Temperatures may be plummeting in Belgium, but things were getting heated last night at the cyclocross, where British champion Cameron Mason was involved in a bit of afters with a fuming Michael Vanthourenhout.

Mason first roused Vanthourenhout’s ire with just over two laps to go at Thursday’s Superprestige in Middelkerke, when the two riders battled for position in the leading group of seven. On a tight left-hand bend, Mason attempted to undertake his Belgian rival on the inside.

Vanthourenhout, a winner of four ‘cross races already this season, wasn’t having any of it, however, and stuck his shoulder into the British champion as he passed. Unfortunately for Vanthourenhout, that show of force only succeeded to put himself off balance and cause him to slide out, sending him to the back of the group.

The two-time European champion did at least manage to recover and challenge for the victory, but was forced to settle for second behind Joran Wyseure. And, judging by his reaction at the finish, he clearly wasn’t happy about it.

Seconds after they crossed the line, Vanthourenhout squared up to Mason (who, in fairness, gave as good as he got), very briefly putting his hands on the Brit, while shouting: “You came up the inside. F*** you!”

It isn’t cyclocross without a spot of argy-bargy, is it?

Nevertheless, the commissaires weren’t too pleased with Vanthourenhout’s public display of frustration and promptly slapped him with a fine of 250 Swiss Francs.

> “It was in the heat of battle, something had been simmering for a while”: Disqualified Eli Iserbyt claims he stamped on cyclocross rival’s rear mech in response to “dirty” insults – but admits reaction was “not necessary”

When asked about the confrontation after the race, the big Belgian wasn’t too fussed, it seems.

“That was in the heat of the battle,” he told the TV reporter. “I don’t think he should have passed on the inside just before the small climb, but it is a manoeuvre that is allowed.

“I lost my balance, suddenly found myself in sixth place, and then it is difficult to move up. So it did play a role in the result, but that is part of racing. I kept giving it my all.

“Something like that happens in the moment of the race. You know your race is over when you go down there. I am disappointed, but also happy with the podium.”

Meanwhile Mason, who finished fourth in the end, didn’t hold back on Instagram last night, the 26-year-old posting a story with the caption: “Something something, ‘own medicine’, something, something”:

The friendly duo’s next, ahem, encounter will be on Sunday at the European championships in Zeddam (with its monstrous 100-step staircase). Could be a fun one…

This might just be the most illegal bike video we’ve ever seen.

Up in the Edinburgh suburb of Niddrie, TV reporter Davy Shanks was filming a piece to camera yesterday about the potential for Bonfire Night disorder in the area when a hoodie and mask-sporting local on a clearly illegal high-powered bike rocked up.

After the man interjected with the enlightening assertion that “everything will be sound”, Shanks decided to chat to him properly on camera… at which point the police showed up, prompting our impromptu interviewee to scarper on his illegal bike.

You couldn’t make it up. It’s the kind of thing Adrian Chiles was dreaming of when he made his Panorama doc, isn’t it? Unsurprisingly, the Sun have already published a story on Shanks’ clip, describing our loveable masked rogue (erroneously) as an “e-bike rider”. Well, it was always going to happen, wasn’t it?

And with the clip’s view count already hitting the million mark, I suspect we’ll be seeing that fleeing illegal biker (and people describing his machine as an e-bike) for years to come.

But at least he went the right way around the roundabout, that’s something, I suppose.

On Monday, you may remember, Callum reported on the live blog that a long-standing attempt to ban cycling in the centre of Spalding had collapsed (for now, a least) after the council concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence of “verified incidents, collisions, or near misses”.

Last month, the Spalding Business Improvement District had asked for locals to submit their own “personal stories of fear” involving cyclists in the Lincolnshire town, which they forwarded on to the local authority and police.

However, South Holland District Council responded to this ‘cycling menace dossier’ (not its official title, just to be clear) by concluding that a cycling ban is now the “most proportionate or effective standalone response”.

