“But we’re the entitled snowflakes”: Cyclists baffled as right-wing group calls for Elon Musk DOGE-style clampdown on “unethical” cycling and walking charity and its “taxpayer-funded, deeply undemocratic restrictions on motorists” + more on the live blog

The Daily Telegraph may currently lead the way when it comes to consistent, confusing, and often hysterical attacks on all things cycling – including, most recently, the Cycle to Work scheme – but don’t worry, there are plenty of other contenders vying for the newspaper’s coveted anti-cycling crown.

Because, over the weekend, the right-wing campaign group Together launched a scathing assault on national active travel charity Sustrans, which it accused of using “jaw-dropping amounts of public money” to implement “deeply unpopular and undemocratic restrictions on motorists”.

In case you weren’t aware (lucky you), Together, or the Together Declaration, or #Together, is an ‘anti-authoritarian’, astroturfing movement established in 2021 by London businessman Alan Miller to protest the government’s lockdown and vaccine measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Supported by a range of political figures, including Brexit Party stalwart Lesley Katon and former Liberal Democrat MP and Cheeky Girls groupie Lembit Opik, the group has since turned its attention to climate change and net zero, organising protests against London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) and low traffic neighbourhood schemes across the UK.

In 2023, Together co-published a report with climate science denial group Climate Debate UK, featuring the balanced, extremely academic title ‘Clean Air, Dirty Money, Filthy Politics’, which argued that clean air policies “are not based on science, and are not democratic” (Oh, and the group also offers a £250-a-year ‘independence’ membership, which includes a #together t-shirt and “priority live event tickets”, whatever that means).

> Telegraph claims “rich, Lycra-clad cyclists tearing through red lights” are riding “hugely expensive” bikes paid for by taxpayer in “nasty” tirade against Cycle to Work scheme

And now, Together has set its sights on its latest, ‘evil’, authoritarian target: cycling and walking charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network, Sustrans.

In November, we reported that the active travel charity could be set for “substantial” staffing cuts, after its budget was slashed by a third following government funding cuts and amid uncertainty over its financial future.

However, according to Together, all that wasn’t enough. Instead, the organisation claims that Sustrans is need of the kind of budget-slashing approach currently being implemented in the United States by Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) – which is going swimmingly, of course.

In a rant, sorry article, titled ‘Public Money, But Whose Agenda? Sustrans a UK DOGE’s Dream’ and published at the weekend, Together wrote: “In the US, DOGE has exposed how many ‘Non-Governmental’ Organisations and civil groups receive public funds – only to lobby for policies the government bureaucracy already wants.

“In doing so, these unaccountable organisations provide a veneer of objectivity, and often the illusion of grassroots demand for certain policies. At the same time, they insulate politicians from the accountability that would be central to a healthy democracy.

“Ben Pile’s report for Together… showed how a handful of ‘green’ billionaires were massively funding questionable organisations.

“We should also be asking who our government is funding, and to what ends. For example, Sustrans – the charity that is very, very keen on cycling and ‘Active Travel’ (AKA restrictions on motorists) – is in receipt of jaw-dropping amounts of public money.”

> “You can’t even build a home extension without financial certainty”: Active travel charity Sustrans facing “substantial” job losses, as budget slashed by a third following government funding cuts

The article goes on to point to the £93 million funding awarded to Sustrans from Transport Scotland, as well as the £3.5m it received in Wales between 2015 and 2022 (which last time I checked, isn’t an awful lot when it comes to the government over eight years).

“So what is the taxpayer getting for all this money?” Together asked.

“A LOT of cycle lanes by dint of narrowing roads is the first part of the answer. This while it’s apparently impossible to maintain the roads properly – the average repair bill for damage caused by potholes is now £144, while the Asphalt Industry Alliance calculates it would cost £16.81 billion to get the roads to an ideal condition.

“Sustrans’ history of being soaked in public money actually began with £42.5 million grant from the Millennium Commission to establish the National Cycle Network.

“Sustrans staff seem well-rewarded too – chief executive Xavier Brice gets at least £140,000 and four other senior Sustrans staff earn at least £100,000 a year.”

> “Don’t leave girls behind”: Calls to address gender gap for children cycling, as new report finds almost twice as many boys ride bikes as girls – and 80% of children want traffic-free routes and pavement parking bans

The group then argued that “the taxpayer is also supporting Sustrans to lobby government for deeply unpopular and undemocratic restrictions on motorists” by noting the group’s support for LTNs and 20mph zones (including the role played by Lee Waters, the former director of Sustrans Cymru, in implementing the lowered speed limits in Wales).

Musk vs the National Cycle Network? (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

“All of this raises serious questions about the relationship between government and Sustrans,” Together continued.

“Why is an unelected, unaccountable charity having such an influence on public policy? Why is the taxpayer funding them to lobby for unpopular policies?

“Maybe it’s time for some DOGE-style activity in the UK… At Together, we’re calling time on this unethical state of affairs. It’s not acceptable for politicians to fund external groups for lobbying, particularly when those groups are pushing for unpopular policies that blight peoples’ lives.  

