Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador has been stripped of his 2010 Tour de France and Giro d'Italia titles and banned from competing in any races until August.

The Switzerland-based Court for Arbitration of Sport handed down the two-year ban against Contador for doping with clenbuterol during 2010.

The court didn't believe Contador's claim that, during the latter stages of the 2010 ...   more »

Recently, I discovered the world of railroad velocipedes -- bicycles that ride the rails.

What led me there was a TV reality show, "American Pickers." One of the buyers is Mike Wolfe, a bicycle enthusiast who occasionally dredges up vintage bikes; I guess that's what originally drew my interest.

Recently, he dragged a vintage railroad handcar out of a building. It was a 100-year-old one-person machine used to inspect the railroad tracks.

It occurred to me that this might be a cool way to travel on some abandoned railways that hadn't been converted to rail-to-trail bike paths. ....   more »

Bicycling enthusiasts on the 27th annual Ride the Rockies bicycle tour will cross five mountain passes on their way from Gunnison to Fort Collins in 2012.

The organizers of the popular event presented by the Denver Post announced this weekend the 442-mile route and seven host cities for the event that draws 2,000 riders in a lottery that leaves others waiting in the wings.

Registration for this year's June 9-15 bicycle tour runs today (Sunday) through Feb. 24. Two thousand bicyclists will be chosen at random in the lottery ...   more »

If you believed in Lance Armstrong through all the mud-slinging, government leaks and "60 Minutes" disclosures, I suppose you feel vindicated today.

Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles told the Associated Press that they've closed a criminal investigation into doping allegations against the 7-time Tour de France winner.

A statement from the U.S. attorney's office said Armstrong would not be criminally charged, but did not explain why. This is a breaking story as I write this; I expect more explanation will follow at VeloNews or CyclingNews.

Apparently Armstrong isn't free and clear yet, however. US Anti Doping Agency head Travis Tygert said they are still pursuing ...   more »

While others her age are just getting used to life after high school, Erin Nelson is taking on the world on her bicycle.

At 18, she left her home in Turlock, California, in November 2010 and pedaled across the US, Europe and Asia on an around-the-world bicycle trip that now finds her in China. [See her video below.]

Why an around-the-world bike tour? She wrote an early blog about some many people living lives of contentment:

"I don't want to be happy being content. I want to be happy because I'm making the most out of my short life so when I die I don't have regrets ....   more »

An amendment to restore funding for bicycle and pedestrian projects in the federal Transportation bill failed Thursday morning.

Bicycle and pedestrian advocates earlier this week urged their members to contact Congressmen to support the amendment to the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act.

Committee member Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Oregon, made an impassioned plea to retain bicycle projects in the bill, ...   more »

When I reached the West Coast after bicycling across country in the 1980s, one of the coolest things I discovered was the fact that many parks had hike or bike camping.

The state parks where I stopped on the Pacific Coast Bicycle Trail, for instance, all had a reduced-rate area set aside for travelers on foot or bike.

As I rode up the coast, I remember several nights sitting around the fire ring sharing route news and swapping lies with fellow cyclists.



Now these parks are seriously threatened. In an attempt to balance its budget, California has plans to close 70 parks in the state; X's mark the parks on the above map ...   more »

Specialized Bicycle Components is adding two bicycle brands to its voluntary recall of bikes with a brake that can snap off from the carbon fork.

The new recall involves 460 bikes from the 2012 Tricross Sport and Tricross Comp models. The bikes were sold at authorized Specialized retailers between June and September 2011 for $1,250 to $2,000.

Last September, Specialized ...   more »

The money for a lot of those bicycle lanes and paths we've come to enjoy over the years could become extinct in a new bill introduced on Tuesday in Congress.

The American Energy Infrastructure Jobs Act is the new multi-year Transportation funding bill, but unlike its predecessors, it doesn't include a penny to pay for bicycle or pedestrian projects.

Bicycle and pedestrian advocacy groups are calling on members to contact their congressmen to put bicycling and pedestrian funding back in the transportation bill.

It seems like we're continually being contacted about threats to bike funding, but that's the nature of Capitol Hill these days. People who bike and walk don't have teams of lobbyists to look after their interests; they have to speak for themselves ...   more »

A bill sits on the Pennsylvania governor's desk that would make the state the 20th to require that motorists give bicycle riders 3 or more feet when passing.

In Pennsylvania's case, it would be the first to require a 4-foot margin. It also makes it a crime to turn into the path of a bicyclist.

John Boyle, research director for Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia: "We're really happy that the bill has been passed, and we hope that there is an education campaign at some point in the future to help motorists understand exactly what the bill means ...   more »

If you're curious about the 2012 routes for RAGBRAI XL (Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa) or BAK (Biking Across Kansas), then you've been waiting for this weekend.

Organizers of both popular across-state bicycle tours announced their routes, a combined 946 miles of bicycling for anyone lucky enough to do both.

Between the two, they have 77 years of experience ushering bicyclists across their states in hot summer sun, thunder showers, and occasional windstorms -- all the while ensuring the cyclists can consume copious quantities of pie.

This is the 40th anniversary of RAGBRAI (July 22-28), a mass bicycle tour of 10,000 people. Perhaps to celebrate the occasion, the ride will be among the least challenging...    more »

If you're heading out this weekend for your first bike ride since the recent snowstorms, be prepared to do some bike cleaning when you return home.

The sand and gravel spread to improve traction in the snowstorm -- along with all kinds of road debris like tree twigs and glass chards -- has found its way to the sides of the road where we tend to ride.

If the road is wet, this stuff sticks to your bike like glue. It will grind down all the parts of your power train and wear grooves in your bike rims when you brake.

Even if it's dry, the glass works ...   more »

Two studies released this week -- one in Iowa and the other in bike-friendly Boulder -- once again prove that bicycling is good for local economies.

The new studies support similar reports from Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and elsewhere that bicyclists are capable of opening their wallets and spreading around some cash, sometimes at a jaw-dropping rate.

The Iowa report finds that recreational bicycling creates nearly $365 million in direct or indirect economic benefit to the state; $1 million a day. Bicycle commuting adds another $54 million a year.

In Boulder ...   more »

You can probably guess from the photo at left that the hundreds of miles of flatness across Kansas and eastern Colorado were taking a toll on my sanity on a cross-country bicycle tour some 20 years ago.

Those are the Rockies in the background, however, and this bike tour was about to take on a whole new, vertical complexion.

While many cyclists flock to the Rockies for several multi-day bike tours every year, cyclists who prefer flat terrain may feel left out.

No longer. The Denver Post, host of the Ride the Rockies, announced its new Colorado ride this week called "Pedal the Plains."

Although there aren't a lot of details available ...   more »

Several importers are recalling 2,000 faulty aluminum riser handlebars made in Japan by the Nitto Co.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging owners to stop riding bicycles equipped with the handlebars and contact the dealer where they were purchased or Euro Asia Imports for free replacements.

The handlebars can break, causing the cyclist to lose control of the bike and fall. There are two reports ...   more »