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Sustrans has announced the details of 63 projects throughout England that have been approved by the New Opportunities Fund under its Green Routes, Safe Routes umbrella programme.

Steve Norris, the chair of the National Cycling Strategy Board, has angered safety campaigners by saying he'd look like a "Martian" in a cycle helmet. Cycling should be "something that normal, fat, middle-aged men like me do. If you are a young child you wear a helmet. My little four-year-old does. I don't."

John Mousell, the former operations director of Halfords, is planning to bid for the business, which Boots Co PLC, hopes to demerge or sell for about £400m, reports the Financial Times

Many of the smaller companies present at Harrogate's International Cycle Convention report writing up some good business. But many of the bigger companies have complained at the dearth of IBDs. So, what can be done?

Giant UK has launched its IBD-friendly G-Day programme, the main component of which is a B2B website. This has now gone live for UK accounts and will be rolled out Euro-wide later in the year. The Giant stand at Harrogate’s International Cycle Convention is packed with bigwigs from Giant in Taiwan and Lelystad, including Giant president Tony Lo and Giant Europe’s president Jan Derkson and Giant Europe VP John Koo. And the international aspect continues: Giant UK is to stock US-designed Giant bikes rather than Euro ones.