Nigel Farage complains about "insane" cycle lanes...but is all as it seems?; Cyclist praised for helping pensioner; Danny MacA-skills; No Brits for Ineos at Giro; Plastic bike lane; Bike theft plea; Simon Yates eyes Giro redemption + more on the live blog

Good morning to everyone except this guy. pic.twitter.com/lEc0SPCcS5

— Ya-Ting Liu (@yating_liu) May 3, 2021

Siri, show me entitlement. 

This is the front of University College Hospital - there are advertised road closures here owing to roadworks. There was a temporary "popup" cycle lane on the Euston Road following the reduction in traffic last year, but I think that has now gone. This is misleading at best. https://t.co/Z3ZEaJm4L2

— David Hardstaff (@DavidHardstaff) May 3, 2021

Nigel Farage looked at the gridlocked cars in the video above and decided it was right to blame the congestion on cycle lanes. However, as some in the replies and a few comments under this live blog pointed out, it is not clear if the space has been closed off for roadworks.

 Global Nomad commented: "Looks like the Euston Road with University College London on the left - Euston station over behind on the right....The Euston Road has a temporary segregated cycle lane which for much of the way takes up the previous bus lane - there is still a bus lane now and the two other lanes have become a single lane in some stretches. In the video clip you can still see the bus lane that the ambulance is trying to get into but the cars have not moved forward enough to allow it..."

Selective camerawork. Why are the barriers across the bike lane ( is it closed) and the duel carriage way inside lane. Are there roadworks behind the cameraman. Why does he not pan around 180 degrees. This is pathetic anti cycling propaganda. Must try harder.

— southeast8 (@8_southeast) May 3, 2021

Anyone else got any local knowledge or pictures?

Also worth noting that as recently as last week a cyclist was taken to hospital with injuries after a collision with a van driver on the Euston Road. Camden New Journal reported at the time that the cyclist was seen sat on the floor being treated for a head injury before being taken to hospital by paramedics.

This cyclist was the only person to stop when he spotted an elderly man who'd been thrown from his mobility scooter - we need more people like him 👏❤️ pic.twitter.com/lA8UY6OmMP

— LADbible (@ladbible) May 2, 2021

This cyclist stopped to help an elderly man who had fallen out of his mobility scooter. The video was originally shared by LADbible and attracted plenty of attention on Twitter where the cyclist has been praised...

Well done ❣️So proud of you ❣️ That's is a fantastic truth reaction from a cyclist 🚴 👍🙏👌🤙

— Steve J. (@triptube) May 3, 2021

Well done to the cyclist 🚴‍♀️,
Hope the gentleman was ok 👍

— T D (@501TD) May 2, 2021

Well done to him. Less well done to the commenters who suggested the video was clearly a set up as there was someone filming...thankfully a few people have got in early to explain the concept of cameras mounted to handlebars. 

Pretty easy to mount a camera on a bike - this one payed off during that time trial, as a driver involved in a hit and run with another competitor passed me, and they were caught up with by the police before the end of the day. pic.twitter.com/RDOAPRnXrW

— Nathaniel Cleland (@bellezzasolocle) May 3, 2021

The video also raised the interesting question of why was the cyclist the only person to stop? We have seen some people saying cyclists are generally more in tune with their surroundings? Thoughts? 

Pedestrians don't matter, human life doesn't count, they are in the way, he's in a hurry! pic.twitter.com/4vh919CcMI

— Cyclegranny 🚴‍♀️ (@anneramsey740) May 3, 2021

Here is a quick one for all the Nigel Farage comments accusing cyclists of breaking the rules of the roads.  

Coventry's Bicycle Mayor, Adam Tranter, put five key pledges to the West Midlands mayoral candidates to gauge their commitment to supporting active travel policies. Andy Street (Conservative), Liam Byrne MP (Labour) and Jenny Wilkinson (Liberal Democrats) backed all of the pledges.  

The five key asks they agreed to were: 

1. Pledge to meet the government’s targets to double levels of cycling by 2025 and for 50% of all journeys in West Midlands towns and cities to be walked or cycled by 2030.

2. Only commit funding to projects that provide high-quality active travel provision in line with LTN1/20 guidance. This provision should be assessed by an independent peer review board.

3. Sign up to the Vision Zero ambition to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries from the streets of the West Midlands.

4. Support the local implementation of active neighbourhoods, enabling safe and more active communities. Launch a publicly-stated target and plan to reduce car dependency in the West Midlands.

5. Appoint an Active Travel Commissioner to lead the West Midlands cycling and walking revolution; providing them with the political support and funding to achieve real change.

Green Party candidate Steve Caudwell said he "supported these aims" and already featured many of the pledges in his manifesto but did not want to formally sign up because of his concern "of the growth of pledge politics". Reform UK candidate Pete Durnell said his party supports active travel but he did not want to sign up to pledges as a matter of policy.

Adam Tranter explained the need for active travel being treated as a priority by whoever is elected. "Enabling a shift to walking and cycling for short journeys is no longer a ‘nice to have’," he explained.

"It’s essential to clean up the region’s toxic air, tackle climate change and to build a more equitable and healthy transport system. We need to reduce our car dependency and the time for change is now; the next elected Mayor of the West Midlands needs to not only have a bold vision but a desire to act immediately to realise the region’s active travel potential."

Dutch infrastructure company PlasticRoad has created a climate-adaptive bike path made from one tonne of plastic waste. The path in Mexico City is the group's first pilot project for its road system that allows storage of rain and runoff water to help alleviate the risk of flooding. WorldHighways reports the design means the cycle path offers temporary water storage and drainage which is monitored by sensors and gradually releases rainwater back to the ground.

"Our third pilot in Mexico is an opportunity to test our product under a different set of climate conditions, which will provide us with significant data in order to explore international markets outside our country of origin—the Netherlands—in the future," said  Eric Kievit, managing director at PlasticRoad.

Dodging your Monday jobs like....

🎥 @RobbieMfilms #mountainbike #hippyhop #✌️ pic.twitter.com/CIB817qOXJ

— Danny MacAskill (@danny_macaskill) May 3, 2021

It is always a good day when Danny MacAskill drops a clip showing off his skills. Best leave this one to the professional, unless you want a face full of dirt. On the plus side, you might get £250 from You've Been Framed...

At the end of January, the Scot released his latest nerve-shredding film, as he took on the Dubh Slabs – a 500m drop down an exposed slab rock face usually only fit for mountaineers and climbers. MacAskill said it was his "wildest" adventure yet, so you know it is going to be epic.