Strangest anti-cycling campaigner ever? Bike path expansion plans opposed… by 19th-century landowner and MP (kind of); “They wouldn’t have stopped at the Tour de France”: Cyclists refuse to race after 50 riders crash in heavy rain + more on the live blog

Here on the live blog, we’ve compiled a healthy (or unhealthy, as the case may be) list of people whose names have been attached to anti-cycling campaigns over the years, from MPs and councillors to disgruntled local residents, loophole-seeking lawyers, radio presenters, and… err, Sir David Attenborough.

But even this one is new to us.

Because in Lisburn (the Northern Irish city which has become a classic Pointless answer), plans to expand a cycle path have been opposed – due to concerns over whether the land in question is owned by the council and Northern Ireland Housing Executive… or a Victorian aristocrat and MP.

An application to expand the Lagan Towpath cycle route is set to be considered today by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and has been recommended for approval, Belfast Live reports.

The plans for the path, part of the National Cycling Route and the scene of the 2009 Ulster cyclocross championships, raced by your resident live blogger, involve “substantially improving” the riverside cycling and walking zone.

> David Attenborough encourages boy to stage anti-cycle lane protest, as veteran broadcaster weighs in on plans to “sacrifice 26 irreplaceable trees” for new bike route

However, one objector has raised concerns over the land’s ownership deeds, arguing that there is a “fundamental flaw” in the “root of title” in the “matter of the estate of Sir Richard Wallace Baronet MP”.

Sir Richard Wallace, 1st Baronet was the MP for Lisburn in the 1870s and his vast estate in the area, the centre of Northern Ireland’s flax and linen industry, extended to over 50,000 acres, making him one of the richest men in the UK at the time. He also owned one of the greatest private art collections in the world, which is still available to view at the Wallace Collection museum in Hertford House in London’s Manchester Square.

Not much is known about his thoughts on cycling, if we’re honest. Though Lisburn’s Wallace Park, bequeathed to the city’s people by Sir Richard, did feature an outdoor velodrome, opened in 1953, for over fifty years before it fell into disrepair, so there’s that.

Move over Attenborough...

In any case, Mr Ian Power isn’t convinced the Victorian art collector would have been too fond of the council using his land for active travel purposes.

“I have no interest in the designated land or what has been proposed,” he said in his objection to the scheme. “I would take the view that LCCC should refuse to entertain this planning application further until the applicant had identified the correct owner and served the correct certificate on the owner.

“The planning application certificate [of ownership] is demonstrably wrong having been issued recklessly by the applicant.”

> “You can’t make this stuff up”: Cyclists furious at government’s “easy, non-car disruptive” decision to upgrade “the one bike path we already have”… in city with only two miles of safe cycle lanes – as diversion forces riders onto busy road and footpath

However, according to the Planning Portal application, the parcel of land is owned by LCCC and the NI Housing Executive, who are both identified as “land owners”.

Meanwhile, the Lagan Valley Regional Park website states that the Cycling and Inland Waterways Unit of the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) owns and maintains the ‘Lagan Navigation’, including the towpath and associated water recreational facilities.

“Full planning permission is sought for the widening of the Lagan Towpath, Lisburn, where the River Lagan runs adjacent to the Laganbank Road. Works will include construction of a new concrete retaining wall. The length affected area is approximately 520 metres,” the LCCC planning committee report states.

“There have been four letters of representation submitted by one objector. The issues raised in these submissions relate to procedural matters linked to land ownership queries.

“It is considered the appropriate checks of the issues raised have been undertaken within the appropriate parameters of the planning application process.”

Take that, rich guy who died 135 years ago…

> Cycling clothing brand La Passione closes, but founder promises “new chapter”

So, it looks like Eurosport – soon to be banished from UK screens to make way for the TNT/Discovery empire – also posted some photos of AlUla Tour winner Tom Pidcock gamely performing his all-important PR duties for the Saudi race, while encouraging their followers to “caption this”.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Eurosport Cycling (@eurosportcycling)

And it’s fair to say it went about as well as could be expected, given the circumstances surrounding both the AlUla Tour and the future of cycling coverage in the UK.

Here’s a selection of some of the, ahem, best captions:

“Make the most of it, because you pleb cycling viewers aren’t gonna see this beyond February.”

“You need a Saudi bank balance to watch cycling in the UK now.”

“Did you enjoy watching the last British stage race winner before cycling vanishes behind a £31 monthly paywall in the UK and Ireland?”

“Enjoy it while you can, ya’ll getting f***ed by Warner come the end of the month... RIP Eurosport, we loved you.”

> How to watch cycling for less now it's moving to £30.99-a-month TNT Sports

“Sportswashing.”

“Pandering.”

“Seen more fans watching my boys’ U12 football games.”

“Steve Miller Band said it best: ‘Go on take the money and run’.”

I’m sure Eurosport’s social media team is delighted with how that turned out…

February may have only just started, the winter bikes are still out in force, and the cyclocross obsession hasn’t worn off just yet – but we already have our first ‘extreme weather protocol’ scandal of the 2025 road season.

I swear they’re getting earlier every year…

After potholes at the AlUla Tour last week prompted a pre-finish detour, this season’s inaugural showdown between riders and race organisers over safety took place on Saturday, during the penultimate leg of the five-day ‘not a stage race’ Mallorca Challenge.

