“Dipping its headlights”: Another car ends up in park lake where Reform UK wants to re-open rat-run shut to encourage cycling; Road penises redrawn to promote Tour de France Femmes; MVDP using MTB rear mech at the Tour + more on the live blog

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

Last month, we reported that a motorist accidentally drove their car into a lake in Poole Park – on the same day the area’s Reform UK-led council called for the entrance to the same park, closed two years ago to prevent drivers from using it as a cut-through and to encourage cycling and walking, to be reopened.

Talk about bad timing, eh?

> Reform UK pledges to reopen park rat-run closed to promote cycling… on the same day motorist drives into lake in park

Well, perhaps in a bid to hammer home the poorly thought through nature of Reform’s proposals, it’s happened again.

This morning, on the ‘Poole: News and Views’ Facebook page, Ray Robinson posted this photo of a Peugeot heading for a swim in Poole Park’s lake. Or “dipping its headlights”, as Debra Jenkins brilliantly observed.

Maybe the car was just trying to cool down and escape the heat?

“Well, he’s got an interesting story to tell his parents this morning. Oops,” wrote Fleur in the comments.

“I understand he watched the match yesterday and the handbrake failed. Clearly. Glad there is a lesson for all these young drivers including those there witnessing. Also, glad no animals or young adults hurt.

“It does happen frequently. Maybe time for some bollards?”

Nah, re-open the park so more motorists can make a mess. That’s the Reform way (at least in Poole).

For context, in 2024 , Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) Council’s cabinet voted to permanently shut the Whitecliff entrance to Poole Park, a 110-acre green space near the centre of the Dorset town, to through traffic.

The road through the heritage-listed park and conservation area was previously used as a rat-run by motorists during rush hour to and from Sandbanks, one of the UK’s wealthiest neighbourhoods.

Earlier that year, a trial closure of the Whitecliff entrance, in a bid to combat pollution and promote a safer environment for cyclists and walkers, was implemented by the council (though the park remained accessible for drivers). The trial period that was extended later that month thanks to the “much bigger than expected” response to the local authority’s consultation, which saw over 5,000 locals give their opinion on the closure.

The trial also prompted vocal opposition from a group of residents, branded by a local active travel group as a “vocal minority of car drivers who drive straight through the park”.

> Councillor defends closing park “rat-run” to drivers to promote cycling and address “challenge” of “dominance of the car”

Protests were held at the road closure, with residents opposing the pro-cycling and walking measure seen holding signs repeating much of the rhetoric that has been heard elsewhere in the country in recent times during similar backlashes to plans to introduce low traffic neighbourhood schemes, 20mph speed limits, or ultra-low emission zones.

Nevertheless, the local authority’s cabinet approved making the measure permanent at the Whitecliff entrance (other vehicle access and exit points in the park were not affected by the decision), sparking a renewed wave of criticism and attempts to launch a legal challenge against the council.

And last month, after gaining control of Poole Town Council at the local elections, Reform UK councillors confirmed that they will “push” to reopen the closed gate to motorists.

Though I don’t think their case is being helped by the sight of two cars lodged in the park’s lake in the space of a month.

Well, at least it’s given wannabe Facebook comedians something to sink their teeth into.

“It’s a rare sight to see a semi feral little car taking a chance to have a drink at the local watering hole,” Robert Curtis wrote, going all Attenborough on us.

“We’re keeping our distance so not to scare it as it’s nervously looking round to avoid being hunted by the vicious traffic warden. Traffic wardens are generally harmless but look scary.

“It looks like a young Peugeot possibly a 108. If it’s carful it may grow up to be a 4008 even a 5008. Usually you only see these at night in a herd we like to call wannabe boy racers.”

Meanwhile, Gerry Clake kept it topical: “Must have seen the match last night on TV!”

Ouch. Sorry, Englanders.

Kristina Flaherty also spotted our lake-loving Peugeot on her morning walk this morning, offering up another angle on the young motorist’s top-notch driving:

What a lovely view. And Sara Johnston captured the moment it was dragged out of its murky, watery parking space:

“BCP will use this as a reason to stop all vehicular access,” a worried Alec Wimbleton fretted in the comments.

