Vingegaard and Van Aert to ride Tour de France as Visma-Lease a Bike reveal super squad (+ special “Renaissance” jersey); Did we really need another blue kit in the peloton?; Police slammed for collision reporting; Candyman bike + more on the live blog

Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss, Matteo Jorgenson, Wilco Kelderman, Christophe Laporte, Tiesj Benoot, Wout van Aert, and Jan Tratnik.

Wow, that's strong, strong team. You know what, I can't wait for the next Saturday! Team Emirates vs Visma, Pogačar vs Vingegaard — let the fireworks go off!

The moment we have all been waiting for. We are very happy to announce our Tour de France line-up. ⚜️🔹#limitlessthinking pic.twitter.com/Qmj2H9JinE

— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 20, 2024

And that does prove that our tinfoil hat theory that Jorgenson's picture in the French Alps was indeed a soft launch of the Visma team, with only Kelderman and Kuss missing from the team's altitude training camp.

Jonas Vingegaard, the defending champion, who'll be looking to add a third maillot jaune to his wardrobe, said: "I am excited to start the Tour. The last few months have not always been easy, but I thank my family and Team Visma | Lease a Bike for their unwavering support. We have worked together to get to this moment, and of course, I am very excited to see where I stand. I feel good and very motivated." 

Visma-Lease a Bike's Sporting Director Merijn Zeeman said: "I am very proud of Jonas and the coaching team. He is coming back from a serious injury. In the last few weeks, he has shown what a champion he is, both mentally and physically. Of course, we don't know how far he can go yet. We are being cautious because he has not been able to race, and his preparation has been less than ideal, to say the least. But he will be there, healthy and motivated."

The news that Vingegaard will be riding the Tour de France would come as a massive relief for many fans, after several doubts lingering over the Danish rider's ability to recover from the horror crash at the Itzulia Basque Tour and get fit in time.

Wout van Aerts wins Benidorm round of the 2023/24 UCI Cyclocross World Cup (Zubiko/SWpix.com)

> “He has to be the old Jonas again”: Visma-Lease a Bike DS says Vingegaard will decide for himself whether or not he’ll go to Tour de France

And the cherry on the top is that Wout van Aert, the phenomenal puncheur and essentially a true all-rounder, who not only has the ability to win races himself but also crucially for the team, can determine the stage outcomes with his attacks, is also fit to race after his own crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen where he broke his collarbone and a couple of ribs.

Van Aert said: "I am really looking forward to the Tour de France. Of course, this was not the plan initially, but after my development in the last weeks, I really wanted it, and the team agreed. Our main goal is, of course, to ride a top classification with Jonas. I want to contribute to that with an excellent team." 

Zeeman added: "Just like Jonas, Wout has had to deal with a considerable physical and mental blow. But once again, Wout has shown himself to be a rock-solid champion. His class as an athlete and leadership qualities add value to our team. We are happy to have Jonas and Wout at the start, together with an excellent team. And also in this unique Renaissance jersey that was unveiled today."

Alongside, Laporte, fresh off the back of winning Paris-Nice and the Dwars door Vlaanderen and finishing second at the Critérium du Dauphine, as well as Sepp Kuss who took the win at the Vuelta last year and is arguably the best domestique in the peloton, Jan Tratnik who won the Omloop het Nieuwsblad this year and Benoot who secured a podium position at the Amstel Gold Race — I repeat, that is one strong team.

Right after we saw the English team (they just went 1-0 up against Denmark by the way) on electric mountain bikes, with priceless reactions from Jude Bellingham, Jarrod Bowen, Jordan Pickford, and more, here's the Polish football team, who play Austria tomorrow, beating the rush hour traffic in Hannover.

The Polish national team beating traffic in Hannover. 💪🏼 👌🏼

Source: @emiliysh1r1n on TikTok#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/63FfJvqoaG

— De Filmende Fietser (@FilmendeFietser) June 19, 2024

Colchester City Council has apologised and agreed to waive all fines recently – and mistakenly – issued to cyclists for allegedly breaching the local authority’s rules on cycling in pedestrian areas and on pavements, after local campaigners complained that people on bikes were being unfairly targeted by third-party “cowboy” wardens “running amok”, discouraging people from cycling in the city.

In a statement issued in the wake of road.cc’s in-depth examination of the controversy and the backlash from Colchester’s cycling community, the council admitted that it understands the “frustrations” of the city’s “responsible” cyclists concerning the implementation of its Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) – ostensibly designed to prevent anti-social, nuisance, and dangerous behaviour in the Essex city, but which local cyclists have claimed is being used as a “money-making scheme” by a private organisation contracted to the council.

Read more: > “We are sorry if we have not always got it right”: Council waives penalties for cyclists fined by “cowboy” wardens for riding on pavements and town centre streets

Looks like Visma-Lease a Bike has taken a page out of Arsenal using the Piccadilly Line's seat fabric as the design inspiration for its (training) kit... *this is a joke please don't sue me Richard Plugge*

pic.twitter.com/dPBsTUxxRz

— #SiempreGino (@NairoInGreen) June 20, 2024

And since you asked for more kit pictures, here you go...