> Business group’s attempt to ban “dangerous cycling” from town centre set to fail due to lack of “sustained evidence” or “verified incidents”

Instead the council suggested that “a stronger case would require sustained, location-specific evidence, such as verified incidents, collisions or near misses, officer observations and evidence that less restrictive measures are inadequate”, something the Spalding BID clearly failed to manage.

The local authority also said it would risk a judicial review if it brought in a ban without the stats to back it up.

In an apparent act of compromise, the Conservative-controlled council said it would recommend additional town centre signage encouraging cyclists to dismount, more police patrols at school finishing times, and even the promotion of “safe cycling routes”.

That wasn’t enough to appease some councillors, who told a policy development meeting this week that action does need to be taken to clamp down on cyclists… err, riding backwards, apparently.

“There are a lot of issues within cycling. Every school time, morning and evening, there are kids riding backwards, upwards, no hands, no lights – you name it,” said Independent Mark Le Sage, who previously promoted the ‘Don’t Be Dim, Be A Bright Cyclist’ lights campaign, which urged Spalding’s cyclists to ensure they can be seen by drivers (Le Sage also used the opportunity to criticise “illegal” cycling in the town).

“That’s one of the reasons why a lot of people don’t like coming into town because there’s been so many near misses. The problem is, it’s not all reported. That’s the difficulty we’ve got.

“So, we need to ensure that the public realise that they’ve got to actually put these complaints in as well rather than just not going into town.”

And Reform’s Rob Gibson also argued that pedestrians, especially the elderly, were nearly being “wiped out” while walking through the town centre.

> Cyclists should “take own responsibility” for safety says Reform councillor, as Halfords and police join forces for bike lights campaign to “make roads safer”

“I’m on board with pleasant signs and education, but I do think we’re getting to a stage where we do need to take action,” he said.

However, Peter Hunn, community safety manager at the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, told the meeting that while there was widespread “community concern” about “inconsiderate cycling” in the town centre, there wasn’t enough evidence to “meet the threshold” for a ban, LincsOnline reports.

Hunn noted that three complaints of anti-social cycling were lodged to the council between October 2025 and 2026, all related to children, while the police have received 15 complaints.

Hunn also acknowledged that there was “confusion” about where cycling is allowed, and that clearer signs will be introduced, alongside education and awareness plans focusing on schools.

Well, it’s a choice…

If the tabloids had been in charge of the music for this video, those images of hire bikes on the pavement would almost certainly have been accompanied by some ear-splitting thrash metal or something, just to underline the point.

Although I imagine most Daily Mail journos listen exclusively to Ed Sheeran and Coldplay…

> City of London councillor who rejected Voi reveals Lime role… and faces calls to quit; Plus Litespeed and Aurum go electric with new super-lightweight road e-bikes + more

They’ll learn soon enough, right? Right?

With the Tour de France’s Edinburgh Grand Départ now under eight months away (yikes), Scottish Cycling has decided to capitalise on the world’s biggest bike race coming to Scotland by expanding its flagship participation programme aimed at promoting cycling and active travel among young people into Edinburgh.

The Rock Up and Ride initiative, which provides access to cycling through sessions and game-led activities, delivered over 5,000 participation opportunities in Scotland in 2025/26, the governing body says. With a focus on “reaching individuals who often face greater barriers to sport”, 43 per cent of last year’s participants were female, 46 per cent were part of an ethnic minority group, and 35 per cent lived in the most deprived parts of the country.

The new Edinburgh branch of the scheme will operate from the Crags Community Centre at the foot of Arthur’s Seat, and aims to develop confidence and practical skills for independent cycling, making riding a bike a viable option for everyday journeys. It will help remove some of the financial barriers to cycling by providing a fleet of bikes and equipment.

The project is supported by Scottish Cycling’s Grand Départ Social Impact Programme, in partnership with the South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran) and We Play Together SCIO.

After receiving their initial training, the young people taking part will then receive support to progress into local cycling clubs or take up volunteering or coaching. As well as riding on the road, participants will be introduced to mountain biking, track cycling, and BMX, availing of the pump track located next to the community centre.

But most importantly the benefits of active travel will also be promoted, with the scheme hoping to give the young people taking part the confidence to use their bikes for both leisure and daily transport.

