost their confidence.

Phil Ellis, Beryl CEO and co-founder, said: “This campaign is all about making winter cycling advice accessible, ensuring that existing riders are happy to maintain their sustainable transport habits and new ones can warm up to the idea of winter riding.

“We understand that people can be unsure about riding through the winter months, but there are some really simple tips that can help maintain the fun, flexibility, and convenience of shared sustainable transport.

“By helping people feel more comfortable and prepared, we can continue to contribute towards cutting congestion, reducing carbon emissions and keeping people active.”

A police force has warned that bike thieves may be following cyclists home to find out where they live, returning later to steal items, and asked riders to “consider taking different routes home”.

The warning comes from Avon and Somerset Police who said thieves in Bristol have a “modus operandi” that is “to possibly follow residents to find out where they live and return later to steal the items”.

Read more: > “Consider taking different routes home”: Police warning to cyclists after thieves follow riders to steal bikes later

Regularly haunted by my own hubris – tried to set my bf up on a playdate with my coworkers husband because they both “really like bikes.” Anyways, it turns out her husband was in the Tour De France

— C. E. Aubin (@ceaubin) October 25, 2023

Yes, I did spend far too much time trying to work out what Tour de France rider she could be talking about. And yes, I did succeed.

The RAC’s annual survey of motorists has been published, giving an insight into the behaviour and attitudes of those who drive on Britain’s roads, with thoughts on cycling infrastructure, cyclist behaviour, replacing vehicle journeys with bicycle miles, and last year’s Highway Code changes again featuring prominently.

It notes that in adapting to high fuel and electricity costs 20 percent of drivers have tried to replace vehicle trips with walking or cycling where possible. Elsewhere, more than half of drivers (53 percent) said they now generally walk or cycle short journeys, a similar figure to in 2022 (52 percent).

However, the survey nevertheless highlighted “how dependent drivers are on their vehicles”, with eight in ten saying they would struggle to adjust their lifestyle to being without a car.

Read more: > RAC Report on Motoring suggests 20% of drivers replacing vehicle journeys with cycling or walking

The rumours that emerged this morning concerning the 115th attempt this century to form a breakaway league and revolutionise pro cycling have certainly raised some eyebrows within the sport.

And it’s safe to say many onlookers aren’t impressed.

“Here we go again,” former UCI president Brian Cookson (who’s always good for a cutting Twitter thread) posted on social media today. “Plans to form a new league to channel some of the profits from race organisers into the teams…”

British Cycling’s former head honcho continued:

Outside of the three Grand Tours and a small handful of one day races, there are no profits from organising bike races. In fact, most races are struggling to cover their costs. Those companies that do make a profit, specifically ASO, aren’t going to share it with the teams, as previous attempts to reform pro road cycling have shown.

If ‘investors’ are to be brought in to make this happen, where is their ROI (Return On Investment) coming from, given that the profitable events won’t share and the other events have nothing to share?

Profits come ultimately from consumers paying to buy a commodity. The answer therefore is that, one way or another, those who want to ‘consume’ cycling, i.e. watch it on TV, online, or at the roadside, will have to pay more than they currently do. That’s you, the cycling fan.

If there’s another way of generating profit from cycling, I’d like to hear about it. Like many others, I’ve said all this before, of course.

Pro cycling’s absolute USP is that if you sponsor the team, it is named after you. Few other sports offer that. That’s why pro cycling has existed for decades in a reasonably effective and sustainable way. It’s a complex ecosystem, but it works.

And, yes, like all ecosystems, it’s fragile and needs to be protected. As others have said, if it’s to thrive, it needs a careful balance of all the component parts.

Meanwhile, retired pro Dan Martin – who raced for several years under the management of EF Education boss and historic proponent of breakaway leagues, Jonathan Vaughters – reckons a football-style breakaway league focused on the teams themselves is at odds with cycling’s history and culture, and would solely be a “short-term cash cow”.

(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)

“Another week another rumour in the cycling world! Now a new league?” Martin wrote.

“What makes cycling special is the history. Sure, the riders are the stars but stars change. So do the teams. Correct me if I’m wrong but fans are fans of the races, not the teams/riders.

“Without the major races and especially the Tour de France, a ‘breakaway league’ will not work. A short-term cash cow for a few teams. There’s no doubt that the cycling business model needs to change to create greater sustainability but the shareholders must work together.”

We know that cycling in the dark can be daunting…

That’s why we’re giving you our top cycling tips to make sure you have a safe and enjoyable experience when riding in low-light whether you’re a seasoned cyclist or just starting out ✨😉 pic.twitter.com/tSRNaVLmE5

— Brompton Bicycle (@BromptonBicycle) October 26, 2023

Much-loved children’s bike manufacturer Islabikes has announced it will cease sale and production after 18 years in business.

