Seven days in cycling: Your weekly catch up service of the week's big news stories on road.cc

Welcome to our roundup of the week's cycling news on road.cc, where we reprise some of the stories that you loved (or loved to hate) the most over the past seven days. Click on any headline to read the story in full and join in our reader debates in the comments section.

Cyclist points out place he'd like his ashes scattered - moments before falling to his death

It was a sad start to the week on Sunday as we reported on this bittersweet tale of a man who died in a fall from his bike just minutes after he pointed out to his friend and colleague the spot he would like to have his ashes scattered after his death.

The sensitive bunch that you are were quick to send condolences and kind thoughts to his family, and some people who knew Mark Buckley shared photos and tributes on our site and on Facebook.

It’s worth a check back to read the comments for some handy hints on how to contact the emergency services if you ever find yourself in trouble, especially if you appear to have no mobile phone signal.

Martyn Ashton back on a bike - well, a handycle

A cheerier start to the week on Monday when we brought you the happy news that Martyn Ashton was back on a bike - of sorts - following a devastating injury to his spine during a stunt show that left him paralysed.

Martyn spoke of his shock at the life-changing accident, but brought some of his characteristic stoicism to a moving interview, which followed his first outing on the boards of Newport Velodrome where thanks to Disability Sport he was able to complete a few laps on an adapted bicycle.

"It was awesome but really hard", he said.

"I'm not used to having power in my arms, but it was brilliant."

Video: How to be a road cyclist
 

On Tuesday you were clearly in the mood for some humour, courtesy of the chaps at Canadian mountain bike site NSMB who put together a video to guide you in detail though becoming a road cyclist, or, as they put it, a ‘road biker’.

You’ll need to learn to fall gracefully while clipped in, and learn the difference between IPA and EPO. Not sure? Ask someone wearing a yellow Livestrong wristband, the video recommends.

Click the link above to enjoy the movie again.

Coroner says foot stuck in clipless pedal led to cyclist's death

Joking aside about the vagaries of clipless pedals, there was some sobering news on Wednesday, with a Jersey coroner’s inquest concluding that a British cyclist’s inability to unclip from his pedals led to him being killed after he lost his balance and was hit by a van while on holiday in the Channel Islands.

Neil Blood, aged 42 and from Stoke-on-Trent, had not used clipless pedals prior to his holiday in July last year, where he was riding a new bike fitted with them.

According to Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffrey, he sustained “extremely severe” injuries to his chest after being run over by a van.

His father, Geoff Blood, told the inquest that shortly before his son departed on his holiday he had urged him not to use clipless pedals, which he believes are dangerous.

“What happens with those cleats is you can’t pull your foot in and out,” he said, quoted in the Stoke Sentinel.

“You have to do a motion and when Neil or anybody is involved in an accident you don’t think logically.

“Your brain becomes a bit scrambled and to get your foot out of cleats you have got to think clearly.”

Core Bike wheels round up

Thursday’s reader is obsessed with tech - well you were this week, anyway. We’d been casting our eyes over quite a few new wheels around the shows this week, so brought you a round-up of some of the stuff we've seen at Core Bike.

If you’re thinking of some fancy new summer hoops, head on over ‘cos we’ve got all of ‘em. Most of them.

Offerings from DT Swiss, Vision, Novatec, Rolf Prima, 3T, FFWD, Token and Campagnolo were examined and photographed, and the Campag interlacing carbon tape disc wheels are worth a look just for the ‘oooh’ factor, and we all like to look at some spendy gear sometimes.

102 year old smashes his own world record

Cycling does seem to be a sport adored by those who want to prove they’re not yet past it, and as a case in point it doesn’t get any better than Friday’s most read story.

102-year-old Robert Marchand smashed his own age group Hour record, riding 26.925km around France’s new national velodrome at Saint Quentin en Yvelines near Paris – 10 per cent further in distance than he managed when he set his previous best two years ago at the age of 100.

That day, he rode 24.251 kilometres, saying afterwards: “I just wanted to do something for my 100th birthday.”

Remarkably, that ride came 80 years after he had last taken to the boards of a velodrome, and 86 years after his first competitive race, which he had to enter under an assumed name due to his being below the age limit for entry.

Tech roundup

Loads of shiny stuff for you to enjoy as the week drew to a close in our regular Tech Roundup, bringing you another batch of new products and interesting tech from the cycling world.

Along with beautiful hand-built bikes to feast your eyes on, we featured wind tunnel testing (it’s worth clicking the link above for this video alone!) along with wearable fitness/lifestyle tech from Polar, and some rather jolly clothes and base layers to kit you out for spring/warm you up on your winter rides.