Soup Seconds

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There are reportedly only 70 trips a day being made on Melbourne’s brand spanking new public bike hire facility. Although Melbourne Bike Share now has 600 bikes and 50 docking stations, the lack of take-up is being blamed on Victoria’s mandatory cycle helmet-wearing laws.

Last Saturday, supporters of the bike share scheme who blame low usage on the helmet laws conducted a protest ride without helmets, a number being fined. One of those booked, Dr Paul Martin, a specialist anaesthetist in Brisbane, said, “The system is only being used to 0.5 per cent of its capacity, which is a crying shame.”

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“ Having proved himself one of the best climbers in the sport by finishing eighth at the Tour de France and taking a stage win in Mende, Joaquim Rodríguez is turning his attention to this weekend’s San Sebastián Classic and the Vuelta a España, which starts in late August. He also has an eye on the Worlds, having heard from riders who know the course that it’s not a dead cert for a bunch sprint as has been widely suggested. ”

“ Euskaltel-Euskadi have revealed that team leader Samuel Sánchez cracked the radius bone in his right arm when he crashed early on in the crucial Tour de France stage to the summit of the Col du Tourmalet. The broken bone became apparent when the Olympic road race champion underwent an exhaustive medical check after the finish of the Tour. ”

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A statement issued on Monday said, “The UCI regrets that an initiative for a cause as worthy as the fight against cancer was not coordinated beforehand with the Commissaires and organisers of the event. This could have been done whilst remaining within the rules.

“Team RadioShack’s incorrect behaviour led to a 20-minute delay to the start of the final stage, which could have disrupted the televised coverage of the race, placing the Commissaires under the obligation to impose a fine on each rider and the team managers.

“Team RadioShack subsequently breached the regulations by wearing an incorrect uniform on the podium for the protocol ceremony having been instructed not to.”

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