June 25/09 17:14 pm - Cycling (in the) News

Posted by Editoress on 06/25/09
 

"I tell racers they should not be dependent upon anything. Not on drugs, not on their coach. The biggest trouble in life comes if you lose confidence in your character and in your capacities. I encourage the riders to be themselves. I try to give them more Knowledge. I tell them to develop stronger personalities, to accept their own limitations" - Paul Koechli - La Vie Claire coach

Nevada City could host Tour of California's first stage
Not only has Nevada City been contacted by the Amgen Tour of California about hosting a stage of the annual race, but apparently western Nevada County just might be the starting point of the 2010 event.

Nevada City Classic race director Duane Strawser confirmed tonight that he and City Manager Gene Albaugh have been in discussion with representatives of the Tour of California over recent weeks.

“We have had two conference calls in the last three weeks,” said Strawser, who was working a proposal to be submitted this week to TOC race officials. “The offer was made directly to me and Gene, our city manager. And now we have about 48 hours to get the paperwork done.

“It is true we have been approached by them for the opening stage start.”
Read more at TheUnion.com


Burrard Bridge bike lane trial kicks off on July 13
The City of Vancouver has announced that the Burrard Bridge bike-lane trial will start on July 13.

As of that date, cyclists will use the west curb lane heading out of downtown and the eastern sidewalk going into downtown. Pedestrians will have exclusive access to the western sidewalk, but will be barred from the eastern sidewalk used by cyclists during the trial.
Read more at The Straight


Cycling plan gets votes, but cash? Not so fast
They came on two wheels, helmets in place, to remind council that not every Hamiltonian wants to drive to work.

About 20 cyclists attended last night's council meeting to encourage the city to approve and fund its new cycling master plan.

Councillors unanimously backed the plan without debate, but referred any funding commitments to the budget process.
Read more at Hamilton Spectator


P.E.I. applying carrot and stick for bike helmet laws
People caught cycling without a helmet this summer in Charlottetown and Summerside will have a greater chance of getting a ticket, but wearing a helmet could earn a reward.

The police are working with the Atlantic Network for Injury Prevention to try to increase the use of bike helmets. Network spokeswoman Sally Lockhart told CBC News Wednesday getting a ticket will not necessarily mean paying a fine.
Read more at CBC


36 Cyclists Arrive in Halifax After 7,000 km Ride Across Canada to Battle Childhood Cancer
Thirty-six cyclists arrived in Halifax today after a 12-day journey across Canada as part of the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride. The Sears Ride across Canada is the world's longest charitable cycling event in support of childhood cancer, raising awareness and funds for hospitals like the IWK Health Centre that treat kids with cancer. Cyclists left Vancouver on June 13, 2009, reaching their Halifax destination after covering 7,000 km in a modified relay-style ride.
Read more at Trading Markets


Freewheeling bicycle culture cranks out fun
Ask geologist and bike nut Ranae Kowalczuk how many bicycles a person should have, and she’ll tell you the answer is N plus one.

“N plus one is the number of bikes that you should own, where N is the number of bikes that you currently own,” Kowalczuk, 30, told the Georgia Straight in the expansive workshop space at the back end of a house she rents with roommates on car-filled West 12th Avenue.

In other words, there’s always room for one more.
Read more at Straight.com


New laws mean much more care for cyclists too
Cyclists have as much right to use our roads as anyone else.

Like motorists, though, they need to take care that their actions don't put themselves or others at risk.

The State Government has introduced tougher penalties for cyclists who negligently or deliberately endanger others.

The new laws reflect public concern after the death of an elderly pedestrian in Melbourne in 2007 who was hit by a cyclist who ran a red light.

The cyclist concerned was fined $400.
Read more at The Courier


Sentencing Set For Deputy In S. Bay Cycling Deaths
Under a plea deal worked out last month, Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Deputy James Council is expected to be sentenced on Thursday to four months of house arrest for the deaths of two bicyclists in Cupertino.
Read more at CBS


Speed cameras catch 69 cyclists
Mobile cameras used to snare speeding cyclists on Bournemouth seafront stopped 69 people in four days.

Riders were caught out travelling above the 10mph speed limit during the operation and were given safety advice.
Read more at BBC


Bike polo: Play on a hardcourt or on grass
A polo player in Golden Gate Park swings his mallet, sending the ball straight to the goal - only to have the goalie knock it aside with a quick twist of his front wheel. Players from both sides converge on the ball, pedaling madly.

This is polo - bike polo. Played on two wheels, the sport usually associated with wealthy Argentine playboys has metamorphosed into a game played by an eclectic mix of hard-core mountain bikers, cycle couriers and average bike commuters, whose ages range from 14 to 50. Bike polo, which is played across the country and around the world, is probably the longest-lived, most widely played sport you've never heard of.
Read more at SFgate.com

Looking good on a bike
Gossip rides and beauty workshops are just some of the new initiatives to tempt more teenage girls onto their bikes.

