“It’s difficult to understand”: Campaigners criticise Peak District ‘renaming’ deal with Skoda; Councillors hail welcome higher speed limit as “nobody kept to 20”; Van Aert victorious on return ahead of Vuelta + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Peak District 'rebrand' unveiled
Honestly, when we first covered this announcement last week, we reacted with some confusion. How can a company rename a national park? Don’t we all somewhat own the national parks through our government?
A quick Wikipedia check finds that unfortunately not, and that all the government can do is decide whether to create a national park and then offload all responsibility for it to a separate authority, one which does receive some government funding but is free to sign agreements with whoever it wishes…
We also, what with some images appearing somewhat computer-generated, thought it was a bit of a gimmick, we didn’t actually expect signs renaming the country’s oldest national park to pop up on the roadside. Alas…
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As a reminder, the campaign marks the launch of the Skoda Peaq, a seven-seater 2.5 tonnes SUV that’s the largest car in the Czech manufacturer’s range.
Eric Boutin, director of Skoda UK, says the new electric car “fits perfectly with the ethos of the Peak District National Park.
“We’re passionate about encouraging more people to get outdoors and experience these incredible protected spaces. Cycling has always been part of Škoda’s DNA – after all, the brand started life on two wheels – and that heritage still shapes how we think about mobility today.”
Skoda have also covered the cost of cycle hire from the Parsley Hay Cycle Centre for the week, providing you use their discount code.
Phil Mulligan, chief executive of the Peak District National Park, said that the “reasonable amount” Skoda paid “greatly helps the authority to deliver important work.” He added that the partnership aligned with the park’s values on active travel.
“Unfortunately, it is not free to deliver such public goods, they have to be paid for.” he told the BBC.
“With our government grant continuing to be cut in real terms every year and only covering about a quarter of our operating costs, we need income from a range of sources to continue to be able to deliver critical services for the nation.”
The signs will be up until Sunday, though that’s not enough for some campaigners…
“If national parks are prepared to sell their very name to the highest bidder, then we’re already on the path to industrial extraction of the most protected landscapes.” Tom Laws told Auntie.
“The Dark Peak’s internationally important peatlands have been burning for weeks, releasing stored carbon into the atmosphere.” Harry Brook (not that one) added.
“As these landscapes continue to smoulder, it is difficult to understand why the national park authority has chosen to partner with a company whose core business relies on fossil fuel transport.”
Racing round-up: Van Aert victorious on return
It was a chaotic day of racing at the Tour of Denmark, with a big crash derailing several teams…
Carnage in Denmark 🫣
A huge crash brought chaos to the peloton during the Tour of Denmark, with riders and bikes scattered across the road. pic.twitter.com/OvNUrSzhdR
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 29, 2026
One man not too affected by that though was Wout van Aert, racing for the first time since withdrawing from the Dauphine in June. Since then the Belgian has launched a mobile network (don’t ask) and announced his attention to target the leader’s jersey of the Spanish Grand Tour next month by winning the opening stage.
And Van Aert made a perfect start to his preparations by winning today’s stage after closing down several attacks in the finale before triumphing in the sprint finish…
Back with a bang 💥
Wout van Aert marked his return to racing in style, sprinting to victory on the opening stage of the Tour of Denmark, after closing a gap to the front in the final 4km. 👏 pic.twitter.com/khs4sU8T5o
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 29, 2026
Meanwhile, in the Tour de l’Ain, Markel Beloki won the second stage to take over the race lead from teammate Noah Hobbs…
No looking back 🤩
After two ascents of the Col des Portes, Markel Beloki launched his attack with just over 9km remaining and rode solo to victory on Stage 2 of the Tour de l’Ain, giving EF Education EasyPost the team’s second consecutive stage win. pic.twitter.com/KzN1uFCRi2
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) July 29, 2026
Bike hubs shut for good by authority which fought to rip out controversial cycle lane
Not what we meant when we googled 'balance bike'
VecchioJo writes that this is a reasonable aquatic representation of a UK cycle lane…
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Quiz time!
How has this escaped our attention?! The latest series of University Challenge had a round of bonuses on UCI regulations! I got two out of three…
Richardson out of Commonwealth Games
Ah, the perils of the keirin!
Matt Richardson, the European and World Champion track sprinter, has been ruled out of the Glasgow games and a reunion with his former teammates Australia.
