Should cyclist stop at all stop signs and red lights? The Wall Street Journal asks and cyclist and other folks respond. My take is that it is a case-by-case basis. Some lights especially in busy intersections should be obeyed. The faster the traffic the more you should obey. On smaller streets with slower traffic then it is optional. European roads have been slowly removing traffic lights and stop signs in favor of the roundabout which Phil and Paul love to call traffic furniture.
WSJ: Should Cyclists Run Red Lights?
Le Tour Parcours
The Tour de France 2008 route was announced today in Paris. The big highlights of the route include a start in the Brittany region of France which is home to the likes of “The Badger” Bernard Hinault. There is no prologue time trial to kick things off, only a flat stage that will favor the sprinters. Things should not be too hectic since a team such as Milram or Quick-Step would be just as eager to control things to get a sprint victory early on.
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Euro-Style alert, as I was reading cyclingnews.com on some new shoes coming out from Interbike I came upon a line that struck a chord with my Euro-Style sensibilities.
The bright green-and-pearl white shoes are arguably a bit garish, but undoubtedly Euro-chic and proved to be surprisingly well-received by the decided US-centric crowd at Interbike. This may also serve as a more general indicator of changing US tastes, as Sidi will also bring in a number of bright hues formerly considered to be Euro-only stateside.
Nice, the same feature also has white shoes from Shimano, Northwave and Adidas. The trend is catching on in the US, which is good as I need to replace my Sidi HT 5.5’s since they have a slight gash on the toe from the Thater crash.
Interbike 2007 Part 10: Eat your heart out, Imelda
Lance Armstrong and Dick Pound are on the list of Top 10 Manliest Names on Cracked.com. Here is Lance Armstrong’s analysis.
The Name:
It’s impossible to hear this name without picturing many men getting impaled on a battlefield. He’s got the lance, and he’s got the arm strength to drive it through you and the four guys standing behind you.
The Man:
Some will argue that we should have gone with the guy who walked on the moon instead of the guy who rides bikes for a living. But, come on. Neil? Please. Come back when you’ve got a man’s name, space cowboy.
Anyway, Lance got cancer in his testicle, abdomen, lungs and brain, and then, instead of curling into a little ball and giving the hell up like a lot of us might have, he beat the cancer (in our imaginations, with a hammer).
Then, he went on to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times. Nowadays, Armstrong is retired from cycling and does speaking tours and writes inspirational books which make us feel really inspired and happy, and then a little later as we microwave last night’s pizza and settle in to watch America’s Got Talent, really shitty.
Does He Live Up to It?
Lance doesn’t rank higher because, quite frankly, cycling just barely involves using your arms. So the Armstrong thing is kind of wasted.
The Only Way It Could Have Been Manlier:
Lance Legstrong? No, that’s more accurate, but also ridiculous. In fact, most of the names we came up with sound weird in English, like “Lightning-Legs.” But, maybe in another language … Babel Fish tells us “Lightning Legs” in German is “Blitzbeine,” and Lance Blitzbeine does have a nice ring to it.
Top 10 Manliest Names
AP Photo/Daniel Maurer
Yes, its only for charity but Der Kaiser is back on the roads. He won’t be racing anytime soon, but here is a glimpse for old times sake. He is riding his own “Jan Ullrich” brand bikes which have fat tubes in the winter and get skinner in July. Jan, send me over a bike so I can test it, help get the new Bike Reviews section going strong.
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Blue is a new bike company that has only been around for a few years. Two or three as the Blue reps told me last month at the Chris Thater both. But that did not ring true even as I was feeling the after effects of my crash. My Lemond Chambery was not in the best shape (back to working order now), so the test ride offer seemed enticing. Its a company I’ve heard of before and I even had a chance to purchase one at a Team Colavita discount when Maxpowercycling.com was a Colavita Regional Amateur team in 2006. I did not know too much about Blue at the time and passed on the offer.
Blue bikes have been around for at least four years as they have been sponsoring the Colavita Women and previously the Quark team since at least 2004, so greater that three years if the answer.
In 2006 only the Colavita women’s team were riding Blue bikes. In 2007 the Colavita men switched from Felts to Blue and the name recognition grew at least in my realm of influence. So, I dropped my info and took the bike for a test drive. I figure this would be a good section to start for Velochimp.com. I can setup test rides and have every major dealer send me their bikes to test.
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The Italians were pretty excited to have Bettini win. Check out the reaction from the Italian box featuring an interview with Paolo’s wife Monica. See some behind the scenes moments after the race as Bettini and crew enjoy a beer and an interview with Italian Team Director Franco Ballerini
These are all from the Gazzette dello Sport site so obviously in Italian.
