"Nobody cycles in winter" — except this lot; Richie Porte's stunning post-retirement bike (complete with X-rated chainstay); James Knox kicked off TDU for drafting team car; Adam Blythe's nocturnal activities; Cavstana Cavaqstan + more on the live blog

"Yeah, they're all out now it's hot and sunny, but what about in January when it's minus three?"

What is this madness. More cyclists waiting at a red light than cars. Surely nobody cycles in winter. It's -3 today so nobody would be using this wasted infrastructure so Twitter always tells me 🙃🤣😜@willnorman @London_Cycling @GreenwichCycle
#cycling #cyclinglife pic.twitter.com/B59lnEgz0c

— Greg N (@n00dles71) January 17, 2023

The cycling equivalent of could Lionel Messi do it on a cold rainy night in Stoke? Without going all Bob the Builder on you, yes he could and yes we can...

It's almost like, and hear me out, if you have proper safe cycling infrastructure it opens the door for people to ride bicycles? Radical, I know...

CS4 is a game changer! Hats off to @willnorman @TfL for pushing this through. Was Baltic yesterday but great to see so many still braving the cold. pic.twitter.com/TeXlzr5QCg

— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) January 18, 2023

It's got some fearing 'fake news'...

This is all CGI. People only bike in summer, and waiting at red lights?!? If they just had one of the two maybe I'd have believed it...

— Keith Fuller (@kfullermusic) January 18, 2023

Anyway, we wouldn't be doing our duty without pointing you in our direction for some handy tips if you want to join the winter-riding crew:

> How to beat winter — Tips, tricks and clothing advice for making the most of riding through winter

> Best winter road bikes 2023 — invest in a bike that shines in bad weather

> Best winter road bike tyres 2023 — ride confidently in cold and nasty weather

> Best cycling jackets 2023 — keep yourself warm, comfortable and dry on the bike with a quality top layer 

🤍🌈 pic.twitter.com/JN6lZ6VLKi

— Dame Laura Kenny (@LauraKenny31) January 18, 2023

 Dame Laura Kenny is pregnant and expecting her second child with husband Sir Jason Kenny. Writing on Instagram, Laura wrote: "Today I felt like I couldn't hide away any more. I'm already starting to show and the anxiety I have felt has been unreal."

The couple had a son, Albie, in 2017 but Kenny suffered a miscarriage in November 2021 and an ectopic pregnancy in January 2022.

> "It's been the hardest few months I've ever had to go through": Laura Kenny reveals miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy

"A year ago today I was sat in A&E knowing I was really poorly but not knowing what was wrong with me," she said.

"When I got the news I was having an ectopic pregnancy my world felt like it crumbled. We had already lost our second baby in November and I remember lying there searching for some sort of answers. I still feel this heartbreak today and I don't think it will ever go away.

"Telling the world means I have to accept we are having another baby and this fills me with all kinds of emotions. I'm scared every single day that I might have to go through the pain of losing another baby. It makes you feel ungrateful for something you've so desperately wanted for the last year.

"But I also know there are going to be so many people, like I was, seeing my post and wishing I would go away with my happy ending. I also know when I was lying in the hospital bed I was searching for people's happy endings because it was the only thing giving me any comfort at the time. That maybe, just maybe, I would get my happy ending."

> Top cycling hacks to save money this winter — cheap alternatives to expensive bike products to keep you riding for less

Congrats, Pete Kennaugh!

Road racing is back! (Yes, we know it's been back for the best part of a week now)... Fire up your GCN+ accounts, if you can be bothered with the early alarms, and enjoy some sunny southern hemisphere racing to make you feel extra chilly on the commute.

Anyway, if you're cursing your luck for not living in Australia, spare a thought for James Knox — the British rider on the team now known as Soudal - QuickStep who travelled all the way to Oz only to crash hard and then get disqualified on the opening road stage for drafting his team car to return to the bunch. 

Now, before we all accuse the race commissaire of heavy-handed jobsworthery we should add there is not yet any footage of the offence.

Knox was involved in one of the falls that blighted the day's action, hitting the deck along with Finn Fisher-Black and several other riders at 55km to go. One of the last to get to his feet, the front of the race had long since disappeared down the road by the time the picture above was shown to those sat at home.

While fellow crash victim Hermann Pernsteiner was also deemed to have gained too much advantage from his team car's rear, the powers that be said his offence was less severe, fined him, took away his points in the respective classifications and added two minutes to his finish time. Knox was less 'lucky'.

...and then he was disqualified for drafting behind the car for too long 😥 #TourDownUnder

— Andy Matthews (@matthews24) January 18, 2023

To make matters worse he's now got a long-haul flight to get through... covered in road rash... 

Once Knox was back in the peloton Pernsteiner's teammate Phil Bauhaus won the stage, outsprinting Michael Matthews and Caleb Ewan in the final surge to the line on the Tanunda circuits.

!!! Ciclista dándole un paseo a su burro en bicicleta !!! "Pero que burro más burro."😱😂😂 pic.twitter.com/HNQYT6d6v3

— ⚡Maza⚡ (@MazaCiclismo) January 17, 2023

Hope your Wednesday's going well...or was going well until you read this...

Now that I have a good number of cyclists following me, I have a question. Do cyclists with testicles just sit on them while biking how does that work im curious

— Jenn🌲 (@JuniperFolly) January 16, 2023

Reminds me of this classic...

> Tabloid panic over study (apparently) saying cyclists could crush their genitals if they don't get out the saddle 

Although I've got to admit it's a bit of a ballache covering these nuts theories that I'd much rather sack off...(yes, I am proud of myself)...

But yes, some people did reply...

I tuck mine up in front
but on fast or racing (cyclocross or mountain bike) remounts sometimes I land on one which is

not fun

— David C B (@tzed250) January 18, 2023

That's, um, quite the ask. Personally, I just put them in my pocket until the end of my ride.....

— Paul Tutton (@tuttonp) January 17, 2023

The trick with cyclocross is to not land on any bits when you do running re-mounts.

— Doug van den Ham (@DvdHam) January 17, 2023

Went to the naked bike ride and had this question answered.

— Roseminda (@Roseminda11) January 16, 2023

That's my serious journalism done for the day. As you were... 

A wise man once told me nothing good ever happens after 3am. I think it was a wise man, my memory's a bit blurry, I think I was trying to get a kebab near closing time...

Anyway, spare a thought for Adam Blythe's body clock... no partying here, just cold hard WorldTour commentary duty...

Is anyone awake at this hour?.. I hope not.. but if you are.. come and join me & @JezCox on @gcntweet for the first road stage of #TourDownUnder23 .. pic.twitter.com/h0Tylyash9

— Adam Blythe (@AdamBlythe89) January 18, 2023

Here's how it happened...

⭐ Ziptrak® Men's Stage 1 Highlights ⭐@ziptrak | @SantosLtd #TourDownUnder pic.twitter.com/3aQtNOIU2k

— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴‍♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 18, 2023