Latest viral bike theft video as angle grinder used to snatch locked bicycle in seconds; Tour of Flanders organiser hails "record-breaking crowds", but urges "zero tolerance" for "individuals" who "ruin the image of the sport" + more on the live blog

This is how quickly a bike thief was able to remove a lock with an angle grinder on Redchurch Street in Shoreditch, in London, last night, the footage since widely shared across social media by the 'London & UK Street News' account...

A man Steal the bike on Street in E2 today pic.twitter.com/5M7A9heMIg

— London & UK Street News (@CrimeLdn) April 2, 2024

It'll be a familiar scene for those of you who have read reports on this website of seemingly endless similar incidents in recent years, and shows the shocking ease with which many bikes can be taken. In total, the clip lasts just 12 seconds, from the point it starts to when the thief has mounted the stolen bicycle and rides off.

A second post that caught our eye last night came from Evening Standard assistant news editor Tom Davidson and showed his angle grinder-damaged lock, with the caption: "After two attempted angle grinder thefts in less than five months (both stopped by Litelok), might I suggest Met Police put some 'trap' bikes outside Tooting Broadway station?"

after two attempted angle-grinder thefts in less than five months (both stopped by @Litelok), might I suggest Met Police put some ‘trap’ bikes outside Tooting Broadway station? pic.twitter.com/xn5cikSLyT

— Tom Davidson (@TomDavidson09) April 2, 2024

Bait bikes are a popular topic at the minute due to the resounding success that City of London Police had using one in a recently reported case that saw officers bring down a bike theft gang (and recover £130,000 worth of stolen bikes) in a single shift, after tracking a bike they had left locked at a theft hotspot with the intention of following to its destination once it was stolen.

> Cycling UK hails "clever" policing after bait bicycle used to track down £130,000 bike theft gang in one shift

"I was just shocked," Detective Constable Matt Cooper said of the operation. "We had tracked one stolen bike to a plant hire business in East London — and found about 60 more. Bikes in the office, bikes in the toilet, bikes hanging up on rails, bikes stacked up everywhere. There was about £130,000 worth. It was hard to take in."

In total, 11 people have now been sentenced for their role in the thefts, City of London Police explaining that reported bicycle thefts in the part of the city referred to as the Square Mile fell from 68 per month at the height of the gang's spree in August 2020 to just seven in January 2021.

After it was announced yesterday that the organisers of the Hell of the North were planning to make it a tad safer for the riders, it's now been confirmed that F1-style chicanes will be added to the course, just before the pavé section in an attempt to slow down the pace of the peloton and reduce the chances of crashes.

> “The riders are a little on edge”: Paris-Roubaix organisers considering adding F1-style chicanes to slow riders entering Arenberg Forest, after calls from riders’ union to increase safety

The Paris-Roubaix account posted on Twitter: "For safety reasons and following a request from @cpacycling, the Paris-Roubaix organisation is modifying the approach to the Trouée d'Arenberg. The route will take a chicane just before the entrance to the sector in order to slow the speed at which the riders enter the sector and limit the risk of crashes on the cobbles."

⚠ For safety reasons and following a request from @cpacycling, the #ParisRoubaix organisation is modifying the approach to the Trouée d'Arenberg.
The route will take a chicane just before the entrance to the sector in order to slow the speed at which the riders enter the sector…

— Paris-Roubaix (@parisroubaix) April 3, 2024

I don’t know about you, but honestly whenever I see these sort of dash cam videos, the first emotion in my body is a palpitating sense of dread that the driver is going to do something very silly and stupid and cause unspeakable harm to the cyclists. Remember that shocking footage from earlier this year in which a 77-year-old Florida motorist drives through an entire group ride, severely injuring the cyclists?

> "Come pedal in our shoes for a day and see what we experience": Cyclists urge safety action after driver smashes into group ride in shocking collision

But thankfully it’s not one of those days, yet you can always count on them to share the footage for cheap engagement as rage bait.

Morning All😘👋

**Greetings from The Shire** pic.twitter.com/jrNbCgPaND

— Electric Blue🧢🖌 (@Only9built) April 3, 2024

Alas, I thought we were past the point of angry drivers cursing cyclists for riding two abreast. As cycling lawyer at Leigh Day Solicitors Rory McCarron replied: “Would you really want to be overtaking a group of cyclists when approaching a junction here? If they were single file, it would take longer to overtake and therefore good positioning here by the cyclists to prevent a dangerous overtake happening.”

