“Officials who should know better, don’t”: Sadiq Khan criticised for describing electric police motorbikes as “e-bikes” as BBC amends misleading headline; ’50km climb’ awaits Vuelta peloton in finale
SUMMARY
E-bike inaccuracy
We wouldn’t normally cover stories on the rollout of electric motorbikes. After all, that’s not really our job. The Met Police’s announcement yesterday then that it was rolling out a new fleet of Sur-Ron motorbikes to help tackle mobile phone theft in the capital largely passed us by. Until we saw the Mayor of London talk about it…
Phone thieves and robbers: we’re closing in.
Backed by record City Hall funding, the Met’s new fleet of Sur-Ron e-bikes is targeting criminals who use illegal, modified bikes to evade police and commit crime.
That means more arrests and fewer escape routes.
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@london.gov.uk) 27 August 2026 at 09:07
E-bikes? Wow I didn’t realise the bobbies on the beat would be pedalling in pursuit of their suspects…
Oh, never mind, just another bit of misidentification and conflation.
There are, admittedly, some difficulties in classifying these machines, when Sur-Ron themselves describe their machines as “the original e-bikes”. But that description does not match the law which – everybody say it with me – must ensure an electric motor is restricted to speeds of 15.5mph and only assists the act of pedalling. See, it rolls off the tongue.
Otherwise it is not an e-bike. We have had multiple conversations in our office over what we should call these machines. Illegal e-bikes? Illegal electric mopeds? Illegally-modified electric motorbikes? Something in between?
We’ve actually settled cautiously on the phrase “illegal bikes”, both for the simplicity and the fact that non-legal e-bikes should be insured and licensed but rarely are, hence them falling foul of the law. Besides, bike is a universal word that can also be applied to motorbikes, not that we care too much about them either.
Our first big story using the phrase was published yesterday:
Ultimately this grey area will persist for a little while. But that doesn’t stop us identifying when its black and white, like the BBC article initially headlined: Met Police expands e-bike patrol fleet to tackle phone snatchers.
This isn’t the first time the BBC has been caught conflating e-bikes and these illegal vehicles, though the title of this article was changed pretty swiftly to refer to ‘e-motorbikes’.
In a social media thread, public policy lecturer Sarah Bickerton criticised both the mayor and the BBC’s choice of language:
“*sigh* unfortunately this shows how even officials who should know better, don’t.
“It feeds into the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) around e-bikes, which are electric BICYCLES. And as such contributes to misinformation about actual e-bikes, which so many use rightly as bicycles and can enjoy the freedom those provide. E-bikes aren’t the problem here at all.
“These kinds of e-motos can be a problem indeed because our regulatory systems haven’t quite caught up with that technology (especially so given how easy they can be derestricted). Especially in urban settings. But having & using the right language around e-motos is a good step towards such.”
And @london.gov.uk keeps spreading misinformation about these e-motos, despite being repeatedly told by so many others on this platform that these are NOT e-bikes.
I genuinely like & admire Mayor Khan, but this kind of misinformation FUD is part of the problem here.
bsky.app/profile/lond…— Dr Sarah Hendrica Bickerton 🏳️🌈 (@sarahhbickerton.bsky.social) 27 August 2026 at 21:49
There we are then, the latest, but certainly noy last chapter in this story.
Updated GC
The Mas/Roglic/Gall podium battle is solidifying nicely. Gall appears the strongest climber with the best team but is furthest back. Roglic is meanwhile the strongest time trialist. Mas is best-positioned of the lot and by far the hardest rider to predict…
Andreas Leknessund wins! Pogacar drops rivals
Andreas Leknessund takes an emotional victory, his first Grand Tour stage win after several near misses, with Tobias Halland Johannessen crossing solo in second for a Uno-X and Norwegian one-two on the country’s first day of mourning. Van Aert comes home in third to, I think, take the lead in the green jersey.
