Children cycling “wrong way around roundabout” latest target of ex-Reform councillor who claimed cyclists should give way to cars – but critics argue he’s delayed safety scheme; Regent’s Park bike jam splits opinion; Cyclist v Tank + more on the live blog

Alright Ed Hill, I think it’s time to set Facebook down for a wee while, you’ve had far too much screen time this week.

Yep, that’s right, everyone’s favourite Devon-based expelled Reform/Advance/Independent councillor and former driving instructor is at it again.

Earlier this week, we reported that Hill, who’s gone through more parties than a Tour de France rider in Paris, filmed himself navigating the entrance to a side road in Exeter, which features a cycle path, in order to claim that people on bikes should give way to vehicles at the “dangerous” junction.

The plethora of videos he uploaded to Facebook about the Pinbrook Road cycle lane, of which he claimed to “hardly see anything at all” from the wheel of his camper van, were, rather predictably, titled ‘I Could Have Killed a Cyclist Today… But Whose Fault Would It Have Been?’

And now, days later, he’s turned his attention to another piece of cycling infrastructure in Exeter, which he says causes cyclists – including children – to ride against the flow of traffic to continue along the bike lane.

“Today, while observing this junction, I didn’t witness a single cyclist intending to take the third exit follow the roundabout in the normal direction of travel,” Hill said in his latest post.

“Instead, every cyclist I observed taking that exit cut across and cycled against the flow of traffic around part of the roundabout. This included parents cycling with their children. That should concern everyone, regardless of whether you drive, cycle, or walk.

“If people are routinely choosing to cycle against the flow of traffic rather than follow the intended route around a roundabout, we need to ask why. Good highway design should make the safest route the obvious and natural route. So, how could this design be improved?”

> Cycle path “creating a constant stream of arguments between drivers and cyclists” should be altered “so cyclists give way to vehicles”, demands councillor expelled from Reform UK

He continued in the comments: “When an electrician comes to your house, you don’t expect them to leave live wires hanging out of the wall if they haven’t finished the job. This is the equivalent, when a new section of road or cycle path is built, you should expect it to connect safely to the existing carriageway.

“The end of this cycle path invites cyclists to cross the road, so as you are crossing you start to look for the next part of the recommend path as indicated by the sign circled in red, but you then discover a pavement that is not inviting to cyclists, meaning that going the wrong way around 1/4 of the roundabout becomes the most obvious route. Don’t worry I will write to DCC officers about all of this, but asking for opinions on social media is a good sanity test.”

Hmm, not sure about that, Ed.

In any case, the independent Devon County Councillor asked the “sanity test” that is social media why cyclists are riding against the flow of traffic, and he got his answer. In short – it’s because he’s helped delay active travel safety improvements to the roundabout thanks to a row over a ‘cycling-only’ road in another part of Exeter.

Earlier this year, we reported that the future of Dryden Road, a low-traffic route which has been closed to motorists since the pandemic, has been left up in the air after it was revealed that active travel funds could be used to reopen the ‘cycling only’ road to motorists.

> “Sacrificing safety for drivers’ benefit”: Plan to reopen ‘cycling only’ road to motorists using active travel funds branded a “disgrace” – as council dismisses protected bike lanes as “impractical, costly, and unviable”

That move was branded a “disgrace” by cycling campaigners, who have accused the council of risking “sacrificing safety for drivers’ benefit”.

Hill has been one of the councillors pushing for Dryden Road to be reopened to drivers during the protracted saga, which has been beset by confusion, controversial redesigns, and a stop-start consultation process, leading to delays on work on other schemes in Exeter.

But instead of getting these kinds of improvements moving along, Hill is more interested in engaging in “Facebook culture wars”, cycling campaigners says.

“You know that small thing you have been going around in circles on HATOC for the entire time you have been a councillor. This is the project that has been delayed because of it,” James Maddison pointed out in the comments.

“Perhaps speak to the officers first instead, this project is in the design pipeline. That would be much more useful of everyone’s time, as you voted to approve the funding and development of this project.

“Instead you are again attempting to create a Facebook culture war and showing your inability to do your jobs as an elected official correctly. Your actions on Dryden have consequences and this is one of them.”

