The week’s top bike news from around the world, brought to you every Wednesday.
Local news
Bike theft on the rise
The past six months has seen a spate of bike thefts in inner Melbourne. Victoria Police urge riders and bike shop owners to secure their bikes with sturdy locks (see Ride On‘s top locks here) and to remove all accessories, such as lights and saddle bags when leaving your bike unattended.
The right site
Bike Sydney is launching a new website, Pedal Power, to help riders better understand their legal rights and responsibilities on the road. They are currently seeking feedback on the site and welcome suggestions.
Make your bike a share bike
Thanks to a new app, Melburnians can now rent out their bike as a share bike when they aren’t riding it.
International news
Yorkshire has a field day hosting Le Tour
Locals went all out to make the riders feel welcome at the Grand Depart of the world’s most famous bike race. Check out some of their incredible fan art and tributes.
Selfish selfies
While Tour de France riders are thrilled by the millions of people who have come out to cheer them along the route, they’re not so enthusiastic about the new craze among spectators to step onto the road as the peloton approaches and snap themselves with the riders in a #TDFSelfie. According to Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas: “There have been too many accidents with riders hitting spectators. We don’t want to see that but it could easily happen.”
Riders on the rise in Copenhagen
In Copenhagen, bike riding rose 5% from 2012 (36%) to 2013 (41%), but not for the reason you might think. Rather than better education and improved infrastructure, experts are attributing the rise to 17 major construction projects that have disrupted car traffic. Rather than face delays, it seems drivers are jumping on their bikes instead.
Health
You might want to stand up before reading this…
We’ve all heard that sitting is the new smoking, and getting enough exercise outside office hours isn’t enough to counter the effects. Here’s a neat summary of why too much sitting is a bad thing and what you can do about it.
Video
Boris bikes on Tour
Sure, the pro riders in the peloton are a tough bunch, but it’s the guys who rode Stage 1 of Le Tour on Boris Bikes to raise funds for a good cause who are the real heroes of this year’s race.
[vimeo 99715452 w=500 h=281]
Upcoming events
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12 July | BicyGals Bike Maintenance Course | Brisbane, QLD |
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12 July | Bupa Around the Bay Team Bicycle Network Training Ride | Melbourne, VIC |
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13 July | Pushies Galore Swap Meet | Brisbane, QLD |
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