| 2002 US Cyclo-cross Nationals - CN
With the weather for Saturday looking like "rain and windy with a chance of thunderstorms" we should see a classic cyclo-cross race, wet and muddy. And the books are still open on the eventual winner. Marc Gullickson, Todd Wells, Jonathan Page, Ben Jacques-Maynes, Jonny Sundt and Dale Knapp all have a chance of wearing the Stars and Stripes, while in the women's race; Carmen d'Alusio and Gina Hall both give Clif Bar a very good chance of a win. Cyclingnews will have full coverage of the Elite races, kicking off at 1pm (PST) with an audio feed as well as our live text updates. .
Cyclists get back to basics: Fixed-gear bicycle riders take simplicity ...
Some ride them to train, some ride them for the thrill and some ride them just for the bragging rights, but whatever the reason, many local cyclists are ditching their derailleurs to ride fixed-gear bicycles. Fixed-gear bikes, or "fixies," are as basic as a bike gets -- a frame, two wheels, one gear and often times, no brakes. The defining feature of a fixie is its lack of a freewheel, the mechanism that allows the rider of a normal bike to stop pedaling and coast. On a fixed-gear, there is no such thing as coasting. The chain of a fixed-gear directly connects the pedals to the back wheel. So if the wheel is moving, so are the pedals. And for fixed-gear riders, this is both the allure and the advantage. "It's a different style of riding," said Winston Sauber, a Humboldt State University student who rides a fixed-gear to and from classes every day.
East or West which is best?
As we wait for the Serbian police to examine our passports, an oil tanker pulls up, travelling the other way. “Where's it from originally?" I ask. “Look at the plates: KS, Kosovo," replies my companion. Just as he's speaking the driver calmly removes the plates in full sight of the police and appears with a new set in his hands. We get our passports back and are waved on to the United Nations checkpoint before I see for sure what he is up to. But I presume he is putting Serbian number plates on. New tricks The driver of the oil tanker is prudently sensitive but will he have to learn new tricks? A lot hangs on how Serbia reacts when Kosovo declares independence, with the favoured date at the moment sometime during the second week of February.
60 fresh cases of diarrhoea
A week after the murder of a truck driver in a road accident near the Shivpuri chowk, the police has shortlisted 22 suspects -- all owners of white Skoda cars of Patiala -- one of whom could be involved in the killing. The person who had shot the truck driver, Harbhajan Singh, on October 3 evening was driving a Skoda. That is the only clue the police has. The truck had allegedly hit the rear of the car and the car owner was so angry that he pumped bullets into the stomach of the truck driver. The police claims that a .32 bore pistol was used. The police concentrated on identifying the owners of Skoda cars in Patiala only after eye-witnesses of the killing reported that the car bore the registration code of that city. The car number noted down by some eye-witnesses was, however, found to that of a two-wheeler.
Tiger tales
Leyland acknowledged the Tigers appear to have more pitching depth in camp than he had in his first two springs as Tigers manager. It is a significant statement, given reliever Joel Zumaya 's absence because of shoulder surgery. "We've got some real quality stuff in this camp to make a 12-man pitching staff," Leyland said. Although right-hander Francisco Cruceta is now almost two weeks late reporting because of visa problems in the Dominican Republic, the Tigers believe they have adequate bullpen candidates in Matt Mantei and Denny Bautista . Mantei, an ex-Arizona reliever, had some excellent seasons in the National League. Bautista, a hard-throwing right-hander, came from Colorado in December's trade for Jose Capellan . Lynn Henning .
BMW Vision EfficientDynamics Concept
Yesterday, DailyTech reported on VW's intention to bring a diesel-electric hybrid Golf to market. The hybrid powertrain would boost fuel economy to nearly 70 MPG on the small two/four-door hatchback. BMW also has diesel-electric hybrids on the brain with its new Vision EfficientDynamics concept vehicle. The concept is based on the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) and uses a 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder Variable Twin Turbo diesel engine. The diesel motor develops 204 HP and 295 lb-ft of torque. Unlike the previous BMW X6 ActiveHybrid concept vehicle which was a full hybrid, the Vision EfficientDynamics is a mild-hybrid vehicle. A 15kw generator boosts total power to 221 HP, while regenerative braking steps in to help power the vehicle's electrical systems and recharge the rear-mounted lithium-ion battery pack.
No bikes on 183-A
I wrote a column on Monday about a guy, Chuck Thomas, who commutes to work on the Texas 45 North tollway. On his bicycle. I said he could do so because the Texas Transportation Commission has not voted to make biking illegal on its three toll roads in the Austin area. The board of the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, however, did vote about a year ago to make biking illegal on its single toll road, 183-A. That road, if you don't know, connects at its southern end to Texas 45 North and then goes for 4.5 miles north to RM 1431. There are signs on its entrances indicating no bikes are allowed. One caveat: The mobility authority built another 7.1 miles of two-lane frontage roads from RM 1431 to north of Leander, where the lanes merge with the old U.S.
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