> “Tech always gets faster – it’s on riders to not do stupid things,” says Tadej Pogačar, after rival team boss called for “slower bikes to save lives” and pro claimed “modern bikes break every time you crash”

Just half an hour and 23km into the hilly Trofeo Andratx-Pollença, which was set to climb the Coll de Puig Major, a mainstay of cycling holidays on the Spanish island, the peloton pulled the pin and decided to neutralise the race due to the wet and treacherous conditions.

According to reports, 50 riders crashed in ten separate spills, with some – including Jordi López of Euskaltel-Euskadi, who injured his shoulder – being taken to hospital, while a number of team car drivers said they were also slipping off the slick Mallorcan roads.

Representatives of the riders’ union, the CPA, then informed the race officials that they would not continue, before heading back to their hotels – a decision that was heavily criticised by the organisers, who questioned why the riders chose to pack up before they could arrange a potentially safer alternative route.

“We respect their decision, but we do not agree with it, and we do not like it at all,” race director Manolo Hernández said on Saturday.

“If this were the Tour de France or Vuelta a España, they would not have stopped. Organising these events takes a lot of effort.

“I’m not saying a stage should never be suspended because the safety of the riders comes first, but many factors need to be considered before making such a decision. If race organisers cannot have a say, perhaps we should stop organising cycling races altogether and find another job.”

However, on Sunday morning – ahead of the final race of the traditional season-opening event in Palma – tensions between the organisers and teams continued to run high, as Movistar DS José Joaquín Rojas claimed that no one from the race organisation was present when the riders stopped racing to discuss any possible alternatives, a claim denied by the Mallorca Challenge team.

And before yesterday’s race, won with a stunning late attack by Portugal’s Olympic champion Iúri Leitão, the organisers got their own back by pulling their announcer from the morning sign-in festivities, leaving the riders alone to wave to the fans without the traditional pomp and circumstance. Very mature stuff.

> “Close your eyes and hope for the best”: Riders’ union president slams cobbled race organisers after pros complain “thick layers of mud” caused crashes

Meanwhile, the CPA’s president Adam Hansen, in his usual style, addressed the issue in a lengthy social media post, defending the rider and arguing that the decision to stop the race was the “right decision to protect their physical integrity and their lives”.

“The start of today’s race was chaotic,” Hansen said on Saturday night. “The road was completely slippery due to the rain, leading to numerous crashes. All medical services were occupied assisting multiple riders, with some even being evacuated to the hospital.

“As of 2025, with the changes to the implementation of the ‘Protocol for Discussions Regarding Extreme Weather Conditions and Rider Safety During Events’, specific actions are outlined for cases where no decision has been made before the start of the race, but safety conditions require action during the race.

“Under UCI regulations, the CPA appoints three riders to represent all riders in such situations. Today, after the start of the race, heavy rain created hazardous road conditions, resulting in more than ten crashes across multiple areas, involving over 50 riders.

“Given that the slippery roads continued to pose a significant risk, the riders realised that the situation would persist unless an alternative solution was implemented. The three designated riders, representing the entire peloton, approached the President of the Commissaires’ Panel to inform them that the race could not safely continue.

“They emphasised that if the race proceeded, crashes would continue, while medical services were already fully engaged with injured riders and hospital transfers.”

> "Profound safety problem" in elite cycling, finds report... but riders union president says it's "getting safer"

He continued: “According to the 2025 updates to the Extreme Weather Protocol (EWP), the President of the Commissaires’ Panel should have neutralised the race (in this case, stopped it to prevent further crashes) and consulted all stakeholders.

“Unfortunately, this did not happen. The riders received no feedback, nor was any alternative plan communicated by the organisers, the commissaires, or the riders’ team directors. At this point, the riders made the decision to protect their physical integrity.

“We also believe that a solution could have been found. Organisers always have a Plan B in case of bad weather affecting the race route. For example, the race could have been neutralised until a safer point and restarted from there.

“The riders made the right decision to protect their physical integrity and their lives. While we acknowledge that a decision could have been made earlier, the next step was not taken by the President of the Commissaires’ Panel (PCP). This should not have been a unilateral decision.

“There should have been discussions between all stakeholders, but unfortunately this did not happen. Riders are the last ones who would want to see a race stopped, as their job is to compete.”

> Cyclists “increasingly fearful” after death of “very experienced” rider in collision, as police increase patrols and urge near miss reporting to “deter dangerous driving and protect cyclists”

Pro cycling in 2025: 

‘Don’t mind the camels Tom, or the sportswashing, just keep smiling…’

I wonder what kind of watts Pidcock – fresh from two stage wins and the overall at the AlUla Tour, setting new five and ten minute power records in the process, starting life at new team Q36.5 with a bang – could produce in that not-so-aero take on a cycling kit?

At least the photographers didn’t ask him to race the camels, I suppose. Though with his cyclocross skills, I’m sure Tom would have been more than comfortable on the sand…

Tributes have been paid to talented 18-year-old cyclist Aidan Worden, who was killed in a road traffic collision at the weekend while on a training ride with friends in Lancashire. 

> National junior 25-mile TT champion killed in collision while training

Our thoughts are with Aidan’s family and friends at this awful time.

In case you missed it yesterday…

> 20mph speed limit “single most significant change we’ve ever seen,” says Cycling UK as data reveals 100 fewer people killed or seriously injured on Welsh roads – but Conservatives slam “confusion and frustration for drivers”