Webber breaks leg in bike crash

Formula One driver Mark Webber has broken his leg after colliding head-on with a car while riding a bike at his own charity event in Tasmania.

The Australian, 32, who drives for the Red Bull racing team, was airlifted to hospital where he underwent surgery on a broken right leg.

"The surgery is complete, a pin inserted and the recovery begins," said the event's director, Geoff Donohue.

The accident happened south-east of state capital Hobart on Saturday.


Webber was taking part in the Mark Webber Pure Tasmania Challenge, a 250km endurance event consisting of mountain bike riding, kayaking and trekking on the Australian island.

He was riding a bicycle along a road near historic Port Arthur when he collided with a four-wheel drive vehicle at 1240 local time.

"Mark's in good spirits," said Donohue. "The broken leg is the injury, and beyond that, he's in really good shape.

"He has a little bit of a graze on his left forearm, but he has had full scans and everything else is clear.

"He'll be in hospital for at least three days, for sure under a week. I was speaking to him before the operation, and he was already thinking about his rehabilitation."

Sergeant Jon Ford, of Tasmania Police, said: "We received reports of a collision between a bicycle and a motor vehicle on the Fortescue Bay Road on the Tasman Peninsula.

"He was airlifted from the scene by helicopter and taken to the Royal Hobart Hospital where he is now being treated for serious but not life-threatening injuries.

"He suffered a broken leg and other injuries and is reported to be in a stable condition."

Webber, who is also a BBC Sport columnist, finished 11th in the Formula One drivers' world championship standings this year.

Red Bull have already begun testing ahead of the 2009 F1 season. The team's next testing session is scheduled to take place in Jerez, in southern Spain, from 9 December.

"That date obviously will be an issue," said Donohue.

"But I suspect that as soon as Mark is able to fly, they will be keen to get him back to Europe.

"They will have people working out his rehab program now with a view to getting him up and going as soon as possible."

Source: BBC Sport/ Motorsport

Folding Bike Touring Anyone?

I think touring on folding bike must be more convenient & comfortable. And we can carry more stuff if use it together with the Lightweight Bike Trailer! Anyone?

Source: YouTube

Why Are Folding Bikes So Useful?

We have all seen them, those small-wheeled bicycles whizzing around congested city streets during the rush hour. Suited city gents wearing a cycle helmet with a briefcase strapped to the back luggage rack. When you see them arrive at the train station, you realise they have had the benefit of a bit more time in bed. Then they fold their bike up to a ridiculously small size and tuck it in a corner of the carriage. When they get to their place of work, it is a matter of folding the bike up again and popping it under their desk.

Folding Bikes are a serious part of the daily commute for many people. Not only do they speed up the journey, they help with fitness and of course, they are much more environmentally friendly than driving a family sized car to and from the station car park.

It is not only commuters who find a folder useful. Caravanners and users of RV's are able to arrive at their campsite and then easily tour the local area by bike. For people who use boats, on the sea, river or canal, the compact size of a folder means that they can easily stow it away on board. And, of course, a folder doesn't need a rack on the back of the car; it just goes in the boot.

Those of us who experience urban living, in apartments without parking facilities, will also benefit from a folder. No carting the mountain bike up stairs, or having to leave it chained up outside.

Just because a folder is built to fold up it doesn't mean that there has to be a loss of strength, or they are only confined to high quality tarmac roads. A Moulton, considered to be a Rolls Royce of bikes, held the speed record of 51mph. Airnimal produce high specification folding mountain bikes. An Airnimal Chameleon was ridden to Bronze in the World Triathlon Championships. Bike Friday are a popular US producer of folding bikes and their range even includes a folding tandem and a folding recumbent.

For many the Brompton epitomises the classic folding bike. You will see more of these coming of a busy commuter train than any other model. They feature a unique feature whereby the rear wheel flips underneath to form a stand.

New designs are coming through which are more and more unconventional and eye-catching. The Strida, which weighs just 22 pounds, is rustproof and completely greaseless since it uses a Kevlar belt for propulsion instead of a conventional chain. It looks like a triangle with a seat sticking out just below the apex. The Strida has won several design awards. For those who consider the time taken to fold the bike, there is the Mobiky Genius. Designed in response to the demands of a modern urban environment the Mobiky Genius features one of the fastest and easiest folds of any bike on the UK market. It also rides and handles perfectly in congested streets.

If you are thinking of a bike, but have to consider the difficulties of housing and securing a full sized version, have a look at the range of folders that are available first.

Source: StreetDirectory.com/Health&Food/RecreationPrograms by Craig Summer / photo from ridethisbike.com & bikecommuters.com

Wanna be like Johan Bruyneel?

I've played the older version and it was fun to be a cycling manager like Johan Bruyneel. Instead of being on the team car with your walkie talkie and notebook, now you will need a PC/notebook, PS3, PS2 or PSP to run your team in front of the monitor. It's a strategy game where you will need to manage the energy of each rider in your team..i.e. when to drink, cruise or attack..whether to go for points (in the KOM) of the big prize!

Just check out the trailer. There are so much improvement made since they first release this game.


Source: Fun Game

A Brief History Of The Bicycle

The evolution of the bicycle is fascinating from a social as well as technological point of view. In fact, most of the technical innovations were made before the start of the last century, when the basic form of the bicycle that we know today was created. In the modern era, advances in materials science have been the driving force behind developments.

In 1817 the 'Hobby Horse' was invented by Karl von Drais. Made of wood, this was basically like a bicycle with the pedals, gears and chain removed - you pushed it along with your feet, but was faster than walking. To read more..