There it is! Andreas Leknessund takes his first ever Grand Tour stage win! 💪🇳🇴
1-2 for Norway! 👑🕊️#LaVuelta26 pic.twitter.com/LqDM1tGeiE
— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) August 28, 2026
Behind, one small acceleration is all it takes for Pogacar to drop Gall and Mas. The maillot rojo is solo towards the line and will put to bed any suggestions of a wobble after yesterday’s stage, and he makes it look so easy!
He crosses the line 4’23” behind Leknessund, 7 seconds ahead of Gall, 15 seconds ahead of Mas, and around 30 seconds into Roglic, Mas and Onley. It took a while to get going, but what a race that became!
Gall attacks!
2km to go for the favourites and the Austrian attacks, with only Pogacar and Mas able to initially hold the wheel. A small gap opens to Roglic, Onley and Kuss whilst Richard Carapaz is properly dropped.
The race is in pieces, as at the front of the race Johannessen has now dropped Van Aert. We’re looking like a Norwegian one-two…
Peloton splits!
My word, Decathlon have swept to the front of the peloton and have shredded the peloton to 20 riders. Skjelmose and Widar are among those dropped. Talk about a shake-up. They’re not interested in the stage win, but want to try and help Felix Gall regain the ground he lost yesterday. Barely a dozen riders now, mostly favourites, all single-file. Tejada is next to be dropped.
At the front, Leknessund still has 40 seconds on Van Aert and teammate Johannessen with 2km remaining.
Counter attack
Wout van Aert has pushed on and is distancing Lutsenko, but has he left it too late. Leknessund is grimacing but it’s a fantastic ride to stretch his time gap out to 40 seconds! 4km to go, and things are looking very good for Uno-X with Johannessen still glued to his rival’s wheel.
Attack!
Andreas Leknessund makes his move with 7.5km remaining and gets a big gap on his rivals. Lutsenko is the man to set a pace to reel him in, and in so doing he distances Van Aert and Dunbar. Johannessen meanwhile is content to sit on the Kazakh’s wheel. Leknessund’s done well here to open a 15 second gap or so… 6km to go as it looks like Van Aert is just getting back on to the wheel behind.
From the group behind, EF’s Juan Rodriguez has attacked his rivals and is ploughing ahead with Kern Pharma’s Ivan Sosa
10km
Onto the final categorised climb, although the climbing has been going a while, and there’s remarkably not much to report. The front 5 are continuing to work and have a minute on the strongest 10 surviving chasers in the group behind, whilst the peloton are content to sit 7 minutes back. In fact the biggest news from the peloton appears to be UAE domestique Kevin Vermaerke’s revelation he’s riding with a broken rib. Ouch!
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20km
Approaching the finale and whilst UAE are riding at the front of the peloton, their pace is gentle and the time gap to the front 5 is extending towards seven minutes.
So it’s looking increasingly likely that one of Van Aert, Eddie Dunbar, Alexey Lutsenko, Tobias Halland Johannessen or Andreas Leknessund will win the stage. The second group did get their act together and at one point brought the gap down to around a minute but it’s since grown past 1’30”. Someone will have to launch a concerted attack to catch the front of the race.
Of the five, Wout van Aert is the rank outsider. In some ways it’s mission accomplished for the Belgian having just gone through the intermediate sprint to take maximum points and close the gap to Pogacar in that competition. But I’m not sure he’s the same rider who won following two ascents of Mont Ventoux a few years ago.
The remaining four are purer climbers. Lutsenko used to be built for stages like this, but hasn’t been at his best for a few years and will retire at the end of the year. One last lighting of the fire?
Leknessund has been out at the front with Van Aert for most of the day and might be tempted to work for teammate Johannessen, a fine climber who was 6th at last year’s Tour but spent this July stage-hunting instead. Don’t write off the former Norwegian champion however, a former maglia rosa wearer.
Then there’s Eddie Dunbar, the Irishman seeking his third Vuelta stage win and his first since moving to Pinarello-Q36.5. It’s a very tough one to call…
Met Police officer commandeers bike to apprehend thief
How do you stop a bike thief? By stealing commandeering a bicycle of course…
That said, I’m not sure if it’s entirely orthodox for a police officer to shout, “Hallo mate! You’re f***ing nicked!” when apprehending a suspect. But what do I know…?
