Police warning as cyclist garroted by rope in woods; Pimlico Plumbers 'make citizen's arrest' of alleged Bentley bashing cyclist; Vine calls for end to "traffic sewer" on Brighton seafront; Evenepoel sick of Eddy Merckx comparisons + more on the live blog

In yet another depressing incident of extreme violence that appears to be aimed at cyclists, Norfolk Police have issued a warning after a cyclist was garroted by a rope strung between trees. 

Police say the 25-year-old man was left with "extensive lacerations" across his neck after falling victim to the trap in woods next to Edinburgh Way in Thetford. Shockingly, wood containing nails was also placed at head height down alleyways that are regularly used by cyclists from Edinburgh Way and Durham Way used by cyclists.

PC Nike Harris commented: “We are concerned as these throughways are sometimes used by cyclists on their way to from work. We do not know why the rope and wood has been put in place but it may be in attempt to discourage cyclists and bikers.

“We would ask you report anti-social behaviour in the areas to police rather than take matters into your own hands if this is the case. Although we know these routes are not strictly meant for cyclists or bikers we do not want to find people are being seriously injured.”

Norfolk Police have asked anyone with information to contact PC Harris on 101, quoting crime reference 36/60081/20.

An eyewitness clip of ISN’s @LeTour presentation ceremony , brought to you by our own @Neilands_K . The best angle in the house! pic.twitter.com/RBSWjmoyZg

— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@YallaIsraelSUN) August 28, 2020

Presentación de equipos en Niza, las tres semanas más intensas de la temporada empiezan mañana!

Team presentation in Nice, the three most intense weeks of the season start tomorrow!@LeTour @Movistar_Team 📸 @bettiniphoto pic.twitter.com/iyVhYxjc1b

— Enric Mas Nicolau (@EnricMasNicolau) August 28, 2020

Compared to the party that road.cc attended in Brussels last year, things were obviously quite different at the 2020 ceremony in Nice, with spectators and media sat apart at a safe distance. Find out all your need to know about the Tour that nearly never happened in our stage-by-stage guide. 

The King Alfred’s Way loops takes riders on an adventure through Surrey, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire, featuring gravel tracks and trails with plenty of ups and downs. If you decide to make an epic weekend/week of it and take on the whole route you'll pass Stonehenge, the Avebury and Iron Age hill forts at Old Sarum and Barbury Castle while taking in some quintessential English countryside.

Cycling UK say they've spent three years working on the route, which connects the North Downs Way, South Downs Way, Ridgeway and Thames Path. Some sections were upgraded to allow cycling on existing footpaths, and existing bridleways, byways and quiet country lanes were also added in.

Cycling UK's campaign officer Sophie Gordon commented: “The pandemic has understandably changed the British public’s appetite for foreign travel but with King Alfred’s Way we’re hoping to at least quench its thirst for adventure.

“There’s no need to fly or, for many, even travel far for a challenging trip. King Alfred’s Way is 220 miles of literal ups and downs looping through a quintessential southern England made up of thatched cottages, Iron Age hill forts and stone circles.”

You can find the online route map here. 

THE REBELLION HAS BEGUN.

Two @xryouthbristol members have locked on the the iconic Bristol suspension bridge. @XRebellionUK @ExtinctionR @XRBristol pic.twitter.com/DCe5Kxdr73

— Extinction Rebellion Youth (@XrYouth) August 27, 2020

Avon and Somerset Police say two females were arrested at 11pm last night on suspicion of wilful obstruction of the highway and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance... and now the police are closing the bridge to all vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians for four days in response.

Site is fully set up with stage and first workshop is now beginning! Come on down pic.twitter.com/FkoJlf5J7p

— XRYouth UK (@xryouthuk) August 28, 2020

Extinction Rebellion (XR) are reportedly planning a four day protest, with the Bristol Post reporting that they plan to block motor traffic with an elephant and take over "key sites" in Bristol. XRYouth UK said on their Twitter account: "Police last night took the decision to completely close the Clifton Suspension Bridge, for potentially up to 4 days. XR Youth intended to close it from 7 - 4 for traffic while remaining open to pedestrians and bikes. As a result of the closure we are now by the bridge entrance." 

