11 things we've learned this week

1. Team Sky certainly travel in style

Team Sky really have reached for the Sky with the unveiling of their portable 'Race Hub', which folds up and is transported by an articulated lorry. Along with their Death Star team bus, they will certainly be travelling in style at the Vuelta this year...

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2. Bike thieves will be encouraged by the police response to recent incidents

We don't think it bodes well that Sussex Police refused to view the CCTV of a bike theft incident. With similar cases being reported by road.cc staff and readers, is bike theft being taken seriously, and do the police have the resources available to deal with so many instances? Sussex Police said the time needed to view CCTV of the theft in question would not be “not proportionate to the nature of the offence”, which doesn't set a great precedent. 

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3. The Vuelta is building up to be a classic

A super tough route will no doubt see some of the favourites fall short due to efforts earlier in the season, but with Chris Froome confident of a good result, we could see fireworks on the climbing stages.  

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4. The d-word just won’t go away

We mean doping of course, and as another high profile rider, Samuel Sanchez of BMC, is suspended pending an investigation into his alleged use of growth hormone. The rider has protested his innocence pending further investigation by the UCI. 

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5. Cycling transfer season is still in full swing

Landa to Movistar, Castroviejo and de la Cruz to Sky, Kittel to Katusha-Alpecin… there are some big moves happening of which a number are likely to really mix things up in 2018.

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6. Faceplanting a van looks painful

A CCTV camera captured the moment a cyclist in Newcastle-upon-Tyne faceplanted into the back of a van. Video of the painful encounter (see link below) was posted to Facebook yesterday by Georgina Taylor with no comment other than three laughing emojis. We sure hope the unfortunate cyclist hurt nothing seriously other than his pride! 

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7. The bicycle is an amazingly versatile mode of transport

Cycling with a goat, a fridge, a gas cannister... it's all here in our round-up of the weirdest things carried by bicycle. Enjoy! 

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8. Money spinner or not, traffic bans in some built-up areas work for the better

You were generally in agreement that comments made by an MP about a Bank Junction traffic ban, claiming it was simply a money spinner for the council, was rather short-sighted. In our book, if the safety has improved in the area and drivers are complying then so be it...

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9. There's something in the air in Colorado...

...if moves by these twinkle-toed pro cyclists are anything to go by. That's the only conclusion we can draw after the appearance of not one but two videos featuring pros dancing their way through their warm-up routines at the Colorado Classic, which finished yesterday. 

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10. 44 years later, there's a happy ending for the Hovis Boy thanks to tech advancements...

And e-bikes are to thank! Carl Barlow, the boy who pushed his bike up the cobbled hill in Ridley Scott’s 1973 Hovis advert, finally conquered it in the saddle thanks to a collaboration between Hovis and Evans Cycles. The 57-year-old retired firefighter recently scaled Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, Dorset, on an electric bike.

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11. We'd almost consider working for Jeremy Hunt...

...if it's true that his new £44,000 'freshening up' facility is meant for everyone who cycles to work in his Victoria Street HQ. Despite reports suggesting otherwise, the Conservative minister, who is Member of Parliament for South West Surrey, insisted on Twitter that anyone who rode into work at the ministry was entitled to use the bathroom, adding that he wanted to encourage people to commute by bike. If you say so, Jeremy...  

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