The Cycling Pulse

The Pulse unearths the best cycling videos, stories, tweets and gossip every day - use the icons above to share with your mates.

VIDEO (30/09): Mark Cavendish wins so many races that he's had plenty of opportunity to finetune his style of celebration. That wasn't always the case as this old clip of the Manx Express shows.

VIDEO (23/09): Mark Cavendish became Britain's first world champion for 46 years in Copenhagen on Sunday. See how the Manxman did it...

STORY (21/09): Organisers at the Cycling Road World Championships in Copenhagen suffered a major headache when they woke up on Monday morning to find that the driver of a road-sweeping machine had obliterated much of the finishing line and covered sections of the track in oil. Organisers managed to get the route ready in time following a two-hour panic before the junior women's time trial.

VIDEO (20/09): Ride on board with BMX rider Chad Kagy as he gets nicely airborne. It's slightly dizzying to be honest.

VIDEO (14/09): 'Ouch' is probably the best way to describe this one as a mountain biker meets a wall.

VIDEO (09/09): This is how you mountain bike in the wet. A truly remarkable effort, all rounded off by some bonkers commentary. The highlight of it all comes with the commentator's final words. Well worth watching to the end.

VIDEO (09/06): Britain is in the midst of going for its first ever Vuelta a Espana winner. Ireland have won it before, though. Check out highlights of how Sean Kelly achieved the feat in 1988.

VIDEO (29/08): Let's be honest, cycling's never looked so fun as it does in this Japanese clip of the new craze in the country of water cycling. We're not sure it'll catch on in the UK.

STORY (25/08): Team Sky rider Kurt-Asle Arvesen is continuing to ride in the Vuelta a Espana despite crashing at 70kph yesterday into a child who crossed the road. Amazingly both of them escaped relatively unscathed.

VIDEO (22/08): The Vuelta a Espana - or Tour of Spain - started at the weekend with key Brits Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins among the riders. Behind the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia it is the world's biggest annual cycling road stage race. Anyway, check out this footage from the 1985 race with the likes of Pedro Delgado unleashing himself down some poorly laid roads.

VIDEO (19/08): British BMX rider Shanaze Reade will tackle the Olympic course over the next two days in her event. Here's part one of an insight into what majes her tick.

STORY (19/08): A bike made solely from wood, which we've featured on cycling pulse in the past, has set a land-speed record. The SplinterBike clocked a speed of 11.25mph - not that impressive initially until you realise that is made using solely wood and glue. The team behind it believe they can set a top time of 31mph.

VIDEO (17/08): We've featured cyclist Danny Macaskill before in The Pulse but here's his latest impressive mountain biking outing as he leaps to and from a variety of different obstacles. Cracking viewing.

VIDEO (17/08): Here's the Red Bull BMX cycling boys on their latest road trip.

VIDEO (16/08): British sprint sensation Mark Cavendish has revealed he was bullied at school and hits out at those who bullied him in this BBC clip.

STORY (15/08): Mark Cavendish picked up another win at the Olympic test event for the 2012 road race at the weekend. But the professional riders got a bit of a shock on the apparently closed roads as one amateur briefly led the the way on a steel-framed bike much to the delight of the crowds

VIDEO (05/08): The Tour de France ended two weeks ago and it's considerably longer since the end of the 1974 Tour de France of course. Anyway, check out this grainy footage from that particular race when it visited Plymouth - we particularly like the Plymouth official chatting with his flowery tie and the couple passing by on their tandem.

VIDEO (04/08): The cycling link is tenuous but this is too good and random not to include. It involves the Mayor of Vilnius, a keen cyclist, who was fed up of people parking in cycle lanes so drove over a Mercedes in an armoured vehicle.

VIDEO (03/08): Mark Cavendish had an absolutely belting Tour de France and entertained both on the road and also with his race-long tweets. Anyway, check out his very frank interview with ex-Formula 1 BBC commentator Jonathan Legard.

VIDEO (02/08): Check out the bicycle of the future, one that can be controlled by your mind apparently.

