Live blog: How to win a Zwift race by Ian Bibby; Will Norman tells Karren Brady that cycle lanes don't cause congestion; The dead otter question; Deer oh dear; Jens Voigt on racing as a parent; Europe's best hotel is a cycling hotel + more

Motorist accepts she “overlooked” cyclist.

More here.

Devon Live reports that the otter was bagged in the middle with its head and feet poking out either side.

“As we overtook the man on his bicycle, we suddenly noticed a huge tail sticking out of the bike rack,” said University of Exeter researcher Adrian Colston on Twitter.

"It was obviously an otter. But we weren't in a position to stop him and ask him. Maybe it was a road accident, and the man was cycling along and decided to pick it up?"

He continued: "Otters are a protected species and this guy is blatantly cycling with it on the back of the bike – he's not trying to hide it.

"Perhaps he is a wildlife conservationist himself? I wanted to know from people in my network whether it was someone investigating why it died. He may have even been a taxidermist."

Last week Baroness Karren Brady said of the decision to repurpose one of two eastbound traffic lanes on the Embankment to create a cycle superhighway, “Everyone knows this was a mistake but TfL and the Mayor won’t say so for fear of upsetting the powerful cycling lobby.”

Writing in the London Evening Standard, she suggested rerouting the cycle lane.

This week, in the same newspaper, Will Norman has responded.

He points out that the road was congested long before there was a cycle lane, “and it still would be if it were again just a motorway. Drivers would fill the available space, when what we need are fewer vehicles and better alternatives — exactly what the cycle lane delivers.”

Injured two years ago, he's going to be examined in March for signs of long-term damage. Meanwhile, the pothole responsible has already reappeared.

More here.

The trails of Glentress in Scotland have been used to test pilot a new mountain bike scheme to support mental health patients in the UK, and shown that 10 participants found the sport beneficial as part of a 'therapeutic recovery programme'. Read more on off.road.cc.

Big Dave takes on Little Liam on the climb up Cheddar Gorge - watch it here.

It’s not just deer you have to watch out for while cycling in the States (see below) – it’s also great big slabs of ice.

While riding through Pennsylvania on his sixth coast-to-coast ride to raise awareness of breast cancer, Brett Bundy was hospitalised by a great lump of the stuff that came off a passing car.

“If it was any bigger, it would have killed me,” he told KTVZ.

He’s taking a week off before recommencing his journey.

Team Dimension Data have switched from Cervelo to BMC bikes for the 2019 season, and the team appear to be happy with the new equipment. Well they wouldn't say anything bad about their new sponsor now would they!