Traffic Watch account claims “road restrictions squeezing lifeblood out of London” – but cyclists say “it’s not cycle lanes or LTNs… it’s too many cars”; Tommy Voeckler clocks super-fast 1:13.21 half-marathon – while gurning for TV + more on the live blog

Yes, I know it’s early, but I think we may have already found the least self-aware social media post of 2025, courtesy of the fine folks over at the ‘London Traffic Watch’ Twitter/X account.

While on the surface at least, London Traffic Watch operates as, well, a normal traffic watch account – informing the capital’s residents of road closures, congestion and delays due to incidents, tube closures, and so on – it also has a tendency to repost the views of those opposed, oddly enough, to traffic-calming measures and active travel schemes.

In the last two days alone, the account has shared our old friend and retired Hackney councillor Vincent Stops’ latest criticism of Transport for London’s cycling initiatives, along with posts by anti-ULEZ groups and campaigners opposed to low traffic neighbourhoods.

So, it was no surprise, then, when London Traffic Watch posted this evocative image and Daily Mail-style headline this week:

“London grinding to a halt. Road restrictions squeezing the lifeblood out of the capital,” the account proclaimed, under an image of at least five lanes of traffic packed mostly with, you guessed it, cars.

Let’s just say the irony of that particular image wasn’t lost on Twitter’s remaining cohort of cyclists.

“Congestion?” asked Bob from Accounts in response to the traffic account’s post. “It’s not road restrictions. It’s not cycle lanes. It’s not 20mph zones. It’s not LTNs. It’s not the timing of traffic lights

“It’s this: too many cars.”

“It’s drivers causing all the congestion and blocking up the roads,” agreed Cycling Mikey. “We can’t afford to have so many cars in London.”

Chapona Bike added: “It’s already one of the busiest cities in the world. The only answer is to reduce private cars.”

“But, but but… it’s all those cycle lanes causing it, apparently! Not the fact that there are way too many motorised vehicles,” wrote Keith.

> BBC U-turns on article blaming London’s ‘most congested city’ title on cycle lanes

“Interesting that these characters equate ‘lifeblood’ with lots of cars,” noted Dr Robert Davis, chair of the Road Danger Reduction Forum.

“Traffic isn’t the lifeblood of the capital,” concurred Rob. “It’s a blight on the capital, ruining it for everyone. Cities should be designed for people, not cars.”

“Because giving up large swathes of public space for people to go around in large metal boxes on their own is somehow good for the economy?” the Cycleway, my arse! account helpfully suggested (don’t give them any ideas).

“Those objecting to road restrictions, cycle lanes, 20mph zones, LTNs, and traffic lights timings forget that 30 years ago when there were far less of them congestion was still horrendous,” Mark pointed out.

“Congestion was, is and always will be caused by too many vehicles.”

“The fun thing is that they themselves demonstrated the cause with their own poster,” joked Valerie.

What was I saying about self-awareness?

> UK bike sales plummet to early 1970s levels and were lower than any other year this century in 2024, reveals Bicycle Association report

While the rest of us were all obsessed with the vast nothingness taking place at a neutralised Paris-Nice, stage three of Tirreno-Adriatico – held in equally grim conditions – finally burst into life on the final climb and chaotic run-in to the line in Colfiorito.

After surviving the stop-start attacks which characterised the long, draggy ascent of the Valico di Colfiorito, topping out just five kilometres from the finish, race leader Filippo Ganna decided to launch a blistering attack of his own in the final few kilometres, causing chaos behind.

It eventually took a concerted effort by Mathieu van der Poel – who else? – to peg back the powerful Italian, before Ben Healy, a typically constant attacking presence, attempted to upset the faster finishers in the reduced group with a late, last gasp move in the final few hundred metres.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by TNT Sports Cycling (@tntsportscycling)

But in the end, it was Decathlon AG2R’s Andrea Vendrame, after coolly hiding in the wheels as chaos ensued in the finale, who had enough in the tank to surge clear of the in-form Tom Pidcock for a cleverly taken win.

Although, after 239km in the freezing, pouring rain, the real winner of today’s stage will be the first rider to jump in the shower on the team bus.

Not to be undone by the foul weather conditions at Tirreno-Adriatico, the Paris-Nice peloton has been hit by a heavy hail and sleet shower – which has prompted the race organisers to temporarily neutralise the stage.

That decision was made due to what the commissaires have described as “slippery” conditions on a descent with around 45km to go, underlined by the sight of a police motorbike lying on its side in a ditch, seemingly a victim of the treacherous roads.

