The week’s top bike news from around the world, brought to you every Wednesday.
Local news
Aussie track team goes for gold
The Australian track cycling team has done the nation proud at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, riding away with twenty medals, including 7 gold. Go team!
Willoughby goes for double win
While Anna Meares and her teammates were cleaning up on the track in Glasgow, Aussie BMX rider and Happiness Cycle ambassador, Sam Willoughby, won double gold at the BMX World Championships in Rotterdam. He took out the title in the men’s elite and time trial events.
SA skimps on bikes
South Australia may appear to be big on bikes—it’s home to the Santos Tour Down Under and hosted the Velo-city Global Conference earlier this year—but the Sate Government has the lowest spending on cycling infrastructure per capita of any mainland state. The state is keen to get more people riding, but allocated just $2.89 per person for infrastructure projects. According to Bike SA Chief Executive Officer, Christian Haag, it’s nowhere near enough: “Unless you provide people with other transport options, like cycling, you will be in serious budget strife regarding healthcare costs.”
Mountain bikers have your say!
Professional consultants and trail builders, Dirt Art, have been charged to devise a master plan with a view of building up to 100km of new mountain bike trails around Bright, Victoria, and they need your input.
Share your thoughts >>
Sydneysiders consult on new lanes
Concept designs for Sydney’s city centre cycleways along Castlereagh, Liverpool and Park Street are on display for public consultation. Take a look and put in your two cents.
International news
La Course by Le Tour spotlights women’s cycling
On Sunday, millions of viewers around the globe tuned in to watch the world’s greatest cyclists race on the Champs-Élysées, but not all of those riders were men. A special women’s race, La Course by Le Tour, was held before the final stage of the Tour de France. Over 90,000 people petitioned for the women’s race, with the hope of raising the profile of women’s cycling and inspiring a new generation of girls to get on their bikes.
New algorithm calculates most scenic routes
The digital age has already given us the means to find the quickest and least congested routes from A to B, and soon you’ll be able to calculate the most beautiful route as well. An algorithm, developed at Yahoo Labs in Barcelona, uses data, such as how many Flickr images there are of a location, the positivity of comments attached to these photos and crowd sourced opinions to map a city’s sites of beauty and calculate your journey accordingly. It’s not publicly available yet, but the aesthetes among you should be able to download an app with the technology for your smart phone in the not too distant future.
Tour gets UK riding
A survey conducted by sustainable transport charity Sustrans has found that hosting the Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire has inspired a quarter of Brits to get on their bikes—and that number could easily rise, with 30% of survey respondents saying they would ride more if there were better infrastructure available. Malcolm Shepherd, Chief Executive of Sustrans, said the Government needs to act on public enthusiasm now: “If the government’s ‘cycling revolution’ is to go ahead they must be quick to capitalise on this public passion to reap the benefits in health, congestion and the economy to be had with higher levels of public cycling.”
Health
Active recovery
If the Tour’s inspired you to get out on some big rides, you may be feeling a bit sore. Here’s our guide to active recovery.
Video
La Course: the highlights
If you missed it on the weekend, check out the highlights from this historic race.
Upcoming events
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3 August | Sydney Tweed Picnic | Sydney, NSW |
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3 August | Coffs Coast Cycle Challenge | Coffs Harbour, NSW |
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3 August | Deswil Logan’s Run MTB Marathon | Mt Joyce, QLD |
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