VIDEO (01/08): Shanaze Reade had recovered from a broken wrist to defend her BMX world title in Copenhagen at the weekend but the only problem was that her pedals locked to leave her trailing dead last.

VIDEO (28/07): Here's a few BMX tricks to get you going this morning. There's quite a repertoire here from the riders in question and, stick with it, they get more impressive.

VIDEO (27/07): Thinking about a leisurely commute to work? Well, you'd probably best avoid this particular driver. Watch him as he gets out to punch a cyclist he thought was blocking him from overtaking. We're not sure he's one to 'Think Bike'!

VIDEO (25/07): Alberto Contador might not have been able to win this year's Tour de France but he can certainly pack a punch as this particular spectator on the climb up Alpe d'Huez found out.

VIDEO (22/07): Andy Schleck stormed to victory on stage 18 of the Tour de France yesterday. Cue the celebrations, a slightly different situation to post-stage 18 of last year's Tour after which he was hob-nobbing with Hollywood A-listers Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.

VIDEO (21/07): The Tour de France riders have been hurtling down some particularly steep descents, most recently the drop down the Pramatino yesterday. Anyway, if you want to get a feeling of what it's like, check this video clip from an amateur's handlebars as he tackles it. It's quite hard work.

VIDEO (21/07): For all you Tour de France anoraks with 20 minutes to spare, this is well worth a watch. It's a documentary of the 1962 Tour. It's better if you speak French but the footage is excellent.

VIDEO (21/07): Our final clip of the day and not for the faint-hearted. I can't say I'd personally give it a go as these two fellas hurtle down terrain in Utah with only a sheer rockface either side.

VIDEO (20/07): If you missed Thor Hushovd's latest Tour de France win then fear not. Here's highlights of his win, Alberto Contador's mountain break, Cadel Evans' crazy cycling downhill and the Schleck brothers appear to crack.

VIDEO (19/07): Lance Armstrong certainly knows how to drum up a crowd judging by this video. He tweeted to ask who was up for a bike ride in Dornoch, Sutherland, and the turn-out was pretty impressive for a sleepy little place.

VIDEO (18/07): For those of you with a bit more time on their hands, check out highlights of yesterday's Tour de France stage, the 15th of this year's race. It ends in some style as Mark Cavendish sprints to his 19th Tour stage win in just four years.

VIDEO (18/07): If you're a fan of watching people do tricks on bikes then you'll like these increasingly impressive stunts by Scotty Cranmer.

VIDEO (15/07): Anyone else sad enough to miss the old Channel 4 Tour de France music? Well, if you are, ITV4 were kind enough to run it the other day. Stirring stuff...

VIDEO (13/07): Mark Cavendish is generally regarded as the fastest man in the world on two wheels but he just did not have enough pace to beat Andre Greipel yesterday. Check out the finish of stage 10 of the Tour de France as Greipel punched the air and Cavendish his handlebars.

GOSSIP (12/07): The Tour de France is always the time for the rumour mill to go into overdrive in the world of cycling. The most likely rumour to come to fruition is a report suggesting that HTC sprinter Mark Cavendish is on his way to Team Sky at the end of the year. Fellow sprinter Thor Hushovd is expected to make a move to BMC, where he is set to be joined by another Tour green jersey rival Philippe Gilbert.

STORY (12/07): It transpires that the France Televisions driver who caused the nasty accident on Sunday that knocked down Johnny Hoogerland and Juan Antonio Flecha did not even stop and drove off from the incident. The driver has since been banned from the Tour.

VIDEO (11/07): There are crashes and there are crashes and this, from yesterday's Tour de France, is an absolute shocker. See what happens as a France Television car bumps Juan Antonio Flecha and sends Johnny Hoogerland hurtling into a fence. Not for the faint-hearted.

VIDEO (11/07): It's been a chaotic start to the Tour. Check out the aftermath of this crash that ended with Alexander Vinkokourov flying into the trees. He had to retire afterwards.

VID (08/07): You'd imagine French farmers could have something better to do than drive around in tractors on an enormous, mock bicycle. For all its pointlessness, it's still very impressive.

