Your Monday morning link roundup — all the breaking bike news that’s fit to print

Let’s start with news from my home state —

Former President Herbert Hoover’s grandson runs down a Colorado cyclist in an apparent road rage assault.

Some previous stories have misidentified the driver as J. Edgar Hoover’s grandson; however, the never married and reputedly gay founder of the FBI didn’t have any children, which to the best of my knowledge pretty much precludes the possibility of a grandchild.

Fortunately, this sort of assault should become a thing of the past as the entire state prepares to mellow out.

………

Speaking of dope, here’s a twist, as a former Lance teammate says he would have been a better rider if only he’d doped more. Pro cycling teams discuss forming the equivalent of soccer’s Champion’s League. Coming soon on the pro tour, a three day Tour de India.

And a certain cyclist steps down from the cancer charity he founded.

Yes, that one.

………

A new Kickstarter project promises a bike cam that records both forward and back simultaneously. Of course, the question is the quality of the video, but the concept is solid.

Thanks to Bobby Close for the heads-up.

………

The L.A. Times looks at fancy fixies and some that just look the part. The always worth reading CLR Effect casts a lens on a typical bike Sunday in Claremont and examines the safety of cycling glasses; I’m amazed at the number of riders I see without eye protection, since a single insect or pebble tossed up by a passing car could cost you an eye. Shimano is expanding their American headquarters in Irvine. The goalkeeper for the San Diego State women’s soccer team bounces back from a serious cycling collision with a speeding motorcycle. Amtrak adds bike capacity on some popular California routes. Sacramento cyclist is the latest victim of murderous hit-and-run drivers. Cyclelicious offers photos from the Pedal Savvy bike fashion show and the 2012 San Francisco Bike Expo. A San Francisco writer says bikes are good for the city.

What President Obama’s re-election may mean for U.S. bike riders. Anchorage bike commuters win support for more bike lanes. Have to respect someone who’s concerned about the woman who just ran over his bike-riding wife. Denver cyclists raise funds to benefit a local bike advocate seriously injured in a solo fall. An Arkansas driver Jerry Browns a cyclist, but somehow the rider is blamed for the collision. An Austin writer says it’s time to strip Lance Armstrong’s name from a local bikeway. It’s bad enough when a driver flees the scene of a fatal cycling hit-and-run; even more disgusting when he’s an EMT whose job it is to save victims like his. Evidently, there are worse things than hit-and-run, as a New Orleans cyclist is hit by a car, then robbed at gunpoint by its occupants.

A Cayman Islands driver calls for a crackdown on those mad cyclists. A 68-year old Canadian woman is angry about being ticketed for riding in a crosswalk after getting right hooked. The UK’s cycling death toll reaches 105, just two less than the total for all of 2011; make that 106. British pro cyclist Mark Cavendish calls for the country to adopt a version of Europe’s strict liability laws, while British adventurist James Cracknell — nearly killed in a US riding wreck — calls for mandatory helmet laws. The BBC blames cyclists using discredited data. A UK rider is hit with a bottle from a passing car, the latest in a string of similar attacks in recent years, including a bicyclist who was struck with a dead body; in fact, the country seems to be dealing with a rash of bike hate and assaults on cyclists. A full 42% of London cyclists have been knocked off their bikes in collisions with motor vehicles. A writer for the Guardian says cycling is worth the pain and riders shouldn’t let a spill or two deter them; couldn’t agree more, I’ve had four serious falls in 32 years of riding, and bounced back from everyone one. Great comment on drivers who complain cyclists are hard to see — or worse, hit them — “Why did this particular driver and none of the others have a problem seeing me?” A British driver fears he may get a speeding ticket intended for a cyclist. And the last item in our unexpectedly long report from the United Kingdom, as the Edinburgh Herald says safer streets for cyclists is an uphill struggle that needs to succeed. Demonstrating no sense of irony, the Deputy Mayor of Florence defends the choice of Pinocchio as mascot for scandal-plagued pro cycling’s 2013 World Championships. Qatar develops a bike plan, as the nation aims to become a center for cycling; can you even bike in a burka? A Singapore cyclist says road courtesy really does exist.

Finally, a Chinese news report says overcrowding has turned cycling in Amsterdam into a daily hell, which should come as a big surprise to the Dutch. A UK bike safety campaign offensively blames “cyclists riding like stupid twats” for an unnamed percentage who cause their own deaths; I suspect far more are caused by the twats who drive that way.

And as always, our friends at the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain offer a link roundup that puts this one to shame, assuming you have a few hours — or maybe days — to kill.

2 comments

  1. Kim Ong says:

    Thank you for posting this up. Your post has led to actual backings on our Kickstarter site! We will do our best to make Spectacam work.

    • bikinginla says:

      Glad to hear that, Kim. But thank Bobby — he’s the one who said I should give you a shout out.

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