GB News laugh at cyclist stating facts
Advantage breakaway?
Hmm, 60km to go and the time gap for both the lead break and the group of chasers is growing over the peloton.
The lead quintet (Leknessund, Johannessen, Lutsenko, Van Aert & Dunbar) now have 4’10” over the peloton, whilst the second, 22-strong group of chasers is two minutes behind the front of the race.
We’re running out however of flat-ish kilometres, and you feel that if the peloton want to reel in the break, they have the power to do so. Meanwhile, the second group has stopped co-operating and have resorted to attacking one another to try and break themselves up. You could say (wait for this) that they’re in a catch-22… apologies
Larry Warbasse has instigated the latest move and has drawn out a small move including Leo Bisiaux and Rudy Molard but it comes to nowt. Now the group slows and looks at one another. Mads Pedersen is in this group, though it’s not exactly clear why with the Dane reportedly not chasing the green jersey.
In terms of any GC move, Jakob Omrzel and Guillaume Martin are best-placed on GC ahead of the peloton, but will need to gain another 3-4 minutes if they’re to leapfrog into the top-10.
55km to go. The lead 5 have 1’40” over the 22, and 4’25” on the peloton. 50km of near-constant climbing begins imminently!
VIF Kong Harald
As a bit of a Scandi-phile, I’ve been watching news of King Harald V’s declining health over the past few days. This morning, the reigning monarch of Norway died at the age of 89.
As is becoming a favourite habit of mine, I’ve trawled the internet looking for photos of people in the news on or near a bike. And I discovered this absolute gem courtesy of the Norwegian National Library, even if the future head of state is on a tricycle here instead.
Incidentally, Tobias Halland Johannessen, the Norwegian riding for the Norwegian Uno-X Mobility team at the Vuelta a Espana, has said the King’s death is an extra motivation for him today.
“It’s special that he has been so interested in sports, so we ride a little in his spirit today,” Johannessen told Danish outlet TV2.
“We want to honour him in the best possible way by starting and doing the absolute best we can today. We will ride for him.”
The Uno-X riders are all wearing black armbands today and the race’s Norwegian riders paid tribute with a minute’s silence at the start of today’s stage. They’ve also found some more bike-related archive footage of the late monarch.
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And aptly enough, Johannessen has bridged to teammate and compatriot Leknessund at the front of the race. The pair are joined by Wout van Aert, Eddie Dunbar and Alexey Lutsenko.
Raging Wout
Wout van Aert is on a mission this afternoon, getting in several breaks and is currently at the front of the race with Andreas Leknessund.
They’re about to take on the start of the category-2 El Remolcador and look set to be joined by several other riders who have clipped off the peloton. Leo Bisiaux, Guillaume Martin, Eddie Dunbar, Pello Bilbao, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Koen Bouwman and Larry Warbasse are among those up the road, albeit they’ve only got 20 seconds on the peloton so far. The race has yet to settle down.
More than a cyclist campaign hits the service stations
If there’s any place for a poster campaign to remind drivers of their responsibilities on the road, a service station is a pretty reasonable choice, even if motorways are one of the few roads which cyclists are not permitted to ride on.
Incidentally, we spoke to the More than a Cyclist campaign a couple of years ago about their cycling safety campaigns and how effective they think they can be…
Vuelta stage 7 preview: Can Pogi bounce back Lynn
It feels very surreal to describe Tadej Pogacar’s third Vuelta stage win as a set-back. The Slovenian after all increased his overall lead in the red jersey to 3’34” over Enric Mas. And yet, we’re discussing that strange thing, a solo attack by Pogacar that was reeled in, and by Mas no less!
Coupled with his scary near-miss on the technical descent to the finish, people are a little more on edge about this race today than they were yesterday. Can Mas back up his incredible legs today?
A flat start to today’s stage belies what awaits the riders, with the final 50km almost entirely uphill, culminating in a final category-1 drag to Aramon Valdelinares. No long technical descent to catch anyone out today, but could we have a day for the break?
