October 30/07 11:51 am - Cycling News from Around the World

Posted by Editoress on 10/30/07
 

In the News

A selection of (cycling related) news from around the world.


Next, satellite tracking of athletes. Elite athletes may be asked to wear a global positioning system so international drug testers can easily track them at all times.

Athletes would wear a GPS watch or bracelet or have a GPS mobile phone with them, replacing the current system whereby athletes must notify drug-testing authorities of their movements in advance. more at The Sydney Morning Herald


Grains of soap powder enough to help athletes fake drug test

A few grains of household soap powder can destroy the banned drug EPO in an athlete's urine sample, wrecking a test that cost $2 million to develop, said Mario Thevis, an anti-doping researcher... more at www.bloomberg.com


For once, the drug testers are ahead of the cheats.

Two new, experimental drugs that help build powerful muscles have already been added to the 2008 World Anti-Doping Agency banned list. But, significantly, the testers have worked alongside the scientists developing the new drugs, which could help cancer sufferers and people with muscular dystrophy, to also develop a detection method. more at The Sydney Morning Herald


Spain cycling union wants guarantees before implementation of biological passport.

Spain's cycling union wants guarantees from authorities before accepting the creation of individual medical profiling.

Cycling officials endorsed the creation of a "biological passport" program last week in a new effort to clean up the doping-marred sport. more at The International Herald Trubune


Cyclists chart a revolutionary path
City decision to look into Bloor-Danforth lanes could lead to fewer accidents, biking advocates say.

As a law student, Kristen Courtney has enough to do without constant pain, a continual round of chiropractic and acupuncture appointments and a steady stream of insurance forms to fill out.

After seven biking accidents in Toronto, none of which she considers her fault, Courtney, 25, said, "I wake up in the morning and feel like I imagine my 56-year-old mother feels."

Like thousands of cycling-accident victims, the University of Toronto student says the bike provisions passed by council last week, as part of a sustainable transportation plan, are as much about safety as they are about protecting the environment. more at the The Toronto Star


Two-thirds of Montrealers support carbon tax to fund cycling infrastructure. Results of a survey, showing that an overwhelming majority of Montrealers (82%) believe that using bikes to commute to work can be an effective way to reduce greenhouse gases and fight climate change. more at CNW Group


Decision reserved in appeal of N.B. man's drunk driving sentence.The New Brunswick Court of Appeal has reserved its decision on the Crown's appeal of the sentence given to a man who struck and killed a cyclist after a night of heavy drinking last year.

Peter Howe, 42, of Geary, N.B., was sentenced to two years of house arrest after he pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing the death of Robbie MacRitchie, 23. more at CBC


Any hobby can easily become an obsession, especially when that hobby combines cutting-edge advances in technology, physical performance and age-old tradition, said a visiting professor Friday.

In his lecture, "The Cycling World Hour Tour," David Bassett Jr., professor in the Department of Exercise, Sport and Leisure Studies at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, explained that in today's world, technology impacts athlete performance just as much as physical ability does. The Daily Texan


Cycling Is terrific exercise, hitting the cardiovascular system and major muscle groups simultaneously, but it may not be the best thing for building strong bones. Compared with male runners, male cyclists appear more likely to have lower-than-normal bone density. more at InsideBayArea.com


Israel Bike Trail gets ready to roll

The detailed planning and operational stages of the Israel Bike Trail (IBT) are due to start within days. The 1,200 km. bicycling trail, from Mt. Hermon to Eilat - via Lake Kinneret, the Mediterranean Sea and the Dead Sea - should be completed within two or three years. It will be built in sections, starting with the northernmost and southernmost segments: from Mt. Hermon to the Hula Valley and from Paran to Eilat, respectively. more at www.haaretz.com


The Stanley Park seawall could fully reopen as early as next week, if the weather cooperates.

Scalers dangling 100 metres above the seawall at Prospect Point were knocking away the last of the loose debris, rock and damaged foliage from the cliffs late last week, leaving only light paving and curb work to be done before the nine-kilometre stroll is reopened for walkers, bladers and cyclists. More at The Vancouver Sun

Safety must come first while riding bikes. With less daylight, many precautions become crucial.

The few minutes of after-work twilight that commuters and club bicycle riders are enjoying are about to disappear with the return Sunday to standard time.

"Right now we have daylight maybe for a few minutes, just barely, but when daylight savings time ends it will be fully dark before we even get started," more at Statesman Journal