road.cc recap: ten of our top stories this week

1. Campagnolo Chorus 12 speed groupset launched, with lower price points and smaller chainring and cassette options

Campagnolo have launched a new Chorus groupset, bringing 12 speed technology down to their third groupset tier and also offering 48/32 chainset and 11-34t cassette options for the first time.
Read more here

2. TfL to pilot default green man signal at ten pedestrian crossings

Transport for London (TfL) is to trial ‘green man authority’ on ten pedestrian crossings in the capital. The signal strategy gives pedestrians priority, relying on detectors to pick up any oncoming vehicles.
Read more here

3. Walmart launches upscale Viathon road, gravel and mountain bike brand – coming to an Asda near you soon?

US retail giant Walmart, which owns the Asda supermarket chain in the UK, has launched an upscale road, gravel and mountain bike brand called Viathon. The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer already sells more bicycles than anyone else in the US, and is now on a mission to bring high-end models to the masses, whom it believes find specialist bike retailers intimidating.
Read more here

4. Thousands of Ineos fracking protesters expected at Tour de Yorkshire next weekend

Thousands of protesters will wear masks of Ineos CEO Jim Ratcliffe at next week’s Tour de Yorkshire to protest the chemical firm’s impending sponsorship of what is currently Team Sky. Ineos holds licences to carry out fracking across much of North and South Yorkshire. Friends of the Earth described the firm as “a major risk to this wonderful part of the country.”
Read more here

5. Garmin launch Edge 530 and 830 GPS units

Garmin have launched their latest GPS bike computers, the Edge 530 and Edge 830. Both feature Garmin's new ClimbPro feature, first seen on their luxurious Marq Athlete multisport watches launched back in February. 
Read more here

6. Mathieu van der Poel uploads his epic Amstel Gold victory to Strava

If you follow the pros on Strava, you might have noticed that road cycling's hottest new property Mathieu van der Poel doesn't tend to share his data very often. Before this one his most recent upload was from the Dutch Road Championships (which he won) in July 2018; and we can understand why on this occasion, Van der Poel might also be particularly proud of his efforts...
Read more here

7. Suspended sentence for impatient driver who knew he'd caused cyclist's crash but said it was 'karma'

A Surrey driver who grew impatient with a cyclist and caused her to crash has been handed a 14-month suspended sentence. Ralph Keemer, 59, told police he knew that triathlete Laura Fidler had fallen from her bike but didn’t stop, saying it was "karma".
Read more here

8. Video: London driver deliberately knocks cyclist off bike

A London cyclist has filmed the moment a driver knocked him off his bike by ramming him with his Ford Focus car. The footage was uploaded to YouTube on Monday by Olukayode Ibrahim. The incident was filmed on the A2 outside a Travelodge hotel close to Deptford Bridge Docklands Light Railway station in south east London.
Read more here

9. Brexit Party hopeful candidate begs Nigel Farage for penny-farthing spokesman job

A penny-farthing rider from Battersea who hopes to be a candidate for the Brexit Party has begged its leader, Nigel Farage, to be given a job as the party’s spokesman to represent the views of fellow enthusiasts – as well as cyclists and motorbikers more generally.
Read more here

10. Sunday Times claims “victory” for drivers as number of people cycling on English roads drops

The Sunday Times has claimed that new figures revealing that the number of people riding bikes on England’s roads has dropped represents a “victory” for motorists “in their long-running battle with cyclists.”
Read more here and read our follow-up story with a response from Cycling UK response here.