If no break has got away by the time the category-2 El Remolcador begins, we could see a host of good climbers try and angle for a stage win or a GC bid a la Guillaume Martin. Or even Ramses Debruyne.
Pfeiffer Georgi signs for UAE
A little bit of British transfer news this morning, with former national champion Pfeiffer Georgi swapping Team Picnic PostNL for UAE Team L’Imad, the first move of her pro career.
In her eight years on the team formerly known as DSM, Georgi won the Classic Brugge-De Panne and podiumed Paris-Roubaix in 2022. She also finished 5th in the women’s road race at the Paris Olympics and has ridden all three Grand Tours.
In the statement announcing her transfer, Georgi said, “I have been in the same team for my eight years as a professional and am excited to enter a new environment at this point in my career. I have gained a lot of experience and I am now looking to develop further as a rider.
“I have seen the development of the team over the last few years and the depth of success it’s had. I wanted to be in a place where I can reach my full potential and I believe UAE Team L’IMAD is the best place for that.
“I am really excited to get to know all the girls and first want to focus on fitting into the team. My main goals in the first part of the season will be the Spring Classics. I [also] want to continue to improve my climbing ability to open up more opportunities in races and perform better in longer stage races.”
Georgi has signed a three-year contract and will join one of the biggest teams in the women’s peloton, with star riders such as Elisa Longo Borghini and Dominika Wlodarczyk. However, breakout star Paula Blasi, fresh from winning the Vuelta a Espana earlier in the year, is set to leave the team.
An aero front mudguard?
Just when you think you’ve seen it all…
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Driver arrested after swerving into cyclists and firing gun
An utterly shocking incident from across the pond…
> SUV driver arrested after swerving into cyclists and firing gun in shocking US road rage attack
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@SVXY Oh good, the defender of drivers who kill and maim is back. Well down to your usual standard of idiocy, "it was not a criminal manoeuvre". Well yes, it was, because it was a manoeuvre that has resulted in him being convicted of a criminal offence, namely causing serious injury by careless driving. Is there any other sphere of society where one can pretty much destroy another person's life through criminal negligence and idiots will say well they didn't really mean to do it so they shouldn't get more than the tiniest slap on the wrist?
@Smoggysteve "not needed" by whom? Certainly not all infra is "necessary" - and the UK often builds stuff of little utility. Indeed little except for paved surfaces would be needed in the absence of motor traffic - we could bin traffic lights, roundabouts etc. However I note there are plenty of "I cycle what's the problem?" folks in countries like the UK... where very few people *do* cycle. I think having "mass cycling" is a good thing and that ultimately infra plays a significant part **. * Some don't think mass cycling is a good idea, or not possible "here". Or "I'd rather it was just me and my mates". ** FWIW I think it takes lots of things - different "philosophy" of public transport and space, motor traffic reduction, good enough public transport etc The simple "people just need to cycle" and the "encourage / police it better" approaches alone just won't do it, alas - which is why they have't.
@Smoggysteve on the specifics: separate marked spaces might be a good idea, depending on the numbers of cyclists.
@SVXY ah yes, it's a good job that someone has appeared again to remind us that the outcome - equivalent to assault occasioning serious bodily harm is not real crime! Or at least shouldn't be taken so seriously. Of course they weren't also "taking the mick" by eg. being drunk. They didn't mean it! It was an accident! They'll never do it again! (The fact they literally added insult to injury afterwards is just down to shock! Perhaps... but interesting what was on their mind, waiting to come out. Mens rea? Plus see lack of remorse before.) This is by someone who not only should have been driving the car with the alertness and care appropriate to operating dangerous machinery in a public space ... but who might be expected to be able to drive at a high standard. Indeed they are also responsible for training others. There appears to be a lack of the customary plea of remorse here also, you'll note.
@chrisonabike A lot of that isnt needed. why is there a need to add in more infrastructure in this case?
