Elias Schwärzler hits 272km/h on a mountain bike (towed by a motorbike); Doctor loses second bike this month to thief who cut through hospital rack; UCI announces cyclocross WC round in London; A Tale of Two Drivers; Tour teams + more on the live blog

We are thrilled to announce our lineup for @LeTour

🇮🇹 @CarusoDamiano
🇵🇱 @kamilgradek
🇦🇺 @jackhaig93
🇸🇮 @matmohoric
🇪🇸 @LLEONSANCHEZ
🇧🇪 @dylan_teuns
🇸🇮 @JTratnik
🇬🇧 @fred_wright0

Allez TBV!#RideAsOne #TDF2022

🔗 https://t.co/KvRLTVeJkm pic.twitter.com/MSP7R8suj3

— Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) June 24, 2022

 Fred Wright has made the cut for Bahrain Victorious. That's two Brits now confirmed for the big one, with Adam Yates, G, Tom Pidcock and Connor Swift still possibly to come.

Wright will be eyeing up the Roubaix stage, as well as team duty looking after joint leaders Jack Haig and Damiano Caruso.

The team's sports director, Gorazd Štangelj explained the thought process: "We've selected a really strong group of riders for the Tour. It's a Tour with plenty of challenges with chances for wind in Denmark and then more wind in France and cobbles. After this, we go straight into a concentrated block of uphill finishes. I think we have got a group of riders to cover all these difficult challenges and support our leaders, Jack and Damiano, to achieve our objective.

"We will also be looking for chances with our other riders to take stage wins or help us gain time for our overall objective. I'm convinced we have a strong team for the race itself."

Why?

— buysheep (@buysheep) June 24, 2022

272.9km/h or 169mph...that's how fast German mountain bike pro Elias Schwärzler clocked in a successful Guinness World Record attempt last month. He's this week released the video showing his pulse-raising achievement. Think how fast he could have gone if he pedalled...(joke)...

Schwärzler is now officially the "fastest person to be pulled on a bicycle" after more than a year of preparation for the attempt, and was pulled into the record books at the Lausitz-Ring in Brandenburg, north east Germany.

His parents reaction to learning his idea was, as you'd expect: "No, definitely don't do that," he told Voralberg. "In the end it was okay because my parents now know that I prepare everything I do properly.

"I always say, you squat up there like a donkey. I can't raise my head because the headwind is so strong. I just had a real tunnel vision and kept seeing briefly, ah, there's the motorcyclist, I have to go there. On the one hand, I was of course happy that everything worked out well, in terms of safety. On the other hand, we didn't achieve the goal."

The goal? 300km/h...

Over to Brazilian speedster Evandro Portela who has his eyes on topping 300km/h later this year to break the motor-paced cycling world record.

Step 1. Walk or ride to bike shop
Step 2. Leave with bike shop
Steps 3-10. Wait
Step 11. Hand over cash
Step 12. Ride home https://t.co/Apf0cplCHg

— Tom Epton (@sportwritertom) June 24, 2022

If you do fancy it...

> How to remove press-fit bottom bracket bearings in 12 easy steps 

Really positive to see @TfL improving safety for vulnerable road users.

Motorists: it’s not mandatory for a cyclist to use a cycle lane, there is often good reason not to - too narrow, pot holes, debris, drains etc.

Give vulnerable road users space when passing. pic.twitter.com/V1LTMG6gyQ

— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) - Surrey Police - UK (@SurreyRoadCops) June 23, 2022

> Transport for London to begin fining motorists caught driving in mandatory cycle lanes 

I have now climbed the two highest passes I'll tackle on my solo bike ride across America for @mssocietyuk
This pass is nearly three times the height of Mount Snowdon! pic.twitter.com/PEXvb9tFHo

— Antony Butcher (@antonybutcher) June 17, 2022

Anthony Butcher's pan-America adventure to raise money for people with multiple sclerosis received an unexpected boost in the form of a £2,000 donation from Dame Judi Dench. Anthony set a £20,000 target and was "flabbergasted" to learn Dame Judi had sent over a cheque to his home, which (to great surprise) his wife subsequently opened.

"It was just before I reached my target of £20,000 and it pushed me right up to the edge — I screamed and jumped up and down," he told the BBC.

"My dad was dentist to Judi Dench's daughter for a period of time and she had remembered my mum."

In the last week, Anthony has traversed the Rocky Mountains ahead of 10 days cycling through the Sierra Nevada. "Then there's a third mountain range to get over and the wind is blowing a real hoolie, so I'm having to fight for every mile," he said.

Apologies for the late (next day) update to yesterday's TT champs results. I was long off into the search for Classic Italian Taste San Pellegrino (very good, by the way) by the time Joss Lowden won the women's elite TT in the glorious Dumfries evening sunshine.

She said afterwards: "I'm very, very pleased. Obviously I was eyeing it up last year so this year to come out and do a ride I’m really pleased with – there was nothing left on the road today. I really enjoyed it, it was a beautiful course."

Men's champ Ethan Hayter is eyeing up a road race TT double...

"It's really nice to defend my national title and I'm looking forward to wearing these stripes in Europe. We've been pretty lucky with the weather today – perfect weather for a time-trial. Hopefully I'll win the road race on Sunday, but I've got both Bens with me [Tulett and Turner] and they're both really strong, so we'll see."

And a nice photo with brother (and U23 champ) Leo for the mantlepiece too...

All images: SWPix

A doctor in Sheffield finished their shift at a hospital, returned to the bike rack to cycle home, only to find a thief had taken their bike. Not by cutting through their lock, but instead cutting through the very rack the bike was locked to...Oh, and to make matters worse, it's the second bike he's had stolen this month...

"How are we in a position that this is ok and happens so frequently?" the doctor's wife asked...

My husband (a hospital doctor) has just had his bike stolen from work - the second bike this month - the thieves cut through the U frame it was locked to. How are we in a position that this is ok and happens so frequently? @CycleSheffield pic.twitter.com/ncMjsYhMrZ

— Rachael Rothman (@RachaelRothman) June 23, 2022

 In a reply, Rachael added some interesting police 'advice' and confirmed the area was not covered by CCTV...

Sadly no cameras. Last month the police told my husband he shouldn’t have an expensive bike if he doesn’t want it stolen.. in the grand scheme of bikes it wasn’t expensive, but it was good enough to commute 100 miles a week to hospital on.

— Rachael Rothman (@RachaelRothman) June 23, 2022

Employers need to invest in better cycle storage provision. Indoor secure units with CCTV. Like bike lockers. Reward staff who choose the healthy option of cycle commuting to employment. Good for mental health, good for fitness. Happier, healthier workforce. Less sick days.

— keeptheball (@keeptheball) June 24, 2022

Unfortunately the bike theft shock factor left a long time ago. We've been worn down by countless depressing tales of thieves taking bikes from hospitals...

In March, we spoke to a victim who had their bike stolen from inside a cancer centre  where she was having an emergency brain scan.

> "My heart sank": Victim speaks out after shameless thief stole bike from cancer centre

In 2020, two men were charged following a series of bike thefts from Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre...while staff were inside treating coronavirus patients...