You know Alec, maybe that’s not the worst idea…

Because we know some of you really love seeing mountain bike content on road.cc, often telling us in the comments that you really, really want to see more mountain bike content on road.cc, we now go out of our way to bring you as much mountain bike content as possible on road.cc. So here’s another for ya…

 

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Some eagle eyed viewers have spotted that Mathieu van der Poel of Alpecin–Premier Tech has been utilising Shimano’s  XTR rear derailleur at the Tour de France. Why? Mostly because Mathieu van der Poel does what he wants, but our tech editor reckons it’s because the XTR rear mech is slightly more durable than the Dura-Ace design. MVDP is using it when he switches to a 1x chainring set-up, which comes with a slightly higher risk of the chain dislodging under load.

The rear derailleur on the latest XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain (reviewed here on off.road.cc, which we’ve heard you all love finding links to here on road.cc) has a dual spring system rather than a clutch. This “creates higher chain tension for better chain wrap and retention—and reduced chance of skipping or dropping your chain”, says Shimano.

Want more mountain bike content on road.cc? Here are some links to numerous off.road.cc articles published this week, here on road.cc – because we’ve heard some of you love absolutely love seeing mountain bike content on road.cc:

> Genesis adds e-bike model to its classic Croix de Fer gravel range

> Review: Schwalbe Thunder Burt Super Ground MTB tyre

> Yeti LT XO first ride review

> Canyon releases all new lighter and slacker Lux Trail with major front travel boost

Before the Tour, in our annual predictions feature, I argued that no sprinter would dominate this year’s bunch gallops (and if one did, it would be Jasper Philipsen).

Well, Tim Merlier has proved me wrong.

 

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In a messy, crash-marred sprint in Chalon-sur-Saône, the flying Belgian surfed the wheels, taking advantage of a strong if ill-timed lead-out from Philipsen’s Alpecin-Premier Tech team to jump from Cofidis rider Milan Fretin’s wheel in the final 150m.

Merlier timed his launch to perfection to secure his third stage win of the 2026 Tour, ahead of Olav Kooij and Philipsen (a repeat of the Belgian’s first win of the race), this one coming in front of the Soudal Quick-Step rider’s wife and child, at the race for one day only, adding to the joy of a hat-trick at the biggest bike race in the world.

 

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Merlier’s perfect acceleration came at the end of a scrappy sprint, one marred by a touch of wheels involving Fernando Gaviria (who looked bloodied and battered as he crossed the line), leading to a pile-up which saw yesterday’s stage winner Søren Wærenskjold hit the deck.

That crash perhaps took the sheen of what was an exhilarating stage marked by non-stop attacking in the final 40km, as green jersey Mads Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek team took to the stage to the other, purer fast men, though Pedersen himself was forced to settle for ninth on the day.

The Pogačar era has received a lot of flak for being boring, predictable. The GC battle may be a bit of a snoozefest, certainly, but stages like the one today underline why bike racing in 2026 is far from boring.

Let’s kick off with a bit of toilet humour from a cheeky Czech car brand to cheer up England football fans who might be a bit down in the dumps this morning. For everyone else… well, the message is a very worthwhile one anyway.

Skoda has been busy at the Tour de France as its official auto provider – and perhaps sensing that this edition of the men’s race is a forgone conclusion*, it has now turned its attention to the upcoming Tour de France Femmes taking place between 1-9 August.

“As the world’s biggest cycling event returns, the Tour de France faces a familiar challenge: every year, hundreds of penis drawings are graffitied onto the race route”, says Skoda.

“But instead of simply painting over them, Skoda… is transforming the crude markings into artworks that promote the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, using the visibility of the men’s race to shine a spotlight on the women’s peloton.”

