Amgen bike tour - Rabobank NA to co-sponsor
Rabobank NA, the California subsidiary of Dutch banking giant Rabobank Group, has signed up to be a three-year sponsor of the Amgen Tour of California.
The nine-day professional international cycling competition starts its fourth race this year in Sacramento in February.
Rabobank will become a founding partner of the race and the official bank of the tour for the next three years.
The 2009 race runs Feb. 14 through to the finish in San Diego on Feb. 22. The race spans 800 miles.
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Bike ride, City parks weighs stripping nudists of bike ride
Every summer — because not a lot of people would do this in the winter — Daniel Johnson and dozens of others ride naked through Seattle’s streets and a few of its parks.
But while there are many who laugh and point at the bouncing spectacle, there are those who cover their children’s eyes and their own, then complain to the city.
In a proposal that pits the bicyclists’ desire to ride unencumbered against those who don’t want to see all that, Seattle park staffers are proposing a ban on nudity in city parks.
What has led to the proposal is the Seattle Naked Bike Ride, one of a number of worldwide nude rides. Taking a different route every year, the bicyclists circle through much of the city, including the Seattle Center, and have ridden through parks such as Gas Works and Alki.
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Children bicycling to Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake, without bike helmets
Bareheaded children bicycling to Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake can’t say they weren’t warned if they are pulled over starting Monday morning.
Prairie Crossing Principal Brian Greene said safety concerns led to the idea of issuing written “citations” to students without bike helmets. Charter school policy requires students to wear headgear while on a bike.
“I’d rather be proactive than reactive,” Greene said.
Greene said no one at Prairie Crossing will actively seek children without bike helmets Monday and that violators won’t lose school privileges. He said parents were informed about the initiative in a newsletter he sent today.
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Memphis Cyclists Showed Tremendous Talent on the Bicycle, mission beyond the competition
Reed set out to create a team of serious cyclists committed to road cycling under the name of a company he co-owned, “Memphis Motorwerks.” He later renamed the team “Marx & Bensdorf” after his real estate company.
“I’m 52 now, but as the sponsor of the team, the stronger riders have to let me stay around,” Reed jokes.
Reed handpicked Memphis cyclists who showed tremendous talent on the bicycle, but he wanted his team to be known for more than winning races. “They have to be a strong rider,” team captain Clark Butcher says about his teammates, “but they also need a strong reputation, a positive reputation, in the cycling community.” Butcher says that Marx & Bensdorf signs riders who earn respect on and off the bike. Read more
Chinese cycling market recent years
The Chinese cycling market has seen a rapid development in recent years. There are more than 200 IBD bike shops nationwide with daily-rising quantity. Each IBD shop has its own cycling club and online community. Ridings and hundreds of races are organized on a weekly basis.
France Cycling Route - Tour de France Route 2009
It’s that time of year again for speculation on the next Tour de France course. The Grand Tour organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) will reveal the race details only on October 22 in Paris, but the media are already on the hunt for first leaks.
In this way, Spanish news agency Efe claims that one of the 2009 Tour stages will visit the principality of Andorra, located in the Pyrenees between France and Spain. The tourism minister of Andorra, Juli Minoves, reportedly affirmed this on Tuesday this week after talks with Tour director Christian Prudhomme and is now waiting for an official confirmation.
Sources inside the government of Andorra said that the stage finishing in the country’s capital of Andorra la Vella may start in Spanish Barcelona, another city which is said to host a Tour de France stage finish on Saturday, July 11, 2009.
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Volvo XC60 Crossover on test drive in Los Angeles
Over at Auto Fiends they have some new camera phone pics of the Volvo XC60 crossover out on a test drive in the Los Angeles area. While in and of itself, that is no big deal, the photographer noticed something unusual about this particular vehicle.
Above the fuel filler door was the the tag “Diesel Fuel Only.” Since Volvo hasn’t offered a diesel-powered car in North America since the mid-eighties, this is an unusual sight. Just because Volvo was testing a diesel in the U.S. doesn’t necessarily mean they will sell one here, but we can certainly hope. Over in Europe, Volvo offers the XC60 with a 2.4L inline five cylinder diesel at two power levels, 163hp and 185hp.
Either of those would be adequate for the XC60 if they choose to make one of the engines Tier 2 Bin 5 compliant. More importantly, perhaps, is that if they do federalize the diesel it could appear in some U.S. market Fords as well.
Cycle Rider Shows - Robot bicycle shows at China Hi-Tech Fair 2008
[@image Xinhuanet]
At the China Hi-Tech Fair 2008 (CHTF) held in Shenzhen on October 12, a robot riding a bicycle through a piece of “S”-shaped wood attracted a lot of the audience’s attention.
