Cyclist seeks “emotional support” after carbon rim explodes on rear-mounted car rack; “There were boos from the French fans”: Pro rider says he has “inside information” that Tadej Pogačar “didn’t want to win” Tour de France stage + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Almost like they don’t care about safety. They just hate cyclists”: Driver crashes into railings while cutting into bus lane
A last-second lunge for the bus lane didn’t go quite as planned for this driver, who ended up smashing the side of their car into the railings and wedging it against the fence…
Anti-#cycling accounts demand social justice about floating bus stops like on #Cycleway4
But ask how a 10 yr old is meant to get to school without dodging drivers like this in bus lanes and suddenly, silence
Almost like they don’t care about safety
They just hate cyclists. pic.twitter.com/7iGAvAX1QH
— Greg N (@n00dles71) August 5, 2025
Cyclist Greg N, who shared the footage, said: “They smashed the side of their car into the fence trying to cut into the bus lane at the last minute. Anti-cycling accounts demand ‘social justice’ about floating bus stops like on Cycleway 4. But ask how a ten-year-old is supposed to get to school without dodging drivers like this in bus lanes, and suddenly… silence. Almost like they don’t care about safety. They just hate cyclists.”
“I thought my family was in danger”: Dog walker denies pushing female cyclist into canal and claims she was riding at a “ridiculous speed” and “clipped me with her handlebars”
“Apparently, there were boos from the French fans”: Michael Storer says he has “inside information” that Tadej Pogačar “didn’t want to win” Tour de France stage 14 to keep crowd on side
In a new twist to one of the more curious stages of this year’s Tour de France, Australian rider Michael Storer has claimed that Tadej Pogačar deliberately backed off from taking the stage 14 win at Superbagnères — not because he lacked the legs, but because he and his team wanted to keep the French crowd onside.
Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Storer said: “Only Thymen could beat Tadej that day. But it’s strange, because I have inside information that there was definitely a day when Tadej didn’t want to win the stage.”
He was referring to Arensman’s victory at Superbagnères, where the Visma-Lease a Bike rider attacked from the breakaway and won solo, while UAE Team Emirates-XRG had appeared to set things up for Pogačar behind — before unexpectedly backing off.
Storer said: “I find it strange that you let your team go flat out all day and then decide on the final climb not to win. The other time he might not have had the legs, but on that one stage he told his teammates that he didn’t want to go for it after all.”
As for the reason? “Apparently, there were boos from the French fans,” Storer said. “The team then decided it was better for Tadej not to win, to keep the French on their side. They also took that into account in the final week: they didn’t want to win everything.”
By that point in the race, Pogačar had already taken multiple stages and looked dominant in yellow. But stage 14 stood out, not just for Arensman’s win, but for how UAE worked all day only to vanish from the front. If Storer is right, the plan wasn’t to drop everyone, but to hold back just enough to keep everyone happy.
This is perhaps even more interesting in light of the fact that there were questions about UAE Team Emirates’ dominance, and at times, confrontational approach at the Tour.
During the second week of the race, UAE’s Nils Politt was accused of “bullying” after angrily shouting at Movistar’s Iván Romeo and others trying to get into the breakaway while Pogačar was stopped for a natural break. French national coach Thomas Voeckler, reporting from the moto for France TV, called it “detestable” and accused UAE’s domestiques of laying down the law simply because they were stronger.
“There’s no worse attitude, in an arrogant way,” Voeckler said. “It’s often the domestiques, not the leaders, who show up like that… I can’t stand riders who try to lay down the law, under the pretext that they are stronger or in big teams.”
Meanwhile, Jean-René Bernaudeau, manager of TotalEnergies, accused the team of trying to “crush the little boys”, adding: “Pogačar can’t be blamed… but the domestiques are arrogant towards those who just want to live simply alongside them.”
Pogačar responded to all of this at the end of stage 17. “I mean, arrogance is one thing, trying to win the Tour de France is another thing,” he said. “We don’t try to be arrogant, we just try to make our race as easy as possible. I think – and this will sound super arrogant – but some guys can stay quiet.”
