“Poor thing has already lost a hand”: Selfridges joins the “don’t ride it like that” Christmas list of dodgy bike displays; Halfords slammed (again) for “victim-blaming” hi-vis “naughty list”; Pro cyclists do gymnastics (kind of) + more on the live blog

I sense a pattern developing throughout the nation’s Christmas bicycle displays, and it’s one that could possibly lead to quite the number of cuts and bruises come the big day.

Last week, you may recall, Halfords – the UK’s ‘largest bike shop’, remember – treated us all to some festive merriment with this dubiously arranged mountain bike, tactfully described by one observer as “all the right parts, just not necessarily in the right places”:

And today, we’re climbing a few rungs on the social ladder (watch you don’t get a nosebleed) and heading to Selfridges, where cyclist Ben spotted this back-to-front masterpiece which he believes is a surefire contender for our upcoming “don’t ride it like that” end-of-year awards…

Oh Selfridges… 😂

Definitely another one for the “don’t ride it like that” books.@roadcc @Francis_Cade @jimmidnicholls @gcntweet pic.twitter.com/ePodNmudjX

— Cargo Bike Ben (@cargobikeben) December 18, 2023

“The basket,” Michael replied in the comments, presumably with his head in his hands as he typed. “The front wheel is facing backwards and the basket is on the side of the rider actually.”

I’m sure that’ll be a fun Christmas morning ride for the kid – or perhaps Selfridges is breaking new ground with their basket placement, like when they started putting bottle cages on downtubes in the middle of the last century?

Maybe we’ll all look back in 50 years’ time and think, ‘ah, remember when baskets used to be placed in front of your handlebars? Those crazy early 2020s!’

Or maybe not.

> “You would never display a bike like this if you knew anything about bikes”: Halfords’ questionable display bike set-up – complete with backwards front fork – ridiculed by cyclists

“And that’s before you even look at the brake,” Ben added.

“Yep, poor thing has already lost a hand,” wrote Paul, noting the dangers of such questionable display set-ups even for the unfortunate mannequins. But at least they’re wearing a helmet, I suppose (ducks for cover in the comments section).

With only six days to go until Christmas, let’s see if Selfridges’ back-to-front display can be topped before Santa comes. And let’s hope the elves have a touch more experience when it comes to setting up bikes…

So, where does a regular commuter or leisure cyclist end and a delivery rider on an illegally modified e-bike begin?

Well, that’s the question posed by a recent edition of the Glasgow Times, which featured a front page story with the headline ‘Glasgow man left scared to leave home due to cyclists on pavements’ – despite the pensioner in question singling out speeding food delivery cyclists on “very big” bikes as one of the primary reasons for his concern.

A bit of a stretch there…

“I think there are more bikes around in the area now because of people doing deliveries and they are not all using the roads,” 84-year-old Mohammed Ishaq, from Anderston, told the local paper.

“They also go too fast and annoy people. I don’t think some of those riding bikes care about their own safety or anyone else’s. Some of the bikes look very big and can be quite scary.”

However, the pensioner also claimed that road layout changes to accommodate active travel have made leaving the house “confusing”.

“There are too many barriers when going out like works going on and rubbish everywhere and people cycling on pavements,” he said.

“It’s very hard now to walk around the area safely. Even crossing the roads is strange with some roads divided into separate areas for cycling which is confusing.”

> Cyclists warned city's new e-bike ban will be "clamping down on any cases of reckless behaviour"

While Mr Ishaq focused on delivery cyclists and bike lane layouts, his son, however, was much more forthright in his criticism of people on bikes in general, claiming that those who cycle responsibly are in the “minority” and that the rest are “causing chaos” for drivers and pedestrians.

“The cycle lanes are a danger to pedestrians crossing the road because they don’t understand the layout of the cycle lanes and the fact is a lot of cyclists are not stopping when it’s a red light,” Dr Abid Ishaq told the Glasgow Times.

“There are also cyclists going through red lights even when there’s no cycle lane and basically endangering themselves and causing chaos for drivers.

“We live in a country where we should be able to walk about freely in a safe environment and there are elderly and disabled people who are finding it difficult.

“They have to walk across a pavement, and they don’t know if they’re going to get hit by a cyclist. It makes me really sad, really angry, not just with the behaviour of cyclists but also with the failure of law enforcement agencies and the council to acknowledge the problem and put measures in place to tackle it.”

> Council calms critics' concerns contraflow cycling could cause confusion and chaos

Despite the newspaper’s ambiguous headline, Police Scotland’s road policing inspector Hugh Niccolls appeared to indicate that those using illegal e-bikes or e-scooters formed the bulk of the problems encountered by Mr Ishaq.

