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

1. Half of drivers unaware of Highway Code advice on passing cyclists

More than half of British drivers are not aware of Highway Code advice for safely passing cyclists, according to a survey carried out for Cycling UK. Eight per cent said that drivers should only give cyclists space that is at least the width of their handlebars. The ComRes survey of 2,039 British adults found that 52 per cent of motorists weren’t aware that the Highway Code recommendation is to give cyclists at least as much space as you would a car when overtaking.
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2. Jeremy Vine calls out Jeremy Clarkson over criticism of cycling school run mum

BBC presenter and cycle commuter Jeremy Vine called out fellow presenter Jeremy Clarkson over a newspaper column in which the latter criticised a mother he had seen accompanying her children to school in Kensington. In response to Clarkson’s assertion that “cycling in London is extremely dangerous,” Vine countered: “No, some people who drive cars are extremely dangerous. That is the issue.”
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3. Greater Manchester unveils ambitious plans for UK's biggest network of cycling and walking routes

Greater Manchester this week unveiled plans to create what it says will be the largest cycling and walking network in the UK, comprising 1,000 miles of routes including 75 miles of Dutch-style segregated cycle lanes. There will also be 1,400 safer road crossings on most routes as well as 25 filtered neighbourhoods, with streets prioritising people and incorporating areas to socialise, sit and play. Top work, Mr. Boardman! 
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4. Daily Mail stages another London commuter race - and bashes cyclists again

For the second time in 18 months, the Daily Mail staged a commuter race across London, and as before the result is an article that reinforces prejudices against those who choose to get around on two wheels – although unusually for this type of challenges, for once the cyclist didn’t win!
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5. Rapha launch Graffiti Collection, drawing on "the passion of the crowd"

The print on this unusual new kit from Rapha is inspired by the road graffiti left after big races, and is a departure from the more understated Rapha garb we've become accustomed to...
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6. DeFeet's $5,000 cycling socks 

Costing $5,000 a pair, the socks are made from silk spun by the ultra-rare golden silk orb weaver spider. We'll take two pairs! 
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7. How safe is your helmet? New study rates them, Bontrager Ballista MIPS comes out on top

New research by Virginia Tech in the US sheds some interesting light on how helmets perform in a crash test. It tested 30 adult sized helmets using an impact simulator designed to recreate the most common head-impact scenarios on the road, dropping helmets onto an angled anvil in six different locations and at two impact speeds. Sensors measured the acceleration and rotational velocity so it was able to predict the head injury risk.
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8. Fortuneo-Samsic swaps Look for BH bikes just days before the Tour de France

Controverisal! Rumours swirled around that Spanish brand BH Bikes, last year a sponsor of the Direct Energie team, would step in at the last-minute after Fortuneo-Samsic and Look Cycles parted company for unknown reasons. That rumour was confirmed on Thursday: BH Bikes will be supplying its flagship Ultralight EVO for the team to ride, painted in the white and green colours of the Fortuneo Samsic team.  
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9. Chris Froome: "I have every right to be racing" at Tour de France

Chris Froome insists he has “every right to be racing” in this year’s Tour de France, which starts in the Vendée a week on Saturday, despite the ongoing salbutamol case resulting from an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for twice the permitted amount of the anti-asthma drug.
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10. Video: Motorbiker aims kick at cyclists

A road.cc reader has filmed the moment the rider of what he believes was a stolen motorbike kicked out at him and two other cyclists while they were out for a ride. The incident, captured on video by road.cc reader Michael, happened on the evening of Wednesday 13 June on Coventry Road in Coleshill, Birmingham.
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