“Impressively dumb” narrow cycle lane criticised as “box ticking exercise” after repainted lane barely covers double yellow lines; Steep gravel climb awaits Vuelta peloton + more on the live blog

It’s good to be back, stumbling through emails, eyes filtering through tabs for what could make a mildly amusing blog lead. And I think I’ve found an answer, or at least one that would be slightly funny if it weren’t also a little tragic.

Thinnest bike lane in the UK?
by
u/special_noodles in
ukbike

“Brighton and Hove is often talked about like a cycling paradise, but this is apparently a cycle lane. The top of Dyke Road. It’s a popular route, in and out of town yet this is deemed acceptable.”

It should be said the poster is referring to the gap between the white lines and the kerb, rather than the pavement where the photo is taken. I say gap, but as can be seen from the photo, the lane is entirely swallowed up by the double yellow lines painted to restrict vehicles from parking there.

A further search engine rummage finds it is genuinely a bike lane that runs along Dyke Road, though even when the lane begins there’s no real sense the authorities are interested in protecting the cyclists.

In fact I would go further and say that this lane is actively endangering all road users, attempting to pen cyclists in an unreasonably narrow space, increasing the odds of clipping a kerb, and giving drivers the self-confidence to ignore normal overtaking standards to drive past the cyclist without affording additional space, presuming the paint is infrastructure enough.

The original poster adds this current disaster began when it was recently repainted, branding the new lane “pure nonsense”.

> Calls for “failed” bike lane to be scrapped and replaced with car parking – because it’s always blocked by drivers

Fellow cyclists are unimpressed…

“That’s actually a cycle lane? That’s impressively dumb on the part of whoever signed that off.”

“Box ticking exercise”

“Absolutely bonkers. That’s Brighton and Hove council for you…especially if this is being repainted as a cycle lane, it needs a formal complaint, which should lead to a road safety assessment update by a competent person against the latest cycle infra standards that explicitly calls out this substandard trash.”

> Naked bike ride in Brighton postponed due to safety fears amid clashing far-right and anti-racism marches

“That’s not a bike lane. Ignore it and take primary position.”

Indeed, the latter advice seems wise, and means once again individual cyclists will endure the wrath or irate drivers for taking the safest position on the road and not using cycle infrastructure. Some things never change…

How about that for a shake-up…

📊 Top 10 GC Stage 6⃣ | Etapa 6⃣ 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭

+ info ➡️ https://t.co/jdNgUrshoY #LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/qrG5ssHlwQ

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 27, 2026

> E-bike confusion harming shops, as owner claims illegal bike owners “aggressive” when refused service

Under the flamme rouge Pogacar leads, and is forced to lead-out by Enric Mas.

Through the final corners Pogacar hogs the right-hand side before launching a sprint from the front that the Spaniard cannot answer. It’s a third stage win in six days for the race leader, but my word did he have to work for it.

In the sprint behind, Ramses Debruyne (I think) just edges out Richard Carapaz a little over 40 seconds behind. He’ll be moving up on GC tonight…

Carapaz and Tejada have caught Roglic, Gall and Debruyne to form a quintet. Now 30 seconds behind, cooperation has faltered.

30 seconds behind Pogacar and Mas, it looks like a sprint a deux will decide the stage…

Pogacar and Mas’ advantage is down to 15 seconds, thanks to some very aggressive descending by Debruyne. The trio are now cooperating on the flatter roads and will be believing they can catch the leading duo.

Richard Carapaz and Harold Tejada are at 30 seconds. Oscar Onley, Sepp Kuss and Mattias Skjelmose are apparently around 1’30” behind the front of the race according to the Vuelta’s live tracker.

8km to go

A misjudged corner and Tadej Pogacar is off the road! Very sudden braking saves the Slovenian from an uncomfortable fall and he quickly rejoins Mas. The pair’s advantage is down to 26 seconds over Gall, Roglic and Debruyne. Utter chaos, and this descent is mayhem…

And just like that, Debruyne is caught and dropped, and Tadej Pogacar is solo.

Behind, Enric Mas has attacked a group comprising Roglic, Onley, Carapaz and Felix Gall who has done well to recover ground after he was distanced on the lower slopes. Did the Austrian have a mechanical? Finally, we have a time gap and its 40 seconds to the Roglic group from Pogacar with 23km remaining.

