The announcement did not specify if the team would seek WorldTour status, but said its partners "are committed to the growth and development of the team and will ensure the best conditions for its riders to achieve top results in the biggest races around the world", and "will include internationally renowned athletes. Management is comprised of globally recognised cycling experts, who have been selected for their commitment to a wholly independent and results driven approach."
Presumably the team's commitment to ensuring "best conditions for its riders" means Vincenzo Nibali won't be beaten by Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa with a rubber hose:
Mohammed Hassan Jawad (64 yrs old) was blindfolded and handcuffed when Nasser Bin Hamad asked him “do you know who I am, its Nasser with you” Then the son of the king started interrogating Mr. Jawad about the Safriya protest and accusing him of organizing the protest. To force him to confess, Nasser beat Mr. Jawad with a hose on his head until he fell to the ground. Then Nasser started kicking him mostly on his back, while swearing at shia clerics and imams.
He sounds nice.
Meanwhile, here in New York City, it may come as a shock that the NYPD's enforcement patterns are not entirely consistent with the Vision Zero agenda:
TA says scattershot traffic enforcement is a big part of the problem.
“The NYPD is falling short on its commitment to consistent, appropriate policing to deter the most deadly driving violations,” said TA Executive Director Paul Steely White in a statement accompanying the report. “Commissioner Bratton and other top police officials don’t even seem to have a clear plan for participation in Vision Zero, and their allocation of traffic enforcement resources does not appear to be based on actual conditions on New York City streets.”
Though the majority of cyclists who lost their lives this year were killed by drivers breaking traffic laws, NYPD tends to respond to cyclist fatalities by cracking down on cyclists and publicly blaming victims for their own deaths. This approach epitomizes the department’s failure to direct resources toward enforcement that would actually save lives, says TA.
Sounds about right. Of course, this is the same town in which the mayor who implemented Vision Zero in the first place travels 30 miles a day to the gym in an SUV, so I think it's going to be awhile before any city officials start taking any of this stuff even remotely seriously.
Nevertheless, many New Yorkers persist in riding bikes, and yesterday I spotted this impressive bike rack trailer setup in Midtown:
I'd be lying if I said I didn't immediately consider the possibility of towing my mountain bike to the trail with my road bike, which may sound silly, but is--if you really think about it--still far more reasonable than driving there.
And now, I'm pleased to present you with a quiz. As always, study the item, think, and click on your answer. If you're right that's wonderful, and if you're wrong you'll see a zombie-proof bicycle.
Thanks very much for reading, ride safe, and enjoy the weekend even though we're all pretty much screwed.
--Wildcat Rock Machine
--A "smart helmet" with bone conduction technology
--A set of LED indicator lights
--A Bluetooth dropper post
--A Brooks saddle that has been customized with an electronic scranial massage system
2) According to the The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, the metric for triathlon bike retail pricing is now:
--The Hyundai Sonata
--The Nissan Versa
--The Fiat 500
--The FTSE 100 Index
(A still from the zombie horror classic "Miles Davis: Kind of Dead")
3) Which of the following personages is not buried in Woodlawn Cemetery?
--Herman Melville
--Irving Berlin
--Miles Davis
--Dorothy Rabinowitz
(Via here.)
4) Tour de France winner Chris Froome is a total Sumo Fred.
--True
--False
(Yeah, if only it were that easy.)
5) Most cyclist fatalities in New York City are caused by:
--Cyclists riding on the sidewalk
--Cyclists wearing headphones
--Cyclists salmoning
--Drivers breaking the law
6) Finally! A _____________:
--Suspension headset
--Tire pressure-monitoring top cap with digital display
--Bluetooth multi-tool that sends torque values through your helmet via bone conduction audio
--Rotating stem
(With foreign parts.)
7) Which bike company is trying to shift its production back to the United States?
--Specialized
--Cannondale
--GT
--Kent
***Special Unicycling-Themed Bonus Video!***
Can't wait until "Bicycling" starts telling Freds to cross-train on unicycles in the off-season.
from Bike Snob NYC http://ift.tt/2aPvGTM
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