Firefly night race

From Redsports:

10 passionate cyclists from all walks of life will embark on a 1,000km route over 100 hours in pitch darkness and challenging terrain.

Starting from Singapore on 20 January 2010, the team will cycle along the eastern coastal roads of Malaysia to the borders of Thailand while making pit stops at firefly camps along the route.

The Firefly Night Race – inspired by the insects’ goal of devoting every night of their short adult lives to the art of survival in how they live, love, and die – aims to provide talented individuals an opportunity to realise their dreams and to have that light in them shared with the rest of the world.

Driven by this passionate and single-minded focus, the team hopes to garner the support of individuals and corporations who share the same aspirations, to pledge $1 for every 1 km, with the objective of raising $100,000 for the cause...

Read the full article.

Singapore to Melaka and back

Read about Chua Yi Jonathan's epic 5 day ride on his blog.

Day 1: Singapore to Batu Pahat
Day 2: Batu Pahat to Melaka
Day 3: Melaka to Yong Peng
Day 4: Yong Peng to Kota Tinggi
Day 5: Kota Tinggi to Singapore

It's worth noting how he dealt with his punctures on Day 4.

POC Spine Ergo Flow

State of the art back protection for cyclists



Helmets are the obvious form of protection for cyclists, and many parts of the world have laws in place making the wearing of them while riding a bike mandatory. But with cyclists being such vulnerable targets on the roads, other protective gear is undoubtedly a good idea - and almost essential for offroaders traversing rugged terrain. The Spine Ergo Flow is a lightweight armor for your spine that is designed to decrease the likelihood of sustaining a serious spinal injury in the event of an accident. (read more)

Interested in this product? You can find the best price by Googling. At the time of publishing, Chain Reaction Cycles is selling it for S$305.40. Check out more products from the same manufacturer.

Thus far, I do not know of any Singapore bike shop that has this product. (Do update me if there is any) Perhaps they could consider bringing it in?

Singapore team breaks world cycling record

A SIX-MAN team here broke the Guinness World Record for the "Greatest Static Cycling Distance in 24 hours" by cycling 1,425km from 8pm on Dec 11 to 8pm the next day.

Mr Sandy Snakenberg, Mr Bernard Ow Tai Wai, Mr Mohd Faizal, Mr Teo Song Kang, Mr Clement Neo and Mr Pang Ren Hui cycled at City Square Mall.

http://news.asiaone.com/News/Latest%2BNews/Sports/Story/A1Story20091222-187368.html

Efficient Cycling

Daniel Plews, an exercise physiologist at the Singapore Sports Council, demonstrates the techniques of efficient cycling.



Low Ji Wen, a national cyclist, is on the training bike.

Ronald Xie's bicycle travels

Watch this video of one man's brave cycling journey from Singapore.



Countries which he travelled through: Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Indonesia, ...

Tampines becoming a cycling town

The local media has been reporting on Tampines' initiative on becoming a cycling town.

AsiaOne and the Straits Times: TAMPINES is set to become Singapore's first cycling town. The Tampines GRC MPs announced on Sunday that after a two-year trial to see if cyclists and pedestrians could share footways safely, cycling on footways will be allowed, starting 1 March 2010...

Channel NewsAsia: Folks in Tampines have reason to put more pedal to the mettle. From end of February next year, residents there can cycle legally on footways.

This comes after a 20-month trial conducted by the Tampines grassroots organisations, transport authorities and the Traffic Police.

While they say there has been general acceptance of having cyclists share footpaths with pedestrians, they are also stressing the importance of three key features - infrastructure, education and enforcement...


Let's hope other towns follow in Tampines' footsteps!

More cyclists = more or less injuries?

Recently, surgeons and emergency room physicians at the Rocky Mountain Regional Trauma Center in Denver noticed a troubling trend. They seemed to be seeing cyclists with more serious injuries than in years past. Since many of the physicians at the hospital, a Level I trauma center serving the Denver metropolitan area, were themselves cyclists, they wondered if their sense of things was accurate.

....

