Just in time for #35? Mark Cavendish wins first sprint in three months at Tour de Hongrie; Police ask cyclists to “remove wheels and saddle if they can’t keep their bike inside” after bike theft; Reaction to Zwift subscription hike + more on the live blog

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said tougher legislation to prosecute cyclists who kill or injure pedestrians is "under review" and will be considered "with an open mind". Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the former leader of the Conservative Party, has this week tabled a series of amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill that would see cyclists, as well as riders of electric scooters and "personal transporters", subject to stricter laws if they ride dangerously and kill or injure.

> Transport Secretary says tougher laws for dangerous cyclists "under review" and will be considered "with an open mind"

⏱️ 5 second penalty for Esteban Ocon. #GirodItalia pic.twitter.com/qebRAbzr6T

— Giro d'Italia (@giroditalia) May 9, 2024

Yep I didn’t imagine I would be writing this statement today but here we are. But if you think about it, combining the two sports seems like a natural progression for the team sponsored by the massive petrochemical giant, that not only is the owner of the loaded cycling squad but also a yachting team (we don’t talk about Manchester United — Ryan would agree).

In fact, the role of a cyclor — combing the terms cyclist and sailor, isn’t new to the sport. Pedalling has been employed as a mode to generate the power to propel the massive, powerful yachts for some time now. But under the new rules of the America’s Cup, the oldest running sports competition in the world, going on since 1851, teams can use any body part to power the boat. Yes, including the legs.

> Sir Ben Ainslie says it would be “crazy” for Ineos yachting and cycling teams not to learn from each other

Under the new rules, “grinders” can pedal with their legs to power to power the hydraulics that control the movement of sails and foils, and manoeuvre the modern American Magic AC75-class yachts — the boat used by practically every team in the 2024 edition of the competition.

So, does this give the Ineos side, called Ineos Britannia an edge? Well, it is already led by the most successful Olympic sailor of all time, Sir Ben Ainslie, who is team principal, CEO and skipper, and it takes place between 22nd August and 27th October in Barcelona. A late summer holiday for G, perhaps?

Chuckles aside, the team will turn to Prologo, the Italian brand for its high-performance saddles featuring the patented CPC (Connect Power Control) technology, the system with three-dimensional conical nano-structures that greatly increase grip and vibration absorption, and the new Onetouch 3D handlebar tape, already used on the Paris-Roubaix cobblestones by several World Tour teams.

Ineos said that Prologo’s innovative 3D product technologies will enable its four cyclors to maintain maximum saddle and handlebar grip during all phases of regattas, even with modern yachts flying over the sea at over 50 knots — that’s over 90km/hr.

The crew will also count on Prologo’s support during road training, where the saddles will be used on the team’s Pinarello bikes, and in indoor training sessions in the gym.

A rather interesting proposition to solve bike thefts from a police force takes the top spot on the live blog today.

With the sun and the bank holiday weekend coinciding and joining forces to bring perhaps the first glimpse of the much-awaited spring to the British Isles, bike thieves found a hunting ground at the Ashurst Campsite in New Forest National Park, stealing several bikes off the back of a camper van after cutting through a bike lock.

And sharing photos of the cut lock, local officers from the New Forest Heart Police suggested that locking bikes is simply not good enough, and suggested that cyclists take away any removable spare parts if they leave their bikes outside.

The police force wrote: “The first photograph shows you the lock that was used to secure one of the bikes stolen from the Ashurst campsite over the weekend. As you can see it was very easy for the thieves to cut through it, even though the bike was attached to the back of a camper van and the owners were inside (like those in the photo).”

“That’s why it’s always best if you can’t keep your bikes inside to remove a wheel, the saddle or both. Just locking them sadly isn’t good enough.”

> Three quarters of Brits don’t expect police to bother investigating bike thefts

This isn’t the first time the force has suggested such measures to cyclists. Last year, when bikes were stolen from the same campsite, the force wrote on social media that cyclists should keep their bikes inside, and if they couldn’t, then they should “take the wheels off, or saddle, or both”.

In fact, New Hampshire Police, which oversees the New Forest Heart Police, has a dedicated website with guidelines for cyclists on how to keep their bikes safe. Some suggestions include using two quality locks (one of them being a D-lock), locking both the wheels and the frame to the stand, using different types of locks… and “take removable parts with you”.

“Take parts that are easy to remove with you, such as wheels, lights, baskets or the saddle. Or use locking skewers or nuts which can increase security by securing the bike's components to the frame permanently,” is the force’s advice to cyclists.

