Source: http://danglethecarrot.blogspot.com/2011/12/thoughts-on-advanced-marathoning.html
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Friday, February 24, 2012
MP's proposed new law against 'dangerous cycling' looks doomed | Peter Walker
While Andrea Leadsom vows to carry on after Commons setback, without government backing her private bill is unlikely to get any further
In April last year we carried news of a proposal by Andrea Leadsom, the Conservative MP for South Northamptonshire, to introduce a specific offence of causing death by dangerous cycling.
Leadsom argued that a new law was necessary as the current offence of dangerous cycling has a maximum penalty of £2,500, with no possibility of prison. For someone who, to take a hypothetic example, ploughs recklessly into a pedestrian at speed on a pavement, this is insufficient, she said.
Hers was a private members bill and thus very unlikely to proceed very far without government backing. But then this apparently arrived: the roads safety minister, Mike Penning, promised Leadsom he would back it. The Department for Transport confirmed it would "consider the merits" of the new law.
On initial examination Leadsom's idea might seem to some uncontroversial. But cycling groups were alarmed. We ran a Comment is Free article explaining these worries at length. The main objection boiled down to this – pedestrian deaths from cyclists are so incredibly rare that the law would be both a near-irrelevance and a distraction from the enormously geater peril posed to pedestrians (and other road users) from motor vehicles.
In addition, while the only law covering the most serious cycling offences is a section of the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act, originally aimed at the "wanton or furious" driving of a horse-drawn carriage, this has been used for successful prosecutions in recent years.
The other worry many people had was Leadsom's use of the death of Rhiannon Bennett as a prime argument as to why the new law was needed. Leadsom's explanation of the case, as explained both in the House of Commons and, in very similar words for a post she wrote for the Bike Blog, went as follows:
In 2007, Rhiannon Bennett was walking with friends on a pavement when a cyclist approached at speed yelling, "Move, because I'm not stopping." He hit Rhiannon who fell and smashed her head on the kerb. She was taken to hospital but died six days later.
While it is, without any doubt, a tragic and heartbreaking case, Leadsom's account of it seems to be a notable over-simplification. The court case heard conflicting evidence about whether the cyclist involved, Jason Howard, ever mounted the pavement, and whether Rhiannon and her friends might have been standing in the road. I spoke to two local newspaper reporters who covered the trial and they both told me they didn't recognise Leadsom's version of events.
I had a long debate with Leadsom's office about this, and they pointed to the conclusions of the subsequent inquest, where the coroner decided that "some part of Rhiannon was on the pavement" when she was hit.
Either way, I think there's an important point here: making a new law from a single event is generally bad policy; doing so from what some would call a misleading version of that event is even more the case.
But this might all become moot. Leadsom's bill was tabled for a second reading on Friday, but never made it to the chamber as MPs instead endlessly debated the issue of extended daylight saving.
Leadsom's office passed me the following statement from her today:
Despite the bill not receiving its second reading on Friday, I will not let this rest. I will continue to campaign for justice for Rhiannon and to update the 1861 Offences Against the Persons Act to ensure dangerous cycling can be dealt with in the same way as dangerous motoring. I will continue to keep pressure on the minister who I know takes a keen interest.
However, reading between the lines of a statement from the minister in question, Penning, which also arrived today, the Department from Transport is having second thoughts:
I am clear that everyone who uses the road – including cyclists - have a responsibility to behave safely and with consideration for others. We are investigating how existing legislation is working to establish if any changes are needed to ensure justice in these sorts of cases and whether there is a route to address these difficulties without the need for new primary legislation.
That sounds to me very much like doom for the Leadsom bill. Without wishing to downplay the importance of cyclists behaving safely and courteously on the roads, all I can say is thank goodness for that.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jan/23/mp-law-dangerous-cycling
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Help hack day developers make the Guardian's cycling coverage better | Peter Walker
It's the Guardian's regular 'hack day' this week, and some cycling-mad digital developers want to pick your brains
I'm here just to pass on a message from Matt Andrews, a member of the Guardian's digital development team. Later this week, he and his colleagues will be, among other things, trying to dream up ways to make our web-based coverage of cycle events like the Tour de France more informative, interactive and interesting.
At the bottom of the page is a (slightly small) pic of something which another developer, Alastair Jardine, has come up with as an example. It shows how, if you were to click or hover over a specific block of a cycling live blog it would bring up real-time data on rider positions, gaps etc.