@GMBasix indeed - there are conflicts between "good transport design" and both institional motivations (police making it easier for themselves) but also the overall "criminal safety" brief. In a (much) smaller fashion as there's a fundamental conflict between "freedom to get around by driving" (even in accordance with the licence conditions) and public health and safety (including from "real crime"), to say nothing of costs, ability of non-motorists to get around etc. I would hope that much of "how designing for active travel changes crime patterns" could be resolved by reference to "how it works elsewhere" *. But it's another case of "change *does* mean things do not stay exactly as they are now". * eg the "social safety" design features of non-motor infra elsewhere and how police do police those spaces.
@wtjs He was not on his phone, not drunk, not speeding and it was not an illegal manoeuvre so there were no grounds for an immediate jail sentence. Not least as the government is currently releasing some offenders for all but the worst crimes as there isn't room in prison for them all now. Maybe a longer driving ban and compulsory retest would have been more appropriate for this offence
Opposing this sort of route fits with the "Secure by Design" ethos. Local police teams are frequently consulted on larger planning/transport schemes (as a lot of colloquially dubbed "statutory consultees" are). Secure by Design has a lockdown feel to it. Some of it is good security-conscious design; but some of it is somewhat unsubstantiated but nevertheless prescriptive stuff that needs to be weighed with other considerations using open eyes. They like interwoven cul-de-sacs which limit rat-running escape routes; they don't like interconnecting paths that allow illegal PTWs to escape the feds. You can see why that makes sense to them, but they don't apply their community policing head which should include community cohesion, connectivity and wellbeing. Secure by Design needs binning or overhauling. It is not fit for purpose. If the police think riders are going to escape, they need to equip and train themselves to deal with spaces as they are, not try to dictate a fortress mentality.
@Smoggysteve overall I'm with you here and the stats in from other places show this isn't an issue in the long term (eg. IIRC the Netherlands is the safest country for pedestrians). However to get there is "change". Since we don't all get courses in new infra / rules that certainly means "confusion" and "concern". After all people still make mistakes with car infrastructure, which we've had decades of very bitter experience to learn. The UK is only at the start of a transition (well, a few parts, hopefully...). Not only do people "not expect" cyclists (because few) but UK authorities make this needlessly harder by a) "building" cycle infra by mixing modes (eg. putting up signs on pedestrian infra / directing cyclists into bus lanes) and b) when making the "actual" built cycle infra it's non-standard. (As well as inconvenient and sometimes dangerous for all). Particularly it's not clearly marked. Contrast eg. NL - while not all separated cycle infra there is the same, it is normally pretty standard and clearly marked (red asphalt most places). And their road safety / design system includes the principles of *predictability* and homogeneity. So everyone knows where to expect cyclists. And they aren't likely to design a major cycling through route down the middle of a narrow / busy shopping street.
Kingston upon Thames, one of the most prosperous shopping towns, has no problem with cyclists going through a very busy pedestrian zone. I notice that the cyclists automatically ride slowly and carefully in the pedestrian area.
16 thoughts on ““Officials who should know better, don’t”: Sadiq Khan criticised for describing electric police motorbikes as “e-bikes” as BBC amends misleading headline; ’50km climb’ awaits Vuelta peloton in finale”
To be clear, the police are perfectly legally using electric motorbikes. So in that context, it’s not accurate to call “these machines” “illegal bikes” (which is what is implied in Callum’s post above).
As “bike” is usually used to refer to pedal-only bikes and “motorbike” the (untill now) term for petroleum fuel based internal combustion engine powered bikes…
Wouldn’t the easiest way be to refer to them as “Illegal Electric Motor-Bikes”?
Shortened to “IEMB” which easily rolls off the tongue.
We have used “car” for those that are ICE based and nowadays use “electric car/EV” when talking about the differences between the old and new technologies.
So why not “EMB” (and “IEMB”) for electric motorbikes?
Technically, these e-motorcycles aren’t illegal in themselves, unless used on public roads without necessarily licenses etc. they can be legal in other circumstances, e.g. on private land. Not sure if this helps or hinders the debate, but it does put the focus on the user not the vehicle/bike.
Agree… but it would just seem sensible to do *something* at the supply end. After all we do with many other products (cars, other potentially dangerous goods).