“We have been carrying out joint patrols with officers from the local Problem Solving team in Glasgow city centre in response to complaints and incidents relating to e-bikes and e-scooters that are not road legal,” Niccolls said.

“Our focus is on educating riders on safety and legislative requirements, as well as using enforcement action where necessary. Road safety remains a priority and I would encourage anyone with information or concerns about potentially illegal e-bike or e-scooter activity to speak to officers on patrol in Glasgow City Centre or call Police Scotland on 101.”

> "E-Bikes are bicycles, not motorbikes": EU Court rules e-bikes as not capable of causing "damage comparable to motorcycles"

Meanwhile, a Glasgow City Council spokesperson added: “We are fully committed to improving the city’s environment for active travel, whether that be walking, wheeling, or cycling.

“Pedestrians are recognised as the most vulnerable road users and we are working on a wide range of initiatives that will make travel on foot as safe as possible.

“Concerns over safety are also the single biggest barrier to people cycling and this why we are currently delivering a significant expansion of the city network of cycling infrastructure. When safer, segregated cycle ways are introduced the number of people cycling along these routes has been shown to increase significantly.

“Before a cycle way can be formally opened for use, the new infrastructure will be subjected to an independent safety audit that considers the safety of all road users.

“All road users are expected to follow the Highway Code at all times to ensure the safety of themselves and others. Where rules are breached, such as cycling through a red light, cycling on the pavement, or riding an unlicensed e-motor bike, enforcement is a matter for the police.”

> Police crackdown on dangerous delivery cyclists after cycling charity urged companies to do more following cycle lane crash

While the Glasgow Times appears keen to lump e-bike using delivery riders in with every other cyclist in the city, last month we reported that Glasgow’s police responded to safety concerns from cyclists and a cycling charity about food delivery couriers riding illegal e-bikes dangerously, with the crackdown coming in the same week a cyclist said he had been left “terrified” by a crash caused by an incident which saw him hit in a cycle lane by a courier riding the wrong way at high speed.

Officers from Police Scotland seized 15 illegal e-bikes and reported more than 20 people for road traffic offences, with pictures shared by the force on social media showing high-powered or modified illegal e-bikes that can assist the rider beyond the 15.5mph (25km/h) e-bike limit and are legally distinct from the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycles (EAPC) requirements.

Police Scotland said it was “targeting those riding illegally modified electric bikes capable of going at high speeds”, the comments coming in the same week Cycling Scotland had called on food delivery companies to provide couriers “effective training around cycling safety” and check the bikes they ride “are legal and road worthy”.

So, not so quick next time to present cyclists as a homogenously dangerous block, eh Glasgow Times?

Cycling UK has welcomed the “significant boost” in active travel funding announced as part of today’s Scottish Budget statement, as finance secretary Shona Robison pledged £220m of funding for cycling, walking, and wheeling schemes in 2024/25, an increase of £31m on the previous year.

However, the charity did note that the new active travel budget still falls “disappointingly short” of the £320m promised for the coming year at the beginning of the current parliament in 2021 under the Bute House Agreement, a confidence and supply pact signed by the SNP and Greens as they entered government together.

Nevertheless, Cycling UK argues that today’s “record investment” emphasises that Scotland is still leading the way when it comes to active travel in the UK.

> Scottish Government urged to spend more on public transport and less on cycling

“At a time of considerable strain on the public purse, the Scottish Government’s Budget provides a welcome and significant boost in funding for projects that will enable people to make local journeys by cycling, walking, or wheeling,” Cycling UK’s campaigns and policy manager for Scotland, Jim Densham, said this afternoon.

“£220m is a record investment that shows Scotland is leading the way within the UK, although it falls disappointingly short of the £320m promised at the beginning of this Parliament. We urge the government to ensure that this target is met in 2025/26.

“Investing in active travel is proven to be excellent value for money: every £1 spent on cycling and walking schemes provides almost £6 worth of benefits, including improved health and wellbeing, reduced congestion and better air quality.

“The continued growth in funding gives councils across Scotland the opportunity to enable more people to cycle easily, confidently and safely."

At the end of what has been a tumultuous, stressful, and occasionally exhilarating year for cycle racing in the UK, two of the pioneers of the domestic scene’s revival and prolonged success over the past two decades, SweetSpot founder Hugh Roberts and race director Mick Bennett, are set to retire, the group confirmed today.