Nick Rennie, Chief Executive of Scottish Cycling, said in a statement announcing the new initiative: “We’re delighted to be furthering the reach of our flagship participation programme, Rock Up and Ride, as it expands into Edinburgh ahead of the Tour de France Grand Départ next summer.

“We’re already feeling the buzz that the Tour de France is creating, so this is a wonderful opportunity to use that to get more people on bikes and build their confidence and competence, so that they regularly use cycling as a form of active travel, or a past time.

“The expansion of the programme into the capital wouldn’t be possible without some fantastic partnership working, so I extend a big thank you to SEStran, We Play Together and the Scottish Government for helping bring it to life, and I can’t wait to see it flourish over the coming months and years.”

Wout van Aert may be a Paris-Roubaix winner, but it turns out he’s just like us. His arse gets sore from time to time, too:

We feel your pain, Wout.

It’s been almost a month since allegations of a “toxic” culture within Picnic PostNL were first made in an investigation by Dutch public broadcaster NOS, triggering an internal investigation, but the trickling of behind-the-scenes tales shows no sign of slowing down.

This time it’s the turn of Ellen van Dijk who, speaking to Cyclingnews this week, offered a rather nuanced perspective of the squad’s famously strict approach. Van Dijk, who retired at the end of 2025, spent two years with what was then known as Sunweb, winning 10 times during what was a notably successful period for the squad’s men’s and women’s teams.

“They have a strong opinion on how to work with riders, and they really believe in their approach. And for them, it’s only that way that works,” the three-time world time trial champion told Cyclingnews, admitting that Sunweb’s unique way of working led to her butting heads with management, ultimately hastening her departure.

“I had quite some discussions with the management, they have a special way of working, and it didn’t always fit my way of working, I kind of knew when I signed there that they are like that, but it was a bit more than I expected and yeah, we were not a perfect match together,” she said.

However, Van Dijk says she didn’t experience the “tyranny” others claim existed within the team.

“There’s a lot written about an anxiety culture, and I never experienced it that way,” she said. “The management wanted you to listen to them, but I never was scared of them. I mean, if I wanted to say something, I would say it. But maybe if you’re a younger rider, you can experience that.

“I just didn’t experience the anxiety they are they are writing about, and for me that’s an important nuance to it. Maybe some people did experience that, but I didn’t.”

> “Is he saying this because we didn’t extend his contract?” Picnic PostNL sports director hits out at “unfair and unjustified” claims of “toxic culture of fear” within team

She continued: “But elite sports, being at the top level, it is really hard, and you need a special character for that. I think in this team, let’s say, the characters that are less suited for pro cycling, they are offended a bit more easily, maybe.

“I think it’s kind of part of the job that sometimes at the highest intensities, the highest emotions, people say things which are not okay, and then it depends on how sensitive you are at that moment. Sometimes it really hurts, and sometimes you think ‘I don’t care’. But it’s a complicated subject for sure.”

> New patent enables driverless taxis to brake or swerve if a cyclist crashes, months after autonomous vehicle firm Waymo warned avoiding cycle lanes was “too high a bar”

World champion Lucinda Brand here, getting her sand training in ahead of this weekend’s Euros, where she’ll also have to climb 100 steps every lap:

Nobody said cyclocross was easy, did they? No wonder they’re all in a bad mood at the finish.

Those pesky Rockets, always messing about on the socials:

I have to admit, they had me for a second there. So Poels isn’t actually retiring, he’s staying until the end of 2027, geddit?

I don’t blame Wout for wanting to opt out of the Rockets’ social media shenanigans, you can’t be spending your last 12 months in the peloton doing that every day…

I imagine those are a touch more effective than a few plants…

> “Disaster” as lorry driver gets stuck in cycle lane planters… on first day of new ‘rain garden’

Derbyshire Police has become the latest UK force to admit that it cannot investigate most close passes on cyclists due to an inability to measure speed or distance from submitted footage, a policy that has seen the number of warning letters issued to motorists drop from 65 a month to just two:

> Close passes on cyclists “require exceptional circumstances” for drivers to be punished, police force admits