Cyclists slam “misleading” BBC “e-bike hit-and-run” headline – after SUV driver deliberately rams and kills rider; Cav and Froome on holiday; Cyclocross crash chaos and seamless shoe changes; Cummings joins Jayco; Colnago horror + more on the live blog

In the same week that new research carried out by road.cc contributor Laura Laker found that 70 per cent of police forces still refer to vehicles rather than their drivers when describing road traffic collisions, the BBC came under fire for publishing the headline ‘Police hunt mum’s killer after e-bike hit-and-run’ – despite the story in question concerning a SUV driver who deliberately rammed two people off their e-bikes, killing one.

Last week, the BBC reported that 25-year-old mother Alana Armstrong was killed while riding as a ‘passenger’ on an e-bike when she was deliberately struck by the driver of a 4X4, who had pursued them through the village of Pleasley, Derbyshire, on Tuesday evening.

The rider of the e-bike was also taken to hospital following the incident, where one of his legs had to be amputated below the knee.

Since then, police officers have said that a man and a woman have been arrested in connection with the incident on suspicion of murder.

> Police no longer describing road collisions as ‘accidents’ – but over two-thirds still refer to vehicles instead of drivers, new research finds

However, while the details surrounding the shocking incident remain unclear, the BBC has been criticised for what cyclists have described as its “misleading” approach to the story.

One Reddit user pointed out that the BBC’s original headline for the story was ‘Police hunt mum’s killer after e-bike hit-and-run’, which they claimed led them to believe that a “pedestrian hit by an e-bike had died”.

“Rather surprised to learn in the article that the victim was on the e-bike and had been deliberately hit by the driver of an SUV,” the user said.

The BBC has since changed the headline of the original article to ‘Hit-and-run murder probe after mum rammed off e-bike’. Nevertheless, the follow-up story, focusing on the murder investigation, still features the headline: ‘Murder probe after woman killed in e-bike “ramming”’.

“It’s an incredibly poor headline,” another Reddit user said. “The SUV chased two cyclists and hit them on purpose, according to the article. I don’t think ‘e-bike hit and run’ really captures that reality.

“It is just sort of incredibly vague, doesn’t tell you much, and what it does imply is that there was a hit and run accident, and the perpetrator was on an e-bike.”

One user also described the follow-up headline as “not quite as bad as before but again can easily be read as if she was rammed by an e-bike.”

“Anything to make cars look good. They know most people only read the headline and fill in the gaps,” another said.

“The focus of the article definitely does seem to be on the e-bike rather than the victims,” added a reader.

(Derbyshire Police)

“No no, it was the e-bike’s fault,” noted one user, sarcastically.

“Drivers don’t go round ramming their cars into people for no reason, it must be because they were on an e-bike and were speeding or something and even if they weren’t, it was the car that did the ramming, not the poor working-class driver who pays road tax.

“Anyway, they were probably all dressed in black.”

Meanwhile, another user said: “I’m guessing it’s because e-bikes are a hot topic at the moment, so they’re just determined to get ‘e-bike’ into the headline.

“But it’s weird how they keep on not mentioning the vehicle which actually did the ramming.”

> “We try to use language that ordinary people use”: BBC defends use of “accident” to describe road traffic collisions

This isn’t the first time, of course, that the BBC have been criticised for their use of language concerning road traffic collisions.

In November 2022, the broadcaster defended its use of the term “accident” when describing road traffic collisions, telling one Radio 4 listener that “we try to use language that ordinary people use, not the language contained in reports and documents”.

Cyclist Toby Edwards complained to the BBC after an 11am news bulletin on 28 September announced that “figures show that 39 people died after road accidents involving the police between 2021 and 2022”.

Edwards asked the BBC’s Complaints Team if the broadcaster was “sure that all of these collisions were indeed accidents”, or whether “the term ‘accident’ was used mistakenly instead of saying ‘crashes’ or ‘collisions’?”

