It’s fair to say the opening nine days of the new year have been fairly frenetic when it comes to news. And I’m only talking about our niche, little world of cycling (if you’re looking for Ruben Amorim or Trump chats, I’m sure there are a few football and politics podcasts knocking around the internet).
Which means there was lots to discuss when we convened for our first podcast discussion of 2026. In this week’s episode, we dissect everything from the surprise retirement announcement of one of Britain’s greatest ever cyclists, British Cycling’s decision to construct a paywall for the national cyclocross championships, and the very important matter of ranking this year’s fresh batch of cycling kits.
Oh, and something inconsequential about the government’s attitudes to cycling…
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On Wednesday, the Department for Transport unveiled its new Road Safety Strategy, which it says will save thousands of lives on the UK’s roads by tackling drink driving, improving training for young motorists, introducing mandatory eye tests for drivers over 70, and targeting mobile phone use at the wheel.
The strategy, the government’s first published road safety plan in over a decade, forms part of Labour’s stated ambition to reduce deaths and serious injuries on Britain’s roads by 65 per cent in the next ten years.
However, the role of cycling and cyclists on the roads barely warranted a mention in the strategy, though people who travel to work by bike will be included as part of a National Work-Related Road Safety Charter pilot.
So, where does this leave cycling in the eyes of the Labour government? Is Keir Starmer serious about improving cycling infrastructure and making the roads safer for people on bikes? Or should we simply welcome Labour’s apparent attempt to clamp down on dangerous driving, while also acknowledging that more can be done?
Simon Yates, stage 10, 2025 Tour de France (credit: ASO/Billy Ceusters)
Elsewhere, Ryan, Dan, and new recruit Callum (plus Duran Duran bassist John Taylor – it’s a long story) give our immediate reactions to the news that Giro and Vuelta winner Simon Yates has quit cycling, and assess the Bury climber’s place in the pantheon on British cycling greats.
The national cyclocross championships are also coming up this weekend, with British Cycling’s decision to trial a £2.99 subscription for fans to watch the action in South Shields on YouTube coming under scrutiny. Is it a good idea?
Finally, it’s early January, which means just one thing – the entire cycling world transforms into Milan Fashion Week, as we cast our sartorially questionable eyes, Zoolander-style, over the peloton’s fresh batch of new kits. Who says cyclists don’t know anything about fashion? Actually, best not answer that one…
And, before I forget, the official road.cc Vodcast is now up and running on our YouTube channel, with our Simon Yates debrief now available in all its audio-visual glory below. Bonus points for anyone who can spot Callum’s pop star/Tour winner housemates…
The road.cc Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music, and if you have an Alexa you can just tell it to play the road.cc Podcast. It’s also embedded above, so you can just press play.