Paris-Nice breakaway stopped, peloton rode up to them. 2°C according to Voeckler on the TV moto, he's seen a police moto in a ditch too

[image or embed]

— the Inner Ring blog (@inrng.com) March 12, 2025 at 2:25 PM

Cue widespread confusion and – once the riders were brought to a halt – a mass scramble to retrieve rain jackets and cold weather kit from the team car (while Jonas Vingegaard opted for a brief sojourn in the car itself).

The riders are back on their bikes now, but with snow beginning to fall at the finish, it’s not clear how much further down the road they’ll make it before the organisers step in again.

It’s fair to say the weather’s a bit grim today over at Tirreno-Adriatico, where the riders are heading for the other first big mountain rendezvous of the year at Colfiorito (the finish is located 5km down the road from the top of the 18.4km HC climb, so Paris-Nice lays claim to that prestigious ‘first major summit finish of the year’ prize).

In fact, it’s so wet and cold in central Italy, some riders – such as Dries de Bondt – have been attacking just to keep warm:

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by TNT Sports Cycling (@tntsportscycling)

Not so Dries (I’ll get my coat) and Andrea Pietrobon have actually made that apparent comedy move stick, and are currently around two minutes up the road.

Anything to avoid sitting freezing in the middle of the peloton, eh?

It looks like we have a feature to update, because a new cycling-themed song was released into the wild this morning. And no, I’m not talking about a Belgian Eurodance track about Wout van Aert’s multidisciplinary abilities.

Instead, ‘Cycling’ is the latest single from London-based indie-folk duo lilo, from their forthcoming debut album Blood Ties.

> When cycling meets rock 'n' roll: legendary musicians, bands and songs that celebrate all things bike

According to the group, consisting of Christie Gardner and Helen Dixon, the song is about – among other, more existential things – riding a bike down the Old Kent Road in south-east London.

“I wrote Cycling, as with a number of the songs on this album, when I was working at a primary school during Covid,” the band said in a statement announcing the single’s release. “The journey referenced was my journey down the Old Kent Road on my bike.

“At the best of times, I felt like I was really helping, like the students were learning, and I was helping them move through this very confusing time. Then, there would come bouts of uncertainty, of sorrow, of grief.

“The song comes from this uncertainty, this unclaimed blame. But the good in this song, the feeling of being made to help out, the feeling of knowing you’re beautiful even covered in sweat, the arduous yet ever changing route cycling down the Old Kent Road, all comes from the inspiration of those children who, perhaps didn’t know another world, but were doing the very best with the one they were irresponsibly given.”

The above video for the song is also based, naturally, around cycling and bikes, and features a bloodied and bruised Gardner and Dixon carrying a battered tandem across the English countryside, just to… well, I’ll not spoil the punchline.

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This year’s edition of the week-long Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour in Germany is reportedly on the verge of cancellation, after the government of the state of Thuringia refused to contribute its annual subsidy of €200,000 to support the event.

The six-day women’s stage race has been held in the central German state since 1986 and features an impressive list of winners including Nicole Cooke, Judith Arndt, Lucinda Brand, Lotte Kopecky, and 2024 winner Ruth Edwards.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour (@lottoladiestour)

However, while the organisers have publicly stated their aim to bring their race to the Women’s World Tour in the near future, reports have emerged this week that the state government’s refusal to provide its annual subsidy could put July’s event in serious jeopardy.

According to MDR, Thuringia’s state chancellery has said the government’s “difficult budget situation” has made the “support in the required six-figure amount” – believed to be €200,000 – impossible.

“It is possible for the state government to provide support on a small scale,” the statement said.

However, race organiser Vera Hohlfeld has said that without the government funding there is “no realistic possibility of compensating for the funds planned in advance from last year”, with plans already in full swing for the July race, which receives most of its support from Thuringia’s state lottery.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by LOTTO Thüringen Ladies Tour (@lottoladiestour)

In response to the news, the Left Party’s Andreas Schubert said: “It is a blow for sport in Thuringia if the event cannot take place due to the lack of support from the state. It will endanger the long-term existence of the race.”

Schubert also noted that the funding for the race had already been budgeted by the state government for 2025, making the decision “even more incomprehensible”.

Meanwhile, former world time trial and four-time world cyclocross champion Hanka Kupfernagel, who won the Thüringen Ladies Tour in 1999, said she “thought it was an early April Fool’s joke”.

“How can you not be proud of an event that has grown over three decades and is broadcast all over the world every day? It is such a great image advertisement for our Free State of Thuringia,” the 50-year-old said, adding that she hoped the government and organisers could come to a “positive decision” before July.

> British Cycling unveils “bold” four-year strategy to get people riding bikes – but road safety expert blasts failure to “tackle danger for cyclists”