But they're also interested in your ideas. So, over to Matt:
Thursday 2 February marks the first of the Guardian's quarterly hack days for 2012, a permanent fixture in the calendar for the digital development team in partnership with editorial, commercial and other parts of the Guardian.
At hack days, groups of developers and other interested parties work together to throw together ideas and concepts, often in a very short space of time, with the goal of producing a five minute demo the following day in front of the department.
The best demos go on to be made, theoretically, into complete products and apps. Not every hack ends up being released into the wild or taken on any further from the event, but it's often a fun time to experiment and play with new, emerging technologies.
This week's hack day is themed around sport (following last quarter's travel-themed hack, which we liveblogged here). This theme isn't rigidly enforced so it's likely we'll see some of the now-typical leftfield contributions (robots that can respond to tweets, a DJ turntable allowing users to remix the news), but in general we're looking at ways we can improve and expand the Guardian's online sport coverage and tools.
Inside the Guardian's development team there are quite a few cycling fans. Some of us have grouped together to build something bike-related on the day, whether it's for the Olympics, the Tour, or any other competitive bike race.
We have a few ideas in the works, many of which are limited by the availability (or lack thereof) of real-time race data, but we'd love to see what readers of the Bike Blog think would be interesting or useful in these contexts.
Not everyone is lucky enough to have a live TV feed when it's mountain stage day or the final laps of Box Hill in the Olympic road race, so how can the Guardian help you experience the events while you're at your desk instead? Let us know.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jan/31/hack-day-guardian-cycling-coverage
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Thursday, February 23, 2012
Goals
As I sit here typing this snow is gently falling down on boulder. 1 day of winter isn’t all that bad compared to the great weather we’ve had. So far though it seems like most places across the country are getting mild temps. I keep getting emails from all my back east athletes, asking to [...]
Source: http://jasonhilimire.com/2012/01/goals/
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Sterilized Singletrack: A Spreading Epidemic
Bull Mountain has been castrated. What used to be one of the last remaining bastions of technical mountain biking in the state of Georgia has been cut and bled of its virility. What was once a true man’s trail (or a true … Continue reading Related posts:
- Singletrack for beginners
- IMBA needs support for fresh Kentucky singletrack
- New singletrack in Savage, MN
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/singletracks/~3/2fejQG-j__g/
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Belgian Federation tells riders to stick together at Worlds
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/W-nJDQIRO-E/story01.htm
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Urban Downhill Race: Valparaiso Cerro Abajo 2012 Video
Known as one of the craziest downhill races in the world, the Valparaíso Cerro Abajo 2012 urban downhill race was just held this past weekend in Valparaíso, Chile. Videos, photos, and news coverage just started hitting the interwebs yesterday. If … Continue reading Related posts:
- Urban Downhill MTB Race in Mexico
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/singletracks/~3/yeuF0sJlIUA/
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My Case for Middle Finger Braking
I am not what you’d call a classically-trained cyclist. You could fairly call me an “informally-trained” cyclist.
Or, if you were in the mood to be accurate, you could possibly call me an “ad-hoc, hard-knocks trained” cyclist.
The truth is, I haven’t every read a book on improving my riding position or technique, and the few times [...]
Or, if you were in the mood to be accurate, you could possibly call me an “ad-hoc, hard-knocks trained” cyclist.
The truth is, I haven’t every read a book on improving my riding position or technique, and the few times [...]
Source: http://www.fatcyclist.com/2012/02/08/my-case-for-middle-finger-braking/
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Are You A Weight Weenie?
In the tradition of Jeff Foxworthy: If you have ever weighed your bike before and after washing the dirt off… you might be a weight weenie. If you have ever taken your bike completely apart and weighed each component on a … Continue reading Related posts:
- 4 FREE Ways to Reduce Your Bike’s Weight
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/singletracks/~3/UrIsvdRu46A/
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012
How Much CO2?
One of the A riders in the club posted on the Yahoo group that he was making the move to CO2 cartridges, after many years of resisting them. That started online discussions that took two separate tracks. Another member asked, … Continue reading 
Source: http://bikenoob.com/2012/02/09/how-much-co2/
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Louisville offers a glimpse of its 2013 'cross Worlds in Koksijde
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/Jwsue51Ue6o/story01.htm
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A Race is Only As Serious As the Rules it Follows
The appearance of a set of triple barriers on the US Cyclocross Nationals course caused some consternation on the Internets this morning. While the powers that be quickly clarified that no rules would be broken, even having the barriers for non-championship competitions sends what I think is a pretty dopey message. #CXnats looking crossy!Uphill barriers [...]
