Catching up nicely
A couple of local items for you before moving on.....
Bridge to provide vital link for greenways
This bridge across the Cumberland River will connect Shelby Bottoms and Two Rivers. Now I'll be able to ride from home easily into East Nashville and Eastsiders will have a whole new set of roads to ride to from home. I've been watching the progress over the past few months, and pictures on the link show a lot has been completed. In a few years our Greenways system will be one of envy throughout the South. There's a lot more that can be accomplished, but just think back about 10 years to see how far we've come.
Thompson’s Station awarded "Safe Routes to School" Grant
More sidewalks, safer routes to ride to school, and bike safety classes will come from this $240,000 grant. It's great that our local governments are petitioning for these funds to improve the quality of the neighborhood, and more importantly it hopefully means more kids on bikes!
Open season on bicycles
In light of my 3 foot law posting I thought I'd share this with you. It's a BlueOregon from Portland about a recent death of a 31 year old bicyclist at the hands of a garbage truck driver. The author rightfully is irritated with the police's response to what happened, as if to say the cyclist should have been more careful despite being right. The truck's "blind spot" was actually referred to as an excuse for the careless driver, and wasn't even cited in the incident. This accident comes on the heels of a 19 year old cyclist killed by a vehicle just a few weeks earlier. I agree with the author, "Changes have to happen now." That's easier said than done of course, but it all starts with us taking an active role in making change happen.
NYC tries again to get calories on menus
On the one hand this is a good idea in theory, but on the other franchise burger joints already have this information available inside the store. Are there not better things to worry about in the city of New York? Although, I wouldn't mind knowing the caloric content of everything I order when dining out. The dessert menu should remain off limits though.
Decreased Genital Sensation In Competitive Women Cyclists
I am probably not the right person to speak about this issue, but I should at least provide the information. The study compared female cyclists to runners, and only focused on sensation.
No USADA testing at 'Toona raises questions
From what I've been told this isn't uncommon at all throughout the whole season. In fact, I'm told it can be quite easy to cheat here in the US. Yes, out-of-competition testing could get anyone, but consistent doping controls at major races or NRC events simply don't happen. If fighting drugs is as important as the governing bodies say it is then they have to step up and actually test. A lot. As much as possible. Every event with NRC status for sure. Find a way to make it happen and create a plan that goes toward the goal. Not only that, but at least communicate with a promoter what your plans are, or lack thereof. Dart thrower see dart board?
On the flip side, here we are at Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals in Banner Elk, NC. One of the topics during our rider/team meeting was doping controls after the cross-country race on Friday. This is my fourth collegiate nationals event to attend and not once has doping controls ever been mentioned. Not that I'm complaining of course, but if they can come and test a bunch of non-professional college kids they can invest in testing the professionals who have more at stake. At the finish line they will have the numbers of riders chosen for controls and it's up to the rider to make themselves available. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
Bridge to provide vital link for greenways
This bridge across the Cumberland River will connect Shelby Bottoms and Two Rivers. Now I'll be able to ride from home easily into East Nashville and Eastsiders will have a whole new set of roads to ride to from home. I've been watching the progress over the past few months, and pictures on the link show a lot has been completed. In a few years our Greenways system will be one of envy throughout the South. There's a lot more that can be accomplished, but just think back about 10 years to see how far we've come.
Thompson’s Station awarded "Safe Routes to School" Grant
More sidewalks, safer routes to ride to school, and bike safety classes will come from this $240,000 grant. It's great that our local governments are petitioning for these funds to improve the quality of the neighborhood, and more importantly it hopefully means more kids on bikes!
Open season on bicycles
In light of my 3 foot law posting I thought I'd share this with you. It's a BlueOregon from Portland about a recent death of a 31 year old bicyclist at the hands of a garbage truck driver. The author rightfully is irritated with the police's response to what happened, as if to say the cyclist should have been more careful despite being right. The truck's "blind spot" was actually referred to as an excuse for the careless driver, and wasn't even cited in the incident. This accident comes on the heels of a 19 year old cyclist killed by a vehicle just a few weeks earlier. I agree with the author, "Changes have to happen now." That's easier said than done of course, but it all starts with us taking an active role in making change happen.
NYC tries again to get calories on menus
On the one hand this is a good idea in theory, but on the other franchise burger joints already have this information available inside the store. Are there not better things to worry about in the city of New York? Although, I wouldn't mind knowing the caloric content of everything I order when dining out. The dessert menu should remain off limits though.
Decreased Genital Sensation In Competitive Women Cyclists
I am probably not the right person to speak about this issue, but I should at least provide the information. The study compared female cyclists to runners, and only focused on sensation.
No USADA testing at 'Toona raises questions
From what I've been told this isn't uncommon at all throughout the whole season. In fact, I'm told it can be quite easy to cheat here in the US. Yes, out-of-competition testing could get anyone, but consistent doping controls at major races or NRC events simply don't happen. If fighting drugs is as important as the governing bodies say it is then they have to step up and actually test. A lot. As much as possible. Every event with NRC status for sure. Find a way to make it happen and create a plan that goes toward the goal. Not only that, but at least communicate with a promoter what your plans are, or lack thereof. Dart thrower see dart board?
On the flip side, here we are at Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals in Banner Elk, NC. One of the topics during our rider/team meeting was doping controls after the cross-country race on Friday. This is my fourth collegiate nationals event to attend and not once has doping controls ever been mentioned. Not that I'm complaining of course, but if they can come and test a bunch of non-professional college kids they can invest in testing the professionals who have more at stake. At the finish line they will have the numbers of riders chosen for controls and it's up to the rider to make themselves available. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 10/25/2007 09:04:00 PM
3 Comments:
And more news on the positive side-
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071026/ap_on_he_me/fitness_school_commuters
And on the negative side-
http://wkrg.com/news/article/teen_charged_with_killing_cyclists/4955/
Cooper
Women cyclists article: Did anyone else notice that the women in the studies were only required to ride 10 miles per week? They are most likely on ill-fitting bikes with GIANT saddles. I've never had a problem...
Post a Comment
<< Home