The first thing that came into my mind as I lay in the street under my bicycle on Friday was, "This is a hell of a way to start a bike ride."

Then I realized I couldn't clip out of my right pedal, my right hip and elbow hurt like the dickens and my glasses were about a foot from my face.

I finally disengaged myself from my bike, stood up, picked up the stuff that had fallen off me and my bike, and limped back to the house. Fortunately, I had fallen within 10 feet of my driveway. Also, no one had witnessed it ...   more »

Falling debris hazards in five John Wayne Pioneer Trail tunnels, including the 2.3-mile-long Snoqualmie Pass Tunnel at left, have convinced Washington state parks to close them until further notice.

The closures are bad news for the many bicyclists and hikers who pass through the tunnels at they hike and bike the 100-mile-long rail-trail over the Cascades from Cedar Falls to the Columbia River.

Shutting down the tunnels not only removes interesting historical landmarks from the Iron Horse State Park, which contains the rail-trail, but requires trail users to take long detours -- sometimes out to Interstate 90 -- to get through the remote area.

A request for funds to repair the tunnels, estimated at $9 million, are included in the 2009-2011 two-year budget cycle ...   more »

David Rowe says he was taking the leap from recreational cyclist to ultra long-distance cyclist when he rode the arduous Torture 10,000 century in Oregon a few years ago.

He wasn't surprised by the length or elevation gain -- more than 13,000 feet. What surprised him was seeing so many sag wagons filled with the bikes of participants who had thrown in the towel.

"It was clear that they didn't think about what they were getting into."

So David set out to write the recently published eBook "The Ride of Your Life." It covers an aspect of cycling that doesn't get the attention it deserves -- mental preparation ...   more »

Imagine living in a place where you're not breaking the law by rolling through an intersection without coming to a complete halt at a stop sign.

Residents in Idaho don't have to imagine it. They live in a state where lawmakers decriminalized stop sign-running 27 years ago. Now legislators in Montana will consider passing a similar law, and bike advocates in Oregon are seeking a similar law.

Bill Schneider at New West magazine reports that Robin Hamilton (D-Missoula) has proposed such a law. Schneider lays out the language here ...   more »

King County touts bicycle commuting as a great way to reduce stress, increase health, and help the environment. It has been forced by economic conditions, however, to suspend an incentive program for its own bike commuting workers downtown.

County employees who work outside of downtown Seattle can continue to earn the $20 Commuter Bonus Plus voucher for any month in which they bike bike, carpool or walk to work more than half their work days or half of their commute miles.

The county announced at its employee transportation website that the King County Council has postponed extending those $20 vouchers to employees who walk or ride their bikes to work in downtown Seattle. ...   more »

Two Seattle-area female cycling coaches are offering a three-day clinic for women who are interested in getting into bicycling.

While helpful to all skill levels, the 2009 Women's Bicycle Retreat in Leavenworth, Washington, is geared to beginning cyclists. It's coached by Lisa Brudvik and Amy Pieper.

Last year's clinic hosted women ages 30-58 who attended clinics, rode their bicycles under the supervision of coaches and relaxed at the Mountain Springs Lodge. This year's clinic runs June 12-14 ...   more »

This photo I shot on the Foothills Trail in Pierce County, Washington, makes me feel warm all over.

It's a hot June day and that's the volcano Mount Rainier soaring in the background.

I just posted this rail-to-trail photo, and a couple of others, to the Rail-to-Trails Conservancy group on flickr.com

There already are more than 300 photos in the group of people riding their bicycles on rail-trails all across the US...   more »

Here's a photo I shot of cycling personality Bob Roll when he last appeared at the Seattle International Bicycle Expo in 2005.

Not exactly the clean-cut Versus TV commentator that appears on cable, but his humor and stories were just as good, if not better, in person.

Bobke is returning to Seattle to speak at the Cascade Bicycle Club's Friday evening, March 13, special presentation that precedes the bike expo on March 14 and 15. He won't be appearing during the expo like he did four years ago ...   more »