11 things we've learned this week

1. Marcel Kittel is unstoppable

Although the omission of Sagan and Cavendish is unfortunate, Marcel Kittel of Quick Step Floors time and time again confirmed his status as the pre-eminent sprinter left in this year's Tour de France as he took his fifth win in the 104th edition. It's hard to look past him on the remaining flat stages.

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2. Chris Froome evidently isn’t…

As predictably as Kittel won three sprint stages in a row, Froome predictably nestled himself in the pack and arrived home without issue… until stage 12, when the brilliant Fabian Aru attacked and seized the yellow jersey and exposing a chink in the three-time tour winners’ armour. What on earth will happen next?
 

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3. There's more close pass progress happening

Dorset Police, along with their colleagues in Devon & Cornwall, launched their Operation Close Pass this week. Footage is captured on bike-mounted video cameras supplied by Cycle Engage UK, and motorists caught in the operation are shown the safe distance to give riders with the help of close pass mats supplied by Cycling UK.

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4. Tour stats are staggering

We felt tired reading Roman Bardet's strava stats for stage 12. 36.4km/h on a ride of over 200km with 4,400m of ascent ain't bad going... 

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5. Cyclocross might be back in (London) town

The UCI Cyclo-Cross World Cup could be heading back to Great Britain with plans unveiled to bring a round to London, potentially paving the way for the city to host the World Championships in the discipline. The championships were last held in the UK in 1992. 

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6. Tom Simpson was given a fine 50th anniversary tribute, despite Ventoux omission from the Tour

Tom Simpson’s daughter Joanne has been joined by family, friends and other cyclists today on a ride up Mont Ventoux on today’s 50th anniversary of his death. Simpson was less than a kilometre from the summit of the mountain when he collapsed and died during Stage 13 of the race on 13th July 1967. He was 29. Among those at Mont Ventoux was Sir Bradley Wiggins.

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7. Everyone loves some nostalgia, but not necessarily the cost of it

You loved the news that Raleigh is releasing commemorative 35th anniversary editions of their burner BMX; however some commented that for the price of £500, it's possible to pick up an original second-hand. There's no pleasing everyone! 

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8. The docks (and the rest of London) are going dockless...

The latest 'dockless' bike share scheme has popped up in London, with oBike promising to add hundreds more bikes around London this month, promosing cheaper and more convenient bikes than their rivals Santander Cycles.

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9. While it's all looking rosy for oBike, it's not so much for Mobike...

Manchester's dockless scheme has been plagued by vandals already, with footage of a gang attempting to chuck one into a canal, plus various other reports of vandalism. It's a shame, but perhaps an inevitable shame that problems would arise when some degree of trust in the public is concerned for dockless bike systems to function. 

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10. You made light work of the Dunwich Dynamo video...

An innocent video about a nice birds eye view of an evening ride turned into a debate about the riders' lights! Have a look and see for yourself... 

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11. Forgiveness is always the answer

Yes, even if someone steals your bike, as is evident in this heart-warming story. A Glasgow gave a bike thief ‘a life lecture’ after tracking down her son’s stolen bike on Gumtree, before the thief broke down and the pair ended up hugging. There's hope for the world just yet!

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