Jack Watson accompanied by his son, Paul, who followed in his fathers footsteps into international commissairing and cycling administration.Photo by Bsutton IrrishCyclingNews.comvia Cycling IrelandThe cycling community in Ireland is saddened to hear of the death of Jack Watson which occurred Monday, July 29th 2024. Jack has made an immeasurable and unique contribution to cycling both on the island of Ireland and internationally. The diversity, depth and longevity of his involvement has spanned seven decades and encompassed a vast array of roles at club, provincial, national and international level. He was the recipient of a range of prestigious national and international awards in acknowledgement of this outstanding service.Jack was a key figure in the formation and growth of Cycling Ireland and served in many of its key roles, including that of President. Born into a cycling family in the Shankill Road in Belfast in 1939, Jacks first club was Northern CC. He also competed with Coalville Wheelers in Leicestershire during a spell in England between 1961-63 and he was a founder member of North Down Cycling Club in Bangor.He first became involved in cycling administration at local level in 1958 and progressed to regional level, becoming Chairman of the Northern Ireland Cycling Federation (NICF) which was then one of three cycling federations on the island. Jack served in a myriad of roles during the 1970s-80s, including that of mechanic, selector, team manager, judge, timekeeper and commissaire. As an example, he was mechanic for the Team Ireland at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Jacks involvement at national level began in 1969 during a pivotal period for cycling administration on the island. There were three cycling federations in Ireland at that time and, after decades of division, they began to discuss co-operating in administering cycling on the island in 1969. The Irish Cycling Tripartite Committee was formalised for this purpose in 1978 and Jack served as both its Secretary and Chair. The formal unification of the three bodies occurred in 1987. Given the acrimony and division of the time, Jack took a particularly courageous position during this period and, as such, played a key role in the formation of the unified Federation of Irish Cyclists (FIC), now known as Cycling Ireland. He went on to serve in key roles in the unified Federation, including those of Director, Secretary, Vice-President and President (1990-94). He also continued his contribution at Provincial level, including the role of Chair of Cycling Ulster. Another of his key roles and contributions was in the area of governance and technical regulations. He was very involved in drafting many of our technical and regulatory procedures and was always considered an authority in these areas the go-to person to get an answer when clarification was needed.The value of Jacks abilities and efforts was recognised by his appointment to many further national and international roles. He served on the Irish Olympic Council and the Northern Ireland Sports Council. He became an international Commissaire and served in that role at Commonwealth Games and at World Track and Road Championships. He was prominent in anti-doping efforts, serving as Doping Control Officer for UK Sport and Sport Ireland, and contributed to the Northern Ireland Sports Councils anti-doping policy. He served on numerous doping hearings and had various advisory and educational roles on anti-doping efforts. He ensured that the experience gained throughout his sporting career was always available to share through the training and development of Commissaires and Doping Control Officers.Jacks extraordinary contribution was recognised by the range of awards he received, nationally and internationally.In 2003 he received the UCIs Gold Merit Award the highest Cycling Award that can be presented by the sports world governing body.In 2013, Cycling Ireland initiated a Hall of Fame in celebration of its 25th Anniversary and Jack was one of the 20 original inductees. The European Cycling Federation Union European Cycling (UEC) awarded him its UEC Merit in 2017 for his contribution to cycling in Ireland and Europe.And, in 2017, Jack was honoured by the Queen in her New Years honours list and awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition for his lifetime of service to cycling.Jack Watson on the occasion of his receipt of an MBE in 2017. He is accompanied by his son, Paul, who followed in his fathers footsteps into international commissairing and cycling administration Paul currently holds a senior management position with Cycling Ireland. Jack Watson was a pillar of cycling in Ireland over many decades, has made an incalculable contribution to cycling over a lifetime of service and will be sadly missed. Apart from the astuteness and technical knowledge that he brought to his many official roles, he will be remembered for the distinctive personality that he brought to the cycling circuit his Ulster frankness, combined with a warm affability, good-natured joviality and welcoming smile. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude and his memory will never be forgotten in Irish cycling. All in the Cycling Ireland community extends its sympathy to Jacks wife Rea, to his sons Paul and Alan, and to all his wider circle of relatives and friends. Cycling Ireland President Dr. Tom Daly said:On behalf of the Board of Directors and all the members of Cycling Ireland, I wish to offer our sincere condolences to Jacks wife Rea and to his sons Paul and Alan, and also to the many close friends and cycling volunteers who will miss him greatly.Cycling Ireland CEO James Quilligan said:Jack made an incredible contribution to cycling over a lifetime of service, both on the island of Ireland and internationally. During my time as CEO he was a great support, giving me invaluable guidance across all areas of the organisation. He will be greatly missed.James Quilligan, CEO of Cycling IrelandDr. Tom Daly, President of Cycling IrelandIrishCyclingNews.com would like to extend our sympathies to the Watson family and friends.The post Irish cycling Jack Watson very sadly passes away. appeared first on IrishCyclingNews.com | Irish Cycling News | IrishCycling.

