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Yesterday, BikeBiz.com ran a news item about the first details of the Tour of Britain to be revealed since the event was mooted last year. Today, mainstream newspapers are running the story and event director Tony Doyle told The Telegraph that the event has "massive potential" and should be supported by "manufacturers" so that cycling gets a "Tim Henman", able to take on the best in the Tour de France.

Serotta Bikes of the US is getting used to press interest in its $3000+ machines. It helps to have a presidential candidate riding one of your bikes, perhaps even better when the candidate falls off. "We can't make a fall-proof bike," Ben Serotta told his local newspaper, The Saratogian.

The Tour of Britain's website is just a holding page, there's only one confirmed stage finishing point and there are no big bucks sponsors, but stage a successful Tour in September and the Tour of Britain could be a different kettle of coconuts in 2005. High-profile trustees for the not-for-profit owner of the Tour are being sweet-talked right now...

There have been many bicycle helmet studies undertaken worldwide. Edinburgh University's Professor Aziz Sheikh and colleagues from the Health Commission and Imperial College London have read four of them, and, in a top medical journal, are arguing Eric Martlew's kid-lid bill didn't go far enough, all cyclists should be forced to wear cycle helmets. Professor Sheikh's views have been picked up by the Press Association and syndicated helmet stories are starting to appear all over the mainstream media.

It's taken weeks and weeks for the various stakeholders to cross the t's and dot the i's but, finally, here's the first confirmation that the Tour of Britain will take to the roads this September. And it'll be broadcast by the beeb, too...