Oscar Onley is starting to rock off the back, same too for Richard Carapaz. Why is it this terrain always breaks the race into pieces? Onley comes round Carapaz but a gap has opened up to Roglic and Gall for the Scot to try and regain. Now the margin opens up again.

The time gap we don’t have is Enric Mas, but this a phenomenal ride by the Spaniard. Saying that he comes into the same shot as Tadej Pogacar! My word… this is a level we haven’t seen from him in years!

The final few hundred metres of the climb, concrete roads give way to swarming crowds, and Enric Mas makes the catch! I cannot stress how unexpected this is. He even comes round Pogacar to take maximum mountain points over the summit. Goodness me.

Just over 35 seconds later come Roglic and Gall. What a race…

Wow, Jay Vine’s turn at the front has really whittled down the group of favourites and Jarno Widar, second two days ago, is dropped from the peloton. Now it’s the turn of Pablo Torres, the young Spanish sensation to set up his Slovenian leader. 25km to go.

At the front of the race Ramses Debruyne attacks but can’t get a gap, the break’s advantage is down to 40 seconds. Now Pogacar attacks!

He comes to the front and launches a steady acceleration. Onley, Roglic and Mas are all initially on the wheel whilst Felix Gall appears to be dropping away. Now Pogacar digs in again and goes solo, Onley the last holdout on the wheel.

The race leader is solo and only 20 seconds from Debruyne out front, chaos on the road as motos come racing past riders. 3km left of the climb and here comes the gravel…

On the long descent, the break swelled to 15 riders after dropped riders re-joined, but their lead is down to 1’30” as they hit the lower slopes of the Puerto El Bartolo. It looks like it’ll be curtains soon enough for the front of the race.

Still UAE are leading at the front of the peloton, whilst Pello Bilbao has just done his final turn for the break (and teammate Santiago Buitrago) before peeling off…

Our own VecchioJo has some unfortunate observations on today’s pitifully thin cycle lane in Brighton. Here’s what he had to say:

“I have the misfortune to ride this often (although I’ll actively avoid going down that road when necessary and take the longer pretty less dangerous way) it’s been like that for years. What you can’t see in the photos is the horrific state of the potholed and buckled tarmac on the edge of the road in areas so it’s significantly safer to ride outside of the ‘bike lane’ anyway, then there’s the inevitable trade van parked half in it half on the pavement.

“[Even] On the original lane [before the road resurfacing and lane repainting] the dotted white line was best line to ride to avoid all the gutter grumble.”

You heard it first-hand. Sort it out Brighton & Hove Council!

 

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Approaching the final 50km and the Vuelta breakaway are on the penultimate climb of the day. Pello Bilbao’s early work for Santiago Buitrago stretched the advantage out towards 2’45”, whilst several big names, including Van Aert, George Bennett and Patrick Konrad have been dropped from the front of the race.

Van Aert won’t be too disappointed though, having taken maximum points at the intermediate sprint to overtake Matthew Brennan and sit in second place in the green jersey competition.

So we have 10 riders at the front of the race. Brit Tom Gloag is there, riding for Pinarello-Q36.5, whilst the best rider on GC, Alpecin-Premier Tech’s Ramses Debruyne is almost ahead of Primoz Roglic on virtual GC. Other names include former Vuelta stage winners Andreas Kron and Urko Berrade, whilst Burgos’ Jose Manuel Diaz leads over the summit of the climb.

In the peloton UAE are leading and Joao Almeida, runner-up in this race last year, is doing the early work to keep the break in check. It all seems set up for another Pogacar win…

46km to go… 10 riders with 2’15” on the UAE-led peloton

Fresh from the Accell Group’s insolvency proceedings, Lapierre has announced it has formally begun “judicial reorganisation proceedings” to continue trading.

The French bike brand announced its legal action earlier this month and it appears that effort to preserve the company have succeeded for now.

In a statement published yesterday, Lapierre said, “This decision allows us to move forward with greater clarity and confidence. It opens the way to developing a clear
continuity plan, as well as seeking a strong and committed investor to support the future of Lapierre and enable us to continue our activity and our commitment to you: our customers, dealers and cycling community.

“From today, our teams are fully focused on this next phase, more determined than ever to continue building the Lapierre story with the same passion and high standards that have driven us throughout our history. Our ambition remains the same: to keep pushing towards the peak of what Lapierre can achieve.”

We have yet to hear any murmurings of what could happen with Raleigh, who were also part of the Accell Group.