Roberts and Bennett founded SweetSpot, going onto establish the modern iteration of the Tour of Britain in 2004, ushering in arguably the national stage race’s most successful ever period. They also created the annual Tour series of crit races throughout the UK, while their organisation credits include the road events at this year’s UCI cycling world championships in Scotland and, along with London Marathon Events, the RideLondon Olympic legacy event.

Perhaps most significantly, Roberts and Bennett founded the Women’s Tour in 2014, moulding the stage race into one of the most exciting and well-organised women’s events on the calendar.

However, the cancellation of this year’s Women’s Tour and the Tour series – amidst an increasingly challenging period for race organisers beset by economic, logistical, and sponsorship troubles – coupled with complaints from fans about the character of races that did go ahead, such as the Tour of Britain, ensured that 2023 was an especially challenging year for SweetSpot.

> How do we save UK bike racing? SweetSpot's PR Director on Women's Tour cancellation and staying positive for the future

In a statement announcing Bennett and Roberts’ retirement, which follows the departure earlier this year of SweetSpot’s PR and press director Nick Bull, the organisation said: “Having enjoyed an unbroken run of annual events – Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour and Tour Series – from 2004, the effects of the pandemic severely disrupted the 2020 and 2021 calendars and SweetSpot’s business model.

“In 2022 the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II during the fifth stage brought an abrupt end to the Tour of Britain, and the enforced cancellation of the final three stages of the race, while the combination of inflationary pressures, the cost of living crisis, and local government funding issues have presented increased challenges to events in 2023.

“Over the past 20 years the free-to-attend Tours delivered by Hugh, Mick, and the SweetSpot team, have been watched at the roadside and on free to air ITV by millions of spectators and viewers, providing a source of inspiration for the countless school children lining the routes and taking part in support activities, and provided a platform for British riders to race against the world’s best on home roads.”

Midday Moan: Should we ban cyclists?

Broadcaster @AliMirajUK calls for a crackdown on bikes.

What do you think?#StormHuntley

— Jeremy Vine On 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) December 18, 2023

Cue the road tax and cycling number plates and insurance comments (sigh)…

Meanwhile, next up on ‘chance encounters that definitely did not happen’ is this creative taxi driver and his imaginary passenger:

Just had a tfl bod onboard..nice chat..whether “True or Not”apparantley next year or next all cyclists in London will have to be “registered” with a number on the helmet or hi vis..

— markiboy (@gotpowerdp) December 18, 2023

> Yes, Minister! Jesse Norman confirms government has no plans for cyclists to be registered and insured

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

It’s been quite the year for rising track star Emma Finucane, who followed up her four national titles and two European silvers with a maiden rainbow jersey in the sprint at the world championships in Glasgow in August, dominating throughout the competition before beating Lea Sophie Friedrich with two blistering rides to claim the world title.

And now the 20-year-old from Carmarthen, who also took silver as part of the British team sprint squad at the Glasgow worlds, has been recognised at home for her breakthrough year, winning the BBC Cymru Wales Sports Personality of the Year, following in the wheel tracks of former cycling winners Geraint Thomas (2018 and 2014) and Nicole Cooke (2003).

“It’s amazing, there are so many legends that have won this [award],” Finucane told the BBC after being presented with her accolade.

“I really appreciate that people have appreciated what I’ve done. It’s nice to have a nation behind me, supporting me. We are quite a small country but to have that passion behind us and to have them on my sleeve as well is really important.”

With Finucane’s trophy cabinet slowly starting to fill as she establishes herself as one of the fastest women in the world, there may be a few more accolades coming her way in 2024.

Well, that’s it, the end of an (admittedly brief) era of unprecedented pro cycling streaming coverage, as GCN+ shuts its doors today, a blank, desolate screen where hundreds of colourful bike races used to be.

(Okay, maybe I’m being a touch over-sentimental, but it’s an emotional day…)

Anyway, here’s a brief glimpse into how everyone is dealing with the live cycling platform’s demise, and our collective headlong plunge back to 2015:

Just deleted GCN+ from the tv… just so sad! Thank you for being my friend over the past few years especially through Covid @daniellloyd1 @si_richardson and all the other @gcntweet presenters thank you. Shame on you @wbpictures

— Donald Young (@SlapshotJC) December 19, 2023

How I'm feeling about the closure of GCN+ pic.twitter.com/1uOGx1R1NV

— Burd (@tonywilson01) December 17, 2023

Trawling through the Discovery Plus webshite to try and find what cross they will be showing... pic.twitter.com/1mFbVfGPdh

— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) December 18, 2023

And, for those of you still unsure about your future cycling viewing options, today would be a good day to check out our handy guide for life after GCN+:

> What’s the best way to watch live cycling following the closure of GCN+?