The week’s top bike news from around the world, brought to you every Wednesday.
Local news
Australian workers celebrate their Ride2Work
This morning more than 60,000 registered riders from 12,000 unique workplaces got on their bikes and enjoyed free community and CBD breakfasts in celebration of Ride2Work Day. Check out some of the pictures from around the nation.
Active travel goes hi-tech
Students at Melbourne’s Malvern Valley Primary School are stepping, riding, skating and scooting into a healthier future with the launch of Ride2School’s new ActiveTag initiative. Developed by Bicycle Network’s Ride2School program, the ActiveTag initiative encourages school communities to adopt healthy habits by engaging with technologically savvy students and creating an accurate snapshot of how they’re travelling to school.
Santos Tour Down Under Stage 6 announced
The race map for the Be Safe Be Seen MAC Stage 6 of the Tour Down Under, which takes place in Adelaide from 17-25 January, has been revealed. The 4.5km circuit will see the riders race down King William Street in the heart of the CBD before heading north to take in War Memorial Drive, Montefiore Hill and Pennington Terrace, offering spectators plenty of great vantage spots for taking in the action.
International news
Rollin’ on the river
A an eight mile (13km) floating bikeway has been proposed for London’s River Thames. However, many bike advocates argue that the £600 million needed to fund the project could be better spent improving the city’s onshore bike network.
Space invaders
A group of Latvian bike riders celebrated International No Car Day and showed just how much space road space bikes can save by placing car-sized frames around their bikes.
Super cabs in Seattle
If you have one too many drinks or find yourself with a mechanical and you happen to be in Seattle, getting your bike home home is no longer an issue, with popular taxi-app Uber now offering to carry up to two bikes for an extra $5. Initially, the service will only be available on a limited number of taxis, but there’s potential to extend the service if demand is high.
Health
Cycle before surgery
Getting fit before a major operation could save your life. According to a recent report published in the Annals of Surgery, regular riders and walkers are five times less likely to die during or following surgery. Of the findings Ian Ritchie, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and a consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon says: “Exercise clearly helps people stave off disease and live longer—and whenever appropriate, it should become an integral part of the surgical prescription as well.”
Video
Ride2Work Day time lapse
It was great to see so many new and regular commuters at the Ride2Work Day breakfast at Melbourne’s City Square this morning! If you have pics or video you’d like to share from your commute, send your footage through to the Ride2Work team.
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