"He's alive": Peloton's comeback ad after Sex & The City death scene goes viral; Fury at lack of Cav on SPOTY shortlist; talkRADIO presenter continues anti-cycle lane crusade; cyclo-cross craziness; Tree by bike + more on the live blog

And just like that...he's alive. pic.twitter.com/bVX8uWypFZ

— Peloton (@onepeloton) December 12, 2021

The spin bike corporation Peloton saw quite a significant slump in its value towards the end of last week, after recurring Sex & The City character Mr Big is shown to have died while using a Peloton bike in the first episode of the show's reboot series 'And Just Like That'. 

As we'd have expected from a company that appears to sue people left, right and centre and was responsible for 'that' strangely threatening tone-deaf Christmas advert (it's been removed would you believe) the initial response didn't really read the room, with Peloton claiming that other unhealthy lifestyle choices were in fact to blame for Mr Big's death, adding: "Riding his Peloton Bike may have even helped delay his cardiac event.”

if we can put that spot together in 48 hours, you can do your workout today

— Peloton (@onepeloton) December 13, 2021

So in a mere 48 hours according to the tweet above, Peloton changed tactics and produced this response vid, in which Mr Big is brought back to life. The woman in the ad is Jess King, a genuine Peloton instructor, and Ryan Reynolds provides the voiceover announcing Mr Big's resurrection, plus reminding us how regular cardio is definitely good for you. 

Fair play Peloton, maybe this will resurrect your rapidly falling share price!

I mean if you're asking me for my greatest gift, I think I'd rather have a £12,000 Specialized Aethos than 'inspiration'...but I guess that's not really in the spirit of the ad...

Featuring a guest appearance from Olympic gold medallist Charlotte Worthington, British Cycling's Christmas ad attempts to demonstrate the power of inspiring the next generation, and, in our book, is a much more entertaining than anything John Lewis has ever done...

Great turnout for Light Up The Night. What do we want? Infrastructureeee. When do we want it? Nowwww. Thanks @SpokesPorty and Co for great event. pic.twitter.com/3WsgTgQcua

— Leith LTN (@LeithLtn) December 10, 2021

More than 100 cyclists took part in a protest on the streets of Edinburgh on Friday evening. The Light Up The Night ride was set up as part of the campaign to get more lighting on the city's paths as well as safer cycling infrastructure on main roads.

Organiser Kirsty Lewin of Spokes Porty told the Daily Record the event was created to highlight women's safety when cycling alone at night during winter.

"We welcome the council’s ambitious plans for improving cycling conditions in the city, and the forthcoming work on safety for women in public spaces," Lewin said.

"The council must prioritise projects that enable women and girls to feel safe and comfortable, and to travel with confidence."

Basically this?https://t.co/DDYIe3VMwi pic.twitter.com/outAH9W7xl

— La Flamme Rouge (@laflammerouge16) December 12, 2021

If you're not really into that F1 thing then maybe we can help explain yesterday's title decider drama in terms you'll understand. If F1 was the Tour de France...

Pogacar was 3 mins ahead of Roglic with only 1km to go when Prudhomme decided to bring everyone back together after a crash in the grupetto, but let Roglic have a handful of caffeine gels and Tadej had none. Sort of that... ish.

— Ollie (@OLL1E_K) December 12, 2021

Wout van Aert finds his way through the Italian snow and wins in Val di Sole! 🇮🇹 💪
Michael Vanthourenhout 🥈, Tom Pidcock 🥉. #CXWorldCup pic.twitter.com/Md6LvfeKa1

— UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup (@UCIcyclocrossWC) December 12, 2021

Normally it's the mud causing carnage, this weekend in Val di Sole for the World Cup round it was the snow. Obviously Wout van Aert did what Wout van Aert usually does — make riding a bike look very easy...

Wout van Aert dismounting like a boss. #CXWorldCup pic.twitter.com/vvS3XEToU5

— Gert-jan Warrink (@GWarrink) December 12, 2021

Tom Pidcock improved on last week to make the podium and afterwards said he could see cyclo-cross at the Winter Olympics..."I think [the race] works pretty well. The snow is completely different to what we’re all used to racing in. For sure it’s a good start towards trying to get cross in the Olympics.

> Zoe Backstedt joins – and beats – the elite at Essen cyclo-cross

"It was freezing, the ruts were freezing and it was really tricky and technical. It was just about trying to stay as concentrated as possible."

Closer to home there were some more familiar cross scenes...

The joys of cyclocross. @NWCCA Round 6 Broughton Hall pic.twitter.com/8lFFJR3j5U

— Rossendale Harriers (@RossendaleH) December 12, 2021

Here's what you might have missed this weekend...

• Bianchi has announced plans for a new 30,000 square metre factory and headquarters in the Treviglio region of Italy. The plan is for the new factory to produce 1,000 frames a day, with the hope that the £35 million project is completed by 2023.
• Elsewhere in Italian cycling news, two teenagers were sentenced to 18 months in prison for their role in the theft of 22 bikes belonging to the Italian national track team at the World Championships in Roubaix.
• Greater Manchester Police released details of what they believe was a "targeted attack" on a cyclist in Rochdale. The rider was found just before 7am on Friday morning with injuries "consistent with being attacked with a weapon".

Where are the cyclists? pic.twitter.com/uNxqr5SvrQ

— Cristo (@cristo_radio) December 11, 2021

We knew it wouldn't be too long before talkRADIO Cristo criticised cycle lanes again. This time taking a few seconds out of his Saturday evening to film a short stretch of empty lane accompanied by the claim of a private hire driver that he had not seen a cyclist for four hours.

Interestingly at the same spot four hours later Rory Meakin saw three cyclists and two e-scooter riders in four minutes...

None in four *hours*? Wow! That’s incredible. By chance I just passed the same spot and in four *minutes* I saw three cyclists and two scooterists. Perhaps it’s only used at midnight? pic.twitter.com/CHBF3KiDH1

— Rory Meakin (@rorymeakin) December 12, 2021

> TalkRadio slammed for holding poll asking 'Are cyclists a danger on the road?' 

Maybe the Surrey traffic cops will be back to educate Cristo again? Last month, after the radio ranter set his sights on CyclingMikey, the Surrey Roads Policing Unit Twitter account hit back, arguing "Mikey is providing a really effective element of road safety".

On the same day, Cristo also went after TfL and Santander Cycles for only achieving one million monthly journeys. Anyway, the day went on and Cristo ended up asking for the Surrey Police complaints form...which was duly used by many happy road users thanking the force for their road safety lessons.