Founder Isla Rowntree, who stepped back from the day-to-day running of the company in 2021, thanked “our many loyal customers” and said it “is a wonderful thing” that so many cycling brands now produce good quality bikes for children.

Pointing out that the company remains solvent and has no outstanding creditors, remaining stock of current models can still be bought and there will be an ongoing supply of spare parts, with existing guarantees also to be honoured, the statement says.

Read more: > Children’s bike manufacturer Islabikes to cease production after 18 years

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – 1997 Tour de France winner and cult hero Jan Ullrich has really released his own line of aftershaves, roll-on deodorants, and hair and body wash products.

Yes, really.

Sold by German brand Bettina Barty, for just €13.95 you too can experience the “fresh and invigorating scent” of Jan Ullrich Sport (I’d also like to think Jan himself has a fresh, invigorating scent these days), through an aftershave that “carries the essence of cycling and the elegance of a champion”.

Meanwhile, the clean lines and minimalist design “underline the aesthetics and performance that Jan Ullrich embodies” – although I’m not sure that fairly standard blue box lives up the class and style exhibited by the German on the road to Arcalís back in ’97 if I’m honest.

In any case, put me down for 10 boxes, please…

As we edge ever closer to the depths of winter, there are a few things that inform our life routines, that set the rhythm of the year and the passing seasons: the temperatures drop, the nights draw in, the clocks change, Christmas advertisements start appearing at an alarming rate… Oh, and rumours emerge about a brand spanking new cycling breakaway league set to revolutionise the sport.

Yep, professional cycling’s second favourite pastime (the first being doping scandals, of course) is back in the news, with Reuters reporting that a number of big teams, including Jumbo-Visma and the Ineos Grenadiers, are exploring plans to form a new competitive league which, they say, “could reshape the sport’s landscape”, amalgamating new and existing races, and redistributing the profits and TV revenue from races back to the teams themselves.

(Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Pro cycling, a sport built on the often precarious grounds of external sponsorship, has had its fair share of ill-fated breakaway attempts and disputes between race organisers, teams, and governing bodies.

There was the Great ProTour War of the mid-2000s, Lance Armstrong’s bid to buy the Tour de France (that would have been something), Wouter Vandenhaute and CVC’s Cycling 2020 project in the late 2000s, the Rothschild-backed World Series Cycling league of the early 2010s, Velon and its underwhelming Hammer Series, Zdenek Bakala’s OneCycling project… I could go on.

But as Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes once said, this time it’s for real – maybe, if we believe the three sources, nothing is imminent, it could all disappear…

According to Reuters’ sources, external investors could help finance the project, which is currently holding early-stage talks with five teams, including Grand Tour clean sweepers Jumbo-Visma and Ineos (there is no confirmation yet as to whether Jonathan Vaughters, the self-appointed spokesperson of cycling’s need for financial and structural reform, and his EF Education team are involved).

Geraint Thomas in a different kind of breakaway at this year’s Vuelta (Luis Angel Gomez/SprintCyclingAgency)

Big Four accounting and consulting firm EY are also apparently seeking expressions of interest from potential investors – with former F1 owners CVC Partners reportedly sniffing around – and have set a deadline for indications this week.

However, one source did say that an agreement is not imminent and a deal may not proceed. Which is shocking, to say the least.

The sources also told Reuters that the project is a response to long-held concerns from teams that most of the profits from cycling’s biggest races go to their organisers, with teams forced to survive on their billboard-esque qualities (the recent seemingly never-ending merger debacle between Jumbo-Visma and Soudal Quick-Step a prime example of the sport’s fragile, but historic, economics).

Those in the know hope the project will follow in the footsteps of sports like golf and tennis, where rival investors pour in to challenge the older, established events. Well, they did say cycling was the new golf after all.

So, when can we expect this new breakaway league to come to fruition, and finally shake up a sport that so many for so long have been crying out is in desperate need of root-and-branch reform? Well, I wouldn’t be setting my watch by it, anyway…

You know the format is working well when you branch out and do a celebrity version:

Bloody hell. I just saw a bus nearly take out Jason Donovan. pic.twitter.com/cNn2AdKkgc

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) October 24, 2023

I’m hearing rumours Kylie and an angry taxi driver are going to be on the next episode.

Although I’m particularly looking forward to Harry Styles being forced to navigate his way around a bike lane-blocking bin lorry, just as James Corden gets told off by a pedestrian for cycling on the footpath. That’ll be social media gold…