The week’s top bike news from around the world, brought to you every Friday.
Local news
Edgy first week of le Tour
Orica GreenEDGE have ruled the podium in the first week of the Tour de France with Aussie team member Simon Gerrans taking the Stage 3 win before the whole team triumphed in the Stage 4 Team Time Trial and Gerrans donned the yellow jersey. He then passed the honour to teammate Daryl Impey, who last night made history as the first African to wear the leaders’ jersey.
Major upgrades announced for Victoria’s High Country Rail Trail
Over half-a-million dollars in Federal Government funding has been set aside for major improvements to the popular trail.
SA’s biggest black spot for bikes under scrutiny
The Grange Road-Sussex Terrace roundabout in the Adelaide suburb of Hawthorn has been identified as the state’s worst intersection for bike accidents. Original plans for a bike lane on Sussex Terrace were scrapped in 2008 due to objections from residents. However, given the high incident rate has continued, Mitcham City Council has promised to investigate safety upgrades.
International news
UK considers new school drop off rules
Professor John Ashton, Britain’s new president of the Faculty of Public Health wants to put a stop to parents driving up to the school gates to drop off and pick up their kids. Ideally, he’d like to put a stop to kids been driven to school, but at the very least, he’d like to see drop off points located further from campuses so that students walked at least part way.
Streets to turn soft for bikes
Swedish researchers are developing a new kind of road surfacing incorporating recycled rubber to make for a more forgiving landing for fallen bike riders.
What do the Dutch see when they look at US bike infrastructure?
Mark Wagenbuur, founder of Bicycle Dutch, takes a critical look at where American bike infrastructure is succeeding and where it still has a long way to go.
Health
Sleep yourself well
According to a new Dutch study getting seven hours’ sleep a night can help boost the benefits of other healthy lifestyle factors and can drastically reduce risk of heart attack. Even for those who don’t lead what researchers consider a healthy lifestyle, a good night’s sleep can still significantly lower risk of heart attack.
Video
Orica GreenEDGE triumph in the Tour de France Stage 4 Team time Trial
Get the inside scoop on the team’s big win.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4O0YdezehA&w=640&h=360]
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