Van driver covers number plate to avoid LTN cameras; Cycling in -50c; Pros react to UCI rule changes; Charity cyclist bins 'Scrap the Mask' slogan due to Covid; Bull charges through race; How Pedal Me deliver faster when it snows + more on the live blog

You may have seen our winter cycling survival guide earlier today offering you tips on how to keep riding during our one week of snowy conditions each year. But what about when it's -50°C outside? YouTuber Lorenzo Barone has got you covered. Excluding what look like industrial oven gloves, stuffed with fur and mounted onto the handlebars, Lorenzo's set up isn't too different to what you might expect. Follow Lorenzo's tips and you've got no excuse (other than you're soft like me) to hide inside on the turbo this week...

I suspect a lot of people could use a personal challenge right now.

So let's do a Treeathlon.

Swim, bike, run or wheel further than you've ever gone before and I'll plant a tree for you. Simple.

Challenge yourself for 2021. Details here: https://t.co/NDix0pU3Jp

— Ian Walker (@ianwalker) February 1, 2021

Environmental psychologist Ian Walker has challenged you to cycle, swim, run or wheel further than you've done before to get a tree planted. Just send him a tweet or an email with proof of your efforts and he'll use a £1,000 pot set aside from his last book's sales to fund Tees not Trees to plant a new bit of greenery on your behalf. The challenge started on February 1 and you've got until the pot runs out. Get on your bike, complete a big ride and get a tree planted. Tree-mendous.  

Another reason why cameras are a poor substitute for physical filters in #LTNs - this bozo is planning to cut thru the camera-controlled emergency access route on our road. Thankfully our LTN has planters everywhere else. #FiltersWork 👍@BowesLTN @CarolineRussell @Ianbarnes2001 pic.twitter.com/WCZ3AcyQdC

— Warwick Road Action Group (@WarwickRoadAG) February 8, 2021

At the end of January we shared the news that low traffic neighbourhood (LTNs) planters in Sutton and Croydon could be replaced by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. The experimental scheme was touted to replace the current planters at various locations in the two London boroughs. However, Warwick Road Action Group posted this photo to suggest it may not be a good idea. In the photos, a van driver can be seen covering his number plate to avoid getting caught by cameras at an LTN in north London.

Many replies pointed out that in the time taken to cover his number plate he probably could have just driven  the new route...

This bloke was happy to freeze his fingers, sticking paper to his licence plate. But a detour of a minute or two in his warm van is too much. 🙄

— Knoxy (@knoxyface) February 8, 2021

Sad to see, but it's an unfortunate reality that measures that rely on enforcement can't be watertight, as we've seen with speed limits too. Better to look to well designed physical infrastructure first https://t.co/A3NNyaq2s2

— Healthy Streets Bruce Grove & West Green (@BGWG_Streets) February 8, 2021

Alpecin-Fenix will target the opening week with Mathieu van der Poel at the Tour de France this summer. The team say they aren't looking beyond the opening stages which look very well suited to their star rider. Van der Poel has previously suggested he may consider leaving the Tour on the second rest day to prepare for the Olympics. The Dutchman fresh off his fourth world cyclo-cross title is due to return to racing at the opening WorldTour race of the year, the UAE Tour, in a couple of weeks.

Team manager Christoph Roodhooft told Cyclingnews that Van der Poel's ambitions will be the team's primary aim during their first appearance at the Tour. "We’ll see how it goes in the first week. It’s a big adventure for all of us," he said. "We’ll go into the race focused just on the first week, and then we’ll see what happens after that. We don’t have the same level of team as Jumbo-Visma so for us it will be a completely different approach. We’ll pick the days that we think will particularly suit us before the Tour, but we won’t go there with any ambitions for the general classification."

The opening week of the Tour includes a couple of days with rolling hills, including a hilltop finish at Mûr-de-Bretagne, as well as the potential for crosswinds on the sprint stages.

Armed police on Teesside made an arrest after they spotted two men carrying a boiler while riding bikes. Teesside Live says the cops were responding to a report of an ongoing burglary when they spotted the strange sight. A member of the public reported the crime after hearing noises coming from an empty property at 4.25am on Sunday. Officers arrested one of the men who attempted to make off with the boiler a short distance away. He has since been released under investigation, pending further enquiries. 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Bike | Sky | Snow | Adventure (@adventure.man.sam)

Sam Clarke, an adventurer and charity cyclist, changed his 'Scrap the Mask' slogan following criticism from strangers who wrongly assumed he opposed use of face coverings. The 'Scrap the Mask' slogan was meant to encourage people to share their struggles and not hide behind a mask. Sam has adopted Adventure Man Sam as the new name for his YouTube channel, where he documents his cycling adventures.

"There was no harm in it then and it was a completely apolitical metaphor but in the current climate it has become very political," Sam told the Henley Standard. "Adventure Man Sam was the name I planned to use when I launched my blog in 2013 but I’ve had to rebrand because most people will always associate ‘Scrap the Mask’ with Covid. Unfortunately, I’m still wearing a T-shirt that says ‘Scrap the Mask’ in most of my footage but I can add a note on screen so people know what it’s really about."

Sam was diagnosed with Alport syndrome when he was two and will have to undergo dialysis later in life but doesn't let his situation affect his charity work. In 2019, he spent 10 months cycling across Europe while completing 25 skydives on the way. Sam planned to ride to Albania and only ended the trip to avoid being stranded during the pandemic. Last summer he completed Land's End to John O'Groats instead, taking his fundraising above £20,000.

#Ciclismo |Esto ocurrió durante la salida de la 5ta etapa del Tour Por La Paz en Jalapa.
Un toro asustado, se abalanzó sobre los ciclistas que esperaban salida. Afortunadamente nadie salió herido. El animal siguió su rumbo y los pedalistas lograron salir.
Vía Duro Al Pedal 🚴‍♂️🐃 pic.twitter.com/OV7kBJ7MB4

— Stereo100Noticias (@stereo100xela) February 7, 2021

The riders at the Tour por la Paz (Tour for Peace) in Guatemala got a fright at the start line of stage five. A bull somehow found itself on the road and charged through the race. As spectators jumped into race vehicles, the riders and motorcyclists following the race scattered in all directions. According to local news nobody was hurt in the incident and the bull was eventually moved on...

In 2019, Mathieu van der Poel was chased over the finish line by a dog during a cyclo-cross race in Belgium.