“My first ride of the year resulted in five drivers reported”: Cyclist shares pictures of five close passes; 19-year-old British rider comes close to winning first stage at Tour Down Under; Peter Sagan does wheelies with fan + more on the live blog

Traffic calming systems have always been a sore point in Oxford, with acts of violent vandalism and arson such as setting planters on fire and ripping apart bollards a frequent occurrence in the last few years. In October 2023, anti-low traffic neighbourhood took the streets to ironically block traffic, with angry protesters claiming that the traffic-calming measures have increased congestion and that they “can’t get on bikes”.

> Conspiracy theorists and far-right groups attend 15-minute city protest in Oxford – as city’s first Jewish mayor blasts “deeply upsetting and offensive” comparisons to Holocaust

Now, Oxford Clarion has shared on Bluesky that Oxford Labour’s local leader Liz Brighouse has called for the process of installing traffic filters in the city to be “halted”.

She said: “Oxford residents are united in recognising that traffic is a major problem. But debates on what to do about it have turned neighbours against one another.”

Labour has called for the upcoming Oxford traffic filters to be “halted”. Its local leader Liz Brighouse said “Oxford residents are united in recognising that traffic is a major problem. But debates on what to do about it have turned neighbours against one another.”

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— Oxford Clarion (@oxfordclarion.bsky.social) 21 January 2025 at 07:25

Labour said that there needs to be “continued conversations on the future of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, implying “in the first instance, that means removing the Crowell Road LTN”. The party also suggested that “the county council needs to speed up re-opening the Cowley and Witney railway lines to passengers”.

Green party candidate for Parks division, Oxford and sustainability researcher at the University of Oxford, Emma Garnett, said on social media: “This is deeply disappointing but unsurprising from Oxford Labour. You can’t tackle traffic without tackling the number of cars on the road and improving public transport.”

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UAE Team Emirates XRG rider Juan Sebastián Molano was the latest victim of a robbery as thieves raided his house in La Trinidad, Boyacá in Colombia, stealing three bikes and other valuable items, totalling up to thousands of euros.

Juan Sebastian Molano in leaked 2025 UAE Team Emirates kit (Dave Arthur)

The two-time Vuelta a España stage winner is preparing for the next season with his brother Julián in Dubai, and the house was empty when a bunch of thieves broke into it, according to El Tiempo.

> UAE Team Emirates pro Juan Sebastián Molano hit head-on by motorist while training

The Molano family later reported that a Colnago road bike belonging to UAE Team Emirates XRG and two Specialized mountain bikes were among the stolen items, which also included household appliances, cycling jerseys, and various other accessories. They called on the cycling community to at least recover the three bikes that were taken from their home.

After a thoroughly entertaining women’s race in the scorching Australian sun, the men’s Tour Down Under kicked off last night, and Red Bull–Bora–Hansgrohe’s Sam Welsford picked up where he left off in 2024 — smashing the doors down of the 2025 men’s road racing season with a well-taken victory in the bunch sprint.

The home rider, who won the points jersey last year with three wins in the six-day tour, never looked in doubt before the final few hundred metres of the finish line, with the peloton making their way through a tricky serpentine section before the riders geared up for the sprint.

Sam Welsford wins stage 1 of 2025 Tour Down Under (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

Although Welsford looked in control of the sprint, the 19-year-old British prodigy Matthew Brennan came very close to raining on his parade, the Visma–Lease a Bike rider who was promoted from its Continental to WorldTour squad this year, announcing himself to the world in stellar fashion.

“I had someone on my wheel and I was keeping them in check, and I didn't actually notice the left,” Welsford said after the race. “I went to stop and salute, but I [had gone] pretty long, so I didn’t have much legs left. I should have realised that it was a really fast downhill sprint at the end.

“I thought I had it, but [Brennan] came at such a pace — I thought my front wheel was over the line, but then he came zooming past me, and I thought ‘maybe I mucked that up’, but I was happy to get it.”

FIRST WIN OF THE SEASON 🔥

Sam Welsford takes the first WorldTour win of 2025 at the Tour Down Under 👏 pic.twitter.com/RkeGB1BOoo

— Eurosport (@eurosport) January 21, 2025

Meanwhile, Brennan is already proving himself to be a top talent at 19 years of age (I swear they keep getting younger), the Giro Next Gen stage winner even feeling “a little frustrated” not to come away with the win.

“It’s a really nice result but it would be nice to win,” he said. “It’s really nice being the young riders’ jersey. That’s something that we're going for this year as a team. But it would always be nice to come first.”

“Sprinting is freakin’ hectic, innit?”

Well, get used to it, young lad!