Fan-tastic DIY e-bike goes viral after cyclist spotted with paramotor on his back; Family pens open letter to council over bike shed planning breach; Surprise Giro win; Ingenious infra; Pro bike handling; Search for hero cyclist + more on the live blog

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— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) May 10, 2021

Brilliant 😂😂🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/BdAm1VIwqD

— Nicky Taylor (@NickyTay55) May 8, 2021

We have been blown away by the fan-related puns rolling in since this morning's video went up on the blog...a strong start from Captain Badger who is "not really a big fan to be honest." PRSboy quickly followed up with: "he deserves props for his ingenuity, even though as an idea it'll never take off." 

Some more general comments on our Scottish cyclist now...IanMK was glad to see him wearing Hi-Viz, but thought a helmet might help. Each to their own, I guess.

On a more serious note, Nature's Eye was not impressed: "And so we all get tarred with the same brush as this clown! Good job...paint us in a great light this does!!! This guy is not a cyclist...well not a real one anyway."

Ed Clancy is one of the first six riders to be announced for the UCI's new track competition, the UCI Track Champions League. The inaugural event will be staged in November after the World Championships and will involve male and female riders in the sprint and endurance categories battling it out across six back-to-back rounds of competition. 

As a founding rider, Clancy's progress will be followed by Eurosport and GCN, two of the broadcasters of the event. I am sure we will find out more of what this will involve as the event gets closer, but for now we know Clancy will be on the startline. Emma Hinze, Harrie Lavreysen, Mathilde Gros, Sebastián Mora and Simona Krupeckaitė are the other five 'Founding Riders'.

Kavi Pujara got in touch sharing this open letter that his family has written to Leicester City Council. Last week, the family was told to remove its homemade eco bike shed from the front garden as it does not fit in with the Victorian character of the area. The family has since received 382 comments of support in the council's planning portal, with many pointing out that parked cars and converting gardens to driveways is not very 'Victorian' either. Here's the letter in full...

Dear Peter Soulsby and Leicester City Council,

I am writing to you in regard to the ongoing dispute over our cycle shed and to ask for your careful consideration in this matter.

As of last count we have 382 comments of support on the planning portal and one against. This is a clear message that the people of Leicester and the greater cycling community beyond do not consider our bike shed an eyesore that is disrupting the traditional Victorian context and character of the street. Rather, it is a sensitive eco-friendly solution to a real problem. There are cars parked on every driveway and available curb space on our street. So it seems absurd that these large, modern vehicles are not considered to be disrupting the character of the area, yet our little wooden bike shed is.

In 10 days the public consultation on our shed will close and your planning department will make a decision. In all likelihood it will deny us planning because the Town and Country Planning order states that structures like this cannot be located to the front of a property, and because we live in a conservation area we don’t have permitted development rights. But enforcement of these orders are a matter of the council’s judgement and ultimately you will decide if that enforcement is in the public interest.

Before you decide, we would warmly like to invite you to come over and see the shed for yourself. Come and see how visible it is from the street. Come and see how effortless it is for our kids to walk out of the front door, get their bikes independently, and cycle to school. Come and see how they will no longer be able to cycle should the bike shed be removed.

Leicester declared a climate emergency in 2019 and it has an ambitious and admirable transport strategy with cycling at the heart of it. You have built cycle lanes all over the city. We applaud you and everyone in the council for this – it is fantastic. But if we are forced to remove our cycle storage, it begs the question: Who is this multi-million pound cycling infrastructure development really for?

Is it only for those people fortunate enough to have a garage where they can store their bikes? What about those who live in flats? Or those who do not want, or are not able, to bring muddy bikes in through their homes? How can we support your progressive strategy if it excludes so many of us?

I put it to you that your permitted development planning policies are now inconsistent with your environmental aims. These polices need to be updated to encourage cycling and to include all cyclists. You have the opportunity here to extend permitted development to include bike sheds. I believe Leicester City Council has the imagination to find an innovative solution to make this happen, and to be flexible where other councils have been inflexible. It’s the opportunity to set a precedent.

Please don’t let us down.

The Pujara family
(Kavi, Mita, Milan and Anamika)

Show must go on!

Space is scarce in the city - when a building is renovated it should not affect cyclists and pedestrians. Absolutely love these container-solutions 😍 #Copenhagen pic.twitter.com/SXOy2XtEpS

— Henrik Lundorff (@bicivikingo) May 9, 2021

The family of a toddler rescued from Canberra's Lake Burley Griffin has asked for the hero cyclist who dived in after their boy to come forward so they can thank him properly. ABC reports that Ellie Carey was walking with her son, Miles, when he scooted into the lake. A passing cyclist dived in after the boy, pulled him out, checked Miles was alright and then quietly continued his journey. With no name or contact details, the mother is now hoping to find the cyclist and thank him.

"The man was cycling towards us with a friend so he would have seen the whole thing unfold," she explained. "He didn't even hesitate. He jumped off the bike, ripped off his backpack and leapt straight in. It's about a metre drop down into the lake, so someone helped pull Miles out and then a few of us helped the man out.

"He stood there for a little while and asked me a few times if Miles was okay and I think I said 'thank you so much' at least four times. I was trying to rip everything off Miles because he was frozen, and then the cyclist just quietly left."

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— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) May 9, 2021

Here is one the UCI's new litter zones in action at a Grand Tour for the first time. Cue every man and his dog lobbing the contents of their pockets into the nearest field.

The poor lady on the right of the picture probably just wanted an Androni Giocattoli bidon as a souvenir but ended up needing a towel.. 

'I just wanted to catch one..." pic.twitter.com/SCOFNSLJFw

— David (@Zarafovano) May 9, 2021