“It’s easy to catch considerate cyclists”: £1,000 cycling fines councillor accused of “Daily Mail-style dislike of cyclists” and using town bike ban to “fulfil personal prejudices”; Royal Parks cycling code slammed after car crash + more on the live blog

> Edinburgh sees “statistically significant” shift towards cycling and walking plus reduced car use following introduction of low emission zone, finds study

Well, you could in 1938 anyway. I think I’ve just found Ned Boulting’s dream job…

I bet Kevin De Bruyne’s wife doesn’t have to put up with this…

#AlpecinDeceuninck #GiroDitalia #JensenPlowright

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— (Not the real) Alpecin-Deceuninck Cycling Team (@alpecindck.bsky.social) June 2, 2025 at 7:45 AM

> Campagnolo launches overhauled Super Record, the world’s first 2×13-speed, wireless road cycling groupset… and the iconic thumb shifter is back

Fans of talking heads and artificially constructed drama, get ready, because the third – and final – series of Netflix’s behind-the-scenes cycling documentary, Tour de France: Unchained, is set to be released in just under a month, the streaming giant confirmed this morning.

The series, which will chronicle last year’s race, dominated by Tadej Pogačar, will be available to stream on Netflix from 2 July, just three days before the 2025 edition starts in Lille.

(Why, oh why does it have to start so close to the following year’s race? Like I get it, they want to release it when the Tour is in the news, to maybe inspire people to watch the race itself. But it’s just so confusing!)

Anyway… the first trailer for the doc’s final lap is out now, featuring crashes, angry sports directors, fast cars, Mark Cavendish (naturally), and the hint of rivalry between Pogi and upstart Remco Evenepoel:

 

 

 

 

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Back in February, Netflix France confirmed that this year’s third series – which garnered “average” viewing figures during its first two outings – would be the last, the streaming platform admitting they had come “naturally to an end of this cycle” (pun probably intended).

“We’re very proud of the work we’ve done and of the public response to the documentary series, which has allowed us to offer a fresh take on this legendary competition. Netflix France will continue to explore new territories in the world of sport,” the company said.

The Colle delle Finestre has only featured five times at the Giro d’Italia, but it has swiftly acquired iconic status at the Italian grand tour, underlined by Simon Yates’ stunning, pink jersey-winning ride on the Alpine brute and its partially unpaved surface on Saturday.

And it looks like the Tour de France has been inspired by its three-week neighbour – at least judging by the state of the road surface on La Plagne this week.

This morning, Alberto Contador was being filmed testing out the 19km HC climb, the scene of Stephen Roche’s (and Phil Liggett’s) most famous moment back in ’87 and the last big test of this year’s Tour.

And during his ride, the Spanish grand tour winning machine came across some stones that, unlike on the upper slopes of the Finestre, probably aren’t scheduled to be on the Tour route come stage 19 next month:

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Alberto Contador (@acontadoroficial)

“Look at the surface! Work in progress for the Tour de France,” Contador wrote on Instagram, after putting his drifting skills to good use on a corner – earning himself a reprimand from trye sponsors Vittoria, who urged us mere mortals “don’t try this at home!”

Irish Customs Authorities have announced the seizure of over 4,000 e-bikes, a handful of e-scooters, and bike parts and accessories estimated to be worth €4.5 million, which were illegally imported into the European Union, following targeted searches at two different warehouses.

Read more: > Irish Customs seize 4,000 e-bikes in suspected international smuggling operation worth €4.5 million

On Your Bike, a charity based in Wellington, Somerset that refurbishes old and unwanted bikes to give to new homes, says it has been shocked by the enthusiasm for the scheme, after “underestimating how much we were needed”.

Founded in 2010, On Your Bike aims to support those who have suffered social exclusion, those suffering with physical disabilities and mental health problems and disorders, ex-service personnel, ex-offenders, homeless people, and the long term unemployed by training them to refurbish unwanted bikes, giving them “new skills, confidence, self-worth, and a desire to be a proactive part of our community”.

The charity was awarded a £2,600 grant by Wellington Town Council in January to run bike maintenance workshops at local schools, and last month they used the funds to take over the pop-up shop in the town centre to carry out repairs on locals’ bikes – and they weren’t slow in taking advantage of the service.

“We looked at 153 during the week at the Pop-Up Shop and that doesn’t include the bikes that were far too gone – those that could not be saved,” On Your Bike’s Duncan Bawler told the Wellington Weekly News.