> The fall of Raleigh is a British cultural tragedy: To me and many other riders of my generation, this feels personal

A little bit of Vuelta news to bring you before the action itself, for which live pictures have just begun. Josh Tarling has withdrawn from the race.

In many ways, it was remarkable that the Welshman took to the start of the race, a week after younger brother Fin was tragically killed by a van driver in Portugal. The family’s grief was also compounded by the death of Josh’s grandfather days later.

The 22-year-old took an impressive third on the opening Monaco time trial behind Tadej Pogacar, winning the white jersey in the process. He would have ridden in support of Oscar Onley. But he has now chosen to leave the race, with the support of his Netcompany-Ineos team.

Nearly 2,000 people have donated towards the GoFundMe set up in Fin Tarling’s name to provide a legacy fund for the next generation of Welsh cyclists. The donation total now exceeds £91,000 – an incredible sum.

In the race itself, after a fast start to today’s stage, we may have live pictures but the race remains very unsettled. A 16-rider break is up the road including Wout van Aert but riders are continuing to try and attack and bridge across, with Tadej Pogacar following several moves himself.

Live coverage is due to begin imminently, the peloton are altogether, and attention is looking to the dangers that might await our peloton in a couple of hours…

> Tacks reportedly found on final fast descent of Vuelta a España stage, sparking safety concerns

folding bike 🤝 folding kayak
by
u/zachit in
Brompton

> Invest £30 million in safe cycling schemes to leave lasting legacy for British Tour de France Grands Départs, prime minister told

What do the words “Golden Hour” evoke to you? An enjoyable period of late day sun? A Brian Eno track? Tony Blackburn?

I’m afraid the new correct answer is a perfume for cyclists. Shoe brand manufacturer Quoc has unveiled “a 100% natural fragrance for the hour after the ride, when the effort ends and the rhythm lingers.” They liken their scent, developed in partnership with perfumery maker Raer to “when the world softens to a haze.”

The Golden Hour “is enriched with Eastern botanicals and Western florals, dissolving into one another like landscapes from a moving bike.” But how about this for a final line of marketing spiel:

“Rich, warm and distinctively unisex.”

My three favourite things. All available, in 30ml bottles, for £130.

I think the Vuelta’s stage profiles are slightly misleading, and have a knack of making climbs steeper than they could be perceived. But for a race famed for its rampas inhumanas it’s unsurprising they want to lean into that idea.

And with a tough gravel climb summiting 21km from the finish, this is the sort of stage that could be ripe for an ambush. If anyone is likely to loan the red jersey from Tadej Pogacar, today’s breakaway formation will be crucial. Otherwise, after his 50km solo victory two days ago, an effort half that distance is well within the Slovenian’s wheelhouse. A third stage victory would already put the icing on the cake.

If you do this, the GC battle is really exciting.

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— Anna Mac 👑🪱 🌈🖤🖤 (@annamacb.bsky.social) 26 August 2026 at 17:29

The race for the podium is one of the most interesting in the race, with the rest of the top-10 still separated by less than a minute. This writer, a Primoz Roglic fan since before it was cool (he says) is yearning for the veteran Slovenian to hold on. In fact, Kuss and Mas being his nearest rivals does give the podium battle a certain pre-pandemic feel.

Oscar Onley, who starts today in the white jersey of best young rider, will be keen to interrupt this nostalgia-fest. Meanwhile eyes may turn to Jarno Widar, second on Tuesday’s stage and long-heralded as the next big GC thing, to see if he can sustain his first tilt at a Grand Tour. Live coverage begins at 1:30…

With her penchant for polka dots, we almost certainly expected the Japanese artist to incorporate a bicycle in to her work and sure enough, the ever reliable Cool Bike Art account on Bluesky has delivered…

RIP Yayoi Kusama

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— Cool Bike Art (@coolbikeart1.bsky.social) 27 August 2026 at 09:38

I will share one, and only one, photo from my little (voluntary) escape from this website. I went to Paris to visit friends and decided (like many a tourist) to visit Montmartre. Many a traveller go there to channel their inner Amélie, but I went with a more velo-focused purpose in mind…

It takes a lot for me to share evidence of a tortured smile beyond the realms of a private social media account. But for Wout van Aert, the world is his…

 

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Because fat people are clearly the cause of what’s wrong here…

“No heavy people”
by
u/blamfici in
Justridingalong