jennhx at flickr.com

It's sometimes a challenge to schedule bicycling tours that don't conflict with other recreational events.

But I was surprised to discover the niche of naked bicycling was so crowded on the Seattle calendar that the organizers of the World Naked Bike Ride here are struggling to find an open date.

I was reading over at the Gadling bicycle touring blog that World Naked Bike Rides -- protesting oil dependency and the car culture -- were held in Australia and South America on March 10, and that similar rides are scheduled in the northern half of the planet on June 9 and 30. I thought it would be cool to post the local date on the my bicycling calendar. ...   more »

Bellevue commuter

If you bicycle or walk around Bellevue, you only have about two weeks to have your voice heard in the Walk & Roll 2007 Pedestrian-Bike Plan.

An online survey is available at the city of Bellevue website through April 10. I filled it out recently and it only takes a few minutes.

It's basically a multiple choice survey -- "always," "sometimes," "never" -- to determine what bicycle facilities you use or would use if available. It also has space for respondents to fill in their major concerns or specific needs for bicycing in the city; this can be more time-consuming but it's necessary to put the officials on notice. ...   more »

So what's all this yelling going on over at one corner of the cavernous seaplane hangar that houses the 2007 Seattle International Bicycle Expo?

Two guys are competing in a virtual track sprint (Goldsprints) and an emcee is urging a small crowd to cheer them on.

Elsewhere, a former pro cyclist is talking about the Tour de France to a standing-room-only gathering. In between more than 150 exhibitors are displaying and talking up whatever bicycle related stuff they're offering and bargain-hunters are searching clothing racks and boxes for shorts, jerseys, socks, helmets, you name it. Man, it's noisy in here ...   more »

The place to learn some inside scoop about the Tour de France on Saturday was inside the noisy former seaplane hangar that hosted the 2007 Group Health Seattle International Bicycle Expo.

Cycling commentator and former pro Frankie Andreu (left) -- himself a veteran on nine Tour pelotons -- said the 2006 Tour de France was one of the "most amazing" he'd ever seen, because he never knew what was going to happen next.

That uncertainty continues to this day, as Andreu says he can't guess what the future holds for Tour winner Floyd Landis, who prepares to answer doping charges at an administrative hearing in May.

Andreu noted that Landis and his defense team have pointed to "a lot of inaccuracies" at the French lab that analyzed the urine samples that led to the doping accusations. But, "we've only heard from one side," he said. He wants to wait to hear from the other side -- the anti-doping agency and its witnesses -- before he decides about the case. ...   more »

The Group Health Seattle International Bicycle Expo returns to Magnuson Park this Saturday and Sunday with some 150 exhibitors and more good speakers than I can remember in recent years.

Rain is in the forecast this weekend, so heading on over to the old Magnuson Park showsite won't be a bad idea. You can even ride your bike over there, as there's plenty of bike parking right outside. The show runs 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Who's showing up this year? Speakers at the main stage this year incude former pro cyclist and OLN commentator Frankie Andreu, bicycle touring authors Willie Weir and Joe (Metal Cowboy) Kurmaskie, and the Bob Mionske, the lawyer who writes Legally Speaking at VeloNews. ...   more »

Here's good news for us in the Pacific Northwest. The North American Handmade Bicycle Show is heading to Portland in 2008.

The show, which just wrapped up its three-day stand San Jose on Sunday, is a celebration of the best frame designers and builders in the world. Most of the 70 handmade frame makers came from the US and Canada this year.

The 2008 show, scheduled for March 7-10 at the Oregon Convention Center, will be another relocation for the annual event, conceived by Don Walker, a framebuilder himself. It was held in Houston in 2005, then moved to the Bay Area for the past two years ...   more »