Only if there was a way to crack down on bike thefts, I wonder…

> Cycling UK hails "clever" policing after bait bicycle used to track down £130,000 bike theft gang in one shift

Meanwhile, David Harrison, councillor at Hampshire County Council said: “Police are advising that it isn’t enough to secure your bike these days with a cable and lock. It seems it is now necessary to remove a wheel or a saddle and preferably both!

“I have always believed that the risk of having your bike stolen is a major factor when it comes to persuading people to travel by bike and leave the car at home. Lots of people tell me that they wouldn't risk leaving their bike in Totton town centre and certainly not at places like the train station which has one of the worst records in the country when it comes to bike theft.

“We have more CCTV in this country per head of population than any other, but that doesn't seem to be much of a deterrent, given that the thieves often use hoodies and masks.

“The only other answer seems to be lockable cages. However, this involves public expense at a time when councils are struggling to meet the most basic of needs, such as road repairs.

“I am not sure I know what the answer is. I do think that we won't see a major shift towards cycling if we can't solve the problem of bike theft though.”

> Find out how to keep your bike safe at home with our 9 essential steps

Let us know in the comments (or by email) if you’ve had any interactions with the Hampshire Constabulary, and if you’re likely to remove your wheels and saddle the next time you go for a quick nature’s call or to grab a cup of coffee and piece of cake…

In case you missed it, Zwift announced yesterday that its monthly subscription fee is rising from £12.99 to £17.99, with the company claiming that the price hike was “necessary” for the platform’s development.

Very quickly, cyclists were on the case and the  the popular virtual online training app company was accused of “taking its subscribers for granted”. Since our coverage, more reaction has trickled in, and here’s your roundup; first up, comments on our article...

Disgusted of Tu…: “I think they're seriously delusional and aiming for the peloton brigade who will pay £££ for the “online experience”. I stopped paying in 2018 and only use it for running - guess that's still free?

“Prefer to watch Netflix and keep an eye on my Watts per 3 seconds - when the weather is so bad or I'm sick of washing my bike!”

squired: “I switched to MyWhoosh sometime ago and I can't ever see myself switching back. They are still saying it will always be free and the constant improvements they keep rolling out are excellent. I don't care though about racing or training plans or community. I just want something I can jump on for an hour or two with some nice routes. With the impending World Championships on the platform I wouldn't be shocked to see another big update in the next few weeks.”

Fursty Ferret: “How many people left? Given that the Zwift website went down under the demand yesterday, I'd guess "a lot". Odd time to do it, really - far better business sense to have done it in October knowing you've got a captive audience as the weather turns. All it's actually served to do is remind me that my subscription was still active and so I've cancelled it for the summer.”

dialeleven: “There is a Zwift-like alternative that I've been using over the winter which I'm pretty happy with aside from stability issues (crashes) which the devs have improved upon recently with a "Go" version for Windows. It's the one advertised on the back of Tadej Pogacar's shorts (something Whoosh). It doesn't have the large community of Zwift, but they do have Sunday races and some other events if that's your thing (not into events personally - just want to get in a good structured workout for about a hour usually).”

More from Facebook comments:

Darren Nicholl: Been on it since day 1, beta tester and all that, however it's now transitioned into too much of a game than an exercise platform. They have 'shot themselves in the foot' though because I bet a lot of people would have paid the £12.99 to use the odd time in the Summer, but now I've cancelled mine and will restart in Autumn.”

Paul Manton: “Zwift hasn’t improved much but they have thousands more subscribers since 2017, i can't justify monthly subscription when i don't use it for a few months so i have cancelled and moved to Mywhoosh. Mywhoosh isn't great for races but its good enough for training.”

> “I’ll see you in the winter”: Zwift accused of “taking subscribers for granted” as monthly subscription rises from £12.99 to £17.99 – but company says price hike “necessary” for platform’s development

And finally, one of these messages that dropped into our Facebook inbox:

“With Zwift increasing their subscription, I've now cancelled mine. Since commuting more, I haven't felt the need to use it & once Spring comes I ride all the time outside. Bye bye Zwift.”

An elite cyclist who has won Asian Cycling Championships gold and competed in the individual time trial against Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna at last year's UCI Cycling World Championships now faces being ordered to move to the Bibby Stockholm barge by the Home Office.

> Asylum-seeking elite cyclist told to move to Bibby Stockholm barge — as Home Office says he cannot take his bike onboard