Cycling in the News: Malaysian PM recognized; Wondering about Lance

By VeloNews.com
Published Jun. 7, 2005

“Cycling in the News” is a regular service of VeloNews.com. Readers,reporters and friends are encouraged to send links to current stories aboutcompetitive cyclists and cycling that appear in the mainstream media. Ifyou come across a news item that you believe may be of interest to otherVeloNews readers, we would be grateful if you choose to send it to Rosters@InsideInc.com.

Bernama.com – Malaysian National News Agency – June 6, 2005
Mahathir Gets Award For Support Of Cycling Events
PUTRAJAYA, June 6 (Bernama) — The International Cycling Union (UCI)Monday presented Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with its Merit Award for his strongsupport of cycling events when he was prime minister. FULLSTORY

BikeBiz.com- Great Britain – June7, 2005
London confirmed as cycling boom-town
The number of cycle journeys made in London has increased by 67 percentduring the past five years, reveal figures released yesterday by Transportfor London.
From May 2000 to May 2005 the number of weekly cycle journeys on TfL’sroads… FULLSTORY

The Independent – Great Britain -June 7, 2005
Cycling: Armstrong needs to step on pedal
By Alasdair Fotheringham in Givors
Lance Armstrong added another five hour, 150-mile segment of his build-upfor his final Tour de France yesterday in the Dauphiné Libéréstage race in France – but you would have been forgiven for barely noticing.After finishing an anonymous 79th in the stage’s final bunch sprint here,the six-time Tour winner scooted into his Discovery Channel team bus withoutspeaking… FULLSTORY

The Telegraph – Calcutta, India – June 7, 2005
Story of two wheels – First Person
Satbir Singh – Secretary Jharkhand Cycling Association
Q: How different is cycling as a sports from normal cycling?
A: The cycles that we normally use are very heavy where as racingcycles are light, some are as light as three and a half kilos. FULLSTORY

Minneapolis Star-Tribune – June 6, 2005
Biking: A raging road audience
Dean Spiros, Star Tribune
David LaPorte, founder and director of the Great River Energy BicycleFestival, has a favorite image of the event’s professional race, the NatureValley Grand Prix. In the photo, taken two years ago in downtown Minneapolis,the street is lined with spectators as the riders race toward the finishline. A closer look reveals how fans had climbed up lampposts to see overthe crowd, reinforcing what LaPorte has long believed to be true: Minnesotansare avid about cycling. FULLSTORY

The News Letter – Belfast, Ireland – June 6, 2005
Cycling – Good Evans!
Jim Gore
Tommy Evans was a class act in the weekend’s two big races. In Saturday’sNorthern Ireland senior road race championship at Ballymena Evans was theeasy winner and again at Banbridge yesterday in the Classic League NoelTeggart Memorial, the Banbridge rider claimed top spot. FULLSTORY

Scotsman.com – June 6, 2005
Drivers dodging parking fees at ERI ‘putting cyclists’ lives atrisk’
Fiona McGlynn
Drivers trying to avoid high parking charges at the Edinburgh RoyalInfirmary are putting cyclists’ lives at risk, it was claimed today. Nursingstaff and visitors at the ERI are leaving their cars in cycle lanes outsidethe hospital, forcing riders into traffic. FULLSTORY

The Newsletter – Belfast, Northern Ireland – Tuesday17th May 2005
Cycling – Scanlon Out Of Irish Team
By Jim Gore
The chances of an Irish team win in next week’s FBD Insurance RAS internationalstage race suffered a devastating blow last night with the news that thecountry’s top professional cyclist, Mark Scanlon, has been forced to withdrawbecause of illness. FULLSTORY

Los Angeles Times (Requires Free Subscription) – May15, 2005
Book review: What the numbers can reveal
Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of EverythingSteven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner William Morrow: 242 pp., $25.95
By Michael Shermer
OVER a quarter-century of serious cycling, I’ve heard the rumors aboutperformance-enhancing drugs — stimulants in the 1970s, steroids in the1980s and blood boosters such as erythropoietin (EPO) in the 1990s. A friendwho knows my penchant for exposing fraud suggested I track Tour de Francewinners’ speeds and note the increase after 1991, the year he says EPOwas introduced. Because my friend won the Tour three times, I figured itwas worth checking. FULL STORY

San Diego Union-Tribune – May 15, 2005
More than two dozen companies here are part of the bicycle industry
By Shannon McMahon
Think of the San Diego region as a bicycle chain. Each link representsa local company devoted to a niche in the cycling industry. FULLSTORY

Seattle Times – May 16, 2005
King County trying to buy rail corridor for new trail
By Natalie Singer
King County has entered into exclusive negotiations with BNSF Railwayto buy a 47-mile rail corridor stretching from Renton to Snohomish Countyfor use as a trail. FULLSTORY

The International Heral Tribune – May 12, 2005
A case of doping or a ‘vanishing twin’?
By Gina Kolata The New York Times
Last month, when the champion American cyclist Tyler Hamilton was accusedof blood doping, or transfusing himself with another person’s blood toincrease his oxygen-carrying red cells, he offered a surprising defense:The small amount of different blood found mixed in with his own must havecome from a “vanishing twin.” FULLSTORY

Seattle Times – May 17, 2005
Put brakes on rail-to-trail plan, some say
By Natalie Singer
King County’s plan to turn 47 miles of Eastside and Snohomish Countytrain tracks into a trail came as welcome news yesterday to some in theregion but brought protests from supporters of the Spirit of Washingtondinner train, which now uses the rails… FULLSTORY

The State – South Carolina – May. 17, 2005
Lawmakers, others to promote cycling’s benefits
By JOEY HOLLEMAN
Rep. Roland Smith should be easy to spot at Wednesday’s Pedal WithYour Politicians event in Columbia. He’ll be the 72-year-old with the crackedhelmet. FULLSTORY

USA Today – May 14, 2005
Student killed in bike accident donates organs to 5 people
MEQUON, Wis. — A University of Wisconsin-Madison sophomore whowas killed in a bike race has donated his organs, resulting in five strangersgetting a chance to live longer. FULLSTORY

BikeBiz.com – Great Britain – May 13, 2005
Testing the cycling nation
As a way of promoting the Dudley International track meet on 13-14thAugust, race promoter Halesowen CC is to send a quiz bike media, challengingcyclists to find answers to a set of bike-themed questions. The questionsrange from where the Elswick Hopper was built through to posers that willhave even the brainiest cyclists typing keywords into Google… FULLSTORY

International Herald Tribune
Cycling: Nothing is normal for Hamilton
Samuel Abt
PARIS Normally, this would be a peak time in the bicycle racingseason for Tyler Hamilton. The one-day Liège-Bastogne-Liègeclassic, which he won two years ago, was staged a month ago, followed bythe six-day Tour of Romandie, which he won in 2004 and 2003. Now the three-weekGiro d’Italia, in which he finished second in 2002, has just begun FULLSTORY

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