Richardson announced his allegiance switch to Great Britain (and England) shortly after the Paris 2024 Olympics, having been born in Maidstone and raised by English parents. He was due to defend both his individual and team sprint titles won as part of the Australian team in Birmingham (London) four years ago. But a crash as part of the keirin World Series in Japan has ruled him out of contention…
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Thankfully, his partner, Olympic and World Champion Emma Finucane, will be representing Wales when the track cycling events at the Games get underway tomorrow, having just finished a pre-Tour training bloc at the Geraint Thomas National velodrome in Newport…
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A reminder that as part of a slimmed down programme, there is no road cycling on the schedule for these Games… (boo!)
Not everyone is as cool as a pro...
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Helicopter ride with a champion ski-jumper? A day in the life for Tadej Pogacar
Not many countries can lay a claim to having ski jumping as a national sport, but if it was going to be anywhere, it makes sense to be the nation that gave the cycling world Primoz Roglic, a man who ski jumps in a celebratory homage to his past sporting life…
The reason I mention it is because the Pogi challenge sportive, held in honour of the Slovenian who won the Tour de France yet again at the weekend, has announced that champion ski jumper Domen Prevc will welcome Tadej Pogacar into his own helicopter as they will then descend on his hometown. It’s all odd in an – only cycling marketing could do this sort of thing – way (complimentary).
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Also, is it just us or does Prevc bear more than a passing resemblance to Mathieu van der Poel, the man who unceremoniously distanced Pogacar on the Champs-Elysses on Sunday?
Tour snapshots
James Startt has been a much valued chronicler of the Tour de France through his photographs for many years. Here, he talks us through the most extraordinary finale to the race…
Here’s my favourite of the lot… the wonder in the eyes of so many fans of different ages.
Kim Cadzow quits at 24
Wow, Kim Cadzow has announced she’s “decided to step away” from professional cycling at the age of 24 and “won’t be returning.”
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Writing on Instagram, the New Zealand national champion, 10th in the 2024 Vuelta a Espana said she had dabbled with becoming a track specialist and focusing on time trials prior to making her decision.
“But riding my bike was no longer my happy place, and it felt everyday more and more like punishment. I love sport it’s my life and I never wanted to walk away hating it.
“While my career was short, taking up cycling at 19 and making the Olympics 3 years later was more than I ever could have dreamed. I’m so grateful for that.
“To all those young riders out there… hold your friends close and your family closer. Build a circle around you of support and lean on them, because once you are done that’s who you will have standing by your side.”
Cadzow suffered an injury-stricken season last year, with slipped discs and torn knee cartilage cutting short her racing action. However, that did not diminish her voice in the peloton when, in August of last year, she spoke out about how the women’s peloton was “riddled with eating disorders,” describing a “toxic community” of pros who on group rides would only talk about cutting kilos.
Though she may not want to use the word ‘retirement’, we’re wishing Kim all the best with what comes next…
West Yorkshire Police's 'dangerous' cycling story (gotten to the bottom of)
Rather annoyingly, West Yorkshire Police chose to publish the initial footage of this incident on Friday afternoon at 4:30, whilst our weekend was pre-occupied by lycra-clad blokes in France.
We therefore decided to try and go a bit deeper on this story, to establish why West Yorkshire Police chose to publish the story of a ‘dangerous’ cyclist but not give details on the close pass the cyclist actually wished to submit, as well as trying to work out why the fine was so high.
After a couple of days of wrangling with a press office, and a small dose of LinkedIn stalking (on the police’s part, not ours) this is the end result…
Do us a favour and read it, won’t you?
Electric motorbike stand-up
Not to be confused with a stand-up electric motorbike…
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Cool ridings!
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I’m a big believer that more bike races need to incorporate disused bobsleigh tracks into their course. The Transcontinental race played a blinder yesterday by putting one of their checkpoints on the Sarajevo course, enabling some rather excellent photos.
In the race itself, Nicolas Chatelet has closed the gap slightly to Robin Gemperle, though the Swiss rider still leads by 140km and is now on the Peloponnese peninsula, far ahead of any other competitors. Later this afternoon he should reach the mandated finish parcourse and (at his current rate) might finish by the early hours of tomorrow if he doesn’t fancy sleeping, though the Swiss rider has been prioritising his rest and recovery so far. And no one can say it’s not been working…
On the women’s side things are much tighter, with Sarah Bosslet just 35km ahead of Camille Albissier and the pair both currently heading through Kosovo. You get the impression the race could be decided as much by a major mechanical as by any sense of fitness.
