March 22/11 15:07 pm - Cycling (in the) News

Posted by Editoress on 03/22/11
 

“Every time you are caught behind a huge, fifty-man pile-up there was a strange, putrid odor. It took me years to figure it out: It's the smell of burning flesh."--Bob Roll



Whitten's winning ways bringing in big bucks
Which comes first, the elite Olympic athlete or the comprehensive, well-funded program that produces the elite athlete?

For the Canadian Cycling Association, the answer is: Tara Whitten.

It's also Zach Bell. Canada heads into this week's UCI World Track Cycling Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, led by the current male and female World Cup champions in the Omnium, a twoday event comprising six track racing disciplines.
Read more: Edmonton Journal


Wrapping up with worlds?
There’s no way that Stephanie Mogg would know that a birthday present for her husband could possibly spawn a world champion.

But when she gave hubby Peter – a former national junior team cycler – a mountain bike for his 29th birthday, she paved the way for the 34-year-old Cambridge native to become a three-time national masters cyclocross champion and gave him a good shot for a podium finish at the 2012 worlds in Kentucky next January.
Read more: Cambridge Times


National Cycling Centre Hamilton loses Iler
Andrew Iler has resigned as Executive Director of the CHCH National Cycling Centre Hamilton.

Iler’s resignation was announced in a brief press release issued by the centre’s president, Lloyd Fairbairn, and the centre’s board of directors.
Read more: Hamilton Scores


Toronto bike-share program to launch in May
A bike-sharing program is set to launch in downtown Toronto starting on May 3.

The City of Toronto announced in a statement that BIXI Toronto has received the go-ahead to post 1,000 bicycles at 80 locations in the downtown core.
Read more: CTV news


Not Quite Copenhagen
Is New York too New York for bike lanes?
On a blustery day this winter, ?Louise Hainline, a dean at Brooklyn College, stood on the roof deck of her Park Slope building, ?ankle-deep in fresh snow, squinting intently into the sun. Below, a lone cyclist coasted southwest along the iced edge of Prospect Park. Hainline shook her head. “And they say this bike lane gets a lot of traffic,” she scoffed.
Read more: NY Magazine

New York Cover Story Prompts Mayoral Response
The latest issue of New York features a cover story on one of the city’s hottest topics: The bike lane debate. target=_blank> [Editor's note: I'm a cyclist, and the best way to sum up this debate is that a few idiots from each side have turned this thing into a shit show.] The article thankfully takes time to present all sides of the argument, but there are still some fantastic quotes
Read more: Fishbowl NY


U.S. anti-doping chief wants Contador case re-opened
The United States' anti-doping chief described the Spanish cycling federation's decision to clear Alberto Contador of doping as a "flip-flop," saying the backtracking on a proposed one-year ban could send out the wrong messages to both athletes and fans.
Read more: CBC


Max Sciandri warns Italian cycling to stop living in the past
Anglo-Italian ex-pro Max Sciandri has warned that Italy needs to stop living on its past glories if it is to avoid being eclipsed by the rising power of cyclists from English-speaking countries and the United States, Australia and Great Britain in particular.
Read more: Road.cc


Raleigh returns
The white-clad Raleigh team shoots towards the Majorcan town of Santa Maria del Cami, tight in formation. Two groups from Leopard-Trek fly by in the opposite direction, followed by a couple of Sky riders. Raleigh is back - and that's the road they want to be heading down again.
Read more: Cycling Weekly


National Park Service Director Refuses Request To Run Professional Bike Race Through Colorado National Monument
Holding that a professional bike race is neither "necessary nor appropriate" for a national park, National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis has endorsed a decision by the Colorado National Monument superintendent not to open the monument to such an event in August 2012.
Read more: National Parks


Designated bike routes proposed by trails committee
Schwartz cited the health, environmental, economic and health benefits to the city in embracing cycling as a mode of transportation and promoting bike ridership in Kenora. In addition to improving the quality of life for residents, he suggested the developments will reduce traffic congestion, free up parking spaces, increase the attractiveness of the community as a place to visit and provide an additional tourist activity as visitors explore Kenora by bike.
Read more: LOTW Enterprise


On your bike
With rising fuel costs and a greater awareness of the fragility of our planet’s eco-system, bikes are regaining their prominence as a legitimate form of transport. However, the problem that families face when considering cycling as a primary means of transport is the same problem that families face when considering anything – convenience.

Fortunately, the last few years have seen some advancements in bicycle equipment that have made it easier for every member of the family to pedal their way around town.
Read more: Essential Baby


Vancouver tricycle delivery service gears up
Pink tricycles that haul up to 600 pounds of cargo could be doing the work of delivery trucks downtown this spring.

Five post-secondary students in their 20s plan to launch the delivery service May 1.

“We want to shift perceptions about cycling,” said Graham Anderson, a 23-year-old co-founder of the for-profit co-operative called Shift Delivery Co-op. “We’re shifting goods around in the downtown area. We’re shifting the goods movement and distribution industry and, of course, shifting gears on our trikes.”
Read more: Vancouver Courier

NYPD: Riding Faster Than 15 MPH in Central Park Now Illegal
NYPD’s apparent bid to criminalize recreational cycling in Central Park took another surreal turn this morning. One week after hundreds of people asked police to stop the irrational barrage of red light tickets for cyclists in the park, NYPD has apparently doubled down on its bike enforcement blitz. Cycling message boards lit up today with stories from an early morning sweep that caught about half a dozen people training in the park, where cops dished out hefty fines (reportedly as high as $350) for going faster than 15 mph.
Read more: StreetsBlog