Cycling World Magazine

News

Too Late

Six days was all it took for 23,000 cyclists to fill all available spaces for the 2012 edition of the 300 km Vätternrundan, which runs around the scenic Lake Vättern in south-central Sweden on June 15th and 16th. The 300 km ride is part of the world's largest cycling event, which also consists of the 150 km Halvvättern and the 100 km ladies' event Tjejvättern. Spaces for these two rides are still available.

The small town of Motala is thronged by some 35,000 people for a few days in June every year. Between them, the Vätternrundan cyclists pedal over 8 million kilometres every year, equivalent to more than 200 turns around the earth. The largest group of overseas riders comes from Germany with almost 1600 participants, followed by Norway at nearly 900. Among the countries increasing its share the most is France, which has more than doubled its participation and enters seventeen riders.

"We notice an increasing interest for cycling and for Vätternrundan in particular. We see this as testimony to a well organised event that cyclists want to come back to," says Eva-Lena Frick, general manager for Vätternrundan.

Limited Edition Thule Bicycle Racks

Thule has announced limited edition bicycle racks designed by the Thule Adventure Team. There are four bicycle racks building on proven concepts and innovations. Martin Flinta, Team Captain for Thule Adventure Team challenge who compete in some of the hardest, most extreme adventure racing and multi-sport competitions in the world said: “We are dependent on high performance bicycle racks so that we can reach remote and often inaccessible places where we train and compete, and we have high demands on functionality and design. With Thule’s innovative products, transportation is smooth and secure. We have added new functions and materials that make the bicycle racks even more attractive to both professionals and novices.” The team was given a free hand, together with Thule’s designers and creators, when asked to develop a special edition of their favourite products. The results are two roof-mounted and two towbar-mounted bicycle racks. The bicycle racks also come with rubber components that carefully protect the bicycle wheels.

Dates for 2012 Tour of Britain

The ninth edition of The Tour of Britain, the UK’s biggest professional cycle race, will run from Sunday 9th to Sunday 16th September 2012. It will, once again visiting England, Scotland and Wales, providing a chance for British spectators to see Olympic medalists in action less than a month after the London Olympics. With the World Championships in Limburg held just a week after the conclusion of The Tour of Britain, the race will once again prove to be a perfect warmup for the Worlds, as illustrated by Mark Cavendish’s victory, just days after he took the honours in the final Tour of Britain stage in Central London.

Further details on the route for next year’s Tour will be announced in the New Year, with the full route and competing teams announced in spring.

The organisers would like spectators who came along to this years edition to take part in an online survey, which provides valuable feedback to The Tour of Britain and its partners. The link to the survey can be found at www.surveymonkey. com/s/ToB-2011 with everyone who completes the survey going into a draw to win a selection of fantastic Tour of Britain prizes, including VIP Hospitality at next year’s race.

Visualantes Take to the Streets

"Members of the public are being urged to take matters into their own hands by an ex assistant police chief. PoliceWitness.com recruits and encourages 'Visualantes' to capture acts of dangerous driving on video and report these via a website. The reports are then forwarded to specific, dedicated contacts within each police force for consideration of prosecution or a warning letter." So proclaims PoliceWitness.com. The former ACC of Northamptonshire police, Alan Featherstone, feels his private crusade is being met with public enthusiasm. He says, "Our research has indicated that people are simply not going to sit back during these policing cuts, the public want people who flout the law, and put the lives of others in jeopardy, held to account."

He added "With fewer officers and working speed cameras on our streets I have already seen people’s driving styles change for the worse. Nearly every time I get into my car I see some idiot take a risk not just with their own life, but with others ... how many times have you witnessed a close call?" However, there are either concerns or hopes, depending on your point of view, that use of video evidence collected by members of the public could be used in a much wider range of circumstances. A visit to the PoliceWitness.com website shows a range of products suitable for collecting evidence. The recent spate of videos on YouTube and other internet sites taken by cyclists with helmet cameras, some of which have supported prosecutions, indicates how effective video can be.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) seem less sure for the present, at least. A spokesperson said, "The Roads Policing Operations Forum is currently reviewing the proposals put forward by Policewitness.com. There are a number of issues being considered including the proportionality of some investigations and the resource implications on forces. It is hoped that a decision will be reached by the end of November 2011."

In the meantime, readers of the CTC’s on-line newsletter, will have come across a new iphone application aimed at making it easier to report incidents of dangerous driving. The Club and its solicitors were seeking individuals to pilot it.

Yellow Jersey

The 2012 yellow jersey is a blend of old and new. The clean lines, sleeves which end above the elbow and soft stitched collar are inspired by Le Coq Sportif’s very first jerseys, featuring rib trimming from the 1951 Tour. Tradition is further enhanced by the inclusion of the initials “HD”, in tribute to Henri Desgrange, founder the Tour in 1903. The French sportswear supplier marks the cockerel’s return to the iconic jersey with a new logo of its own. The positioning of each of the logos is directly inspired by the 1972 jersey, won for the fourth year running by Eddy Merckx. There are three large pockets sewn into the back of the jersey, in addition to two side “green” pockets for the racers’ rubbish, to ensure the leader keeps France tidy. Aerodynamics are provided by a figurehugging cut and silicone bands gripping the bottom of the jersey and the cuffs. A flexible elastane mix, with a seamless finish, with the sleeves ending below the triceps, eliminates pressure points and improves blood circulation in racers’ arms. The weight of the 2012 jersey has been reduced by nearly 14%: 147 grams against 171 grams, compared to the 2011 version (reference: XL size jersey). Can Mark Cavendish have a green version, as the less mountainous route – all things are relative – has encouraged him to eye the sprint jersey again?

The Coq Sportif brand is, of course, deeply French. In 1882 Emile Camuset, founded the Maison Camuset in Romilly, close to Troyes, the capital of hosiery in France. The most French of sports logos has been worn by leading sportsmen and women, and seen some of the greatest sporting moments; on the jerseys of the winners of the Tour de France in 1951, at the Rome Olympics in 1960, at the Argentinean and Italian victories in the World Cup in the 80s, and when Yannick Noah won the French Open in 1983.Hence his presence at the launch of the new yellow jersey.