So, could it be true that their team was so strong that they could, at their whim, decide when to win, and when not to? Would a pro cycling team’s delicate PR tightrope outweigh a Tour stage win? In the year 2025? We can never know…
Wout van Aert set to skip world championship race in Rwanda, as Belgian says he needs “variety” after a packed 2025 calendar
After a busy campaign that stretched from February to July, Wout van Aert has confirmed he will skip both the European and World Championships, ending his 2025 season next month with a run of late-summer races.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider will return to competition at the Deutschland Tour on August 20, before taking on the Bretagne Classic, the GP de Québec and GP de Montréal, and finally calling time on his season at the Super 8 Classic in Belgium on September 20.
Van Aert said: “It’s important to still set some goals for the last part of the season. But after such a packed year, it’s crucial not to overdo it. That’s why we’ve decided to skip both the World Championships and European Championships.”
The 30-year-old has had one of the busiest calendars of any rider this year, starting early in Spain, riding a full Spring Classics campaign, and lining up for both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. He took a stage win in each Grand Tour, helping Simon Yates secure the pink jersey in May, and ending his Tour with a now-iconic solo victory on the Champs-Élysées — launched by dropping Tadej Pogačar on the cobbles of Montmartre.
He added: “It’s been a great year, with major goals coming in quick succession. As in most years, the Spring Classics and the Tour de France were my main objectives. I’m also happy that I finally got to experience the Giro d’Italia. That variety – the same reason I rode the Vuelta a España for the first time last year – is something I need and find very motivating.”
Currently ranked fourth in the UCI standings, Van Aert will bow out of the season on home roads rather than chase more rainbow stripes, and leave Remco Evenepoel and the Belgian national team to go it alone in Rwanda.
‘Give cycles 1.5m space’ road sign prompts meltdown from local drivers – as bike shop owner claims cyclists are all being “tarred with the same brush”
“Would love ITV to do a ‘how many cars break the 20mph speed limit’ story”: Cyclists label report showing 200 riders jumping red light in an hour as “ridiculous”, but others claim “no excuse for not stopping at red”
The red light discourse refuses to die. After we reported yesterday on an ITV News segment showing 200 cyclists jumping a red at Blackfriars in just one hour, and campaigners subsequently saying that it actually highlights deeper flaws in junction design and traffic light phasing — the reaction has been… about what you’d expect.
road.cc reader kinderje asked: “And how many cars drivers went through on Amber or Red? Or was that not the story they wanted?” while espressodan pointed to the bigger picture: “200 cyclists ride through a red light in an hour at rush hour and the only consequences is a decisive news story. That should tell people everything they need to know about that red light.”
HoarseMann added: “This is an excellent bit of journalism by ITV! They stood there for an hour and found that 200 out of 293 cyclists rode through a red light, yet there were no incidents recorded at all. More proof that cycling carefully through a red light (such as is permitted in parts of France and the USA) could work well here in the UK… Great work guys!”
Boopop argued that the junction at Blackfriars is “one of the most ridiculous red lights for cyclists in London,” noting that riders turning left only cross a pedestrian-controlled crossing and merge into another cycle lane — never entering motor traffic. “In the dead of night, it must feel absolutely insane to have to wait there,” they wrote, adding that in parts of France and the US, cyclists are allowed to proceed through reds in specific directions, and the UK should follow suit.
On Facebook, Graham Snook wrote: “No one should be jumping red lights. It would not, however, have been too difficult to find the number of injuries caused by red light jumping vehicles in London and see which group of road users is the greatest threat to pedestrian safety. Hint: it ain’t cyclists.”
Sean Evans added: “Would love ITV to do a ‘how many cars break the 20mph speed limit’ episode. All you gotta do to stop red light jumping cyclists is make it legal to go through em when turning left and make them advisory for cyclists under the condition that they must always give way to pedestrians.”
Ian Hayes said: “It’s all about consequences, a bike goes through red light, very unlikely to cause an injury, a car does the same and hits someone: death or serious injury.” One unnamed Facebook user said: “Cyclists don’t trigger the light, what do you expect them just to sit there for an hour until a car comes along and triggers the light??”
However, there were others who argued be an exception shouldn’t be made for cyclists, with Rob Bellingham writing: “There is no excuse for anyone jumping red lights. Claiming others do is typical of these threads but completely irrelevant.”
And over on Twitter/X, self-described “anti-LTN” account Fidel_UK posted our story with just six words: “You couldn’t make it up!”