> “A line in the sand”: Cycling club joins campaign to keep controversial LTN closed to drivers, warning ‘reopening’ will lead to scrapping of other active travel schemes

For context, Hill – who we’ve been told used to work as a driving instructor – is a former Reform UK member who is now the independent councillor for Pinhoe & Mincinglake following his expulsion from the party in July 2025 for publishing a letter about free school meals citing names of all Devon’s Reform councillors without their consent.

He then joined the now-dissolved Advance UK party, but was also expelled from that in May of this year following a ‘grooming gang row’ according to Devon Live.

“He may end up getting censured by the council if he pushes his luck,” James told road.cc. If only…

Speaking of Dryden Road, and the fight to keep it safe for people on bikes, this afternoon the Exeter Cycling Campaign announced that it is launching a public crowdfunding appeal to keep the road ‘bike only’.

The appeal, the campaign says, will raise funds for legal advice, which will be used to oppose plans to remove the road’s traffic filter and reopen it to motorists, without sufficient proposals in place to continue to protect cyclists.

The ECC says the move comes after it “exhausted efforts to resolve the issue through the normal democratic process”, with the campaign now planning to submit legal objections to an upcoming Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to ditch the LTN.

Cycling campaigners in Exeter have spent the bulk of 2026 engaging with Devon County Council, attending meetings, submitting evidence and working with councillors through the Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders Committee (HATOC) to “secure a safer outcome” for cyclists who will continue to use Dryden Road, which provides a link to other cycling infrastructure schemes in Exeter.

According to the council, creating a protected bike route on the road, while retaining two-way traffic, would be “prohibitively expensive, impractical, and unviable” due to the width of the road and the apparent need to remove a retaining wall and encroach on private land to create enough space.

> “A line in the sand”: Cycling club joins campaign to keep controversial LTN closed to drivers, warning ‘reopening’ will lead to scrapping of other active travel schemes

However, the Exeter Cycling Campaign says Active Travel England has identified the proposed changes as creating a ‘Critical Safety Issue’ due to the increased risk of collisions between cyclists and motorists.

“For more than ten years we have worked constructively with decision-makers to make Exeter’s streets safer for everyone. We have always preferred collaboration over confrontation. However, we now believe that stronger action is necessary,” James Diamond, the chair of Exeter Cycling Campaign, said in a statement today.

“We are deeply concerned that the Dryden Road filter could be removed despite expert advice warning that doing so without other safety measures would create a critical safety issue for people cycling. We do not believe Exeter residents should have to accept an increase in road danger where viable alternatives exist.

“This is not simply about one street. This filter is part of the council’s own designated cycle network.  It is about whether people of all ages and abilities can travel safely around Exeter and whether the city continues to move towards a healthier, safer, and more sustainable transport network.”

All money raised through the crowdfunding campaign will be used to obtain specialist legal advice and representation related to the Dryden Road proposal, the campaign says. Any surplus funds will be used to support future campaigns for safer active travel in Exeter.

There’s been another twist in the biggest (and most worrying) cycling industry story of the summer, following the news that the Accell Group’s companies have been declared bankrupt.

Last Wednesday, Accell, the Dutch parent company of Raleigh, Babboe, Lapierre, and a host of other cycling brands, announced that it was granted a “suspension of payments” under Dutch law, after determining that it could no longer meet its financial commitments and following an “exhaustive review” of all possible alternatives.

> Raleigh faces administration after parent company starts insolvency proceedings

However, yesterday afternoon, the Amsterdam District Court revoked the suspension of payments and declared the companies bankrupt, due to them being unable to meet their ongoing costs.

“In addition, the European Accell Group is facing a complex situation, with group companies in various countries that are operationally and financially dependent on each other in some respects,” the court-appointed trustees, Thijs Hekman and Erik Schuurs, said in a statement.

The following six entities listed on the Dutch insolvency register as bankrupt, as of 11 August, are: Accell Duitsland BV, Accell Global BV, Accell Group BV, Accell Group Europe BV, Accell Group Holding BV, and Accell Nederland BV.