“We’ve been campaigning vigorously against the attack on public mobility for some time, organising meetings with local communities and supporting them in their fight against unreasonable restrictions.

“We’ve had many successes, helping to get undemocratic LTNs up and down the land cancelled. Now we’re increasingly shining a light on the financial side of the problem, and how politicians are using public funds to impose their ideological agendas, wasting huge amounts of money that could be spent on things which actually benefit people.

“Often, they do so through dubious partnerships which conceal the real agenda, presenting policies as if they’ve come from local communities. And, as the contracts for Sustrans to promote Active Travel in schools illustrate, the taxpayer is being drained for this game. 

“All this needs to be exposed. We need to create a situation where public money is spent wisely and well, in a transparent and accountable manner, in the interests of the people who provided it.”

Hmmm…

Unsurprisingly, Together’s lengthy diatribe against Sustrans hasn’t gone down too well with cyclists.

(credit: Sustrans)

“So, Sustrans is evil, apparently,” one cyclist told road.cc after reading the post. “It’s f*** all of f*** all.”

Referring to a local pro-motoring Facebook page in Dorset, which opposes anti-cycling infrastructure in the area, sharing the post, the cyclist continued: “I’ve just commuted six miles in the dark and wet and they’re whinging about improvements to a half-mile stretch.

“The council is about to introduce our first large 20mph zone, so their heads are about to explode so they were absolutely ready to believe any conspiracy theories!

“But we’re the entitled snowflakes…”

Keir Starmer’s announcement this morning that £1.6bn will be spent fixing Britain’s broken roads – pending some homework from local councils – hasn’t gone down too well with Transport Action Network, who say the amount pledged by Labour to tackle the country’s pothole problem is in in fact “one tenth of what’s required”.

The campaign group, which last year took the previous Conservative government’s decision to slash cycling and walking funding in England to the Court of Appeal, have also questioned Labour’s pledge to provide National Highways with £4.8bn to implement major road projects, “when we can’t afford to look after what we’ve got”.

“While extra funding for maintenance is always welcome, the amount pledged this year is less than one tenth that is required to get our roads and pavements back into shape,” TAN’s director Chris Todd said in a statement this afternoon.

“Will drivers really be celebrating saving £59 on fuel duty when they are suffering burst tyres and damaged suspension, higher insurance bills and more stressful journeys? Wouldn’t they rather pay a little more so that roads can be fixed properly, or for better alternatives?

“This makes the announcement of new road schemes equally depressing. When we can’t afford to look after what we’ve got, why on earth are we building even more?

“Repairing existing roads is far better for the economy, but unfortunately doesn’t present politicians with opportunities to dress up in high-viz and cut ribbons. Often just getting the basics right is better for taxpayers and boosting growth. Hopefully an integrated national transport strategy will help get these priorities right.”

Should councils have access to police close pass data in order to assist in planning and implementing infrastructure to make the roads safer?

That is the question one cyclist has posed after discovering that his local council cannot currently look at information such as close pass reports made to the area’s police force.

Read more: > “A massive opportunity to make roads safer”: Police reveal councils don’t currently have access to close pass data, as cyclist urges forces and local authorities to work together

One of my favourite races of the season, the Volta a Catalunya, is underway this afternoon, as Primož Roglič looks to hone his form ahead of his Giro-Tour double attempt this summer and Egan Bernal returns to racing following his crash at the Clásica Jaén last month.

And it looks like the mountainous week-long stage race is carrying on the proud March 2025 tradition, seen already at Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, and the start of Milan-Sanremo, of grim, grim weather conditions:

Delightful.

After yet another excruciating near miss for Tadej Pogačar at Milan-Sanremo – the monument that looks set to haunt the world champion until he finally cracks it – UAE Team Emirates’ attention now turns to the upcoming cobbled classics campaign… and, more specifically, to the question that’s dominated the cycling gossip pages all year.

Will Pogačar finally make his debut at Paris-Roubaix?

Last month, the Slovenian superstar set tongues wagging by posting a video of himself training on the jagged cobbles of the Arenberg Forest, the Hell of the North’s most infamous sector, during a surprise recon with domestique deluxe Tim Wellens.

However, after his high-speed crash at Strade Bianche a few weeks ago (which didn’t stop him winning, of course), Pogačar’s team boss Mauro Gianetti warned his rider against taking to the start line in Compiègne, arguing that Paris-Roubaix “can be too dangerous” and that a bad crash on the cobbles could “jeopardise” his bid for a fourth Tour de France.

> Tadej Pogačar tests himself on the jagged cobbles of the infamous Arenberg Forest during Paris-Roubaix-themed training ride… Is the world champion finally ready to tackle the Hell of the North?

However, speaking after Pogačar’s third-place finish in Sanremo, Gianetti was a little more receptive to the idea of a Hell of the North debut and another showdown with Mathieu van der Poel.

“The goal was to ride Milan-Sanremo and then we’d calmly make a decision on Paris-Roubaix and look to the future,” the UAE Team Emirates manager told Cyclingnews. “In the next two or three days we’ll decide.”