An honourable mention to third-placed woman Lea Hamberger, who has taken to putting a Calippo down her sock to manage an achilles injury…
This, and far more fascinating nuggets are available on TCR’s daily blog which I recommend.
Unstoppable
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20mph
Having lived and studied in Cardiff, when this tweet came up on my feed I couldn’t help but share it further.
Wales’ imposition of 20mph ‘default’ speed limits in 2023 was met with controversy from drivers annoyed at the prospect of going slower, and even from cycle race organisers.
However, the benefits of 20mph speak for themselves…
> Cyclist casualties down 28% and 900 fewer road injuries since 20mph limit introduced in Wales
Still, for the Conservative councillor in my old ward of Llandaff in Cardiff, the default ban has annoyed him enough to get the ban lifted on the dual carriageway running through the north of the City.
In my own experience, the road has so frequently been packed during morning and evening rush hours it’s difficult to imagine cars travelling much faster than 20mph anyway.
Still, after months of hard work, the councillor’s lobbying has paid off…
Others will try & claim credit.
After years of campaigning to get this section of A48 Western Ave changed from 20mph to 30mph. The day has finally arrived.
Temp traffic lights, overnight ripping up 20mph markings.
Sorry for the traffic delays. @caerau10 @TedPeskettNews pic.twitter.com/qFlpouhqTe
— Sean Driscoll (@Sean4Llandaff) July 28, 2026
When congratulated on his achievement by fellow Conservative councillor Calum Davies, Driscoll replied that “20mph on this section of Western Ave with dual carriageway, was inappropriate. Almost nobody kept to 20, and it was never enforced.”
It’s not quite clear why it was inappropriate considering junctions at either end and sets of traffic lights regularly halted traffic anyway.
Using Driscoll’s logic, it also appears that you don’t need to follow a law if you agree with a load of other people not to follow it. Yet something tells me if cyclists so much as dared to move into the middle of the lane and kept to 20mph there might have been hell to pay.
But road tax…
"You've got to be as clean as you can"
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Latest Comments
@Mr Blackbird Would it help if the other vehicles and lamp posts were dressed in French maid uniforms too?
Hmm, Zwift owns Rouvy, Zwift starts offering what Rouvy offers but for £9 more. Doesn't take a very cynical crystal ball to see Rouvy either getting more expensive, losing features or simply being discontinued "To avoid duplication" in the not too distant, something I suspect has always been Zwift's plan. Rouvy bought Bkool and shut it down, telling members to transfer to Rouvy, then Zwift bought Rouvy...when Rouvy bought Bkool they said it would continue as a standalone platform, that lasted all of four months before they announced the shutdown.
I think Zwift have missed a trick here. They could have included a motorist road rage option. Cyclists could maybe gain 25 extra experience points for every close pass or 100 points for being attacked and having their skull fractured by a mad Scottish driver (like the nutcase in yesterday's video). Instead of "Ride On" messages, there could be a voice recording of Richard Madeley shouting "You lycra clad louts should have number plates!".
@momove well he has been held to account ... just not punished accordingly.
Strangely, an active transport safety study carried out by Dundee University showed that female cyclists wearing black French maid's uniforms, with black stockings were highly visible to most male drivers irrespective of the time of day, even those who were using their phones. However, there was an increased risk of drivers colliding with other vehicles, lamp posts etc.
comparable blue-sky lunacy, apparently a small keychain pendant is going to save lives. i was going to reply on fb with images of stationary police vehicles that other motorists collided with despite being festooned in hiviz markings, but y'know .. jail time for hurt feelings. https://www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/be-bright-be-seen-inverness-schools-to-receive-7500-keyrin-448570/
I could wear a giant Las Vegas neon sign on my back and a driver looking at their phone still wouldn't see me.
@kingleo He also drives. I've heard him talking about his car. His family has also been deeply affected by bad drivers. He seems extremely well qualified for the position he's in and I think we're lucky to have him. I'd like to see The Spectator employ better journalists but there's Bob Hope of that.
A cautionary tale for anyone relying on public consultations as an indication of public opinion, given that BH12 apparently had a population of 36,169 at the 2021 census, and only 31 bothered to respond.
I wonder what would happen if some random pleb decided to suplex Sheriff Fergus Thomson randomly for no reason on his way home from work. I have a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't involve them "avoiding jail by the narrowest of margins", no matter how many crocodile tears they might shed in court.
