The week’s top bike news from around the world, brought to you every Friday.
Local news
RACV Great Vic rolls into Gippsland
4,000 keen bike riders, including 1,400 school students, have descended on Gippsland for the 29th annual RACV Great Victorian Bike Ride. They’ve had a rough couple of days with the weather, but are having a fantastic time discovering the magnificent scenery and exploring the local towns. Updates from the ride can be found at www.bicyclenetwork.wordpress.com.
Cadel to skip Tour Down Under
For the second year in a row Cadel Evans will be a no-show at the Aussie race as he’ll be at a training camp in Europe with his sights firmly set on claiming the yellow jersey at the 100th Tour de France. His team BMC Racing is the first to announce their line up for the TDU in January.
Sydney to get complete bike network
The Central Sydney Traffic and Transport Committee, which Premier Barry O’Farrell established in the hopes it would present a final road block for Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s bike network, has instead come out in support of more bike lanes and plans to have a full design of the new system complete by May next year.
Turtur to lose place on UCI Management Committee
The Tour Down Under founder and race director is set to be voted off the UCI Management Committee as president of the Oceania Confederation this weekend. He will be replaced by two-time Olympian Tracey Gaudry, who will also become the first woman to serve on the committee.
International news
Cargo bikes in Copenhagen
Copenhagenize has put together an impressive collection of photographs depicting the role of cargo bikes in the city in the first half of the 20th century.
Ride to school to make the grade
A new Danish study has shown that that children who walk or ride to school have higher levels of concentration and perform better academically than their peers who are driven to school, with the positive effects of exercise lasting up to four hours after each session.
Ride away from “invisible dangers”
While some use safety concerns as an excuse for not riding their bikes, scientists from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence insist that the effects of inactivity, though often less visible, are drastically more concerning.
Major cycling sponsor leads anti-doping charge
Renowned sports clothing company, SKINS, has announced a summit – Change Cycling Now – in London on 2-3 December, calling together key players in the world of cycling to establish a means of addressing and eradicating doping in the sport. The company is also suing the UCI for damages to its brand and sales.
Health
Active body, active mind
According to researchers from the University of Queensland, exercise is better for keeping the mind fit in later years than mental activities, such as reading and crossword puzzles. As we age we lose active stem cells in the brain; however, researchers now believe that exercise can reverse this process.
Video
Man with Parkinson’s rides a bike
Many suffers of the disease, including the man in this clip, are unable to walk unassisted, but, amazingly, retain the ability to ride a bike.
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