VID (08/07): Sticking with the Tour de France, check out this crazy stunt 'artist' as he jumps over the riders during a mountain stage up Alpe d'Huez.

VID (08/07): Team Sky picked up their first Tour de France stage win yesterday courtesy of Edvald Boasson Hagen. Here's a behind-the-scenes tour of the team.

VIDEO (07/07): Mark Cavendish was in blistering form at yesterday's Tour de France fifth stage as he picked up his first stage win of 2011. Here's how he did it.

VID (06/07): If you're interested to find out a little more about life at the Tour de France, visit this variety of video blogs from Team Sky rider Geraint Thomas on his website. They range from chat about Thomas' haircut to a tour of the team bus and an interview with Mark Cavendish.

VIDEO (05/07): Mark Cavendish was not a happy man after being disqualified and having ten points removed from yesterday's intermediate sprint on stage three of the Tour de France. Thor Hushovd, wearing the yellow jersey in this clip, was also disqualified. Watch the clip and decide for yourselves if they did anything wrong. Looks a bit harsh to us.

VID (04/07): Welshman Geraint Thomas is just a few seconds off the lead in the Tour de France. Here he talks about his feelings in the wake of yesterday's team time trial and reveals the last time he had to visit the Tour podium he needed to borrow a woman's pair of shoes.

VID (01/07): The Tour gets going tomorrow and, at the start line, will once again by Eddy Merckx, the greatest cyclist of all time and a five-time Tour de France winner. This is the final day that Merckx would ever wear the yellow jersey and was the day he was officially broken by Bernard Thevent in 1975. Some iconic footage.

VID (29/06): Mark Cavendish is set to start this year's Tour de France on Saturday bidding to add to his 15 Tour stage wins to date. How anyone is going to stop him in the sprints is beyond us judging by the manner in which he won the most competitive sprint of the year on the Champs Elysees.

VID (27/06): Here's a clip of something called the VooDoo challenge. It involves stuntman Rob Jarman climbing up Fleetwith Pike with a mountain bike on his back and then freewheeling down. In a word... nutter.

VID (24/06): Team Sky have announced three Brits in their line-up for the Tour de France, including debutant Ben Swift. Anyway, the other duo, Geraint Thomas and Bradley Wiggins, have some previous in top-flight cycling. Check out what happened when the pair united in the pursuit team at the last Olympics in 2008. Apologies for the condescending American commentary.

STORY (22/06): Olympians in this country often complain about the hard work and sacrifices required to qualify for the Games. But that's nothing in comparison to Afghanistan's cyclists who this week are competing in their road race - in territory renowned for Taliban ambushes - to qualify for their national team.

VID (20/06): Mauricio Soler's condition is said to be improving after a serious crash in the Tour de Suisse, which finished on Sunday. One of the more popular riders in the peloton, here he is in a video montage in action at the 2007 Tour de France, all to the tune of the Eye of the Tiger.

VID (15/06): Now, it's not every day that you see cows causing an accident in a cycling race but that's exactly what happened at the recent Criterium du Dauphine, which was won by Britain's Bradley Wiggins.

VID (14/06): A New York cyclist, who also happened to be a filmaker, was angered after being ticketed for riding in the traffic lane in the Big Apple rather than the bike lane. He got a $50 fine so then rode in the bike lane to show the obstacles in his way, including a police car... somewhat ironically.

VID (09/06): Don't be fooled by this quartet's introduction on this video. They're very impressive mountain bikers as is the design of the course they're tackling. It's strangely hypnotic viewing.

VID (08/06): Anyone who doesn't know what 'stunt pegs' are, won't know much about the art of BMXing. Watch and learn from one of the leading protagonists Harry Main. It's fair to say he's had a bit of practice.

STORY (07/06): Shoppers in Manchester at the weekend got more than they bargained for when a group of 150 naked cyclists rode into town for the World Naked Bike Ride, which takes place in 60 cities across the world. There were reportedly two complaints and a great quote from the local police, who said, "there were no arrests. The police attitude was whatever floats your boat".