The debate over cyclists and red lights isn’t new, and this week’s reaction echoes previous stories about faulty or poorly phased signals. In July, a rider stuck at a red on Cycleway 1 in Hackney filmed the light staying red for nearly five minutes — prompting a wave of online comments, most of which, predictably, targeted other cyclists rather than the people responsible for fixing the lights.
And just weeks earlier, YouTube driving instructor Ashley Neal — a frequent commentator on road safety — posted a video of himself waiting more than two minutes at a junction after the signal sensors failed to detect him on a bike. “This is proof that the sensors in some traffic lights ignore cyclists,” he said, later adding: “If people try to understand why cyclists do sometimes have to jump red lights, it’s because of these things.”
Guess who’s back on the road?
With Tadej Pogačar’s “body telling him to rest”, ruling the Grand Tour winning machine out of the way, it’s clear who’s the favourite for maillot rojo at La Vuelta. The question is, will the stacked roster of UAE Team Emirates, with João Almeida and Juan Ayuso as co-leaders, be able to stop Jonas Vingegaard?
Jonas is now back on the road.
Almost two weeks to La Vuelta! 🔴🎥 timheemskerk76 on IG stories pic.twitter.com/SaoE4sWxYT
— #TeamVingegaard (@vingeupdates) August 8, 2025
“You don't need a domestique if you have two leaders”: Remco’s arrival at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe delivers on… memes
While everybody else is busy wondering about contract minutiae and what direction the world of pro cycling is headed in, after the blockbuster signing of Remco Evenepoel was confirmed by Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe last week, your live blog host, in the name of some Friday frolic, has decided to ignore all that and instead, share with you some top-tier memes, courtesy of Reddit.
RB-Bora have a new leader!
byu/Dense-Winter-1803 inpelotonmemes
Wait, there’s more!
There, I’ve done my share of spreading some more Friday frolic.
How it started vs how’s it going (Mikel Landa edition)
Teenage cyclist killed by concrete mixer driver in New Zealand due to “vehicle-centric” roadworks blocking cycle lane, coroner finds
British brilliance in Poland! 20-year-old Matthew Brennan storms to Tour of Poland stage five win, as Ben Turner makes it a Brit one-two
What a result for British cycling at the Tour of Poland — and what a moment for young Matthew Brennan. The 20-year-old Visma-Lease a Bike starlet has just taken a huge win on stage 5, powering to victory in a punchy uphill sprint and fending off countryman from Ineos Grenadiers, Ben Turner, for an emphatic one-two Brit finish.
Matthew Brennan launches himself to victory on Stage 5 of the Tour de Pologne — what a season he’s having! 👏 pic.twitter.com/Krv2gVBVlX
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) August 8, 2025
This is a breakout moment for Brennan, already on many people’s ‘next big thing’ lists, but now officially a WorldTour stage winner, and doing it with style. Lidl-Trek tried to set it up, but when Brennan kicked, he opened a gap like it was his bread and butter. Turner chased hard — there was daylight between them at the line, but not much of it.
And if youth triumphed in Poland, experience had its say in Spain. At the Vuelta a Burgos, 37-year-old Damiano Caruso ripped the breakaway apart on stage four and rode away solo for the win.
Damiano Caruso qui s’offre une 8eme victoire en pro 👏🥇
L’Italien de 37 ans a remporté l’étape n°4 au Tour de Burgos 🚴#Cycling #VueltaABurgos #Burgos #DamianoCaruso #Caruso #CyclingLife pic.twitter.com/jGnhlSU6Qo— Pickx Sports (@PickxSports) August 8, 2025
Call it a day for the kids and the lifers.
“How could this happen?”: Cyclist seeks “emotional support” after carbon rim explodes on rear-mounted car rack next to exhaust (with tyre still left intact)
Some of you might remember that post from a couple of months ago — a carbon Zipp 303 S visibly warped by what turned out to be a car exhaust pipe, sparking one of the great thermodynamics discussions of 2025. “More ammunition for r/f**cars,”* the rider concluded, after learning that yes, your own vehicle can destroy your wheels faster than any crash or pothole ever could.
Guess what? It’s (probably) happened again.
This time, the victim is a Canyon Aeroad CF SLX 7, whose owner wrote on Reddit: “So… this just happened. We were driving up the final hairpin turns to our chalet in Vercorin (Swiss Alps), when we suddenly heard a loud bang from the bike rack.