The Beauty and the Bike project is being launched by Cycling City York and Sustrans in September, working with schools and beauty shops around York.

There will be Saturday morning bike rides/shopping trips, as well as workshops to design funky bike bags, sessions to solve “helmet hair” and beauty tips from Lush and The Body Shop.
Read more at The Press


Help! I'm a cycling widow
As the London to Brighton bike ride approaches, why are so many men obsessed with bikes?

It began, my husband likes to recall, with a quiet epiphany one work-day morning. Entombed in a Circle line carriage in yet another hold-up, he decided he could bear it no longer. “I’m not going to sit trapped underground any more when I could cycle to work in half the time,” he announced one evening. “I’ll buy a fold-up bike and save myself a fortune on fares.” A week later, the fold-up bike arrived, a spindly model with tiny wheels and a puny frame; nothing to hint at the obsession to come.
Read more at Telegraph


New Bike Safety Ads Take a Confrontational Approach
Last week the Department of Transportation, cycling groups and drivers’ organizations started a new campaign aimed at bicycle safety. Called Look, the campaign features posters, postcards, a radio spot and a video ad encouraging people to be more aware of other road users.

The campaign is aimed at both cyclists and drivers and hopes to “increase the culture of respect on city streets,” said Dani Simons, director of strategic communications with the D.O.T. Ms. Simons, who used to work for Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group for cyclists and pedestrians, praised the city’s efforts to increase safe cycling with new cycling lanes and routes but noted that more can be done.

“It’s up to people to behave safely,” Ms. Simons said, “to look before opening a door or to stop at a red light.”
Read more at NY Times


Theft of Lance Armstrong's bike means prison term
A Sacramento man is facing prison for stealing Lance Armstrong's bicycle while the seven-time Tour de France winner was competing in California.
Read more at The Sacramento Bee


Climbing Spain’s Lagos de Covadonga on two wheels
Ventoux, Mortirolo, Galibier, Alpe d’Huez - in the sport of cycling, these famous mountain climbs are sacred ground, where legends are born and site of battlegrounds each summer in the major races such as the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

In Spain, the peninsula’s most famous climb is the Lagos de Covadonga, a regular feature on the Vuelta a España bike race held each September.

Last week, I had the chance to climb the incredibly steep road. Suffering is the key word when it comes to these big, European climbs, and Covadonga certainly lived up to its myth.
Read more at Examiner


Athletic fatigue common problem
Training, either as a recreation athlete or a serious competitor, is undoubtedly a great way to stay in shape, motivated and mentally challenged. However, as is the case with everything, monopoly of one behavior in your life can lead to problems, and athletics are no exception.

One of the most prevalent problems plaguing today's athletes is chronic athletic fatigue.

Athletes can become chronically fatigued for a number of reasons, including excessive training, inadequate rest and poor or malnourished diets. Strenuous, prolonged training schedules coupled with daily commitments can often leave little time for proper rest or adequate nutrition.

The most common signs or factors associated with chronic athletic fatigue include:
Read more at News_press


Bike styles of the niche and infamous
Brad Evans knows a thing or two about dresses. One Wednesday night last year, he was wearing a prom dress, a wig, and bright-red lipstick when a Denver police sergeant strolled up to him and his fellow Denver Cruisers to see what the commotion was about. That evening’s theme was “dress night” and, as organizer of the weekly bicycle ride, Evans-to his misfortune (or maybe the cop’s)-had to explain why all those bikes were clogging the streets of LoDo.

Formed in 2004 as an outlet for like-minded cyclists to meet and ride through the city together, the Denver Cruisers' rides have grown into a must-do event for anyone with two wheels.
Read more at Decider


Bicycles built for art
It's a real Philly ex-spokes-ition at Moore: A grand show of two-wheel history, culture and art.
'Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world."

That quotation, from Grant Petersen - a legendary bike-builder whose Rivendell brand is the lust object of cycling enthusiasts of a certain retro stripe - is on the wall at the galleries at Moore College of Art and Design.
Read more at Philly.com


Copenhagen Sets the Global Standard for Bike-friendly Cities
World famous for its green initiatives and proficient use of alternative energy—wind, solar and biofuel—Denmark also leads the world in “pedal power.” In 2008 the International Cycling Union named Copenhagen as its first-ever “Bike City” (www.bikecitycopenhagen.com) and municipalities throughout the world have a new name for the process of making their cities more bike-friendly: They call it Copenhagenizing. (www.copenhagenize.com)
Read more at Health News Digest