Source: Bicycle Association of Great Britain

Get faster by riding slowly

Are you a pupil of the ‘no pain, no gain’ school of training? New research says you’ll get fitter faster if you take it easy.

Sounds good doesn't it? But we're not quite saying you can get fitter by sitting on the sofa. The trick is to ride in the least taxing of your training zones, the levels of effort that actually have an effect on your fitness. Let's kick off by taking a look at them.

What are training zones?

Training zones are different levels of exertion designed to improve your fitness. What you might not realise is that it’s Zone 1, the easiest level, and not flat-out Zone 3 where you should be spending most of your ride time.

How are the training zones defined?

Zone 1: This is the endurance base from 60% of your maximum heart rate to around 78-80%. This zone builds endurance, the economical use of fats and carbohydrates for fuel and allows good technique to be practised. You'll want to spend up to 80% of your time here.

Zone 2: Where pace is moderately hard, where lactate is created from an increased use of carbohydrate but it is not hard enough to cause fatigue suddenly. This zone occurs around 79-89% of your maximum heart rate and it helps athletes judge pace, convert lactate and move at higher velocities. Aim for around 10-12% of your weekly workouts here.

Zone 3: The high intensity lactate accumulation zone is above 89-90% of your maximum heart rate. This is peak effort stuff that hurts. It provides a maximal stimulus that is, or simulates, competition or above competition pace. Spend no more than 10% of your training time here.

How to work out your maximum heart rate

To make sure you ride in the right zone, you’ll need to work out your max heart rate.

Time trial effort varies between riders but it is approximately 88-91% of your maximum heart rate for a 10-mile tiem trial, and 85-88% for a 25-miler.

To get an estimate of your maximum heart rate, you need to divide your average heart rate over 10 miles, eg 165, by 0.88 and 0.91 (187.5 and 181) and do the same for your 25-mile tiem trial average, eg 160, using 0.85 and 0.88 (188 and 181).

The average maximum heart rate of all four figures is 184, and this can then be used to calculate your three training zones:

• Zone 1: less than 78-80% of your maximum heart rate (<147)
• Zone 2: 80-88% of your maximum heart rate (149-160).
• Zone 3: above 88-90% of your maximum heart rate (>161)

How does this apply to me? I’m not a time trial specialist!

Yes, it sounds too good to be true: ride slowly to go faster. But a recent study has added support to sports scientists’ claims that spending more time exercising comfortably, rather than eyeballs-out, delivers the best results.

Researchers at The European University in Madrid spent five months studying endurance athletes and found that those who did 80% of their training in Zone 1 and only 10% in Zone 2 improved times over a set distance by 36 seconds more than those spending 65% of their training time in Zone 1 and 24% in Zone 2. Both groups did around 8% of their weekly time in the top end Zone 3.

All the athletes, whatever their Z1, 2 or 3 proportions, got faster over the five months, but the group training smarter (less effort with more precise Z1 work) got 6.9% better, while the overzealous athletes got 5.3% better. Would you not like to get 1.6% faster but do fewer work wasted sessions?

Why excessive high intensity miles should be avoided

The scientists behind this study also think that their findings turn on its head the age old theory of junk miles – that lots of low intensity training is, basically, a waste of time. Instead, it could be an excess of the harder stuff that should be avoided.

“Our data suggest that an older concept of ‘junk miles’ applies not to relatively low-intensity training but to moderately high-intensity training,” said the researchers. It makes sense: moderately hard training is difficult to recover from, but not hard enough to stimulate further adaptation.

Of course, the study isn’t saying that simply pootling about will turn you into Mark Cavendish. You will still need to push yourself well out of your comfort zone from time to time and you can’t wave goodbye to hill reps and sprints just yet. But if you’re serious about improving your time-trial best or bagging a sportive personal best, make sure that you’re spending enough time in Zone 1 between the harder sessions. ...

All you need to do now is to strap on a heart rate monitor and find your comfort zone!

Source: BikeRadar.com/Road/Fitness/Technique/ by Joe Beer

Lightweight Bike Trailer

This is new to me. I always thought that trailers are heavy and a drag. But this one from Extrawheel looks so light and easy to pull. Must be a better option than the pannier. The only question is, would it be a part of the bike or seperate item that will be charged extra when carrying on plane?

Source: You Tube

KéO Bicycle Pedals Recalled

About 80,000 KéO Bicycle Pedals are being recalled by Look Cycle USA, of San Jose, Calif. The steel axle inside the pedal can break, posing a fall hazard to cyclists.

Look Cycle has received 14 reports of incidents with broken pedals, including 7 injuries which resulted in scrapes, cuts, contusions, elbow pain, and a knee injury.

The recalled bicycle pedals were sold separately from bicycles. Pedal models include KéO Classic, KéO Sprint, KéO HM and KéO Carbon. The model name is printed in white on the side of the pedal.

Date codes between January 2004 and December 2005 are included in this recall. The date code for the KéO Classic, Sprint and Carbon pedals is on a dial stamped onto the pedal. The date code for the KéO HM is on the bottom of the pedal, with the letters A through L corresponding to the month, and the numbers 4 and 5 indicating 2004 or 2005. 'Ti' pedals are not included in this recall.

The pedals, made in France, were sold by specialty bicycle retailers nationwide from January 2004 through July 2007 for between $100 and $500.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bicycle pedals and return them to any authorized Look Cycle dealer, or contact Look Cycle USA to arrange for shipping and free repair.

For additional information, contact Look Cycle USA toll-free at (866) 430-5665 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, visit the firm's Web site at www.lookcycle-usa.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

Source: Consumeraffairs.com

Invest in Bicycle Infrastructure

Source : YouTube