How can more cyclists mean fewer accidents? “It seems unlikely that people walking or bicycling obey traffic laws more” just because more of them are on the streets, the author of the California study wrote. “Adaptation in motorist behavior seems more plausible.” In other words, when more cyclists show up on the roads, car drivers become used to them and respond appropriately. As the British report pointed out, “common events are safe, and rare events are dangerous.” Making cycling safer, the report concluded, “ requires that it become more popular.”

Two conflicting views. Read this article in the New York Times for the full story.

In defence of the electric bicycle

It's hard to read the faces of puffing cyclists as I glide past – but I think they are a mixture of envy and contempt. As one of the small but growing band of electric cyclists I'm used to being publicly derided. Not by other cyclists, who are generally too polite (or slow) to comment, but by cycling friends, horrified that I have broken ranks with the principles of human-powered transport...

Read this article about one man's experience with his electric bicycle

Guide to cycling

An excellent guide from the Guardian on cycling. Some stuff is not applicable to Singaporeans, but most of it is good advice.

It covers the basics of cycling, cycle gear and basic bike maintenance, and some beautiful routes in the UK.

Ghost bikes

The Guardian reports that "ghost bikes", or bikes all in white, have been appearing across the UK in streets where cyclists have died due to road accidents. Apparently, its a reminder to motorists and cyclists alike to practice safe habits on the roads.

Are they effective? Watch this video to find out.

'Cheap, accessible, and democratic'

Matt Seaton writes in the Guardian:

When asked what their favourite invention of all time is, what do you suppose people say? Mobile phones get some votes; computers, too; iPods, inevitably. And there are always some people who love their car and couldn't imagine life without it. If it's a poll conducted by a radio programme, some will generously nominate the transistor for making their listening possible. But what comes out top? The bicycle, every time.

Read the full article in the Guardian.

I wonder whether Singaporeans actually like bicycles, despite what frequent online blog posts and letters to the Straits Times say?

Safety in Numbers

The online blog Cycling in Singapore has noted from some websites that as bicycle ridership increases, the number of fatalities decreases.

Statistics show that in 1998, daily ridership in New York City was 80,000 and the number of casualties was 5000. However, when ridership doubled to 160,000 in 2007, the number of casualties decreased to around 2500. That means when the number of people cycling doubles, the number of casualties drops by half.



Photo: Streetsblog.org

Another blog (How We Drive) where the picture came from, also reported the following:

1. London has seen a 91% increase in cycling since 2000 and a 33% fall in cycle casualties since 1994-98. This means that cycling in the city is 2.9 times safer than it was previously.

2. The Netherlands has witnessed a 45% increase in cycling from 1980-2005 and a 58% decrease in cyclist fatalities.

So what does this mean? The blog Cycling in Singapore says that just because cycling seems dangerous in Singapore, the safety in numbers argument reassures us that we are not being irresponsible to promote more cycling, because the more people use bicycles the safer it will become for each individual bicycle user.

I think the implications of the "safety in numbers" effect goes beyond that. The benefits of cycling is already well proven. Individuals who cycle often save time, money, and get healthier. However, each additional individual who cycles raises the level of benefits for each and every bicycle user, although the user himself does not directly benefit from it. It is therefore wise for the government itself to promote cycling as a lifestyle, form of transportation, and a way of life.

Cycling in New York

The New York Times has had several interesting articles on cycling in the Big Apple.

1. Bless the Cyclist, on Your Left!

Clear skies and warm weather drew more than 100 cyclists to the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine on Saturday morning for the Blessing of the Bikes, an event now in its 11th year.
The crowd — a conscientious-looking collection of helmeted riders and bikes with bells, reflectors and rear-view mirrors — gathered in front of the Upper West Side cathedral and would soon enter to be sprinkled with Holy Water as a shield against the dangers of urban cycling.

2. Commuter Cycling is Soaring

Based on figures from an annual count of bicyclists conducted since 1984, the New York City Department of Transportation announced on Thursday that commuter cycling rose a remarkable 35 percent between 2007 and 2008.

3. Mixed Returns for High-End Cycling

In New York, some bike shops and trainers have felt the effects of the recession, yet others have expanded.

