Houston group: 'Bike paths bring crime'

I haven't heard this objection in quite a while. The city of Houston is planning to put a bike path through a section of southeast Houston. The South MacGregor Civic Club claims the trail will provide a path for criminals. As if roads don't already to that much more effectively.

Flirting and cycling

Single male cyclists frequently discuss the question: "So, you rode up to a female cyclist. Do you...?" Boulder cyclist Carol Kauder gives her take on this important issue in "Cycling and the singles scene".

"Ladies, are you looking for love? Have you tried riding up Lefthand Canyon?

"I think it's safe to say a sport is fully integrated into regional culture when it becomes fertile ground for flirting and finding a date."

Read Carol's column in the Daily Camera.

Gas prices and their impact on everybody

Have a great day.

The BBC tells us why rising prices on petroleum products will affect all of us, even those who don't own or drive a motoro vehicle. Meanwhile, Shyrley in CarFree jokes about Pre-Walking Clinics for those who've forgotten how to walk.

3-D fly through of your bike route

Imagine entering a start and end address into your computer and seeing a street-level, bike-eye view of your cycling route. That's the vision of the Portland Oregon Metro Region Transportation Planning group.

They're not quite there yet, but they have melded Portland's popular Bike There! map with Google Earth so you can view and preview bike routes throughout the Portland region. BikePortland.org gives you details on downloads and how-to so you can play with this technology yourself. If you live outside of Portland, this is a cool way to take a virtual bike ride through the city.

Carbon fiber worldwide shortages

BikeBiz.com is reporting on a shortage of carbon fiber, citing the rapid spread of windfarms, the rapidly growing Chinese economy, and production on the Airbus 380. Suppliers have apparently been warning their customers for some time about the worldwide shortage in carbon fiber. Large volume users of carbon fiber began speculating about CF shortages as long as four years ago.

Over hydration kills cyclist

A District of Columbia bike patrol officer died Wednesday apparently of hyponatremia according to the Washington Post. Doctors believe that hyponatremia, a sodium imbalance caused by drinking excessive amounts of fluid, probably caused or contributed to the death of Officer James McBride. McBride consumed as much as three gallons of water during and after the 12-mile training ride Tuesday morning, police said.

Everybody knows the importance of drinking water during heavy excercise. This emphasis on hydration, however, has led to to increase in incidences of hyponatremia, which can kill the endurance athlete. Read guidance on hyponatremia and dehydration from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Tags: cycling, bike patrol, hyponatremia, endurance sports