“Turns out my rear wheel — a DT Swiss ARC 1600 Dicut — had exploded. The carbon rim is visibly cracked, and the inner tube clearly blew from the inside. The bike is only 18 months old and was freshly serviced before the trip.
Aeroad CF SLX 7 Di2 DT Swiss ARC 1600 Explosion!
byu/ichinistan inCanyonBikes
The bike hadn’t been ridden. It was freshly serviced. It wasn’t even moving. “We were just climbing the hill by car,” they said, adding that their wheels weren’t part of the recent DT Swiss safety recall.
“I know you said yours wasn’t part of the recall,” one commenter replied, “but that looks like it’s in the exact same spot as the ones that were affected.” Another joked: “You might have just expanded DT Swiss’s recall.”
Although some people questioned if it could be a manufacturing flaw, others pointed toward the likely culprit: the car exhaust pipe. “Is it possible that it was being heated by the exhaust?” one person asked. Another chimed in with personal experience: “My Swiss Side Hadron wheels had a massive sticker on them saying that car exhaust might severely destroy the wheel. Never seen that before.”
The rider’s rack setup — a Thule Xpress mounted behind the car — placed the wheels relatively close to the tailpipe, though not obviously touching. “Everything is possible at this point,” they admitted. “Scary to imagine what could have happened… luckily it happened on the car, not on a fast descent.”
Another commenter wrote: “I’m pretty sure that’s not DT Swiss’ or Canyon’s fault,” they said. “Your car exhaust destroyed your carbon wheel with the hot gas. That’s a known problem.”
Yet another cyclist shared that the exact same thing happened to them last week. “Too close to the exhaust after a car bumped into the rack without me noticing. The inner tube melted and everything deformed.”
One commenter offered a gentle reality check: “Don’t know what caused it, but I’m quite certain that your inner tube is not to blame. Undamaged, not-defective rims do not explode because of tubes (or tubeless) pumped up to normal pressures… There must have been some kind of damage or defect to the rim already. Regardless, thank goodness that didn’t happen with you on the bike, bombing down a mountain descent!”
> Cyclist denied car insurance claim for fitting bike carrier with removable towbar
The cyclist added: “I’m now on the hunt for a cheap rear wheel at the local Decathlon just to finish some climbs this week, and then sort out a proper fix when I’m back in Belgium. Unless, by miracle, I find the same wheel somewhere around here…
“Any idea how this could happen? Heat buildup in the car? Pressure + altitude? Defect? Fatigue? Just looking for answers — or at least some emotional support in this tragedy!”
So what’s actually happening here?
If you ask me, well, I’d point you to this website (linked in the Reddit comments), which describes exhaust heat as “a silent enemy of carbon rims”, with temperatures capable of softening the resins binding the carbon structure, potentially leading to warping, buckling, or full-blown explosions like the one seen here.
Some helpful advice? Keep your rims at least 50cm from the tailpipe, consider a heat shield, and maybe don’t trust your car with your race wheels.
The rider said they’ll contact both Canyon and DT Swiss — and, to be fair, some are still wondering if this might reveal a previously unlisted manufacturing issue. But the general consensus was summed up best by one commenter: “This sucks. But at least it didn’t happen while you were flying down a descent at 60kph. I’d take a ruined holiday wheel over that.”
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Latest Comments
A lot of factors in combination could explain the speed increase. Better equipment, better nutrition, better training (including more gym work), newly surfaced smooth roads, more strength in depth in the peleton, shorter stages and this year there seemed to be a lot of wind assisted stages.
Apart from making wearers look like a 1990s sitcom nanny, the leopard pattern makes it very difficult for the leopard's prey to judge the distance to the leopard. This is great if you're a leopard and your prey thinks you're too far away to worry about. Less great if you're a cyclist wearing leopard print and there are drivers around. Look how confusing the left arm of the female cyclist is... you have to look at the un-camouflaged hand to see where it is. It's genuinely hard to tell which cyclist is in front - the female or the male to her left.
The significantly improved equipment in recent years claim is easily testable...
@Mr Blackbird TDS hit hard, doesn't it?