Cargo bike brand Babboe are one of the multiple companies registered under Accell Nederland BV. The trustees also said that they understand the company’s factory in Hungary, Accell’s main European production hub following a recent move from the Netherlands, has ceased operations.

Locally, Accell’s brands are undertaking their own responses to their parent company’s collapse.

BikeEurope reports that iconic British bike manufacturer Raleigh and French bike brand Lapierre have both initiated separate legal mechanisms in their local jurisdictions to restructure independently from Accell. So, there is hope for Raleigh to continue regardless of the overall outcome for Accell.

Meanwhile, the trustees are aiming to keep Accell’s operations running in the next few months, with the aim of preserving value ahead of a sale. They are currently contacting the company’s key suppliers to find out whether sales to dealers can resume in the short term.

Before the bankruptcy announcement was made, Irish investment firm Quanta Capital stated that it was preparing a takeover bid, which could come as early as next week, though the insolvency proceedings could rumble on for quite some time, regardless of whether a deal is struck.

“It is deeply sad for the Dutch bicycle industry. At this rate, there will be virtually nothing left,” CNV union negotiator Nicole Engmann-van Eijbergen said in a statement following the news.

“But the impact is much greater. We are also thinking of all the bicycle shops that are now facing major uncertainty over the well-known Dutch brands they stock: Sparta, Batavus, Koga and Babboe. How will warranties and spare parts be handled?”

French champion Célia Gery, the centre of the corner cutting storm that engulfed the end of this year’s Tour de France Femmes, has admitted that she was able to end the race on a high following her FDJ United-Suez teammate Demi Vollering’s overall victory.

On Saturday, Canyon-SRAM leader Kasia Niewiadoma angrily confronted Gery, who she claimed cut her off on a sharp left-hand corner just as Vollering attacked on a steep slope towards the end of the stage, a move that saw the Dutch star take the yellow jersey from Niewiadoma.

At her post-race press conference, Vollering criticised Niewiadoma’s decision to publicly call out her young French teammate, saying she later received online abuse and death threats.

> “When I crashed two years ago, she pulled full gas”: Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma’s “beef” over – but Tour de France Femmes winner hits out at public attack and online abuse

Speaking to French cycling site DirectVelo in Nice (though the story was only published on Tuesday afternoon), Gery acknowledged the controversy, admitting: “It was really difficult to go through, but et voila, that’s how it is.

“It really does me good to finish in this way,” she continued. “It does me even more good and gives me even more pleasure that Demi won given what happened alongside it.

“I’m really happy. It was a superb experience with the victory at the end of it. It’s the dream scenario.”

It may be the finest climbing performance ever seen at the Tour de France Femmes, but it wasn’t on Strava, it didn’t count, right?

Well, that was the case for Kasia Niewiadoma – for a few days anyway – after her blistering, game-changing ascent of Mont Ventoux last Friday mysteriously failed to feature on Strava’s QOM list for the iconic, 21km ascent from Bedoin. Instead, the QOM went to Elisa Longo Borghini, who finished third on the stage.

The reason? Niewiadoma had her Strava profile set to private, so her stage-winning ride didn’t show up on cycling’s favourite show-off platform, confusing even the Canyon-SRAM leader herself.

> “You’re the strongest. I believe in you, you’re the queen”: How Kasia Niewiadoma pulled off the greatest ride in Tour de France Femmes history on Mont Ventoux

Told that she didn’t get the QOM during her post-Tour press conference (“I think I did,” came Niewiadoma’s quick response), the Polish star said: “I was looking at it and was nearly two minutes faster [than Longo Borghini]. It’s there, but it’s not loading for some reason, I don’t know why.”

A few minutes later, her fellow podium finisher Longo Borghini (and the-then official holder of the Ventoux QOM) appeared at the press conference and sat amongst us poor, tired, sunburnt journalists.

“Hi Kasia, it’s Elisa Longo Borghini from UAE Team L’Imad. Can you not upload your Strava segment? I have the QOM and would like to keep it,” the Italian champion asked her, in one of that press conference’s lighter moments (lighter than when Kasia was asked about her ‘beef’ with Demi Vollering, anyway).