“The need in Wellington for our services was far more than what we were expecting. We underestimated massively how much we were needed. The Pop-Up Shop was hectic, but it was really good – it was wonderful.”

Bawler added that “we live in a beautiful part of the country” and “it’s if On Your Bike helps to encourage people to get out and about on two wheels to experience the surroundings”.

Yep, it’s been a while (two whole days in fact), but there was some bike racing on the TV this afternoon. Hurrah!

At the Tour of Slovenia, Dylan Groenewegen continued his recent uptick in form with a powerful sprint in Škofljica, securing his second win of a season that looks like it is stuttering into life just in time for the Tour de France.

After a perfect lead-out by his Jayco-AlUla teammates, the Dutch champion then jumped onto the UAE train before surging clear with just under 200m to go.

 

 

 

 

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Despite launching first, the 31-year-old’s victory in the end was fairly comfortable, holding off Phil Bauhaus and Manuel Peñalver by over a bike length for his sixth career victory at the Tour of Slovenia, a race he’s made his own in recent years, and building on his first win of the season at the Tour of Hungary last month.

“The best position was in the wheel of Max [Walscheid], but these long straights into the last two corners were really important to have a good position,” Groenewegen said at the finish.

“We were fighting a bit with UAE. Max took the perfect corner, but I was a little bit in between the UAE guys, so they let a gap go in the last corner. I went to the wheel, continued my sprint, and luckily it was enough.

“It was not my best day on the bike, because I was a bit sick three days ago, but I recovered well, and I think it will be better every day now. I’m really happy with how we did as the team, and really happy with the victory.”

Tom Pidcock has admitted that the Giro d’Italia, where he failed to win a stage and finished 16th overall, despite hopes of cracking the top 10 at a grand tour for the first time, was a “reality check”.

However, the Q36.5 leader insists that, despite a few “frustrating” moments during a challenging three weeks in Italy, the Giro was “definitely the best grand tour I’ve ever ridden in terms of how I feel”.

Despite his stunning win atop Alpe d’Huez at his debut Tour de France in 2022, fuelling speculation that he represented Britain’s next great grand tour hope, Pidcock’s best overall result at a three-week race remains his 13th at the 2023 Tour.

But after a superb start to life in Q36.5 colours following his much-discussed winter transfer from the Ineos Grenadiers, Pidcock entered the Giro with lofty ambitions, including finishing in the top 10 on GC in Rome.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

Things never quite clicked for the double Olympic mountain bike champion on the roads of Italy, however, as he failed to convert three top five placings into a stage win, while troubles on the race’s decisive climbs in the Alps saw him drop to 16th on GC, almost 45 minutes down on winner Simon Yates.

“We came in pretty ambitious, and we got a bit of a reality check, I think,” the Yorkshireman told the Independent.

“We came here knowing that it was going to be challenging but also we wanted to come out better. We didn’t achieve that stage win or that top 10 on GC, but I think for a first attempt, it’s not the end of the world.

“It’s definitely the best grand tour I’ve ever ridden in terms of how I feel on the last day. The idea was we’d race to win every day, or every day that suited me, and do the best GC I could.”

Pidcock admits a few of his stage near misses were “ a bit frustrating”, while revealing that he was “pretty pissed off” when his radio broke on stage 20, meaning that he was unaware that the breakaway had gone up the road.

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

The day that suited the 25-year-old best on paper was, naturally, stage nine to Siena, where he won Strade Bianche in 2023 and finished second to Tadej Pogačar at this year’s race. However, ill-timed punctures and crashes meant Pidcock was never really able to contest for the win on his favoured gravel roads, finishing 15th on the stage.

“[It] was probably my biggest chance and I had a lot of bad luck that day, but the team rode incredible and they held their own, and they can be proud of that,” he said.

“I think we gained a lot of respect in the first part of the year from the World Tour teams, in the way we ride. That’s where we need to continue building.”

Reflecting on his first grand tour experience as a sole leader – unlike during his time at Ineos, where he was often back-up to more established GC options – Pidcock said: “There’s been just me, and everyone there to support me.

“In Ineos there was always someone who was better at GC, or who was actually [committed to it] and I was there like, ‘Ah, see what you can do’. Then it’s half-hearted. When it’s that bad day and you have to dig deep it’s like, ‘it’s OK, because we still have this [other] guy’. Whereas now it’s all on me.

“But in the Giro the last week, where we’re just kind of hanging on, it’s difficult to still be the guy with that responsibility, because you’re not doing that well and you still have to keep everyone together. I feel pressure, but I did my best.”

