Jeremy Vine says near miss was “closest I've come to dying on my bicycle”; Tour of Antalya calamity; Cav chalks up first victory of 2022; Why not walk or cycle? Because you ripped out the bike lane!; What’s a ‘carsplainer’? + more on the live blog

This Aussie cyclist was miffed to have to stop for a driver turning left into a side road, despite the pretty clear 'no left turn' arrow. 

As you'll see from the rear camera in the second half of the clip, it looks like they were dealt with by an officer in the right place at the right time.

The poster added: "Unfortunately this enforcement is very sporadic and doesn't scale very well. That road goes to the freeway, so the cop can't just turn back and quickly do it again. They need to do a big loop so tend to only do it once or twice a day, probably at the end of their shift on the way back to the station." 

On episode 18 we're chatting those all important Highway Code changes, and Mat gets to nerd out on cycling shoes with Alex Malone of Bont. 

Simon also talks to Tim Lennon of the Richmond Cycling Campaign, who talks about the bizarre media coverage after this shocking video of a close pass on his daughter did the rounds on Twitter:

Why would anyone be this much of a shit to an adult, let alone a little girl?! Why is getting in front worth that?
(Video: @lucullus) pic.twitter.com/5avckGgfLD

— Rory Meakin (@rorymeakin) February 2, 2022

Catch up with the episode over here. 

If you're one of a lot of cyclists who has fallen victim to theft or vandalism when leaving your bike unattended at lacklustre facilities at your local train station, you might be looking on in envy at these new bike pods installed at Grand Central in New York. 

Janno Leiber, the chair of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, says the pods will help encourage commuters to consider making that "last mile connection" by bike rather than using less efficient transportation. 

The pods appear to have racks for multiple bikes, and users unlock it with their smartphone. Let's hope no particularly enterprising thieves decide to sign up and take their pick from what's inside... 

💛 #TDF2022 team selection 💛

✅ The 18 UCI WorldTeams

✅ 🇧🇪@AlpecinFenix and 🇫🇷@Arkea_Samsic, 1st and 2nd placed UCI ProTeams in 2021

✅ 🇫🇷@BBHOTELS_KTM and 🇫🇷@TeamTotalEnrg, invited by the organizers.

🤩 See you in July! pic.twitter.com/WFbdyGUy1l

— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) February 11, 2022

It seems to get earlier and earlier each year, but it’s that time already – the final two wildcard invitations to the 2022 Tour de France have been awarded!

And to the great surprise of many, two French teams – TotalEnergies and B&B Hotels p/b KTM – have filled the remaining non-WorldTour slots in the 22-team Tour peloton. Pro-Conti Alpecin-Fenix and Arkéa-Samsic were already automatically confirmed as wildcards owing to their position in the UCI rankings.

TotalEnergies, who have raced their home grand tour every year since 2000, were strengthened over the winter with the arrival of Peter Sagan, while Franck Bonnamour and new signing Alexis Gougeard will be under pressure to deliver for a now Bryan Coquard-less B&B Hotels.

Though the selection of two French squads by Tour organisers ASO is hardly a shock, some pundits and fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment that Uno-X missed out on a starting berth at cycling’s biggest race.

I think everyone agrees that Uno-X would be more attractive at the moment but yes French team, French race. Its the law

— José Been (@TourDeJose) February 11, 2022

The Norwegian team has eight Danish riders on its roster and, with the Tour’s Grand Départ taking place in Copenhagen this year, was targeting a spot on the start line after a strong 2021. As a consolation prize, ASO has invited Uno-X to June’s Critérium du Dauphiné, the traditional Tour warm-up race.

Ladies and gentlemen, @MarkCavendish's 157th pro victory!

Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/FBDaIB3mhB

— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) February 11, 2022

That didn’t take long, did it?

After being thwarted by Fernando Gaviria in yesterday’s opening stage of the Tour of Oman, Mark Cavendish made sure that lightning didn’t strike twice, taking his first win of 2022 – and the 157th professional victory of his career – with what appeared to be a convincing victory on stage two.

I say ‘what appeared to be’ because – apart from a short video taken on the line by journalist Sophie Smith – we didn’t actually see any of the stage. While the helicopter missed the shot of the finish line yesterday, today it missed the entire race, meaning there was no live footage available for us online diehards.

Mark Cavendish wins stage two of the Tour of Oman. #TourofOman pic.twitter.com/qrlNrsJ8mr

— Sophie Smith (@SophieSmith86) February 11, 2022

Still a win’s a win, whether it’s on TV or not, and Cavendish will be pleased that his form appears to be on track as he attempts to convince QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere to pick him for what could be a very historic Tour de France.

The omens look good: today’s stage in Oman was the Manx Missile’s earliest win since 2018 (or 2013, if you go by number of race days) and, with Gaviria finishing fourth on the day, means Cavendish takes over the race leader’s jersey.

The road to 35 might well now be under way – it’s just a pity barely anyone could see the beginning of it…

Not meaning to overdramatise — but having properly looked at this video, I now think it's the closest I've come to dying on my bicycle since I started cycling in London ten years ago. And it shows that you can die without doing a single thing wrong, or ever knowing what hit you. https://t.co/HqDnIGTmQG

— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) February 10, 2022

Just when you thought a taxi driver throwing a glass bottle at a cyclist would be the worst thing Jeremy Vine caught on camera this month…

The pedalling presenter’s commute to work, now captured on his 360 helmet cam, has acquainted him with many a dodgy driver over the past decade.

However, this near miss from yesterday morning, Vine says, is “the closest I've come to dying on my bicycle since I started cycling in London ten years ago”.

The footage – which is particularly shocking when viewed from the back – captures a driver speeding past a lorry in a 20mph zone as they approach Vine in the same lane. The motorist, who only seems to spot the broadcaster at the last second, dramatically swerves, narrowly avoiding both Vine and the lorry.

According to the Radio 2 presenter, this alarming near miss “shows that you can die without doing a single thing wrong, or ever knowing what hit you.”