Id point fingers at Akaso and say it does matter because at the end of the day. its false advertising unless Akaso has stated that the footage is upscaled on the packaging. Ive been around action cameras since the days when the SJCAM SJ4000 was the budget king of action cameras followed by the hundreds of clones that used the same camera body but cheap components that upmixed 720p into 1080p or 1080p into 4k. Akaso was a manufacturer that ALWAYS did this without fail with the Allwinner Chipset which was all the rage for these fake 1080p/4k cameras back then. When i saw the title and the brand 'Akaso' I instantly said to myself "I bet its not even 4k" 5mins before actually clicking on the video footage and seeing it for the first time. The footage doesnt even look like 1080p. There is too much noise. If it is 1080p then they are using a super cheap low quality CMOS camera sensor that all the old action cameras used to use back in the day some 10-15 years ago. And they want you to buy a product that probably cost them £20-30 to manufacture for £200 when they are blatantly lying to your face about the camera's capabilities? I wouldnt waste my money on this.
@GravelIsNothingNew Not really, no, because we work geographically in a world divided into eastern and western hemispheres separated by the Greenwich Meridian and the International Date Line (roughly, the 180 degree meridian to be precise). Once you cross the latter, going west from Greenwich, you are to the east of the meridian again, west doesn't continue indefinitely. Yes I know you're making a wider point but the logic used to support it doesn't work.
37 Tour de France - that is amazing. Great article, thank you.
@HarrogateSpa But the incident, according to Movistar, was caused by a spectator falling in front of the car, so if the autobrake system did stop the car presumably without it they would have run over the spectator which is also quite an undesirable outcome.
@DrG82 Exactly what I thought: cut through the cover using a bladed instrument, use a cropper while bending it a bit and the segments will separate, exposing the cable or it wouldn't be flexible. Once there, it'll be toast. An angle grinder is simply the wrong tool to attack this. I don't expect it'll protect more than one of those notoriously easy to defeat locks where the cable is covered by metal segments, sheeted in plastic.
@DrG82 Exactly what I thought: cut through the cover using a bladed instrument, use a cropper while bending it a bit and the segments will separate, exposing the cable or it wouldn't be flexible. Once there, it'll be toast. An angle grinder is simply the wrong tool to attack this. I don't expect it'll protect more than one of those notoriously easy to defeat locks where the cable is covered by metal segments, sheeted in plastic.
24 thoughts on “Cyclist seeks “emotional support” after carbon rim explodes on rear-mounted car rack; “There were boos from the French fans”: Pro rider says he has “inside information” that Tadej Pogačar “didn’t want to win” Tour de France stage + more on the live blog”
293 using the cycle lane in
293 using the cycle lane in an hour?
Wait, what? I was led to believe that cycle lanes are a waste of money because they are always empty / cyclists refuse to use them. I don’t condone RLJing, but I assume that several motorists were killed and/or multiple vehicles damaged whilst the “journalist” was observing? hence all the pearl clutching.
hahaha love the alternative
hahaha love the alternative take on the story you’ve pointed out.
Same as you – not condoning it and it is breaking the law, but:
“Journalists who watches 200 cyclists go through red lights is astonished because if drivers did the same thing there would be multiple crashes and injuries.”
Not 293 cyclists in the hour,
Not 293 cyclists in the hour, more than that as I presume at least a few hit the lights on green.
Clem Fandango wrote:
I agree – they’re barely touching the sides there…
Utrecht (article – in this location in 1925 -12,000 cyclists per day, in 2016 – 32,000 average on working days here, 3900/hr on a rainy day. They’re working to bring the numbers down (but not how we might in the UK…)!)
Copenhagen (figures are disputed but at the busiest location around 10k cyclists per day on average in 2010)
-Of those 293 cyclists, he
–Of those 293 cyclists, he claimed 200 rode through a red light, saying in his report: “The lights are red, but no-one is stopping.”–
Wait. By that logic, 93 did NOT jump the red.
So why the lie: “… no-one is stopping.”??
Bringing in Gerard Griffiths, whose mother Hilda died after a collision involving a cyclist is irrelevant to this issue of red light jumping as that was not the case with that fatality.
–“It comes across as entitlement,” Griffiths told ITV when asked about red light-jumping cyclists. “If that was the case with motor vehicles, there’d be carnage. And the more people who cycle, the more chances of accidents and collisions, and tragic ones, like in the case of my mum.–
As McEnroe said: “You cannot be serious.”
If all cyclists obeyed the rules, the KSI stats for road users would barely change.
If all drivers obeyed the rules…?
And with motorists, there IS carnage.
But it is treated with a shrug.
