'We got this one wrong' - British Cycling apologises for 'no cycling during Queen's funeral' guidance

British Cycling has apologised for guidance it published this week which said people should not ride their bikes during the Queen's funeral on Monday.

Cycling's governing body in the UK published and then updated a page on guidance for the period of national mourning on Tuesday, removing advice that said people cycling on Monday should do so "outside of the timings of the funeral service and associated processions".

However, the page on their website then still said that no "formal domestic activities", which includes cycle sport events and club rides should happen next Monday. 

On Thursday morning British Cycling released a statement apologising for its earlier guidance, and updated its page to say only that "no domestic events should take place on the day of the State Funeral".

The advice also now says: "In line with guidance from the Royal Household, any Clubs planning rides on the day of the State Funeral may want to consider adjusting their route or ride timings so they do not clash with those of the funeral service and associated processions. However, they are under no obligation to do so."

In a tweet titled 'We're sorry - we got this one wrong', they "sincerely" apologised for the earlier guidance, which said that BC "recommends that anybody out riding their bike on the day of the State Funeral does so outside of the timings of the funeral service and associated processions".

On Tuesday evening, this was then updated to "no formal domestic activities should take place on the day of the State Funeral, Monday 19 September. This includes cycle sport events, club rides, coaching sessions and community programmes (such as Breeze rides)".

However, they have now finalised the advice to make it clear clubs are under no obligation to change their plans, but that they should consider moving their timings away from the funeral.

The new statement made it clear that they recognised the "frustration and disappointment" that Tuesday's original post caused.

"British Cycling sincerely apologises for the guidance issued on Tuesday afternoon relating to cycling during the State Funeral," it reads. "We understand that the decision on whether to cycle during that time is one for individuals and clubs to take for themselves, and we’re sorry that we got it wrong on this occasion. You can find our revised guidance below.

"At British Cycling we fought incredibly hard during the pandemic to protect the right to cycle, and we recognise the frustration and disappointment that Tuesday’s statement caused. We greatly value the support of our members and the wider cycling community and would like to thank and apologise to all who reached out to share their concerns with us on this occasion."