It's a Bike-Y New Year!

We have made it to 2008, and as many of us have made some resolutions, so does Bike-y. No weekly update will take more than 1 hour to type, so let's see how many weeks that lasts…it's 12:32 right now…

Before we get to the meat of this week's update…another quick pro cycling update. Another "chemically-enhanced" champion cyclist has decided to retire, since he is having trouble finding a team due to his legal troubles. Roberto Heras, who rode with USPS for three years (hmmm), and won the Vuelta 4 times (officially, 3 times since one was stricken due to a positive EPO test), is done his two year ban but still has a ProTour suspension so can't find a good team to ride with. Too bad , so sad. That now makes three big names who retired in December (along with Beloki and Vinokourov) - it's too bad since they were all good cyclists who weren't afraid to ride up front in the Big Tours.
http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/13847.0.html

Before moving on to non-Bike-y things, I wanted to provide all of you with 3 minutes of fun and reminders about why we cycle. Ok, this might not be the best thing to remember next time you get a speed wobble at 70 kmh, but it is still pretty enjoyable!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=f91ZfgSEYc4

In honour of Cara and her wearing hoop earrings during long runs, here's a site that shows fashion and cycling can go together. Pink bikes, stilettos, and fur coats ahead!!
http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/

Okay, I mentioned that this week was not really bike-y related. I wanted to make sure you all knew about the amazing story of Oscar Pistorius. Born without either fibula, the 21-year old South African took up running track (speed events) in Paralympics, has broken all the world records for Paralympians (100m, 200m, 400m). He's fast, so fast that he wants to compete with able-bodied athletes at the Beijing Olympics. So now the whole controversy starts. Pistorius runs on Cheetahs, which are carbon-fibre prosthetic blades. Here's a video of him running http://www.videovat.com/ug4994/Oscar-Pistorius.aspx .

So the IAAF (Track and Fields World Governing Body) decided to investigate whether he gets an advantage from these blades. This has been going on for about 6 months with both groups making their case. Anyhow, the scientist in charge of investigating the science of the blades has completed his report and he claims that Pistorius gets "considerable advantages" since his blades return 90% of the impact energy (human foot is supposedly only 60%). Anyhow, the IAAF makes their decision next week, so we'll know more then. But it is an interesting story to follow…how long until the Android-lympics?
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/athletics/article3111772.ece

Okay, it's 1:25 so I made my 1 hour rule…now I have to find an update on Britney Spears suicide watch!