Children dodge cars parked where Kensington cycle lane used to be... but apparently it's their fault; AG2R Citroën unveil new BMC/Campag 2021 bikes; Does mileage matter?; Crown Prince vs ostrich; Unexpected item in the bike lane + more on the live blog

...and so far, it would appear the internet thinks the team's new bikes are dressed quite a bit better than the riders themselves, after the new large-worded jersey proved pretty divisive when it was unveiled before Christmas. 

Of the new partnership between Campagnolo and BMC - one we haven't seen before in the pro peloton - Campagnolo commented: "BMC is a brand that shares a great deal with Campagnolo - a pursuit of innovation, a desire to produce distinctive and premium products, but most importantly, a passion and commitment to cycle racing."

AG2R Citroën's MD Vincent Lavenu said: "We are very happy to have Campagnolo with us for 2021. Campagnolo is renowned in the cycling  world for its performance products, its racing heritage and love for the sport. Combining such an excellent brand with our new bike partner BMC gives me great confidence as we head into a new chapter for the AG2R Citroën team." 

You can see the new team bike in all its glory in this fancy unveiling video below... 

FYI i rode 10,000km in 2020.

— Alex (@alexdoesporn) January 4, 2021

Our opinion piece on mileage goals has caused a fair bit of debate this afternoon. Do you care about how far you, or someone else, rides in a year? Or is it simply how much you enjoy your cycling that matters? 

'hawkinspeter' commented: "Excellent piece! The thing with modern cycling (or at least for me) is that we've got loads of different metrics we can obsess over and they're all useful in different ways, but it's so easy to let performance anxiety to get in the way of just getting on your bike and enjoying a simple ride."

'dassie' commented: "If people want to set distance/frequency targets, and then let others know how they did - it really doesn't bother me at all.  Each to their own, sometimes it can inspire others to ride more - wherever they choose. Similarly, I acknowledge most cyclists I see out on the roads, but don't expect any reciprocation. Just do what you've gotta do, be considerate, and ride."

I heartily endorse this message from @VecchioJo re this whole ‘Ride A Bajillion Miles At X time of year / for Y reason’ schtick. He’s right. No-one cares. But good on you if it’s what you need. https://t.co/TqmOTPAtBP

— Mike Stead (@tweetymike) January 4, 2021

HE IS BACK

(video by @DoCiclismo)pic.twitter.com/34abkr5ItK https://t.co/GIGf3f7dgp

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) January 4, 2021

Fabio Aru has a cult following on Twitter, mainly for his extraordinary portfolio of facial expressions that can only be explained by the pain of being a professional bike rider. The Italian completed his first race for his new team, Qhubeka Assos, this weekend in Italy and looks as miserable as you'd expect someone carrying their bike through freezing mud to be...Here's some more Fabio for your amusement...

pic.twitter.com/ewNLYNMzsj

— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) December 3, 2020

@ManCityCouncil Well done for the filters this morning in #Levenshulme can you make sure signs to tell drivers that the roads are dead ends are installed swiftly so drivers know what to do
5 minutes on Manor Road saw 3 vehicles mounting pavement @basat_m @Dzidra78 @bernardstone pic.twitter.com/EX3jUWRDJq

— Andy (@Lets_getcycling) January 4, 2021

These behind the scenes documentaries following cycling teams at big races are becoming more common. Deceuninck-Quickstep, EF Pro Cycling and Team Sunweb released their own videos covering the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España last year. Now, it's the turn of Jumbo-Visma and Astana.

Dutch broadcaster, NOS, follow Jumbo-Visma at the Tour de France and capture the shock and disbelief following the stage 20 time trial as Tadej Pogačar snatches victory from Primož Roglič. The hour-long film also covers Wout van Aert's two stage wins, Roglič claiming the race lead on stage nine and offers an interesting insight into life in the peloton as one of the world's best teams at the biggest race of the year. The link for the Jumbo-Visma documentary is here. Astana's shorter video can be watched at the top of this post.

Congratulations to @tfl's Santander Cycles team for a record breaking year.🚲🚲 There were 10,434,167 hires in 2020.🚲🚲 Many thanks to everyone who hired one. pic.twitter.com/hOw7xk4axj

— Will Norman (@willnorman) January 4, 2021

In what was a stinker of a year for many of us, a sharp increase in all types of bike riding was one silver lining - you can check out our more in-depth review of 2020 in cycling here. 

The start of a new year means Annemiek van Vleuten and Marriane Vos have been able to sport their new team kits for the first time. Van Vleuten shared the photo above of her first training ride wearing the Movistar blue with her new Canyon. While Vos showed off the Jumbo-Visma Women kit at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup race in Hulst, finishing 11th. 2021 is the first year of Jumbo-Visma's women's team with Vos their star signing for the debut campaign. 

🇳🇱 #Hulst

Only the first of many 😃 pic.twitter.com/xXIvFHXGKT

— Team Jumbo-Visma Women (@JumboVismaWomen) January 3, 2021

2021 is looking 🚀 #northwaveshoes pic.twitter.com/Cqzza9woac

— Alex Howes (@alex_howes) January 3, 2021

Should have took them to the park .. much safer https://t.co/htjiEZvi27

— Mr Vanderlay (@vanderlay) January 3, 2021

Great spot by 'Sriracha' in the comments this morning. One of the other replies to Jeremy Vine's tweet offers a neat answer to all those saying they should be cycling in a park and not on the road...

Small children cycling in Kensington this morning — now in greater danger since the protected cycle lane was ripped out. The space is now blocked by parked cars. pic.twitter.com/uHQU2i49ts

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) January 3, 2021

The message Jeremy Vine wanted people to take from this video was probably that cycling for vulnerable road users has been made more dangerous since the Kensington High Street cycle lane was ripped out. Kids have to ride past parked cars, avoiding any doors that may suddenly open, and worry about traffic overtaking from behind...

However, that's not how everyone saw it...The replies to Vine's tweet are full of people accusing the children of poor riding. Seriously...

John Marshall said: "Also in danger because they failed to look, signal, look manoeuvre. The one at the back did glance a couple of times, but no indication. The adults who taught them need to give them another lesson. I'm actually on the side of cyclists being safe. I'm not trying to abdicate drivers responsibility, but we still have drunk and drug drivers. For the sake of a tiny bit of inconvenience, why not take precautions?"

Parked cars! It’s a road. Why not go to the safety of a park with children?

— bestm8te (@bestm8te) January 3, 2021

Irresponsible parent putting children’s lives at risk. Cars must have priority on our roads and if there isn’t a safe space for — young — cyclists they shouldn’t be on the road!

— Steve Nilsen (@stevenilsen3) January 3, 2021

They should be arrested
Get to a park or walk

— Teddy Bass (@teddyboybass) January 3, 2021