That doesn’t *prevent* humans from doing bad things (often an argument against regulation). But that almost always hugely reduces the scale of any problems.
I note that people are flogging these things – and in “respectable high street stores” last time I looked – with what appears at best to be zero concern about what happens with them after (“we just sell the knives, nothing to do with us after that”).
And sometimes active encouragement to ignore rules (“just slow down and look innocent if the cops show up” – as Ashley Neal found when he bought one).
@chrisonabike An additional note to clarify that I don’t believe Ashley did buy one.
As you say that was the advice from the supplier.
If I recall he was sent an Engwe for review, which turned out to be capable of illegal use.
So he made a video calling them out, saying that it was not acceptable and he would not deal with such vehicles, and gave it to one of his viewers to use on his farm.
It was quite stylish – he did the review pushing it along explaining why he could not ride it.
There is a ROADCC forum thread here:
And the video is here:
Yes, you’re correct, I had overlooked that he got it for review.
IIRC he didn’t do a bad job with the vid.
@the little onion The article is complete pants – viz e-bikes aren’t defined, bike can (in common usage) mean pedal cycle or motorbike; EAPCs not conforming to the EAPC regulations aren’t illegal to purchase or use on private property, as you say their use is illegal in a public place.
EAPCs not conforming to the EAPC regulations (which are treated as motor vehicles) and Electric motorbikes can be subject to type approval, registration, then taxed, insured and used on the road with a licence and helmet.
There is a real problem with people & journalists bandying terms around and trying to create their own meanings.
“Emoter-bikes”? Sounds a bit touchy-feely, which might put some off using them?
@chrisonabike
If that puts off the people who would use them for criminality I won’t lose any sleep.
@mitsky I don’t know if it’s generally true that “bike” usually refers to pedal bikes. Amongst readers of road.cc yes, but less obvious in the general population. “Bike Magazine” is about motorbikes (not to be confused with BIKE magazine, which is about mountain bikes…). A “biker gang” is more likely to be found riding Harleys than Cannondales. The “Think Bike!” road safety campaign was about motorbikes. Etc.
People who ride motorcycles routinely call them bikes and talk about “biking”.
See for example the Youtube Channel of the Motorcycle Action Group.
I think “pedelec” is probably the best term rather than “EAPC”, which is too complex. A normal bicycle is well known as a “pedal cycle” when we are talking about law, so to me pedelec seems appropriate.
Trouble with that is ‘pedelec’ and ‘EAPC’ mean two different things, or more exactly, EAPCs are a subset of pedelecs.
And “push bikes”?…
Well, this is viewpoint I never thought I’d see in the DM!…
“I’ve just finished writing a book called ‘The Madness of Cars’. Our society has become totally dependent on mass car ownership, and people often ask me how they could possibly manage without one.
But it doesn’t have to be like this.”
https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16081353/Video-PETER-HITCHENS-driving-obsession-destroying-Britain.html
Just a point of fact to highlight because some people are unaware: the police do not have the authority to “commandeer” your personal property. In this case the officer asked permission to borrow a bike and the owner agreed, but this not America and you have an absolute right to say no if you prefer.
“Why would you?” some will no doubt ask, which is a common question from people who’ve never had to be subjected to the often malicious, incompetent, incoherent, accusatory misconduct of the police, typically people who also largely have no appreciation for the carefully curated and selective image the police present with stories like this. Today they were chasing a bike thief and you get to see their heroics, tomorrow they’re chasing down some poor kid who’s done nothing wrong riding their bike home because they have the wrong colour skin and the body camera footage will mysteriously vanish into the ether, and people should be aware they have an absolute right to refuse to be complicit in a situation that is statistically speaking far more likely to be some version of the latter than the former.
I’m always in favour of vigorous condemnation of the police, but not when they’re doing the right thing. ‘E-bike’ means nothing to the law, unlike EAPC which is a good term as is ‘fully legal, licensed taxed and insured electric motorcycle’ which is what the police are using. This must be a good thing and a worry to the little b******s wearing face masks while riding illegal electric motorcycles, unless the Met is running the whole operation from the Charing Cross station