'Tesla lanes' could see cyclists sharing bus lanes with electric cars; Cyclist knocked off by driver following dispute; Incredible collection of 2,300 cycling jerseys; Riding 16,000 miles during a pandemic; Donald Trump on Strava? + more on the live blog

The boys in pink will be riding Cannondale bikes until at least 2023 after the bike manufacturer extended its deal with EF Education-Nippo. The team has used Cannondale bikes since 2015 and had a spell under their banner between 2015 and 2017. 

"At the core, the relationship with Cannondale is about evolution and revolution. We want to make progress on the roads, off the roads, and ultimately keep pushing the boundaries of our sport outward," said EF Educatiion-Nippo CEO Jonathan Vaughters.

"We want to work with Cannondale to highlight the beauty of the elite level but also make the sport more accessible everywhere. We want more people riding bikes with smiles on their faces."

Remco Evenepoel's return to racing has been delayed by an ongoing "small problem" with the pelvis injury he sustained in his season-ending crash at Il Lombardia last August. The Belgian, who doesn't turn 21 for another two weeks, admitted during a virtual press conference at Deceuninck-Quick-Step's training camp in Calpe that his recovery is taking longer than expected. 

"There were some small difficulties, all part of the rehab process. To be honest, we don't know yet when I'll be able to restart because we slowed the comeback down a bit to give my body time to get ready to be 100 per cent, " Evenepoel explained.

"I'm not a doctor so I don't know the specific words but it's just a bit of pain in the area where the fractures were so sitting down on a saddle for a few hours is still hard. It needs to be fixed before being 100% on a bike."

Evenepoel has taken the pro cycling world by storm earning the label of one of the sport's most exciting young talents. Despite the setback, the 20-year-old still expects to race his first Grand Tour at the Giro d'Italia in May.

New on the blog: Electric cars are still cars. The trial EV lane on Elizabeth Way should be extremely alarming to anyone who cares about safe cycling and reliable public transport.

We urge you to email an objection to @CambsCC as soon as you can.https://t.co/c33SyFWyV8

— Camcycle (@camcycle) January 12, 2021

Cambridge Cycling Campaign highlighted this new initiative from Cambridgeshire County Council which means drivers of electric cars are now allowed to drive in the bus lane on Elizabeth Way. The council has used an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) which means the scheme can run for up to 18 months while it is monitored and assessed. However, many cyclists have pointed out the potential dangers of allowing cars in a space usually reserved for buses, motorcyclists and cyclists.

The Cambridge Cycling Campaign wrote on its website: "Electric cars are still cars. They take up a lot of space on the road, may endanger people who are cycling (especially as they travel near silently) and will surely congest a facility that is meant to help public transport function more smoothly. This is a dreadful precedent to set, which will lead to the destruction of public transport priority and will further deteriorate already poor conditions for cycling."

Cambrdige County Council has invited the public to provide comments and objections on the scheme by emailing: policyandregulation [at] cambridgeshire.gov.uk 

Even more dangerous than petrol/diesel as you don’t hear them coming and faster to accelerate. Email on its way.

— Michael Coleman (@M_P_Coleman) January 12, 2021

Sam Bennett could have been forgiven for raising an eyebrow when Deceuninck-Quick-Step confirmed that Mark Cavendish was returning to the team for 2021. Cav enjoyed three typically succesful years with the Belgian outfit, winning three Tour stages as well as five in one Grand Tour at the 2013 Giro. However, Bennett doesn't feel threatened by his return and is instead hoping to tap into the 35-year-old's mentality and experience.

"He’s a guy that’s dealt with expectation. He’s a guy, if he came away with two stages in one Grand Tour people would say it’s a bad Grand Tour for him so he set the bar really high for himself," Bennett said in a virtual press conference from the team's training camp in Spain.

"So just learn from his experience, his mindframe and how he approaches the big races. I don’t know if I can top 2020, which was such an incredible season, but I would like to get some more stages at Le Tour, especially as this year’s parcours is more sprinter-friendly. I would also like to get a one-day WorldTour win, it’s something that’s missing from my palmares and I hope to tick it off this year."

Cav's mechanic posted this on Instagram earlier, so have a sneak peak at this beauty...

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Latomme Kenny (@latommekenny)

* Cycle route #CS8 klaxon *

*Ten years* after #CS8 opened with #MagicBluePaint, it's finally getting bits of light segregation

Details via: https://t.co/iIOwUJgZwO pic.twitter.com/BzpPPMWkK0

— always last (@lastnotlost) January 14, 2021

Cycle Superhighway 8 (CS8) is finally getting some segregation...ten years after it first opened. Better late than never I guess. The route runs from Chelsea Bridge to Wandsworth Town Centre and will soon (hopefully) have new sections of cycle lane with barriers or wands. The key new sections can be seen in the tweet above but include a 1.5km stretch on Battersea Park Road which will have 250m of current car parking removed to make way for a mandatory widened cycle lane with wands. A 20mph speed limit is also to be introduced.

In 2018, a lorry driver was handed a nine-month suspended sentence after admitting to causing the death of a pregnant schoolteacher cycling to work when he failed to indicate at the junction of Grovesnor Road and Chelsea Bridge.

There's an amusing story in the Daily Record today as Sir Chris Hoy recalls being phoned about receiving a knighthood. After the letter got sent to his old address in Edinburgh, Hoy took a call. "They said, ‘This is so and so from Buckingham Palace’ and I thought, ‘It’s one of my mates, this a wind-up.' I said, ‘Oh yeah’ and they said, ‘I wondered if you got your letter?’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t get a letter’ and he said, ‘Oh well, we are writing to offer you a knighthood’.

"I was about to go ‘Yeah right, sling your hook pal.’ Then my wife Sarra who was sitting next to me said, ‘It’s real.’ I then went, ‘Oh, I would love to, sorry I didn’t reply.’ So I almost told him to take a running jump.”

Hoy was knighted in 2009 after winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. At London 2012, he won two more golds to become Britain's most successful Olympian with six golds.

Suffolk Police are appealing for information after a cyclist was assaulted by a motorist who drove at the victim, knocking him off his bike. The cyclist, a man in his 20s, was riding along Trinity Street in Bungay between 7pm and 7.30pm last Thursday when he was cut- up by a driver in a black, soft-top convertible. When the victim caught up with the motorist in Market Place and challenged him on his driving the suspect drove his car into the cyclist, knocking him off his bike.

The driver of the car, possibly a three-door Mercedes, is described as a white man of heavy build in his 40s or 50s. The suspect drove off leaving the cyclist with elbow, knee and hand injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Crime Coordination Team, quoting the reference: 1724/21.

Let him on @Strava. I’ll keep him in line. https://t.co/FESeKdR7rz

— Phil Gaimon (@philgaimon) January 12, 2021

I had a dream Trump rode in the tour for the GC. I think @chrisfroome beat him but it was close. I have the worst dreams.

— kyle olson (@BikeOlson) January 12, 2021

He'd be the dude that only does downhill segments on his ebike.

— L Θ Γ D Θ (@lordofultima) January 12, 2021