Bonkers Buckaroo bikepacking set-up; Yves Lampaert spotted riding mountain bike with panniers home from national TT win; Jeremy Vine's 'Clown of the Day'; Could the Tour de France be returning to London?; Count the commuters + more on the live blog

Some slightly surprising transfer news to wrap up Thursday. Rohan Dennis is heading to Jumbo-Visma, according to Dutch outlet Wielerflits. The two-time world time trial champion has impressed since signing for Ineos, adapting to his new role as a super domestique following a controversial ending to his time with the team now known as Bahrain Victorious.

Media reports suggest that despite having the option to sign a new deal with Ineos or link up with his former sports director from BMC, Allan Peiper, at UAE Team Emirates, Dennis has decided to sign for GC rivals Jumbo-Visma. The Dutch team reportedly sees the Aussie as the heir to Tony Martin's vital role within their Grand Tour unit. It will be interesting to see if Dennis makes an appearance when Ineos reveal their Tour team in the coming week...

The inaugural edition of the women's Tour de France will start on Sunday 24 July 2022 with Zwift on-board as a presenting partner. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will begin in Paris on the Champs-Élysées and is the biggest step in creating an equal competition for female riders running alongside the biggest event in the men's calendar. Zwift founder Eric Min explained why he was so keen to be involved: "This is an incredibly important announcement for us as we look to build on our investment in women’s cycling and really help grow and develop the sport. Together we can bring women’s cycling to a larger audience and inspire new generations of female cyclists for years to come."

Zwift has signed a deal to be involved for four years with the event which will see female riders compete for the yellow jersey over eight stages with full TV coverage.

 

 

 

 

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Yves Lampaert needs to give Rob some advice on panniers. In true Belgian style the Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider returned home from his second national TT championship win on a humble steed without any of his flash team kit. The video shared on Instagram shows the 30-year-old being cheered on by the people in the car behind as he basks in the glory of his win.

Lampaert isn't quite at the 50.3km/h average speed that won him his title but he finds the time to give a victory salute. On a similar note, last week Team GB track star Laura Kenny hitched a lift to the velodrome on a cargo pulled by fellow serial gold medal winner and husband Jason Kenny.

Good news for all those seeking to make our streets safe for walking and cycling @TfL https://t.co/36mW4D9eR2

— Ruth Cadbury MP 💙 (@RuthCadbury) June 17, 2021

Yesterday's Court of Appeal decision against a ruling from the High Court that Streetspace active travel initiatives were unlawful was greeted warmly by active travel proponents...

Jeremy Vine called it a "massive moment for cycling in London". Saying, "if confirmed, the Bishopsgate judgement means more protection for vulnerable road users and less chance of 'professional' drivers pretending they need access to all roads for all customers."

This is such good news. Massive thanks too all those @TfL and our legal team who ensured that common sense prevailed. https://t.co/nwlgH1Y9hu

— Heidi Alexander (@Heidi_LDN) June 17, 2021

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said the decision "is a vindication of our policies". He continued: "Our world-leading Streetspace schemes are helping protect the health of Londoners, and this decision reinforces my determination to make it safer and easier for Londoners to walk and cycle, and to help ensure a green and sustainable recovery from the pandemic."

Even the Pope isn't into disc brakes. https://t.co/6Yjg5POTvD

— Xylon van Eyck (@XylonVE) June 16, 2021

If you missed yesterday's big story about Egan Bernal visiting the Pope with a brand new Pinarello Dogma and maglia rosa, check it out here. 

Most of us are enjoying the Euros by setting up camp on the sofa and enjoying a few cold ones...Gordon Miller will be putting in some big miles on the bike for an excellent cause. Riding between every Premier League ground between 27 June and 11 July, Gordon is hoping to shine a light on modern slavery, specifically child trafficking in sport.

Starting at Wembley, Gordon will be visiting all 20 top-flight stadiums in time for the final of the Euros and must be ruing Norwich's promotion. A mammoth ride but it's not his first epic cycle challenge...last year he set the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing by bicycle by riding 620.5 miles (998.7km) around England to spell out the message 'end modern slavery'. 

You can find all the details on the Ride for Freedom website...

Sadiq Khan hopes to bring the Tour de France back to London for the first time since stage three of the 2014 edition (pictured above). During his re-election campaign the Mayor of London pledged to push for the Olympics back in the capital in 2036 or 2040 and the Evening Standard reports Khan is eager to host Tour de France stages too.

Khan admitted that bridges may have to be rebuilt after Boris Johnson's decision to pull out of hosting the 2017 Grand Depart, saying it's "not worth it". Johnson insisted the money would be better spent on cycling infrastructure and should not be "wasted" on something that "would only deliver very brief benefits". 

Some even suggested that the 2017 route was designed to troll the now PM over Brexit by passing through four of the six countries that signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957, founding the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the European Union (EU). Niche.