March 10/08 8:43 am - Cycling in the News

Posted by Editoress on 03/10/08
 

Riders association calls for meeting with UCI boss

The International Riders' Association (CPA) asked on Monday to meet International Cycling Union (UCI) president Pat McQuaid to clarify the disciplinary situation at the end of this week's Paris-Nice race.

Read the rest of the article at Reuters


Investigators Offer Jan Ullrich Deal

Jan Ullrich became a sporting hero in Germany after winning the Tour de France back in 1997. But his image has since been tarnished by allegations he that has taken performance-enhancing drugs. Now, German investigators are offering him a deal to end a fraud case against him in exchange for an admission of guilt.

Read the rest of the article at Spiegel Online


Cyclists gear up for season

Motorists out for a weekend drive any time this month may notice the roads overtaken by hundreds of cyclists.

"It is great riding in the Fraser Valley,‰ said Colin Campbell, who is involved with Team Escape Velocity, the group behind the Spring Series.

"And there is a variety of courses.‰

Read the rest of the article at BC Local News


Velodrome not part of city plans

A CYCLING hub is expected to be approved by the City of Greater Geelong at tonight's full council meeting, but the sporting centre won't include a new velodrome.

A revamped home for cycling and wheeled sports in Belmont would cost more than $4 million including $2 million for a velodrome with council staff unable to justify the expense or estimate how much it would be used, according to a report due before the council.

Read the rest of the article at Geelong Advertisor


BALCO figure objects to medical records made public

A former Olympic cyclist charged with lying to a federal grand jury about her performance-enhancing drug use accused federal prosecutors Monday of foul play by including "unnecessarily graphic details" of her medical records.

Tammy Thomas asked a judge to toss out her case.

Read the rest of the article at Monterey County Herald


TRA launches exclusive trains for cycling enthusiasts

The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) yesterday began operating its "environmental protection train service," with a group of 272 cycling enthusiasts taking their bikes into trains to start their pollution-free bicycle trips in northern Taiwan.

Read the rest of the article at The China Post

ASO vs. UCI: Paris-(not)Nice is just the beginning

The Paris-Nice race went off Sunday with no resolution to the bitter rift between cycling's biggest promoter, Amaury Sports Organization, and it's international governing body, Union Cycliste Internationale.

I wonder whether the rainy weather that accompanied the prologue for the "Race to the Sun‰ is an omen of what's to come in professional cycling. Or whether the gray skies were a metaphor for the dark clouds hanging over cycling because of the rift.

Maybe it's both.

Read the rest of the article at STL today


Add Alleycat Races to List of Bike Messengers' Risks

Bike messengers believe that their profession is one of the most grueling and perilous that any person can pursue - especially in Manhattan.

So perhaps it should come as little surprise that messengers were the ones to pioneer a breed of unsanctioned urban contest in which bicyclists race one another while also weaving at top speed through streets crowded with cars, trucks, buses and all the other objects and obstructions typically found on city roadways.

Read the rest of the article at the NY Times


Cycling/World Championships: Heartbreak for seven cyclists?

12 Malaysians have qualified for the UCI Track World Championships in Manchester, England, on March 26-30, the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) may send only five. This, despite Malaysia having earned places in seven events, making the country the third biggest Asian team in terms of representation.

Apparently, the MNCF is focusing on those with a clear shot at Olympic qualification despite Malaysia being ranked world No 10 in the team sprint, the country's best ever position in the nations' ranking.

Read the rest of the article at nstonline

Armstrong Focused on Cancer Fight

His tie had stripes of yellow and his right wrist was adorned with a LIVESTRONG band, but that was about as close as Lance Armstrong was willing to get to his former sport Wednesday when he made a brief appearance at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Read the rest of the article at The Salt Lake Tribune


Video Shows Dangers of Cyclist's Commute

A video filmed from the handlebars of a bicycle during a daily commute has exposed the dangers of cycling in Christchurch.

Christchurch teacher Josh Campbell shot the film over two months using a miniature camera clipped to his handlebars.

He posted it on the YouTube website.

Read the rest of the article at www.stuff.co.nz


Gas-free commute: Two wheels, one helmet

As gasoline prices creep higher and higher, lots of drivers are looking for ways to get more internal combustion for their buck.

A hybrid vehicle might be one way, or at least their drivers often think so.

"The smuggest people we get - that we talk to in cash-register conversations - are the people that drive a (Toyota) Prius," said Chase Winslow, a manager of a local bike store.

Another way to avoid the pain at the pump is to avoid the pump altogether.

Read the rest of the article at news-record.com


Brief confrontation interrupts Eugene's naked bike ride

Police officers trying to control a mass ride of naked bicyclists decided against making any arrests after the confrontation intensified.

Roughly 100 bicyclists in various states of undress took part in the hour-long event that mimicked similar rides held in bigger cities around the world. Along the way, riders cheered, chanted and stopped traffic as they pedaled through the streets of Eugene.

Organizers of the Saturday night event did not alert Eugene police in advance, but officers quickly caught on. At one point, at least three patrol cars showed up near the main pack of cyclists.

Read the rest of the article at OregonLice.com


Cycling saves thousands of tonnes of CO

Austrian cyclists are saving the country thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions each year.

Read the rest of the article at Wiener Zeitung


Sheriff's deputy hits cyclists, killing 2

A rookie Santa Clara County deputy sheriff patrolling a winding Cupertino road Sunday morning veered into the opposite lane of traffic and struck three bicyclists, killing two, including a rising star in the Bay Area cycling community, authorities said.

Read the rest of the article at San Francisco Chronicle


How L.A. Was Almost Our Greenest City

Southern California set the nation on the path to bicycling bliss, then detoured. But smogville could still become a velotopia.

Read the rest of the article at AlterNet

Two-wheel tourists

(Canadian) Family takes the slow route through Belgium and Holland

Read the rest of the article at Canada.com