4. For some cyclists, storage is the biggest challenge

In a city of tight living quarters and unaccommodating corporate towers, the biggest cycling challenge can be finding a good place to store one’s ride when it is not in use.

Well, I'm thankful for Bike Boutique in Singapore's Chinatown!

Make harassment of cyclists illegal

"Harassment by motorists is one of the reasons people stop cycling. They don’t want to get cursed at or threatened. They’d rather just stop."

According to Kansas City News, one Missouri college town that takes pride in its bike-friendly status is threatening jail time for motorists who aren’t so friendly.

The Columbia City Council heard from a steady succession of cyclists who’ve been victims of road rage — including a bike shop owner who was pistol-whipped — before unanimously approving a new ordinance Monday night. It makes harassing cyclists a misdemeanor, punishable by stiff fines or a year in jail.

Similar laws are on the books in Colorado, Nevada and South Carolina, and a Louisiana proposal is awaiting the governor’s signature. National cycling advocates suggest that Columbia, home to the University of Missouri and its 30,000 students, is one of the few local governments to follow suit.

Click here to read the full article. Great if Singapore can enact such a law.

Public transport (and cycling) can be better than cars if...

Experts' suggestions: Pedestrian and bicycle paths form the backbone of Bogota's transport network. Since building these paths, the number of cyclists in the city has shot up tremendously.

To encourage more people to cycle, Mr Penalosa suggested that bicycles be given priority and protection on the roads. He added that bicycle spaces should be made available in carparks.

'If we do this well, people in suits will ride bicycles,' he said, adding that the weather here is not a deterrent to cycling as he sees 'hundreds' of bicycles parked outside the MRT station in Tampines.

This is why he believes that the Park and Ride scheme, which encourages car owners to park near an MRT station and hop on a train, should be scrapped in favour of one that promotes cycling.

See the full article on Asiaone here.

"Get on your bikes" - British MP

At a time when we are trying to tackle inner-city congestion and reduce the carbon emissions from transport, cycling has a key role to play. Just as a new era of railways, unmatched since Victorian times, is beginning, so a renaissance of cycling is well overdue. It’s time to get on our bikes, and if those in charge of our councils don’t see that, then perhaps they should get on their bikes too.

Read the Times' article on a British MP who got on his bike.

Ride of Silence

22 cyclists died in Singapore roads each year in 2007 and 2008. On 20 May, cyclists in Singapore embarked on a 19km "Ride of Silence" to remember them and to advocate more measures to protect cyclists on the road.

See Asiaone's pre-event report.

Brunei also held a Ride of Silence, which local media reported.

Meanwhile, the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, himself experienced a near miss on the road. Read the New York Times.

New ferry service to Tg Pengelih

PENGERANG (JOHOR): MALAYSIA'S Transport Minister is confident the
opening of a new ferry route from Tanjung Pengelih, a main town in
Johor, to Tanah Merah in Singapore will spur the local economy.

Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said the new service, which started over the
weekend, would bring in more tourist traffic and boost existing
tourism attractions such as homestays.

'This new service will add to the existing bumboats that carry
passengers from Tanjung Pengelih to the Changi Ferry Terminal in
Singapore and to Batam and Tanjung Pinang in Indonesia as well.

'It will also spur the state's economy,' he said, after launching the
Tanjong Pengelih Jetty Complex and Public Marina on Saturday.

Mr Ong explained that there was an increase in the number of
passengers using the Tanjung Pengelih terminal to travel to and from
the Changi Ferry Terminal.

'The number of passengers increased from 47,778 in 2007 to 48,689 in
2008,' he said.

The Tanjung Pengelih terminal, completed last year at a cost of RM39
million (S$16 million), is equipped with Customs, Immigration and
Quarantine services.

With an integrated system which includes a 20-berth marina with
landing ramp that can accommodate yachts of different sizes and
recreational boats, the complex is expected to be a major attraction
for yachting activities and marine tourism.

When asked whether the opening of the new route would affect the ferry
businesses in the nearby Tanjung Belungkor jetty, Mr Ong said the
additional route would actually bring in more economic activity.

'During this challenging era, besides facing the economic challenges,
we have to learn to use our facilities to maximum capacity.'