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Schwinn Tailwind eBikes - Schwinn and Toshiba Collaborate to Dramatically Alter the Electric Bike Market
Worldwide Collaboration between two of the most recognizable brands on the planet will allow riders to recharge their Schwinn Tailwind eBikes in 30 minutes through a standard electrical outlet, one-eighth (1/8th) the time of competing electric bikes (or less)
BETHEL, Conn., — Schwinn Bicycles, America’s most recognized bicycle brand today announced a strategic collaboration with Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO: 6502) that is expected to dramatically alter the electric bicycle landscape in the United States and around the world. Schwinn Bicycles is part of the Cannondale Sports Group Division of Dorel Industries Schwinn has incorporated Toshiba’s new Super Charge ion Battery (SCiB) technology into the Schwinn Tailwind, a brand new electric bike to be formally unveiled today in Las Vegas to bicycle dealers attending the annual Interbike International Bicycle Expo ( http://www.interbike.com/ib/index.jsp), the largest bicycle trade industry event in North America. The Tailwind will also be showcased tonight from 6 to 9:30 p.m. (EDT) at the ShowStoppers media-only reception ( http://showstoppers.com/)being held at the Millennium Hotel on Times Square in New York City at 44th and Broadway.
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ABA, Bicycle Motocross Sport and derby-style competition - Talent BMX riders up to pedal for medals
The trio, aged eight,11 and 13 are talented BMX riders gearing up to pedal for medals as the American Bicycle Association (ABA) hosts the Canadian Grand Nationals in Chilliwack for the seventh consecutive year.
“It’s one of those sports you have to go watch,” exclaimed the siblings father Jim Olsen. “It’s super fast.”
BMX stands for Bicycle Motocross sport and is derby-style competition that involves dirt jumps, banked corners and other obstacles where the first rider over the finish line wins.
“It’s a full contact sport,” harps Jim. “They get scratches and nicks all the time. We call them BMX bruises.”
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Thailand Bike Challenge - Cycling Event
Friday October 24th to Friday November 7th 2008
Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and Hua Hin in the South are our locations for this three-centre event, taking in Bangkok from Friday 24th October to Friday November 7th, 2008. €300 will reserve your place, with an overall fundraising target of €4,450pp. Tandems fundraising target is €8,000. Single room supplement €500pp.
For mountain bike trips, email mountainbike@ncbi.ie or for cycling email cycles@ncbi.ie
A list of cycling events 2008
NCBI Blazing Saddles Fundraising Programme 2008
NCBI Fundraising Launch Party
Friday, February 8th
Old Jameson Distillery - Bow Street at 8.00pm
Training Camp for Mexico
Sunday, February 24th
Dolmen Hotel Carlow at 10.30am.
Blazing Saddles Mexico Adventure Cycle
Sunday, April 19th – Sunday, May 4th
Tour of Ireland Elite Challenge
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Volvo Stand 2008 Cycle Show at Earls Court
There are plenty of reasons to visit the Volvo stand at the 2008 Cycle Show which takes place at Earls Court between 10-12 October. Volvo will once again co-sponsor the very popular Mountain Bike Test Track and alongside displaying a selection of new Volvo models, there will also be a guest appearance from an Olympic Gold medallist sailor and the chance to win a weekend in the new Volvo XC60.
Volvo has a long commitment to designing cars suitable for outdoor hobbies, such as cycling and while the Volvo range has become increasingly stylish, it still remains practical and versatile. On display is a selection of these versatile models including the Volvo XC70 Volvo Ocean Race Edition, the striking C30 R-DESIGN Sport and the new stunning Volvo XC60 crossover. Volvo also has its own range of bicycle holders so bikes can be transported safely and securely, whether they are on the roof of the car, in the boot or attached to a towbar. Read more
Vanderkuyp Cyclist Successfully Pedals his way through America
Dutch Vanderkuyp’s annual summer cycling excursion is finished, and the Cape Coral resident has a new appreciation for mountains, roaming animals and traveling the back roads of the United States without a phone.
The 60-year-old Vanderkuyp arrived in Seattle on June 8 via Amtrak with his recumbent bicycle, and then proceeded to cycle to Bar Harbor, Maine, starting June 15.
The 3,500-mile journey took 11 weeks and was concluded with two other men from Portland, Ore. The trip started with five - but one rider dropped out after two weeks and a second called it quits five weeks into the ride.
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Corcoran Family Bike Tour of Trail’s End Road in Weston is Ready to Roll
The Corcoran family of Trail’s End Road in Weston have been tuning up their bikes for a cause that’s near and dear to their hearts. On Sunday, Oct. 5, they will ride for the 10th consecutive year in the 21st Annual Cystic Fibrosis Bike Tour at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport.
The CF Bike Tour is more than just a day in the park for this Weston family, which includes parents Joseph and Bean, sisters Lexi, Shannon, and Mary, and 11-year-old Willie. The event raises money and offers hope to those who suffer from this terminal disease for which there currently is no cure — a disease with which Willie was diagnosed when he was a baby.
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