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- How The Race Was Won – Rules of the Group Sprint
- It’s Good Not To Be The King
- “A Sprint that will be Talked About”
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cyclocosm/~3/XTSE4Rc3LnM/
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Windy Weekend
Wow was it windy this past weekend! If you attempted to get outside here in Colorado you were well aware. You can see below the wind speed span below from Saturday through Sunday morning. Wind speeds peaking near 70 mph during Saturday’s ride and hitting nearly 90 mph overnight! That made for some fun riding [...]
Source: http://jasonhilimire.com/2011/11/windy-weekend/
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Sterilized Singletrack: A Spreading Epidemic
Bull Mountain has been castrated. What used to be one of the last remaining bastions of technical mountain biking in the state of Georgia has been cut and bled of its virility. What was once a true man’s trail (or a true … Continue reading Related posts:
- Singletrack for beginners
- IMBA needs support for fresh Kentucky singletrack
- New singletrack in Savage, MN
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/singletracks/~3/2fejQG-j__g/
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Introducing Strava Club Leaderboards
As you might have gleaned from my review, I’m a pretty big fan of Strava. But I’ve always been a little disappointed in the Clubs pages. After all, since I’m already following most of the people in my clubs, a listing of the club rides seems awfully redundant. And while a comments section for smack [...]
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cyclocosm/~3/ZtYcqI5Cx30/
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Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Van den Brand retires after 25 years
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/002fAf9UcdI/story01.htm
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Cinema Sunday: Stund Season 3, Episode 1
Stund is a lifestyle mountain biking series that usually puts out about five episodes per year. They feature a different location in each episode, spending only a few days shooting at each location. The result: some absolutely crazy riding and … Continue reading Related posts:
- Cinema Sunday: Danny Hart’s 2011 DH World Championship Winning Run at Champery
- Cinema Sunday: Downmall
- Cinema Sunday: “The Whole Enchilada”
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/singletracks/~3/HMLG7HGmrJ0/
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GVA Trofee makes sweeping changes
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/Z_YhTtNj9FE/story01.htm
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Markit / Christian Rigal
Before I even saw this edit, I saw a bunch of hoopla surrounding it on Twitter. I still don’t know what the negative comments were exactly, but it probably involved armchair internet nerd-ery to the bajillionth power. This shit is rad. Cool little project. You can also keep up on the MARKIT crew via their [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/defgrip/etnz/~3/ZHg_jfnofNI/
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Cyclocross: Cycling’s George W. Bush
Ah, Cyclocross—scruffy, fun-loving younger brother of road cycling. None of the endless training and expense, all of the fun, dirt, and beer handups, right? Surely this is the most populist of all sports, is it not? No, actually—not even close. Not since a third-generation Yalie picked up a Texas accent and ran for President as [...]
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- Why George Hincapie Will Never Win Paris-Roubaix
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cyclocosm/~3/LnAedFEUeWY/
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Saxo Bank Stress Test is a Self-Defeating Effort
It’s a welcome change each February to watch the lead stories in cycling move from the minutia of law and bio-pharmacology to the nuance and verve of actual bicycle racing. The wild line-changing leading into a bunch sprint, fading desperation of the second echelon, and poker-playing as a break pulls itself appart before the finish [...]
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- Maybe We Should Test For Accountability
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- TD Bank Could Use Some Help
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cyclocosm/~3/LiWjEu0piWM/
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What can Olympics fans travelling on bikes expect? | Matthew Wright
I cycled these routes, now usually called greenways, to see what the thousands of cycling visitors have to look forward to
There have been so many predictions of Olympics chaos – and bad news stories about chaos – on the roads and rail network, that last month Boris Johnson had to coin a new term, "gloomadon-poppers", to disparage those "who continue to have their doubts about the Games".
Any sensible visitor will surely want to skip the queues, and walk or cycle – "ride or stride", as London 2012 Active Travel advisory group puts it – instead. The Olympic Delivery Authority's Walking and Cycling plan of March 2009 had high hopes for for both, not just to facilitate smooth travel during the Games but to "leave behind a legacy of permanent improvements to key routes ... encouraging more people to walk and cycle to events in the future".
