News Briefs: Jail Time, Dirt Jump Demo, Online Race Broadcasts, U.K. Bikes

Driver Gets Five Years for Assaulting Cyclist
A happy ending to a terrible story.

Last summer, Justin Alan Andreae, 32, had a sick mother and got into a fight with his ex-wife; so he consumed some narcotics, got behind the wheel and purposely drove right into a cyclist on a canyon road near Boulder, Colorado. Turns out, Andreae was already on probation for a felony stalking conviction, and upon seeing the cyclist, Lauren Wenzel, 42, lying in the roadside ditch, he fled the scene.

Fortunately, Wenzel was able to ride home and notify police. On May 4, the jury charged Andreae with second-degree assault. Boulder District Judge Dan Hale sentenced him to a minimum of five years in prison. Cyclists around Boulder should feel a little safer knowing this driver won't be on the road for awhile.

Kona and Interbike Create Dirt Jump Demo
Let them show you how to go big.

Each year, North America's biggest bicycle trade show, Interbike, hosts the Dirt Demo on singletrack around Bootleg Canyon. The Demo gives "industry types" a chance to not just see, but also ride new products. This October, Kona is stepping it up with a Dirt Jump Demo. The Demo will include jumping clinics by Kona-sponsored riders, a fleet of Kona dirt jump bikes and jumps with three levels of difficulty.

Kona's dirt jump honch, John Cowan, will be building the jumps in Bootleg Canyon. Cowan will also be one of the teachers on hand, probably using techniques from his instructional CD-ROM, "Higher Learning."

Watch Full-Length, Almost-Live Races from Around the World
Just tell your boss you're working.

You can now watch bike racing from all over the world on ARIA TV, and you don't even need to suffer through countless commercials or quick recaps of long races. Just go to www.ariatv.com, sign up and receive unlimited Internet viewing. Although ARIA TV's sports section is brand new, they've been broadcasting Russian television, via satellite, to Russian American viewers for about a year. "We're leveraging this same technology for cycling events....For the Tour of Basque [road race], we'll have about 12 hours of viewing all dubbed over in English," aaid Michael McGuire, managing director of ARIA Worldwide.

At this point, ARIA TV offers a 45-day unlimited viewing plan for $14.95 or a monthly subscription for $9.95. The events are "near live" (one day to one week out, depending on content), and live events and mountain bike races should be broadcast in the near future. "If enough viewers ask for mountain bike racing, we'll work on getting it for them." Said McGuire.

Buy Cool British Bikes From J&B Importers
Two brands that'll make you more hip.

J&B Importers are now distributing Planet X and On-One framesets from the United Kingdom. Planet X is known for high-end specialty bikes such as trials and dirt jump frames. On-One makes popular singlespeeds, utilitarian commuters and ti frames. Both companies have tons of attitude and thanks to manufacturing in Taiwan, tons of value. Ask your favorite local bike shop if they order from J&B, and check www.on-one.co.uk or www.planet-x-bikes.com for all the specs.