VID (03/06): As nutters go, this guy is right up there. Here's a retro clip of him descending the Stelvio without once putting his hands on the handlebars while cars climb up in the other direction. He looks a little crazy - and probably is - as he tries to keep his balance the whole way down.

VID (01/06): Check out cyclist Jed Mildon as he performs the world's first triple back flip on a BMX. He admitted afterwards apparently he thought he was going to die attempting the stunt.

GOSSIP (01/06): Disgraced Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco looks set to make a surprise return to cycling with the Amore & Vita team despite still being under threat of another doping ban.

VID (31/05): It might not be track or road cycling but it's cycling nonetheless in the form of 19-year-old Joe Oakley, one of the stars of Britain's Got Talent.

VID (27/05): TV pundit Steve Rider has been there and done it all. But here's a very youthful Rider as the front man for the television cycling coverage in the UK. Loving the old-school bikes in action.

VID (26/05): Cycling fans come in all shapes and sizes. Take fashion designer Paul Smith, who is currently out at the Giro d'Italia. A former cyclists himself, he talks about riding as an 11-year-old, how he keeps his bike in his bedroom like a shine and on introducing Bradley Wiggins to Paul Weller.

VID (23/05): A cycling fan has laid down the gauntlet to Mark Cavendish with something of an unusual video. For what it's worth, the British sprinter has been sufficiently impressed to hail the video on his Twitter page.

VID (20/05): Cycling doesn't always have to be so serious. Check out this montage on YouTube that has a Borat lookalike, Mark Cavendish falling flat on his face and two cyclists having the mother of all dust-ups.

VID (19/05): Wouter Weylandt has been laid to rest after his tragic death at the Giro d'Italia. Here, Tyler Farrar pays tribute to his best friend in cycling.

STORY (18/05): British cyclist Mark Cavendish has been accused of cheating at the Giro d'Italia. Cavendish won his first stage of this year's race on Tuesday but was accused of holding on to a team car to get a tow to the finish at the previous stage. Cavendish rejected the story and said: "It's always the same. If I'm dropped but I finish inside the time limit it means I'm a cheat. If I stop to pee, if I crash and change a wheel, I always have a race official - as well as an ice cream truck and a marching band - all watching me. If I can beat them I'm David Copperfield."

STORY (16/05): Italian rider Valerio Agnoli proposed to his girlfriend after finishing stage six of the Giro d'Italia last week. Agnoli found his partner in the RAI television studio when called up for an interview and decided to pop the question. Thankfully for him, she said "yes".

STORY (13/05): Hundreds of people are expected to cycle through the streets of Exeter next month in an environmental protest. It is one of 12 cities across the UK bizarrely choosing to host a World Naked Bike Ride.

VID (11/05): Wouter Weylandt lost his life tragically on day three of the Giro d'Italia. The race will continue despite that and here's a pre-stage tribute and minute's silence to the rider yesterday with his Leopard Trek team-mates taking to the front in honour.

VID (10/05): Belgian cyclist Wouter Weylandt sadly passed away on Monday following a crash in the Giro d'Italia. It was the race in which he lost his life for which he was perhaps most famous having won a stage there a year ago. Check out the former cyclist's greatest triumph.

STORY (06/05): Do you remember Mark Beaumont, the chap that cycled around the world and then featured in an Orange advert? Anyway, email hackers have broken into his account and sent messages to his loved ones saying he had been mugged and left penniless in Spain. However, he was not in Valencia as suggested, but back at home in Pertshire minding his own business.

VID (06/05): Fancy some tips on learning to ride a bike? If so, try these ideas from the Big Train team.

VID (03/05): There are some people in life with too much free time on their hands. Check out these two characters as they make a bicycle entirely out of wood with the aim of travelling at a top speed of 31mph.

VID (28/04): As bike outings go, this is an unlikely one. President Bush goes riding with 15 war veterans, who lost limbs from the conflicts while he was in power. Lance Armstrong also goes along for the three-day ride and joked the former President had "kind of blown a gasket".

