Hill-climbing king Andrew Feather amazes the world again... by riding a bike with bar tape; "It's totally possible to enable driving, active and public transport together": Tales from the Netherlands + more on the live blog

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[Alex Broadway/SWpix.com]

Jumbo-Visma's Michel Hessmann, the German who finished third at Tour de l'Avenir last year and helped Primož Roglič win this year's Giro d'Italia, is now facing a four-year ban after his B-sample also tested positive for a diuretic.

The exact substance has not yet been disclosed by the team or authorities, Badische Zeitung reports, however he was provisionally suspended by the team which won three Grand Tours with three different riders in 2023 after an out-of-competition test came back positive.

As is the procedure in such circumstances, a B-sample is then tested, Hessmann's coming back positive also. 

[Zac Williams/SWpix.com]

Now, the rider faces a four-year ban by WADA, potentially reduced to two if proved the positive was due to contaminated food or supplementation.

Having won the final Grand Tour of the year with Sepp Kuss, Jumbo-Visma's team boss Richard Plugge admitting the positive was a "black day" for the team which has continued to dominate the three-week racing discipline of men's professional cycling in 2023.

"Wednesday, August 16, 2023 was a black day for our team. For the first time in ten years, we received the message that a rider from our team, Michel Hessmann, had a positive doping test. We had to look in the mirror ourselves, are we doing everything right?" Plugge said at the time.

"Everyone involved in and with our organisation must be aware of everything. Germany has a doping law, so the public prosecutor's office is automatically involved. Criminal law has the presumption of innocence, while disciplinary law reasons the other way around. It is up to the athlete to prove that he has done nothing wrong.

"It is mandatory within our team to only use supplements and medicines that have been batch checked for doping substances, to minimise the risk of contamination. Many products contain remnants of other products."

We love to have a moan about what it's like to take your bike on a train here in the UK, then again it's worth moaning about when it's for the most part as bad as it is...

Well, perhaps a glint of hope here. ScotRail, whose specially adapted carriages with extra bike space is one of the better offerings on our island otherwise full of upright bike storage and restrictions. 

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Now, ScotRail has added the ability to book bike spaces to its app, the Helenburgh Advertiser reports, "making it easier for customers to navigate and secure their cycle reservations with just a few taps".

"ScotRail is committed to promoting active and sustainable travel options, whilst delivering the best possible service we can for customers," ScotRail’s safety, engineering, and sustainability director, David Lister, said. "The introduction of cycle reservations through our app will benefit the whole cycling community."

Good news... and without the use of a shoehorned cycling-related slogan or metaphor. ScotRail continued: "With this new feature, we're pedalling in the right direction toward a greener, more cyclist-friendly Scotland..." 

Ah, almost...

New research by the University of Bath, reported by the BBC, into London's 2008 low emission zone for lorries and 2019 ultra low emission zone has found that the schemes significantly improved air quality.

The analysis showed that the LEZ's introduction helped reduce particulate matter in Greater London by 13 per cent between 2008 and 2013, compared with between 2003 and 2007.

Nitrogen dioxide levels have fallen by 18.4 per cent in 2019 following the introduction of ULEZ in central London, compared with between 2016 and 2018.

The researchers said the clean air zones had helped save £963 million in Greater London, with 12 respiratory hospital admissions and 2.88 acute respiratory hospital admissions per 10,000 people avoided.

"With this analysis, our goal was to offer an objective overview of the impact of low emission zones in the capital and beyond," Dr Habtamu Beshir said. "Our study compares London to cities like Manchester, demonstrating the effectiveness of LEZ and ULEZ in improving air quality, enhancing health and alleviating the economic burden of ill health."

Professor Eleonora Fichera added: "Our analysis confirms the effectiveness of low emission zones in improving air quality and health — crucial for residents in large cities. It shouldn't be a choice between health and affording schemes like ULEZ. We must explore innovative policy solutions to make these schemes viable and effective."

As Rihanna famously sings, "Shine bright like a Magicshine Ray 2600 Smart Remote Bike Light"... or something like that...

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