Dublin City Council has started a campaign to tell motorists to yield to pedestrians and cyclists at new continuous footpaths on side roads and yield to cyclists at main junctions with flashing amber turn signals.The videos were produced as the Clontarf to City Centre project, which includes these features, is in its last months of main construction. However, the instructions apply to these designs when used across the city.A continuous footpath at a side road is one that continues across the mouth of a junction in both height and appearance. At side street junctions, pedestrians normally have to drop down to road level at crossing points, but continuous footpaths maintain the level of the footpath.The design of continuous footpaths differs from traditional raised crossing points in that raised crossing points use materials different from those used in footpaths. Continuous footpaths maintain the look of a footpath except for bevelled kerbs or ramps on each side.Cyclists must also yield to pedestrians who are on continuous footpaths.Main junctions with flashing amber turn signals have already appeared in several locations around the city, with and without segregated cycle paths.Dublin City Council has developed the videos below and information leaflets explaining where motorists are expected to yield.Continuous footpaths at side roads:Download: English / IrishVideo of continuous footpaths at side roads:Flashing amber left turn light at junctions:Download: English / IrishVideo of flashing amber left turn lights at junctions:

This move means Shimano joins the likes of SRAM, Santa Cruz, Specialized, and others in financially supporting and safeguarding the trails we love and ride.Shimano New Trail Born FundThe worlds biggest bicycle component manufacturer, Shimano, has announced it will be financially backing global MTB trail building projects under Continue reading

Shimano just launched its new Trail Born Fund, through which they are set to donate $10 million USD to support trail building and access projects around the world throughout the next decade. Find details on the brand's new initiative here...The post Trail Born: Shimano Commits $10 Million to Trail Building appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Anyone whos ever been on the fundraising side of trail building knows new trails can be expensive. According to Shimano, the average cost to build modern trails typically ranges from $10,000 45,000 per mile. Its not just the labor itself, those costs can include costly impact studies, materials, tools, and more. To help offset those costs and expand on Shimanos MTB legacy, the brand just announced the Trail Born Fund. Initially focused on select areas in North America, Europe, and Oceania, Shimano plans to expand into Asia, Africa, and Central and South America by 2026. The fund will deliver an impressive $10 million over the next 10 years. Thanks to the Shimano Trail Born Fund, the mountain bike trail-building community looks like it will have more support than ever in the next decade. Mark Weir doing some trail work at the Shimano Deore XT Launch in Lake Tahoe, Cailfornia, USA June 2011Press Release:SHIMANO is proud to announce its new Trail Born Fund, aimed at helping increase and sustain mountain bike trails and trail access around the world. Delivering an unprecedented level of industry support, Shimano will donate $10 million USD, over the next 10 years, to support and facilitate trail projects and trail advocacy organizations.Working closely with these trusted partners, Shimano will ensure truly meaningful and sustainable gains are made both on a local and global scale and is excited to support the hard work of dedicated and passionate trail builders.Building and maintaining great trails is expensive. Really expensive. Cost typically ranges from $10,000 to $45,000 per mile, which includes everything from permitting and impact studies to tools, materials, and labor. But Shimano believes the return on investment is priceless. Supporting trail building and trail advocacy helps protect and expand trail access. And that means more places for all of us to rideand more opportunities for new riders, like kids, to discover this amazing sport.TRAIL BORN in ActionThe Trail Born Fund will first focus on select areas in North America, Europe and Oceania and will further expand across these regions through 2025. By 2026, Trail Born aims to effect change across the mountain bike riding world, with the addition of Asia, Africa, and Central and South America. In all cases, support will be earmarked for legal and sustainable trails, and funds will be allocated only after a thorough review of the advocacy organizations and proposed projects.Shimano will also help promote these chosen projects, telling the stories of the people and places behind these critical efforts. Well also aid in the identification and acquisition of additional funding from other sources such as private donations and government grant programs.1Expanding SHIMANOs MTB LegacyWith the 1983 launch of DEORE XT M700 the worlds first MTB-specific component group Shimano helped give life to the emerging sport of mountain biking. Weve been there from the very beginning, recognizing that this growing discipline was different from anything the cycling world had seen before. For Shimano that meant delivering the right gear necessary to help evolve and enhance this new and exciting form of two-wheeled adventure.In the ensuing decades, Shimanos commitment to progressive product development and precision engineering of discipline-specific components has consistently set the standard for performance, durability, comfort, and control.shimano.comThe post Shimano Trail Born Fund Will Donate $10 Million to Build New Trails! appeared first on Bikerumor.

In this episode of the BikeRadar Podcast, technical editor Tom Marvin is joined by deputy editor Jack Luke to recap on the latest mountain bike launches.The pair look over the details of YT's new Decoy SN lightweight electric mountain bike, which is claimed boldly to be 'the best enduro bike' powered or not.Tom shares his initial impressions and expands on his first ride review of the bike.Specialized's new do-it-all Status 2 falls under the microscope too, with the team talking about the bike's rather unusual option to run a 27.5/26in mullet-wheel setup on smaller sizes.Also on the agenda is Treks fourth-generation Top Fuel, with its lightly updated geometry, suspension and in-frame storage for 2024.Finally, the pair discuss Lapierre's Spicy CF, featuring an interchangeable high-pivot suspension design.How to subscribe to the BikeRadar PodcastThe BikeRadar Podcast takes you to the heart of the issues that matter for bike riders, whether you're a roadie, mountain biker, gravel rider or commuter.From the latest tech news, reviews and debates, to interviews with the biggest and most interesting personalities in cycling, the podcast is your direct line into the BikeRadar team.To make sure you dont miss a future episode, you can subscribe viaApple,Spotifyor wherever you get your podcasts.

Stunning looks and superb accuracy are let down somewhat by a few quirks and a lengthy bedding in period

NUH encourages you come by bike, theres a cycle to work programme. How can you if you know theres been so many thefts?, said a catering assistant at two Nottingham hospitals described the security for bike storage as non-existent

Remco Evenepoel proved once again that he is the best time trialist on the planet last Saturday afternoon as he powered to Olympic gold against the clock in Paris. They say that behind every great man is a great woman though, and in Evenepoel's case, Oumi Rayane is that woman.After the dust has now...

Brit booed by French crowds after mountain bike victory, despite consensus of no wrongdoing