Zac Williams/SWpix.com

And will Pidcock, as expected, head to the Vuelta with GC aspirations in mind after his test run in Italy?

“Here I had a certain level which was just a bit below the top 10 GC guys,” he says. “I got three weeks in my legs but I don’t want to spend energy every day for that; if I want to do GC I really want to be in the mix and want to win stages on the super hard days, which I think I can.

“But I want to sit down and really chat with the team and see where the gaps are.”

> High Court orders Labour council to scrap “unlawful” low traffic neighbourhood as anti-LTN campaigners hail landmark ruling as “wake-up call to councils everywhere”

Transport for London (TfL) and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham have confirmed that construction work will begin later this month on the second section of Cycleway 34, between Wood Lane and Shepherds Bush Green, adding another 1.7km to the capital’s cycling network.

This new section will include fully protected two-way cycle lanes, new or improved pedestrian crossings, and a new bus priority lane. The cycleway will also directly serve the Wood Lane and White City tube stations, “providing better connections for thousands of Londoners”.

According to TfL, over 1,800 cyclists who already use Wood Lane will “directly benefit” from the improvements, while a consultation on the proposals found that 87 per cent of respondents believed more people would cycle as a result.

TfL says the work will be carried out in phases from 23 June 2025 into late 2026 to minimise any potential impact on the road network.

“It is exciting that work will be starting soon to expand the second section of Cycleway 34, adding another 1.7km to the cycleway network,” London’s walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman said today.

“This expansion of Cycleway 34 will provide even better connections between communities and destinations across our city, enabling more Londoners to choose cycling for shorter trips and helping us build a better, greener and safer London for everyone.”

> Cyclists told to slow down in London parks as new cycling code of conduct launched – after 86% of Londoners said 20mph speed limits should apply to bikes

But hey, at least The Royal Parks’ new ‘considerate cycling campaign’ – telling those pesky cyclists to respect the park environment, “control their speed”, and “know the rules” – will “enhance safety and improve the park experience for all visitors”, right? Right?

In any case, I’m really looking forward to the charity’s survey on attitudes towards driving in the parks. Surely, it’s coming soon?

The Colchester Cycling Campaign’s bid to reform how people riding bikes in town centres are treated isn’t just confined to Grimsby, despite the town’s status as the UK’s mecca for cycling fines.

In a letter sent to four House of Lords peers and the Colchester area’s MPs, the campaign’s vice-secretary urged politicians to “consider the Colchester experience” when debating the government’s Crime and Policing Bill – which could lead to cyclists being handed on-the-spot £500 fines for riding in pedestrian zones or on footpaths.

According to Labour’s bill, branded “one of the biggest legislative updates to policing for decades”, Fixed Penalty Notices handed out for breaching PSPOs could be set to rise from £100 to £500 under the new package of laws.

Labour says the bill, which was introduced in the House of Commons in February and has passed through committee stage, is “central to the government’s Plan for Change and Safer Streets mission”, and aims to crack down on anti-social behaviour, shop theft, and street crime, including giving police officers more power to search for stolen mobile phones.

> Cyclists could face on-the-spot £500 fines for riding in pedestrian zones under new bill – but campaigners slam “meaningless rhetoric” and ask: “How is this justice?”

Clause four of the bill, however, includes an amendment to the Police Reform Act 2002, which will enable police officers or authorised officials to issue fixed penalty notices “in respect of offences relating to public space protection orders” of £500, replacing the current £100 ceiling for on-the-spot PSPO fines.

This proposed change was criticised by the Manifesto Club, a campaign group opposing “the hyper-regulation of public spaces”, who pointed to the fine dished out to the “stick it up your arse” 82-year-old cyclist from Grimsby as evidence of the absurdity of the bill’s attempt to challenge “anti-social behaviour”.

“He was fined £100 for breaking the PSPO. Now under the Crime and Policing Bill, he would be fined £500. How is this justice?” the group asked.

> “If you don’t want cycling on footpaths, support bike lanes and 20mph zones”: Town centre cycling bans and the fight against “cowboy” wardens

And in his letter to his local peers and MPs, Bramhill argued that the need to ensure that PSPOs are implemented fairly has become “more pertinent” with the increased £500 fines now on the horizon.

“In May last year ‘fines for profit’ wardens indirectly employed by the city council issued a sheaf of fixed penalty notices (FPNs) to cyclists that they believed were in breach of the law,” Bramhill said in his letter.