Sound familiar? That might be because Skoda pulled this stunt last year, but arguably the modifications this time around are even more intricate and colourful. That’s because Skoda has employed actual artists – French illustrator Celine Dormeau and London-based illustrator Erin Aniker – to come up with new designs for the cocks and balls, that the Tour de France’s ‘eraser men’ (who are deployed specifically to remove offensive graffiti from the Tour route) will reimagine with specialist stencils.

Meredith Kelly, Skoda’s CMO, added: “The Eraser Men do their best to remove as many of these [markings] as possible, but there are always more to deal with; these stencils allow us to turn something negative into something positive, to help promote the women’s race and encourage more people to watch it.”

* We’ve absolutely no evidence to back up this wild speculation

So much for a nice, sedate sprint stage at the Tour.

Quinn Simmons ignites the race and creates a split in the peloton with 35km to go! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/IgkHGJVuGP

— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 16, 2026

It’s all been kicking off for the past 15km or so, thanks to Lidl-Trek, who are piling on the pressure by launching a series of attacks (mostly by Quinn Simmons, to be fair) and stinging the legs of the fast men.

And now Mads Pedersen is giving it a go himself. It’s relentless.

Yesterday on the blog, we reported that Tom Pidcock wasn’t overly enamoured with the white spray covering the descent of the Puy Mary, which the British star claimed made the road “slippery” and caused him, along with a few other riders, to crash on the same tight left-hander.

“I did not expect the road to be like that,” Pidcock, whose Pinarello Q36.5 teammate Chris Harper was forced to abandon the Tour after crashing and injuring his hand on the descent.

“I do not know what they do with the roads here, but they had put all this white shit on them. It was really slippery, especially in the descents.”

However, the use of that “white shit” was defended by the Tour’s head of road maintenance, André Bancala, who explained yesterday that the spray is utilised to cool down the race’s melting roads.

“We will spread this liquid which will dry, leaving a white film on the ground. This film will then reflect the light. The objective is to maintain a temperature below 50 degrees, which represents a temperature which becomes critical for certain surfaces,” Bancala told RTBF.

“We are using it more and more on departmental roads. It has the advantage of being more ecological than using water.

“Moreover, we don’t do it only for the Tour de France, we do it for everyday use. It is becoming more and more common and it allows us to benefit from relatively stable roads.”

Bancala also explained that the lime wash is sprayed hours, or in some cases days, before the peloton arrives, allowing time for the liquid to evaporate and the white residue to solidify.

“The decision is made by the departments, which will inspect and identify potentially problematic areas. We don’t treat entire kilometres, but primarily corners and sections that are tricky for the average cyclist and, of course, for a peloton to pass through,” he said – before sending a message to Pidcock and the other complaining riders.

“It’s not slippery in itself,” the ASO man insisted.

“We’re on tricky roads, the descent from Puy Mary isn’t easy to navigate. The riders shouldn’t think they’re on a Formula 1 circuit either. When one or two riders crash, we can assume that their line wasn’t ideal. We didn’t have a mass crash.”

> Tory MP brands guidance suggesting 20mph rural speed limits to create better walking and cycling routes “nonsensical”… but is it?

He may have been looking a touch disgruntled earlier, but it turns out Mads Pedersen avoided relegation for his shift to the right during today’s intermediate sprint, the race jury concluding that a ticking off was more than enough for the big Dane.

Not a happy chap! 😡

Mads Pedersen dropped backed to have a chat with the commissaire after hearing he may be relegated in the intermediate sprint 😲

🇫🇷 #TDF2026 | July 5-July 27 | Every Stage on SBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/9Tl7ZVdiTM

— SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) July 16, 2026

It’s the second time in two days that cycling’s version of VAR has intervened in a sprint scenario, after Jasper Philipsen – the recipient of Pedersen’s deviation – was relegated and then reinstated to third place in Nevers yesterday afternoon.

Well, at least they’re keeping the riders on their toes, right?

Miracles do happen, apparently, and Baptiste Veistroffer now has some mates to ride with in the break, after Ewen Costiou, Mattéo Vercher, and Damiano Caruso bridged across to the lone ranger up front.