XR Youth are also holding 'socially distanced events' at the site of the Suspension Bridge, erecting a transportable stage and running workshops on the subject of the climate crisis. 

Let's be honest, anyone who has visited #Brighton despairs at that traffic sewer that runs alongside the beach. This is probably the moment to close the filthy seafront road completely and let this beautiful town breathe its own sea air at last. pic.twitter.com/99kR8rvGoD

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) August 27, 2020

The broadcaster didn't mince his words when giving his opinion on the future of Brighton's seafront, which controversially had a 600m section of cycle lane removed yesterday because of concerns over congestion. The council’s lead member for transport Pete West told The Argus: “Congestion on this stretch has had a knock-on for major bus routes and delays to bus journey times – that is unacceptable."

Of course another way to reduce the congestion would be for people to stop driving so much, but that appears to be a step too far and Brightonians remain bitterly divided over the issue... 

I’m from Brighton (born & bred) and I’d like:
- more and better cycle lanes
- more restrictions on cars in town
- better bus routes to help speed up the bus services across town.

— Abigail Dombey (@AbigailDombey) August 27, 2020

In addition to fixing roads during lockdown, today I’ve announced a first-of-its-kind pothole mapping project, working with businesses like @Uber @Deliveroo @Ocado @Tesco to target nuisance potholes & make roads safer for everyone as people return to the office and school 🛣️🚗🚴 pic.twitter.com/MrlPVQ1ynd

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) August 28, 2020

The Transport Secretary says that the government have enlisted the help of companies such as Uber and Deliveroo to combat potholes. Information published at midnight on gov.uk says that mapping data will be used from these businesses to identify hotspots for repairs, and the work will be accelerated ahead of schools going back next week to make roads safer for cyclists and motorists. They also claim 319 miles worth of resurfacing works have taken place during lockdown, made possible by the quieter roads. 

Not everyone is quite so enthusiastic... 

Why don't you try and construct proper roads in the first place, so you don't need to spend so much taxpayers money on repairs. Just take other EU countries as an example. Oh wait, we've just turned our back on all those...

— Alex 🇳🇱🇪🇺🇬🇧🇵🇱 (@Mul_Alexander) August 28, 2020

I'll believe it when I see it.

How about funding councils properly in the first place?

— Daniel Winter (@dcwinter) August 28, 2020

If you want to report potholes, you can go directly to the Highways Agency or use apps such as Fill That Hole and FixMyStreet. 

STOP comparing, please!
I’m not like somebody else, nobody is like me. Everybody is just him- or herself and that should be respected.
So just please stop it.
Nobody can be a new version of something he or she has never been and will never be.
Merci.

— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) August 28, 2020

It appears the 20-year-old Belgian isn't too keen on the comparisons with the great Eddy Merckx, venting on social media for everyone to "please stop it" with the wild predictions: "Nobody can be a new version of something he or she has never been and will never be", he says. 

Perhaps a particular interview question or speculative media reporting pushed his buttons, but it's clear the Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider doesn't want the pressure and the expectation that will come with being tipped to emulate arguably the greatest cyclist of all time. Some fans aren't being overly sympathetic on his Twitter page... 

STUPID 🙄

— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) August 28, 2020

Is the young prodigy (as he'd hate to be called) being a little over sensitive here?

If you're injured or taking a holiday and don't want Garmin telling you how little training you've been doing as if everything was normal, you can now pause your training status completely and leave it paused until you start up again. 

Garmin say there are situations "when tracking your training status can be demotivating or even counterproductive", so rather than watching your status drain you can just get back on the horse when you're ready to. Selecting the pause function will also hide feedback such as your VO2 max, fitness trend, 7-day load and recovery time. Daily suggested workouts are also suspended until training status is resumed.  

To use the function on a Garmin Edge cycling computer, simply select 'My Stats' from the home screen, press 'Training Status' and then select 'Pause Training Status'.