road.cc recap: ten of our favourite stories this week

1. Driver says Liverpool cyclist took a "chunk" out of his car when he parked across cycle lane

"These two were made for each other", our first commenter suggested: a Devon man accused a cyclist of taking a ‘chunk’ out of his BMW during a trip to Liverpool. Keith Crewe had parked across a cycle lane on a quiet city road, but refused to move for the cyclist who reportedly scratched the car with a pedal in response.  
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2. New survey from Sport England reveals drop in leisure cycling

93,000 fewer people are cycling for leisure, according to a report based on an Active Lives Survey. The number of people cycling for travel has remained constant, and the figures also show that 27.7 million people – 61.8% of the 16+ population in England – are 'active'.
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3. Man turns ‘cycling fanatic’ after heart attack – then spends his ‘rides’ in the pub

A woman in Ireland wrote to a newspaper’s agony aunt to ask for advice about how to approach her husband... after discovering that his daily bike rides were a cover for popping down the pub for a lunchtime session and a meal! The anonymous woman wrote to an advice column in The Irish Times to say that her husband has undergone a series of operations following a heart attack around two years ago, and was ordered by doctors to change his lifestyle. Well the intentions may have been good to begin with...
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4. Public Enemy's Flavor Flav rides his tall bike

Every now and then, you find out that a celebrity has an unexpected passion for cycling - and the latest that came to our attention was Public Enemy rapper turned reality TV star, Flavor Flav. Check out the pics and video in the link below!
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5. Near Miss of the Day 114: Yet another needless close pass

Another unnecessary close pass on a cyclist, this one from Belfast. road.cc reader John told us: "I've been cycling for over 10 years, with this sort of behaviour almost a daily occurrence. I've been asking myself if I should continue in the sport I love."
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6. Amsterdam lawyer loses case in which he called for action against ‘dickhead’ cyclists

A retired lawyer from Amsterdam lost a court case in which he was seeking to compel the city’s mayor to take action against ‘dickhead’ cyclists who break the law. Frank Bakker, who lives in the canal belt in the centre of the Dutch capital, brought the action after he received no reply to a letter he sent to acting mayor Jozias van Aartsen complaining about anti-social cyclists.
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7. Mike Cotty tackles the Col de l'Iseran

Watch as Mike Cotty heads to the highest paved pass in the Alps - the Col de l'Iseran. First used in the Tour de France in 1938, the 2,764-metre pass has featured in the race six times since then.
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8. Portsmouth launches near-miss reporting web page for cyclists

Portsmouth City Council has added an online tool to its website allowing cyclists to record near misses. The information gathered will be used to influence future road improvement plans, with the tool being trialled until the end of August.
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9. Transcontinental Race riders to speak at Greater Manchester celebration of women’s cycling

Two riders who rode the Transcontinental Race last summer will appear this weekend at an event in part designed to get more women cycling in Greater Manchester. Ang Walker and Julie Bullen, who rode from Belgium to Greece as a pair, finishing together, will be speaking about their experience this weekend at a special event marking the end of a month in which Greater Manchester has celebrated women’s cycling through the #RideWithUsGM initiative. It kicks off at 11am tomorrow, you can pick up tickets here. 
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10. Campagnolo patent suggests a 12-speed groupset on the way... So is an extra sprocket going to be a thing worth having?

Do we need another extra sprocket? Campagnolo seem to think so, and after becoming the first groupset manufacturer to launch road 11-speed back in 2009, patents filed in the US last year suggests that the Italian company might be set to be the first company to launch a 12-speed road bike groupset. We'll be keeping an eye on this, keep your eyes peeled on the site for potential updates! 
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