
-
'Incredible' Curry scores 52 as Warriors down Grizzlies, Bucks edge Suns
-
Asian markets edge up but uncertainty rules ahead of Trump tariffs
-
Nintendo's megahit Switch console: what to know
-
Nintendo to unveil upgrade to best-selling Switch console
-
China practises hitting key ports, energy sites in Taiwan drills
-
Oil, sand and speed: Saudi gearheads take on towering dunes
-
All eyes on Tsunoda at Japan GP after ruthless Red Bull move
-
'Image whisperers' bring vision to the blind at Red Cross museum
-
Hay shines as New Zealand make 292-8 in Pakistan ODI
-
Other governments 'weaponising' Trump language to attack NGOs: rights groups
-
UK imposes online entry permit on European visitors
-
How a Brazilian chief is staving off Amazon destruction
-
Meme politics: White House embraces aggressive alt-right online culture
-
China launches military drills in Taiwan Strait
-
US senator smashes record with 25-hour anti-Trump speech
-
Brazil binman finds newborn baby on garbage route
-
US senator smashes record with marathon anti-Trump speech
-
Trump advisor Waltz faces new pressure over Gmail usage
-
Niger junta frees ministers of overthrown government
-
Trump set to unleash 'Liberation Day' tariffs
-
Boeing chief to acknowledge 'serious missteps' at US Senate hearing
-
Real Madrid hold Real Sociedad in eight-goal thriller to reach Copa del Rey final
-
Nuno salutes 'special' Elanga after stunning strike fires Forest
-
PSG survive scare against Dunkerque to reach French Cup final
-
Sundowns edge Esperance as crowd violence mars quarter-final
-
Nottingham Forest beat Man Utd, Saka scores on Arsenal return
-
Elanga wonder-goal sinks Man Utd as Forest eye Champions League berth
-
Stock markets mostly advance ahead of Trump tariffs deadline
-
US movie theaters urge 45-day 'baseline' before films hit streaming
-
Saka scores on return as Arsenal beat Fulham
-
Third-division Bielefeld shock holders Leverkusen in German Cup
-
Ball-blasting 'Torpedo bats' making waves across MLB opening weekend
-
Newsmax shares surge more than 2,000% in days after IPO
-
Thousands of Hungarians protest against Pride ban law
-
GM leads first quarter US auto sales as tariffs loom
-
Tesla sales tumble in Europe in the first quarter
-
No 'eye for an eye' approach to US tariffs: Mexico
-
NFL club owners back dynamic kickoffs, delay tush push vote
-
Trump 'perfecting' new tariffs as nervous world braces
-
Trump nominee says to press UK on Israel arms
-
French court says Le Pen appeal ruling could come before presidential vote
-
The battle to control assets behind Bosnia crisis
-
Prabhsimran powers Punjab to IPL win over Lucknow
-
Mass layoffs targeting 10,000 jobs hit US health agencies
-
Tiger's April Foolishness: plan to play Masters just a joke
-
Myanmar quake toll passes 2,700, nation halts to honour victims
-
Turkish fans, artists urge Muse to cancel Istanbul gig
-
US seeks death penalty for accused killer of insurance CEO
-
UK govt moves to block sentencing guidelines for minority defendants
-
Trump puts world on edge as 'Liberation Day' tariffs loom

Slovenians race to celebrate legendary fold-up bike
Thousands of Slovenian cycling enthusiasts flocked to the mountain resort of Kranjska Gora on Saturday to honour the "Pony", a formidable 20-inch-wheel foldable bicycle, in an uphill race that has little to do with the country's world cycling champions.
The little city bicycle was produced in Slovenia -- the home of Grand Tour winners Tadej Pogacar and Primoz Roglic -- between 1965 and 1985 with millions sold throughout the former Yugoslavia.
"At the time it was the only small wheel bicycle available and everybody had it, anyone over 40 must have had one," Tomaz Kosir, one of the organisers of the Goni Pony uphill race, told AFP.
"The idea was to put together this legendary bike and the legendary Vrsic pass," said Kosir.
It is an imaginative idea although perhaps not an obvious marriage -- a gearless bike with tiny wheels being asked to flog up the highest mountain pass in Slovenia, indeed the highest across the Julian Alps.
In Slovenian 'vrsic' means 'little peak' but the cyclists who take up the challenge on their Pony bikes are going to feel every bump and rise as they head from Kranjska Gora up Vrsic, covering a distance of 13.5 kilometres (eight miles) and dealing with a height difference of 800 metres.
Adding a revival and carnival atmosphere to the event, participants are invited to dress or wear outfit from the period when the Pony bikes were originally produced.
- 'Best city bike' -
"It's the best city bike ever, especially for women," Janja and Barbara, nurses in their early 30s, told AFP posing for a picture in their old-fashioned polka dot dresses, with fitting black glasses and the corresponding shoes.
It is their first time but they believe they "will make it to the peak".
Nearby, 64-year-old pensioner Franci Valas, with a pair of old soccer boots and a ball, is ready for his seventh race.
"I usually get to the Vrsic pass, maybe have to push the bike from time to time, but I get there," he added.
Some of the cyclists turn up dressed like a football team, others like paramedics or musicians. A group of four Italians from nearby Trieste wear banana outfits.
"We heard about this competition and decided to come," Sofia and Lara told AFP sweating under their disguises at over 30 degrees centigrade before they had even started the climb.
Due to the many hills in their hometown they usually ride mountain bikes, but the fold-up "is good for getting into an elevator!"
Many of the cyclists, however, arrived with beautifully decorated bikes without having adapted them for the toughness of the uphill challenge.
"We had to repair an immense number of bikes," said bike mechanic Anze Pecar close to the start. "Some were in good shape but others were really bad."
Pecar shakes his head at the prospect of joining the throng as they thread their way up the pass.
"Tried it once, that was enough," he said firmly, making a swift exit to make some last-minute repairs to a troublesome seat.
Needless to say there are some who take the race more seriously and it was no great surprise to see a Slovenian double with Laura Simenc winning the women's event and Luka Kovacic the first home in the men's race.
But the real winner, as it is every year, was that 20-inch-wheel foldable bicycle -- the Pony bike.
Y.Kobayashi--AMWN