Piece of Gatineau cycling history is no more

- February 8th, 2012
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Image from http://www.cyberpresse.ca/le-droit/actualites/ville-de-gatineau/201202/06/01-4493216-le-velobus-completement-detruit.php

The collapse of a warehouse at 81 rue Hanson in Gatineau Friday destroyed more than the decrepit structure.

The condemned building was also home to one of the last links to the former City of Hull’s enthusiastic embrace of the bicycle.

The city used the warehouse to store the Velobus, a 33-person pedal-powered vehicle that has been trotted out for festivals and other public events about 10 times a year for the last two decades.

Sadly, that will no longer happen after the snow-laden warehouse roof crushed the custom-built machine, damaging it beyond repair.

According to City of Gatineau communications officer Marie-Eve Sylvain, the Velobus was hand-built by Hull city workers in 1989. That was in the heyday of the city-backed Hull Bicycle Festival, an annual event that drew international competitors and big crowds to the city through the 1980s and into the early ’90s.

“Everyone’s sad about the loss” of the one-tonne, 10-metre-long Velobus, Sylvain said.

The city hasn’t decided if it will replace the complex machine, which in full flight had a top speed of 10 km/h and was quite complex, according to Sylvain. Because it was custom made, it’s impossible to say how much it was worth, and it probably wasn’t specially insured.

The machine was quite popular and was available for rental when not cruising around city festivals. I seem to recall the World-Series-winning Blue Jays team riding around on the thing at one point.

 

 

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Contador stripped of 2010 Tour title

- February 6th, 2012
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Saxo Bank-Sungard rider Alberto Contador leaves the team bus before the start of the first stage of the Challenge Mallorca cycling tour in Palma de Mallorca on the Spanish Balearic island February 5, 2012. REUTERS/Enrique Calvo

We finally have an answer in the Alberto Contador doping case, and it isn’t a good one.

The Court for Arbitration in Sport has handed a two-year ban to the Spaniard who tested positive for Clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France.

You can read the cyclingnews article here.

That means Contador will be stripped of his Tour win and every result since then, including the 2011 Giro d’Italia. It also gives him the dubious honour of being the second cyclist to lose his Tour title for a doping infraction, after Floyd Landis in 2006 (Maurice Garin was also disqualified for cheating in 1904, but that was for taking a train).

Andy Schleck can now add the 2010 Tour to his palmares, and the same goes for Michele Scarponi and the Giro.

Of course, both of those riders were denied the right to celebrate their wins at the time, as well as the lucrative endorsements and race contracts winners of major events enjoy. So Contador’s cheating ways stole not just the race wins, but the money and fame of his rivals, too.

It will be interesting to see how this affair affects the relationship between the international governing body (the UCI) and the Spanish cycling federation. The Real Federacion Espanol de Ciclismo  (I think that’s right) accepted Contador’s tainted meat explanation a year ago and cleared him, but the matter was handed to the CAS when both the UCI and the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed.

Spain has long had an ambivalent attitude to doping. Sporting figures rarely lose popularity when they’re caught, instead being portrayed as victims of the system. This is in contrast to France, where athletes are also portrayed as victims of the system but for a different reason: French anti-doping policies are stricter than other countries’, so they claim they’re on an uneven playing field.

Of course, the RFEC may simply have wanted for the unpopular decision to ban Contador to come from the hated UCI and WADA rather than themselves. That would be a crafty ploy in the short term, but one that would only further poison their relationship in the long term.

It will also be interesting to see how this ruling affects Contador’s teams. In 2010 he was riding for Astana, alongside admitted doper Alexander Vinokourov, and in 2011 and 2012 he’s been a part of Saxo Bank, directed by admitted former doper Bjarne Riis.

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Bike crash stats paint interesting picture

- February 3rd, 2012

The Globe and Mail has published an interactive map on its website showing all 31,481  reported bicycle crashes in Toronto between 1986 and 2010.

You can view the map and read the background info here.

It’s kind of neat to see the clusters of crashes around certain intersections and along certain streets. I don’t really know Toronto well enough to draw any conclusions, but I’d love to have a similar data set here.

The City of Ottawa has started tracking bike crashes in order to draw some safety conclusions but nothing on the scale of the Globe data has been released so far. The city did release its cycling safety report in the summer, which offers some conclusions and recommendations, as well as some specific design case studies, but there’s nothing like some raw crash data to get the full picture.

If anyone has seen this info or knows where to find it, I’d love to hear from you.

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Pan Am Games velodrome going to Milton

- February 1st, 2012
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Montreal Olympic velodrome during 1976 Games

After years of often acerbic debate, Milton city council finally decided this week that they will play host to the Pan Am Games velodrome.

This is great news for Canadian cycling.

