Bike lane van driver gets 'you park like a c***' sticker; Merckx: Cav not GOAT sprinter; 12% of Brits want a bike for Christmas; Lizzie Deignan's new kit day; Esports World Championships; Cargo bike Christmas tree delivery + more on the live blog

Loads of tweets and merchandise customers coming from @roadcc's lovely article about a YPLAC fan this morning. Keep the orders coming. Tell a friend. 🙏 https://t.co/JL4AP4qEqe

— You Party Like a C*** (@YPLAC) December 9, 2021

You Park Like a C*** has seen a spike in orders since we dropped that bike lane van driver story on the live blog this morning...their tweet above answers all the questions about where you can get your own...

Jon Fell saw the photos of the van and wondered, "Remind me. Why don't we cyclists use cycle lanes?"

Paul Cooke backs his skills..."It's paked in the right direction to bunny jump a mountain bike on to and over it, pretty sure they would think about parking there next time."

TheMaso reckons YPLAC has room for expansion, "Can we get some 'YDLAC' stickers too? For when you catch up to them at the lights." Secret Squirrel wants them A4 size...

It wasn't all in favour, however, bobbinogs commented: "I understand the sentiment in the YPLAC...but I don't see most drivers (who have been stickered) changing their behaviour, and it will likely just lead to a more entrenched "cyclists are xxxx and the next one I see will get the closest close pass in history" attitude. It is like a race to the bottom."

Anymore thoughts?

Really enjoyed making this kit, I painted it by hand and then scanned it in for it to be designed properly and then made by @rapha ! It’s been incredible the amount of support we’ve received off of it. If you still want to pre order a jersey or buy a cap, you have until Sunday! pic.twitter.com/Lq4YRT1N10

— AlecBriggs/ Pedaler (@Alec_Pedaler) December 9, 2021

Here you go, Trek-Segafredo...here's how you do it. No boring clean white kits allowed at Tekkerz... 

Police joked they'd been involved in the Tour de Charminster after intercepting a suspect, finding Class A drugs. A Bournemouth Police spokesperson told the Bournemouth Echo: "Quick thinking and quicker feet led to an abrupt end to this male's Tour de Charminster Cycle Race!"

Police say the man made off on a bike at 1.20pm in Grafton Road, Charminster, Bournemouth yesterday afternoon but was quickly apprehended by a mobile police unit. A 42-year-old man is assisting officers with their investigation.

You can't carry a vacuum cleaner on a bicycle. Checkmate cycling lobby. @CantCarryCycle
Just look how happy this vacuum is on a bicycle! pic.twitter.com/WN0Tp27Otf

— CycleGaz™ (@cyclegaz) December 9, 2021

My first thought? The soigneurs will be gutted if it's another wet Roubaix. That's one sparkly white kit...

Santini has created this sharp design for the Trek-Segafredo boys and girls to wear next season. All the kits are made from recycled fabrics: Ecofabric RECY by Corno, which, as the names suggests, is an eco-friendly product made from yarn recycled from used materials and those discarded in the environment, and Sitip’s Native – Ecoknit, also made from recycled fibres and yarns without the use of polluting chemicals.

There are a few nice colour touches to distinguish the men's and women's kits, notably that light blue/red stripe (not the beer) across the chest. Thoughts? Pretty stylish, but maybe not one for unpredictable UK climate...

The UCI and Zwift has confirmed the 50 riders that will progress from the open Continental Qualifiers, and compete for their nations at the UCI Cycling Esports Word Championships 2022, that’s taking place on 26 February. 

Races across five continents saw a total of 550 eligible riders take to the start line for a chance to represent their country and out of the ten successful female riders from Europe, five British riders qualified for a place in the final: Zoe Langham, Mary Wilkinson, Illi Gardner, Alice Lethbridge and Lou Bates. No male riders from the UK made the cut. 

The Word Championship race will be held on the Knickerbocker Circuit in Zwift’s New York, where rolling roads and steep gradients will make for a thrilling, selective race.

Eddy Merckx is never short of an opinion, and this week gave his two cents on the big names in the peloton. Speaking on Eurosport, Merckx reflected on Mark Cavendish's summer..."I wouldn't say Mark is the greatest sprinter of all time, but he is one of the greatest. There have been so many top sprinters who have also won many stages. But he's a really nice guy and I wouldn't have had a problem with it if he had beaten my record. I have a lot of appreciation for Cavendish."

> Mark Cavendish “violently attacked” in armed robbery at his Essex home

Next up was Remco Evenepoel, the often touted heir to Merckx's throne, a rider the five-time Tour de France winner hasn't shied away from criticising in the past. Merckx told Het Nieuwsblad he admires his compatriot's character, but "if there really is only one leader, you shouldn't take Evenepoel with you." A comment seemingly referring to Evenepoel's rogue tactics at the World Championships and Olympics.

"I admire his character. He is a rider of great class and very strong. The problem is that he turned pro too early and skipped the other categories. As a result, he misses something in his preparation. I hope he can make up for that in the coming years and show that he is a super champion."

On Van Aert, Merckx had little to say that we didn't already know...he's "super strong" and a "real champion".

We've long since enjoyed the 'You Park Like a C***' Twitter account. It's pretty self-explanatory...they upload all the best (worst) snaps of drivers parked like...well, you get the idea. We're enjoying it even more since the account name was changed to 'You Party Like a C***'... I wonder who that could be aimed at?

They've got stickers too if you really want to let someone know how dangerous and inconsiderate their parking is. That's exactly what Steve did...

"One sticker down, 499 to go..." he captioned his pics of this van driver making use of that lovely segregated car park on the side of the road...

Steve said he "even waited around for a minute in case it was a delivery driver (who I have some degree of sympathy for at this time of year). Nope, it's just abandoned there."

One sticker down, 499 to go... pic.twitter.com/PdHuclKSBi

— Steve 🇵🇸 (@Lollercake) December 8, 2021

And just like that the interest in the stickers started to roll in, while others shared stories of placing a couple on the morning commute...

Helloooo https://t.co/JL4AP4rcfM

— You Party Like a C*** (@YPLAC) December 8, 2021