Israel has its first Grand Tour - but will it get people on their bikes?

Billionaire bike-lover Sylvan Adams has a dream to get Israel cycling - he funded the Middle East's first velodrome, gave car-centric Tel Aviv a cycle network, and is behind the country's first Grand Tour. But will it work?While some wealthy benefactors to Israel choose to plant forests, build scenic promenades or put their names on hospitals, Sylvan Adams loves cycling so much he seed-funded some cycleways to help transform Tel Aviv into the "Amsterdam of the Middle East". The Canadian real-estate billionaire also supplied cash to build a new velodrome - the first in the Middle East - and created a professional Israeli cycling team. He also stumped up some of the ?9m fee for staging the first three stages of the 101st Giro d'Italia in Israel, which kicked off yesterday. Continue reading...