Another Twitter user commented: “I know I’m old-fashioned, but doesn’t the Highway Code stipulate single file?” However, the person who posted the video didn’t seem too amused with the occurrence this morning, writing: “I am a mere observer. In other news, I am planning two journeys today to pick up things I could have delivered by 09:00 tomorrow morning.”

It's what the countryside is for really, we are just a theme park, no one actually has a job apart from dressing up as amusing yokels and bumkins🙂

— Electric Blue🧢🖌 (@Only9built) April 3, 2024

Golly, a BBC presenter is picking on local news for not reporting on yet another driving carnage incident!

Not to be too harsh on Mr Vine, he's done his fair share of cycling and road safety campaigning, the latest being posting a picture of a car that's somehow been driven over the porch and into the window of a house at Twickenham, just a few miles from his own home.

This happened a few miles from my house last week and it's not even been on the local news. (Photos Catherine Blake) pic.twitter.com/oYmIjvytrC

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) April 3, 2024

"Imagine if a bicycle did this," wrote Vine. "There would be *Questions in Parliament, *Calls for a new law to restrict bicycle speeds, *The prosecution and jailing of the rider, *Demands for a curfew on cycling."

Vine later clarified that when he wrote not "on local news", he meant broadcast, not local news website, to which some have replied: "Should every car crash be on live broadcast?" I guess that's another debate for another day perhaps...

I know sports photographers are a dedicated bunch, and especially for sports like bike and car racing, it can turn risky and dangerous in the blink of an instant. But even then, this seems a bit over-the-top to get your prized shot.

Enquanto isso numa prova em São Paulo…@OutOfCycling pic.twitter.com/7VDvzr2k6C

— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) April 3, 2024

Proper heart in mouth moment that...

Strava tells us Wout van Aert went for a walk this morning, his first 'activity' since last week's hell. Three-time world champion Peter Sagan is also on the recovery trail...

Quick update everybody! It's time to go in the saddle for my first training ride after my surgery a couple of weeks ago 🚴 Once again, many thanks for all the messages of support I received from all over the world 🌍 You guys rock!!@iamspecialized @sportful @ride100percent pic.twitter.com/uVLtxayCD3

— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) April 3, 2024

"Quick update everybody! It's time to go in the saddle for my first training ride after my surgery a couple of weeks ago," Sagan wrote on social media. "Once again, many thanks for all the messages of support I received from all over the world. You guys rock!!"

He was diagnosed with a cardiac arrhythmia in February and underwent an ablation procedure, however, having returned to training in March, it was discovered that a second procedure would be required, further interrupting the 34-year-old's Olympic Games mountain bike prep.

While Wout and Sagan are up and out, there's still no word on when this live blogger will make his return proper from a bank holiday-shattering bout of flu, I know that's the recovery news everyone's waiting for... more updates when we have them...

[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]

The CEO of Flanders Classics, Tomas Van Den Spiegel, has shared some reflections on this year's Tour of Flanders and revealed that, despite its Easter Sunday slot and home favourite Wout van Aert's absence, there were "record-breaking crowds again", with "50,000 more people" on the Oude Kwaremont, an "all-time high" for the race.

"We all have to keep educating fans about safety," he continued. "A race convoy moves at high speed and no fan should be on the road when it passes. Behind the 40 kilometres of barriers or next to the road, period. Fandom in cycling is about passion and positivism, not about touching the integrity of the riders. Zero tolerance is the only way forward. We can not have individuals ruin the image of the sport."

Van Den Spiegel believed the race was evidence the 2024 route offered a "safer and more dynamic flow", but accepted "the Koppenberg might need to be managed differently in the future" in light of the chaos seen on Sunday.

"The combo of the sportive on Saturday, suppliers, fans and race vehicles using the cobbled side and the late rain made it hard to ride for the men," he said. "By the time the women passed, the mud film had been washed away. There is always a Plan B, which was also discussed during the race, but changing the course last minute would have had security consequences for both convoys and fans. The safest solution for everyone was to keep it in.

"Overall we look back at a successful weekend. We witnessed greatness in the men's race and as always a super exciting women's race."