Confusion as driver blames 20mph zone for preventing her overtaking cyclists... despite them riding at the speed limit; Huge Drum & Bass On The Bike crowd; Thibaut Pinot retirement party; Anyone for cycling limbo?; Weekend round-up + more on the live blog

Here's a brainteaser for your Monday: if a road user is travelling at exactly 20mph in a 20mph zone, and there are other road users in front also travelling at 20mph, why would there be any need for the road user behind to overtake the other road user in front? 

That's the question the internet is trying to answer after one person's TikTok about a newly introduced 20mph speed limit in Wales caused some befuddlement...

Driver can’t deal with the fact that these cyclists are going as fast as the speed limit #MGIF pic.twitter.com/od4rYHGsoZ

— PedalPerspective (@Pedalperspectiv) October 8, 2023

The "reality" of the speed limits, the social media sharer claimed, is that when "going at 20mph" she has been behind "these cyclists for about four miles" without being "able to overtake them" because... "they're actually cycling faster than me going at 20mph".

"I'm going 20mph and I cannot overtake these bikes".

Sounds like, dare I say it, the rules of the road working perfectly as intended? Scary stuff...

Some questioned the point of the video, one reply asked then "why would she need to overtake the cyclists?" Another keen to know "if there were no bikes there what speed would she be doing?"

I'm confused. If she's doing the speed limit, and the cyclists are also travelling at the same speed, then why would she need or want to overtake them?

— Pharmacist on a Pushbike (@PPushbike) October 9, 2023

Complain when you get held up by people on bikes, and complain when you’re not held up by people on bikes. Can’t win.

— Robert Blunt (@RobbertBlunt) October 9, 2023

I'm not clear, is she complaining that she's *not* being held up by cyclists?

— MW (@MggW) October 8, 2023

It's not the first eyebrow-raising reaction to Wales' introduction of default 20mph speed limits we've seen... there was that bloke on Twitter who reckoned the recent media coverage of Russell Brand was all a plot to distract from the introduction of lower limits. Then there was the person who claimed driving instructors were being forced to lengthen their lessons because they simply couldn't cover the necessary distance in an hour. The internet's a fun place, isn't it?

Anyway, here's our report into the initial analysis of Wales' 20mph speed limit implementation from transport and public health data analysts Agilysis...

> "Far more pleasant for walkers and cyclists": 20mph speed limit analysis hailed "astonishing", with drivers' journeys just 45 seconds longer

The Tour of Turkey isn't the first race that comes to mind when we think of monster climbs. But maybe it should, given tomorrow's stage features possibly the most fear-inducing ascent we've seen for quite some time...

And the race organisers reckon it's three kilometres longer than that, all at an average gradient of 10.3 per cent, with nine of those kilometres above 12 per cent. Add in what looks like a 'challenging' surface, with potentially even a cobbled sector, and tomorrow's looking like a particularly grim day to be a sprinter.

> Unreleased Merida Silex raced to victory at Gravel World Champs by Matej Mohorič

> Speeding driver who screamed at cyclist after hitting and leaving him with life-changing injuries spared jail

So, what happened in the cycling world while you were busy riding your bike this weekend and not sat at work procrastinating the Monday morning away?

The managing director of Brompton Bike Hire became the latest voice within the cycling industry to criticise Rishi Sunak's recently announced batch of "proudly pro-car" policies, describing the prime minister's attempt to halt the so-called 'war on motorists' as "wedge politics" and an "artificial construct" which will "hopefully blow over given time".

Elsewhere, in the racing world, Tadej Pogačar completed his Il Lombardia hat-trick on Saturday, while Kasia Niewiadoma won the UCI Gravel World Championships...

> Tadej Pogačar wins Il Lombardia for the third time in a row with solo attack

Then, yesterday, Matej Mohorič added a men's UCI Gravel World Championship victory to his impressive palmares ahead of a stacked field that included Wout van Aert and a not-so-retired Alejandro Valverde. Our favourite story to come out of that, however, was Nathan Haas being forced to ride the event on a museum Colnago after his bike was lost in transit.

> How to keep your bike running smoothly — spend less on servicing by doing these simple maintenance tasks regularly

And our video team have been busy looking into the pros and cons of aero vs lightweight with the help of Ribble.

> Aero vs lightweight road bikes with Ribble: How much faster could an aero bike make you?

> REVIEW: Techalogic DC-2 Pro Dual Lens Helmet Camera

> Farewell to the Surly Cross-Check, one of the first 'gravel' bikes that is now officially discontinued

> Simon MacMichael: Joining Dom Whiting for a Drum & Bass On The Bike ride – a glorious afternoon in every sense 

The challenge for Dom Whiting was working out how to best last year?

Sheffield... Can we beat last year’s Drum & Bass On The Bike turn out?! pic.twitter.com/eA5quaON0u

— Domonic (@domwhiting) October 5, 2023

From the footage we've seen doing the rounds on social media since yesterday, that would be a yes...

Fab day for the #sheffieldmasscycle with #drumandbass blaring out of speakers powered by @domwhiting in #sheffield. The sun was shining, the music was banging and there were a hell of of lot of people #cycling and having fun. More #activetravel please pic.twitter.com/dG5sJep5cq

— Lorraine (@lozclarke4) October 8, 2023

#SheffieldMassCycle - phenomenal experience !!! So many bikes in #Sheffield - wonder why I don’t see these numbers on my morning commute ? @olivercoppard @Ed_Clancy pic.twitter.com/6MdMmrLoGV

— GPNGreggs 💙 🇺🇦 🇾🇪 🇵🇸 (@AnnGreggsRN) October 8, 2023

@CycleSheffield @sccactivetravel @HelpSheffield Tudor Square pic.twitter.com/tXKJ2mAuBs

— Red Vanilla - A Learning & Development Business (@JonRedVanilla) October 8, 2023

Not bad for a series that started with Dom's one-man rides live streamed online, now attended by hundreds, perhaps thousands of people enjoying riding bikes through their city in a safe, party atmosphere. While we're going to keep this a positive post it might be amusing to point out how the plan to return to Sheffield caught the attention of one Facebook group dedicated to opposing active travel plans in part of the city.

"The velociraptor cycle gangs are planning terrorist action to bring Sheffield to a standstill this weekend. We must stand up to this vile behaviour, we cannot allow the terrorists to win."

"The velociraptor cycle gangs are planning a terrorist action to bring Sheffield to a standstill this weekend".

Things seen on Facebook.

Sheffield's at a standstill every day, and I'm not sure if it's dinosaurs or terrorists that are the culprit. pic.twitter.com/I63tx2ju2d

— Tweets from the hills (@twunderclap) October 5, 2023

Sorry, pal. Think everyone's too busy enjoying a bike ride to join the resistance...

The after party @domwhiting
Drum and bass ride Sheffield.@CycleSheffield @russ_cycle_shed @JohnyCam @matlockjohn1971 @matt_corbishley pic.twitter.com/wkJOWEKCMR

— Bells and Bikes (@bellsandbikes) October 8, 2023