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

1. Nearly all Evans stores were profitable when profitable when chain entered administration 

It has been revealed that nearly all of Evans Cycles’ 62 stores were trading profitably when the chain was sold to Sports Direct last month – despite the latter’s owner, Mike Ashley, at the time saying that around half the shops would need to be closed to save the business.
Read more here

2. Geraint Thomas says Bradley Wiggins was courting publicity with Lance Armstrong comments

Geraint Thomas says his former Team Sky and Great Britain team-mate Sir Bradley Wiggins was looking for publicity when he described disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong as “the perfect” Tour de France winner.
Read more here

3. Cyclist who broke Pan American Highway record in time to attend royal wedding rejects claims he cheated 

Dean Stott, a former member of the British special forces who smashed the Guinness World Record for cycling the length of the Americas and made it back to the UK in time to attend the wedding of his friend Prince Harry has rejected allegations of cheating.
Read more here

4. Near Miss of the Day 217: Driver towing horsebox makes VERY close overtake

A video showing a shockingly close overtake on a group of cyclists has gone viral on Twitter with almost 50,000 views – and police say they are investigating the incident. It happened yesterday on a group ride of Warwick Lanterne Rouge Cycling Club, with the driver of a horsebox just millimetres away from hitting one of the riders with the trailer as they overtook at speed.
Read more here

5. Near Miss of the Day 218 (one of the worst yet)

Sadly another scary close pass we've had in this week, this one from Newcastle where a motorist is shown overtaking a cyclist who was indicating to turn right – and then, after the cyclist remonstrated, chased after him and trying to run him off the road. It resulted in a £500 fine and 12-month ban for the driver involved.
Read more here

6. Company behind glow-in-the-dark Volvo Life Paint launches expanded range in UK

The company behind a product that was marketed several years ago as Volvo Life Paint has launched a range of glow-in-the-dark sprays in the UK aimed at making cyclists, pedestrians and animals more visible to motorists when it is dark.
Read more here

7. Tough Mudder social media posts expose cyclist who made bogus £140k personal injury claim against council

A cyclist who sued a local authority for £140,000 after claiming it was responsible for injuries he claimed to have sustained after falling from his bike was exposed by social media posts that showed him taking part in events such as a Tough Mudder race. 44-year-old Gary Lucking ran out of luck as the judge described his claim as “implausible and inconsistent.”
Read more here

8. Manchester’s First Street disputes cycle lane’s status after depositing a Christmas tree in the middle of it 

Manchester’s First Street development has questioned the status of a cycle lane after being pressured to remove a Christmas tree from the middle of it by cyclists.
Read more here

9. Cheaper insurance for drivers who get cycle training, crackdown on parking in cycle lanes, and a new walking and cycling “champion”

The Department for Transport (DfT) has announced a number of new initiatives in response to its Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) cycle safety review. Campaigners have welcomed many of the proposals, but expressed disappointment at the lack of emphasis on speed reduction.
Read more here

10. Peter Sagan has his own online shop, including bottle openers, rings and shower heads

If you're a die-hard Peter Sagan fan, we sure hope you haven't already got your Christmas list ready to send off to Santa just yet... because now there's a one-stop online shop(link is external) where you can fill your boots with all things Sagan...
Read more here