November 25/09 16:59 pm - Cycling (in the ) News

Posted by Editoress on 11/25/09
 

"There's no magic you'll be able to ride something in a race that you can't do in practice" - Alison Sydor

Council backs plan to upgrade Pan Am Games velodrome
A proposal to upgrade the Pan Am Games velodrome received support from council yesterday -- though not without ruffling the feathers of two lower-city councillors.

Read more at Hamilton Spectator


Cyclist takes Toronto to labour board; says roads unsafe workplace for those who bike
Ten years ago, bike courier Wayne Scott won an epic battle against Revenue Canada.
His arguments persuaded the Federal Court of Appeal to rule that bike couriers could claim food as a fuel expense on their tax returns.
Now Scott is taking the city to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, claiming Toronto's streets constitute an unsafe workplace for those who cycle on the job.
Scott wants the city to study the dangers on its roads and address the problems with better street design, enforcement of traffic rules and more bike lanes, within two years.
Read more at OHS


A Toronto Cyclist's Top 10 Complaints
Toronto cyclists have much to complain about and generally aren't shy about airing their discontent. Whether it be the scarcity of bike lanes, the abundance of potholes or simply the fact that our climate makes year-round riding nearly impossible, I think it's only fair to provide a little two-wheeled perspective on the heels of Toronto traffic safety officer Tim Burrow's recently compiled Top 10 list.
Read more at Blog TO


Thief Nabs $10K Flagship Trek Bike From Mellow Johnny's
Lance Armstrong and his crew at Mellow Johnny’s bicycle shop are doubtlessly pissed after someone stole a $10,000 triathlon bike being housed in the store last weekend.
Read more at Austinist


Walking, biking good for you and the planet: Study
Pedestrians and cyclists should be made king of the urban jungle, according to an international study showing the big benefits of “mass active travel.”
It suggests money should be diverted way from roads to make walking and cycling “the most direct, convenient, and pleasant options for most urban trips.” Pedestrians and bikers should also get “priority” over cars and trucks at intersections.
The study is one of six reports on the “health dividend” of combating climate change published in the medical journal Lancet Wednesday.
Read more at The Vancouver Sun


On a Quest for the Perfect Race
Hughes has won medals in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. Despite her success, she remains driven to find new ways to improve
Read more at The Chronicle Herald


No right of cops' way
They eat and run -- and now they're rapped for blocking city cyclists
Cops blocking bike lanes to get their coffee and lunch are indicative of a city learning to cope with new bike lanes, according to Toronto Police's political masters.
But that's no excuse for endangering cyclists, said Councillor Pam McConnell who is vice-chairman of the police services board.
Read more at Toronto Sun


Doping-Spanish police detain 11 after anti-doping raids
Spanish police have detained 11 people after a series of raids to break up a sports doping ring, they said in a statement on Wednesday.
The operations in Valencia, Barcelona, Murcia and Granada, saw the detainees taken in for offences against public health related to doping in sport.
Read more at Reuters


Armstrong hits back at Contador
Cycling legend Lance Armstrong has hit back at teammate and Tour de France winner Alberto Contador after the Spaniard said their relationship was "non-existent".
Just hours after Contador told a news conference he "never had admiration for [Armstrong] and I never will", the 37-year-old returned fire on his Twitter account.
"Seeing these comments from AC. If I were him I'd drop this drivel and start thanking his team. w/o them, he doesn’t win," Armstrong wrote in the first of a series of Twitter messages aimed at Contador.
Read more at The Age


Astana on the brink after new demands
The future of Astana, Tour de France champion Alberto Contador's team, is again in doubt after cycling's governing body made new demands of financial guarantees.

The troubled Kazakh-backed team's inclusion in competition next season had appeared certain last week, when the oil-rich government pledged $US22 million ($A23.8 million) in financial support.

However on Tuesday Nikolai Proskurin, Kazakh Cycling Federation deputy president, said that the International Cycling Union is demanding a bank guarantee of Astana's annual budget before it will renew its ProTour licence.
SBS.com


Cometh the hour
Like boxing matches between washed-up celebrities, the hour record is so pure a concept that you wonder how on earth it isn't more popular.

While events like the keirin and the madison test simple-minded folk like the Broom Wagon to their very mental limits, the hour's demands could hardly be easier to grasp. Ride like the blazes for 60 minutes. Collapse in dribbling heap. Measure distance covered.
SBS.com


Winter: the other bicycling season
Bicycling with temperatures in the single digits has certain side effects – one’s eyes start to tear, the water evaporates, condenses on the eyelashes, and then freezes. Ski goggles solve that problem, but if you want to bring along a water bottle, that freezes. At temperatures much below 0°F nose hairs ice up with each inhale (more of a disquieting sensation than a problem). And your bike very likely no longer shifts gears, so you have to pick one gear before starting out. 
Read more at Wicked Local


Learning to bike -- without the bruisesHonda Motor Co. has developed a bicycle simulator designed to help children learn how to get started on a two-wheeler without getting any bumps and bruises.
The simulator incorporates a bicycle and a television monitor that take the rider through a series of scenarios, just as if he or she were really cycling along a road.
Read more at The Independent


Delhi is unfit for Commonwealth GamesReports of an angry Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) bossman writing to the Indian Prime Minister because he thinks that India’s capital city will not be ready in time to host the next edition of the games just over a year away, and that it would embarrass the organisers, the host nation and also the federation, would shock only those not conversant with the happenings in this city.
Read more at The Times of India


Bicycle bewilderment
It is not surprising that many students bike around campus. The bicycle is the most efficient means of transportation ever invented. For environmentally conscious Brown students, biking is a way to avoid having a car or renting a Zipcar. For those who have jobs, volunteer off-campus or are in a rush, biking might be the only way to get where they need to be in a reasonable time period. And, for the rest of us, biking can be just plain fun and enjoyable.
Read more at Daily Herald