April 10/08 11:22 am - Cycling in the (mainstream) News

Posted by Editoress on 04/10/08
 

2008 TDF Route Changes

Tour de France organizers have been forced to make changes to the route of this year's race because of fears of falling rocks.

Officials were worried about threats to the safety of riders during the planned four-kilometer (2.5-mile) climb up the Col de Larche during the 15th stage, according to the race's official Web site.

Read the rest of the article at CNN


Top riders withdraw from BMX Supercross

Australia's hopes of sending BMX riders to the Beijing Olympics have been boosted by the withdrawal of top-ranked riders from this weekend's UCI BMX World Cup Supercross in Adelaide.

Read the rest of the article at Sydney Morning Herald


Fresh test will clear me to race says Hayles

Rob Hayles, the British pursuit and madison rider withdrawn from the recent world track championships in Manchester after an irregular blood test, expects to be given the green light to resume racing today. Under the rules of the International Cycling Union (UCI) he had his licence rescinded for 15 days but it will be returned today, on the expiry of that period, if he passes a follow-up blood test scheduled for this morning.

Read the rest of the article at Guardian


Cameras on Wheels: Filmed By Bike Festival

Now in its sixth year, the Filmed By Bike fest is not only a chance for cyclists of all stripes to congregate and celebrate, but is also a fundraiser for another annual bike event.

Read the rest of the article at LivePDX.com


President wants to make cycling national sport

President Chen Shui-bian proposed on Thursday that the government should work with the private sector to map out a bicycle path network around Taiwan to help make cycling a national sport.

Read the rest of the article at Radio Taiwan


Cycling gets a power boost from pedelec, e-bike trend

For most people, cycling is a means of improving their health and boosting fitness which only makes it all the more confusing why people are suddenly flocking to electric bicycles.

Pedelecs and e-bikes take some of the sweat out of biking, letting an engine take over part of the work.

Numbers attest to their popularity. 'The number of electric bicycles sold doubled in 2007 from 20,000 to 40,000,' said Siegfried Neuberg of the ZIV Bicycle Industry Association in Bad Soden, Germany. 'The trend will continue in 2008.'

Read the rest of the article at Monsters & Critics


Tips for biking state or national parks

Bumper-to-bumper traffic, road rage, no parking spots and long delays getting from one point to another. No, I'm not describing the big city; I'm talking about conditions in some of our national parks, state parks, and national monuments. Our treasured parks are being loved to death, as hoards of people visit, bringing with them an onslaught of automobiles.

Read the rest of the article at Mail Tribune


Freewheeling on top of the world

Some people take overcrowded buses to Tibet's capital Lhasa, while others make the trip by ritually prostrating themselves along the road in traditional fashion. In October 2004, with winter fast approaching, Hsieh Wang-ling decided to enter the holy city on a bicycle. Along the way, the 24-year-old Taiwanese encountered warm-hearted pilgrims and a great deal of adventure.

Read the rest of the article at Taiwan Journal


Council giving away 'hi-viz' vests

Cyclists are offered free 'hi-viz' vest in a council bid to reduce accidents.
Sheffield Council has successfully promoted cycling as a healthy and environmentally friendly alternative, but as the numbers taking to two wheels has increased so have the number of cyclists injured.

In a citywide campaign to reduce the number of accidents involving bikes the council is now offering cyclists a free 'hi-viz' vest (whilst stocks last).

Read the rest of the article at Sheffield Telegraph


Sacramento Sees Rash Of Bicycle-Car Wrecks

Sacramento police are warning motorists to be careful as good weather brings more bicyclists out on the road.

Authorities said several crashes involving cars and cyclists have taken place this month.

Read the rest of the article at KRCA


UK Olympic Cost Soar

The massive cost of London's hosting of the 2012 Olympics was brought into focus yesterday when it was revealed that the cost of the aquatics centre has quadrupled since the city's successful bid for the Games in 2005.

The ODA also said that the cost of the VeloPark, for track, road and BMX cycling would be £80 million, compared with the £28 million originally quoted.

Read the rest of the article at Telegraph


Nonprofit DreamBikes aims to do good, bike by bik

DreamBikes of Madison is a nonprofit business model that Wisconsin organizers hope to fine tune and duplicate.

The nonprofit bike business, which opened in March at 4611 Verona Road, hopes also to be a boon to the Allied Drive neighborhood, to people who need bikes and to teenagers who need job skills.

Read the rest of the article at theMadison.com


Cyclists Pedal Forward City's Bicycle Master Plan Effort

A community meeting last Wednesday marked one of the first steps the city of Long Beach is taking to update its Bicycle Master Plan and make the city more bike-friendly.

About 30 residents attended the meeting, most arriving on bikes, according to city Transportation Programs Manager Sumire Gant. The goal of the meeting was to get feedback from the community in order to help the city update its Bicycle Master Plan as part of a Long Beach 2030 general plan update.

Read the rest of the article at Gazettes.com


Welcome return of Tandem Racing to Irish Cycling Calendar

Saturday 19th April sees the welcome return of Tandem Racing to Irish Cycling with the inclusion of a Tandem Race as part of the John Beggs Memorial race hosted by Banbridge Cycling Club in Dromore Co. Down starting at 12 noon.

Read the rest of the article at IrishCycling.com


Social deprivation linked to four-fold increase in risk of serious injury in child pedestrians

Rates of serious injury in child pedestrians are four times higher in the most deprived areas of England than in the least deprived, and three times higher for child cyclists, according to a study published today in the Online First edition of Archives of Disease in Childhood journal.

Child injury mortality has declined over the last twenty years, from about 11 deaths per 100,000 children aged 0-15 in 1981 to 4 deaths per 100,000 children in 2001. However, socio-economic inequalities remain. This study, from a team led by Dr. Phil Edwards of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), demonstrates that a child's risk of non-fatal injury may be determined by how socially deprived their neighbourhood is.

Read the rest of the article at News-Medical.net


Growth hormone cheats warned off Olympics

Athletes who have used the banned substance human growth hormone (HGH) should stay away from the Beijing Olympics or risk getting caught, the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency has said.

Read the rest of the article at Stuff.co.nz


NOCs discuss air quality in Beijing

Exactly four months before the start of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, delegations from 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) learnt today about the IOC‚s latest appraisal of the air quality in the Chinese capital.

Read the rest of the article at webwire


Color Changing Cycling Jacket wins Inventor £6,000

An American inventor living in the UK has won an international design competition for a cycling jacket that changes colors when the cyclist brakes. According to the inventor the idea came from wanting to feel safer when cycling in London.

Read the rest of the article at i4unews