14 thoughts on ““It’s difficult to understand”: Campaigners criticise Peak District ‘renaming’ deal with Skoda; Councillors hail welcome higher speed limit as “nobody kept to 20”; Van Aert victorious on return ahead of Vuelta + more on the live blog”
Because what’s going on here is definitely not cricket!
Re The Skoda Peaq/Peak District news
Evidently I was wrong. *insert facepalm emoji*
(“So Skoda have taken a leaf out of Dung-Old Karen Taco Trump’s book and are re-naming something when they have no authority to do so?”)
Ermm… looking at that Google streetview image, of the road in Cardiff, it does not look like dual carriageway to me.
A dual carriageway is a road separated by a central reservation (or median strip). In this section it has a few wands, which is not a central reservation, and further up the road there is no separation at all apart from paint.
From Wikipedia: “A road without a central reservation is known as a single carriageway regardless of how many lanes there are”
@a1white I thought the same, but if you turn the view around and back up the road a bit, it is dual carriageway – our blogger just happens to have shown the bit just after it ceases to be one. In the Streetview images the 20 limit begins at the start of the brief bit of dualling. Which bit(s) of road the changed limit now applies to isn’t clear.
[NB – if you search for ‘Western Avenue Cardiff’ on Google maps, the pin you get is right where the view in the blog post is, so I suspect that default view was just dumped in without any further digging into whether it was the relevant section.]
@mdavidford Ahh yes, this bit, further up the road:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/GqGikmkdmNrUaCUe7
@a1white That bit was never 20mph though, only this bit – not sure if it technically counts as dual carriageway, but there is median infrastructure:
@quiff Yes – that’s the bit I was referring to.
@mdavidford Went down here today (by bike, shared path) but didn’t spot the changes. The 20mph limit used to apply to a relatively short section (half a mile?) from the River Taff to just after the junction with Cardiff Road – a large part of which does have central reservation / build out of some sort. This section passes a park, a university campus and (the back of) a school. I was in the tiny minority of people who seemed to stick to the 20mph limit here when it was free-flowing, but at peak times 30mph is a pipe dream anyway. Don’t know why the councillor has spent so much energy on it. That, and objecting to the reduction of free parking from 2 hours to 30 mins in council car parks.
I’m sure they’d have mentioned it if it was the case so I’m guessing that they didn’t *also* lobby for decent bi- directional cycle paths and grade-separated crossings? Can’t understand why not…
(No idea what it’s like but 200m to the north there seems to be a “way” through Llandaff Fields which roughly parallels the worst of it. )
“Councillors hail welcome higher drink-drive limit as ‘nobody kept to 2 pints anyway’ “?
There are shared use paths parallel to this section of road already. Subject to the usual gripes with shared use, they’re not too bad, so I wouldn’t detour through Llandaff Fields just to avoid them (lovely park though it is). It is however a very useful traffic free route into the City Centre.
Of course most (otherwise law abiding) motorists don’t keep to the 20mph limit especially without enforcement, guess what, given the opportunity, many, if not most, will not keep to the 30mph limit and there will still not be any enforcement.
But what a 20mph limit does is bring the speeds down, resulting in less crashes, which, when they do occur will result in less damage, reduce the severity of injuries and the number of deaths.
And what we really want is more dead children, isn’t it councillor?
Thanks – I only had a quick peek on Streetview and I’m glad it works for locals, but it looked like “you say ‘shared used facility’, I say ‘same old not-over-generous footway now with the odd blue sign”.
We don’t need cycle paths absolutely everywhere, but looking at the size of the road, where it goes and runs though I would be thinking more like this (minus parked cars): https://maps.app.goo.gl/gswbQefKzc47nEJm8
Or… declare it an urban freeway and get rid of the junctions and houses next to it! Maximum flow…
This bit of the BBC Skoda story made me laugh:
“Campaigners placed an alternative placard beneath the advertising board for several hours, which “attracted support” from national park visitors, with many “unaware of the partnership” to their dismay.”
Between that, and the campaigner’s photo which actually shows a Skoda next to the sign, I’m not sure if it’s just the Streisand effect, or if they actually work for Skoda’s marketing team.
Jone’s are discontinuing their 660mm H bars and are offering 35% off the aluminium and 25% off the titanium versions.
Get them while they’re cheap.
I went for the ti version 7 years back and highly recommend them.
I went for the 660s, I could do with the extra inch when going up the hills but went for the narrower ones as I often ride in traffic.
I’m liking the opportunity to edit again.