January 11/09 6:08 am - Cycling News of the World

Posted by Editoress on 01/11/09
 

"I won! I won! I don't have to go to school anymore." -- Eddy Merckx, after winning his first bike race


Quebec Residents "Winter Cycling" Despite Extreme Climate
How far would you go to avoid packed public transit and rush hour gridlock? Apparently, residents of the Canada's French capital are one of the world's heaviest winter snowfalls, on bicycles!.

"It's a bit dangerous, but it's not very complicated," said Valerie Lemieux, stopped on a bicycle path in downtown Montreal.
Read more at MedIndia.net


l'Equipe Muzzles Dope Reporting
The French publication Les dessous du sport is reporting that ASO, the owner of the largest French sports newspaper - l'Equipe - has issued internal instructions to reporters to tine down their coverage of doping in cycling. ASO also happens to own the Tour de France, which has been embarrassed in recent years by a series of doping scandals. The full story (in French) can be found Here.

Test Announced for New Drug
It isn't even on the market yet (and, frighteningly, hasn't even had testing trials on humans), but there are already concerns about the use of benzothiazepines, a potential heart drug which may boost muscle endurance. The drug works by making muscle cells more efficient, by keeping retaining calcium in them. This means the muscle is less likely to suffer fatigue. However, a German lab has already developed a test for the drug, in a rare example of the testers staying ahead of the cheaters.

Home Depot Drops Olympic Program

For a number of years, Home Depot has had a program whereby Olympic-level athletes received full time pay and benefits even though they might only work part time and on flexible schedules while training or competing. This is a clear example of the recession impacting the sports world. More on the story can be found Here.


Lance Armstrong arrives in Australia
Lance Armstrong arrived in Australia on Sunday a few hours after his Astana team, and a few days ahead of when Tour Down Under officials expected him.

The team flew in from Europe via Singapore in preparation for the UCI ProTour race, which starts next Sunday and marks the seven-time Tour de France winner's return to professional competition four years after he retired.

Race officials had said that Armstrong was still training at his base in Hawaii and might not arrive in Australia until midweek.

But Armstrong arrived later Sunday at Sydney International Airport, about a 75-minute flight from Adelaide. He was accompanied off his flight by Australian Federal Police and security guards.
Read more at AP


Fit Armstrong raring to race
SEVEN-TIME Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong said last night he couldn't remember the last time he felt so fit so early in the year after arriving in Australia for the Tour Down Under.

He tried to arrive in secret but was greeted by reporters at Sydney airport after a nine-hour flight from Hawaii, where he had been training.

Armstrong is expected to stretch his priceless legs in Adelaide today with a ride with a former teammate Pat Jonker.
Read more at WA Today


Back in the Saddle
Vladimir Valastiak desperately wanted to strap on his helmet and get back on the road. After years of being a competitive cyclist in Ontario, the chef and former owner of the South Side Grill In Tsawwassen had an itch to get back in the saddle. And about a month ago he got the perfect excuse.

Valastiak, who now runs the food and beverage operation at Mt. Seymour Resort, will be embarking on the Ride to Conquer Cancer, a 250-km bicycle ride from Vancouver to Seattle. The two-day (June 20-21) event raises funds for the BC Cancer Foundation, a charity near and dear to his heart.
Read more at SurryLeader.com


Team GB: Cycling coaching clinic
Team GB's cycling stars offer some essential training tip
Read more at guardian.co.uk

Sprint champion Victoria Pendleton and Team GB coach Rod Ellingsworth talk track techniques
Those bankings at Manchester or Newport - or even an outdoor velodrome such as Welwyn or Halesowen - may look daunting, but get it right and soon you too could be swooping up, down and round the track with confidence.
Read more at guardian.co.uk


Chris Hoy: One-track mind
BBC Sports Personality of the Year Chris Hoy relives his first white-knuckle ride on the track - and explains what keeps him going back for more ..
Read more at guardian.co.uk


Shanaze Reade: 'Just get up there and go for it'
World BMX champion Shanaze Reade shares the rush of her adrenaline-fuelled Olympic sport
Read more at guardian.co.uk


Serious cycling: The 12-hour plan
This next plan will take you up to 12 hours a week, allowing a very solid endurance base
Read more at guardian.co.uk


Strength training for cycling with Olympic medalist Jamie Staff
Read more at guardian.co.uk


Making the most of biking in the cold
It's a tough time of the year for bicycle commuters here in the northeast. Not only do we have to fight the cold, roads made narrower by encroaching snowbanks, and drivers peering through windows in various states of frostiness, but we've also got local merchants and municipal crews burying our bike racks (and bikes, see right1) in snow, as I recently witnessed here in Saratoga Springs. And, all of that is to say nothing of the pain that comes when your fingers, toes, ears, and nose begin to thaw out after a frigid ride.

To help keep your wheels rolling in these, the cold months, I've got five tips for winter riding, cultivated after years of riding in conditions that send most people looking for the car keys.
Read more at examiner.com


An electrifying approach
When Philipp Annen moved from Switzerland to Canada in 1992, he was forced to leave more than just his homeland behind.

Due to a different understanding of the environment that existed then, his passion for electric bicycles was put on the back burner. Having an electrical engineering background, Annen had been involved with the clean technology since the mid-1980s as a hobby.
Read more at North Shore News


Cyclists Need More Than Bike Lanes
The reason cycling as transportation is not too popular in this country is that, as a policy, roads are optimized for recklessly fast automobile travel.…As you might guess, bike lanes, i.e. paint stripes and a bicycle symbol on the side of the road, are not going to help this situation much. A few people might feel safer and venture into the road, but at the end of the day you still have cars traveling fast enough to easily and instantly kill a human being.
Read more at StreetsBlog