Traffic-calming speed bumps don't go down well with locals... who claim road safety measure could ruin brass band contest and "make a total mess of the historic high street"; Insane crash save at Tour of Britain + more on the live blog

A grim day out at the Tour of Britain today, the peloton getting welcomed to the late British summer in the most appropriate way — rain and a gale. Get the long sleeves and arm warmers back on, chaps, you're not in France/Spain/Italy/*insert warm country here* anymore.

Stevie Williams, from Aberystwyth, will be more than used to these conditions, and took his second stage win in a row, sprinting to victory on a punchy finish in Barnsley.

The victory all but secures his overall victory too. Perhaps slightly premature on our part, with the six-stage race only just at its halfway point, but all three stages remaining should be sprints and there are only two more categorised climbs left as the race heads to England's flatter parts. Let's just say that Williams would be devastated to lose his 16-second advantage from here.

Garmin might have raised a few eyebrows with the price of its new flagship GPS bike computer, but at least we can be sure the bell function works as promised. Look out for our full review landing on the site this weekend. 

🌪 It's blowing a gale and kicking off!

Soudal Quick-Step split the race in the crosswinds and race leader Stevie Williams is under pressure!

Follow the race with our live text coverage: https://t.co/FGavw1vtXy#TourOfBritain | @LloydsBank pic.twitter.com/6Ybkl4hYh0

— Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain (@TourofBritain) September 5, 2024

60km to go and frantic action everywhere as riders attack, are brought back, someone else goes etc. etc. someone will win this stage. Not sure anyone knows who that'll be though...

There are similar scenes in Spain at La Vuelta where a 43-strong break has gone up the road on what is expected to be a day for the escapees. Let's see how the next few hours plays out.

It's 20 years since Rapha launched with its Kings of Pain exhibition at the Truman Brewery. 20 years?! I know... 

To mark the milestone the brand is returning to the Brick Lane venue for Past Forward: The Exhibition from 14 to 22 September, to "look at the moments and ideas that defined Rapha, and looking forward to what the future of cycling could hold".

There'll also be a pop-up shop featuring limited edition Rapha20 products, as well as a series of other rides and events throughout the week, so be sure to check out the full schedule on Rapha's website where free tickets can be booked.

"As well as celebrating the innovation and disruption of the last two decades, the exhibition will cast an eye into the future, and explore how cycling will continue to change lives, transform cities and be a radical force for social and environmental progress," the brand says.

"Continuing Rapha's long history of working with top talent in the creative industries, the brand has enlisted a roster of design studios and artists to bring the dynamic world of cycling to life in unexpected ways."

20 years of Rapha eh? Time flies... favourite bits of kit from the past two decades?

Former Juventus and Real Madrid defender Fabio Cannavaro, the Azzurri legend who captained his nation to World Cup glory in 2006 and became only the third defender in history to win the Ballon d'Or that same year, keeps fit on the bike post-retirement, his Strava page showing his enviable post-football life riding in Naples and Ibiza.

> Footballers who cycle XI — the Premier League stars who love life on two wheels

This Trek Madone in Lidl-Trek team colours is his latest steed, Cannavaro taking it for a spin this morning...

Are you wanting to race on Zwift, and looking for a team? We're hoping to put one together for the Winter season. There's almost certainly going to be a team of ordinary choppers in the C category, as that's what many of us are! But if you're interested in another category of racing, stick your name in the form and we'll see where we are...

Oh and for all the latest on what's new for this season, check out Dave's feature on all the things you need to know about the virtual-riding platform as it turns 10.

We'd love to see poor Callum Ormiston's heart rate when this happened...(video will go straight to the incident, don't worry, no need to skip through highlights of the bunch rolling out of Darlington and forming a breakaway)...

The Global 6 United rider uploaded his opening day ride to Strava, but not this one, we'll be back later on to see if that heart rate data's available, Callum. Anyway, not an ideal situation when flying down a North Yorkshire descent — getting too close to your teammate in front, clipping his rear wheel, sending you jolting off to the side with both wheels off the ground for a brief moment. 

Thankfully for Ormiston and Ineos Grenadiers rider Connor Swift behind (seen giving a disapproving shake of the head at the South African rider's descending antics), he managed to keep it upright. Regardless, Ormiston did not make it to the finish, abandoning during the stage, presumably in a much better state than had he not pulled off the quite incredible save earlier in the day.

Global 6's head sports director, who's not at the race due to Covid, got in blog comments and explained he "spoke to Callum last night" and wanted to highlight that "if you watch the video, the British Cycling car is in the peloton, it dabs its brakes and everyone else starts to dab on". 

"Callum was coming back with more speed than the peloton, so had to scrub off quickly, leading his rear wheel to lock up. That is the puff of smoke you see. Thankfully our tyres this season are excellent with grip (Hutchinson Blackbirds) and he was able to regain control. His heart rate won't indicate much as he was forced to retire from the race, due to his heart rate being erratic, spiking to over 200 at one point while making minimal effort. We think he's ill."

Get well soon Callum and sports director!

Less fortunate were the Uno-X rider, mechanic and Israel-PremierTech pro involved in this grimace-inducing incident later in the day...

O que poderia dar de errado nessa troca de roda?#TourOfBritain pic.twitter.com/XlxlI2CRw2

— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) September 4, 2024

Elsewhere in the bits that might have been missed during yesterday's frantic stage, this did make us chuckle...

 Yes, we get the ads are sold months in advance and are just the usual fare for ITV's afternoon audience, but that's little consolation when your Tour de France or Tour of Britain viewing is interrupted by yet another appeal for you to donate money to a donkey charity or go on "an over 60s death march cruise"... as Mark so eloquently puts it...