“As the secretary of Colchester Cycling Campaign, I had seven complaints from ‘fined’ riders. It turned out that one of these cyclists was on a cycleway, three were on roads where cycling is legally allowed, one was passing through bollards where there is no restriction on cyclists, and two were riding on the footway next to a busy roundabout but with consideration for pedestrians (which falls inside the scope of the Boateng ruling).

“The campaign raised the matter with the council. An apology was given and the penalties rescinded. The city agreed to move to a system of ‘behaviour not location’, where cyclists would only be given an FPN if their riding was inconsiderate to other people (the definition of anti-social).

“Colchester Council is to be commended for the speed and thoroughness with which it dealt with the issue.”

Noting that the Colchester “episode” raised various issues that affect cyclists as well as other people who could be found to have breached a PSPO, Will continued:

Cyclists elsewhere: Many riders are being given fixed penalty notices when they are riding considerately. In the case of Grimsby, many hundreds of fines have been issued. While cyclists are in breach of a ‘no cycling’ order, they could be riding considerately on their way from A to B by the shortest route and avoiding a fast or busy road – or merely riding to the shops.

Paradoxically it is ‘easy to catch’ considerate cyclists who are fined; the speedy or aggressive anti-social ones go scot-free. The Boateng principle should apply to all penalties issued to cyclists regardless of location.

We would urge that all towns and cities are asked to follow Colchester’s example of ‘behaviour not location’.

There is no appeal against a ‘fine’: The only way that the case of a ‘fined’ person can be heard is for them not to pay the penalty. The council will then go to civil court over nonpayment, where the person given the penalty can finally argue their case. At that stage however the sum involved might be several times what it was originally.

With the Bill increasing fines to £500, this matter becomes especially pertinent.

The wardens work for a third party: The Colchester wardens are employed by a company called Waste Investigations Support & Enforcement (Wise) which offers its services free of charge to councils, most likely in return for a share of the penalties issued (the campaign has an appeal with the Information Commissioner’s Office asking to see the contract between Wise and Colchester).

There is also a question mark over the people employed. Wise wardens work for near-enough minimum wage and the stresses of the job means there is a constant turnover in personnel, which raises concerns over consistency/training.

We request a review into this way of working and an end to the current third-party practice.

Multi-tier policing: There is public confusion over how many types of law/rule enforcement exist. In Colchester you can be stopped by officers from the National Crime Agency, four police forces, police community support officers, and two types of wardens. This dilutes the aims of the Peelian principles and invariably affects the public’s respect for law enforcement. 

‘Two-tier policing; was questioned at a Colchester council meeting and Chief Inspector Michelle Sparks, the district commander, said: “You’re absolute right, we shouldn’t have two-tier policing, and it is something that I would very much argue against.” This is obviously a wider matter but I raise it for your consideration.

Finally, I would stress the campaign’s support for Part 10 of the bill with regard to police searches for electronically tracked stolen goods. Given the current level of cycle theft this is a commonsense move.

Let’s just hope they get back to him quicker than Ron in Grimsby…

It’s fair to say that, over the last few years, Grimsby has earned itself a bit of a reputation in the cycling world.

Back in 2019, the Lincolnshire port town became one of a number of areas across the UK to impose a cycling ban in pedestrianised zones and shopping streets, using what they call a Public Space Protection Order (or PSPO to me and you), which the council claims was introduced to deal with nuisance, anti-social, and dangerous behaviour on Victoria Street and along Cleethorpes seafront.

However, the PSPO’s focus on cycling, and the use of externally contracted “enforcement officers” (instead of council staff), has resulted in a long-running saga in the town – and on road.cc’s news pages – with hundreds of cyclists fined at £100 a pop and the council accused of targeting “old and slow” cyclists using their bikes to get into town and visit the shops, while ignoring youths “racing up and down”.

> Cyclist fined £1,224 for riding bike in town centre – as councillor claims cycling ban isn’t “simply way to make money”

Most famously, in October 2022, a pensioner made headlines after telling the council to stick its £100 fine “up your arse”, while several cyclists have been fined over £1,000 in court for riding their bikes in the Victoria Street pedestrian zone after refusing to pay the initial penalty.

Local cycling campaigners have long criticised the ban, arguing that it simply discourages people cycling into town, while also failing to deter the sort of anti-social behaviour it ostensibly sets out to combat.