Oh dear, your defence of 200
Oh dear, your defence of 200 cyclists running red lights is the journalist got it wrong, they all didn’t run the red.
That’s not what the poster
That’s not what the poster said.
Just got this response from a
Just got this response from a complaint to BBC about misleading reporting regarding legal e-bikes and illegal electric motorbikes.
“
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c335gp276yyo
Thank you for getting in touch about this article. We understand that you were concerned about some of the reporting in it.
We spoke to the writer and the local editor about this and they agreed that there had been an error with the reporting on this article.
Mistakes like this shouldn’t happen. We are sorry for this and we have updated the article.
The article has been updated and now refers to the electric motorbike and not an e-bike throughout.
We contacted the Department of Transport about this and have updated with their policy on motorbikes as this is what is relevant.
We have added a note of correction to the article which says:
Correction 25 July: This article originally reported that the incident involved an e-bike and has been amended to make clear that it was an electric motorbike. The original article also contained a quote from the Department for Transport which said that the government were proposing new offences and penalties for dangerous cycling. It has been replaced to reflect their policy relevant to this story which states they are developing a new strategy around reducing road deaths.
We are very sorry again for this error but we are very grateful you took the time to tell us about this so we were able to correct it.
“
Well done mitsky!
Well done mitsky!
And to be fair – well done
And to be fair – well done BBC for owning up to this!
I can’t remember which Road
I can’t remember which Road CC reader suggested complaining to the BBC.
So thanks are due to them, not me.
Swiss Side (apparently) wrote
As opposed to just moderately destroy?
I don’t recall seeing this
I don’t recall seeing this but what an utter fucking moron.
” Imagine being the former head of the UK’s largest police force, with all the experience of crime that entails, and thinking the best use of your time is to try to effectively criminalise cycling. Absolute shameful nonsense. ”
bills.parliament.uk/bills/3934
House of Lords ‘Regulation of Cycling’ Private Members Bill about to get second reading.
Proposes compulsory helmets, licenses, new penalties, compuslory insurance, cycle registration and age restrictions.
” I’m surprised there isn’t a clause banning trans women from riding open frame bicycles. “
What? If I’m reading this
What? If I’m reading this right, anyone – with no age exception- must wear a helmet and have a license to cycle, and anyone without it, even little Elsie, ages 4 on her My First Tricycle, can get punished for lacking helmet or license
go f. yourself,
the little onion wrote:
But but if it saves one life… won’t you think of the children… we should start them right in life; rights come with responsibilities… cyclists have impunity because they don’t have numberplates… cyclists don’t even have training or have to pass a test…
(Sorry, I seem to be channelling the bingo caller over on the other
channelthread there).Sorry, I seem to be
Sorry, I seem to be channelling the bingo caller over on the other channel thread there
You must be psychic and a medium as well!
Exemption for under 16s.
Exemption for under 16s.
But the whole thing is bullshit and won’t progress.
The real question is how is an ex met boss so utterly twisted to take revenge on cyclists?
The age restriction doesn’t
The age restriction doesn’t extend to registration, so little Elsie’s bike needs a number plate (or whatever form if registration the Secretary of State deems fit).
The age exemption for licencing gives a pretty odd outcome. Children can cycle on roads without any form of training, but as soon as they turn 16 they are required to pass a test.
Seems like the member is not concerned with child safety, but is instead focused on the perceived (but actually minimal) danger posed by cyclists.
Thanks for the info drop here
Thanks for the info drop here’s it in detail for anyone else sorry for not copying the pdf was in a rush!
This HTML version does not include page and line references. Please use the pdf version for page and line references.
Regulation of Cycling Bill [HL]
[As Introduced]
CONTENTS
1 Protective headgear for cyclists
2 Licences and penalties for cyclists
3 Compulsory insurance for cyclists
4 Cycle registration
5 Age restrictions
6 Definition of “cycle”
7 Extent, commencement and short title
[As Introduced]
A
bill
to
Amend the Road Traffic Act 1988, the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 and the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 to regulate cycling.
Be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1
Protective headgear for cyclists
After section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 , insert—
“18A
Protective headgear for cyclists
Sections 16 (wearing of protective headgear), 17 (protective helmets for motor cyclists) and 18 (authorisation of head-worn appliances for use on motor cycles) apply to cycles with such modifications as the Secretary of State may make by regulations.”
