Bicycle News roundup 003

Well its that time again, mid week. So here is what google says is happening in the world of bicycle news:

From Velo News:

Sebastien Hinault wins stage 10 in the 63rd Vuelta a España, (Grand Tour of Spain)



Crédit Agricole couldn’t imagine a better going away present than a stage victory Tuesday in the 63rd Vuelta a España in what’s its swansong grand tour.

The long-standing French team — set to fold at the end of the 2008 season after a new sponsor couldn’t be found to replace the departing French bank — earned a rare bunch sprint victory with French veteran Sébastien Hinault.

Read the rest Here
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Cincinnati

Local paper City Beat has an article on the unfriendliness of biking in this Ohio city.

Cover Story: No One Rides for Free
Lack of vision, planning and investment have made Cincinnati a 'bike unfriendly' city

BY Danny Cross | Posted 09/03/2008

It's difficult to ride a bicycle in Cincinnati, and not just because it's hilly and the weather sucks and our neighborhoods sprawl 30 miles away into another counties and states.

It's not because there are few bike racks and even fewer bike lanes. It's not because each neighborhood presents its own set of problems for planners and engineers or the fact that Cincinnati hasn't had a planning department since 2002.

It's not because the newest map of the city's bike routes is from 1998 or that you're just as likely to get a biggie-size Coke thrown at you while riding along Central Parkway than you are to receive a friendly wave.

Article here.
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Arizona

The Leauge of American Cyclists has named Arizona the third most bicycle friendly state.

Arizona named a bicycle-friendly state
Reported by: Tricia Garcia-Captain

More Arizonans are ditching gas-guzzling cars for bicycles to commute to work and for recreation.

The League of American Bicyclists named Arizona the third most bicycle-friendly state in the country for its encouragement of bicycling among riders of all ages.

States were judged on six categories that support bike use, including legislation, education and encouragement, and infrastructure.

Washington is ranked number one on the list of bicycle friendly states, followed by Wisconsin at number two.

The rest here.
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Sydney Australia,

A group of researchers presented their findings from a study which states the best way to increase bicycle safety is to put more bicycles on the road.

Read this report from Scientific American. Includes a 60 second podcast.
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NYC,

From right here in New York, Stuart Post got his article in City Limits about his experience at the August Critical Mass:


WHO'S AFRAID OF
A PEACEFUL BIKER?
A spontaneous evening goes awry, leaving skid marks on this cyclist's view of his city. By Stuart Post

City Limits WEEKLY #655
September 8, 2008

Editor's note: Using a bicycle for transportation on the streets of New York City can be an intimidating, and downright dangerous, endeavor. The Bloomberg administration is working to make the city more bike-friendly – through newly designated bike-only lanes, to cite the most visible example. But how bike-friendly can a city be if its premier grassroots cycling event operates in an atmosphere of police hostility? That's one question that occurred to self-described "accidental anarchist" Stuart Post, a 48-year-old resident of the Gramercy Park area, who joined last month's Critical Mass bike ride.

read the rest here.