Health

Which is the hardest endurance sport? Double-Olympic triathlon champ Alistair Brownlee has crunched the stats to find out

Alistair Brownlee has dug into thousands of athlete sessions to find out which sport is the hardest, so where does cycling rank in his standings? The results might surprise you

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Urgent medical help to arrive on two wheels in busy pedestrianised areas

A new cycle response unit in Cambridge will be able to assess patients, deliver emergency care and even treat a number of injuries on scene

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“Everyone gains when more people cycle”: New report suggests cycling saving the NHS more than £72m per year

Major report into UK active travel levels suggests equivalent to 1.6 million GP appointments saved through cycling, with nearly 6,000 serious long-term health conditions avoided each year

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“Bold” bike lanes and ultra-low emission zones help London slash air pollution by over 20% since 2010, new report finds – as capital aims to double cycle network and deliver “greener, safer streets”

London is among 19 cities around the world to have achieved “remarkable reductions” in air pollution over the last 15 years, analysis by Breathe Cities has revealed

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Could Tour de France stages soon be raced in the morning? Scientists warn climate change and extreme heatwaves could make afternoon racing too dangerous

"With record-breaking heatwaves becoming more frequent, it is only a matter of time before the Tour encounters extreme heat stress days that will test existing safety protocols"

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“Transformational” cycling schemes saved NHS over £13 million, new research reveals – as governing bodies call for £30m “targeted public investment” to leave lasting Tour de France legacy and turn Britain into “true nation of cyclists”

According to the data, the Places to Ride programme has delivered over £100m in health and social value since it was launched in 2019

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E-bikes could be classified as mobility devices in drive to modernise “outdated rules”

12-week DfT review could scrap 40-year-old laws and legalise e-bikes for disabled riders

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“The all-or-nothing demand would force Rad to shut its doors immediately”: Rad Power Bikes refuses recall of “hazardous batteries” despite public safety warning over its batteries

Beleaguered US-based e-bike company says recall could force it out of business

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“Wear a helmet, please”: Zoe Bäckstedt says “my helmet saved my life” after suffering hand and wrist fractures in training crash

The reigning U23 cyclocross and time trial champion, who will miss the start of the ‘cross season due to the crash, posted a photo of her scuffed and cracked helmet on Instagram

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Road cycling causes more serious injuries than mountain biking, new study finds

While mountain biking accidents are more frequent, road crashes tend to be more severe, with a higher rate of serious head injuries — and the risk increases with age

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Cycling a couple of miles to work enough to boost heart health by as much as 30%, new study finds

Researchers suggest short cycle commutes "sufficient to transform fitness and cut carbon emissions", with as little as 4km rides to work seeing major health benefits

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Cycling programme may restore neural connections in Parkinson’s patients, new study finds

Research looked at immediate and long-term effects of exercise, with "measurable change in the brain signals responsible for motor control and movement" observed after 12 static cycling sessions

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Static cycling programme could save NHS money and slash physiotherapy waiting lists, study suggests

"For the time it takes to treat one patient using standard physiotherapy, we can treat multiple patients in a group session and provide them with better outcomes."

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“Middle-aged men in Lycra” stereotypes and media culture war clichés about cycling are harming public health, says Chris Whitty

England’s chief medical officer has warned that tired tropes around cycling are distracting from the huge health benefits of everyday walking, cycling and wheeling, especially for people on the brink of ill health

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“E-bikes aren’t a problem when 99.5% of road deaths involve cars”: Chris Boardman calls for “anger to be pointed in right direction” amid Reform’s anti-cycling rhetoric and “embarrassing” BBC Panorama e-bike episode

“The way to counter Reform is to stop talking about cycling and walking, and talk about the outcomes of cycling and walking,” the Active Travel England chief says

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Cycling linked to lower dementia risk and better brain health, researchers find

The study, which assessed almost 500,000 participants over a 13-year period, found that cycling was associated with a lower risk of all-cause dementia compared to driving

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Firefighters cut cyclist free after rider impaled leg on handlebar

Paramedics and fire crew respond to incident on coastal cycle path in North Wales after a handlebar "penetrated" a cyclist's leg during a crash

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Would you buy a £350 inflatable bike helmet? Latest air-filled lid hopes to tempt commuters

We visited HEAD Lab at Imperial College London to watch Ventete's inflatable aH-1 helmet put through testing

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Egan Bernal’s recovery from life-threatening horror crash detailed in medical research paper

Vital work of hospital staff highlighted in "successful case" of rehabilitation from severe injuries suffered in high-speed training crash

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New 3D-printed cycling helmet could be ‘safer, lighter and more comfortable’, but researchers admit design still needs more comprehensive testing

University of Gothenburg researchers believe design "has the potential to enhance energy absorption and reduce the risk of head injuries" thanks to its geometrical patterns

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“Safety in numbers”: Electric scooter schemes reduce cyclist collisions by 20%, new study suggests

University of Bristol research explored "micromobility safety in numbers" hypothesis, that the more people ditch their cars for bikes or e-scooter hires the safer they become, possibly by making drivers "take more care" on the roads

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Cycle to work and you’ll need fewer sick days, new study suggests — as researchers find “further reasons for employers to encourage” cycling

Cycling to work linked to up to 12 per cent lower risk of sickness absence days, with study concluding that employers could look to "invest in incentives" for cycled commutes

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Bike maintenance brand apologises to Sir Chris Hoy and removes video linking cycling legend’s cancer diagnosis to rival chain lube after legal action threatened

Green Oil founder Simon Nash has confirmed he apologised for “any distress” caused by the video, which claimed Hoy’s cancer was linked to “PTFE bike lubricant exposure”, but insisted he didn’t think the six-time Olympic champion “would mind at all”

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Sir Chris Hoy’s management launches legal action against bike maintenance brand over “distressing” video linking cancer diagnosis to use of rival company’s chain lube

Representatives of the six-time Olympic champion requested for the posts, questioning whether Hoy’s cancer was linked to “PTFE bike lubricant exposure”, to be removed by 15:00 on 16 January, but received no response. The posts have since been removed.

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Bike maintenance brand criticised for “really poor taste” video linking Sir Chris Hoy’s cancer diagnosis to use of rival company’s chain lube

Green Oil faces backlash over "disgraceful" social media posts asking: "Did Sir Chris Hoy get cancer from PTFE bike lubricant exposure?"

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“Very politically noisy”: Chris Boardman calls out anti-cycling media coverage, believes “very consistent, non-evidence-based, negative narrative” is slowing progress

Active Travel Commissioner says public health gains held back by sections of the media's coverage, which stops "people wanting to put their heads up and do difficult things"

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Transport Secretary wants end to “perverse half cycle lanes” and hints at long-term funding for cycling and walking

Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, has said £100m for cycling and walking was the start, and long-term funding could be pledged in the Spring Spending Review, as she adds road deaths have been "normalised for too long"

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First ride: The new (old) roads in Zwift’s latest map update

It’s 10 years since we were chasing the blue ghosts round Jarvis Island, and now you can do that again. Kind of.

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Cycling one short journey a day enough to lower blood pressure, new research finds

"Our findings suggest that, for most people, exercise is key," researchers concluded, with as little as five minutes of extra exercise enough to have a positive effect

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Sir Chris Hoy’s “brave” terminal cancer revelation prompts near sevenfold increase in prostate cancer advice searches, says NHS

The six-time Olympic champion says the “massive increase” in men seeking advice has “been a huge comfort to us, to know that hopefully many lives could be saved by early testing”

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