2
Licences and penalties for cyclists
In the Road Traffic Act 1988 , after section 122 insert—
“Part IVA
Licences and Penalties for Cyclists
122A
Licences for cyclists
(1)
It is an offence for a person to ride a cycle on a road without a cycling
licence of the appropriate class, or to cause or permit another person to do so.
(2)
The classes of cycling licence are—
(a)
non-motorised pedal cycles (Class A);
(b)
mechanically propelled or power-assisted cycles (Class B).
(3)
A driving licence includes a cycling licence of both Class A and Class
B.
(4)
A separate cycling licence (that is, a cycling licence for a person who
does not hold a driving licence) of Class A, Class B or both may be granted to any person who does not hold a driving licence if they satisfy the issuer that they have completed Bikeability Level 2 or an equivalent course of training (in Great Britain or elsewhere) accredited by the Secretary of State.
(5)
A separate cycling licence may be issued by a Bikeability instructor
or staff of a school, post office or public library.
(6)
The Secretary of State must prescribe the form of a separate cycling
licence and must provide issuers with the necessary means to issue them.
(7)
No fee may be charged for the issue or reissue of a separate cycling
licence for two years from the commencement of this section. Thereafter the Secretary of State may by regulations prescribe a fee.
(8)
No information may be required for the issue of a separate cycling
licence other than—
(a)
the applicant’s full name and address, with such evidence as
the issuer requires,
(b)
a photograph to the standard required for a passport and
acceptable to the issuer as a good likeness of the applicant, and
(c)
such evidence as the issuer requires for the purposes of subsection (4) .
(9)
If a person holding a separate cycling licence receives a driving licence,
their separate cycling licence is cancelled.
(10)
Sections 92 to 96 (physical fitness), 99 (duration of licences), 100
(appeals), 103 (obtaining licence, or driving, while disqualified), 104 (conduct of proceedings), 105 (regulations) and 108 (interpretation) apply to cycling licences with such necessary modifications as the Secretary of State may make by regulations.
122B
Penalties for cyclists
(1)
In the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 , in section 98 (general
interpretation), after ““licence” means a licence to drive a motor vehicle granted under Part III of that Act ” (meaning this Act), insert “or a separate cycling licence granted under Part IVA of that Act”.
(2)
In that Act , in Schedule 2 (prosecution and punishment of offences),
in rows “Carrying passenger on bicycle contrary to section 24”, “Careless, and inconsiderate, cycling”, “Cycling when unfit through drink or drugs” and “Unauthorised or irregular cycle racing or trials of speed on public ways”, and in relation to any other offence capable of being committed on or in relation to a cycle and prescribed by the Secretary of State by regulations—
(a)
in column 5 (Disqualification) insert “Discretionary”;
(b)
in column 6 (Endorsement) insert “Discretionary”;
(c)
in column 7 (Penalty points) insert “1-3”.
(3)
In that Act , in Schedule 2 (prosecution and punishment of offences),
in the row for Dangerous cycling—
(a)
in column 5 (Disqualification) insert “Discretionary”;
(b)
in column 6 (Endorsement) insert “Obligatory”;
(c)
in column 7 (Penalty points) insert “4-11”.”
3
Compulsory insurance for cyclists
After section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (users of motor vehicles to be insured), insert—
“143A
Users of cycles to be insured
(1)
Subject to the provisions of this Part of this Act—
(a)
a person must not use a cycle on a road or other public place
unless there is in force in relation to the use of the cycle by that person a policy of insurance which complies with the requirements of this Part of this Act, and
(b)
a person must not cause or permit any other person to use a
cycle on a road or other public place unless there is in force in relation to the use of the cycle by that other person a policy of insurance which complies with the requirements of this Part of this Act.
(2)
If a person acts in contravention of this section, they are guilty of an
offence.
(3)
A person charged with contravention of this section shall not be
convicted if they prove—
(a)
that the cycle did not belong to them and was not in their
possession under a contract of hiring or of loan,
(b)
that they were using the vehicle in the course of employment,
and
(c)
that they neither knew nor had reason to believe that there
was not in force in relation to the vehicle a policy of insurance as mentioned in subsection (1) above.
(4)
In the table in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic Offenders Act
1988 , after the row beginning “RTA section 143” insert in columns 1
to 4—
“RTA section
143A
Using cycle while
uninsured.