First training in TDF jersey 😍 #limitlessthinking https://t.co/9q52GFpZlN pic.twitter.com/QvItKs8zLj

— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 20, 2024

We dare you to say his name five times! You don't have to believe... just beware. Candyman, Candyman, Candyman, Candyman... Don't say again!

Somebody is going to get a nasty surprise when they come to pick up their bike in Lothian road #Edinburgh 😱🐝 pic.twitter.com/7afGuOjjGF

— Nichola Kane (@NicholaKane_) June 19, 2024

Another case of cyclists simply trying to make life a little safer for themselves and others, and even then getting injured and hit by motorists on the road.

This latest incident comes from Chicago, where three volunteers from Bike Lane Uprising, a campaign to make reporting vehicles obstructing the cycle lanes easier in the USA and Canada, were hit by drivers while riding to and from events to advocate for making streets safer for cyclists.

No less than 3 of our volunteers have been hit in the last couple of weeks - all while coming or going to advocate for making Chicago streets safer for bicyclists. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before one of us are killed biking. pic.twitter.com/aTPGhtAKkP

— Bike Lane Uprising® (@bikelaneuprise) June 19, 2024

“No less than 3 of our volunteers have been hit in the last couple of weeks - all while coming or going to advocate for making Chicago streets safer for bicyclists. I feel like it’s just a matter of time before one of us are killed biking,” the organisation wrote on Twitter.

They added that one volunteer was hit a few weeks ago, and a second volunteer knocked unconscious while cycling back from a town hall event for the campaign. They woke up in the hospital with a bloodied face, with the doctors having to cut their Bike Lane Uprising t-shirt from their body.

And finally, the third volunteer had just helped get the first volunteer (who got injured a few weeks ago) to a train station after a presentation event, and shortly after that they were clipped by a driver who never even stopped to see if they were okay.

The white shirt pictured above belongs to the third volunteer, while the one below, which had to be cut off after the crash, belong to the second.

Volunteer #2’s shirt after it was cut off them by medics. They were biking home after tabling a town hall event for us. They woke up in the hospital. No idea what happened. pic.twitter.com/oaSyhGLM6Z

— Bike Lane Uprising® (@bikelaneuprise) June 19, 2024

“It's always the same. Fight for resources. Car lobby will always fight for it when cyclists demand their cycle lanes. It's easy to use cars as weapons because laws have been made to favour car drivers even if they kill. Solution: Putting more cycling advocates in Public life,” wrote Jaswinder Singh in the replies.

If any product harmed and killed as many people as cars do, it would be pulled from the shelves.

— hojichasunrise (@hojichasunrise) June 19, 2024

And unfortunately, this sort of incident isn’t unheard of here in the UK. Last year, a recently elected councillor was riding on a designated “safe cycle path” to a road safety meeting in Oxfordshire, when a motorist cut across her and clipped her wheel. She ended up undergoing surgery after sustaining multiple injuries, including a nasty facial wound.

> Councillor cycling to road safety meeting left bloodied and bruised after being struck by alleged hit-and-run driver in bike lane

The councillor later noted that it was “ironic” that she was hit by a driver on her way to a meeting called to discuss the potential for road safety improvements in Oxfordshire.

Describing the alleged hit-and-run collision, which took place at the junction of Fern Hill Road, as the bike path briefly enters a residential area, the councillor said: “I wasn’t going fast because I am a cautious cyclist, and I was going downhill and had my hands on the brakes. I must have been going at about 10 miles per hour.

“He came right into my blind spot. I was just thinking ‘he’s not going to stop’, and within a second of thinking that, he hit my back wheel. I rolled over the wing of the car and hit the pavement with my head and my knees.

“You don’t expect it as a cyclist when you are on a safe cycle path for someone to come into the side of you.”

In another unfortunate piece of news, Birmingham Police said that it was investigating after a “cyclist died in a collision with a car in Birmingham yesterday” — and cyclists are giving the force stick for ignoring mentioning the driver.

“There's always a cyclist but never a driver. There's always a car but never a bike,” wrote one cyclist in the replies.

Cyclist dies in a collision with a DRIVER. Fixed it for you @BrumPolice

My condolences to the family. https://t.co/7SB4Va7wkl

— 🚴🏻‍♂️Ralpha (aka Phil)🚴🏻‍♂️ (@2wheelsnot4) June 19, 2024

The force added: “The cyclist, a 48-year-old man, was sadly declared dead at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by officers.

“The driver of the black Ford Focus, a man aged 68, was not injured and remained at the scene. He is helping with our investigation.”

Det Sgt Paul Hughes, from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We’re appealing for anyone who saw what happened, or who has dash cam or other footage, to do the right thing and get in touch.”

Meanwhile, Team GB triathlon athlete and cycling and walking campaigner from Birmingham, Sarah Chaundler said: “If you look on Crashmap’s website you’ll see in the last 10 years, there’ve been 100+ collisions within roughly a 50m radius of where he was killed. These streets just aren’t safe.”

Stop me if you've heard this before: A former member of France's National Assembly on cocaine getting chased by the police on Paris bike lanes for speeding...

> Former French legislator arrested after speeding through cycle lane under the influence of cocaine to escape police