“Not interested in truth, just lining his pockets”: Cyclists react to Mr Loophole’s “no-brainer idea” of speedometers on bikes to bring “legal parity with all road users”; London’s Terracotta Army; Protected bike lanes, not wands + more on the live blog

25 wins in 58 race days, a Giro-Tour double, two monuments and a world title, and much else besides – Pogačar’s 2024 campaign was one for the ages. But how does it compare to cycling’s other history-making seasons?

> We rank cycling’s greatest individual years, from Burton and Coppi to Vos and Pogačar

There’s a new update in the ever-lasting saga of councils adopting the infamous and controversial tool of Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to impose a ban on cycling in the town centres.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, along with the police force, have announced that its proposal to adopt the PSPO might be slightly different. Instead of seeing a complete ban on cycling, skateboarding or using scooters, the council could now instead a ban on those looking to cause a nuisance.

According to CoventryLive, an authorised person could request a person to dismount “if they are cycling, skateboarding, scootering or using similar devices within the restricted area where they reasonably suspect that the person is ‘riding in a malicious and/or dangerous manner as to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person within that area.”

A council spokesperson said: “We are currently working through the consultation responses for the Town Centres PSPO. The Town Centres PSPO will go to cabinet as soon as possible.”

> Another cycle route blocked by "disappointing" barrier that "reduces accessibility and comfort"

In the past, the topic of a cycling ban has been proposed to the council by the police, most recently when the force asked the council to introduce a no cycle zone to cut out “really dangerous” cycling and “anti-social behaviour” in the shopping area, saying that “we get a lot of kids wheelie-ing through and it sets the wrong tone”.

While the town centre is already a pedestrianised zone, those on bicycles are still allowed access. However, the local police called upon Labour-led council to extend the pedestrianisation rules to also prohibit cyclists from riding through the area.

Cyclists in Huddersfield organised a protest over the lack of progress on the active travel network and urged the council to fulfil its promises to deliver adequate cycling infrastructure.

The demo was primarily organised by the campaign group Cycle Kirklees, who called on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Kirklees Council to improve the region’s cycling routes, Huddersfield Hub reports.

Cyclists hold protest over active travel network (image: @CycleKirklees)

Chris Knight, chair of the campaign, said: “Our local cycling network in Kirklees is all gaps, with little or no joined-up network.”

He said recent work on Queensgate, part of Huddersfield Ring Road, ignored earlier consultations that would have improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. He added: “This section of road is a part of the only cycling route Kirklees Council has identified as a priority for dedicated space for walking and cycling.

“The route, from Huddersfield Railway Station to Waterloo via the A629 Wakefield Road, was agreed three years ago following lengthy consultation.

“It has the highest propensity of any route in Kirklees to increase cycling and walking and was meant to be the first step in establishing a Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) – a Government requirement.

“The highway designs included re-allocated road space and offered dedicated cycling paths and better bus priority routes. It would give people in areas served by the route the option to walk and cycle.

“We’ve been working with Kirklees Council, responding to plan after plan with still no published network plan. So far, we have about a quarter of a mile of Leeds Road (A62) as new cycling infrastructure that meets the national standards introduced in 2020.

“There’s a lot more happening to increase take up of active travel in Leeds and Bradford and more ambition in Calderdale. We need to rally all those who want to cycle to work or to the shops – or who have children who want to cycle to school – to get behind this campaign.”

There are peloton transfers that sometimes catch you by surprise, and then there are transfers that everyone and their grandmum knows about — and Urška Žigart’s transfer to AG Insurance-Soudal after four years at Liv Jayco-AlUla, firmly falls into the latter camp.

The 27-year-old Slovenian national champion’s imminent transfer was in fact announced by team boss Patrick Lefevere as far back in July in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.

Speaking about her new team, Žigart said: “What attracted me to join AG Insurance-Soudal was that I only ever heard good things about the team, and when they reached out to me, I was immediately interested in hearing what they had to say. I was quickly drawn to their vision and how they saw me fitting into the team. It was clear that they had a strong idea of how I would fit in both as a rider and as a person.”

“Within the team, I feel like I am still learning, even though I have quite a bit of experience in the WorldTour peloton. This year, however, I realized that I’m not the youngest anymore. So, in that sense, I hope to pass on some knowledge to the younger riders while also remaining open to learning from everyone. In terms of racing, I’m quite a versatile rider, but I certainly excel in climbing. That’s where I can offer strong support, and sometimes, I might even try to play a role in the finale.”

She added: “My personal goals for the 2025 season are to continue improving in every aspect, just as I have in the past few years, and to keep this upward trajectory. I’ve shown that I can be close to the best in hard climbing races, so I really want to explore that and see how far I can go when the opportunity arises.

“Based on the conversations I’ve had, I think I can grow here in every way. I especially want to improve on hilly terrains and continue working on my time trial skills. In the team, I can’t overlook the experience of Ashleigh [Moolman-Pasio] in riding GC in big stage races. I hope to learn from her as well and lend a helping hand (or leg) whenever I can.

“It’s been four years since my last team change, and I have to admit, I’ve grown very comfortable at Greenedge, and I really felt at home there. It was hard to think about changing because change brings new people, new relationships, new equipment, and new challenges. But change can also bring growth, and from everything I’ve heard about the team, I feel calm, confident, and ready to meet everyone soon.”

The design programme for High Speed 2 railway, due to run on HS2 and further north on the West Coast Main Line, is well underway now, with the “airline-style” seat designs unveiled last week. Now, it’s been announced that the public is being sought after to provide feedback on the design to the train’s future operator WCPD, with cyclists included as one of the 20 customer groups.

Other groups including those with reduced mobility and young families, were also invited to experience the life-sized wooden mock-ups of the trains at the HAH-S facility in Derby – helping engineers to understand the levels of ease, accessibility and comfort.

Life-sized mock-ups were also made of other sections of the train including, the café, and child buggy storage, with the engineers saying that the new designs will help deliver a “step-change in the passenger experience”.

Frustratingly, there’s not much info available about the provisions made for cyclists inside the trains, other than a eight-year old report which confirmed “appropriate provision” for bicycles on the HS2.

There’s some concrete good news outside the carriages though, with the West Midlands Mayor announcing in February that a 24-mile cycleway along HS2 covering Birmingham, Solihull, Warwickshire and Coventry, will be built by repurposing HS2’s construction roads and maintenance paths. But so far based on the images, what do you make of it? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!

The cycling-related complaints keep on coming for Thames Valley Police, a week on from the force's Police & Crime Commissioner admitting "very valid concerns" around how cyclists' reports of dangerous driving have been dealt with, the force now attracting criticism for undertaking "Operation LYCRA".

> Police force slammed for "stoking culture war" with "Operation LYCRA" targeting cyclists