Uber admits its self-driving cars have trouble with bike lanes – While we’d love nothing more than being able to sit back and let the car do the driving while we post more goodness on Bikerumor, the challenges to full robotic chauffeurs remains. Uber’s self driving test fleet apparently has trouble recognizing bike lanes, but at least they’ve recognized the problem before bad things happened.
Besides the threat of our robot overlords, there are always plenty of things to get us on the bike over the holidays and into the New Year…
Training
- The biggest virtual cycling competition in the world is back with Bkool –
After the success of their Summer Cup with riders from over 30 different countries, Bkool is back for more. The Bkool Winter Cup is running now (from Dec 12) until April 9, 2017, giving every Bkooler around the world the chance to compete head-to-head inside the Bkool Simulator. For the Winter Cup, Bkool has organised various stages from top early season competitions on the circuit, including sections from the Tour Down Under, the Tour de Qatar, and more. Bkoolers.com
Events
- 31st Tour of the Gila opens registration for 2017 – It’s time to start looking at what goals you’ll set for next year. Registration for the 31st running of the amateur Tour of the Gila categories just opened up. The 5-day stage race runs April 19-23, 2017 with categories open for Cat 1, 2, 3 men and masters, as well as the 4-day version starting April 20 for Cat 3, 4, 5 masters men, Cat 4, 5 men, and Cat 3, 4 women. The Tour draws in competitive cyclists both amateur and pro from around the world, with an event designed to give the opportunity for aspiring cyclists to participate on much of the same course and terrain as the UCI professional men and women. BikeReg.com
- Ice Ice Baby: White Style kicks off the FMB World Tour 2017 – The world’s best slopestyle athletes and mountain bike fans around the globe can look forward to the 11th edition of White Style. The unique event set in the Austrian Alps of Leogang welcomes the FMB World Tour on Jan 27 where riders will be battling it out on snow for the first win of the year. 20 athletes will be showing off all they have worked on during the winter break and sending their biggest tricks on the snowy alpine course. Bikepark-Leogang.com
- Science of Speed’s Champions Ride in Tallahassee this March – New for 2017 the Champions Ride will raise money for local non-profit Hang Tough Foundation, featuring 67, 28 & 7.4 mile course options out of the Centre of Tallahassee, FL. Each and every registrant will become a Hang Tough Champion just by signing up thanks to helping raise money for the nonprofit. The event will take place on March 11, with registration now open. ChampionsBikeRide.com
Gear & Wrenches
- Scope teams up with Low Bicycles to bring their new wheels to more in the US – Scope Cycling, the Dutch wheel company whose new carbon tubeless disc brake road wheels were just announced a month or so back, have partnered up with premium American aluminum framemaker Low. Low Bicycles already takes a unique path of building with aluminum in the US so they can offer top performance at a reasonable price point. Scope is kinda aiming to do something similar, developing affordable carbon clinchers for road racing.
- Velofix as an escape from the 9 to 5 sales drag – Entrepreneur magazine brings a bike industry success story into the broader press. Francesca DeRanzo left years of fun in the cycling industry to get a sales job that turned into a drudge. Deciding she’d had enough with work that she wasn’t passionate about, she came back to her years as a bike mechanic and turned to a mobile shop franchise. Now you’ll find her wrenching out of her van in St. Louis. Entrepreneur.com
