"Eight people on bicycles occupy the space for one modern car": Cyclist's traffic photo sparks debate about "future of cities" and "efficiency" of cycle lanes + more on the live blog

In a bid to "ensure consistency, fairness, accessibility, increase participation and talent identification, and improve transport efficiency", Cycling Canada has banned the use of TT bikes, disc wheels and extension bars for juniors at the road nationals. The news was reported by Canadian Cycling Magazine and means under-19s and under-17s will not be able to use TT bikes at this year's national champs.

A good idea?

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As expected, Brompton's plan to build a new £100m factory in Ashford in Kent has been approved. The borough council gave the project the green light at a meeting of its planning committee last night, the BBC reporting that it was passed by 10 votes to two.

> Brompton CEO warns chancellor removing tariffs on Chinese bikes could "kill" folding bicycle brand

The factory is proposed for an area of wetlands and the loss of 2.4 hectares of a local wildlife site had been cited as a potential issue, likewise Brompton's ambition to make the factory 'car-free' was raised as a concern by councillors.

Despite managing director Will Butler-Adams's desire to see employees commute via sustainable transport, leader of the Labour Group, Brendan Chilton, said: "Thirty car parking spaces in a factory of this size is a joke."

Butler-Adams said the site, which he hopes will be Brompton's "real home" after five factory moves in 50 years, had "stood shoulders above the rest", including options in Manchester and Birmingham.

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The approval comes just two weeks after 2025 began with the sobering news that Brompton's profits had nosedived in 2024, falling by over 99 per cent from £10.6m in 2023 to just £4,602.

Lapierre has announced a recall of certain Lapierre Aircode DRS and Lapierre Xelius SL3 models, after research suggested "some Lapierre bikes have issues with their carbon fork".

As per the recall instructions on Lapierre's website, the recall concerns Lapierre Aircode DRS and Lapierre Xelius SL3 bikes equipped with an aluminum stemand an aluminum shim (part n°3). Lapierre Xelius SL3 bikes equipped with a Lapierre carbon cockpit are not part of the recall.

"Research has shown that some Lapierre bikes have issues with their carbon fork," the brand admitted. "If the fork is damaged, this could potentially lead to a crack. We ask all customers that own a bike concerned to stop using it immediately and contact an authorised Lapierre dealer. The dealer will check if your bike is part of the recall and if so, they will replace the fork as soon as possible. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this may cause."

Accell Group, the parent company of brands such as Raleigh, Lapierre, Ghost and Babboe will soon have a new CEO, a "transition" seeing the chief operating officer stepping into the shoes of Tjeerd Jegen who is moving to the group's supervisory board, Bike Europe reports.

"It feels a natural moment to transition the leadership of the company. In 2024, we reached important milestones on our path to recovery. With the finalisation of the recapitalisation nearing, Accell enters its next phase of development," the outgoing CEO commented.

That "recovery" is from losses of €390 million in 2023, a figure that was revealed in Raleigh's recent accounts, the British bike brand itself posting a loss of £30.1 million in 2023. However, despite the eye-catching figures, the line from Accell Group is that the company is "well on track" to recovery and managed to normalise stock levels during a "challenging" 2024.

"As we look ahead, we are well positioned to benefit from the favourable macro trends and continue building on this momentum in the new year," Jegen said.

"All brands now benefit from joint stock management, and the stock levels of finished bikes, which peaked at the end of 2023, have now been brought back to normalised pre-Covid levels. The majority of the stock now consists of models produced in the past year. The inventory of parts and accessories had been brought back to normalised levels earlier in the year. We see sales to customers in our key markets increasing again."

In June, Accell's credit rating was downgraded for the fourth time in a year, the blow coming at the same time that the group's cargo bike company Babboe was criticised for a "shambles" recall of faulty frames.

The group also made job cuts to streamline its European production, with two facilities merging and some production relocated to Hungary and Turkey. In October, the major Dutch cycling company did hint at its recovery, Accell reporting that parts and accessories inventory is already back to normal and bike inventory levels are expected to reach the same point by the end of 2024.

[📷: Rhondda Tunnel Society]

An application has been submitted by The Rhondda Tunnel Society to Rhondda Cynon Taf Council (RCT) proposing the excavation of land to expose the Blaencwm portal of the Rhondda Tunnel, the plans the "first steps" of an ambitious project to reopen the disused tunnel as Europe's longest walking and cycling tunnel, Nation.Cymru reports.

The planning statement explains how "spanning nearly two miles, the restored tunnel would become Europe's longest walking and cycling tunnel".

The tunnel is owned by the Department for Transport and managed by Highways England. It was opened in 1890 but closed permanently 80 years later.

"The aim of the Rhondda Tunnel Society is to create a unique visitor experience in the north of Rhondda Cynon Taf, which attracts people of all ages and abilities to the longest walking and cycling tunnel in Europe," the planning statement continued. "This is considered to contribute significantly to socio-economic growth both within RCT and across wider south Wales."

Fabian Cancellara hopes time trials make a return to prominence on Grand Tour parcours in the future, Spartacus saying it "hurts me a lot" seeing the "drift" away from TT-heavy routes. His comments to Bicisport come following the Giro d'Italia's route reveal on Monday, the opening Grand Tour of the season only to include two TT stages, a total of 42km over the three weeks.

"Seeing the drift of this speciality in the Grand Tours hurts me a lot," Cancellara, who won two Olympic golds and four world titles in the discipline, said. "But this is the trend of modern cycling. They say they are not 'spectacular' and now the top riders are the same on this terrain that no longer makes the difference. Too bad, I hope this can change in the future."

Now the team manager of the ambitious Tudor Pro Cycling Team, Cancellara is hoping his squad will get a wildcard invite to the opening Grand Tour of the season. The Swiss team's off-season saw some big-name recruitment, Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi joining an ever-improving roster that already included Michael Storer, Matteo Trentin and Alberto Dainese.

"When we set up this project, we told ourselves that within five years at most we would enter the WorldTour," Cancellara explained. "We are on the right path, every year we are adding a piece to our puzzle, and even in the eyes of the public and industry insiders we have become a reality in all respects. Now they consider us and often fear us.

"Everyone is looking at Julian and Marc, but I'll tell you more: the best purchases for the season are not them. You can't imagine how important it is to build a strong team around these champions. I'm talking about mechanics, masseurs, trainers, cooks. We are now a structure that has more than 100 people. Then it's clear that with two riders like that, expectations rise.

"With a two-time world champion and a guy like Hirschi who is among the best in the world in the UCI Ranking, we obviously have to play a leading role. The Ardennes classics can be our main goal, but also the stages of the Grand Tours and the short stage races where we will be invited."