The BBC said in response: “We’ve discussed your concerns with senior staff in BBC News and, although we take your point that ‘collision’ may have been a preferable word, our job is to write radio scripts that are relatable and understandable, and we try to use language that ordinary people use, not the language contained in reports and documents.”

> BBC “sorry” cyclist “did not appreciate” headline branding crash which saw drink driver kill ice hockey star and brother while cycling a “car accident”

And in September, the corporation apologised for its use of the word ‘accident’ in a headline and story concerning the deaths of US ice hockey star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, after they were killed while cycling by a suspected drink driver who allegedly told police at the scene that he had consumed “five to six beers” before the fatal crash.

Responding to a complaint from a reader, who described the vocabulary used in the article as “biased and incorrect”, the broadcaster said that it was “sorry if you did not appreciate how we chose to cover this issue initially”, noting that the headline had since been changed to clarify that the Gaudreau brothers had been killed in a “bike and car crash”, while removing all references to an ‘accident’.

Get this pair their own travel show now…

After enjoying a romantic sunset cruise in Miami earlier this month, newly retired Mark Cavendish has met up once again with his old Team Sky mucker Chris Froome, this time in Taiwan, where the fast-talking sprinter/spindly climber odd couple have been sampling the local culture, riding their bikes, and ‘enjoying’ a rollercoaster or two:

‘Cav and Froomey Ride Around the World’ – now that has a good (if rather niche) ring to it for a 30-minute matey travel programme, doesn’t it?

Come on Channel 5, surely a slot has opened up after the whole Greg ‘Gregg’ Wallace thing last week? You have my number…  

> Strava rejects call to remove Richmond Park and Regent’s Park cycling segments, insists critical Royal Parks “have directly acknowledged Strava is not root cause of issues”

Moderately warm temperatures (for December), not too much mud, dazzling sunshine, some spectacular racing… oh, and a delicious (and free) burger from the event’s catering team – it’s fair to say I enjoyed the UCI Cyclocross World Cup’s annual pilgrimage to Dublin yesterday.

However, while dashing across the course at the start of the elite men’s race – won in scintillating, last-ditch fashion by a shoe changing Michael Vanthourenhout (more on that in a moment) – I unfortunately missed, by mere seconds, arguably the most dramatic moment of the entire day.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Cyclocross Magazine (@cxmagazine)

At the plank section on the opening lap, a miscue by leader Michal Boros as he attempted to bunny-hop the beams saw him hit the grass face first.

Behind him, as he stumbled about looking for his bike, chaos ensued, as eventual third place finisher Felipe Orts just about managed to keep it upright after colliding with Boros’ abandoned machine, before Thibau Nys lost control and was sent sprawling

The 22-year-old Lidl-Trek star was then hit from behind at speed by David Menut, while another rider carried on over his ankle, causing the young Belgian to howl out in pain.

But, while I wasn’t able to get any close-up footage of the first lap drama, luckily former road.cc tech writer Dave Arthur was on the spot to capture all the chaos:

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes (@davidjarthur)

“My ‘cross was already over after two minutes,” Nys, widely tipped to be one of cycling’s next big stars after a stunning breakthrough season on the road, told VTM Nieuws.

“They fell right in front of me. I was able to avoid those guys and fell myself. But when I was on the ground someone rode right over my left ankle. When I jumped back on the bike, I couldn’t put any force on my ankle.”

The 22-year-old gamely carried on despite his injuries, cutting through the field seemingly effortlessly, before eventually pulling the pin on the fifth lap.

“I tried to make it a good training race, but it went wrong,” the European champion said. “The only positive thing is that the damage to the ankle will be relatively limited since I was still able to ride.”

Less than a month after officially leaving the Ineos Grenadiers under a cloud, following a fractious, turbulent season, Steve Cummings is back in the WorldTour, after being confirmed as Jayco AlUla’s newest sports director.

