Police slammed for telling cyclists to “find another method of transport if you don’t want to cycle on the road”; Lance Armstrong sent to Mars… for reality TV show; Wout Van Aert rides an OVO bike in Glasgow; Are LTNs vote-winners? + more on the live blog

Well, this is certainly one way to annoy people who ride bikes in your area…

Police in Lancashire have been roundly condemned online after what could best be described as a clumsily worded Facebook post warning cyclists against riding on pavements in the seaside town of Lytham St Annes and advising them – if they don’t feel safe cycling on the road – to “find another method of transport”.

The post from Fylde Police, shared yesterday afternoon by Officer Rowe, noted that that the force has apparently “been receiving an increase in complaints around cycling on the footpath in and around the St Anne’s area, including the town centre and all the way up to Heyhouses Lane, and we are concerned that someone is going to get seriously hurt as a result of this happening.”

The statement continued: “Please can we remind you that, if you choose to cycle on a footpath and not on the road, then you are in fact committing an offence (aside from shared footpaths, Clifton Drive North etc) which will be dealt with via a fixed penalty notice.

“If you don’t want to cycle on the road, then I suggest you find another method of transport.”

It’s fair to say that the advice hasn’t gone down too well with local cyclists, with some reaching for their calendars to check the date.

“Is this actually for real, or a joke?!!” asked an incredulous Graeme. “The path along Lytham prom is actually a SHARED PATH... supposedly! It’s not ideal for that, admittedly, because it’s narrow, but it IS a shared path, and part of National Cycle network 62.

“If this is a joke by Fylde Police then it’s not a very funny one... and April 1st was last month.”

Meanwhile, Gareth was suspicious about how the police came about their data, and accused the force of adopting an anti-cycling attitude.

“Can I ask for your actual stats on this as you say increased... how have you been monitoring this?” he asked. “And how have you correlated the actual evidence? It seems far-fetched at best and your post seems very anti-cycling rather than balanced in its nature.”

> Why do cyclists ride on the pavement? New study explores why

Others, meanwhile, astutely noted that perhaps Fylde Police would be better off exploring why so many cyclists don’t feel safe riding on the borough’s roads.

“It’s tricky this,” wrote Michael. “I agree hurtling at speed on the pavements is dangerous.

“Though as per the advice from Fylde police – should you not feel safe cycling on the road, then the PCSO suggests finding alternative transport – sadly it’s dangerous for cyclists on the road. So as per the advice – jump in your cars.

“Maybe a review by LCC and council to make the problem of dangerous roads a priority. As I say, I agree that speeding on a foot path is wrong, but a parent taking a young child out on a bike… I don’t believe that the majority of cyclists, particularly those with a young child, feel entitled. They and I feel the roads are just too dangerous [thanks to] speeding motorists.”

Gill added: “I have to cycle from St Annes to Whitehills Business Park for work and on, especially at the moment with the state of Queensway, have no choice but to cycle on the pavement.

“I am always very careful and I do stop if there are people walking on the pavement. I only wish car drivers were as thoughtful. I feel as though sometimes, especially on School Road, that some drivers go as fast and as close to me as they can just to frighten me.”

Finally, Rob offered a simple solution to the whole thing: “Build more cycle lanes instead of threatening folk!”

Ah, it all makes sense now.

‘Stars on Mars’, the new reality show featuring seven-time Tour de France winner and everyone’s favourite happy-go-lucky kind of guy, Lance Armstrong, is the brainchild of Britain’s most celebrated cycling commentator (“Like cattle on bikes!”) Alan Partridge…

Right, that’s it for another week on the live blog, folks. Enjoy the start of the Giro – I mean, the Bank Holiday weekend…

(Spoiler: I’ll be swearing my allegiance to the true king, Gianni Savio.)

I know, I know. I must sound like a broken record by now when it comes to Belfast’s horrific approach to active travel. But I really can’t help it when the city continues to live up to its lofty standards…

This is our 'pedestrianised' city centre this morning.

❌️Shop fronts blocked by cars.

❌️Pedestrians/bikes squeezing around lorries.

❌️Industrial bins and other street 'clutter'

Can't we do better than this? pic.twitter.com/uYhUHgfWZU

— North Belfast Cycle Campaign (@NBCycleCampaign) May 5, 2023

Cars all the way down.

And I know that some people will say, "There's plenty of space! Just go around"

But that's not really the point.