The recommended routes for walkers and cyclists are mostly the existing network of paths along waterways in the area, although two new cycle routes have been designed, from Epping Forest and Finsbury park. On peak days 4,400 visitors are expected to cycle to the Olympic park, with a further 10,000 arriving on foot. To visualise that volume of cyclists, imagine more than two thirds of all of the Barclays Hire Bikes in the whole of London, all converging on Stratford. Add to that a quarter of the average attendance at a Chelsea game coming on foot, and you have some very busy towpaths. I cycled these routes, now usually called greenways, last week, to see for myself what Olympics fans on a bike have to look forward to.
Despite being sandwiched between the six-lane, HGV-filled Stratford High Street and the A12 urban motorway, there are some attractive routes leading to the Olympic park. The Lee Valley routes, and Grand and Hertford Union canal towpaths will be available, and offer many miles of traffic-free access to much of north London. They are, however, narrow, and popular with walkers. Their capacity is limited to hundreds rather than thousands. The lock at Old Ford, for example, will be a crucial hub linking the Olympic park with the towpaths and Victoria park, yet the lock crossings were designed for a single bargeman. There is some doubt whether Hackney Cut, down the western edge of the Olympic park, shown in the original cycle route map, published in ODA's 2009 plan, will be accessible at all. In the current visitors' map it's out of bounds.
The elevated greenway from Beckton is the widest route by some margin. It could have had the capacity for thousands of cyclists each day. When it meets Stratford High Street, there is a new pedestrian bridge over the high street which, inexplicably for a new facility on a designated greenway, has three flights of steps but no ramp: not the step change cyclists had in mind. Manageable with a carbon road bike, perhaps, but for cyclists with children in a trailer, or for wheelchair users, or parents with a buggy, it's pretty useless.
For the duration of the Games, cyclists will leave their bike in the Southern Transport Mall, on the south side of Stratford High Street, and walk over the bridge. But as a legacy project, a pedestrian-only bridge in the middle of a designated cycle path is a terrible missed opportunity.
The two new routes, from Finsbury park in the north-west, and Epping Forest in the north-east, are also an unhappy compromise. These are not traffic-free like the existing routes, but are on-road routes between parks. Hackney Cyclists have noted that the first runs through "parks which either aren't open (Clissold park) or don't feel safe at night (Hackney Downs)". The Epping route, meanwhile, is a piecemeal affair through several congested roads and across the as yet unsurfaced Wanstead Flats.
The Olympic visitors' map shows cycle parking at north and south Transport Malls and in Victoria park, with suggestions of 4,000 parking spaces in Victoria park, and a further 3,000 in the malls. That's more than enough for every Barclays hire bike in London. Victoria park, already heavily used in summer, will be a very busy place. The Olympic Delivery Authority was unable to confirm exactly how many bike parking spaces they now intend to provide.
Expectations of thousands of cycling visitors will only be realised with co-ordinated provision. But it's difficult to see where the needs of cyclists have taken anything other than last place in London's transport planning. Importing the American term "greenway" to describe these cycle paths (is it to take our minds off the Barclays blue highways?) only invites comparison with the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway. It's not perfect, and suffers from some of the same blockages and interruptions that afflict London routes, but there are many miles of wide, uninterrupted, traffic-free path. Cyclists experiencing a frustrating journey along the obstacle course of the Beckton Greenway, and wondering how carrying a bike up three flight of steps really makes "cycling to venues much easier than you may think" may come to feel the appropriateness of its location, on top of an enormous sewer.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jan/19/olympics-fans-bikes
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Louisville offers a glimpse of its 2013 'cross Worlds in Koksijde
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/Jwsue51Ue6o/story01.htm
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Gallery: Japan at the Cross Worlds
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/eTNyuBxITzs/story01.htm
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“A Sprint that will be Talked About”
If you missed yesterday’s World Cup Cyclocross race in Koksijde, consider yourself unlucky. Aside from the usual train of heinous sand sections, this year’s Elite Men’s Race finished with a two-up sprint, won very controversially by Sven Nys. via Sporza, click here for iPhone/iPad – sorry, no audio As someone who’s watched a lot of [...]
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Cyclocosm/~3/KJJcuGNmjHM/
Monday, February 20, 2012
How To Carry More Speed Through Turns
First a story… A couple of years ago a friend of mine who is a former pro rider came out to Colorado and naturally, we went for a bike ride. While he can pretty much drop me at will, through … Continue reading Related posts:
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/singletracks/~3/UjU_lZKM_hE/
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Video: Ride the Koksijde course with Jeremy Powers
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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/cyclingnews/news/cyclo-cross/~3/uK11NFOoyz4/story01.htm
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