VID (20/04): Carbon road bikes aren't renowned for their ability to do stunts, which makes this clip all the more impressive and unlikely. It leaves one to wonder why he didn't just stick to the roads!

STORY (18/04): Travis Pastrana is well known for his stunts but usually in cars and on motorbikes. This time he's attempting an ambitious backflip. Take a look at his three attempts, all done somewhat bizarrely in a pinstripe suit.

STORY (15/04): Former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche has returned to the saddle. The 1987 champion was required to pedal in novel fashion for a film festival launch in Ireland. Roche provided the energy for the human-powered cinema in Schull, Cork, this week to promote the film festival there next month.

VID (14/04): BMX rider Greg Powell is a clear daredevil. Take a look at his attempts at what he calls a "special flip".

GOSSIP (14/04): Disgraced Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco is plotting a return to cycling. Ricco is facing a second ban for doping after a reported self-administered blood transfusion. He was sacked by his team and claimed he wanted to become a barman but he has since reneged on that and is plotting a legal battle to return to the sport.

VID (12/04): Victoria Pendleton goes head to head with Sale Sharks rugby players including Mark Cueto and Charlie Hodgson to see who's fittest. Check out how they got on.

STORY (11/04): You've just ridden 260km to win the hardest one-day cycling stage race in the world, Paris-Roubaix, and what do you do? Well, in the case of the winner of Sunday's race, Johan van Summeren, you propose to your girlfriend just after the finishing line. Thankfully, she said 'yes'.

VID (09/04): This one's a couple of years old but it's a good one - it's already been watched by nearly 25 million people. It's of Scottish cyclist Danny MacAskill perform a series of stunts on his mountain bike.

STORY (06/04): Mayor of London Boris Johnson is bidding for the capital to host cycling's answer to the London Marathon. Johnson is keen to get 30,000 people on their bikes for the annual event, which would have an elite race as well as an event for amateur competitors.

VID (04/04): We have to admit we don't have a clue what's going on here but it's basically all the team bosses of the various cycling teams at the Tour of Flanders at the weekend. There's all manner of languages but it's quite entertaining with talk of snipers and what would appear to be a car crash at the end.

VID (29/03): One for you BMX fans. In fact even if you're not a follower you should take a look,  just for the satisfaction of seeing a few wipe-outs.

VID (28/03): Lance Armstrong may have quit cycling but he's still hanging out with the current crop of pedal pushers. Here he's put on the spot with a high-pressure 'yes and no game' by British rider Geraint Thomas (third clip down).

STORY (24/03): Mark Cavendish is to receive the freedom of his home town of Douglas in the Isle of Man. Cav joins a varied roll call of previous recipients that includes Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Norman Wisdom and the Bee Gees.

VID (23/03): Sir Chris Hoy will be the star attraction as the Track Cycling World Championships get under way in Apeldoorn, Holland, later today. Hoy will be bidding for triple gold. Anyway, here's the big man in action in the keirin at the last World Championships. He's quick...

GOSSIP (22/03): Cycling is in danger of a breakaway series being set up in a row with governing body the UCI. At least 11 teams are considering forming their own rival series to the ProTour with Garmin-Cervelo boss Jonathan Vaughters said to be leading the way.

VID (21/03): We at Orange have always been a tad sceptical of adults who own BMXs - surely those little bikes are just for the kids. Well, this particular clip gives a different take on things. How on earth this guy learnt this array of tricks, we'll never know.

STORY (18/03): Team Sky rider Alex Dowsett has clearly been in good form of late. The little-known up-and-coming British cyclist was competing in a UK time trial event when he reportedly angered local residents with his speed as he repeatedly triggered the 30mph "please slow down" signs in the area.

VID (16/03): Cyclist Kenny Belaey's not exactly well known in the UK despite being one of the top mountain bike trials cyclists in the world. Anyway, he's among the stars of adidas' latest advert amid the likes of David Beckham, Katy Perry and Lionel Messi. And adidas know how to make a good advert.

VID (15/03): If any of you cyclists need motivation then here's Jon-Allan Butterworth and Terry Byrne at the World Para-cycling Track World Championships in Italy. Both lost limbs while serving their country in Afghanistan and Iraq.