Summarily.
Level 5 on the
standard scale.”
(5)
This Part of this Act does not apply to persons aged under 16 or to
invalid carriages.”
4
Cycle registration
In the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 , after section 21 (registration of vehicles) insert—
“21A
Registration of cycles
(1)
The Secretary of State must register any cycle, as defined in section
192 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (as amended by the Regulation of Cycling Act 2025), in such manner as he or she thinks fit, on application by its keeper.
(2)
No duty, fee or any other payment shall arise on such registration for
two years from the commencement of this section. Thereafter the Secretary of State may by regulations prescribe a fee.
(3)
Parts II (registration of vehicles), Part III (offences), Part IV (legal
proceedings) and Part V (supplementary) of this Act apply to such cycles with such modifications as the Secretary of State may make by regulations.”
5
Age restrictions
In the Road Traffic Act 1988 , after section 103 insert—
“Exemption and disqualification of cyclists
103A
Exemption and disqualification of cyclists under age
(1)
A child under the age of 16 years is exempt from holding or obtaining
a Class A cycling licence (for non-motorised pedal cycles) under Part IVA of this Act.
(2)
A child under the age of 14 years of age is disqualified from holding
or obtaining a Class B cycling licence (for mechanically propelled or power-assisted cycles) under Part IVA of this Act.
(3)
The Secretary of State may by regulations change the ages specified
in subsections (1) and (2) .
(4)
The regulations must be laid under the affirmative procedure and
may—
(a)
apply to persons of a category specified in or under the
regulations,
(b)
apply in circumstances so specified,
(c)
impose conditions or create exemptions or provide for the
imposition of conditions or the creation of exemptions,
(d)
contain such transitional and supplemental provisions
(including provisions amending section 192 of this Act) as the Secretary of State considers necessary or expedient.”
6
Definition of “cycle”
In section 192 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (general interpretation), for the definition of “cycle” substitute—
““cycle” includes but is not limited to—
(a)
a non-motorised pedal cycle,
(b)
a power-assisted pedal cycle,
(c)
a mechanically propelled personal transporter, including—
(i)
an electric scooter,
(ii)
a self-balancing personal transporter (including a
self-balancing scooter, self-balancing board or electric unicycle), and
(iii)
any other mechanically propelled personal transporter,
not being a motor vehicle,
(d)
a cycle with more than two wheels,
(e)
a cycle rickshaw, and
(f)
a cargo bike;
but “cycle” does not include a non-motorised scooter or skateboard,”
7
Extent, commencement and short title
(1)
This Act extends to England and Wales and Scotland.
(2)
This Act comes into force at the end of the period of six months beginning
on the day on which it is passed for the purposes of making regulations, and for other purposes on such day or days as the Secretary of State may prescribe.
(3)
This Act may be cited as the Regulation of Cycling Act 2025.
Regulation of Cycling Bill [HL]
[As Introduced]
A
bill
to
Amend the Road Traffic Act 1988, the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988 and the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 to regulate cycling.
Lord Hogan-Howe
Ordered to be Printed, 11th February 2025.
So a “cycle” is defined as
So a “cycle” is defined as (but not limited to) a pedal cycle “power” assisted, or not; or an e-scooter or self-balancing transport (including electric unicycles) or loads of other stuff. But not a scooter or skateboard. It also seems to exclude unicycles.
But what is a “cycle” ??
Definitely a load of cobblers.
“One British website now
“One British website now boasts 920 posts to it’s near miss of the day feature”
Now I wonder what that could be ? 😄
I have to say, I don’t agree with Si here. Sweeping this under the carpet isn’t really any better and I’m sure the vast majority of would-be cyclists in the UK are not being put off riding by NMOTD!
“He was referring to Arensman
“He was referring to Arensman’s victory at Superbagnères, where the Visma-Lease a Bike rider attacked from the breakaway and won solo”
Arensman rides for Ineos, not Visma 😘
Funnily enough, Ineos main
Funnily enough, Ineos main carer, David Grozman, had to leave the Tour the day before that win… following a scandal about doping!
That’s a tenuous bit of
That’s a tenuous bit of tarring the winner with the same brush considering it relates to us discovering Grozman talked to the the doctor involved in the scandel over 12 years ago. But of course that makes him a fiend who injects all the Ineos rider in their sleep every night!