"To install two big bike-share stations here and outsize stations elsewhere in our community is a recipe for trouble, " said Bruce Silberblatt, part of a group hostile to depots around Dag Hammarskjold Plaza at East 47th Street.

WSJ: Bike-Share Rides Past Neighborhood

By the scheduled completion date of 2014, the station will have a subterranean bike depot big enough to hold more than 5, 000 bikes, and the surrounding area will be turned into a picturesque, greenery-filled plaza.

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Officials see bike-sharing as a big next step.

WSJ: NYC launches bike share program, largest in nation

The bench is part of a national project by Sustrans - a cycling charity encouraging people to travel by foot, bike or public transport - funded by The Big Lottery Fund and Plymouth City Council.

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Cyclists can now plan their trips, make use of bike lanes, calculate cycle-friendly routes that avoid big hills and customise the map for cycling on smart phones and computers.

ENGADGET: Google and Sustrans join forces, bring bike navigation to UK Maps

So it has been big news that New York has finally announced the details of its own bike sharing program, which is slated to begin next summer, when approximately 600 stations around the city will provide riders with 10, 000 bikes to take them from station to station.

FORBES: Bike Sharing Comes to New York (Finally)

There are also signs that big operators are adding adventurous elements to family holidays, for instance offering mountain-bike excursions or including surf waves on cruise ships.

BBC: For family travel, bold is better

It's a three-day race covering 320 miles on the big island of Hawaii, including a 10-kilometer ocean swim, more than 260 miles by bike and a double marathon run.

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Stevens's physiological gifts aren't in dispute "She has a big engine, " says Carpenter but Carpenter has helped smooth Stevens's transition on and off the bike.

WSJ: Evelyn Stevens Gets an Assist From Connie Carpenter: Cycling's Luke Finds Her Obi-Wan -- London 2012