The Pan Am Games bid originally included a temporary velodrome in Hamilton, but members of the cycling community — track cycling Olympic medallist Curt Harnett, former Tour de France yellow jersey wearer Steve Bauer and former Hamilton National Cycling Centre president Andrew Iler among them — mobilized in support of a permanent, world-class facility.

This is something Canada has lacked since 1989, when the Montreal Olympic velodrome was torn out to make room for the Biodome, despite protestations from the sports community and the later profession of regret by the Montreal mayor a the time.

An indoor velodrome is a crucial pipeline for the development of cycling talent. Australia’s half-dozen indoor tracks are often credited with that country’s success at the Tour de France level: National team track programs are a perfect breeding ground for elite athletes in all disciplines, and an indoor track is even more indispensable in Canada’s climate. Canada’s two smaller indoor tracks — in Burnaby, B.C. and London, Ont. — have already been churning out a steady stream of talented riders.

I used to race regularly at the Montreal velodrome and I can attest to how it helped me develop my speed, bike handling and tactical sense, as well as giving me somewhere to stay cycling fit through the winter.

Milton city council should be applauded for wading into a difficult political situation. After years of debate, Hamilton city council shot down the velodrome project because they were uncomfortable with the financial risk. Track projects have also suffered from ambivalent support from the Canadian Cycling Association, which has always been reluctant to appear too enthusiastic for such a facility — especially one located in eastern Canada but outside Quebec.

Milton’s advantage is that the track comes courtesy of the Games, so there are no quibbles over its general location, and the $40-million facility will be largely funded by the federal and provincial governments. Milton only had to stump up somewhere between $3.45 and $6.25 million and a portion of the $220,00 to $330,000 operating cost. Most interesting was that some councillors framed their decision to forge ahead as a prudent business decision: They think the track will be of long-term financial benefit to the city.

I think they’re right, and I’m looking forward to riding the boards in Milton when the track is complete sometime before 2015.

 

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Montreal adding event to World Tour weekend

- January 30th, 2012

The organizers of the World Tour events in Quebec and Montreal have cryptically announced a new event coming in September 2013.

The announcement, which you can read here in French — I couldn’t find an English version — says it will be geared towards cyclosportif riders but doesn’t give much more information. I suspect it will be another Gran Fondo-style event, either on the Quebec City circuit, the Montreal circuit, or from Quebec to Montreal.

Whatever it is, it will likely be well organized and could be a lot of fun. Keep an eye on their site.

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Belgians, Belgians, Belgians …

- January 29th, 2012

The elite men’s cyclocross world championship in Belgium today was a shockingly all-Belgian affair.

Niels Albert led from tape to tape, easing off at the end to finish with a 25-second lead over Rob Peeters, with Kevin Pauwels delighting the huge home crowd in Koksijde by making at an all-Belgian podium. They were followed in by the other four Belgians on the seven-man team. The first non-Belgian was Czeck rider Radomir Simunek in eighth, a distant 2:15 behind the winner and more than a minute behind seventh-place finisher Sven Nys. You can read the full race report here.

Even before this shocking result Belgium was the undisputed heartland of cyclocross, with the most races, strongest riders, biggest crowds and 11 of the last 15 elite men’s world titles. The only relief in recent years has come from Zdenek Stybar of the Czech Republic — world champion in 2010 and 2011 — and Dutch rider Lars Boom.

Stybar briefly challenged Albert for the lead today, but faded back to 13th, and Boom is taking a pass on cyclocross to focus on road racing. So that leaves the Belgian juggernaut at the top of the pyramid, and that’s something that has to worry the people in charge of the sport.

Delighted Belgian fans notwithstanding, dominance of this kind is not good for the long-term health of any sport — especially one with a relatively small participation base like ‘cross. The Canadian women’s hockey team is another example, with the sport’s Olympic status regularly brought into question because there are barely eight nations able to ice a team.

Something clearly needs to be done, but the problem is: What?

It’s hard to think of any rule changes that could blunt the Belgian dominance, and besides, why would you punish a nation simply for doing well?

The answer, if there is one, lies in finding a way for other nations to become more competitive. But again, how do you do that without tilting the playing field against Belgium?

The big problem for cyclocross is its ambiguous nature. It’s a winter discipline of a summer sport; it doesn’t appear on the Olympic program, so most countries — Canada included — don’t fund national team programs; and, outside Belgium, it’s hard to find sponsors and make a good living as a cyclocross racer.

It used to be that top road racers would use ‘cross as a way to stay fit in the off season. The winner of the first cyclocross worlds, in 1950, was 1947 Tour de France winner Jean Robic. And there’s a long list of other road and mountain bike stars that have put in strong cyclocross showings in the past: Eric de Vlaemink; Klaus Peter Thaler; Pascal Richard; Thomas Frischknecht.  But in the last 25 years or so the road and mountain bike seasons has gotten longer and the cyclocross specialists have gotten better, meaning a top rider who just wants to have fun doing ‘cross in the winter — like Canadian Olympic mountain bike hopeful Geoff Kabush, who regularly wins international cyclocross races in the fall and early winter — must stop racing well before the worlds in late January in order to prepare for their “real” season.