“It depends how many drinks you buy me,” Niewiadoma laughed.

Longo Borghini must have kept her hands firmly in her pockets in Nice’s bars on Sunday evening, because Niewiadoma has since lifted her Strava privacy restrictions, claiming the QOM in the process.

Now the leaderboard has been updated, we can see that the 2024 Tour winner rode the Ventoux’s 20.74km, 8.3 per cent average segment in one hour, six minutes and two seconds, a minute and a half faster than ELB, at an average speed of 18.8kph.

I suppose it counts now…

Our George has penned an, ahem, interesting new column on the perception of cyclists on the roads. I’m sure it’ll be fine…

> Sometimes, cyclists can be a**eholes too — and it’s OK to say that

It should probably come as no surprise, since it’s still the summer and all, that Regent’s Park is, ahem, fairly busy with people on bikes at the moment.

And one clip of that two-wheeled congestion, filmed at 7am on Tuesday morning, has divided opinion within the cycling community:

 

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A post shared by James Colley (@the.broader.colley)

“As a cyclist I cannot think of anywhere more boring to ride,” soup_3458 wrote on Instagram, while The Yorkshire Wheeler simply said: “Looks like hell”.

Others were more enthralled by the spectacle, with justjevens writing: “One of the things I miss most about living in London. Awesome community. If it’s on your doorstep and beats stopping at traffic lights every 15 metres, it’ll do.”

“‘That looks boring’: people who have never been there,” added badgercyclist. “7am is a bit late and busy though. Time for coffee!”

Oh, good idea…

 

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A post shared by Fabian Cancellara (@fabian_cancellara)

I can hear Adam Blythe now, shouting: ‘Not enough gold!’

I’ll admit that this is probably the most bizarre ‘cyclist holding up traffic’ clip we’ve ever seen on the live blog.

It comes courtesy of TankHistoria, an online resource for – you guessed it – tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, who appeared to be on a 70-tonne, gun-toting version of a classic car rally when they happened upon a cyclist enjoying a leisurely ride along a rural path:

 

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A post shared by TankHistoria (@tankhistoria_)

To be honest, I doubt he was holding them up too much, although that hill definitely slowed his progress. Best not to read the comments on that one, it turns out some people reckon holding up a few old tank enthusiasts means you deserved to be hit by a car driver out on the road. Delightful.

 

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A post shared by La Vuelta (@lavuelta)

Ah come on now, Vuelta social media team, if you’re going to annoy everyone by using terrible AI, at least make the riders look slightly different…

We’ve seen some Facebook Marketplace gems (if you can call them that) over the years, but this one has to be right up there.

Described as a “head turner and reliable cruiser”, this “custom built” (no surprises there) £275 ‘electric bike’ “gets comments wherever it goes”, according to its Colchester-based seller (again, I’m shocked).

“Built as a custom home project, this bike has been a fantastic summer cruiser for the past 10 years. It’s got plenty of character, a bit of patina from real-world use, but mechanically and electrically functions exactly as it should,” the seller, who categorised the bike as “used – fair” continued.

The bike’s features include 36V front hub motor with “both twist-throttle and just pedal”, while the battery set-up is “powered by a custom 12x Headway 3.3V 10Ah LiFePO4 battery bank. LiFePO4 chemistry is exceptionally stable, long-lasting, and reliable” (apparently).

Finally, the seller describes the bike’s “vibe” as “a genuine conversation starter with a unique, raw industrial aesthetic.”

It’s a genuine conversation starter alright, a twisted conversation starter. I think I’ll pass, sorry.

When Camden Borough puts in a nice new cycle lane on High Holborn – and Camden’s rubbish collection services immediately discover that it provides a lovely service spot for them (this is every morning)

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— Gareth Ramsay (@garethramsay.bsky.social) August 12, 2026 at 8:37 AM

If the rumours around the Tour de France team buses are to be believed, this new Cube range will be raced by NSN next year, with the brand reported to have agreed a deal which will see them reunite with Biniam Girmay (who raced Cubes during his Intermarché days) in 2027:

> Cube unveils 2027 range with lighter Litening Aero C:68X leading the charge