Basic HTML Version
7
touchline
Breeze launched to get women cycling
British Cycling has launched Breeze, a programme focused on
getting more women into riding bikes. It is designed to create
a network of fun, local and flexible bike rides to introduce over
80,000 new women to bike riding.
Led by women for women, Breeze bike rides are local, friendly
and informal, with the short, traffic-free rides ideal for busy
mums and anyone who hasn’t been on a bike for a while and
would like to go for a bike ride with a small group of women from
their local area.
Breeze is British Cycling’s response to the growing gap between
the number of men and women riding their bikes - currently three
times as many men take part in cycling regularly and the gap is
growing, yet research suggests that nearly one million British
women would like to ride a bike more often.
In 2011 British Cycling surveyed over 1,000 women to find out
what was discouraging them from riding, and the results showed
that safety concerns, lack of knowledge of routes and having
no-one to cycle with were the key barriers to getting involved.
Breeze addresses these concerns and offers women flexible,
safe, accessible and fun opportunities to ride a bike as well as
training and support.
The
rides
are
organised by British
Cycling trained local
Breeze champions and
fit around busy work
and family lives. The
first Breeze bike rides
started in June and
are being rolled out in
towns and cities across
England.
Record 21-race plan for F1 calendar
The FIA has confirmed the 2012 Formula One World
Championship calendar, with an unprecedented 21 races
scheduled. The plan includes the new US Grand Prix which
appears in the calendar for the first time since 2007.
Next season’s championship will open with back-to-back races
in Bahrain on March 11 and Australia on March 18. That’s
followed two weeks later by races in Malaysia and China on
consecutive weekends.
2012 calendar in full:
March 11 - Bahrain
March 18 - Australia
April 1 - Malaysia
April 8 - China
April 22 - Korea
May 6 - Turkey *
May 20 - Spain
May 27 - Monaco
June 10 - Canada
June 17 - United States
July 1 - Valencia, Spain
How Sun Yang Won
In many ways, the 11th Fina World Aquatics Championships
in Shanghai are the dawn of a new era.
The controversial swimsuit period is over, but it will be years
before the records set by swimmers buoyed by those suits
will be overtaken.
One record that survived that time was Grant Hackett’s
1500m freestyle result, clocked in 2001 at the world titles in
Fukuoka, Japan. His record, which stood for almost exactly
10 years, of 14:34.56 was beaten by Sun Yang’s swim of
14:34.14.
Sun’s victory not only brings an end to one of swimming’s
longest-held records, but ends Australia’s hold of the record
for the 1500m. Kieren Perkins began the trend in 1992.
People inside swimming acknowledged that Sun would
inevitably break the record. Comparisons to Hackett are
obvious, not least the fact that he is currently coached by
Hackett’s former coach Denis Cotterill.
He stands even taller than Hackett’s formidable 198cm, and
swims with a similarly controlled, smooth stroke.
After Sun’s win, Hackett claimed that Sun had the size,
strength and intellectual property to beat the record.
One major difference in Sun’s approach was his tactics.
Rather than start powerfully as Hackett did in 2001, Sun
offered a more controlled swim in the early stages of the
race.
Once he established his pace, his training and talent
diverged to create a mesmeric scene. Each lap had a
metronomic quality, the middle laps incredibly consistent.
This was clearly the event he had been training for.
His approach was lost on some experts. Towards the final
lap, he was 2 seconds off the pace and written off by some.
Sun’s not-so-secret weapon, beyond his smooth stroke, is
an incredibly powerful kick.
The plan hatched on the Gold Coast and practised for
months prior to the Championships came together at the
1400m point. He was to use the conserved energy from the
almost languid swimming up to this point to blast home in
the final lap.
He used his kick to mow down Hackett’s record, swimming
the final 100m in an astonishing 54.22 seconds.
The swim was testimony to wonderful natural ability,
superhuman determination and quality coaching. His
strategy on the day harked back to Hackett’s race in 2001,
but involved an added twist.
When questioned on Sun’s approach, Hackett said “That
was the way I thought he would do it.”
The Australian champion was resigned to losing the record
but appreciated the manner in which Sun beat it. Even
before the race, he knew that his record was in jeopardy.
“He’s trained with my coach. He knows exactly what I did
to get there. The way I prepared and the way I executed
that race.”
Sun Yang, meanwhile, claims he was “very happy” with his
record-breaking win.
It is heartening to see swimming emerge from the muddy
years of the suit controversy. While its legacy will continue to
distort records, at least we can look to the 1500m freestyle
as an example of technique and power coming together to
produce a memorable sporting moment.
July 15 - Great Britain
July 29 - Germany
August 5 - Hungary
September 2 - Belgium
September 9 - Italy
September 30 - Singapore
October 14 - Japan
October 28 - India
November 11 - Abu Dhabi
November 25 - Brazil
* Subject to confirmation
on track
CONTINUED...
o track
CONTINUE .
Insight