Arnold Schwarzenegger took to the streets of Melbourne by bicycle last week, sparking a Twitter storm:
Via @MinistryOfBrown on Twitter
His helmet-free ride has sparked minor controversy as it’s illegal to ride without one in the country, and also picked up coverage on the Daily Mail who, bizarrely, ran two similar stories last year:
Linked to original article
Linked to original article
Cracking journalism there, guys!
We’ve heard of pop-up shops and cafés, but yesterday’s BBC article was the first we’d heard of a pop-up velodrome! The velodrome tours various cities encouraging people to try their speed cycling skills, aiming to take advantage of the increased attention the sport has received after Britain’s fantastic performance in the 2012 Olympics:
We think it’s a great idea. You can follow the series on their website here, or if you fancy putting your skills to the test, the next event is in 68 days’ time in Paisley.
Krystian Herba has set the world record for cycling up stairs, after climbing 3,139 stairs in 2 hours and 13 minutes, smashing his own previous record of 2,919 stairs in 2014. Unsurprisingly, Krystian said “this was absolutely the most difficult challenge ever in my life”.
From BBC, linked to source
He chose the Taipei 101 building for this attempt, which was formerly the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010 (although he still had to get an elevator down from the 60th floor and begin the climb again to hit his desired amount of steps!).
A phenomenal effort.
Not such a phenomenal effort from Easyjet, unfortunately. Road.cc reports that the airline managed to leave 16 bikes (worth £30,000) at the departure airport, while their soon-to-be-disappointed riders where whisked away to Mallorca.
This was obviously a sour start to the tour, compounded by the frustration that it was technically acceptable within the terms and conditions of the airline’s small print:
Subject to any applicable passenger rights pursuant to any international or domestic laws or regulations to the contrary, Hold Luggage will be carried on the same aircraft as You unless for safety, security or operational reasons, We need to carry it on the next Flight available, where possible, or on an alternative Flight. If Your Hold Luggage is carried on a subsequent Flight We will deliver it to You as soon as reasonably practicable unless any applicable law requires You to be present for customs clearance.
Britain’s ‘Olympic Legacy’ is often discussed, and one common question is whether communities benefited from hosting events. Usually people look to Stratford and other areas in London where major events were hosted, but looking deeper at towns that hosted cycling events can be revealing.
The BBC reports that Mole Valley council has recently held a constitution day to discuss how best to encourage cycling in the area, while minimising the impact of cycling events. Their priorities are: “improving the cycle paths network, promoting considerate behaviour of cyclists to other road and path users, educating children about safe cycling, enabling disabled people to cycle, and working to reduce the impact of the growing popularity of events on rural communities and businesses.”
A good round-up this week! Some inspiring stories, something to generate debate, and some good old fashioned celeb spotting. What are your favourite cycling stories of the past fortnight? Let us know below.
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