Special 50th Issue

Date sent: May 7, 2007

EDITORIAL - CYCLE WIRE HITS 50
Welcome to our 50th issue special. As well as the usual essential cycling news sourced from around the world, we bring you comment from the Cycle Action Network, journalist Jim Robinson as well as 'Trifecta' Q&As with Phil Liggett and Sarah Ulmer. The past year has seen Cycle-Wire grow from nothing to become a respected source for cycling news, read by bicycle enthusiasts in 22 different nations. We have been able to offer exclusive reports from big events, such as the Road World Championships in Salzburg, and have collaborated with various cycling groups to help promote our sport. Hurrah for us, and a big thank you to you, our subscribers who make this newsletter possible. Don't forget that Cycle-Wire offers you a chance to air your views and thoughts. Have your say by emailing the editors at feedback@cycle-wire.com. There is a special Letters Extra at the bottom of this issue.

TRIFECTA: PHIL LIGGETT
The 'voice of cycling' answer's Cycle-Wire's three questions:

CW: What's your favourite part of the world to ride in?
PL: Very difficult to answer as I see so much of it, but I still enjoy the British lanes near my home in Hertford, Hertfordshire. I also love riding in South Africa, where I also have a property.
CW: What book would you take to your 'desert island'?
PL: I'm so busy I never read books in their entirety. Probably a Harry Potter book in the hope I could find out a magic way to escape.
CW: What's the best bike you've ever owned and why?
PL: I have 10 bikes and most of them were given to me, so I have to be careful. I just wish I had these bikes back when I was racing and I might have won something. My favourite is a Trek Madone.

EXCLUSIVE COMMENT:
Stephen McKernon, Cycling Action Network's (CAN) Media and Marketing Co-ordinator, questions the allocation of government funding for cycle lanes.

BRAKING TO SPEED UP CYCLING'S GROWTH
Imagine if roading was built and maintained only for travel on necessary jobs, such as grocery shopping, getting to work, doing work, and so on. No roading for any leisure trips allowed! That's the position cycling in New Zealand is in today: cycling policy and funding is based on travel by bicycle, and excludes cycling for leisure, fitness, or sports. This is the case in many other countries. So what's the result?
Cycling is increasing and about 20% of New Zealanders now cycle, including about 5% of people who use their bikes for travel. Yet cycling projects are prioritised according to the 5% of people who use their bikes for travel, and so get less than 1% of the national annual transport budget. The other 15% of the cycling public simply miss out. The central government and about half of local authorities now have cycle strategies that aim to increase cycling. As there are already so many cyclists available to them, what would you expect them to do?
* Promote travel by bike to the 15% of people who ride for leisure.
* Build cycling facilities that look after all cyclists.
Imagine 20% of peak hour traffic now on bikes, not in cars!
So what's actually happening? Policy and funding continue to be based on the 5% of people who travel by bike, so actually restricting growth.
Does this make any sense to you? As much sense as braking to speed up?

New Zealand's Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) is the voice of everyday cyclists in New Zealand. Since its foundation in 1996, CAN has succeeded in gaining a national budget for cycling, and is now advocating an increase appropriate to stated national and local goals for cycling. You can find out more and contact CAN at http://can.org.nz/.

TRIFECTA: SARAH ULMER
Olympic gold medalist and one of New Zealand's top Kiwi sports stars.

Check out www.sarahulmerbrand.co.nz for information on her range of own name bikes.
CW: What is your best cycling memory?
SU: Winning the Olympic Games for sure.
CW: What was the last CD you bought?
SU: 'Boned' by the 12th Man (Australian comedy)...! Does that count..? Before that was a cyber download of Bruce Springsteen.
CW: What was the best bike you ever owned and why?
SU: My current SUB bike! Because we designed it!

JIM ROBINSON WRITES
Esteemed Sports Journalist and Cycle-Wire's most prolific letter writer offers his views on doping.

"You have no conception of what this Tour de France is," said Henri ... We suffer from start to finish. You want to know how we keep going? Here..." He pulled a phial from his bag. "That's cocaine for the eyes. This is chloroform for the gums ... And the pills? You want to see the pills? Take a look, here are the pills." Those words were written by journalist Albert Londres in 1924. Worth noting, perhaps. Because whatever the scandals, cycling as a sport is big enough, glorious enough, captivating enough, to endure through the years. Hate drugs, yes: love cycling, yes. So hats off, I say, to blokes like Jonathan Vaughters (and his clean team slipstream) who stick with the sport, stay positive, and then are willing to take the hard way to help move things forward. To me, in the big picture, Vaughters and his rigorous testing regimme is right up there with Classics and Grand Tour winners. No, thinking about it, it's better, way better.

LETTERS EXTRA
Feedback and letters to the editor can be sent to feedback@cycle-wire.com. Letters should not exceed 100 words and must include the author's full name, city and country of residence. Attachments will not be accepted. Names are withheld only in special circumstances at the discretion of the editor. All letters are subject to editing and abridgement.

"Cyclewire Issue 50? Congrats. I love the sourcing of race coverage; plus the eclectic mix of other dispatches. Keep them coming. As for Pantani (Oh, what climbing genius!) all I can say is, let's hope the current intolerance to drug abuse continues (see last week's editorial). But when we condemn and ban the guilty, let's not forget that riders are human beings, too." - J.R. Whakatane, NZ

"Keep up the great work on cycle-wire and thanks for getting the news out there." - G.J. Florida, USA

"Regarding last week's story 'Who cares about the racing when the scandals are so good?' - I couldn't agree more. Yes, there are tonnes of doping stories dominating the news, but hey, what can you do? The Landis, Bassso, Ulrich and Puerto stories make for more interesting reading than the racing stuff. Sad but true." - G.E. Glasgow, Scotland

"How do you guys glean all this sh*t?" - J.D. Idaho, USA