Both events are evidence of one thing. That thousands of (often overweight) middle-aged middle managers are now throwing themselves willingly onto the nation's roads every weekend. You only need to take a trip to Richmond Park on a Saturday morning for further proof. The rise of the saddle-based weekend jolly is no terrible thing - cycling is a great sport, offering a myriad of health benefits, and its uptake is to be encouraged. But what worries me is that many of these cyclists don't learn the basic safety lessons of road cycling in a group before hitting the tarmac. By failing to do so, they endanger their own lives and the lives of others.