In a statement issued by the Australian team, the double Tour de France stage winner and former British champion said the move offered him the “opportunity to be part of a culture that celebrates growth, resilience, and meaningful results” – a culture, one could infer from that statement, perhaps hasn’t existed at controversy-marred Ineos for a while.

“I’m really excited to be joining Team Jayco AlUla. This team has a strong reputation for its professionalism, and commitment to success, which aligns with my own values and experiences in sport,” the 43-year-old said.

“I’m looking forward to contributing to its ongoing success, helping all my teammates reach their full potential.

“For me, this is more than just joining a team – it’s an opportunity to be part of a culture that celebrates growth, resilience, and meaningful results.

“Naturally through having a long career within cycling, on and off the bike, I already know a lot of team members and I can’t wait to roll up my sleeves and get started with them.”

Cummings wins the British nationals in 2017 (SWPix.com)

“We are delighted to be welcoming Steve onto the team in 2025. His personality and professionalism is something that we believe will fit very well within our culture,” Jayco’s general manager Brent Copeland added.

“Steve has such a wide skill set and is a very experienced sport director having of course experienced first-hand what it means to be a rider himself, having won at the highest level during his time as a pro rider.

“I was truly impressed by Steve’s attention to detail and visionary approach during our first conversation about the team. I immediately felt that he would bring a dynamic energy that we would all benefit from.”

> “Team Circus continues”: Tom Pidcock dropped by Ineos due to risk of bonus payout claims Brian Smith, who says there’s “no fun in numbers-driven cycling anymore” as “gagged” Steve Cummings confirms exit

At the start of November, after months of speculation about his future at Ineos, Cummings confirmed his departure as director of racing at the British team.

The 2016 Tour of Britain winner, who was promoted to a senior management role at Ineos at the end of 2023, after three years in the team car, was last seen at a race in June at the Critérium du Dauphiné (where he had an infamous and tetchy stand-off with our YouTuber-in-chief Jamie over us capturing footage of the new Pinarello Dogma).

He was then left out of the team’s Tour de France DS line-up, amid reports of internal tension, especially with star rider Tom Pidcock, and didn’t appear in the Ineos team car, or in any capacity at any race, for the remainder of this season.

However, despite his prolonged absence, there was little official confirmation about Cummings’ position within the team, and he was notably left out of October’s press release detailing the latest structural and staff changes at the squad, which announced the arrival of his former Sky teammate Kurt-Asle Arvesen as a sport director.

But in a statement on LinkedIn, Cummings finally set the record straight, stating that he was ready for a “new challenge” – which has now been confirmed as taking the wheel of Jayco AlUla’s team car.

“I’m aware there has been some speculation so I just wanted to clarify my situation,” the 43-year-old posted.

“I’ve reached the decision to step away from Ineos. This may seem like a big move, but I’m now ready to begin a new phase of my career. It’s been a privilege to work with such a talented group of riders and staff for the last four years. I’d really like to take this opportunity to thank them for their support and dedication.

“I’ve always enjoyed and thrived working in a high-performance environment and I will continue to have significant involvement in the sport. My focus is now on a new challenge within professional cycling.”

Cummings’ prolonged exit marked the culmination of a turbulent year for the Ineos Grenadiers – the least successful in the team’s 15-year history – which saw departing figures such as Dan Bigham and Ethan Hayter publicly criticise the team and the approach of its management, while Tom Pidcock also questioned Cummings’ input at the Tour, before claiming that Ineos “don’t help me to perform at my best” amid a number of internal issues.

Pidcock was then dramatically dropped at the last minute from their Il Lombardia line-up – a decision the team’s higher ups confirmed was not based on form – kicking off what has become a protracted and complicated transfer saga.

(Which, despite seemingly being settled with Pidcock set to stay at Ineos could, if murmurings at the Dublin cyclocross World Cup are to be believed, still lead to the double Olympic champion joining Q36.5 before the ‘cross season is over. Watch this space…)