He also announced that the Stulang Ferry Terminal in Johor Baru will
be providing ferry services to Tanah Merah in Singapore.

Encouraging cycling

Two parts of the US are in the process of encouraging cycling.

Some coffeeshops in Bozeman, in Southwest Montana, are offering free coffee to those who bike to work next week. Bike to Work Week will culminate in a Bike Week party, with a fundraising drive for charity and a celebration.

Over in Austin, the capital of Texas, lawmakers are debating a bill requiring motorists to give cyclists enough breathing space. Click here to read the article. Perhaps if Singapore MPs were to likewise consider and pass such a bill, memories of buses inches next to you as you ride on the road will be a thing of the past.

Grand April Fool is no joke

A Singaporean woman has just spent one month in the Napa Valley, USA, riding a bicycle for the title of Grand April Fool. She was taking part in the 2009 April Fools Challenge - and that is no joke. Iris Set covered a total of 804 miles (around 1300km) in that month, climbing 10706 feet (3.2 km). Thats almost halfway up Everest if you added everything up. In total, the event inspired riders to ride almost 10000 miles, and raised over US$5000.

See Biking Fools website for information. A local newspaper also published a report about it.

OCBC Cycle Singapore Criterium

Click here for Cycling News' report.

A group of Malaysian cyclists are planning to cycle to commemorate Earth Hour.



In Melbourne, cyclists are pedalling to power up Earth Hour.

In Tel Aviv, there is also a similar effort with a metal concert.
I wonder if any Singaporean groups are doing the same?

Cycle Asia

Five cyclists started a tour of Southeast Asia on 20th March from Kuala Lumpur. Their trip will take them through Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, ending in Cambodia.




Their journey will be featured on Global Travel Pack. Watch this space for updates.

It is important to properly maintain your bicycle's drivetrain, especially in the hot and humid climate of Singapore. See the Youtube video below for some tips.

UK cyclists will receive less accident compensation if not wearing a helmet

A British High Court judge has ruled that cyclists who fail to wear a helmet should receive less compensation for injuries results from accidents.

Click here for an article by the Telegraph on the ruling. Perhaps this may affect decisions by Singapore courts?

Safe Cycling doesn't happen by accident

Safe bicycle riding doesn't hap pen by accident. Part of staying safe on a bicycle is to know when and where you could be in most peril and taking action to prevent an accident from happening.

According to the League of American Bicyclists (LAB), 80 percent of bicycle/car collisions occur at intersections and 90 percent of all bicycle accidents happen in front of the cyclist. So it stands to reason that if a cyclist understands the potential dangers, he should be able to practice sound riding habits and avoidance techniques to protect his well being.

Click here for advice on how to ride when encountering potentially dangerous situations. (When reading the article, remember that the US has left-hand drive unlike Singapore.)

Cycling, an alternative mode of transport: Transport Ministry

The Transport Ministry has unveiled several measures aimed at promoting cycling as an alternative mode of transport in Singapore.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Teo Ser Luck told members of parliament that the Land Transport Authority will roll out a $43 million programme to design and construct dedicated cycling tracks next to pedestrian footpaths in HDB estates.
" Where there is enough space, these tracks will be physically separate from the footpaths, allowing cyclists to have a truly dedicated path. In more restricted areas, the tracks will be joined to the existing pedestrian footpath but they will have painted markings clearly defining and identifying them for cyclists, like what you see in our park connectors. "

Click here for the full article.

NTU Bike Rally

NTU will be organizing a Bike Rally. To be held on Sunday 15th March, there will be two routes: 128km starting from East Coast Park and 85km starting from Nanyang Technological University itself.

Registration closes on 27th February and is limited to those above 16 years of age.

http://bikerally.ntusportsclub.sg/

Wikihow articles on Cycling

Wikihow has an excellent collection of articles on cycling.

Taking part in OCBC's Cycle Singapore or any cycling event? See How to Prepare for a Big Cycling Event.

Planning to cycle a round island around Singapore, or to Malaysia? Read this article on cycling long distances.

Want to learn how to use the new clipless pedals that you just bought? Or for the more adventrous, learn how to Bunny Hop or drift?