Road teams are also getting more sophisticated and regimented in how they prepare their riders for the season, and one-hour, high-intensity races in the mud don’t fit in well with carefully planned pre-season base training.

But cyclocross is a fantastic development tool. It gives up-and-coming riders an opportunity to compete on the world stage well before they might have a similar opportunity on the road or mountain bike. They can deal with the pressure and excitement of a world cup or world championship in a discipline where the stakes are not high. They can learn to structure their training around a specific goal, and learn fantastic bike handling at the same time. And if they don’t succeed in road or mountain biking, cyclocross becomes another career option for them.

Properly integrated into a cyclist’s development, cyclocross is a great tool towards future success on the road or mountain bike. Lars Boom is a good example of a rider who used it at the right time in his career. It would be great to see some support for developing athletes to use ‘cross in this way — especially Canadians, who were underrepresented at the world this year with just four riders, only one of them in the elite men’s category. Who knows — maybe some cyclocross superstars will arise from the experiment.

But in the meantime we’ll have to enjoy the Belgian dominance for what it is: An impressive show of strength, talent and national pride.

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Gran Fondo Ottawa website launched

- January 25th, 2012

Ottawa’s newest cycling event, Gran Fondo Ottawa, has unveiled its website.

You can visit it here.

The mass-participation ride set for July 21 includes three different distances from 100 km to 220 km to the west of Ottawa. The routes pass through some beautiful countryside so the ride should be a blast.

There are plenty of details on the routes and registration on the site, so check it out.

The name Gran Fondo — which means, loosely, “big ride”  –  comes from Italy, where these events are very popular. In the last couple years they have been popping up all over the world, including Canada, and it’s good timing for one to come to the capital. It gives cyclists an event to focus on, much like the National Capital Marathon is a key objective for runners.

Should be a good day out.

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Busy weekend for Ottawa cyclists

- January 20th, 2012

Despite the snow and frigid temperatures, there’s a cycling event for everyone in Ottawa this weekend.

WQW Roller race 21-1-12Saturday marks the return of roller racing in the capital as the West Quebec Wheelers bring the show to Cyclelogik in Hintonburg. I was at the season opener last winter and shot this video.

These races are a blast: It’s pretty rare you get to drink beer and race a bike simultaneously.

Saturday’s event has a special twist as it’s being used to raise money to help bring a Kenyan cyclist to the capital for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau in the May long weekend. Her name is Joyce Nyaruri and she’s hoping to come to Canada for two weeks to take in the Gatineau race and the Dandelion Grand Prix in Oxford Station.

On Sunday, Citizens for Safe Cycling are putting on the first-ever Winter Bike Parade. The event starts at noon at Laurier and Percy and heads over to City Hall, where there will be free hot apple cider — though with a forecast high of -6C it shouldn’t be too bad. The idea is to show that cycling in the Ottawa winter is fun. I’ve ridden through the winter a couple times and I wouldn’t necessarily characterize it as fun, but it is certainly challenging.

Anyway, there’s no excuse to stay locked up in your home this weekend. Hope to see you at one of these events.

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NCC looking for public input on Gatineau Park use

- January 14th, 2012

Want to have a say on cycling facilities in Gatineau Park? Now’s your chance.

The National Capital Commission is looking for public input on what improvements citizens want to the park for cycling, cross-country skiing, hiking and other activities.

They’re hosting two public consultations in the Best Western in Gatineau on Jan. 28, one on outdoor activities from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and one on sustainable transportation from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

You can register for the consultations or participate online here. There are questionnaires on the two topics above plus one on cultural heritage. Each one takes about 10 minutes.

Some of the questions hint at some interesting improvements that might be in the pipeline, such as better links between the park and the pathway network, bike lanes on Meech Lake Rd. and Mine Rd. and a bike route to Lac Philippe. It also would appear that the short section of Rue Gamelin between Rue des Fees and the Parkway  is going to be closed, which doesn’t bode well for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Gatineau (though there’s no mention of when this might happen).

It also seems the NCC is open to improving mountain bike trails in the region — not just in the park, but in Ottawa and Gatineau as well.

It’s rare enough to get a chance to offer your 2 cents, so make sure you take the survey.

Categories: Bike paths, Gatineau Park | No comments

City staff shoot down cyclist licensing

- January 13th, 2012

Back in July, Coun. Bob Monette asked city staff to look at whether it would make sense to require cyclists to purchase licences.

Monette’s thinking was that this would help raise money to offset the costs of all the cycling facilities the city is building.

I wrote about it at the time.

Now, city staff have come back with a report that says the idea would cost more than it would raise. You can read the Sun article here. Read more…

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