By Kevin Hylton/The Conversation

Every summer, cycling enthusiasts anticipate the start of the Tour de France, and in more recent times, in the north of the UK, the Tour de Yorkshire. For the latter, yellow and blue bunting lines the streets of Yorkshire towns for one of the biggest cycle races in the country – with some of the top international teams taking part.
Events like the Tour de Yorkshire have put cycling on the map in Britain, and have had a major economic impact – with research showing that the 2016 Tour de Yorkshire boosted the region’s economy by nearly $78 million.
The health benefits of cycling have also been well documented – with recent research indicating that cycling to work could help you to live longer.
This has led to calls to get Britain biking, with campaigns aiming to get more people “on your bike” to reap the health benefits that can come from commuting on two wheels.
And yet research shows that ethnicity, gender and income still strongly affect participation and preferences.
Olympic Team GB cycling coach David Brailsford has described how:

Read More

Posted on May 2, 2017

By Jim Coffman

I considered writing about the Cubs today but the bottom line is, they arrived at the end of April last night a tiny, tiny bit ahead of where they started the season. They are 13-12 and atop the NL Central. They have a few little worries but come on, has anything that has happened so far shaken anyone’s belief they will win their diminished division and return to the playoffs?
In other words, four weeks in, everything is still the same.
So let’s talk some more about the Bears and laughingstock general manager Ryan Pace.

Read More

Posted on May 1, 2017

By Roger Wallenstein

Whaddya mean the Sox can’t hit? They’re killing the ball.
This basically was the message I got a week ago from folks who stop here on Mondays after mentioning the team’s anemic offense just as Rick Renteria’s crew began a six-game winning streak which ended Sunday with a 7-3 loss in Detroit. Just maybe the fellows weren’t buying comparisons to weak hitting teams of the past. They felt challenged, maligned, disrespected.
Whatever the reason – how about the patience of batting coach Todd Steverson? – the bats came alive last week in leading the Sox to a three-game sweep of Kansas City before taking two-of-three in Detroit.

Read More

Posted on May 1, 2017