VID (11/03): Last week, we showed a downhill cycling clip from an urban event in South America. And here's another. Notable features of this one includes the quietest bunch of spectators ever (bearing in mind what this guy's doing), plus a close shave with someone's pet dog.

VID (11/03): Any of you cycling commuters had problems with dodgy drivers like this chap? This clip has just been uploaded by Greater Manchester Police. Be warned - there's some fruity language.

VID (10/03): Lance Armstrong is reportedly toying with doing some more acting now that he has retired from professional cycling. For those who haven't seen it, check out this clip of him alongside Vince Vaughn in Dodgeball. He's got some nice comic timing.

VID (09/03): Yesterday's third stage of the Paris-Nice cycling race was marred by a nasty crash in the home straight, just one of the perils of being a professional bike rider as this montage of clips attests to...

VID (08/03): Is Mark Cavendish the fastest man on two wheels? The cyclist in this clip may run him close - but he does have the extra motiviation of being chased by a police car!

VID (07/03): Breaking news - Sir Chris Hoy is not perfect. Check out this footage of him going A over T on a Penny Farthing as Kelly Brook looks on.

VID (04/03): Here's one for all you cyclists, who enjoy a morning commute to work. In short, don't get in this guy's way. Word of warning, though, it made us feel dizzy.

VID (04/03): Bicycles are for the road and skis are for the snow. The problem is that no one told this lot.

VID (03/03): When you think of cycling, what immediately comes to mind is doping. But be warned, don't necessarily put that to British sprinter Mark Cavendish. Hear him lose his rag when pushed about cycling's reputation as a drug-riddled sport.

VID (02/03): Mark Cavendish unveiled his racing plans for the rest of the season, which involved competing at all three of the Grands Tour as well as riding at the World Championship. Things haven't entirely gone to plan so far in 2011 following crashes in Qatar and the Tour Down Under. In the Australian heat a roadside fan made him the novel offer of, not water, as tends to be customary, but, er, a barbecued sausage.

PICS (01/03): Mark Cavendish will give a pre-season press conference later today, and on this rather flimsy topical 'hook' we shall hang out a few pics of his quite marvellous girlfriend Peta Todd. Well done Cav.

STORY (28/02): Graffiti artist Banksy has picked up a legion of fans across the globe but his latest fan turns out to be none other than seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, who was waxing lyrical about 'Exit Through the Gift Shop', the film about Banksy, on Twitter.

VID (25/02): The eagle-eyed among you would have noticed that the Team Sky riders were wearing a new kit at the weekend. Anyway, here's the likes of Sir Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton being put through their paces in their new lycra.

VID (24/02): Last week marked the seven-year anniversary of Marco Pantani following a drug overdose. Despite his doping past, 'The Pirate', as he was better known, was an unbelievable cyclist. For the disblievers with a few minutes to spare, check out his duel with seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong up Mont Ventoux.

STORY (23/02): The first venue for London 2012, the velodrome, officially opened on Tuesday and it appears that no stone has been unturned in making it just right for the cyclists competing. Sir Chris Hoy played a part in its design, to the extent that he even designed the positioning of the toilets to make sure he doesn't get caught short come race day!

STORY (22/02): Cyclists Riccardo Ricco has been sacked by his team for breaching internal rules. The announcement follows reports of him allegedly giving himself a blood transfusion. When asked for a quote on Ricco and the possibility he may even serve jail time, British sprinter Mark Cavendish gave this unexpected response: "He doesn't mirror a lot of riders, he's a special case and I think we're better off without him. Obviously I hope he does recover well but I really do hope he becomes someone's bitch in prison."

VID (21/02): Team GB have just ended a successful outing at the final World Cup track meeting of the season in Manchester over the weekend. Chris Hoy blitzed his way to gold in the keirin to add to two earlier bronzes but there was absolute carnage around him. Worst off of the litany of fallers was Malaysian Azizulhasni Awang. The squeamish among you might want to look away...