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News Briefs

Published May 15, 2012

LAB partners with AAA on drivers ed • BMX Hall of Fame adds women's category, honors Olympic team • DealerCamp and PressCamp align with Canari, offer iLeads app • U.S. auto brands big in Japan, on bikes

WASHINGTON, DC (BRAIN) Tuesday May 15 2012 7:00 AM MT—The League of American Bicyclists is partnering with the auto association AAA to produce a series of bicycle safety videos designed to educate cyclists and drivers.

The AAA, which has 53 million members, is offering its members the following advice on sharing the road with bikes:

  • Share the road. Bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists, including the right to ride in the traffic lane
  • Slow down and allow at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicyclist.
  • Check mirrors and blind spots before turning, changing lanes or opening car doors.
  • Never honk your horn at a bicyclist. They may startle and swerve off the road or into traffic.
  • Be especially cautious around children on bikes. They are often unsteady and unpredictable.
  • Stay alert and avoid all distractions while driving.

More at ShareTheRoad.AAA.com.


BMX Hall of Fame adds women's category, honors Olympians

CHULA VISTA, CA (BRAIN) Tuesday May 15 2012 7:10 AM MT—The 2012 National BMX Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony and Dinner will be held at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, on June 16. Five individuals in various categories will be inducted during the ceremony, and the Hall has added a new category for women who have played a key part in BMX's history. In addition, all four members of the first U.S. Olympic BMX team will be recognized.

This year's inductees and their categories:

  • John Palfreyman Jr. (Pioneer BMX racer)
  • Eric Carter (BMX racer)
  • Mat Hoffman (BMX freestyler)
  • Steve Johnson (BMX industry)
  • Windy Osborn (BMX woman)
  • Mike Day, Donny Robinson, Kyle Bennett and Jill Kintner (2008 U.S. Olympic BMX team)

DealerCamp and PressCamp align with Canari, offer iLeads app

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA (BRAIN) Tuesday May 15 2012 6:40 AM MT—Lifeboat Events, the organizer of DealerCamp and PressCamp, is working with Canari Custom Cyclewear to provide official apparel for this year's events. Canari was an exhibitor at last year's DealerCamp and is adding PressCamp to its events list this year.

Lifeboat also announced that DealerCamp exhibitors will have free access to iLeads, a smartphone app available for iOS and Android devices. The app coupled with cloud-based software will allow companies to capture conversations and visits during the camp. They also can add action items and notes to leads, run real-time lead analysis reports, and follow up by tapping attendees' telephone and email addresses in the app.

Finally, Lifeboat announced Tuesday that bike industry veteran Mike Johnson will be staff photographer at DealerCamp and PressCamp. Johnston is the former head of global communications at Mavic and adidas Cycling and has photographed events from the Sea Otter to world championships.


WSJ: Japanese consumers eager for U.S. auto brands — on bikes

KASHIWA, Japan (BRAIN) Tuesday May 15 2012 6:59 AM MT—The Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. auto brands are big in Japan, at least when they are on bicycles.

"GM brands are hot among Japanese bike buyers. Compared with the battleship gray or dull black utilitarian bikes stacked outside Japanese train stations and supermarkets, GM-brand bikes cut a more exciting profile—because of their mountain-bike styling, prominent logos and vivid colors. Bicycles with GM logos are sold at more than 3,000 retailers in Japan," the article reads.

Many of the branded bikes are being imported from China by Osaka distributor GIC Co. The bikes retail for about $375, and neither GIC nor General Motors would comment on the licensing fees or profits.