Road Worlds cost Harrogate Council £605K; Shimano developing GPS unit?; Cycling MUCH greener than e-scooters, says EU agency; London RLJ idiot; Towpath...motorist?!; Man arrested for cycling with stolen fridge; Cop sparks helmet row +more on the live blog

...which seems a pretty good investment considering the event was watched by a record 329 million people in 124 countries according to Councillor Stanley Lumley, who told the Harrogate Advertiser: “They have now seen what a wonderful and accommodating place the Harrogate district really is and this will no doubt support our visitor economy for many years to come.”

In total the money pumped into the event was £1,305,660, but the council secured income totalling £27,000 and a £673,000 boost from the Leeds City Region business rates pool. The biggest single amount went towards the fan zone, which the council contributed £200,000 towards. 

Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme has welcomed an apology from the race's 1996 winner and now manager of NTT cycling Bjarne Riis over his involvement in doping during his racing years. He was also once dismissive of his Tour win and said it meant nothing to him after admitting to doping throughout his career in 2007, saying the yellow jersey he won was “in a box somewhere.”

According to Ciclismo Internacional, Prudhomme told a press conference: “Riis sent me a message yesterday saying that he regretted having said once that his yellow jersey was somewhere in a cardboard box in his garage. I'd rather receive a message like this now over nothing at all.

“That he has returned to the World Tour does not depend on the ASO. We can never change the past, but we can always expect tomorrow to be better.”

In the end it caused far less damage to me than to the planet! We, including me first of all, should be more careful to protect the Earth!🌏 https://t.co/nLsna8gwlh

— Matteo Moschetti (@moschettiteo) February 4, 2020

The 23-year-old Italian clearly wasn't too perturbed by the plastic bags remnants caught in his wheel at Challenge Mallorca on Sunday, as he powered to a second stage victory despite harbouring the bits of bag in his rear wheel for the last 15km. 

What he is bothered more by is that the plastic wastage was there in the first place, and used the scenario to highlight the damage of plastic to the environment. Chapeau Matteo, and you might as well keep on sweeping those bags up because it's clearly not harming your performance...  

Have you ever tried to carry a computer on a bike? If you are working as a service engineer you need a car.

— Alan Billings (@StickEandBrown) February 5, 2020

Re the fridge fiasco below, we've recently been alerted to a Twitter thread sparked after the gentleman above said a car was imperative for carrying his computer (presumably he means a laptop). Plenty have chipped in to rebuff this claim and offer advice, including Chris Boardman himself... 

A do that every day! 💻 https://t.co/sOnWOElWqQ

— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) February 5, 2020

How many? pic.twitter.com/GJoszXYjlS

— Tom Dereszynski (@tomder74) February 5, 2020

One word. Panniers. Take a look at how much kit a bicycle paramedic can carry. It’s 20 years since the first ones hit the roads. pic.twitter.com/exZwPKf3UA

— DaveB (@Dave_Blogs) February 5, 2020

EDP24 report that 19 people were caught in their latest undercover close pass operation - those snared include a taxi driver, an off-duty bus driver and a lorry driver. 

The officers ran cameras on their bikes to capture evidence of the offences, and then when one was committed a uniformed officer on a motorbike would flag the car down and escort them to an educational workshop on road safety. Four couldn't be stopped, and police are considering opening separate prosecutions in these cases. 

Sergeant Mark Barney of the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team said: "Cyclists can often feel vulnerable on the roads, with vehicles driving too closely to them or cutting them up.

"What was disappointing about the 19 offences we detected in Norwich was that four of them were committed by professional drivers.

"These are people that drive for a living and who therefore we would expect much better from."

Jeff Jordan of the Norwich Cycling Campaign commented: "Drivers find it very hard to judge how much room cyclists need. If they come unwittingly too close as they pass this can be very dangerous, as it does not give the cyclist room to manoeuvre.

"You never know when something like a pothole or even a gust of strong wind will throw you off. Generally, one to one-and-a-half metres is suitable."

The ageless Italian will continue as a pro cyclist in 2020, after re-signing (that's sign up again, not resigning) with Croatian pro continental team Meridiana Kamen for another year. Wielerflits quoted their team manager as saying: “We are very happy with the arrival of Davide.

“We know Davide well and he is an important rider for the team. He will help the young riders with his wealth of experience, but he's also capable of performing himself .”

The expression "surfing the internet" was invented in the year Rebellin turned pro. At the time there were 26 known websites in the world.

— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) February 5, 2020

The fact above is a testament to Rebellin's extraordinary longevity. Rebellin rode through the final steel frame to win the Tour de France (Miguel Indurain in 1994) and the current world champion Mads Pederson wasn't born until three years after Rebellin signed his first pro contract in 1992. 

He won his first and only Grand Tour stage at the Giro d'Italia way back in 1996, and also had success in one-day races and classics, winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Amstel Gold Race in 2004; although it's unfortunate his career is blotted by doping , as he tested positive for CERA at the 2008 Olympics and was forced to hand back his silver medal from the men's road race. 

Praise to all the cyclists out there who wear helmets. Saved this rider a lengthy stay in hospital! pic.twitter.com/pOLeWYdCNT

— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 1, 2020

It al began on 1st February, when PC Glen McArthur posted the photo above of a broken helmet. He said it saved the rider a "lengthy stay in hospital." 

Maybe it is safer not to assume... Driver was reported for Careless Driving.

— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 4, 2020

Since then, numerous replies have questioned the emphasis placed on the cyclist's helmet when it's safe to assume the collision wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the action of the driver that hit them; in the last few hours PC McArthur has said that although people "don't know the full facts", the cyclist was indeed hit by a motorist and they have been reported for careless driving. He also said the collision happened because of "a minor error of judgement on the driver's part."

That didn't save anyone's life. Stop with the nonsense promoting helmets. They can't even prevent concussions.

— ⚫ CyclingMikey aka Bike Gandalf (@MikeyCycling) February 2, 2020

'Love' the victim blaming. Hope the driver got charged for nearly killing someone.

— Gabriel (@Ezy_Ryder) February 1, 2020

So it seems that I have opened, what seems like, a huge can of worms with a tweet about the pic below.
Cyclists and other road users share the same space. How can YOU all help reduce collisions?? Sensible answers need only respond. pic.twitter.com/QXZzPgySHE

— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 4, 2020

PC McArthur has since said he appears to have opened a huge can of worms, and has invited his followers to discuss the reduction of road collisions. He also said that he believes dedicated cycling highways are "the way forward"... are people being too harsh on the officer, or wa his original tweet misinformed? Let us know your thoughts as always...