You can stick away that podcast for now, Baptiste.

💚 Intermediate sprint @WeLoveCyclingFR 💚

Mads Pedersen comes 2nd behind Baptiste Veistroffer, but the sprint is under review.

Mads Pedersen passe en 2ème position derrière Baptiste Veistroffer, mais le sprint est en cours de vérification par le jury.#TDF2026 pic.twitter.com/E940jcqSKE

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 16, 2026

Things aren’t looking so bright for Mads Pedersen, who was back at the commissaire’s car having a chat, seemingly in anticipation of his green jersey points being docked for his dodgy manoeuvre at the intermediate sprint.

We haven’t got confirmation of that yet, though Mads didn’t look too impressed, so read into that what you will.

I really hope Baptiste Veistroffer enjoys his own company, because the Lotto man is once again up the road on his tod at this year’s Tour de France.

Baptiste Veistroffer à la caméra : “Je n’ai même pas fait exprès d’être tout seul”. #TDF2026 pic.twitter.com/xlZK7fY0u3

— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) July 16, 2026

Luckily for poor Baptiste, the intermediate sprint (won from the bunch by green jersey Mads Pedersen, thanks to a cheeky move to the right, shutting the door on Jasper Philipsen) has kicked things off again, so he could have some mates joining him in the break soon.

Otherwise, he’ll need to stick on a podcast or something.

 

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I know the riders are getting younger and younger these days, but the swannies?

That’s what the folks behind a new app called Ride are claiming. Our tech ed Mat has been digging into the details…

We’re dishing out all the free PR this morning, as we bring you news from London e-bike hire firm Forest in the form of its new billboard campaign.

Forest says the billboard – erected (let’s keep the penis theme going here) on Brick Lane – aims to take “a cheeky swipe at Underground” amid the UK’s heatwave, based on the premise that it’s easier to keep cool riding a Forest e-bike than it is squashed against someone’s huge bag on the Circle Line.

“The campaign comes as Forest continues to experience record demand, with rides up by 40% compared with the previous heatwave just a few weeks ago, as more people choose to cycle during the heat”, says Forest.

The rideshare specialist will be keen to capitalise on the success of its viral £1 rides campaign, for which they hired none other than YouTube sensation from about 14 years ago £1 Fish Man. Intrigued? We were, perhaps a little too much…

> More than you could ever possibly need to know about how e-bike hire company Forest recruited ‘One Pound Fish Man’ to star in viral social media clip

The ‘Cyclists Dismount’ sign strikes again:

I don’t think dismounting here would help the traffic very much – surely it’s better to cycle in the road instead of walk your bike in the road? There’s not enough space on the pavement to walk a bike there, so they can’t mean that, surely?

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— Steve (@lollercake.bsky.social) July 15, 2026 at 5:56 PM

Two back-to-back sprint stages?! Two?! That’s insane, Christian.

But the sprinters better soak it in, because this could well be their last nailed-on opportunity for a big bunch gallop (stage 17 next Wednesday has a very lumpy start that could swing the pendulum in favour of the break).

It’s all kicking off at the moment in the fight for the breakaway, so the sprint teams – which many have noted lately don’t have the chasing firepower of previous years – could have their work cut out for them this afternoon.

Mark your calendars, the London Cycling Festival is back on 20 September:

🎪 🚲️ The London Cycling Festival, in partnership with Lime and Voi, is back!

🙌 Taking place on Sunday 20th of September, it’s already shaping up to be bigger and better than ever, with rides and events taking place across the capital…

👨‍💻 Book your FREE tickets today: buff.ly/I6KLeBX

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— London Cycling Campaign (@londoncycling.bsky.social) July 16, 2026 at 2:51 PM

Since we’ve been dishing out free promo for car and hire bike brands all morning, it’s only right we redress the balance with some we’ve been paid for:

> Cycling holidays used to be the domain of the MAMIL… But is that finally changing?

As we’ve already alluded to, the linked article includes paid promotion on behalf of inGamba