However, according to councillor Ron Shepherd, North East Lincolnshire Council’s portfolio holder for communities, Grimsby’s decision to ban cyclists from riding through its main shopping street has “rejuvenated” the town centre with “café and street culture”.

Shepherd was also responsible for introducing a ‘no cycling’ loudspeaker message on Victoria Street, which was played every 15 minutes before being quickly cut down to two messages an hour, after drawing comparisons to George Orwell’s dystopian classic 1984.

And last month, he described a £1,224 fine handed out to a cyclist found guilty last month of breaching the cycling PSPO as “a lesson to those who think they can flaunt the rules”, while insisting the orders “aren’t simply ways for the council to make money”.

> Controversial cycling ban that saw cyclist ordered to pay £1,150 has “rejuvenated” town centre, claims councillor behind it… just days after ‘no cycling’ speaker message cut to twice an hour because “it was too repetitive”

So, it’s perhaps no surprise that cycling campaigners from elsewhere in the UK, who have been impacted by their own town’s PSPO, have attempted to get in touch with councillor Shepherd about his, ahem, unique approach to tackling “anti-social” cycling.

At the start of May, when news of Grimsby’s latest hefty cycling fine emerged, Shepherd was contacted by Will Bramhill, the vice-secretary of the Colchester Cycling Campaign.

Last year, you may remember, Will and his fellow campaigners were at the centre of another PSPO-related storm, after externally contracted wardens belonging to WISE – the same company responsible for enforcing Grimsby’s PSPO – were accused of “running amok” and unfairly targeting people on bikes.

The campaign received several complaints from local cyclists, one of whom was mistakenly issued a £100 fine while riding on a shared-use path where cycling is actually permitted, while others were threatened with a £1,000 penalty if they appealed the fine, and one elderly female cyclist was told that she wasn’t allowed to use a city centre road because she doesn’t pay “road tax”.

Following these complaints, Colchester City Council brought a temporary halt to the fines in June, and apologised and agreed to waive all penalties mistakenly issued to cyclists falsely accused of breaching the PSPO.

> Fines issued to pavement cyclists will be based on “behaviour, not location” says council, in town where female cyclist was fined £100 for riding on cycle path and others threatened with £1,000 penalties by “cowboy wardens”

And in November, the local authority announced that the future implementation of its cycling PSPO will be based on an “education first” model, and that fines will be issued based on “behaviour, not location”, focusing purely on “egregious cycling that causes alarm and distress” – and not “responsible” cyclists riding with consideration in banned areas.

Which sounds pretty good, right? Well, the Colchester Cycling Campaign’s Will Bramhill certainly thinks so, as he’s spent the last few months working to ensure that the rest of the UK’s local authorities learn from Colchester’s PSPO experience – even Grimsby.

In early May, Will copied Shepherd into a letter he sent to four members of the House of Lords, in response to plans to increase PSPO fines to £500 as part of the proposed Crime and Policing Bill, and offered some advice to the Grimsby councillor to help make his anti-social behaviour order work for both pedestrians and cyclists in the town.

“I realise you have issues in Grimsby with cyclists and cycling penalties – as we did in Colchester – so I hope my email is of interest,” Bramhill wrote to Shepherd, offering to “act as a critical friend if you want to work towards a solution”.

“Your town appears to be in a cleft stick with regard to such fines. You will see that Colchester now operates a system of ‘behaviour not location’, which is the idea of Cllr David King, the leader of the city council.

“Such a policy means that cyclists whose standard of riding is not anti-social are not penalised. It is, after all, the anti-social cyclists who cause most problems. They also give all cyclists a bad name.”

> “You get less for shoplifting”: Cyclist’s £1,224 fine for riding on pedestrian street sparks questions about order’s dodgy wording and claims ban “targets cycling, not anti-social behaviour” – but drivers say clampdown is “about time”

However, a full month on from their attempt to reach out across the PSPO divide (via email), both Will and Colchester council leader King are still waiting on a reply from Shepherd.

“The Colchester approach has been exemplary in its speed and application, and it is fair,” Bramhill told road.cc this week.

“Adopting a similar system could have given Mr Shepherd a way to avoid the accusation that he is anti-cycling.

“As it is, I think we have to assume that he dislikes cyclists per se in a Daily Mail way and is misapplying the anti-social behaviour legislation (the clue is in the name) to fulfil his personal prejudices. That gives my letter to the peers an even greater credence.”

We contacted councillor Shepherd for comment on Tuesday evening. He replied within 19 minutes, telling us to speak to the council’s communications officer instead.