"Delicious irony": Elinor Barker auctions Wiggle High5 kit for Aboriginal Justice Agency; Watopia's mysterious monolith; No fans at Tour of Flanders in 2021; Have Qhubeka ASSOS signed two Harry Tanfields?; 'Swimming Pool Bike Lane' + more on the live blog

Kensington Business Forum has today released a statement saying they did not support the closure of the Kensington High Street segregated bike lane. Kensington and Chelsea Council's statement claimed that they had been written to by both the Business Forum and the Kensington and Chelsea Chamber of Commerce asking for it to be scrapped.

The Kensington Business Forum statement read: "We recently passed on the business views, both of those in favour and against cycle lanes, as a representative body for Kensington W8 Business. The views shared with Kensington & Chelsea are of local businesses and not that of our Executive Committee.

"Regrettably this has been represented, in certain public forums, as our opposition to cycle lanes. This is not the case, but the views of local businesses (both for and against) who provided feedback to the Kensington Business Forum for this current scheme."

The statement comes on the same day that Imperial College Union, five local schools and the council's own Youth Council criticised the decision to remove the infrastructure. A MailOnline employee, who is based in the paper's Kensington High Street office, said the lane "made our journey safer."

How my commute changed overnight back to shitty, dirty, polluted, congested and dangerous road 😡 Guess what? 1 lane or 3 the traffic is still stationary @MayorofLondon @willnorman @grantshapps pic.twitter.com/2ArfXsmqH7

— GOSIA0801 (@Gosia0801) December 2, 2020

Nothing says 'party time' like whipping out a £190 Campagnolo corkscrew to open a bottle this Christmas. Described as 'the ultimate cyclist’s luxury stocking filler' this titanium corkscrew promises 'optimal extraction every time'. I look forward to hearing people saying the Shimano one's better.

Bruce Tate overcame the adversity of lockdown forcing his business to close by turning his office into a cycling cafe. Route 72 Cafe overlooks the Hadrian's Way Cycle Way and opened in July to attract the hordes of riders looking to enjoy a bacon sarnie and a coffee.

The site for the cafe is where Bruce ran his music booking business Need Music, but after learning he wasn't entitled to the government's financial support because he drew his income as company dividends, he set out to transform the office garden. The BBC explain he built a covered seating area and added a serving hatch. Route 72 Cafe has been a welcome addition to one of the UK's most popular cycling routes and on a particularly popular day it fed a group of 100 riders cycling from Newcastle to Wylam.

"I will come out of this pandemic stronger than I went in," Bruce said. "Hopefully I will have two successful businesses, instead of one."

Seems @GlasgowCC s Bike Lane Swimming Pool and leafy Soft Play are back for yet another year on the SWCW. Pool soon to be an ice rink with yet more inevitable injuries for people on bikes. Every. Blinking. Year. pic.twitter.com/eAB69mfVvx

— Chapman Crispfield (@isersmalone) November 22, 2020

A group of cyclists in Glasgow saw their local bike lane made safe for use after making signs to protest at its poor condition. The group say the South West City Way is regularly flooded and made dangerous by falling leaves. One sign welcomed users to Glasgow City Council's Swimming Pool Bike Lane. Glasgow Times reports that in previous years GoBike have campaigned for the upkeep of the key active travel route.

Iona Shepherd of GoBike said: "The problem with leaves clogging up the South West City Way and the ice that covers it in the winter is not a new one. We really need a regular schedule of leaf clearing, in the same vein as the council’s gritting schedule, to help keep the path safe for cyclists.

"The South West City Way and other bike lanes similar to this in the city are really the motorways for cyclists, and it would be unthinkable for the council to ignore these important routes for drivers so why are cyclists ignored? There shouldn’t have to be signs put up to embarrass the council into taking action."

Thanks @GlasgowCC for clearing the leaves on SWCW today. How can we ensure this happens automatically each autumn without the need for embarrassing signs? Can we suggest the leaf clearing schedule for cycle ways and pavements is changed to match the winter gritting priorities? 👍 pic.twitter.com/UbKtS4uRf1

— Chapman Crispfield (@isersmalone) November 24, 2020

WORLD CUP OF GREAT UK CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE
The 24 groups for Round 1 are now set. No further correspondence will be entered into. The first votes start on Wednesday. Be prepared to defend you nomination. #CyclingInfraWorldCup PDF available here https://t.co/Ix7by07hmH pic.twitter.com/6OstFtvxON

— The Ranty Highwayman (Highly Commended 😬) (@RantyHighwayman) November 30, 2020

It's not all rubbish cycle lanes and dangerous roundabouts on the blog. The World Cup of UK Cycling Infrastructure gets underway today and gives you the chance to defend your local bike lane. Celebrating some of the better routes the UK has to offer the voting started this morning. Pundits and fans alike have suggested Group 17 is the group of death, pitting The Cuckoo Trail and the impressive Valley Gardens against the big city favourite, CS3. 

Loyal followers of cycling infrastructure in Gloucestershire were left disappointed but not surprised at their omission from the tournament...

Great bit of fun on the countdown to Christmas, and a chance to see what carefully thought through, people focussed cycling infrastructure really looks like. No surprise Gloucestershire doesn't feature, but we can dream of a day when there's local ambition to match this. https://t.co/84pNcV0Umv

— Better Cycling Cheltenham (@BetterToCycle) December 2, 2020