Live blog: Leave v Remain poll: Leave the Lycra or remain in it? Brompton boss clarifies Mamil comments; Vogel inspiration; (Very) off piste cross country skier; What has the EU ever done for you? NewPirelli tyre +more

#UAETOUR Unfortunately, @alexdowsett could not finish today's stage 6 due to a crash. He was taken from the parcours to the hospital for examination. First diagnosis besides abrasions and bruises: fracture of the thumb. Get well soon, mate!

— Team KATUSHA ALPECIN (@katushacycling) March 1, 2019

Despite a fractured thumb, it seems like the Katusha-Alecin rider had a fairly lucky escape.  

Full story here.

Normalising cycling’s image as a mode of transport in the UK is a hot topic at the moment – the furore about Brompton boss, Will Butler Adams’, comments on Lycra and his clarification of them below is proof of that. It’s also reflected in the row over between former London Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan and his successor over the substance of Sadiq Khan’s vaunted cycling infrastructure improvements in his term as mayor.

One thing we can all agree on though, Lycra the sight of cyclist’s in Lycra (particularly if they’re middle aged) does seem to get some people’s goat. So in our usual spirit of Friday Leave V Remain mutual love tolerance and respect we’re asking if you’d be prepared to do your bit to normalise the image of cycling by leaving the Lycra on your next urban adventure or will you remain a MAMIL/MAWIL (or some variety thereof) and proud? The poll is live - have your say!

While this might not apply to us by the end of the month, it's good to hear the EU has agreed to have the needs of cyclists represented in the revision process of the Road Infrastructure Safety Management Directive, which the European Cyclist's Federation said was previously car-centric. The ECF gave presentations for the European Commission and Members of the European Parliament and reached out to representatives of the Member States highlighting the importance of providing adequate infrastructure to all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians. They also prepared a set of amendments when the first legislative proposals were published.

Thanks in part to lobbying by the ECF, new changes to the RISM include: 

- Member States shall take the needs of cyclists (as well as pedestrians and motorcyclists) into account in the implementation of all safety procedures defined in the Directive.

- The European Commission shall provide guidance on quality requirements regarding vulnerable road users. Those guidelines shall be developed in close cooperation with Member State experts. The ECF considers this a key element to make sure EU funding is not spent on infrastructure projects that are unsafe for cyclists or that create new barriers for cycling.

- Member States shall ensure that the training curricula for road safety auditors includes aspects related to cyclists and cycling infrastructure.

- Cycling traffic and cycling infrastructure are on the indicative list of data to be collected in the new procedure of network-wide road assessment. This should form a solid basis for more evidence-based policies.

Austria’s National Anti-Doping Agency has been working alongside police for the last few months on Operation Aderlass.

It’s been pretty high profile in the world of cross-crounty skiing.

Video of Austrian police walking in on Nordic skier Max Hauke WHILE HE WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BLOOD TRANSFUSIONhttps://t.co/1kUCPH1Mn7 pic.twitter.com/eOVethtfVY

— Neal Rogers (@nealrogers) February 28, 2019

It’s being reported that blood bags have been seized and that 50-60 athletes have been linked to the doctor involved – some of them cyclists.

New world record for the Aussie men's team.

Full story here.

Yesterday we reported on Andrew Gilligan's accusation that Sadiq Khan is presiding over the construction of a "fake cycle network".

He said that in many areas the mayor is doing little more than adding Quietway signs to roads and claiming them as new routes.

We've just added the response from the current London cycling commissioner, Will Norman. You can read the story here.