“Why don’t we look at what’s causing the incidents?”: BBC asks ‘should helmets be mandatory for cyclists’; Pro cyclist jokes about sleeping in suitcase to avoid “rough” French hotels; 2026 Tour de France to start from Barcelona + more on the live blog

It’s like clockwork isn’t it, this helmet debate? Last year, the talk was fuelled after Dan Walker’s crash in Sheffield and him thanking his helmet for saving his life. Now, a full year and some months on, we’ve had celebrity chef and TV presenter Gordon Ramsay urge all cyclists to wear helmets, no matter how short their journeys be, after suffering a really bad crash leaving him with a horrible purple patch of bruise on his abdomen.

> Gordon Ramsay says helmets are “crucial” for cyclists no matter “how short the journey is”, after accident leaves him with a terrible bruise

Meanwhile, like a twisted work of fate, the foul-mouthed chef's appeal has coincided with the Dutch government calling on cyclists to wear helmets and even the local authorities running discount campaigns to encourage cyclists to buy helmets, with the national transport ministry set to publish guidelines on voluntary helmet use.

So it was only a matter of time before the UK media joined the dots and asked the question: “Should helmets be mandatory for cyclists?”

And perhaps the first one to bite the bullet was yesterday’s BBC Radio Scotland show Mornings with Stephen Jardine, who spoke to Anna Holligan, the BBC’s correspondent in the Netherlands, famous for setting up a mobile broadcasting studio called The Bike Bureau on a cargo bike.

“I wouldn’t normally talk about this subject unless it was with you because it’s so sensitive,” she said. “And before we even explain what it looks like here, I have to just give you a bit of culture clash introduction to cycling in the Netherlands because I’m talking to from my saddle where I spend so much of my time.

“The Dutch are absolutely not perfect when it comes to cycling by any measure and there’s been a rise in accidents here too. But still people don’t wear helmets usually because they feel that the infrastructure gives them the protection. So the idea that they would have to put on any kind of body armour before they get on their bike in the morning is just kind of alien.”

> BBC journalist corrects cargo bike critics, points out it "replaced my car" and saved "£1,000 in fuel"

Holligan mentions that while her daughter wears a helmet when cycling in the Netherlands, she herself doesn’t. When asked if she feels compelled to wear one when back in Edinburgh, her hometown, she replied: “100 per cent. Partly because you don’t have the segregated lanes, partly because you’re sure here in the Netherlands that most drivers are also cyclists so they take extra care.

“Here, cyclists have protection under the law. If there’s an accident, there’s a presumption that the driver is at fault rather than the cyclist so it tends to make drivers pay extra attention. There, you don’t have a bike lane to protect you, you don’t have a segregated roundabout to make sure you’re not coming into contact with cars. I’m sorry to say, when I go home, it does still feel at times like you’re battling with drivers.”

Helmets.

Spoke to @StephenJardine about new advice in 🇳🇱 https://t.co/H1s791ehMI

This morning 🎥👇🏼I spotted more people wearing headphones than helmets🐻

Zena would ❤️ to live in Scotland, always caveats, ‘Only when they have bike lanes like the Netherlands…’

Far to go? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 pic.twitter.com/f0qSd5ddqn

— anna holligan 🎙 (@annaholligan) June 18, 2024

> Why is Dan Walker’s claim that a bike helmet saved his life so controversial?

Jodi Gordon from Cycling Law Scotland was up next on the show, and Jardine doesn’t waste when much time, getting straight to the point and asking: “Should helmets be mandatory here in Scotland?”

Gordon said: “No, I don’t think they should be. It has to come down to a choice and I think it will be counter productive if we’re trying to encourage people on to bikes and then we made it mandatory for people to wear helmets.

“I think rather than victimise cyclists and they should have some kind of protective headgear when they’re out on their bike, why don’t we look at what’s causing the incidents and how we can reduce those and increase road safety generally for everybody using the road network… Then we can give people the choice whether they wish to wear the helmet or not.

“There’s not as clear research when it comes to cycling helmets. There’s conflicting research as to what speed it can protect you up to, some say it’s 12mph, some say it’s 30mph. Until that is clear, it makes it difficult for people to have informed decisions and to make that compulsory.”

Just part of the discussion this morning. Helmets should be a choice. The focus should be on road safety and what is causing the incidents on our roads rather than on helmets! pic.twitter.com/dzNqZ3JDGy

— jodi gordon (@jodigo27) June 17, 2024

Swipe to make the Three Lions cycle, reads the caption. Also swipe to see Pickford instruct Harry Kane where to make his runs, Jarrod Bowen do his best Ed Davey impression, Bellingham looking fatigued from carrying this team, Trippier looking like he's just been told he'll be sitting on the bench for the next game, and Saka... well, looking like the happiest kid on a bike. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by England football team (@england)

My days... I tell you, the selection headaches keep getting stronger.