Our public spaces have been completely overrun by cars and we need to redress the balance by creating spaces where cars can't go. pic.twitter.com/bLeksr2SFo

— North Belfast Cycle Campaign (@NBCycleCampaign) May 5, 2023

This should be so much more than a car park 🌿🚲🛴🌳🚶‍♀️👩‍🦽 pic.twitter.com/XVHpvOl7s7

— North Belfast Cycle Campaign (@NBCycleCampaign) May 5, 2023

I wondered where my head bearings had got to.https://t.co/2crDL9imln

— 𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 (@overlandertheb1) May 5, 2023

The Grande Partenza of the 2023 Giro d’Italia may only be taking place tomorrow, with a seaside 18.4km time trial between Fossacesia and Ortona, but the race’s penultimate stage – an individual effort finishing at the top of Monte Lussari – is already being called into question.

Giro organisers RCS Sport are planning on sending the riders, after an opening 10km on flat roads (where normal TT rules on support cars apply), up a steep, narrow path for the final 7.5km – which means teams won’t be able to follow by car, with RCS expecting to provide any assistance in the case of a puncture or mechanical, by motorbike.

This has raised concerns within the peloton (just imagine if the Giro was decided by an untimely Evenepoel bike change in the final kilometres?), and a letter seen by Cyclingnews suggests that the UCI – acting on behalf of the teams – has asked RCS to modify the stage or risk cancelling it altogether.

The Giro organisers have apparently studied the matter prior to meeting with the team managers today.

There are rumours that the stage could possibly be moved to another nearby, and more car-friendly, summit finish, such as the iconic and notoriously steep Monte Zoncolan.

“It is a bit of a shame that they are only now realising that there are problems,” world champion and pre-race favourite Remco Evenepoel told Sporza when asked about the issues surrounding the proposed penultimate stage.

“We can still ride to the foot of the final climb and finish there. Then it’s an 11-kilometer time trial. I find it difficult to completely cancel that ride. But they can still make something else out of it.

“There are plenty of climbs nearby that we can get to the top of. They’ll find something, I don’t expect there won’t be a stage 20 in this Giro. And preferably a similar time trial on a course that can be ridden by all types of vehicles. It is a pity that they would only come up with that decision now. Because they could have known this longer.”

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, when we spend hours and hours ignoring work and loved ones while studying stage profiles, start lists, and stats websites, desperate to stumble upon the perfect mix of quality, form, and value in order to stand on that virtual podium in Rome (okay, your living room) three weeks later.

> Join us for Fantasy Giro d'Italia!

Who are you picking for your road.cc Giro fantasy team? Are you willing to blow the budget on Remco or Primož, or are you favouring stealthier underdogs like Vlasov or Tao?

What about the sprinters? Are you backing Cav to wind back the clock once again (without a lead-out train in sight as well)?

And, like me, are you ruing the fact that the in-form, electric Ben Healy is no longer the unknown Fantasy Cycling quantity he was a few short weeks ago?

Right, I’m off to pick my team – I’ll see you all in six hours or so…

A substantial and vocal portion of the cycling community appears to have been finally granted their wish, after all these years – Lance Armstrong has been sent packing to Mars.

But, before you all rush to your keyboards, this isn’t some new draconian punishment dreamed up by Travis Tygart during a particularly bad bout of the flu.

Instead, Big Tex, Mellow Johnny, Juan Pelota etc. will be taking part in a new reality TV series called ‘Stars on Mars’. Yes, you read that right.

‘So you know what I did then? I took a photo with all my yellow jerseys! That showed them…’

The imaginatively titled show, which is set to air in the US on Fox (where else?) in June, will feature a dozen celebrities (and disgraced former Tour de France winners, apparently) who will compete, while dressed in very snazzy spacesuits, to colonise a simulated version of the Red Planet. So far, so very American.

The crew members – who also include UFC and WWE star Ronda Rousey, Super Bowl winner Marshawn Lynch, Modern Family’s Ariel Winter, actor Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin!!!!), and some other people I’m not as familiar with – will receive their assignments on ‘Mars’ from none other than Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner.

Although, for some reason, the producers went with a Star Wars reference for the promo clip, shared by LA. Because space, I think…

Greetings from Mars. Doing well up here….for now. https://t.co/AzSH2bXju5

— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) May 5, 2023

Anyway, each week the celebrities will send one of their teammates “back to Earth”, before the “brightest star in the galaxy” is left. Let’s just hope that Lance doesn’t employ his old persuasion tactics to avoid being booted out again, eh?

> Why was Mark Cavendish riding with Lance Armstrong this week?

Most importantly, however – what’s Big George going to get up to when his buddy’s away on Mars?