"Wear a helmet!" Halfords advises... because a tree branch might fall on your head; Brian Robinson tributes; What does this week's Transport Secretary mean for cycling?; Coolest thing you can do on a bike?; Metaverse cycling + more on the live blog

Merlin Cycles has sent us some research suggesting that the average age at which a child learns to ride a bike has increased by nearly half a year compared with the 1980s.

Sadly there isn't any info on the sample size, but it has got us thinking — as more than a few of you are probably in the midst of, or have recently taught your kid(s) the joy of cycling — what age did they learn?

According to Merlin, whilst the average age was 5.1 years old in the 80s, it is now up to 5.5 years old. Hardly a big deal, I hear you cry, and I wouldn't disagree with you...anyway, it seemed like a nice discussion topic...

I think this is this the part where I'm meant to blame TikTok, the metaverse and all things behind a screen? 

If you are in the market for your kid's first bike then check out our handy guide to know exactly what to look for and a few suggestions of the best children's bikes out there...

 

 

 

 

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Wonder what this chap would be riding if he turned up for a club run? If you're not aware just how high-end this ride is, let's just say I'd be rather worried about dropping bubble tea on my bike if it happened to be a Colnago C68 with Lightweight Obermayer wheels...  

If you fancy a bike for hacking round town with a bubble tea that will cost a little less, you can always check out our guide to the best commuter bikes. 

Pioneer. Trailblazer. Legend.

Today we join the cycling community in sending our heartfelt condolences to the family of Brian Robinson – the first British rider to complete and win a stage at @LeTour, and member of the British Cycling Hall of Fame. pic.twitter.com/oimk7DzQff

— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) October 26, 2022

> Britain's first Tour de France stage winner Brian Robinson dies, aged 91 

Not one of, but THE nicest person you would ever meet. He pioneered pro cycling for GB. If the World had been represented by Brian, then all would be OK. https://t.co/EJGYti1MfT

— Phil Liggett (@PhilLiggett) October 26, 2022

road.cc reader Kendalred added: "I had the pleasure of being at a small vintage bike talk in our town a few years ago where Brian was the guest speaker — he seemed a genuinely good bloke, full of witty anecdotes and opinions! Sad news, but a life well and truly lived. Au revior Brian."

Shout-out to kil0ran for the heads-up about this one...

Valtteri Bottas has spoken to the BBC about his love of cycling, gravel racing and all things outdoors. The Finn's two-wheeled adventures have caught our eye before, not least warming up for the Melbourne Grand Prix with a 30km/h spin and training with a certain Lance Armstrong.

> Canyon partners with F1 star Valtteri Bottas

Anyway, back to today's interview...

Bottas told the BBC: "For me it's a bit of a stress release. I can go to places that are quite remote, I can go to explore and almost leave any stress or F1-related things behind me when I get on my bike.

"For me it's mentally really important. I love nature and I love clean air, pure water, nice scenery — the less people you can see the better when I disconnect."

Acknowledging the contradiction between his personal and professional life, Bottas does show some self-awareness, accepting he has made a vast personal fortune out of a sport which creates an estimated 256,000 tonnes of carbon equivalent waste each season... not that pro cycling can act holier than holy on that front...

"I've definitely seen climate change in Finland — already the summer and winter is turning more in extremes. Already from my childhood to now I can see a difference. Being in F1, there's quite a big push to be greener — it took a while, but finally people are taking it seriously. Teams and organisations are really putting effort into it.

"In the end it's all about making simple choices, like if you go to work or to the supermarket; do you take your V8 car or bike? Simple things.

"My daily commute to school, even if it was snowing or raining or whatever, was by bike. For me it was a normal commute, so I didn't find it that hard — I got used to it and the wet weather."

Bottas has set up his own gravel race in Finland, starting next year. "Gravel racing is something that's been really rapidly growing, getting more and more popular especially in the United States," he said.

"I did my first gravel race last year in Steamboat Springs — SBT GRVL [near Denver, Colorado]. Most people go mountain biking and road cycling, but it just gives you the opportunity to explore a bit more — get on roads without any traffic or without any people. That's the pretty cool thing about it."

Winner of the coolest thing to do on a bike competition goes to Brooksby...

I never learnt to do any of those cool things, so I'll suggest that one of the coolest things you can do while riding a bike is — just? — riding a bike

That works for us. 

Well, well, well. Some big tech news this morning...

> Bianchi's new Oltre 'Air Deflector' tech is not UCI legal

At least it looks good...*sarcasm klaxon*...

It's with great sadness the family of Brian Robinson have to announce his passing yesterday.

Funeral detail to follow. pic.twitter.com/3rQL1aAMdK

— Jake womersley (@Jake_womersley) October 26, 2022

Robinson was the first British rider to complete the Tour de France, and the first Brit to win a stage, but also a much-loved figure within the British racing scene, as evident from the glowing tributes rolling in this morning...

Just heard that Brian Robinson has died. The saddest news. He was a great man, a fierce competitor, a trailblazer, a generous soul, funny as hell and kinder than you could imagine. Yorkshire, England, has lost a Great. pic.twitter.com/bzkU3v82Oj

— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) October 26, 2022

Sad to hear of the passing of Brian Robinson, but what a great life - a true pioneer of our sport. Condolences to his family. Rest in Peace. https://t.co/xzlCixaKIO

— Brian Cookson OBE (@BrianCooksonOBE) October 26, 2022

More to follow...

Welcome back to the live blog... 

the coolest thing you can do on a bike is dismount and coast for a little bit standing on one pedal

— dr.alexandra-n-furter PhD (@bigmoodenergy) October 25, 2022

We're starting today by talking cool cycling skills... and fair enough, the rolling dismount is up there... but I'm sure we've got a few suggestions of our own...

As a kid, riding with no hands was always the ultimate, right? Then with that 'trick' in the bag my attention turned to those balance wizards who didn't unclip at the lights, trackstanding their way to the top of the coolness rankings. Once I've worked out how to trackstand (for more than two seconds) I'll tell you what comes next...

So, what is the coolest thing you can do on a bike? I'm sure Danny MacAskill has some suggestions...

There was a shout-out for the cargo bike backflip...

Probably the world's first cargo bike backflip, via Hagenbikes on Instagram. This is crazy cool pic.twitter.com/W1UuKtqYh9

— Ed Festival Cycling (@edfoc) October 24, 2022

And cyclocross...

Cyclocross enters the chat pic.twitter.com/zouPo6Tf0x

— David C B 🌻☮️ (@tzed250) October 25, 2022

But what about casually pulling your bottle for a sip before a no hands transfer of shades onto helmet while everyone else is blowing out their back door up a climb? That's up there... but maybe I'm just weird...and/or very uncool...