> Footballers who cycle XI — the Premier League stars who love life on two wheels

Ex-footballer Joey Barton has apologised and agreed to pay broadcaster and cycling advocate Jeremy Vine £75,000 in damages and costs to settle a defamation case lodged by the Channel 5 presenter in the wake of a string of social media posts which saw Barton label Vine a “bike nonce” and a “paedo defender”.

> Joey Barton apologises and pays Jeremy Vine £75,000 over “bike nonce” tweet

The British Medical Association (BMA) has said that it would lobby the next government to reduce the limit by nearly half for most people, to 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, or 0.05%, and to 20mg for new and commercial drivers.

Currently, England’s legal limit for getting safely behind the wheel is one of the highest in Europe at 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, a law established in 1967.

The doctor's trade union said in a statement yesterday that alcohol and drug-related deaths were at a record high in 2021 and 2022, and that fatalities and collisions caused by driving under the influence of alcohol had not decreased in the last decade, with almost one-fifth of all road deaths caused by drink-drivers, The Guardian reports.

> “Next you’ll be asking if drink driving laws are fair”: UK Government asks motorists “caught out” by cycle lanes if current traffic fines are “fair to drivers”, leaving cyclists baffled

Carrie Reidinger, a population health policy advice and research officer at the BMA, said: “We think it’s really important to call on government to lower the legal [use of alcohol]. This is in line with the approach taken by many European countries such as Ireland and Greece.”

The BMA’s statement said: “Harm caused by alcohol and other drugs, including when driving under the influence, places an avoidable burden on individuals and our society, emergency services, the NHS, and the economy.

“Therefore, the BMA, in collaboration with a range of organisations representing medical professional bodies, alcohol and road safety charities and campaign groups, police and emergency services, and others, have developed this consensus statement setting out key actions that are needed to tackle this issue.”

Recently, the Conservatives' Plan for Drivers campaign has come under fire from cyclists, especially a consultation launched by the Department for Transport (DfT) last month, seeking drivers’ opinions on whether current traffic fines are “fair” as part of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s ‘Plan for Drivers’, with a dubiously-worded social media post being slammed widely by cyclists.

The DfT sought views on how to “restrict the ability of local authorities to generate surplus funds from penalty charge notices”. The contraventions include motorists driving through no entry, no left or right turn, or prohibited vehicle signs, or unlawfully entering box junctions, and driving in mandatory cycle lanes.

After gracing the streets of Florence this year and then finding its way through Lille next year, the peloton is set to assemble in Barcelona to mark the start of the 113th Tour de France in 2026.

Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni and director of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme's announcement at the official ceremony hosted in the Catalan capital this morning means that the city will be host to the Grand Départ for the fourth time in history, having previously rolled out the red carpet in 1957, 1965 and 2009.

The 2026 route will feature two stages inside Catalonia and the start of a stage finishing on French soil. It also marks a return to Spanish soil for the Tour after last year's incredible escape into the Basque country, with fans setting the stage for an impressive first two stages.

💛 Grand Départ #TDF2026 : we'll see you in Barcelona!

💛 Grand Départ #TDF2026: rendez-vous à Barcelone !

👋 @bcn_ajuntament pic.twitter.com/GpSLl46WqS

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 18, 2024

Barcelona also played host to the 2023 Vuelta a España opening team time trial stage, although that was marred by questionable management and torrential weather conditions turning the planned late summer dusk affair into a terrible wet slog with pouring rain as several riders crashed on the puddle-filled roads amidst complaints of "ridiculous" conditions with almost no visibility.

> "You couldn't see anything": Remco Evenepoel slams "ridiculous" Vuelta a España team time trial in horrendous conditions

Interestingly, the Grand Départ also means that the 2026 Tour de France will set a new record in the history of the event, as Barcelona, straddling the 41st parallel, will edge out Porto-Vecchio as the southernmost start of the race by a dozen minutes of latitude. It will also share a momentous occasion with the people of Barcelona, as the Sagrada Família is slated to finally reach completion in 2026

💛 After 1957, 1965 (Photo 1) and 2009 (Photo 2), the 2026 of the Tour de France will be the 4th to visit Barcelona !

🏆 See you on 4 July 2026 to find out who will succeed 🇧🇻 @ThorHushovd, winner in 2009!

💛 Après 1957, 1965 (Photo 1) et 2009 (Photo 2), l'édition 2026 du Tour… pic.twitter.com/aghlTBLXnB

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) June 18, 2024

Meanwhile, the Grande Boucle has already graced the streets of the Catalan capital, most recently in 2009, when Thor Hushovd outsprinted the Spanish speedsters Óscar Freire and José Joaquín Rojas to take stage 6 right next to Montjuïc Stadium.

And finally, this marks a perhaps intriguing turn of events for the city's mayor Jaume Collboni, who just two weeks ago was involved in a bizarre situation when he got fined €100 for riding through a road where cycling had been banned by his own council... while filming a promotional video of him cycling to work for World Bicycle Day to encourage other people in the city to cycle more.

> Mayor fined €100 for riding on street where cycling is banned by the council, while shooting ‘cycle to work’ video to encourage cycling in Barcelona