One former pro backing Pogačar to take on Paris-Roubaix’s brutal cobbles in the rainbow jersey is Tom Danielson, the ex-Discovery Channel and Garmin stage racer, who says riding the Hell of the North will enable the Slovenian to eek out as much of his classics form as possible – and reckons the dangers of the race haven’t even crossed the Slovenian’s mind.

“I think Pogačar will race Paris-Roubaix,” the American wrote on Twitter last night.

“My guess, and it is a guess, is that he wants to fully capitalise on the commitment he has put into training for the classics. While it looks like he just shows up and races well at these races, months and months of training specifically has gone into this focus this season.

“Second, I believe he wants to win Paris-Roubaix in the rainbow jersey. There is no guarantee he will have it for next season so the time to try is now.

“As for the danger, I don’t think that is on his mind. Every race is dangerous as we saw last year in Pays Basque and this year in Paris-Nice.

“In fact, every ride is dangerous as we saw with Remco on his training ride. I would guess this is his perspective and for that a chance to win this iconic race in the rainbow jersey is worth the risk.”

We’ll soon see…

BikeOn says its CycleClick power meter will attach to your bike chain in seconds without tools and provide accuracy comparable to a high-end device at a pre-launch price of just US$149. So, what exactly is going on here?

> A 70g power meter with tool-free installation for £115? What’s the catch?

Well, Saturday was a half-decent day for bike racing, wasn’t it?

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Lorena Wiebes (@lorenawiebes)

First up, the first women’s Sanremo in two decades didn’t disappoint. In a frenetic finale, the greatest sprinter of her generation Lorena Wiebes duly outsprinted a small group containing the best cyclists in the world to win, after her domestique deluxe/world champion SD Worx teammate Lotte Kopecky shut down a brilliant, do or die attack by Italian champ Elisa Longo Borghini – as well as the hopes and dream of an entire nation – in the final few hundred metres.

(And for all your Sanremo naysayers out there, I’m willing to bet that the women’s Primavera will only get better and better over the next few years – especially once Demi Vollering realises where the top of the Poggio is, anyway.)

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Milano Sanremo (@milanosanremo_)

And then, later in the afternoon, there was the men’s race.

UAE Team Emirates and Tadej Pogačar ripping up three decades worth of Sanremo scripts to blow the race apart on the Cipressa with over 20km to go. Those relentless, blistering attacks from the world champion.

Mathieu van der Poel’s dogged determination, mouth agape, visibly struggling, to answer everything Pogačar threw at him. Filippo Ganna’s superb, steady response of his own, locked in his own world, driving his way back into contention, even at the death.

Van der Poel’s nonchalant bottle grab on the Poggio. The Dutchman’s resolute attack near the top. That chaotic three-up sprint. The pure drama of it all.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by MVDP (@mathieuvanderpoel)

Saturday’s Milan-Sanremo was a race for the ages – only Gerald Ciolek’s 2013 victory in biblical, brutal conditions really rivals it in the modern era of La Classicissima – and one brilliantly indicative of this wonderful, enthralling, golden generation of bike racing we’re currently watching.

And it could potentially change how Sanremo is raced for the foreseeable future. Pogačar’s attack on the Cipressa – despite failing on a personal level – showed that the days of waiting for the Poggio are over, that long-range attacking verve can triumph along the classical constraints of the Italian Riviera.

That first race-winning move to go on the Cipressa since the mid-1990s also, unsurprisingly, smashed the record set by Gabriele Colombo on the four per cent climb in 1996, Pogačar, Van der Poel, and Ganna’s mind-boggling 8.45 on Saturday blowing away Colombo’s previous best mark of 9.19.

And, if you believe Van der Poel and Pogačar’s banter over on Instagram, we could be in for an even bigger treat this time next year…

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Tadej Pogačar (@tadejpogacar)

“Congrats Mathieu and Filippo. Glad to share the podium with such legends, but don’t be fooled, I will be back for more with an amazing team, who did a superb job keeping me safe, leading me out, changing my clothes and feeding me,” the world champion wrote on Instagram yesterday.

“Couldn’t ask for better atmosphere these days, thank you boys, on to the next goals.”

“Near year Cipressa under eight minutes?” Van der Poel cheekily replied in the comments.

“I am analysing right now, we can go a bit faster. Like 59 seconds,” Pogačar shot back.

And with the world champ hell bent on adding that elusive Sanremo title to his list of monument triumphs, I really wouldn’t put it past him next March…

Flanders in two weeks – or MVDP v Pogi II – is going to be very fun, indeed.

Is this radial spoked, radial disc contraption, bought for a few quid at a car boot sale, the scariest front wheel you’ve ever seen?

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by kd753 (@kd753)

That looks… fun…

A new study suggests that electric scooter schemes appear to reduce the risk of cycling collisions by around 20 per cent, as University of Bristol researchers stated their findings “support the ‘safety in numbers’ hypothesis” that people become safer as the number of micromobility transport users increases.

Read more: > “Safety in numbers”: Electric scooter schemes reduce cyclist collisions by 20%, new study suggests